I devoured The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe in only a couple of days! It was a beautiful read and one I will be recommending to friends and family once it is released to the public. The story and all the characters are loveable and intriguing.

Audrey was living the perfect life, she has a loving husband and is about to make the perfect advertising pitch. Things don’t go to plan and she ends up going to the coastal town, Whitehaven Bay, that she used to visit with her mother. I really enjoyed Audrey’s story, the small town setting and the friendships she made.

I loved the way Greer explored a number of tricky topics feeling invisible in midlife, infertility, alcoholism and non-binary gender. I really felt for Audrey at times as she faced discrimination for becoming older in the workplace and not being a mother. I loved her unlikely friendships with Billie a non-binary sixteen year old finding their way and Buddy her drunk landlord who likes to go swimming naked. I loved seeing Audrey find her way again with her love of baking. All the food sounded delicious and I loved the sound of the sarcastic fortune cookies and loved how she managed to go viral with her new business (I don’t want to spilt anything there. Complete with a playlist and recipes! For fans of Catherine Newman and Sophie Green.

The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe by Catherine Greer is a heartwarming and humorous story about midlife reinvention, love, and finding new beginnings. Set in a charming beach village, the book features delightful characters and relatable themes, offering readers a feel-good, uplifting read that's both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Audrey Sweetman is primed to have an exceptional day.
She has a fabulous husband and today she is giving an advertising pitch that is going to make the agency a massive success and earn her that promotion. In a matter of hours, everything is turned on its head and Audrey finds all that she believed in has evaporated. Feeling betrayed by husband and angry with the agency, Audrey needs to get out of Sydney. Whitehaven Bay, a place she visited as a child with her Mum, seems like a good spot, where she can be a nobody and hide from the big bad world. The locals have a different idea, an elderly landlord who doesn’t mind a bit of nudity, a teenager with a ton of attitude and a locally appointed self-help guru and CEO of the holiday flats are all eager to make Audrey’s life a bit more complicated as they try to help. Audrey finds going back to what she loves, baking provides her with a way to heal and just maybe, start anew.

Audrey as the main character is thrown the biggest curve ball on the wrong side of 50. Her husband has been unfaithful, the financial security she thought they had has gone through his bad investments and he is happy to throw her previous failings back in her face. Audrey struggled through IVF and several miscarriages, the disappointment took its toil and drinking became an outlet. Audrey is recovering and wrestles with the drink. Her career at the advertising agency, highlights how older women can be overlooked for what men see as the next young, bright and bouncy thing. When Audrey arrives in Whitehaven things kick up a gear. The locals and Audrey’s relationship with them becomes central. As Audrey is beginning to spiral into a real sad sack of depression. However, as she develops bonds with the locals she realises how they are hurting and how they too have a limited voice. As Audrey learns more of her husband’s deceit, her need to create a financial future becomes paramount. Through baking and fortune cookies that tell like it is, Audrey finds herself, and finds real friendships.

Buddy, her landlord is elderly, lives alone, loves the drink and loves to walk to the beach in the morning naked. This to some of the locals means he should be placed into a nursing home, that he is unable to care for himself. Though he is a grumble bum, he and Audrey develop a deep level of respect. Billie, a nonbinary teenager, is struggling with school, with their parents, being allowed to determine their own future. Though Billie and Audrey initially butt heads again they learn to hear and respect each other. The other characters are well developed and lift off the page.

There will be many women who relate to Audrey with some or all of the situations that she has to overcome. Like being a trailblazer at work but continually having to fight to be recognised and heard. Greer has brought together a wonderful bunch of diverse characters, created a feel good read, with plenty of humour, while gently dealing with some serious issues. The added bonus is that at the end there are recipes and the musical playlist. Perfect for book club meetings.

What an absolutely gorgeous book!
Audrey Sweetman has an ideal life which falls to pieces suddenly with her quitting her job and finding out her husband is cheating on her. She decides to go to a small coastal town her mum took her to as a child and it’s there she rebuilds her life.
The story has a cast of interesting characters of all ages, eat with their own quirks, but all with their likeable side. But it also touches on a range of topics such as alcoholism, aging and how women are treated as they get older, not being able to have children and gender with a non binary teenager as one of the main characters..

Audrey Sweetman wakes up one morning after a restless night’s sleep, knowing today she’s going to give her best advertising pitch and she has no idea it will be one of the worst days of her life. Audrey was completely blindsided and feels like a fool, she hops in her car and leaves Sydney and drives to the seaside town of Whitehaven Bay, a place she visited as a child with her late mum.

Here she meets real estate agent Lem and his girlfriend and motivational speaker and owner of the holiday flats Shez, Buddy a grumpy old man who likes to go for his morning swim starkers and it's not his fault he can’t get his budgie smugglers on, a nonbinary rebellious teen called Billie, the handsome Dr Justin Flood and Stumpy, Smokey and Tiny members of the Coffin Cheaters bikie gang.

Audrey’s life is a mess, she’s lost her job and husband, house and money and the locals decide she should open a bakery in Buddy’s rundown building and she makes the most delicious biscuits, cakes, and fortune cookies with quirky and straight to the point messages. Audrey has one person in town standing between her and possible success and she’s the head of the Whitehaven Community Association and Billie’s mother.

I received a copy of The Bittersweet Bakery Cafe by Catherine Greer from NetGalley and Allen & Unwin in exchange for an honest review. This debut novel is a delightful read, it makes you think and highlights relevant topics such as aging and how older women are treated and feel invisible, the loss of a job and spouse, childlessness and people judge women without children and it's very hurtful, aging and alcoholism, a misunderstood teenager and bikie's and most people give them a bad rap as well.

I adored The Bittersweet Baker Cafe it’s a great hope filled and endearing story, the characters are wonderful, funny and unique and all the recipes are listed at the end and I love to bake and I'm going to make the choc chip hooray chocolate biscuits and five stars from me.