This is one of the best books I’ve read this year ! Heartwarming and full of delicious baking by the main character . You WILL fall in LOVE with Jenny and Bernard and never want to leave them . 70 year old Jenny a fabulous at home baker decides to audition for the popular show British Bakes . What she goes through is very entertaining to read and you are pulling for her all the way . There is only one problem Jenny has a secret she has been keeping from her husband of almost 60 years . How this story goes she seamlessly together is amazing . You will love this book I promise

Such a sweet book where you are cheering for Mrs. Quinn the entire time. It's very British so I had no idea what a good number of foods were, but they all still sounded scrumptious, as was Bernard, the supportive husband. A lovely palate cleanser of a novel.

This was such a charming novel and perfect for fans of the Great British Bake Off. I would recommend it to readers who liked The Unlikely Pilgrimmage of Harold Fry or Elizabeth Berg's Mason series (The Story of Arthur Truluv, etc.). I liked how each chapter focused on a specific recipe and how that recipe connected with Jenny's past. My only complaint is that the adoption storyline ended kind of abruptly. For all the buildup, it would have been nice to see that explored a little bit more. There are two recipes included in the back but I would have liked more. Many recipes would be unfamiliar to US readers.

MRS. QUINN'S RISE TO FAME by Olivia Ford certainly celebrates food, especially baking, but it also harbors some dark secrets despite its colorful, attractive cover. In this debut novel, Jenny Quinn is seventy-seven (married to Bernard for almost sixty years) when she decides to stealthily apply to Britain Bakes (yes, think The Great British Baking Show) and takes readers through her many bakes and memories, with numerous flashbacks to her childhood and life choices as a young woman. As she reflects, "it's strange, ... how recipes outlive the people that wrote them and yet they almost bring a part of that person back to life, as if a tiny piece of their soul lives in those instructions." Even as she seems to take him a smidgen for granted, her husband is very supportive and patient, and summarizes the success of their long marriage, saying, "over the years you will both inevitably change but you will always have one thing in common, and that is that you're both only human, so try to be kind." MRS. QUINN'S RISE TO FAME was one of Washington Post's 10 Noteworthy Books for January and an early draft was long-listed for the Women's Prize Trust's Discoveries Prize.

Readers looking for a "cozy" read with likeable characters, a bit of history, and centered on cooking may also want to explore: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club, Love & Saffron, The Kitchen Front, and, of course, Lessons in Chemistry. More of a mystery element behind the scenes of a cooking contest is available in The Golden Spoon.

On the surface, this is the story of what happens when 77 year old Jenny Quinn decides to follow her dream and apply to become a contestant on Britain Bakes (think the Great British Baking Show) and keeps that information from her husband and soul mate of nearly sixty years, Bernard. Jenny is coming to terms with what it means to be 77 years old and she feels as though she has accomplished little in life. This in spite of the fact that she and Bernie have a lovely life together, and while they have no children of their own, they have a fruitful relationship with Bernard's niece, Rose and her family. As the selection process for Britain Bakes moves forward, Jenny's secret becomes increasingly difficult to keep. Predictably, when her hand is forced, Bernard is the most supportive of Jenny's talents and ambition. But Jenny's participation on Britain Bakes is not the only secret she harbors, and it is this other untold truth that she is sure threatens to undo her marriage. This is a gentle, engaging book, full of baking and domesticity, but also filled with inner-conflict over a long held secret that once revealed moves this satisfying book to its conclusion.

Mrs Quinn’s Rise to Fame is the perfect cozy, feel good read! It centers around Jenny, a 77 year old woman who applies to be on a British baking show.

It had a bit of a slow start for me but once I became hooked I didn’t want to put it down. I loved the characters of Bernard and Jenny! They were the cutest couple and just so sweet! I loved how Jenny had history with each baked good and the little glimpses into her past.

This book feels like a warm hug so read it if you need something that will make you feel warm and fuzzy.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌

𝙈𝙧𝙨. 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙣'𝙨 𝙍𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙏𝙤 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙚
by Olivia Ford
384 pages

Thank you to the author, @pameladormanbooks @vikingbooks @netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel before it was published in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this cozy novel that is a coming-of-age redemption story.

Mrs. Jennifer Quinn "Jenny" is a 77 year-old pensioner from the village of
Kittlesham married to her beloved husband Bernard for 60 years. She reflects on her life, recalling memories of baking traditional family recipes with loved ones as she thinks of the past, and she wonders if she has achieved everything she could in her lifetime. She decides to secretly apply to be a contestant on her favorite show 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴, but this is the second secret she has withheld from everyone else including Bernard. Will she succeed in her baking adventure? What is the secret Jenny has been keeping?

Read this is if

you enjoy a cozy story
you're a fan of baking shows (yes, recipes are included)
you love a good redemption, feel good story
you love characters who you alternately cheer for or console in your mind as you are reading
you enjoy a suspenseful and sentimental story

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5 stars

#newbooks #bookreview #mrsquinnsrisetofame #currentlyreading #arcreviewer #arc

Jenny Quinn shows us that age 77 is not too old to follow your dreams! A lifelong baker, Jenny and her husband, Bernard, are big fans of the show, Britain Bakes. When Jenny sees an ad asking for new contestants, she decides to enter in secret. To her surprise, she is selected for the show, and struggles with how to tell her husband, Bernard, who is in his early 80's and struggling with asthma. While Jenny looks over her family recipes to prepare for the show, she begins to remember another time, and a secret in her past that she still struggles with today.
Being a fan of the "Great British Baking Show" I really enjoyed all the baking treats, and the "behind the scenes" look of how Jenny auditioned for the show, and then the daily business of the show. I loved the friendship she formed with a fellow contest, Azeez.
What held me back from 5 stars - I guessed the "secret" plot line, and did not like how Jenny kept secrets from Bernard. Bernard seemed like a saint - never angry, full of love - maybe a tad unrealistic?
In general, this was a feel good story, with a satisfying ending. A fun read! Thanks to Netgalley for an Advanced Reader copy.

3.75

For fans of Claire Pooley, “The Museum of Ordinary People”, “Mrs. Planskey’s Revenge”, and the like.

I don’t know how I got it into my head that this was a cozy mystery, so when I sat down to read it with that in mind, I was a little unhappy to know that this was more of an emotional personal-journey story. It took me few times of reading bits and pieces before I was in the right mindset and truly dig in.

This is a darling story about a 77-year-old woman, Jenny Quinn, who has kept her life very simple, but not necessarily because that’s what she wants. She enters a famous reality show baking contest, all the while keeping it a secret from her family because she doesn’t think she’ll make it past the application phase. It’s an uplifting story. I will overlook all the indications that 77 is elderly, as my mother is nearing that age and has in no way slowed down, but Jenny having an 82-year-old husband does lend more to that mindset.

Really my only issue was that, even at just shy of 400 pages, there is so much covered that the key pieces tend to be condensed down to very little or jumped over completely to later events. That increases when they start fitting in the flashback scenes of what happened in Jenny’s youth. Alternatively, I think the beginning chapters could be condensed a little so that the reader wants to stickaround for the journey.

Otherwise this is a sweet story that please as not to give up on our dreams and it shows us how family, both the related and non related kind, are important. Also, you will be wishing you had a Poppy in your life to put things in perspective.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for providing an unbiased review.

Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame was absolutely delightful! I’m a huge fan of the Great British Bake Off show and baking in general so I was immediately intrigued by the story.

Jenny Quinn is 77-years old and happily living a quiet life with her husband of almost sixty years, Bernard. A home and traditional baker, she loves watching her favorite TV show Britain Bakes. On a lark, she applies to the show and is shocked to get an audition and, not surprisingly, becomes a contestant on the show.

Sounds delightful but Jenny feels deeply guilty and shameful for wanting more from her life. Throughout the novel are snippets from Jenny’s life before Bernard and these snippets feel disjointed from the narrative but do show so much character depth and WHY she feels the way she does. I felt that all words and sentences had a distinct purpose in this novel.

I will admit, it took me until almost halfway through to get into the story. It’s a slow beginning but once the story picks up, I couldn’t put it down. Overall, I highly recommend Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame.

“Happiness is,” she said as she savored the moment, one of thousands of little moments which together formed a lifetime.”

If anyone knows me they know that The Great British Baking Show is one of my all time favorite series and is a comfort to watch repeatedly - I’ve seen every season at least two or three times. Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame perfectly encapsulated the inner glow I feel when I watch The Great British Baking Show but Olivia Ford’s writing added emotional components that felt like a tangible version of a warm hug.

Jennifer Quinn, although almost 50 years my senior, was more relatable than I expected. I admired her bravery, her unwavering loyalty, and her knack for facing any challenge. The personality and detail of each character was so well done that I have no complaints - and I’m a stickler about good characterization. Not to mention that the lighthearted facets of the story were handled just as well as the darker, more haunting moments.

Combining baking and reading, two of my most loved pastimes, makes for a duo that is very difficult to beat - which is exactly why I read this in one sitting. For a debut novel, and for a novel in general, this was an absolute delight. I can’t wait to see what Olivia Ford writes next.

& I will be impatiently waiting for a Bernard of my own. No one writes men quite like women.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this! A perfect example of Uplit. I read the ARC in November but waited to rate it on Goodreads until January 1 because I wanted it to be my first 5 star review of 2024. We already included this title in our New Year, New Books program that we presented to many patrons.

This book should be highly popular due to it's interesting character's and the parallel to the popular Great British baking show. The plot device of going back and forth from past to present with each chapter was interesting, though the main character could have done with more fleshing out in the beginning. Her actions and worries were a bit tedious, and didn't make sense and were a turn-off that almost made me put the book down. Overall, it was an enjoyable tale and will resonate with older adults and fans of the British baking show.

A sweet, cozy book. I really appreciate characters who are older and the perspectives they bring (maybe because I’m getting older myself).

Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame was a warm hug wrapped up in a book—I was so sad when it came to an end. Ford has written a beautiful dual-timeline story that captures the perfectly imperfect Jenny Quinn.

For fans of GBBO and beyond, this book is sure to be a hit!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC!

“It’s strange, she thought, how recipes outlive the people that wrote them and yet they almost bring a part of that person back to life, as if a tiny piece of their soul lives in those instructions.”

77 year old Jenny Quinn lives in a small English village outside of London, and on the eve of her 60th wedding anniversary, decides to apply to be a contestant on the baking competition show, Britain Bakes. The story unfurls from there, with a series of lovable characters, worthy of a glimpse on the big (or small) screen! Ms. Ford’s nostalgic novel toggles back and forth between Mrs. Quinn’s present day and her life as a teen who loved baking and the family connection it represented. A regret from her past becomes larger than life as Jenny is thrust into the spotlight.
I admit to watching only a few episodes of The Great British Baking Show but truly enjoyed the behind the scenes representation. Each chapter title is an English sweet which plays a role in the well crafted plot, and the overall theme of “it’s never too late to have an adventure” was a heartwarming sentiment, perfect for the new year!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Group/Viking Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

It is rare to find a book about a 77 year old woman, a story filled with love and hope. Jenny is feeling like she has not truly accomplished enough in her life,other than her deep and abiding love for her husband, and for baking. Baking her family recipes makes her feel a connection , also leading to her application to a British baking show. The experience begins to have her reminisce, about her past and a secret she has kept to herself for sixty years, even from her husband, Bernard. As Jenny progresses in the competition, her friendship with Azeez is one of the highlights. A truly heartwarming book, and a great one to kick off the new year. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Heartwarming and sweet tale. A little too much description on the baking steps though. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Three cheers for Jenny Quinn!

There’s so much to love in these pages:

✨The incredibly lovable cast of characters.

✨All the love. There’s romantic love, familial love and intergenerational friendship in these pages – and they are all heartfelt and uplifting.

✨The inside look at reality baking competition shows

✨The yummy descriptions of all the baked goods

✨The coming-of-age story turned on its head that proves it’s never too late to step out of your comfort zone and make your mark

Cozy and charming. Highly recommend.

My thanks to @pameladormanbooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Jenny Quinn lives with her husband of sixty years, Bernard, in the English village of Kittlesham. She has been baking all of her life and when Jenny sees a commercial inviting people to audition for the newest season of Britain Bakes, she is intrigued. Jenny has never really done anything for herself, content staying home and being a good wife to Bernard. Jenny is thrilled when she's chosen to be one of the contestants, although she has secret that she's kept from Bernard all these years. Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame recounts Jenny's journey on Britain Bakes (including all of the mouthwatering recipes) and explores Jenny's past before she met Bernard. A great read-alike for Jennifer Ryan and Freya Sampson.

published at https://popgoesfiction.blogspot.com/