Review: There's More to Life Than Cupcakes

Author: Poppy Dolan
Publisher: Novelicious
Release Date: 10th October 2013
Pages: 295
Genre: Chick-Lit

Source: Received a copy from the publisher - thank you!

Synopsis

Ellie Redford has a husband, a job and a home. According to the rest of the world, it’s baby o’clock already. Shame life doesn’t come with a recipe…

Ellie knows that starting a family with lovely husband Pete would be an amazing adventure. Pete would make a brilliant dad and she’d have an excuse to eat shed loads of Cherry Bakewell. But Ellie’s bestie would rather she was up at 3am with a bottle of Malibu, not formula. And with redundancies looming, Ellie’s boss isn’t exactly going to throw her a shower if she disappears for a year, with pay.

While Ellie juggles her feelings (and everyone else’s) as competently as a drunken clown, she finds herself signing up for a baking class, alongside the young, free and sizzling hot Joe. As they work buns and shape tarts, is there more to their friendship than a shared appreciation of Paul Hollywood?

Ellie’s soufflés may be rising, but her personal life is one big soggy mess. If she doesn't make a decision soon, she may just lose everything that matters to her. Maybe it's time to take off the pinny and face up to the truth: there’s more to life than cupcakes...

Review

Ellie Redford is perfectly happy with her life. She has a husband who adores her, a lovely home to live in and a job that she is happy with. Whilst she is content with her life, it appears everyone else is waiting for the baby news. But is she ready for the next step? When Ellie's friend Lydia asks her to attend a baking class to stake out a hot guy, Ellie decides to play along. There's nothing better than baking some culinary delights to take your mind off life's stresses. But with crazy in-laws, a best friend who is not feeling the baby fever and added pressure from her own parents, will Ellie be able to figure out the baby mess before someone else makes the decision for her?

First of all I must say I really enjoyed this book. The main character Ellie was a delight to read about and how could I not empathise with a girl who loves The Great British Bake Off as much as I do. It was a refreshing change to read about a woman who is happily married to a great guy, Pete was so supportive of Ellie which I loved. Ellie was down-to-earth, thoughtful and so funny - I laughed like a loon whilst reading this book. I loved Ellie's baking family, Hannah and Joe. The baking goodies that these three cooked up had me practically drooling. My advice for this book is to have some sweet treat to hand - you're going to need it!

What I enjoyed most about this book was Ellie was just an average girl trying to figure out the best course of action for her life. Quite frequently in fiction the reader is faced with a main character who they have nothing in common with but Ellie was completely relatable. I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a sweet escape for a few hours. There may be more to life than cupcakes but I think cupcakes definitely make life that little bit better!

4/5 Stars

My Song Choice: Army of Two by Olly Murs.