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 3 a.m. 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…
Poppy Dolan takes us through the tangled life of Ellie as she works out whether having a baby will make things all better or ruin her social life, her career and her love life all in one fell swoop.
High points for Ellie include a meeting with Paul Hollywood, though in rather embarrassing circumstances, a once-in-a-lifetime work opportunity and flirtations with a hot young baker. Low points come courtesy of a disastrous wedding cake, other cakes which refuse to rise…oh and tensions between friends and her husband.
At times you feel like saying to Ellie “get a grip!!!” as she uhms and ahhhs once again, but the story keeps you interested enough to turn the pages even through the self-centredness of the main character. Poppy Dolan really is a great story-teller. The subject matter may alienate a lot of readers who aren’t at the ‘baby stage’ or those who may feel that it’s really not that big a decision. However, regardless or your personal situation this book is worth a read for the well-written characters. Yes, Ellie frustrated me, but that shows the talent of the writer that her character could get under my skin so much.
There’s More to Life Than Cupcakes shows that even in the world of chick-lit there are some serious decisions that have to be made and it’s not all fun, games, sponge and icing. What does Poppy eventually decide? You’ll have to read to find out.
If you’re keen to purchaseThere’s More to Life Than Cupcakes, please click the book cover at the top for further details.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers for an honest review.
Little Miss Literature 