Cover Image: The Little Board Game Café

The Little Board Game Café

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Absolutely LOVED this one! Book of the summer for sure. Highly recommend. Could see it being book club picks.

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I was so excited for this book as I love board games (the more common ones sorry haha) like Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit and it sounded like a really cute romance read. But sadly it didn't quite do it for me.
I loved the idea for the story and thought all the main plot points were great. Emily's backstory and everything surrounding her café idea and how it came to be were great, but I think the way it was done with the characters how they are just didn't work for me. Emily was kind of an infuriating character. She wanted to open a café and that would have been fine, but she seemed to do very little of the hard work involved in needing to run a café and continually had other people help her out, with everything! I don't mind MCs sometimes getting some help from their friends with big projects (like Kate offering to help with publicity was absolutely fine) but she ended up getting help from lots of people, some who she barely knew or owed her nothing and they didn't seem to get anything in return, not even much thanks.
Also with the love interests (I hate that term but can't think of a better one right now), I personally find it a little sad when the original guy that she splits up with doesn't seem to be that bad. It seemed odd for her to have been with him for so long and then split with him so completely and carelessly for the reason that she did. I get that the idea was they just weren't meant to be, but then it was heartless for her to have stayed with him so long until then. And her "issues" with relationships weren't properly fixed/addressed for me. I can't imagine any way that Ludek would have given her a second chance (and certainly not the way he did) after what she did to him, and there was no therapy or anything for her to change her ways and nothing to make Ludek think she'd changed.
I also thought some sections ended quite abruptly. There were chapters that ended before I was expecting them to, seemingly in the middle of a scene. It might be that all the important conversation had finished but just a couple more sentences of how the conversation ended and the characters separated would have been better for me.
I loved the mentions of the less common board games, there were a lot I hadn't heard of that sound really fun to play and Catan is an absolute genius cat name! That really made me smile and I so want to name one of my future cats Catan now. I loved the sweet treat ideas that Annie had too, they were so inventive and delicious sounding! I definitely would want to visit The (Not So) Little Board Game Café.

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This is a lovely, uplifting story which captures life in the Yorkshire village through the funny ways of the inhabitants. Emily is forced to start again and has to decide whether to take a risk and to try to achieve her life's dream or to take the easy route and look for another job. Emily still misses her mother and in many ways, she wants to fulfil the ambitions they both had to have their own cafe. Emily has a sensitive side and wears her heart on her sleeve.

I enjoyed the characters who came into Emily's cafe, especially Mr B. There are one or two twists in the story and Emily has to adapt to succeed. This is a gentle romance. At the beginning, she has to decide whether she wants to go along with her life and continue her engagement or branch out on her own. This is an entertaining read, perfect for a weekend and a promising debut novel.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book

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“The Little Board Game Café” by Jennifer Page. What can I say other than I loved it and read in one day. Who doesn’t want to escape to a small town in the Yorkshire countryside...

The setting of a tiny village called Essendale sounded like just my cup of tea, I could picture it especially as I have visited small villages in England. It had everything you could want in a story friendship, community and love. I adored Mr. B and how he seemed to adopt Em and her cafe. We actually have a board game cafe here in Calgary, Canada, now I must go check it out!

I found the characters to be well developed, and multi-dimensional. It’s a great start to a new series, and I can’t wait to pick up the authors next book!

I will definitely read other books by this author.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Aria and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I wasn’t one hundred percent sure I was going to enjoy this book when I started it. It took me a little time to warm up to the main character, Emily, in the first few chapters, mostly because of her relationship with her boyfriend and his mother, which just drove me to distraction and I was desperate for her to do something to change things. However, I stuck with it until, just when I was close to screaming in frustration and throwing in the towel, Emily rose to my silent challenge and things took a turn for the better. From that point on, I was hooked, charmed and, but the end, totally enamoured by the whole story and was so glad I had stuck with it.

Romance novels set in cafes are nothing new but I haven’t come across one set in a board game cafe before and this worked really well as a plot line for the romance to hang on. I loved the way the board game idea wormed its way into the cafe theme. The real strength of this book though is in the characters. The main characters that the author surrounds the protagonist with are eccentric and charming and ultimately lovable which always helps a romance novel. And let’s not forget the romantic lead. I found GP immensely attractive, mainly because he feels about his board games the way I feel about my books, and this is always the way to my literary heart.

By the end of the book, the author had completely won me round, particularly because the book took a twist you don’t often see in this kind of book and which I thought was quite brave, and I was really glad I had picked it up. Now, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who loves this genre, and I didn’t think this was going to be the case at the beginning. I would happily pick up another book featuring these characters and set in this world and look forward to seeing what the author comes out with next.

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I loved this book. From page one I was rooting for Emily. I truly wish there was a board game cafe in my local area, I’d be there all the time. Likeable characters and a great storyline kept me interested from start to finish

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I'll be honest - apart from Monopoly and Trivial Pursuits, board games have never been my thing, but this quite stunning - out last week and already flying up the charts - little debut novel from Jennifer Page has had me looking in the kids' cupboards to see what's in there!
An original plot as Emily pursues her dreams. The novel is really well written with some great character development and once started I couldn't put it down!
A fellow Yorkshire novelist - Jennifer Page is one to look out for!

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Thank you Netgalley and Aria for the chance to read The Little Board Game Cafe by Jennifer Page. I love board games which is why this novel appealed to me. I enjoyed reading it, but was less impressed by the main character Emily (she was a hot mess). I did enjoy reading about different games that I had never heard of. For me this is a great beach/summer read. 31/2 stars rounded up.

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Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I loved this book. I was invested in Emily's story and the blossoming romance, and I love the idea of a board game cafe! A really lovely, enjoyable read. I also liked how much of the story was focused on Emily setting up the cafe and her friends, rather than just the (lovely) romance which I really rooted for.

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Wow! I am so lucky to have stumbled upon this book that combined some of my favorite things (coffee, board games, England, and romance) into one cozy, heart-warming book. I adore table-top board games and many of my weekend hours are spent playing games like Ticket to Ride and others. I am also part of a Dungeons and Dragon campaign that has been going on for five years. So yes, board games are my thing and I really enjoyed this debut novel by Jennifer Page.
This book follows Emily, a young woman, as she navigates through unemployment, launching a cafe business, and budding romance. Though Emily was a bit naive at some points in the book, overall I liked her. She remains passionate about her dreams and has flaws that are relatable. This is not a how-to start a cafe business book and shouldn’t be read as such. It’s a fun, light hearted read that requires you dispel a bit of disbelief and cynicism. Page included tidbits throughout the book that enriched the story. For example, readers get a glimpse of the books on Emily’s night stand table as a way to gauge what’s really on her mind. Also, included are short descriptions of the board games played and from what I can tell, except for the game that Ludek gifted Emily, the games are all real! I loved this component and appreciated that the author researched board games. Many of these games like Dinner at Paris, Wasabi, and A La Carte I’ve added to my TBP (to be played) list. Overall, this is a charming book that I highly recommend for purchasing by public libraries serving adults.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for the complimentary digital copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own. This ebook is available on April 13, 2023 and the paperback version is set to be released on June 23, 2023.

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I absolutely love playing board games, which is one of the reasons why I chose to read this book.

This book is a little gem of a read, thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining not to mention plenty of drama, really well written too. When certain board games were mentioned throughout the story such as Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, Catan, Azul I was like, yes I know those games, have played them myself numerous times. There were also mention of games I’d not heard of, which made me go straight to google to look them up to see if they’d appeal to me for playing in future lols.

Anyway I loved the concept of the story, opening and managing a board game cafe, seeing the ups and downs it went through before being a successful venture which gave it believability as all new businesses are likely to have hiccups or fail before they succeed.

I really liked the character of Emily and in fact in some ways, I could very much relate to her, similar personalities, although I am definitely not a baker like she is. I also like the characters of Ludo (Ludek), who is a GP and a lover of board games, absolute perfect boyfriend material there! Oh and I have to say that Catan is the perfect name for a cat, named after a board game, just brilliant.

I almost got distracted a couple of times when reading this book, as mentions of some of the board games, did make me almost want to drop my book and start playing a game lols. The problem is real when one is a book worm and a fan of playing board games, yep that would be me.

In addition to board games, there is baking, it is also a cafe after all, so naturally there is mention of a lot of yummy sounding food, so be sure to have some snacks to hand when reading this book.

Anyway, well done to the author, she has done a fabulous job with bringing this story to life in my opinion and a I look forward to reading her next book when it comes out.

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I adored this delightful romance debut from Jennifer Page. From the idyllic Yorkshire setting to the lovely characters… I had the biggest smile on my face while reading this. Yes it’s a little predictable, but this genre always is - isn’t that why we read it in the first place? I eagerly await more from this author now!

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Heartwarming and inspiring, The Little Board Game Café by Jennifer Page gives readers an insight into the difficulties of starting a business. It also shows the struggle to love when you’re afraid to lose it.

Emily opens a café, her lifelong dream, after losing her job and breaking up with her fiancé. She meets Ludek, who's obsessed with board games, and instantly takes a liking to him. And that's how you have The Little Board Game Café ;)

I loved this book so much. There are so many good one-liners that just crack me up. Is it British humour? (The author said yes, by the way.) I love it anyway. This book has its fair share of happy, sad and frustrating moments. There are also parts that made me go OH when things are revealed. I really love how the author just forms perfect circles in the story. Everything just ties together so neatly!

Emily is such a sweet character. She just makes so much sense. I understand why she thinks the way she does. Ludek is such a sweetheart. Green flags everywhere! Together, they make a cute couple. Of course, there are some minor misunderstandings throughout the book, but I don't care. It's not jarring. They make sense – what's life without some misunderstandings? I'm just glad that they eventually talk it out. Communication! I love that.

There are so many amazing characters in this book. Even those we may be sceptical about earlier in the story end up being such lovely characters. I mean, nobody is perfect. It’s nice to see characters with flaws (within limits)!

I recommend this book to romance readers, especially people who love board games! There were so many board games mentioned, but honestly, I only recognised Monopoly, Scrabble and Ludo, which is Ludek's nickname. Thank you so much to the author for explaining the games! I find it so interesting just how many board games there are in the world.

Thank you, NetGalley, for having me.

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This book was such a treat to read with quirky characters, lots of humour and a sweet romance. I had to google the word “meeples” to see if it was a real word, and found a whole new world out there, including a link to the Meeples and Milkshakes Board Game Café in Penticton, BC (Canada). Who knew?!

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What a lovely sweet book this is. Great characters, a good non-complicated storyline that’s enjoyable to read.

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The Little Board Game Café begins with Emily being fired from her job by her fiancé, James, and she then takes the opportunity to open her own café. I felt that there was a lot of time spent on describing the food/cakes/recipes which seemed to me to be a filler. I have only scored this book 3 stars as I could not get into it and therefore did not finish. I am sure it would make a nice holiday read.

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Is there any better way to start a review than to say that I thought this book was a total delight from beginning to end? The friendships old and new, everyone pulling together when the chips were down, a heroine I adored, its lovely Yorkshire flavour, the gentle humour… and no, I don’t have any particular love for board games (although this book certainly made me want to explore them rather more…), but is there anyone who doesn’t like a cafe? And the loveliest story about turning your life around, finding love and friendship and everything that makes you happy, so beautifully told… my goodness, it was wonderful. And when I find a book I love this much, I immediately want to share the entire story – but I do promise to rein myself in and try not to spoil it for anyone.

Emily and her mum always had a dream of running a cafe together but… well, that wasn’t to be. Instead, she finds herself working at James Ridley Engineering, engaged to the boss and planning their wedding (when her horrendous mother-in-law allows her to) – until she’s very unexpectedly and embarrassingly made redundant, leaves her fiancé after seeing him through different eyes, and finds herself sleeping in her best friend Kate’s spare room, wondering what to do with her life. Until she spots a “for sale” sign on a run down cafe in an Essendale back street – and decides it’s her big chance to follow her dream. At first things are difficult – although the books looked good, the customers (other than Mr B, for his daily cuppa and a Chorley cake) just don’t come in, and she doesn’t know how she can carry on.

Meanwhile, friend Kate is over the moon to have Emily as her wingman again while she searches in vain for the man of her dreams – and that’s how they find themselves at the local running club, where Emily meets local GP (and board game enthusiast) Ludek. When his board game club has nowhere to hold their meetings, she offers them the use of the cafe – and that leads to the idea of giving it a USP (Kate works in marketing…) and turning it into a board game cafe, with a launch event that hits the papers and the customers start to come through the door. But there are clouds on the horizon – as well as another very popular cafe on the main street, there’s news of a Costa about to open nearby – before Emily finds herself having to face up to the likely end of her dream.

There’s SO much more to the story than that – and one of the things I really loved about it was its wonderfully drawn characters and the friendship and support they provided. Emily’s relationship with the wonderful Mr B was just so lovely – and, rather surprisingly, her ex and his mother came good too. And her friendship with Ludek, slowly building (perhaps…) into something rather more, was just gorgeous, absolutely everything I wanted it to be – but, as you’d expect, with a few obstacles and misunderstandings along the way.

There’s a tremendous warmth about the story’s telling – every single character, no matter how minor, is entirely real and comes to life on the page. Everything is beautifully paced, with the perfect emotional touch – the friendship and romance, but also a really lovely focus on family – and along with the occasional tears and frustration, there’s plenty of gentle humour too, the one-liners that made me laugh out loud, the set pieces that sometimes have you reading through your fingers when things go badly wrong. The Yorkshire setting is just wonderful – we learn early on that Esssendale is the kind of place where you greet people with an “Eyup” even if you don’t know them, and I felt right at home there.

And then there are the board games – as a central theme, that’s quite inspired. You can really feel the passion the different individuals have for their game-playing – and the way Ludek gently cares for his own games speaks volumes about the man himself. And it’s all rather infectious – even I, who’ve only ever played Monopoly and the occasional Trivial Pursuit at Christmas, found myself on Google looking at a few games I’d never heard of before, and really enjoying what I found. And, of course, where there’s a cafe, there’s plenty of delicious food too – some of it less familiar, with a little more googling around pierogi and pączki, but also to find out what Annie’s cakes based on meeples would have looked like!

I really loved this book – but I’m sure you can tell, can’t you? And the fact that it’s the author’s debut takes my breath away – it’s a book she must be immensely proud of, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. One of my books of the year – and I couldn’t recommend it more highly.

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On of my favourite tropes in novels is where there is a community brought together. I just cannot get enough of it and The Little Board Game Café completely fulfilled my cosy community book desires. I also loved the nostalgic feel from remembering some of the board games, thinking about the ones we still play in our house and discovering a few new ones too.
Emily needs a new start and decides to embark on fulfilling her childhood dream of opening a café. But doesn’t get off to an easy start.
I adore the idea of a board game café. I think all communities need one (or something similar). It’s the one thing that can bring old and young together, help people who may be feeling lonely and it is something that everyone can do.
The café itself is described so vividly and I could easily imagine myself there, devouring the delicious food and soaking up the quaint atmosphere and buzz about the place. I would love to visit it!
The best part about community-based novels for me is the diverse and quirky characters that come with it. I enjoyed all the different personalities in the café and liked them all in their own ways. Their colourful and contrasting personalities were so enjoyable and really brought the café to life.
Then of course there is the gentle, cosy romance aspect too
The Little Board Game Café is such a heartwarming book that is perfect for locking yourself away with.

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Emily has always dreamed of having her own little café one day, but childhood tragedy has shaped her into someone who is afraid to take a risk. Her life has not taken the turns she thought it would, but she loves living in the picturesque Yorkshire village of Essendale, and she is happy enough working in a boring office job for her very conventional fiancé Peter... isn't she?

When Peter unexpectedly makes her redundant, Emily is forced to take stock. She begins to realise that she might not be as happy with her life as she thought. Encouraged by her best friend Kate, Emily makes a decision that sets in motion a series of events that find her newly single and homeless, but also about to take on the biggest project of her life - running her own little café off the beaten track in beautiful Essendale.

Emily is totally unprepared for the challenge, and quickly realises that not all is rosy with the business she has taken on, despite putting her all into offering delicious cakes for her tiny group of regulars. She needs to think fast about how she can turn things around, especially given the competition from not just the well-established rival café Sweet Delights, but also the brand new Costa about to open in the high street...

Serendipity offers a helping hand when Emily quite literally falls at the feet of Essendale's very attractive GP Ludek, who happens to be a board game fanatic. She transforms her failing cafe into an entertainment venue, where her customers can enjoy a game with their refreshments, and with a little help from her friends The Little Board Game Café is born. Will the idea bring Emily happiness, or will her hopes and dreams come crashing down?

The Little Board Game Café is a glorious tale of love, friendship, having the courage to follow your dreams... and board games! It follows the story of Emily, as she leaps off the safe path to pursue her childhood ambition to run a welcoming café, but it is also the tale of a young woman learning how to allow herself to be vulnerable in other areas of her life too - especially when it comes to affairs of the heart.

The road to success is a winding one for Emily, and she has to learn to navigate many twists and turns on the professional and personal fronts before she can reach her happy ending. Page weaves a delightful little community around her as she goes on her journey, building on the core of Emily's self-help-book-loving bestie Kate and her grief stricken father, to create a burgeoning Little Board Game Café family full of lovely characters who work their way into your heart. At the same time, Page touches beautifully on issues of loneliness, connection, and second chances that hit all the emotional sweet spots - and of course, there is a delightful 'will-they-won't-they' romance between Emily and Ludek too.

If you are a board game fan, then you will discover a veritable smorgasbord of entertaining delights to tickle your competitive fancy, both old and new, and these pages are filled with mentions of delicious edible fancies to tempt your taste-buds too. Page does not shy away from laying out how trying it is to run a small business, particularly when the threat of corporate giants loom large, but the overwhelming themes are of heart, humour, healing, boundless warmth, and coming together. There are so many funny touches with spot-on comic timing as well - look out for the titles of the books that make their way onto Emily's bedside reading pile for a few giggles!

I did not want this story to end. It is perfect curl up on the sofa, escapist loveliness, that fills your heart with joy.

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3.5 stars, rounded up. I don’t think the main character thought through one single decision she made. Her friend Kate was a bit pushy as well. I did love the mention of all of the board games and I wish I had something like the cafe in this book near me. Maybe I’d get out of the house more if I did 😅

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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