Rosie's Travelling Tea Shop

Title: Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop

Author: Rebecca Raisin

Publisher: HQ Digital, 4th March 2019

Pages: 384 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: Humour, Romance

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

The trip of a lifetime!

Rosie Lewis has her life together.

A swanky job as a Michelin-Starred Sous Chef, a loving husband and future children scheduled for exactly January 2021.

That’s until she comes home one day to find her husband’s pre-packed bag and a confession that he's had an affair.

Heartbroken and devastated, Rosie drowns her sorrows in a glass (or three) of wine, only to discover the following morning that she has spontaneously invested in a bright pink campervan to facilitate her grand plans to travel the country.

Now, Rosie is about to embark on the trip of a lifetime, and the chance to change her life! With Poppy, her new-found travelling tea shop in tow, nothing could go wrong, could it…?

A laugh-out-loud novel of love, friendship and adventure! Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Holly Martin.

My Thoughts

Rebecca Raisin has said she aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. This is certainly the case with the characters in Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop. I absolutely loved this heartwarming story from beginning to end and literally couldn’t put it down (I read it in 2 days).

“Not spontaneous enough? Cold fish? Spinster? Like my dad? I’ll show you...I’m going to prove to the world that I’m not staid. Not stuck in a rut. I’m going to surprise even Callum, by doing the opposite of what he expects because I know if I don’t move on fast, I never will.”

Rosie certainly did show her ex-husband and anyone else who doubted her. She embarked on a lifetime adventure travelling around in ‘Poppy’, her bright, fuscia coloured caravan. She had many adventures along the way and was very lucky to meet her travelling companion straight away who became a dear, loved friend. Her name was Aria and she had her own painful past, she was escaping from.

“We shake and she gives me a wide smile as if my presence has brightened her day…’I’ll make you a brew and we can chat’...”

Another thing I loved about this book was all the references to tea and books. Being both a tea and book lover, I identified with this book in a big way! I adored all the tea brews Rosie made up and Aria’s van was a perfect bibliophile’s nook! I thought their idea for the festivals was fantastic and they really complimented each other. Even though they were opposites in many ways, they had lots of similar characteristics and it was a beautiful friendship!

“We are opposites, that much is certain, but don’t they say opposites attract? Aria’s effusive, bubbly, and definitely popular...That’s what I aspire to be like, to have that ability to blend in easily, to not be the person on the sidelines all the damn time. I want adventure, a new purpose, to really grab life by the shoulders and shake it up!”

There is a couple of love interests for Rosie along the way, which make for very interesting reading and some funny situations! She bumbles along in this new life of hers, tentatively taking every opportunity that comes her way, but she is still having trouble trusting those closest to her after being so hurt and betrayed by her ex-husband. Unfortunately the person she chooses to confide in isn’t who she thought they were and she learns a hard lesson.

“The break in my heart, the one that’s just healed over, twinges. I should never have left London, I should never have pushed myself to be an extrovert, to make friends, worse-to try and find love.”

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and very highly recommend it. It’s a light hearted, heartwarming read that fills you with hope and happiness. A 5 cup read!

"Maybe you can't fall in love over the internet but you can fall in love after a kiss."

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.