Amy Bratley

Tres años antes, el mundo de Eve se derrumbó cuando el hombre de su vida, Ethan, la abandonó de un día para otro sin dar la más mínima explicación. Sin embargo ahora, a punto de entrar en la treintena, parece que está a punto de alcanzar de nuevo la felicidad completa: tiene el ilusionante proyecto de crear su propio negocio, un café en el barrio de moda de Londres en el que servirá sus deliciosas tartas caseras, y un novio encantador, Joe, que la convence de participar en «El Club de las Cenas de los Sábados» el popular concurso que organiza el periódico donde él colabora y que cada semana premia al mejor cocinero y anfitrión de una cena completa. Quizás así consiga algo de financiación extra y de publicidad gratuita para su café. Eve será la primera concursante en recibir a los invitados, y la sorpresa será mayúscula cuando quien aparece en su puerta no es, ni más ni menos, que su anterior pareja, Ethan...… (mehr)

So I accidentally got this via Kindle Unlimited when I was trying to buy another book. I decided to give it a go and instantly wished I passed. I finished it though because I was hoping the author wasn't going to go where she was signaling from the beginning, too bad, she did. I hated the entire ending of this book and thought it was more of a HFN, then a HEA, due to not being dropped on the head.

I am always on the lookout for good romance authors so I thought that this book sounded up my alley. I am on a Great British Bake Off kick right now so loved the idea of reading about anything that dealt with cooking or baking and romance. "The Saturday Supper Club" has Eve agreeing to be part of a amateur cooking contest to help out her freelance boyfriend Joe. After a contestant drops off, Joe thinks that it would be a great way for Eve to get some press. When Eve opens the door though, she's shocked to see her ex-boyfriend Ethan. Ethan dumped her via note three years ago and she has not seen him since.

So, I loathed Ethan from the beginning. A freaking note, what is this, Sex in the damn City? And then when we find out why he left. I saw red. No spoilers readers, but there are several things I don't want to see in my romance novels. And this one had a big red flag on the play.

I didn't like Eve. She was too starry-eyed about Ethan and seemed to want to gloss over everything cause feelings. And I have to say that I at one point started texting my sister while reading this and asking what she would have done and she was all, kill you and bury your ass in the backyard (still no spoilers.....trying very hard right now). I liked Joe fine until Miller decides to rewrite the character we know. I didn't like Eve's sister Daisy at freaking all. And there's just a lot of crap going on that made my eyes cross via these characters.

The writing wasn't that good I thought. I wanted to read more about the cooking and it became so not about that after a while. Don't tell me about an amateur cooking contest that seems to not matter after about the first couple of chapters. We have Eve trying to open a cafe and I just didn't care after a while either. I don't know what it was, but the writing started to push me away. The dialogue didn't seem real, Ethan and his BS seemed beyond ridiculous. I was hoping for something more, but the author I think had scenes in her mind and wrote to that instead of checking with herself if it felt authentic. The flow was not good.

The ending of the book had me laughing at one point because it's so surreal you think you are watching a reality show. It does not hold up at all and it's a huge freaking mess.… (mehr)

The Saturday Supper Club by Amy Miller
Source: NetGalley and Bookouture
Rating: 2/5

**MINI-REVIEW**

The Bottom Line: I have to say, when a book is advertised as “An absolutely heartwarming romantic read” I expect something far, far, far different than what I found between the covers of this book. In truth, I expected to find a book populated by worthy and wonderful characters worthy of rooting for and supporting in their endeavors. What I found was a cast of characters with no redeeming qualities between the lot of them. There isn’t a character in this book that is at all likeable or even remotely sympathetic. In fact, every character in this book, to one degree or another is remarkably selfish, self-centered, and generally wretched. I even found myself disliking the “victims” in this story. I stuck with this book from start to finish in the hopes there would be a radical change in character and/or personality, but alas, I was thoroughly disappointed. From a technical perspective, I can’t make any complaints or comments, but I also can’t rely on the technical bits alone to be a reason to recommend a book.… (mehr)

Please see all of my reviews on my blog at www.robinlovesreading.blogspot.com.

4.5 Stars

During 1942 in England, 24-year-old Betty Mitchell is devastated by the ultimate betrayal of her husband, Robert. In addition to that, their house was bombed, leaving Betty with a very very hard decision to make. With the clothes on her back, she flees Bristol and heads to Bournemouth as she discovers an ad for employment at a the Barton's Bakery shop there. Although times are incredibly difficult, the bakery is especially busy. The bakery's owner, a very pregnant Audrey Barton, is running it alone while her husband is away at war.

Meanwhile, Betty eventually meets Sam, a Canadian soldier, and they hit it off quite well. The thing is, Robert was also married to another woman and he suddenly shows up at Betty's door with his three children and Betty ends up having to care for the children. She was just getting on her feet and now this! Also, Audrey is nearing the delivery date for her baby. The whole lot of characters are absolutely marvelous and they all pull together - not just for Betty and the three children now in her care, but for Audrey as she prepares for motherhood, all while she is sadly and desperately missing her husband Charlie.

This is a story that very well includes Betty's plight, but it also pays acute attention to Audrey's family and friends, as well as the townspeople who frequent the bakery. As this is the third in the series, I took a chance reading this first, as I may have missed the continuity of the characters and stories. Despite missing the previous titles, this story is so well-written that I was quite comfortable while reading this story.

This story was fiction, no doubt, but very affecting when it came to understanding what it was like living in the throes of World War II. There were the rations, air raids and bombings, along with the constant worry as to whether or not loved ones would return home from the war. The story was quite sad as everyone is greatly affected by the war. My emotions were ripped apart as I was left in tears more than once. But there was also a fantastic sense of camaraderie and family. Telegrams and Teacakes was truly engaging, filled me with warmth, and and truly leaves me wanting more from this series.

After just a few pages in, I was already in love with Audrey with her generous, kind and loving personality. I have read a handful of historical fiction stories this year set in times of war. It seems that the stories are getting better and better, and this one certainly is no exception. The connected characters are marvelous and I do wish that I'd had the time to read the first two books in the series so that I would have really known all of them. Amy Miller is an exceptional author and penned a remarkable story. I look forward to reading much more from her.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.… (mehr)