Cover Image: Sweetshop of Dreams

Sweetshop of Dreams

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Member Reviews

Candy everywhere!! Make sure you have some sweets nearby when you read this book as I have gained 5lbs just by the descriptions in this lovely book!

Rosie Hopkins is lost in her life. Her relationship with her long-time boyfriend is stagnant, she has few friends, and she is currently out of work as an auxiliary nurse. One day she gets a phone call from her mother, who is currently in Australia taking care of her brother's children. Her Mother tells her that her great aunt Lillian, who lives in a small village in the country, is ill and needs help selling her sweet shop.

When Rosie arrives in the small town of Lipton, she finds an unbelievable cast of characters, including her elderly Aunt. "Sweetshop of Dreams" is told from the perspective of Rosie, but we also hear from her Aunt, who flashes back to the 40s during wartime when she lost her first and only love. Aunt Lillian is a force to be reckoned with and is not ready to give up on her life. When Rosie first arrives, there is tension, but they grow to love each other as they are both so quirky.

Rosie reopens the sweetshop, which has been closed for years. But once she opens temporarily, she realizes how much the residents of Lipton loved the little store. As she becomes embroiled in the life of Lipton and its residents, she begins to love it there and finds out that maybe this is meant to be her life too. Rosie is a wonderful character. She is insightful, kind and warm.

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This new novel by Jenny Colgan will not disappoint her many fans. Rosie, an auxiliary nurse working in London and in a stagnant relationship with her mama's boy lover, agrees to go to a the village of Lipton to take charge of her failing Great-Aunt Lilian, in order to find a nursing home and oversee the sale of Lilian's home and sweetshop. The story is told in dual timelines, one from Rosie's point of view in the present and the other from Lilian's in her young years during WWII. Each thread follows the course of a love affair, the development of friendships, and eventual triumph over hardships. The village has the requisite quirky and humourous characters, from the local gentry to the gay doctor to the vegan hippie and her precocious young son. The course of true love certainly doesn't run smooth for either Lilian or Rosie, but Rosie's journey of self-discovery as she ends up taking over and running the sweetshop is believably developed, and the various characters in the village make the story a lot of fun to read. The struggles and sorrows of old age are touchingly dealt with in the growing relationship between Lilian and Rosie, and readers will be cheering for Rosie and Stephen as they navigate the difficult path to finding love. The Sweetshop of Dreams is a delightful story, enjoyable all the way, and with some real poignancy amidst all the fun.

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I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was either a rewrite or a reissue of an older title, but this is still just as sweet and just as relevant today as it was in 2012. (I didn’t read the first version, so I’m not certain.) It was a sweetly written story of two loves in two different times, neither one clear cut or heartbreak free. No, this wasn’t some fast paced romance, but the slower pace worked well with the setting and the overall plot.

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Hi, I was approved to read Sweetshop of Dreams on 13/4 However, when I tried to download the book today

20/4 I was unable to. Please advise as I would really like to read this book. Thank you.

Thank you

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What a fun and enjoyable read after a long day! I recommend this book to anyone who would like to be transported to a Sweetshop for a little while.

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Colgan's books are always a comfort and delight for me. I hadn't read any of this series and I got a kick out of Rosie, who arrives the English countryside from London to assist her elderly aunt. She quickly becomes the talk of the town, finds family, friends and romance with all the expected chaos.

This one had a dual timeline, different from any other of Colgan's stories that I've read. It worked well here, allowing us to see how the connections and grudges among the elder residents came to be. You can count on Colgan for lovely settings, quirky characters and in this case, grumpy old people amid the backdrop of a sweetshop. In other words, all kinds of comforting.

Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks/Landmark and author Jenny Colgan for the e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

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Omg I love this story, I love all books of Jenny Colgan. Because the recipes of desserts yay is the best part in her books.
Thank you so much for this ARC.

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What a delightful read. This was exactly what I needed after a long day. Filled with fun characters and beautiful descriptive writing, this book takes you on a sweet adventure.

Cheerful and quirky… you’re left feeling content when closing the last page. I just loved that about it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for granting my wish.

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This book was precious, with an unexpected depth. I expected a typical romantic comedy, but that wasn’t what this was. This was a book about self-discovery and memory and family and love where they all four come together. At times it was funny, at times devastating, but throughout I was invested in the characters, their stories, and their journey. It was a lovely read.

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I received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

I've always enjoyed this authors but. It's another great addition to my ever-growing collection great lot and the characters are so fun they become like friends ❤️

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After being granted my wish on this book I realised I had already read it years ago with the title Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams, but it is so enjoyable that I read it again.
What can you say about Jenny Colgan? I've read almost all her books, included the sci-fi ones, and they are a joy, her beautifully descriptive writing transports you to idyllic locations amongst wonderful character. She never disappoints!
Waiting eagerly for Jenny's new book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Jenny Colgan's latest book, Sweetshop of Dreams, was a touching and sweet story about Rosie, a young woman who makes a move from London to a small village to help out her aging aunt and her sweetshop that has fallen into disrepair. The book has humor and heartfelt moments. I liked how the story jumped between the past and present. We learn about Rosie's Aunt Lillian and her past that shaped her life and how it parallels Rosie's life. I enjoyed the whole cast of characters and was not disappointed with the conclusion of the story. It appears that this is the first book in a trilogy. I will be anticipating the next release and cannot wait to see where the author takes Rosie and her village.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC!

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Sweetshop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan is a cute rom-com about Rosie, an nurse residing in London, stagnant in a disappointing relationship. Rosie soon takes an opportunity to start fresh in the country to help take care of her Aunt Lilian. A dual timeline jumping from the present-day about Rosie and her relationship with Lilian and her suitors and a 1940s timeline about Lilian's youth and her romance with a man named Henry.

First off, I want to gush about the setting descriptions. I absolutely loved the way the village was described and it felt transportive in a time where I miss traveling terribly! The pacing was a bit uneven at times with it moving along quickly then slowing intermittently. It was nice to see imperfect characters and see Rosie and Lilian form a relationship with some bumps along the way. However you quickly start to become attached to Rosie and Lilian as their bond grows throughout the book. I enjoyed that you weren't sure who was going to be Rosie's love interest in the book and had to guess for a bit which was fun! I do think the romance could have been developed a little bit more towards the end but still liked their connection. The best way to describe this book is sweet and cozy, a bit like a Hallmark movie which scratched the itch I've been needing! Overall. recommend this book for those looking for a nice pick-me-up that feels like a big hug!

Many thanks to the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

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When I requested this book, I thought it sounded familiar, but was unsure as I have quite a few of the author's books, and then I started reading it and realized it REALLY felt familiar and looked it up and sure enough, I had already read this. And thankfully, enjoyed it.
Jenny Colgan is a really good writer and knows how to make you feel like you are right with the MC no matter where she is [the beginning of this book is a great example and I totally felt the dark and the loneliness of the bus ride], and she also knows how to write romance without it being icky or overdone. And the SWEETS!!! Good grief. It is a wonder I didn't gain a million pounds while reading this book.
A fun read for anyone who has had big dreams and no where to put them and for people who adore sweets - it is such a lovely combination.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jenny Colgan, and SOURCEBOOKS LANDMARK for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Generally speaking, I'm a fan of Jenny Colgan's books. But I've had mixed experiences with her writings over the years, either loving her writing or really disliking it. There's hardly ever in-betweens.
However I always start a new Colgan's novel with high hopes and in good spirits. Given the plot of this one, I was really looking forward to a great moment of sweet escapism. Needless to say, I was annoyed to see that I didn't click with the story... at all. The timing might be wrong, I'll try to give it another try at a later time!

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Rosie Hopkins never thought her life would change like it did,
She is a nurse and lives in London with her boyfriend, Gerard. It's then when a call from her mother asking her to take care of an old aunt and her sweetshop for a while, sends her into the most wonderful adventure of her life.
This is a very sweet story. The characters are absolutely lovable and the pace is good. And then there's 'the sweets..." Who is able to resist them?
This is not my first book from this author and certainly, it will not be the last.
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

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For someone who just can't stand romance books, I am rather addicted to Jenny Colgan. I still think about characters from previous books (Patrick and Hari from [book:500 Miles from You|53066550] would get along great with poor little Edison!) The characters in Ms. Colgan's books are what bring me back again and again. They are quirky and lovable, well except for Gerard. He is a horrible person and I kept wondering why Rosie, one of the quirkiest characters to date, was interested in him. I want to be friends with most of her characters. And, I want to go visit the scenic places she describes so well! This book was no exception! A small town in Scotland where they have manor balls and do Scottish country dancing and a fair where you can win a piglet and have an old fashioned candy shop. How could anyone resist? The story is told in two timelines and I will say that the flashback timeline did not hold my attention. While it brought Great Aunt Lillian more into focus, I always felt like it was more a distraction than a focal point of the book. For me, she never became more than a supporting character and the plot device to get Rosie out of London and up to the Scottish highlands. Thankfully this was a quick read as we all know how my food cravings are influenced by what I am reading. Ms. Colgan does a wonderful job of describing a plethora of sweets! So maybe for me, the romance between me and the stories is what I love?

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A really sweet (see what I did there) book about Rosie who moves from the hustle and bustle of London to a small village to look after her elderly great aunt and sell off her family’s sweet shop. She gets into a few adventures along the way and we also learn her aunts story and how she got to where she is. There are also quite a few amazing facts about various candies! There was a bit of a strange love storyline for a minute there but it did resolve itself thankfully. I really enjoyed the story and Edison is a true treasure and I want a book all about him. Definitely a lovely book with a nice easy story!!!

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Sweetshop of Dreams
by Jenny Colgan
SOURCEBOOKS Landmark
You Like Them
Sourcebooks Landmark
Women's Fiction
Pub Date 13 Apr 2021 | Archive Date 16 Apr 2021

I had read this book under another title and I was disappointed. Cute story, and who doesn't like a candy shop.
But I found it lacked something and did not like the ending. Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark/Net Galley for the ARC.

3 star

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I truly enjoyed this storyline. We visit the English countryside with Rosie, who has livid in London her entire night. Rosie is called to assist her elderly great aunt who has been injured and owns a sweet shop. It seems that things had been failing since a bit before the injury when Rosie arrived. We see Rosie take charge of her life in this book, she changes the course of where she was going and finds a new level of happiness. While the story was enjoyable, I do wish there had been better character development. I wouldn’t let that set back keep you from this wonderful story. If your looking for a good, quick read, give this book a chance. Just don’t forget to visit your local sweet shop first!

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