Review: The Tanglewood Tea Shop

Title: The Tanglewood Tea Shop

Author: Lilac Mills

Publisher: Canelo, 31 January 2019

Pages: 270 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Women’s Fiction

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

Patisserie-Chef Stevie is stuck in a rut. Her beloved Great Aunt Peggy has passed away, she’s been fired from her job and the love of her life has walked out the door. But when she’s called to the solicitor’s office to hear the reading of Peggy’s will, Stevie’s life begins to change.

Left with a large amount of money, Stevie is determined to take Peggy’s advice and turn her life around. The quirky tea shop that she sees up for sale in the beautiful village of Tanglewood must be a sign, and Stevie can’t wait to make it her new home.

But what happens after your dreams come true? It turns out that life in the village isn't as idyllic as it may have seemed. With local mums waging war against sugar, a tea shop and its patisserie-chef owner are definitely not welcome.

When the gorgeous but grouchy local stable-owner, Nick, shows up he seems like just another fly in the pastry batter but as the two grow closer, Stevie realises he might just be the perfect reason to stay and win over the village...

This laugh-out-loud romantic comedy is perfect for fans of Daisy James, Holly Martin and Portia Macintosh.

My Thoughts

The Tanglewood Tea Shop is a lighthearted novel to escape into when life gets hectic. It begins with the protagonist, Stevie, inheriting a very handsome sum of money from her Great Aunt Peggy. She spent a lot of time with Peggy when she was alive and was always there for her, hence the large inheritance.

"...How much?” It came out as a strangled yell as Stevie spluttered tea down her chin.’

Some people are not happy for Stevie’s inheritance and proceed to protest very loudly. Stevie is determined to not ‘fritter it away’ and do something worthwhile with the money.

‘Please, use the money to follow your heart. I know you’ll spend it well.  I have total faith in you. You were always my favourite. I know I shouldn’t say it, but it’s true. I loved you like a granddaughter and I always will, wherever I am now.’

Stevie is searching the internet for a job, because she has just lost hers (so the money is very much needed) and she comes across a cafe for sale in Tanglewood. The next day she goes for a drive to see it and decides to buy it.

“She had a good feeling about this. A really good feeling.”

Stevie begins to set up her cafe and enlists the help of her good friend, Karen. I really enjoyed reading about how and where she found her equipment for the cafe, especially the tea pots, cups, saucers etc.

‘The car boot sale was huge…”You know the sort of thing I’m looking for?”...”Anything cutesy, mismatched, old fashioned...I have this vision in my head of flowery tea cups and tiny silver tongs for the sugar lumps, and real linen napkins.”...’

While Stevie is getting acquainted with Tanglewood, she meets some interesting characters. She hires Cassandra as an assistant, who is a godsend and helps Stevie negotiate her business. I really enjoyed reading about Betty, a customer in her cafe who becomes a very good friend. Betty is very eccentric and reminds Stevie of her Aunt Peggy.

‘She had orange wellies with big yellow flowers on her feet, and a pink beret completed her outfit.’

Even though life is a lot quieter than the rat race of London that Stevie is used to, setting up her business has its challenges and not everyone is happy to have her there or happy for her. I didn’t like her Mum and sister’s treatment of her and their jealousy, they were just downright rude.

Stevie has a love interest, the local stable owner, Nick. I liked reading about their developing feelings for each other and it was funny, that they were both oblivious to each other’s feelings even though it was mutual.

When a traumatic event occurs, it really shows the true nature of the characters and their relationships with each other. There are some past truths revealed and the book shows real substance. I enjoyed this part the most.

‘She was surprised so many of the villagers had turned out to help - she couldn’t imagine the same thing happening in London...Seeing so many familiar faces simply getting on with it, despite the torrential rain, gave her a warm, comfortable feeling. And the smiles and nods of acceptance aimed at her, made her finally feel as though she was a part of this little community.’

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys humourous, light hearted, escapism with a bit of substance thrown in.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.