This was a fast-paced, interesting read, that I found I did not want to put down! Great, multi-faceted characters. Vivid descriptions. Kept me captivated from the first page to the last. An excellent read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

Charming and wonderful! Love these quirky, warm characters and the setting made me want to move to Vermont - that TOWN in Vermont. An endearing story about sisters that's fresh and interesting!

A fun Women’s fiction book. I loves the two sisters and their relationship and how they navigated their differences. I liked the romance and really liked that it was a central part of the story. It was there, just brewing. This is a story of life. The writing had a quick, easy feel to it, it was a fast read but an enjoyable one.

I liked the main character and the journey she was on- very relatable. Her sister annoyed me and ruined the book for me! Good message, fun characters, but Kit was unsympathetic and a downer!

When Nora and her sister inherit a farm from their former neighbor, Kit blows back in to town and disrupts Nora’s life. Nora’s spent her life sacrificing for others, including Kit, and she feels obligated to keep her diner (started by her parents) going for the sake of her small town. But deep down, she dreams of creating art.

Now they must decide the fate of the fame, which Nora wants to keep but can’t afford, and which Kit wants to sell. Nora’s sense of stability and community clashes with Kit’s unsettled life and wanderlust ways.

This is a story of roots and dreams, of art and commerce, and what it means to want to protect a small community’s way of life from the corporations bent on trampling rural America.

Read this if you love Sara Addison Allen, Fannie Flagg, Maeve Binchy, Fredrick Blackman or Phaedra Patrick.

Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books and Netgalley for my copy.

When two sisters in a small town inherit the home and land of the local "cake" lady there is a lot in store for everyone.

Louise Miller writes charming fiction filled with community and cooking, and The Late Bloomers' Club, which takes us back to Guthrie, Vermont, is a stellar second book for this author. Just as a kitchen is often the hub of a household, in Guthrie, a diner serves as the center of the community. Oh, and there's cake. Miller's ability to infuse her writing with detail that can touch all the senses makes this cozy and heartfelt book a joy to read.

Nora lives a simple life in Guthrie, VT. Her younger sister Kit is a bit of a vagabond and has dreams of becoming a movie producer. When Peggy, another Guthrie resident passes away and leaves her home and property to the two sisters, their strong personalities clash as they decide what to do.


For as much as I liked Nora, I equally disliked Kit. Nora is down to earth and has the best interest of the town at heart. Kit comes across as self centered with only her interests at heart.

I liked the way the author played these two characters off each other. There was the tug of sisterly love with the desire for each to get their own way. I thought the author created a very realistic scenario and found the story to be very engaging.

My thanks to Penguin Group Viking/Pamela Dorman Books and Netgalley.

Louise Miller's books are so much fun to read. The characters are fabulous, and I always love her story lines.

This was the perfect book for my mood the past few weeks. It is simple, yet complex, and full of niceness. It is set in a small town in the Northeast Kingdom, otherwise known as northeastern Vermont. A development company has set its sites on acquiring property in fictional Guthrie, and is determined to install a big box store. At the same time, Nora, owner of the local diner, inherits a piece of property that the developer is interested in when it's owner, Peggy the cake lady dies. Nora's sister is part owner, and her vote is to sell the property, take the money, and run. Nora has spent her life caring for people; her mother when she became, ill, her father when he could not fathom how to live without his wife, her younger sister, Kit. She has to learn how to juggle all the demands on her time and resources, but at the same time, she wants to keep her small town intact and not let the developer interfere with "keeping Guthrie small."

It is a satisfying book, with characters I came to truly like and appreciate. I found myself sad when the book came to an end. A true feel-good book, I am so pleased to have been able to read it in advance from Net Galley in exchange for a review.

Another home run by Louise Miller. Bringing heart and small town charm to focus, Miller crafts a book that is easy to enjoy, and fall in love with its characters and it’s story.

If like me, you had a hard time finding redeeming qualities in the younger sister in In Her Shoes, you might have the same issue here. Still, I quite enjoyed spending an afternoon reading The Late Bloomers' Club. Nora, owner of a small-town diner she inherited from her parents, finds out Peggy "the Cake Lady," a neighbor she liked but didn't know well has made Nora and her sister Kit the heirs to her estate. Kit wants to sell, Nora doesn't, but the they need the money. The town is divided on whether the sisters should sell out to big box store. Add in a possible romance and the sisters getting reacquainted, and you have a light but interesting story.

I particularly liked the interplay between the characters, who all seemed very real, even if the story is overly tidy. The book tries to redeem Kit, but I wasn't convinced. She seems spoiled and selfish, and while not evil, also not somebody you can count on. Nora's chosen family at the diner, Charlie and Fern, were my favorites, but I wanted to know more about Peggy's life before she died. We get some interesting information at the end, but I'd like to know her better--maybe in the next book by Miller?

I understand this book shares some characters with the author's earlier book, which I have not read. This makes me happy because I enjoyed some of the town residents and would like to spend more time with them. I tend to enjoy this kind of small town setting in books. It's a bit sweet, but not overly sentimental, and I was especially happy to read the story of a woman in her 40s who has her act together but isn't perfect.

This may only be Louise Miller’s second novel but let the record reflect: if she’s writing it, I’m reading it. I feel right at home in the contemporary worlds she creates. The Guthrie townspeople we met in The City Baker’s Guide To Country Living feel like old friends so I was delighted we got to return in The Late Bloomers’ Club. The books are standalone but I love when authors set their novels in the same universe and allow readers to hunt for Easter eggs from book to book.

Nora runs the diner her parents started. It’s not just her job. It’s her identity. Her whole life is oriented around it, even the dream she set to the side. She is a steady presence, always taking care of everyone else.

Her sister Kit, on the other hand, is a wild spirit. She left town to pursue her dreams and hasn’t looked much back.

When Peggy the Cake Lady dies and unexpectedly leaves her house to Nora and Kit, the sisters are split on what to do about it. Nora is drawn to the house and the land and wants to protect Guthrie from HG, the corporation that wants to build a superstore there. Kit, however, wants to sell so the money can fund her film.

If there’s a Rorschach test based on which sister you prefer, consider me Team Nora. It’s not so much that Nora and I have a ton in common but my heart really went out to her as she dealt with disappointments and dreams deferred and the way she wanted more for her life but somehow settled for less.

In the middle of all this friction and difficult decisions, Nora is keeping an eye out for Peggy’s dog Freckles who went missing after Peggy’s accident. She’s also spending time with Elliot, the HG representative who isn’t quite as corporate as she expected.

The beauty of this story lies in the characters. They are fully realized: charming, quirky, hopeful, cynical, wry, dour, kind, compassionate. Sometimes all at once. Nora and Kit are opposites who share a foundation. Charlie and Fern at the diner who are more like Nora’s family. All the townspeople in their glory. Kit’s boyfriend Max pretty much stole the show for me, from his leading ladies tattoos to his Zenisms to his enthusiasm for baking even though he’s vegan.

I loved watching Nora figure out what to do about the house and in turn, her life. The inheritance forces her to ask herself some hard questions and Kit’s return forces them both to face the past. It really made me think about how we form our identity and the ways life can shift our passions and interests. But mostly, I was lost in the twists and turns of Nora’s unfolding days as she searches for Freckles, runs the diner, and figures out what she feels for Elliot.

This was a well-written, lovely story. It pulled on my heartstrings and the ending left me with a profound sense of satisfaction. I don’t know if Miller will return to Guthrie in her next novel but for now, I can rest knowing the townsfolk are doing the best they can and taking care of one another in the process.

This was a fun read. Although some of the ending was expected, it was still a book I couldn't put down. The characters were zany yet quite believable. The descriptions of the town's people were hilarious.

Small town story lovers, meet Nora, of the Miss Guthrie Diner. Don’t mess with her customers or her sister. And when the cake lady dies, please don’t try to buy the land to turn it into a big box store. And if you do try such a thing, make sure you’re a good looking guy with a heart of gold and your eyes on a certain diner owner. But don’t be disappointed if she pays no mind… she has a sister to help, a dog to find, cake recipes to learn, and a town to support. And if her diner gets in trouble, well, be one of those people who saves the day. Nora would do it for you.

And definitely, definitely, read the book. There’s nowhere else you’ll get the sister’s boyfriend up to his eyebrows in maple icing, your precious home filled with your sister’s filmmaking equipment, addictive Girl Scout popcorn at the town meetings, and a zoning vote that threatens to divide the town (but come on, nothing can divide this small town). I loved every page.
https://randombookmuses.com/2018/08/26/review-the-late-bloomers-club-by-louise-miller/

I already reviewed this book on Edelweiss and really loved reading it. I love Louise Miller and look forward to her next book. Thank you.

I could not get into this story. I really wanted to! I loved the idea of the small town and the sisters on different sides of the issue of keeping or selling the property. It took too long to set up the premise and I wanted to be interested in more of the town's characters. I also didn't like so much time spent on the dog.

Once I realized this title was written by the same author of A City Baker's Guide to Country Living, I couldn't wait to read it. I adore the slice of life look inside Guthrie and it's quaint cast of characters. Although I had the same problem with this novel that I had with City Baker's Guide--it's slow roll out at the beginning-- The Late Bloomers' Club is well worth it in the end. My favorite character? Freckles.

Four stars: A touching story of self discovery set in a charming small town.

Nora has been a fixture in her family’s small town diner since she was a young girl. Now she is in her forties, and still remains steadfast in Guthrie running the diner since her parent’s deaths. Nora is shocked when one of Guthrie’s residents, Peggy the cake lady, dies of a heart attack. Peggy had no family, so she left all of her property to Nora and her sister, Kit. The gift doesn’t come without strings. Nora once again finds herself putting everyone’s needs above her own. Will she make the right decisions for her sister? For the town? For herself?
What I Liked:
*After reading A City Baker’s Life to Country Living, I had to get my hands on this one. I immediately immersed myself back into the small town of Guthrie. I love the town, the characters and the heart in this book.
*Nora shines as the centerpiece of this book. Nora is in her forties, the owner of a small diner. She always puts everyone ahead of herself. I loved her big heart, her generosity and the way she took care of everyone. Nora doesn’t have a selfish bone in her body. She goes above and beyond, whether it be for the town, her sister, or even Freckles the lost dog. I loved cheering for Nora.
*The small town of Guthrie is charming. I love a book set in a small town. Guthrie is a town where everyone looks after one another. If someone falls on hard times, the townsfolk step up to help. I love this community.
*This book was a bit of a surprise. It ended up being a journey of self discovery as Nora is forced to make big decisions that will affect the entire town. Along the way, she learns a thing or two about life, love, family, friends and community. I loved watching Nora’s journey.
*For all of you who read A City Baker’s Guide to Country Living, you will delighted to catch up with some of the characters. Livvy, Margaret and Alfred make appearances in this one.
*There is just a hint of romance. I liked that the romance was subtle, unexpected and that it took the entire novel to build. It was sweet and touching.
*The ending is lovely. I was satisfied with Nora’s choices, her journey, and I liked where she ended up.
And The Not So Much:
*My biggest hang up with this book was Nora’s sister, Kit. Kit is selfish, self centered and she came across as immature and flighty. I didn’t like her much at all. I kept waiting for her to improve. She does finally change a tiny bit, but not enough to make me truly like her.
*I found myself wishing for a better understanding of Peggy. She plays an important role in the story, yet so little is known about her life.

The Late Bloomer’s Club is a light, easy, feel good read. This is perfect for when you need something lighter on your plate. I loved the small town setting, the characters, the sense of community and the hint of romance. Grab this for when you need a happy read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

The Late Bloomers' Club was ADORABLE! I absolutely devoured this book. I have so many compliments about it--from the small town quirk to the development of the characters. It was enthralling. While it has a sleepy tone to it, the book is not without excitement on every page. What a sweet, sweet story.