Cathy's Christmas Kitchen
Cathy's Christmas Kitchen
By Tilly Tennant
This book is like a piece of cake, its heartwarming, funny and leaves you wanting more.
Book Review, no spoilers I swear!
Publishers: Bookouture 01/10/20 in both Paperback and Kindle.
My fellow bookish folk, make sure you add this book to your Christmas to-read-lists because this is such a beautiful, festive read that is best accompanied with a cup of tea and a biscuit, or in this case, a slice of cake. I would first like to thank Netgalley and the publishers at Bookouture for sending me an arc of this joyous book!
The blurb:
As the snow flutters down in the little village of Linnetford, escape to a cosy farmhouse kitchen, scented with the rich aromas of fruitcake and gingerbread, where a love of baking is about to unite two lonely hearts…
Cathy cooked at her mother’s side her whole life and could bake a fairy cake before she could ride a bike. Now she is facing her first Christmas without her beloved mother, she’s determined to use her memories for something positive. She decides to organise a weekly cooking class, sharing her mother’s precious recipes with other lonely souls.
There’s just one small spanner in the works: teenager Tansy, who attends Cathy’s classes even though she’s rude to everyone there and seems to hate every minute. Cathy is poised to ask Tansy to leave, but her uncle, physiotherapist Matt, begs her to give the teenager another chance. And Cathy can’t resist Matt’s sparkling hazel eyes and incredibly kind heart…
But just as Cathy is feeling she might find joy again, her ex returns to Linnetford, desperate for a second chance. With Matt becoming distant as his life gets more complicated, it seems so easy to return to the safe embrace of someone she knows so well. Can Cathy avoid the temptation of falling back in love with the man who broke her heart and let Christmas bring her the greatest gift – that of happiness?
Filled to the brim with sweet Christmas treats, Cathy’s Christmas Kitchen is the perfect book to enjoy curled up by the fire. An emotional feel-good read packed with heart and hope.
Thoughts:
I loved every single bit of this book and wished that there was more, I was like ooooo I can't wait to see whats in store for the next chapter and then it was onto the epilogue and I was like wait what? By that I don't mean the ending was short and rushed, what I mean is that I was so invested in this story, the characters and the what next that I was a little upset to say goodbye to them all.
First thing I loved about this book was the fact that Cathy works at a florist! As a florist myself I loved the representation and the accuracy, although I myself wear five layers of clothing on my top half paired with finger-less gloves during the winter months, oh and holly wreaths are awful to make these days so I usually make them with shrubs and the smell is everything Christmas is about.
Anyway back to the review at hand, Cathy is literally that type of friend who doesn't realise how wonderful she actually is. Cathy has a heart of gold and can't bare to upset anyone despite if they hurt her which is where Tansy comes in.
Tansy is your average angry, seventeen-year-old who seems to be mean to just about anyone. Its not until Cathy peels the layers away that we get to see the real Tansy. Her character's influence in the story is refreshing and adds a rawness to the story. However, at times I thought Tansy was a bit of a brat and just plain rude, the excuses seemed pointless but at the same time, Tansy's character is that of an misunderstood teenager.
Matt's character is the little joy of happiness and the spark that lights up this book in the best possible way, Matt is kind and generous and supports Cathy. He is also very easy on the eye which helps. I loved the flirty banter that went on between them and that the relationship between them wasn't overly physical but more emotional connection, which to me only made them an even cuter blossoming couple.
I've found that this book is not just about the blossoming romance between Cathy and Matt. No this book is about friendship, loneliness, mental health, love and festive joys. Its a book that I found easy to read and light, the dialogue was clever and real and the characters weren't perfect which is always a plus, there faults were what made them unique and special. If you read this book I guarantee you'll be left wanting to walk down the canal more, bake delicious cakes, join a church group and eat lots of cakes.
Rating: 3.5* out of 5*
As much as I loved this book I felt that the ending was short and could have done with a bit more, I did love the epilogue though which answered a lot of questions but I would have also liked to have seen maybe Tansy's mum to have appeared in the book. But then again, I'm not a writer, thats just something I would have liked to have seen.
With that in mind, I still loved this book and thought it a lovely festive read.
After all tomorrow is another day spent reading,
Till next time,
Phoebe x
You can pre-order Cathy's Christmas Kitchen now in both paperback and Kindle which is due to be released 1st October 2020 now.