What do you think?
Rate this book
Fred & Breakfast
Perfect for fans of Portia MacIntosh, Milly Johnson and Sophie Kinsella. Daisy's life is going nowhere, but that's just how she likes it. Unable to move on from the tragic accident that killed her parents ten years ago, she's living each day as it comes. After all, what's the point of plans and dreams if one random event can rip them all from you? She's quite comfortable with her dead-end job and her lacklustre love life, thank you. When she and her sister inherit a run-down cafe from a distant relative, her first instinct is to sell it. She doesn't know anything about running a business, so the idea of taking it on and trying to turn it around is way too much of a risk. However, chef Matt has other ideas, and it's not long before his infectious passion for the place starts to rub off on her. Will she be able to save the cafe, or will the cafe end up saving her?
365 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 24, 2021
525 people are currently reading
921 people want to read
About the author
Phoebe MacLeod
30 books422 followersPhoebe MacLeod is married and lives just outside Sevenoaks in Kent. She has two grown-up sons at university, and a disobedient dog. She enjoys reading, cooking, playing the piano and walking the dog. She’s also keen on vintage and classic cars and can often be seen behind the wheel of her own classic - a 1928 Ford Model A.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
May 1, 2022
3.5 stars
Enjoyable read, I was fully engrossed in the story and loved the journey of seeing the cafe come alive after Daisy inherits it and turns it around. The romance was lackluster though, that's the only thing I wish were different. Otherwise, it was a fun story. I will be seeking out more of this author's books.
Enjoyable read, I was fully engrossed in the story and loved the journey of seeing the cafe come alive after Daisy inherits it and turns it around. The romance was lackluster though, that's the only thing I wish were different. Otherwise, it was a fun story. I will be seeking out more of this author's books.
November 13, 2022
3.5 stars
June 18, 2023
Not as light as I'd expected, but it's an enjoyable story. The premise of the cafe being inherited, is what drew me to the story.
Full review at LucyKnowsThings.com.
Full review at LucyKnowsThings.com.
October 27, 2022
This was a cute British romance. I liked the idea of two sisters inheriting a lot of money and a run down café and working to fix it up. There's a bit of a clash between older sister Daisy and the chef Matt that gave me lots of workplace enemies to lovers banter. Overall though it was just an okay read I wanted to like more but just couldn't get super invested in the romance part of the story. Good on audio and recommended for fans of authors like Portia MacIntosh.
March 27, 2023
*Finding her Passion*
After a truly painful tragedy that robbed Daisy and her younger sister of their parents overnight, they are then taken in by their grandparents. Daisy starts to go off the rails until her grandparents intervene. A few years later she is working as an accountant with a geeky boyfriend that has never grown up.
She wonders how or where her life will pan out. Out of the blue she gets a phone call about a relative that has left her & her sister a substantial inheritance which includes a cafe that has seen better days. As her sister has another year before she is 18 Daisy takes up the responsibility.
On the surface she thinks that the easiest thing to do is to sell the cafe and run. That all changes when she meets the chef. He is passionate about the cafe as he sees the potential which Daisy does not share. On reflection she decides to dive in, will it swallow her up whole or can she turn it around?
This was a cute story although some of it felt like a guilty pleasure, I loved it.
After a truly painful tragedy that robbed Daisy and her younger sister of their parents overnight, they are then taken in by their grandparents. Daisy starts to go off the rails until her grandparents intervene. A few years later she is working as an accountant with a geeky boyfriend that has never grown up.
She wonders how or where her life will pan out. Out of the blue she gets a phone call about a relative that has left her & her sister a substantial inheritance which includes a cafe that has seen better days. As her sister has another year before she is 18 Daisy takes up the responsibility.
On the surface she thinks that the easiest thing to do is to sell the cafe and run. That all changes when she meets the chef. He is passionate about the cafe as he sees the potential which Daisy does not share. On reflection she decides to dive in, will it swallow her up whole or can she turn it around?
This was a cute story although some of it felt like a guilty pleasure, I loved it.
October 15, 2021
This was a fun read with a great story and good characters. I loved the baking and cooking aspects and the renovation parts. The love story was sweet. Despite some serious themes the overall feel is light-hearted. I’ve read all this author’s books and I think this one is my favourite. I like how the three are loosely interconnected and we get a tantalising glimpse at how the characters from the previous book have progressed. When’s the next one out? Definitely recommend.
November 15, 2022
Women's fiction, with a sprinkle of romance. The romance is very slow burn and doesn't get going until the last quarter of the book, then after that, intimate scenes are mostly BCD. So, you may be disappointed if your main priority is reading steamy romance. Unfortunatey I didn't feel much of a spark or chemistry between the H/h. I'm not usually much of a fan of WF, but I did enjoy the back story immensely. It's set in and around London, so I liked that. It's also told entirely from Daisy's point of view. I didn't really get much of a picture of her or Matt in my mind, so that was a pity. Otherwise, the writing is excellent and the story very engaging and I enjoyed it. It starred real people, was down to earth and entertaining. 3.5 stars.
January 31, 2022
Another belter by Phoebe MacLeod! I loved this story from beginning to end, I felt the emotions of every character.
What I loved about the characters in this story was Phoebe gets it so right with how she describes their personalities, I felt hot anger with one in particular and was willing them to do something so Daisy could make her move.
Storyline was a little different and not so predictable, one of the main characters Marr was not written in to be this god, he had lived a life and had scars to prove it, he was not perfect but he was realistic.
If u want a feel good story but not with the predictable boy meets girl, the. this is the book for u!
What I loved about the characters in this story was Phoebe gets it so right with how she describes their personalities, I felt hot anger with one in particular and was willing them to do something so Daisy could make her move.
Storyline was a little different and not so predictable, one of the main characters Marr was not written in to be this god, he had lived a life and had scars to prove it, he was not perfect but he was realistic.
If u want a feel good story but not with the predictable boy meets girl, the. this is the book for u!
April 28, 2024
This was honestly quite boring. There was nothing outright bad or wrong about it, but I just was really bored with it. I felt no actual connection to the characters. The story in itself was cute enough - very Hallmark - but I think the execution was a bit lacking. The romance was also underwhelming in the sense that I didn’t really get why they fell for each other? Aside from working together, they rarely actually spent proper time together that made any feelings of love that warranted.
January 28, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the idea of the sisters inherenting the cafe, I haven't read anything even similar to that so it was different but also had all the familiarity of the type of books I normally read. I also liked that the romance between Daisy and Matt didn't take over the book. It was there and mentioned often, but the main focus of the story was always the cafe.
My only issue is 2 minor inconsistencies, well I thought they didn't really fit in with the story.
1. Daisy and Matt were having dinner and Daisy went out to get a bottle of wine, but she only drank a small glass because she was driving. Throughout most of the book it's pointed out often how terrified of driving Daisy is because of what happened to her parents. She buys new cars regularly so they have all the latest safety features, she didn't want to get in Matts van because of how old it was, there was a whole deal about how scared she was of the van. So I find it really hard to believe that someone this safety conscious about driving would even have a sip of wine before driving again, never mind a small glass. Not an issue with the story I just felt like that really didn't fit with how her character was made out.
2. Round about the middle of the book when Daisy got the flat renovated, somebody asked (can't remember who) if she was planning on living in it, she said she couldn't because she didn't have furniture then she was convinced by the idea of being able to buy cheap furniture from a charity shop or whatever it was. Great that she didn't just run and buy all new stuff because she had loads of money now, loved that she wasn't wasting it, but saying she couldn't stay in the house (that she fully owns) because she didn't have furniture, just seemed a bit ridiculous. She's just inherited over £400k, half a business and a flat, she's wearing a watch that's worth £8k and she said at the start she had £8k or something like that of her own savings. She could more than afford a bed and couch, just seemed like a really silly thing for somebody to say when through the rest of the book she comes across as really smart.
Other than 2 issues I really really liked it. I loved all the background characters as well.
I listened to the audio version and the narration was really well done. The narrator showed emotion in her voice in all the right places.
I wouldn't knock of any stars for the 2 minor issues I found as they could be purely personal and overall it was a great book. This is the first book of phoebes I've read so now I'm going on to read more of hers.
My only issue is 2 minor inconsistencies, well I thought they didn't really fit in with the story.
1. Daisy and Matt were having dinner and Daisy went out to get a bottle of wine, but she only drank a small glass because she was driving. Throughout most of the book it's pointed out often how terrified of driving Daisy is because of what happened to her parents. She buys new cars regularly so they have all the latest safety features, she didn't want to get in Matts van because of how old it was, there was a whole deal about how scared she was of the van. So I find it really hard to believe that someone this safety conscious about driving would even have a sip of wine before driving again, never mind a small glass. Not an issue with the story I just felt like that really didn't fit with how her character was made out.
2. Round about the middle of the book when Daisy got the flat renovated, somebody asked (can't remember who) if she was planning on living in it, she said she couldn't because she didn't have furniture then she was convinced by the idea of being able to buy cheap furniture from a charity shop or whatever it was. Great that she didn't just run and buy all new stuff because she had loads of money now, loved that she wasn't wasting it, but saying she couldn't stay in the house (that she fully owns) because she didn't have furniture, just seemed a bit ridiculous. She's just inherited over £400k, half a business and a flat, she's wearing a watch that's worth £8k and she said at the start she had £8k or something like that of her own savings. She could more than afford a bed and couch, just seemed like a really silly thing for somebody to say when through the rest of the book she comes across as really smart.
Other than 2 issues I really really liked it. I loved all the background characters as well.
I listened to the audio version and the narration was really well done. The narrator showed emotion in her voice in all the right places.
I wouldn't knock of any stars for the 2 minor issues I found as they could be purely personal and overall it was a great book. This is the first book of phoebes I've read so now I'm going on to read more of hers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2023
I don’t think I’d call this “a laugh-out-loud romcom” like the blurb did, but this was a pleasant enough little story of loss and love. I thought the attention to the after effects of personal tragedy was well handled through Daisy’s anxiety and panic attacks and how she had been shaped by her own past.
The romance itself did sort of feel like an afterthought, as it happened in maybe the last 15% of the book, but otherwise it was enjoyable enough!
The romance itself did sort of feel like an afterthought, as it happened in maybe the last 15% of the book, but otherwise it was enjoyable enough!
July 18, 2023
While I did like the story of Daisy's growth and her falling in love with the cafe and making it her own, I found it to be a bit meandering in parts. It was cute, but I wanted to see more chemistry between her and Matt. More of a connection.
Also, I found certain storylines didn't really go anywhere or have any conflict when there maybe should have been. It was lovely and I enjoyed the author's writing style, but it wasn't my absolute favourite.
Also, I found certain storylines didn't really go anywhere or have any conflict when there maybe should have been. It was lovely and I enjoyed the author's writing style, but it wasn't my absolute favourite.
April 27, 2025
I was with Daisy right up until the last hour of the audiobook. It wasn't anything major but I dont feel it was her place to have the conversation about her sisters sexuality before her sister brought it up to her. Other than that I really enjoyed it. Nothing huge happens but it is a steady story with realistic believable characters.
June 1, 2023
Book49/23 was 3⭐️! Cute, light-weight book, with a happy ending. Not much of a story line, but it was still a decent and quick read! This is my last book for the month of May; totaling 13 books this month! 📚🤓 05.31.23
September 2, 2023
Cuuute. This could be a Netflix romance.
Easy to read
Easy to read
February 26, 2024
Light fun read with likeable characters
March 25, 2024
Some parts are cute but overall boring, nothing is left for imagination. Also, who is Fred?
May 31, 2024
It was an alright read. You get hooked and curious as to what’s happening however overall there wasn’t much going on. No relationship growth really. It was mainly main character growth.
May 5, 2024
super cute, vorhersehbare Story, 10/10 fluff read.
March 6, 2023
brilliant.
I kind of made a mistake and read the books the wrong way around, and read let’s not be friends first which I also loved then noticed I’m missed this, even though I had an idea of what was going to happen due to reading the other book first I still loved this one :) well worth the read (in the right order)
I kind of made a mistake and read the books the wrong way around, and read let’s not be friends first which I also loved then noticed I’m missed this, even though I had an idea of what was going to happen due to reading the other book first I still loved this one :) well worth the read (in the right order)
October 25, 2021
Another good read from Phoebe
Only marked it three stars as I preferred the first two over this one. Though this is still an enjoyable read, if a little bit more…erratic?
Matt didn’t seem as deep or connectable as the lead males in her first two books as well as the lead female. I adored Katie and Bronwyn though.
Only marked it three stars as I preferred the first two over this one. Though this is still an enjoyable read, if a little bit more…erratic?
Matt didn’t seem as deep or connectable as the lead males in her first two books as well as the lead female. I adored Katie and Bronwyn though.
March 30, 2023
Could have been 1/3 longer and would have kept my attention!
January 10, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Shelf Trophy Review
Fred & Breakfast
by Phoebe MacLeod
This is classic Phoebe MacLeod—the kind of book that reminds you why you trust her to take you somewhere emotionally safe, satisfying, and quietly transformative.
Fred & Breakfast delivers a warm, grounded heroine arc wrapped in humor, food, found family, and an earned friends-to-lovers romance that never forgets the emotional work has to come first.
🥐 What Worked (aka: why this is a shelf trophy)
Daisy’s healing arc
This story isn’t about leaving a man—it’s about leaving a holding pattern. Daisy’s grief over her parents’ death, her situationship with Paul, and her slow permission to want more all unfold with care and realism. The breakup isn’t dramatic—it’s necessary, and that’s why it lands so hard.
Matt. Just… Matt.
Cinnamon-roll competence with a quietly tortured soul.
Dinner offers. Garlic bread additions. Emotional honesty over food.
The towel scene? Iconic.
The “just once to get it out of our system” lie that turns into every day for a week? Perfection.
Friends-to-lovers done right
No forced angst. No unnecessary cruelty. Just proximity, trust, shared routines, and that delicious moment when Daisy’s internal narrative finally admits what the reader already knows. Once Matt says, “We could just stay like this,” it’s over. He’s not moving out. He never was.
Kindness as plot
The café inheritance. The family encouragement. The boss refusing her resignation and offering redundancy leave instead. These moments hit because they’re unexpected generosity, and Phoebe knows exactly how to make that emotional beat sing.
The HEA
Soft. Certain. Earned.
Glitter celebration fully unlocked.
☕ Final Thoughts
This book felt like coming home to Phoebe MacLeod’s best instincts:
women growing into themselves, romance as a result (not a rescue), and emotional payoffs that trust the reader.
Read if you love:
Friends-to-lovers
Forced proximity
Café settings
Competent, emotionally available MMCs
Healing arcs with humor and heart
Quiet “he never moved out” energy
✨ Final verdict: 5⭐️, permanent shelf trophy, glitter celebration approved.
Fred & Breakfast
by Phoebe MacLeod
This is classic Phoebe MacLeod—the kind of book that reminds you why you trust her to take you somewhere emotionally safe, satisfying, and quietly transformative.
Fred & Breakfast delivers a warm, grounded heroine arc wrapped in humor, food, found family, and an earned friends-to-lovers romance that never forgets the emotional work has to come first.
🥐 What Worked (aka: why this is a shelf trophy)
Daisy’s healing arc
This story isn’t about leaving a man—it’s about leaving a holding pattern. Daisy’s grief over her parents’ death, her situationship with Paul, and her slow permission to want more all unfold with care and realism. The breakup isn’t dramatic—it’s necessary, and that’s why it lands so hard.
Matt. Just… Matt.
Cinnamon-roll competence with a quietly tortured soul.
Dinner offers. Garlic bread additions. Emotional honesty over food.
The towel scene? Iconic.
The “just once to get it out of our system” lie that turns into every day for a week? Perfection.
Friends-to-lovers done right
No forced angst. No unnecessary cruelty. Just proximity, trust, shared routines, and that delicious moment when Daisy’s internal narrative finally admits what the reader already knows. Once Matt says, “We could just stay like this,” it’s over. He’s not moving out. He never was.
Kindness as plot
The café inheritance. The family encouragement. The boss refusing her resignation and offering redundancy leave instead. These moments hit because they’re unexpected generosity, and Phoebe knows exactly how to make that emotional beat sing.
The HEA
Soft. Certain. Earned.
Glitter celebration fully unlocked.
☕ Final Thoughts
This book felt like coming home to Phoebe MacLeod’s best instincts:
women growing into themselves, romance as a result (not a rescue), and emotional payoffs that trust the reader.
Read if you love:
Friends-to-lovers
Forced proximity
Café settings
Competent, emotionally available MMCs
Healing arcs with humor and heart
Quiet “he never moved out” energy
✨ Final verdict: 5⭐️, permanent shelf trophy, glitter celebration approved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2024
Lovely story.
HOWEVER,
I am a bit annoyed by the age of the characters though. By all means, Phoebe MacLeod is one of many authors, who‘s age-maturity level/ life experience match is weirdly off. Yet, in this book (and in ‚Never ever getting back together‘) the age does not only not make sense in general, but also mathematical.
Daisy is 24 - she worked at her company for 6 years - when she was 18 - since she was a troubled teenager, I assume that she did not skip a class… >> so how was she able to have several employers before her, who have fired her?!
Just make her 32! That’s is still super young but the story just makes more sense!
The drama in this books is also hard to related to and thus emphasise with the characters (pretty sure you pay the clinic directly and do not transfer a couple thousand euros to the bank account of an addict?!)
The love story is also a bit too convenient to be exciting and heartwarming.
But maybe I am just jealous that the love of my life is not my colleague, who is also my neighbour and who has the novel idea of „getting it out of our system“, when I see him in my bathroom dressed only in a towel, because conveniently his apartment is getting renovated. :)
Not the most enjoyable story, but not completely bad either.
HOWEVER,
I am a bit annoyed by the age of the characters though. By all means, Phoebe MacLeod is one of many authors, who‘s age-maturity level/ life experience match is weirdly off. Yet, in this book (and in ‚Never ever getting back together‘) the age does not only not make sense in general, but also mathematical.
Daisy is 24 - she worked at her company for 6 years - when she was 18 - since she was a troubled teenager, I assume that she did not skip a class… >> so how was she able to have several employers before her, who have fired her?!
Just make her 32! That’s is still super young but the story just makes more sense!
The drama in this books is also hard to related to and thus emphasise with the characters (pretty sure you pay the clinic directly and do not transfer a couple thousand euros to the bank account of an addict?!)
The love story is also a bit too convenient to be exciting and heartwarming.
But maybe I am just jealous that the love of my life is not my colleague, who is also my neighbour and who has the novel idea of „getting it out of our system“, when I see him in my bathroom dressed only in a towel, because conveniently his apartment is getting renovated. :)
Not the most enjoyable story, but not completely bad either.
July 10, 2023
I liked it!
I quite enjoyed the book. I've read "let's not be friends" before this book. But some of the characters that are in that book are also in this one. So I recommend reading this book before that one to prefent some spoilers.
I liked Daisy as a character. At the beginning of the book, she did not have much confidence in herself and expected that almost everything would end in the worst possible way. But during the book, her confidence grows.
Katie was also a lovely character, but it would have been nice to read more of her in the book.
Matt was also a lovely character he had much going on, but while reading, it became clear who he was and what he had been through.
At first, I didn't know in what direction the story was taking me, but after a few chapters, it became clear what it was going to be about.
I quite enjoyed the book. I've read "let's not be friends" before this book. But some of the characters that are in that book are also in this one. So I recommend reading this book before that one to prefent some spoilers.
I liked Daisy as a character. At the beginning of the book, she did not have much confidence in herself and expected that almost everything would end in the worst possible way. But during the book, her confidence grows.
Katie was also a lovely character, but it would have been nice to read more of her in the book.
Matt was also a lovely character he had much going on, but while reading, it became clear who he was and what he had been through.
At first, I didn't know in what direction the story was taking me, but after a few chapters, it became clear what it was going to be about.
Read
April 13, 2023Poignant Story of Self-discovery
This book starts off with Daisy living a modlem life, doing the same things each week and never looking to the future. She's not unhappy, but that appears to be because she doesn't allow herself to think of anything different.
Then with an inheritance from her great-uncle Fred, Daisy starts to have to think beyond her regular schedule. She has to start taking chances.
What I liked about this book is it had a great flow, good characters, and just allowed you to follow along as Daisy rediscovered who she was and what she wanted. There was not huge drama, just different hurdles that needed to be overcome.
This book starts off with Daisy living a modlem life, doing the same things each week and never looking to the future. She's not unhappy, but that appears to be because she doesn't allow herself to think of anything different.
Then with an inheritance from her great-uncle Fred, Daisy starts to have to think beyond her regular schedule. She has to start taking chances.
What I liked about this book is it had a great flow, good characters, and just allowed you to follow along as Daisy rediscovered who she was and what she wanted. There was not huge drama, just different hurdles that needed to be overcome.
August 10, 2024
Daisy and her sister inherit quite a sum of money and a café with 2 apartments. As her sister is still underage, it’s Daisys responsability to decide if it’s worth keeping or better sold off. Maybe the cute chef has some influence on this decision.
It’s a sweet story with lovable characters. Although there’re some really funny moments, unlike the other 2 audiobooks I’ve listened to from this author, it’s not hilarous through and through.
You may recognize some characters, the author lets the reader know, that her books are set in the same universe, rather than a follow-up to the preceded books.
In the end a got a bit annoyed how many times any character said the sentence: “Does that make (any) sense?” But I still enjoyed the story very much.
It’s a sweet story with lovable characters. Although there’re some really funny moments, unlike the other 2 audiobooks I’ve listened to from this author, it’s not hilarous through and through.
You may recognize some characters, the author lets the reader know, that her books are set in the same universe, rather than a follow-up to the preceded books.
In the end a got a bit annoyed how many times any character said the sentence: “Does that make (any) sense?” But I still enjoyed the story very much.
January 30, 2023
I started reading this series out of order, so I actually started with the sequel. I like this book so much more than the sequel, which I can’t remember the name of right now.
As with that book, it feels like the romance was rushed and a secondary thought. Daisy and her feelings towards the cafe are definitely interesting, but I would have liked the story between Daisy and Matt to be deeper? It felt pretty surface-level and rushed.
With that being said, it was a good read!
As with that book, it feels like the romance was rushed and a secondary thought. Daisy and her feelings towards the cafe are definitely interesting, but I would have liked the story between Daisy and Matt to be deeper? It felt pretty surface-level and rushed.
With that being said, it was a good read!
March 15, 2024
Who the hell is Fred?
There's a lot of meaning that falls into the pond and is lost. Is the title simply a play on the words 'bed and breakfast' or is that too simple an explanation? Do those words carry a deeper meaning, like those mysterious phrases unraveled by British crossword puzzlers?
Well, whatever the case may be, it won't affect your enjoyment of the story.
Four stars: a good read.
There's a lot of meaning that falls into the pond and is lost. Is the title simply a play on the words 'bed and breakfast' or is that too simple an explanation? Do those words carry a deeper meaning, like those mysterious phrases unraveled by British crossword puzzlers?
Well, whatever the case may be, it won't affect your enjoyment of the story.
Four stars: a good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews