Author: Caroline Roberts
Publisher: 19th August 2021 by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter
Pages: 400 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: women’s fiction, contemporary romance
My Rating: 4 cups
Synopsis:
When Lucy isn’t in her cosy cottage by the sea, she’s winding through the Northumberland coast with her loveable Dachsund Daisy, cooking up a storm at the local village celebrations. Inspired by her Italian Poppa, Lucy’s chasing a new dream with her pizza van business. And at one particular party she meets Jack, the brooding but gorgeous owner of the Cocktail Campervan.
Wary of repeating mistakes of the past, Lucy and Jack keep it strictly business. But as the summer drifts by in a swirl of garden parties, fun and fizz, laughs and celebrations, and as the cocktail campervan creates the community they so desperately need, romance starts to blossom – one stop at a time…
My Thoughts
‘… I do like a good romance and a happy ending,’ Louise chipped in. ‘Heaven knows we need it. Real life’s hard enough at times. Surely books can be a bit of an escape.’
I don’t know what it is but these British seaside romcoms really hit the spot when needed. The concept behind Caroline’s tale is rather unique with Jack’s Cocktail van and Lucy’s Pizza van bringing a fresh approach to this style of story.
‘Lucy sighed, ‘Having a steady job’s not the be all and end all, Olly. Not when it starts to feel like a noose around your neck.’
Lucy finds herself in her thirties and, after a split with her fiancé and her life in finance, decides to buy a small cottage by the sea and renovate an old horsebox into a mobile pizza venue, All Fired Up. Add in ‘Cocktail Jack’ and you have an easy summer romance as two lost souls come together over drinks, pizza and cake whilst visiting a range of really interesting events.
‘Life moved on, your dreams shifted, some of them shattered and you had to let go of them, but then new goals and opportunities came to light.’
There is much to enjoy about this getaway, with everything from starting a new business, to book clubs, to the actual venues that these catering vans attend. For each event Caroline includes an invitation which sets the scene by giving the location, time and actual event eg. wedding. It is a wonderful way to travel the English countryside.
This brings me to the locations. It was wonderful to have the story not in the usual Cornwall locale where most of these stories tend to be set. Instead, it is in north east England in the beautiful Northumberland! Travelling that fabulous countryside in a classic campervan to Bamburgh Castle, as one example, was such a treat!
‘… I love the way of life, the freedom it gives me. I never feel tied down.’
As Caroline wrote herself, ‘.. this book was written during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns of 2020. Amidst such strange and unprecedented times, it was a joy to be able to head off (in my imagination)’ - and I couldn't agree more! For pure escapism and a tale of friendships, broken hearts, loss, and finding courage - with loads of yummy food and drinks! - look no further than these seaside campervan tales.
‘… it felt like summer … and seaside … and fun. All the worries of the world fading away. The here and now was all that mattered.’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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