This was a really sweet dual timeline book from Jenny Colgan. Her books are feel-good books that are heartwarming and perfect for a beach read. I always enjoy reading them and her characters are so enjoyable. This book is no exception. It definitely made me want to move to a little village and open my very own sweetshop. I would definitely recommend this book. I received a free copy from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Synopsis:

Rosie Hopkins thinks leaving her busy London life, and her boyfriend Gerard, to sort out her elderly Aunt Lilian’s sweetshop in a small country village is going to be dull. Boy, is she wrong. Lilian has spent her life running the sweetshop and struggles that it might finally be time to settle up, she also wrestles with the secret history hidden behind the jars of beautifully coloured sweets.

Review:

Who doesn't enjoy a book that's based around a sweetshop? I enjoyed this sweet and family oriented read. I liked that there were recipes in the book as well. There was a bit of romance, a bit of family drama - all around a feel-good read.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital copy!

In true Jenny Colgan fashion, this book has a sweet and gentle pace with a cozy, inviting setting that draws you in from the get go. I enjoyed the unique cast of characters, and I loved the fact that I never really knew where the story would go. It kept me engaged and flipping the pages! If you're already a fan of Jenny Colgan's work, I don't think you'll be disappointed by this one.

Was tempted not to follow through with this one - the start is slow, the characters somewhat 'meh', and I was wondering where this was going. The POV jumps all over the place, it reads very quaint throughout... It's only because it's a Jenny Colgan book that I stuck with it - I love her stories usually, so decided to give this a chance.
And glad I did! It's a very old-fashioned book - the writing jumps all over the place and in almost all the characters' heads at some point, the setting feels 'trapped' in time, and aside from some mention of cell phones and internet, you could really think this were happening pre-2000 entirely. But brushing all that aside, look at the story, at what's unfolding on the page, at Rosie's journey. This is what warmed my heart as I read, the new Rosie who emerges in the country, the relationships that start to form, the bonds that strengthen. All of it proved terribly heart-warming, and sometimes, we do need a story like that - makes no editorial sense, but is good for the heart. This is the story for that

Rosie gets a chance to rediscover herself and what she really wants when she leaves London for her village after she is enlisted to help a family member with her sweetshop. With small town nostalgia and actual recipes, this book is charming and cozy and a literal treat.

Thank you for the arc copy of this ebook. I love all books by Jenny Colgan and this one was just as sweet. The story was cozy and the cover is delightful. I really enjoyed falling into this book and will be returning for the next one Jenny writes.

As with all Jenny Colgan books, I loved it! This book is about Rosie Hopkins who’s mother asks her to go help her great aunt clean up her sweetshop to get ready to sell and find a retirement home for the aunt. Her mother asked her aunt to have Rosie come stay for a little bit to get her away from her life in London. It is a little predictable but it was just what I wanted to read. I think this was a rerelease of the book because I got it from NetGalley but it’s been around for a while.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I absolutely loved this story. What a cute cute book! I love the cover. Such a light hearted easy cozy read. I loved all the characters (except the ex boyfriend lol). Highly recommend for a feel good sweet shop story. Be prepared to fall in love with the English country side along with quirky townsfolk. The author did a great job with the story.

I loved the dual timeline in this book- really worked well. I wish I could l visit this lovely little town and can't want to read more about it!

A sweet story that matches the story! A perfect edition to our library for some of our readers who want a good story but on a lighter side.

I feel really bad reviewing this one. I'm not going to give it a star rating or add it to my goodreads because I didn't like it at all. This is my second Jenny Colgan book and I can officially say that her stories just aren't for me. My main issue with her writing is just that there are too many unnecessary details. I have also had an impossible time connecting with her characters. Her books are quite popular, so maybe I'm just in the minority on this one. I'm not going to request any further ARCs of her stories.



Thank you to Sourcebooks for the complimentary ARC in exchange for my review.

Love this book!
Sweetshop of Dreams is perfect reading for any time of year when you want an uplifting story. Jenny Colgan crafted delightful characters that remain with you long after the last page is turned. I was thrilled to find out this was the first book in a series and there were two more books already in print. I went right out and bought them, poured myself a cup of tea, and escaped into Lilian and Rosie's world.

When I started this book I realised that I had read it before with a slightly different title but I love Jenny Colgan books and this as usual was warmhearted with lovely characters and I especially loved Lilian's character

Reprint. A lovely book, though the new cover has little to do with the shop in the book; the shop sells candy, not pastries like macarons.

This was a great book and an easy read. I really enjoyed reading about finding yourself and working through all life's stages.

This is a nice novel. I found it a little slow and hard to get into. Though it is set in the present day, I found it very old fashioned. I realised half way through that is actually one of Jenny Colgan’s older novels repackaged. The story proceeds in the usual Colman manner. A young woman, Rosie, goes to the country to help sort out her elderly aunt’s affairs, and in this case, her sweet shop. The delve into Rosie’s aunt Lillian’s memories is the stand out part of the novel for me. Fans of Jenny Colman are sure to enjoy it. Thanks to Sourcebook, Landmark and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel.

What I love the most: A main character who is over the age of 60! Extra special bonus points: She’s over 80!

Why do I love this? Oh it’s so good to see characters who’ve lived so many years, with their richness and their attitude and their depth.

What I love:

- Good character development with the main characters. I felt like I got to know them.
- Lillian’s sarcastic remarks are everything!


What I didn’t love:

I was left wanting more. More about Lillian, more about Henry, more about Stephen and his family and his rapport with Rosie. That’s not to say I won’t get that in a future book, in the series. I just was left feeling like I had a small bite of cake, when what I really wanted was a whole piece… know what I mean?

Overall:

- Lillian is amazing.

- I love a happily ever after, especially with a sweet book like this.

- Hoping to see more in-depth dives into characters in future books, although I would have loved to see it in this one..

- A fun, light read with several laugh-out-loud moments.

Stars: 3.5, rounded up to four, for its engaging characters and funny moments

This is not my first Colgan book, but I think it might be my favorite one so far. I adored the characters, especially the main character and it was so easy to get invested in her, emotionally, and her journey. Colgan writes amazingly real characters, who you feel like knowing in real life and for me that is a big selling point of contemporary fiction. Add to that the very relatable problems of every day life and it is almost impossible to go wrong with her books.

Where the Little Bakery books make me very hungry and long for homemade bread and pastries, this didn’t make me wish of a candy shop as much as it made me all happy inside and feeling very cosy and safe.

I also was reminded of the times I have visited the makers of hard candy (“bolsjer” in Danish, quite popular attractions). And the smell of those places I associate with good memories. It might not have anything to do with the book, but it was pleasant to have that feeling while reading.

It took me a moment to realize this was a re-jacketed version of one of her earliest books. But it's signature Jenny Colgan, heartwarming, cozy. Her books are like comfort food in the best way. This story made me so hungry! I swear I need to read Colgan's books in a bakery from now on.

I enjoyed reading Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan, it was so easy to loose myself in this story and I did not want it to end. It made me crave a visit to an old fashioned sweet shop which I just had to do. I’d love a sequel to find out what happens next.