Review: 'The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe' by Jenny Oliver (2015)

When Annie White steps back onto Cherry Pie Island, it’s safe to say her newly inherited Dandelion Café has seen better days! And while her childhood home on the Thames-side island idyll is exactly the same retreat from the urban bustle of London she remembers, Annie’s not convinced that Owner of The Dandelion Cafe is a title she’ll be keeping for long. Not that she can bear the idea of letting her dedicated, if endearingly disorganized staff lose their jobs. Plus café life does also have the added bonus of working a stone’s throw away from millionaire Matt and his disarmingly charming smile!
One (shoestring budget) café 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 once she’s brought the dilapidated old café back to life, Annie finds herself wishing her stay on the island was just a bit longer. She always intended to go back to the big city…but could island living finally have lured her back home for good?
Over the past few months, I've heard and read a lot of positive things about author Jenny Oliver. Other bloggers loved her books 'The Parisian Christmas Bake Off' and 'The Vintage Summer Wedding' and I have to admit it made me quite curious to check out her work myself! So, when I spotted 'The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe', which was released on the 27th of March by Carina UK, on NetGalley, I immediately requested a review copy and was lucky enough to get one. I couldn't wait to check out the first part of Jenny's new e-book series and had high hopes for a great read!
Annie White grew up on Cherry Pie Island, a Thames-side island and retreat from the busy city of London. After the death of her father, she managed to build up her own successful business and life in Hampstead, a life she doesn't plan on leaving. Until Annie inherits the Dandelion Cafe, which not only brings her back to Cherry Pie Island but also to her family and her childhood memories. Against her own expectations, Annie decides to give things a chance and plans on reopening the Dandelion Cafe. But will she really be able to set aside everything that happened in the past and leave her comfortable London life behind for a return to Cherry Pie Island?
'The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe' is the first part of Jenny Oliver's new Cherry Pie Island series, and it's definitely a wonderful and promising start! This was my first time reading a Jenny Oliver story, after having heard many positive things, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I already fell in love with the title and the book cover, which is simply gorgeous, and luckily the story inside did not disappoint. Cherry Pie Island is a wonderful setting and the author's descriptions really made it come to live in my mind. Combined with the colourful cast of interesting characters and a captivating storyline, I didn't want to put the book down until I had reached the very last word on the last page.
I love stories that focus on rebuilding something and in which memories play an important role, which is definitely the case when main character Annie comes back to the place where she grew up, Cherrie Pie Island. The novel also focuses on family and finding what makes you happy in life; a great combination of themes for an entertaining chick lit read! The next part of the series, 'The Vintage Ice Cream Van', will be released at the end of April and I already can't wait to read it. 'The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe' is an engaging, warm and incredibly promising beginning to a hopefully fantastic series; the perfect read to pick up if you need something to make you smile, and one that will leave you with a craving for some cherry pie!

Rating:9,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.