this one was sweet if not a little boring for me. i don't think i was quite the right audience for it but i still enjoyed listening.

it was an easy listen and again, a sweet plot with some romance and female friendship!

thank you to the publisher for sending an audiobook arc in return for an honest review!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a sweet read. A little corny but not too over done. I loved all the characters and will definitely look into reading more in the series! The only complaint for me was, while the narrator was good, the main character felt more like a 70 year old lady than 50 at times!

Sara Jane Bailey's The Bakery at Clamshell Bay is a sweet story of 52 year old Cleo, an incredible baker, and beloved member of her community. When Ethan Price, former heartthrob from a television series walks into her bakery, she remains cool but hopeful. The description of the book makes it seem like it's a book about friendship, and it is, but that seems secondary to the romance plotline. It's a cute and quick listen. The narrator was an interesting choice. She does a lovely job but she reads it like Cleo is much, much older than her 52 years. I struggled to stay with it at times because the narration seemed preposterous to me.

Cleo is in her 50s, the survivor of a very bad marriage, and an accomplished baker who owns the Clamshell Bakery. She is famous for her cinnamon rolls and is currently sharing her skills with three women who are in her baking class. She is three years out from the divorce and feeling good about where she is when a famous former actor begins to pay her some unexpected attention.

This is a story of starting over at midlife. I love that our protagonist is in her 50s, as I am. I wish there was a bit more plot to the story, but it was an enjoyable tale and I would try the second book in the series, which is titled The Cottage at Clamshell Bay. Although the backstories of the women in the baking class were not resolved, I expect they will be addressed in future books in the series.

This is a good start to the Clamshell Bay series.

The audiobook performance was fine, but could have been a bit more expressive.

I received a free copy of this book from Deamscape Audio. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story. The narrator was a bit monotone.
I found myself drifting during this book. The first 30% of this book was good. The rest felt as if it dragged on and served very little purpose to the actual end of the story. The idea was good but the execution was boring.

The Bakery at Clamshell Bay is the first novel in Sara Jane Bailey’s Clamshell Bay series. Middle aged Cleo Duvall has been a Clamshell Bay, Washington, resident her entire life, leaving only for college and short vacations. She has inherited a beachside cottage and a wonderful bakery from her mother, has people who support and care about her and a dirty, rotten scoundrel of an ex-ish set to wreak havoc. Life is good-ish.

Long days at her bakery and the baking classes Cleo teaches bring her joy and satisfaction, but her social life is solitary. And then a certain gentleman of her age-ish enters the bakery for a coffee and may just change her humdrum life. Cleo has the feeling of recognition but it takes her a bit to realize the man before her is Ethan Crisp. Ethan played a private investigator for three seasons on a very popular tv series, but then disappeared, until appearing here before her. This is only the first of many visits he will make.

In fact, when he asks Cleo out to dinner, the three ladies in her class, builder Megan Alexander, homemaker Libby Brown, and former model Brooke Mattson, make it their business to do a make over of sorts for Cleo. While Cleo doesn’t believe for an instant that such a celebrity as Ethan could be interested in a relationship with her, a 52 year old baker, it seems her newfound friends do!

As the story transpires, the reader learns that Ethan is in port to replace a failed water pump, rescues an innocent animal, and is lured by a lovely lady. The reader is also there when a lying, cheating spouse-ish reappears. But what happens next, when people circle around and support a dear lady who doesn’t know her value to the town, is purely a testament to the better part of humanity!

I very much enjoyed this book and do recommend it!

This was a super cute book and I don't even really like romance! It was romance without being super sticky sweet or graphic sexy. The male MC also really respected women, which I was totally here for! And I really want to go to her bakery, it sounds amazing!

#TheBakeryatClamshellBay
#NetGalley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 Stars

Happy publication week to Sara Jane Bailey and The Bakery at Clamshell Bay! Thank you to Dreamscape Select and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ALC (Advanced Listener 🎧 Copy) for an honest review!

📅 Yesterday (August 30, 2023) was the pub date for The Bakery at Clamshell Bay by Sara Jane Bailey. 📅

A heartwarming tale of starting over. Cleo Duvall, owner of The Bakery at Clamshell Bay, is faced with what some might call a mid-life crisis.

Circumstances force Cleo to re-examine what makes her happy, if all of her hard work to keep her family’s legacies (her coastal cottage & the bakery) alive has been worth the hustle, if she is able to open her mind to being desired again, and if she can open her heart to trust and love once more. Cleo’s character is relatable and lovable. But, is she able to return to the free-spirit that she once was?

The relationships amongst characters are tender, sweet, and realistic. The reader is left feeling warm and fuzzy and can’t help but cheer Cleo on throughout the entire read. This book is for you if you’re looking for a small town, cozy, feel good read that features a small town community You’ll be left reflecting on your own life and what changes you might want to make to lead a happier and more fulfilling journey.

Just what I needed after reading some thrillers! The Bakery at Clamshell Bay is a light, sweet and feel good story. It is a perfect book when you want an easy read. I listened to the audiobook, which was done well.

Thank you #NetGalley, #DreamscapeSelect, #StormPublishing, #SaraJaneBailey, #LizaRoss and #TheBakeryatClamshellBay for the advance audiobook for my honest review.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This book was sooooo corny, and I love a good corny romance novel, but I couldn't get through this one due to the cornyness.

I don’t really think this story was for me. To be honest I felt like the book blurb wasn’t really what this book was about. We didn’t really see very much of the other ladies, which was disappointing. It could be a series and that’s why. Another issue I had was the narrator, she spoke really fast in my opinion and it was hard to keep up. Now with that being said that doesn’t mean the book wasn’t enjoyable for some, I just think it wasn’t what I was expecting. I did enjoy the main characters inner monologues and thought they were fun. Really loved the part in the pet shop also, it made me laugh. Thank you for the arc!

I enjoyed the characters, setting and storyline of this book, but there was so much more that could have been done with it.

From the description, I had anticipated that the cooking class students' lives would be changed over the course of the story as well. But they were each pretty much left as they were at the start. We don't learn what we hoped to know, and I don't know if that's because a series is intended or what. But it left me a bit dissatisfied.

I did enjoy Cleo and how her perspective of her community and her life within it changed as she learned to let people in and rely more on others. And the burgeoning romance between her and a former television star was fun to witness as well, with its ups and downs.

Overall, it made for a pleasant afternoon's escape, but a day later, I already can't remember the male MC's name... So, it doesn't really stick with you when the story is over.

Thank you to Sara Jane Bailey, Dreamscape Select and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I don’t have much to say about this one. The description was a lot different than the actual book. The plot of this was all about a baker and a traveler who used to be famous and her thinking about being with him. There wasn’t much of a plot and it was very repetitive with Cleo’s thoughts about Ethan.
The description made it sound more like the book was about three women. But it was mainly about Cleo.
I didn’t love the narrator either.

Cute and entertaining. This was a good way to while away an afternoon. Although I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, I thought this could be a good beach read. It’s a light, fun read.