The Cake Shop in the Garden

Carole Matthews is such a wonderfully colorful and fun writer. I adore her books because they are pure relaxation! Her stories are unique, well thought out, and it seems to me there are always threads of kindness and gratefulness running through each one. In this book, I LOVED the character of Stan, and the sweet friendship between him and Fran. This book will make you smile.

I have a vague recollection of reading Carole Matthews books before and enjoying them — this one I was pretty so-so about. The Cake Shop in the Garden tells the story of Faye Merryweather, who at age 41 runs a cake shop from her family home on England's canals while being the sole caretaker for her cantankerous bedridden mother. Her younger sister is in New York and constantly hits Faye up for money. Faye's long-term boyfriend only sweeps in at his convenience between work and golf for free meal. Yet Faye is SUCH a doormat that, not only does she allow all this, but it doesn't even occur to her to be bothered by it.Frankly, for two-thirds of the book, I was torn between a vague boredom, frustration and the desire to reach into my Kindle and slap the main character silly. To allow to people to treat her THAT poorly made Faye seem rather dim, and — when a dynamic, handsome younger man begins to show interest in her— it made me wonder what he'd possibly see in her, so even the potential romance fell a bit flat. The only reason I kept reading is that there's no doubt Faye will at SOME point grow a spine, and I was invested enough to at least wonder how that might come about.The good news is, at the 2/3 mark, things really pick up. There were some twists I didn't see coming and — even though Faye didn't quite pull up her big girl panties as high as I wish she would have— overall it was a satisfying ending. I'd definitely recommend Carole Matthews books, but maybe not starting with this one.

Carole Matthews and very enjoyable. I practically despaired that Fay would not let go and live her best life, altho there is nothing wrong with being the "responsible " one. But, everyone needs at least one moment in their life where they give in to madness!

I like this book, and it's 4 stars out of 5 only because I got sort of irritated with her for being way too doormatty... it's a compliment to the writer in a way, for I identified with her. I've done even worse things in my own life and just wanted her to SEE it a lot quicker than I did, I suppose. Still, a good book, I enjoyed it, couldn't put it away in some sections. I hate DARK books, so this was a really choice for me.

Another brilliant read from carole Matthews. I started this book one Saturday afternoon and read and read. Put it down for dinner and then started reading again until I reluctantly had to put it down at midnight and get some sleep. Finished it the next morning. I really loved the characters Fay (who I could relate to) and Danny... one of Carole's best characters so far! The descriptions of cakes made me want to start baking or go out and find a cafe and some scrumptious cakes. Love your books Carole Matthews - I hope you write many more.

I really enjoyed this funny, well-paced summer novel. I also continued my education on British canal boats. I loved the main characters that you are supposed to love. I liked the happy ending for the most part except in regards to the sister. This did not spoil the book and I won't spoil the ending.

This was a great read!The way it has been written was more like a movie being played.I've always enjoyed Carole Mathews books, this is the 5th that I've completed.Made me cry at some points and laugh at many others!

I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. In fact, I am thinking about going on a longboat trip after reading this book. The characters are interesting, although I wanted to shake the main character to open her eyes to see the type of person her sister is!

The Cake Shop in the Garden written by Carole Matthews for me was a wonderful read as it brought me into the lives of Fay Merryweather and her dear friends.Fay runs a successful cake shop from her garden while looking after her mother who is confined to bed, though her confinement seems to be her own choice.The Cake Shop in the Garden was a fantastic book and one I am happy to recommend. It was filled with characters who I simply could believe in from Fay who would have done anything to keep those around her happy while sacrificing her own happiness, her many friends who clearly adored her not only for her wonderful baking but for Fay Merryweather being the lovely lady she is.Fay thinks she is happy with her lot, but that is because she has never had the chance of grabbing happiness for herself. This is Fay's own story as her life is turned upside down when a very good looking Danny Wilde sails into her life on the back of a very well named barge "The Dreamcatcher". But for Fay, she has a lot to go through before she finally accepts it is up to her to grab happiness for herself and then maybe she will catch her own dreams of happiness.I loved this book which makes it easy for me to recommend, I love how Carole Matthews not only gives her readers characters who it is very easy to care for but with her descriptive way of bringing the canals alive with the many characters who sailed up and down while enjoying the life the canals give them.The Cake Shop in the Garden is a wonderful book and one I am very happy to recommend to all readers of modern day fiction.

Fay Merryweather has the perfect job. She runs her own cake shop in the garden of the family home, together with her feisty, yet trusty assistant Laja.Yet in her personal life, her situation couldn’t be much different. Her mother is a demanding, bed-bound, arrogant woman, who relies on Fay for everything, and her partner of ten years treats her as if they are an old, married couple, even when they don’t live together.When Danny Wilde walks in to her life and Fay’s heart does a little flutter, could this be the change that she is so desperately in need of?‘The Cake Shop in the Garden’ is an easy, sweet, chick lit novel, perfect for your summer holiday read.Fay for me was a bit of a hot and cold character. I never fully got a picture of what she looked like, or why she took the world on her shoulders, and at times she came across as bit of a doormat. Yet she was also a caring, considerate woman who always put other peoples’ feeling before her own.Her mum, a lazy battle-axe, treated her terribly and like dirt, yet Fay ran to her every beck and call. Just like her partner Anthony, who put his golf and bell ringing above Fay, and her sister Edie who used her like a bank, taking Fay’s savings.When Danny walks into Fays life, she begins to feel that there is more that she could be doing with it. Danny makes her feel alive for the first time in years, and she starts to lose her inhibitions.My favourite character though, wasn’t one of the primary ones – he was a secondary character called ‘Stinky Stan’. He was full of wisdom and intellect and had many a wise word to tell Fay.Although I fully enjoyed the book, there were little things I would have loved to have been different. I would of loved to have seen some cake recipes in the book, like some other novels have done. I would also have liked to have gotten a bit of a background on Fay, and for her to lose that damn cardigan!Overall, a pleasant summery read that is pure escapism.Reviewed by Stacey at Whispering Stories Book Blog

The Cake Shop in the Garden was exactly what I needed to read on a unseasonably cold, grey, wet day. This book is sunny, sweet and romantic: ideal escapism if you're having a tough time. It's a fun, light read which made me smile a lot and laugh out loud a couple of times too.I did have some problems with the first-person narrator, Fay. She's extremely kind, caring and loyal... to the point of insanity. While these traits makes her likeable, they also make her a cake-baking doormat who needs a good shake on more than one occasion.At three-quarters of the way through the story my frustration with Fay's incomprehensible levels of selflessness were on the verge of becoming unbearable. Fortunately, Matthews knows exactly what she's doing and this is exactly when she hits us with a huge surprise which shakes everything up and paves the way for a satisfying conclusion. I'm still reeling from just how good a shock it is. I can't say more because I don't want to spoil the surprise, but you should know that a certain character's actions made me gasp and say, "what a total bitch!" out loud. I had to put the book down for a second to roll my eyes and have a good huff. I promise you, you'll be similarly outraged.Overall: a must-read for fans of sunny contemporary romance with generous helpings of tea and cake.

This is a very good reading book, the type of book that you just can’t put it down. But, as always with the main character of this writer’s books, the character is too perfect. It’s okay to be nice, of course, but Cinderella style people in this world are the future saints in heaven, it’s my down point. The main character in her books, at least the ones that I have read so far, have an impeccable moral. I’m not saying that they should be repulsive or immoral but there is a limit to everything in this life. All the characters and places are very well described, but the main character, as usual with this writer, feels unattractive, unhappy, despondent, and maybe a little ugly. And you have to make up in your mind what they look like. Their moral you can make up but not really how they look like. Slowly you start to find about their personality. I like, when I’m reading a book, to make up on my mind the way all the characters look like. But with the main character, you keep on imagining one thing and another, and you just cannot make up your mind about what “she” looks like. The writer never really describes the way they (main characters) look like. Sometimes, right at the end of the book I discover that the “person” had curly hair, when, all the time I thought she had straight hair. And there is always, always, a friend or relative of the same sex who is extremely attractive, tall, beautiful. But overall, it is a good book. Recommended.

I have recently read 'Calling Mrs Christmas', a book that cheers one with its 'go for it ' attitudes.Sadly the Cake shop just made me miserable. The characters as always in Carole Matthews books, were well drawn but oh dear...why did the principal person have to be so feeble? I honestly did not find it true to life, though realise that we can all become doormats at times. Both the mother and the sister were clearly unkind people solely occupied with themselves. Fay herself seemed to revel in putting herself in positions where she could be walked over. I'm not sure about the ending, it seemed to leave some strings untied.So sadly , not my favourite.