I love Jenny Colgan’s novels. The first one I found a couple years ago, called “The Bookshop on the Corner”. I was instantly in love with her writing. It’s witty and fun, but also so truthful. The emotions and experiences she portrays, her underdog characters; you find yourself relating to them, understanding them on a deep level because after all, they could be you.
Earlier this year I started “Meet me at the cupcake cafe”. I don’t know why I struggled so much with this book. I loved the book, I loved the story, and yet I found myself constantly having to renew the book until it reached a point where I gave up. Then this weekend happened.
Have you ever had a hankering to read a specific type of novel? It doesn’t matter how many books you are currently reading, or the stack sitting unread on your self. They aren’t right, you need a fantasy or a thriller, or a romance and nothing else will do? I sincerely hope I’m not the only one who has this problem, it’s actually quite annoying. Anyway this weekend I really needed a romance novel. Scrolling through the ebook options in my library app I stumbled once again across “Meet me at the cupcake cafe”. Okay I had to finish this book, it was sitting there mocking me, mocking everything this year has been and the mental struggles.
I am so glad I finished this novel. Issy is such a loveable character, she’s so sweet and loyal. I love that she took a giant leap of faith and created the job she wanted to have. Created it out of something she loved and didn’t lose her love for baking once she did.
I am strongly opposed to the idea that every hobby has to become some side hustle or new business venture. That is probably the most vile part of capitalism in my mind. Nowadays everyone would have been bothering Izzy from the start to open a catering business or a cafe or sell her cupcakes online. To clarify I have nothing against anyone who turns a hobby they love into a profitable business. “You go glen coco”, you do you. I do however take serious issue with so much pressure on hobbies and perfection of those hobbies that it seems no one can have fun anymore, no one can relax because everything in your life has to be about money.
I really applaud Izzy’s character for being able to turn her hobby into a profit, into creating the job she wanted to have (which I fully support, everyone should work the job they want, that fulfils them and makes them happy, and yes sometimes that’s an assistant job and that’s okay). She gets fired by her boyfriend and dumped and she takes all of that rage and anger and fear at finding another job and literally creates one. It’s a huge leap of faith to start your own business knowing full well you might fail. And yet, and yet she does it, she takes that leap.
I loved watching the ups and downs of the business and her incredible support system. How Helena and her Gramps cheered her on. Told her she could do it, were there for her. I feel like Izzy didn’t loose her love of baking because no one threw in her face that she opened a cafe and was trying to make it as a baker. Helena could have easily been like, “sorry love, you can’t fall apart you wanted this”. Instead she was an incredible and supportive friend. The only thing Helena wasn’t supportive of was Graeme and lets be honest, Izzy needed a bucket of ice water dumped over her head when it came to him. I blame her mother for causing her to ever think someone could treat her like such shit and get away with it.
The best part of the entire book was when she went to his house to finally collect all of her things. I won’t spoil it here, but just, such a good scene. It rivaled the scene in “Devil Wears Prada” where Andie quits (the book not the movie, they’re both good but the books version is way more satisfying).
Fair warning, this book will make you want to bake...lean into it
“Meet me at the cupcake cafe” by Jenny Colgan
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Meet_Me_at_the_Cupcake_Cafe/Kh4gAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
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