Book Blurb
Jenny Masters finds herself living the modern dream. Wife to a millionaire, living in a mansion and mother to Kardashian-obsessed ten-year-old April, there isn’t anything missing. Until, her whole world comes crashing down, forcing Jenny and April to leave behind their glittering life and start over with nothing.
With village gossip following her wherever she goes, she finds refuge and a job in the new coffee shop in town. As the days pass Jenny fears she doesn’t have what it takes to pick herself back up and give April the life she always wanted to. But with the help of enigmatic new boss Noah, and housemate Elle, Jenny realises it’s never too late to become the woman life really intended you to be!
Available to pre-order here Out May 5th
My review
As a writer I read, I read a lot. I read all sorts and not just books. Last week I was reading an article by a literary editor written in 2015 about book trends (can’t remember her name) She said the 4 trends were still strong going into 2016:
Murders, psychological thrillers, dystopian and the cupcake brigade.
Up until reading Sam’s latest I’d unconsciously slotted her works into the light fluffy cupcake gang. Well she’s written about cakes (Game of Scones) and what do coffee shops do if not sell cakes? She even has the market cornered on cool Poldark like figures with more sex appeal than a whole counter full of muffins.
But I was wrong…
Sam Tonge has shifted up a gear or two with her latest and, as a reader I’m delighted she’s made the move. Her writing has always been strong, her ideas original and her understanding of what makes people tick worthy of a PHD in psychology.
Sam has shifted from a cupcake writer to a brave one. A writer who puts their head above the parapet to address social issues. Addressing, through the medium of paper social issues that some readers may struggle with is brave.
But where would we be without groundbreaking writers? Yes, reading light and fluffy is fine but actually life isn’t light and fluffy. Whilst there may not be a murderer on every corner or a dystopian future set to start in 2018 there are day to day challenges people have to live with, day to day struggles that most people don’t take the time to bother with, wrapped up as they are in their own particular slice of life.
Bravo Sam, an excellent 5⭐️ read – I look forward to more in this vein.
Jenny O'Brien HQ 