The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe by Jenny Oliver

Out now
Published by Carina
Purchase from Amazon here


The blurb:


Welcome to Jenny Oliver’s brand new Cherry Pie Island series!

There’s nowhere more deliciously welcoming

When Annie White steps back onto Cherry Pie Island, it’s safe to say Dandelion Café has definitely seen better days! Her childhood home on the Thames-side island idyll is exactly the same retreat from the urban bustle of London as she remembers - but Annie’s not convinced that new owner of The Dandelion Cafe is a title she’s thrilled about.

One (shoestring budget) makeover, a few delightful additions to the somewhat retro menu and a lot of cherry pie tastings later, The Dandelion Café is ready for its grand reopening! But however delicious the legendary cherry pie, that’s definitely not enough to make her come home for good. However, the islanders themselves are a different story – but is Annie ready to let the island, and all those that live there, become her recipe for true happiness?

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café is Book 1 in The Cherry Pie Island series. Each part of Cherry Pie Island can be read and enjoyed as a standalone story – or as part of the utterly delightful series.


My review:

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe is the first book in a new series, which always excited me. I love meeting new characters and knowing that when I find a good author that I won't have to wait long to read more of their work. This definitely applies for Jenny Oliver. I really enjoyed this book and rushed through it.

We meet Annie who is coming from London to take over the cafe she has inherited. The manager who has run it over the last few years has passed away and it is up to Annie to see if she wants to carry on the cafe that holds so many happy memories from her childhood and her Dad. We see how she becomes more engrossed in the business and the characters that work there. We also meet Matt, the love interest.

I really enjoyed the book and felt it easy to like and relate to Annie. The descriptions of the infamous cherry pie had me drooling! It felt easy to get to know the characters and become engrossed in reading the story as it developed.

This is the first time I have read any of Jenny's work and I am hooked. She is great at helping me to visualise the scenes and created characters that I liked and was rooting for. The story flows well and at a good pace and I quickly want to follow up with book 2 in the series which I am looking forward to reading soon.