Sweet sweet story about family, friendship, love and forgiveness.

Like most other stories, there are parts that feel extremely drawn out and unnecessary to the plot line of the story…but overall, cute and quirky.

When I read these cozy romances, I always feel like I should have an accent, along with my favorite blanket, tucked into a large wing-backed chair and a hot cup of tea…I also feel like I should be about 20 years older. With that, it makes me feel closer to the characters (Lillian was my favorite) and also my own grandmother, who would’ve loved the mystery behind old buried family secrets and how the resolution comes at the end.

Rosie is sweet, and her innocence along with a little sass, made me smile more than once.

And I’ll definitely be trying out a few of these recipes—especially the Peanut Brittle!

So yeah, no spoilers here…just my thoughts. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!

<b>**3 Sweet Stars**</b>

Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan. This is a re-release of a book first published in 2014 in the U.S. and you can tell it is an earlier book by this author. Jenny Colgan is a prolific author of several short series and stand alones as well. Many are based on the premise of a woman who leaves the big city for a small town, dumps her old boyfriend ,meets a lot of new friends and finds new love, with some trials and tribulations along the way but love and happiness prevail. Most of them are really very good if you like the formula and I do. This one is a bit long and I had a bit of trouble getting into it but it picked up during the second half.
Thanks to Netgalley.

3.5

Jenny Colgan never fails to write a feel-good book, usually set in Scotland, and always with a happy ending. The characters get switched up, the plot (slightly) changes, but you know that you can expect a familiar modern-day fairy tale when you pick up a Jenny Colgan book.

I liked Rosie and Lillian (I usually like the female characters in Colgan's books,) but the men (as usual) were mostly forgettable. I really didn't like Stephen, though, and just felt like he was more of a spoiled brat than anything, even with his backstory. I also felt that there was a missed opportunity with the conflict with Rosie's mom and Lillian's estate.

I'll keep reading Jenny Colgan's books -- they still definitely have their place -- I just felt like I enjoyed all her other books more than this one.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.

Loved this sweet read! lovable, delicious and totally dreamy book written in such a way that you can't help but love the characters.

Yey, I found myself a new favourite author. Now I absolutely have to read all Jenny Colgan's books. Well, I am a fan, definitely.

Sweetshop of Dreams is a sweet, poignant, quirky, funny, heart-warming story written in parallel time-lines: early 20th century and modern times. The time-lines are connected by country sweetshop. It is the focal point of the story: place of the beginnings and futures.

Aunt and niece Lillian and Rosie Hopkins find themselves at the crossroads of life: Lillian is getting on with age and needs help. Rosie is lost in her life and... well what she needs is the trip to the country and a task of two.

What those women get in return is amazing gift of love, sweetness, promise and future possibilities. There is a love lost and a love found, there are secrets and lies, there are sweets.. All kinds of sweets.

Jenny Colgan's narrative is music to my ears. The way she writes about sweets, recipes, shelves in the sweetshop... I absolutely had to go out and find 'old English sweetshop' or two in Melbourne...

All in all, I loved the book. It was a very joyful, fun, amazing read, light as candy floss. And it left such a craving for more...

I read some of Jenny's books before and this one was similar to them- funny, easy and quick to read.

After the contentious Fall months, I needed a sweet story and to meet some lovable characters. Jenny Colgan delivered that once again. Her tales move forward slowly and deliciously - this time with recipes for "sweeties" I wish I had known. Village life, the people of the place, the dynamics, all made for a pleasant distraction. The technique of moving back and forth from the war years and Lillian's memory of them, gave the book more substance than just a frothy village cozy. The characters were - with one exception, the dentist - well described and fleshed, and added a flavor of a village I wish I had visited in person. This, in short, was a sweet escape. Thank you Ms. Colgan

I am a huge fan of baking and reading so when these two plot combine is perfect!! Loved this Jenny Colgan book. It is an easy read, fun and super sweet read.

Thanks to the publishers, Netgalley and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet treat of a book, set in a sleepy village in England where a young woman figures out what she wants and how to ask for it.

Rosie's stuck in a so-so relationship with an average man who doesn't seem to want to propose after 7 years of being together. Her job as an auxiliary nurse in London is satisfying but is it really what she wants to do with her life? Along comes her spinster great-aunt Lilian who needs someone to look after her and her old Sweetshop - so Rosie sets out to help for a few weeks and ends up falling in love with the place. And the village isn't the only thing she loves.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Rosie and Lilian - Lilian is just a beautiful character with so many layers. I found myself holding back tears when the novel takes the reader back to the 1940s.

There are recipes and anecdotes about sweets in the book which are very entertaining and made me crave Mars Bars and toffees - so do'n't read on an empty stomach!

This is a gorgeous novel and a lovely celebration of people and love - highly recommended.

This is a feel good book that is a light read. It is not for everyone, though. Some people may find it too light hearted or perfect. I thought it was well written and would be better considered as a "woman's literature" book instead of romance.

I didn’t realize when I requested this book that it is a re-release of a book published about 10 years ago. I thought it was a new book. Still though, I love Jenny Colgan books and this book was just as enjoyable. Perfect for fans of British rom com/chick lit. Like many of her books, the main character leaves her life in the city (including a disappointing relationship), and comes to a small village town. In this story, Rosie comes to help take care of her aunt Lilian and sort out her shop. A slightly different twist from other books by this author is we her a dual storyline where we see Aunt Lilian when she was younger. Anyways, we all know how this story is going to turn out, so if you enjoy this comforting type of story (which I do) this book is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for a fair review. I hadn’t realized initially that this was a rerelease of an old title, so I had actually read the book previously. I enjoy Jenny Colgan’s books and really connected with Rosie and her story as she tries to figure out who she is and what she wants her life to be.

I love Jenny Colgan's Bookshop Series so when I saw this title, I knew I had to request it. Sweetshop of Dreams was a fun and light read.

This was my first Jenny Colgan book. I always see her name popping up on lists of cozy, easy-breezy reads. Well, this definitely fit that description. This book was originally published about 10 years ago, but I was offered a review copy with a recent re-release. So here goes...

Rosie Hopkins life was stuck in a rut in London, She'd been dating the same guy for seven years and it seemed to be going nowhere. She worked as a nurse auxiliary and was between jobs when her mom called and asked her to go help out her great aunt Lillian and to prep her sweet shop for sale. So, Rosie packs her stuff and heads for the small village of Lipton that Lillian calls home. There, Rosie sticks out like a sore thumb but learns to appreciate the slower life style offered in the village and is quickly charmed by the old sweet shop. She spends her days sprucing it up and restocking the shelves. Meanwhile, she meets several charming village blokes who make her wonder if there could be more to life. The story alternated between Rosie and Lillian's perspective with Lillian's parts being set in the time around WWII. Lillian is a proper, well put together woman while her grand niece is more of a bumbling figure a la Bridget Jones.

This was indeed a sweet read but wasn't overly saccharine. It is perfection for someone looking for an escapist read with no great tragedies or heavy hitting social issues. The setting of the book. made me think of my 2019 trip to the UK where we visited a few old charming villages and even stepped into some sweetshop and these villages.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I could never fully get into this book and I never fully connected with the characters... but I think this might be a case of "it's not you, it's me." I have learned some things about myself that I need to take into consideration. One of those is right at the top that I don't seem to like much British Literature...in any form. Not the classics, not the romance, not anything I have tried. So now before I request a book or pick one out at the library, I need to see if it is British...because if it is, I need to leave it alone. And not end up giving it a review it doesn't deserve. I am by no means saying this was not a good book because when I could get into it, I liked it quite a bit. But I just couldn't connect. Lillian was actually my favorite character and she was a crotchety old woman :)

This was a release of an older book and I could tell. Not quite as sharp as her later books, but still an enjoyable read.

This is actually one of my favourite authors, so I was super excited to get approved for this book.

True to Jenny’s style, this book was as lovely and cozy as all the rest. It takes place in a small town, has likable characters and just makes you feel happy. I gave it 4⭐️ and would definitely recommend it.

I am a massive fan of Colgan's work. Her stories always have characters I love and a great sense of escapism and this one is no different. Rosie is summonsed to take over her aunt's sweetshop in a country town and, as well as some delicious treats, she learns country towns are not always quiet and restful.

An adorable story a girl named Rosie who goes to help out her aging aunt Lilian. She has taken a spill and needs someone to help her straighten up her sweet shop and sell it so she can afford to move to a good old age home. Rosie is leaving her boyfriend in London to move to the country temporarily so she thinks. Little does she know country life will grow on her and she may even find true love and come to love selling sweets.
I thoroughly enjoyed following Rosie's journey to finding herself and what makes her happy. I recommend you giving it a try.

This book has the ability to change lives. And by that I mean the way in which the main character decided to take a leap of faith and make a change is something we can all learn from.