While I wanted to love this book as a huge fan of this genre I just couldn't get into it and I DNF'd at 40% in.

I just love books about older adults! Probably because I am 51 and feel as if I am entering into a different stage of my life. Reading about these elderly characters still finding themselves and continuing to learn about life is very endearing. It's never too late!
This was a bit of a slower building story about family relationships in a small village of friends. And who doesn't love a good scone and maybe some romance?
I will have to try more of this author!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Boldwood Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.

Another great read from Judy championing the more mature characters in a fun, positive and relatable way.
Such a great diverse range of characters , a beautiful Devon setting, tantalising food and baking especially scones, family dynamics, community spirit and second chances!
Siblings Bunty,Hattie and Robert are all very different in character and life experiences but come together to support each other when needed and in doing so gain so much and a second chance at love and living.
A beautiful, endearing , charming feel good read, would highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley for this early read.

I always fall upon Judy Leigh’s books with glee and she has once again outdone herself with her gorgeous new novel, The Vintage Village Bake Off.

Robert Parkin is in his seventies and is perfectly content living alone in the Devon village of Millbrook with his cat Isaac Mewton and his chicken and goats to keep him company. Having never got to the grips with the rules of romance, Robert is surprised to find the local ladies all vying for his company and it soon transpires that it is his baking prowess that is luring them all like moths to a flame. Robert quickly begins to give Mary Berry a run for her money with his meringues and puddings and he has hit the jackpot with his scones. As his fame grows so too does his confidence and when the local media come calling, a competition to judge which county does the best cream tea soon has everyone running to their ovens.

Hearing about their brother’s competition has sisters Bunty and Hattie – who are both at a crossroads in their lives – deciding to go visit Robert. As the siblings enjoy getting closer and spending more and more time together, they soon realise that happiness might be within all of their reach – but only if they stop hiding in the shadows and take a leap of faith and a chance on themselves…

Judy Leigh is just fabulous. I was smiling, laughing and thoroughly enjoying myself from the second I picked up her latest novel, The Vintage Village Bake off. A heartwarming, uplifting and feel-good tale about stepping out of your comfort zone, the power of community, friendship, love and laughter, The Vintage Village Bake Off is a delicious, delightful and delectable charmer from a writer who never disappoints: Judy Leigh.

The book The Vintage Village Bake Off was an enjoyable read. I would recommend any book written by Judy Leigh. Happy Reading!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.

Lovely book which was a warm hug from start to finish. A good mix of characters and each well thought out. Recommended to family and friends

A gentle feelgood read. It is a slow burn but that is all part of the charm being a slightly old fashioned with a slower pace of life. Delightful characters, with a couple of rogues along with a touch of humour in the mix. Maybe a little sugary and too cosy for some but occasionally one needs a book like this to lift the spirits and reinforce belief in intergenerational village community.

I love a good book by Judy Leigh and this was no exception. I love Robert Parkin who now in his seventies and is a sex symbol in his gardening club. Right off the bat that makes me laugh. But he bakes and who can resist a man who bakes. Not me!

What a fun and heart-warming book this is. I love every moment of it and I read it so quickly and easily. Sweet, cosy, fun, quirky and an overall great read. Enjoy it, have fun with it and definitely read it. 4 1/2 stars from me for sure.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this quirky and fun story of Robert and his baking where all the ladies were interested in him. This was so enjoyable and to have his sisters come back home and join him in the festivities. A really good story.

What a sweet story. Such a warm satisfyingly great read. I love books about baking although it makes me hungry. The story was good and well written and I enjoyed the outcome. Makes you think about relationships. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This is my first Judy Leigh book but I will certainly be reading more. It was lovely to read about the older generation enjoying life and having the same issues in life that everyone faces but also overcoming them and showing that life can be fun even when older. . It was also wonderful that this was about siblings Bunty, Robert and Hattie who come back together following Hattie’s divorce from her abusive bullying Husband, Bunty’s fling due to her feeling her Husband loves the horses more than her and Robert becoming a magnet for all the women in his village due to his wonderful baking. There is a mixture of humour and serious topics in this book and the story moved at a lovely pace with cross generational interactions as well as such descriptive writing of the village I could easily imagine it and would love to move to a village like that in my retirement. The fact that the siblings hadn’t seen each other for a while but had the loving bond made me smile. A charming read that I would highly recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwoods books for an advance copy of this book however my opinions is completely my own.

Favorite Quotes:

She stood grimly between Aunt Maud and Aunt Dorothy, who sported matching sour faces, pillar-box-red lipstick and jackets with fur collars that looked as if rats had died simultaneously around their necks.

Robert was perplexed. Women were an unknown land that he’d seldom visited and he didn’t know where to buy a map.


My Review:

One, Two, Three, Four - There's going to be a SCONE WAR!

Another fun and delightful read from Judy Leigh, I can always count on her for giggle-snorts as well as several good belly laughs during perusal. This missive has three senior citizen siblings reconnecting after a lifetime of poor choices for one, lack of choices for another, and handfuls of missed opportunities for the third. They fell into their second chances and found “gardening groupies” at seventy, we should all be so lucky!

Ms. Leigh’s clever humor and observant insights sparkled throughout with quirky villagers, battling journalists, vamping widows, and witty monikers given to chickens such as Hen Solo, Jabba the Cluck, Princess Lay-a, and Dora the Eggs-plorer; goats named Vincent Van Goat and The Great Goatsby; and a cat named Isaac Mewton. I dare anyone to keep a straight face while reading. In fact, I’m tossing out a double-dog dare!

Time for a second chance at life for three siblings in beautiful Devon. This book is a gem to enjoy.. It makes for delicious and thoughtful reading.

I am a huge fan of The Great British Bake Off tv show and was drawn to this book by the title. I love stories that feature baking. There were plenty of delicious sounding cakes and scones in this book.
This book's protagonist is an elderly gentleman which makes a nice change from the young female protagonists that are common in my usual reads.
This is an amusing and entertaining read. I really enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for my copy.

This was a fun little romp! A heartwarming diversion, though a little slowly paced for my usual reading taste. I liked the message behind the story, it's never too late to live your own life, so get out there and take chances when you can! As a bit of a people pleaser myself I was drawn to Hattie's character, and I loved seeing her blossom as the story progressed!

Really charming story, gorgeous setting, very well written, flowed well, great characters that i could really connect too, and it was a lovely read. I love Judys books, loved the silver series and this is another great story to get into.

The Vintage Village Back Off is such a cute story, but it was SO repetitive and went absolutely nowhere, that I had to finally abandon the book at the halfway mark.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

ThisThis novel features siblings Robert, Bunty, and Hattie but, all in their 70's, it mostly features Robert and his cat Isaac Mewton.

Robert is a kind and gentle man in his 70s who lives in Devon village of Millbrook, happy to take care of his chickens and goats and also a bit of gardening but lately, he has become the center of attention amongst the ladies. His cooking/baking skills are to die for.

Hattie has finally come into her own after getting rid of a weight she has had to deal with, her husband. He has left Hattie to set up shop, if you will, with another woman. She is at a crossroads in her life, she knows that there is something out there to pursue but has yet to figure out what it is. Her husband always called her a fuddy duddy but she really isn't. He was just abusive mentally and she never thought much of herself. She is a totally different person after she got rid of her husband of 49 years.

Bunty has arrived at Hattie's home and intends to stay for the long haul, she has left her husband and brought along a new man in her life, a neer do well man by the name of Jacko. They take over Hattie's life and home so much so that Hattie goes to stay with Robert for a while, letting Buntie figure out what she wants. Is Jacko for her, or should she return to her husband?

This is a character-driven story, with the ladies of the village after Robert for his baked goods, which are numerous, he never considered himself a sex object but after a while he kind of likes the position he is in. Hattie finally realizes that she is not a fuddy-duddy as her husband had told her for 49 years. Bunty is finally able to figure out what it is that she wants out of the life that she has left. Not a better time for the siblings to go after what they want.

This is the second book I have read by this author, I love how she tells a story, with lots of humor and compassion for her characters, even the not-so-nice ones!

I give this book 5 stars!

Thanks go to Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood for the copy of this book for review purposes only. I was not monetarily compensated for said review! novel features siblings Robert, Bunty, and Hattie but, all in their 70's, it mostly features Robert and his cat Isaac Mewton.

Robert is a kind and gentle man in his 70s who lives in Devon village of Millbrook, happy to take care of his chickens and goats and also a bit of gardening but lately, he has become the center of attention amongst the ladies. His cooking/baking skills are to die for.

Hattie has finally come into her own after getting rid of a weight she has had to deal with, her husband. He has left Hattie to set up shop, if you will, with another woman. She is at a crossroads in her life, she knows that there is something out there to pursue but has yet to figure out what it is. Her husband always called her a fuddy duddy but she really isn't. He was just abusive mentally and she never thought much of herself. She is a totally different person after she got rid of her husband of 49 years.

Bunty has arrived at Hattie's home and intends to stay for the long haul, she has left her husband and brought along a new man in her life, a neer do well man by the name of Jacko. They take over Hattie's life and home so much so that Hattie goes to stay with Robert for a while, letting Buntie figure out what she wants. Is Jacko for her, or should she return to her husband?

This is a character-driven story, with the ladies of the village after Robert for his baked goods, which are numerous, he never considered himself a sex object but after a while he kind of likes the position he is in. Hattie finally realizes that she is not a fuddy-duddy as her husband had told her for 49 years. Bunty is finally able to figure out what it is that she wants out of the life that she has left. Not a better time for the siblings to go after what they want.

This is the second book I have read by this author, I love how she tells a story, with lots of humor and compassion for her characters, even the not-so-nice ones!

I give this book 5 stars!

Siblings Robert, Hattie and Bunty find themselves in their 70’s with their previously controlled lives now in chaos.
Robert, retired headteacher, baker, gardener and owner of a variety of animals with rather cute names , is now seen as a ‘babe magnet’.
Hattie, one year after becoming a widow, grows from bullied wife to independent lady.
Bunty, social butterfly, needs to learn to make some difficult decisions.
This quirky story made me laugh and groan and I really enjoyed it.

I am a huge fan of Judy Leigh and her amazing books. I just love the way in which she writes such fun and feelgood fiction whilst at the same time illustrating that the fun doesn't have to stop just because you reach a particular age. I have read and loved each and every book that she has written to date. When I heard that Judy was due to release another book, I knew that I had to grab a copy at the earliest opportunity and hibernate until after I had read the last word on the last page. Well ladies and gents the wait is over because Judy's new book is called 'The Vintage Village Bake Off' and it was released on 4th December 2023. I absolutely adored reading 'The Vintage Village Bake Off' but more about that in a bit.

The fact that I saw Judy's name on the cover of a book that I knew I hadn't yet read was enough to grab my attention and draw me in. As soon as I started reading, I knew that I would be doing nothing other than reading for the rest of the afternoon. I was spot on too. I was blown away by the story and by the characters. In fact certain characters ended up feeling more like friends rather than strangers in a book. I developed my own suspicions as to how the story was going to pan out so of course I had to keep reading to see if I was anywhere near the truth or if I had wandered off in the opposite direction. The more of the book that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I started chuckling at the start of the book and kept on chuckling away to myself until long after I read the last word on the last page. 'The Vintage Village Bake Off' was one of those books that I had mixed feelings about finishing. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't disappointed with how the story ended but I Was so enjoying the story, the characters and the author's writing style so much that I just wanted the story to continue for a lot longer. All too quickly I reached the end of 'The Vintage Village Bake Off'. I found 'The Vintage Village Bake Off' to be a delight to read from start to finish with lots of funny and feel good moments and a generous helping of romance.

'The Vintage Village Bake Off' is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing less from Judy Leigh. Judy has an easy going writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading one of Judy's books feels more like a chat between friends rather than reading an actual book. I hope that makes sense. Judy clearly cares about her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. She makes her characters seem just as real as you and I. As I mentioned earlier in this review, a fair few of the characters ended up feeling more like friends rather then strangers in a book. I love the way in which the author makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action. That's how I felt anyway. 'The Vintage Village Bake Off' is a perfect tonic,the story will certainly cheer you up and leave you with a smile on your face.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Vintage Village Bake Off' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Judy's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.