What a wonderful, heart-warming read! I loved this book, it was so sweet and moving. Cathy, although her self-deprecation could be a little annoying, is a little bit of all of us. She's been through so much that so many women will relate to - caring for her sick mother, being dumped, losing her confidence. 

This is a book about connection, community and friendship with a healthy dollop of cake thrown in! If you read this and don't immediately dig out the flour from the pantry, were you even paying attention? My favourite character was Fleur - strong, a little bolshy and thoroughly tenderhearted, she's just the kind of person anyone would be lucky to have as a friend (and boss). Each character developed through the story and I was honoured to go on their journeys with them.

As an aside, and on a personal note, I loved that not only Cathy but two other female characters were childless, something I look for in books and don't often find. It is representative of society and gives a much needed voice to a growing group of people - thank you, Tilly, for this. For this reason, I'll be using the book as the December choice for my NoMo (Not Mothers) Book Club online and through Gateway Women.

I really enjoyed this book all the way through.  It had a really good plot, great main characters and really keeps you hooked on the plot.  I would highly recommend this book.

A feel good, charming, delightful cosy romance with likable and relatable characters, a cosy setting of a small charming village, sweet romance and lots of delicious goodies being baked throughout the book! It's still 2 months to Christmas but reading this book will get you into the right mood for all things Christmasy. All those mentions of yummy baked goodies that the heroine Cathy is constantly whipping up, at home and the cookery club she heads, got my mouth watering and me going 😋!

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and the author Tilly Tennant for the e-Arc of the book.

A really festive and uplifting read. Took me a little while to get into but once I was into the storyline I couldn't put it down.

A festive read and new beginnings
 
As a carer myself, Cathy’s situation hit home, when you dedicate years of your life, looking after a loved one come to the end of theirs, it takes its toll, they become your sole though, friends drift away, a work-life becomes harder and love life is non-existent. Many people can never understand unless they live it and it’s even harder to explain.
 
The way that Tilly dealt with the loneliness and loss is very sympathetic and refreshing to read, it’s rare for people to just move on. This is a slow burner of a story for Cathy, things happen slowly, even the baking. After attending a charity coffee morning, Cathy learns that she had a place in the village and friendships form through her baking classes in the church hall with a quirky bunch of characters. Throw in a dash of teen angst and a new love interest, it’s all I need to curl up with a warm cup of something and while the afternoon away in Linnetford
 
My thanks to #Netgalley, #Bookouture, and @TillyTennant for allowing me to review a copy of #Cathy’sChristmasKitchen

Oh boy this was not for me. Cathy was a whiny wet dishrag with no social smarts. Her inner monologue was driving me nuts. Oh woe is me I’m not a great baker I just use my Mommy’s recipes heheeeee. Oh boy my baking is sooooo much better than this random old person at the church social. Rinse repeat. 

Not enjoyable at all.

I have enjoyed all books I have read by Tilly Tennant, and this one did not disappoint. There was more to this book that I expected by reading the blurb. Cathy was pretty much isolated, with no friends and very little family that she cared to spend time with. She had nursed her mother for most of her life, and with her recent death, Cathy is at loose ends. She finds her way to a coffee fundraiser at a local church and meets a woman, Erica, that she hopes to become friends with. When the others try the treats she has brought to share, they all tell her what a wonderful baker she is. After a few weeks, she is convinced to begin a cooking class at the church and it changes her life.

I don't want to say much more than that about this story, because it is important that you read the story to learn about Cathy and her awakening to her new life after her mother's death. I really liked Cathy. She is very vulnerable and doesn't have much self-esteem. Others see what a great person she is, but it takes her awhile to believe it. When she meets a young man walking his dog, there is a connection and I enjoyed reading about the relationship as it develops. Of course no romance can go smoothly, so throw in her ex-fiance who has returned to Linnetford from Scotland with his wife. When he and Cathy bump into each other, there seems to be a few lingering emotions. Can their feelings be rekindled after all this time? I enjoyed the camaraderie of the members of the cookery classes. There was some humour in their interactions, but also some fireworks. Will cooking bring Cathy into the life she deserves? A well plotted, uplifting story with wonderful characters and Christmas charm. I definitely recommend this one.

I love Christmas novels once the fall hits. I love to cuddle up on my reading chair with one of my puppies and put the fire on and read. This was on of those cute wintery novels, it isn't full of Christmas so it can be read anytime. I enjoyed the characters and the story line, romance, baking and Christmas. I did find that the story took awhile to evolve but then I felt the ending was rushed. Other than that I enjoyed following Cathy's journey to making friends and finding romance after losing her mother to illness. I look forward to reading other novels by TIlly Tennant. 

I give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Cathy has lost her mother and needs to find new friends so she goes to the church cafe and everyone is wowed by her wonderful cakes and Cathy has to be persuaded to share her recipes, although she is very self effacing with all the compliments that she's never received before. Then she's persuaded to set up a cookery club. A sweet romance and I normally love Tilly Tenant but I have to admit I did find Cathy a bit unsympathetic. Especially when Tansy, a teenager, comes to her group and she comments that she won't make friends because she is so toxic. Yet Cathy's whole aim is to make new friends so you'd think she'd be more emphatic. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

I enjoy cosy Christmas romances during the autumn/winter time and "Cathy's Christmas Kitchen" sounded like the perfect book for this.

I liked the beginning of the book as the scenery and setting was built up really nicely. The little town was really cosy, also getting a little christmassy later in the book, and the people were really nice and sticking together.

Still I couldn't really connect with the characters and for me they remained very shallow and distant. I understood Cathy's troubles and insecurities but she was getting on my nerves putting herself down all the time. 
I enjoyed the cooking circle with the women of the town, especially the elder ladies were really fun.

The romance was cute but also remained a little distant to me and I couldn't really enjoy it.

The book was a nice read but could have needed a few more sparks in romance as well as the Christmas setting.

This was pleasant enough but it didn't blow me away.

Cathy has spent the last few years looking after her terminally ill mother, it cost her practically everything, her friends, her career, and her fiancé. Now her mother has died, Cathy is facing her first Christmas alone, her only solace the baking she used to do with her mother. Then a chance meeting leads to her agreeing to host baking classes at the local Church hall. Her students are a motley crew of OAPs, single men, married women and one truculent teenager, Tansy, who seems determined to antagonise everyone else.

Cathy meets a man walking his dog along the path she takes to her part-time job assisting the local florist and they hit it off straight away, but then her ex-fiancé starts hanging around the florist's stall, buying flowers for his wife - what will she choose old love or new?

I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of the shy, retiring heroine with zero life-experience and no friends who somehow suddenly becomes popular, its a little too twee and cosy for me. If you like cosy romances then I guess you would love this. Also I thought Cathy was a little clueless and unsympathetic about Tansy - has she never met a teenage girl before? Most of them are toxic.

Anyway, pleasant enough but a bit gingerbread when I'm more banana bread.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is the perfect book for those cold autumn and winter nights when all you want to do is curl up on the couch with a blanket and your favourite drink (a boozy hot chocolate, in my case).

There's quite a bit of heartache in this book, it's not just romance and Christmas spirit, but there are also plenty of sweet moments that make the heartache easier to deal with. The friendships are done really well, whether it's the new friendship between Cathy and Erica or the gossiping and bickering older ladies from the church.

The story was a bit slow-paced and felt very uneven, with the majority of events happening in the last half of the book. At times it was a bit tedious to read another chapter about how Cathy was insecure about a thing she was actually really good at, or about Cathy constantly thinking up the worst-case scenario in any social setting. There were quite a few heavy topics to deal with and so many complications that at times it seemed like the author had a hard time keeping all the plates spinning.

Ultimately, I would've liked a bit more Christmas and romance and a little less drama, but I still had a nice time reading this book.

Cathy spent most of her life caring for her mother. She finds herself somewhat lost, and with time on her hands.

A story of baking, of friendships, of love and of discovering who you are. 

Lovely!

A book filled with Christmas thoughts, baking that you can almost smell while reading and an atmosphere that makes you as ready for Christmas as Buddy the Elf. 

I think we all need some light hearted Christmas cheer. I have to say though, there was much more to this book than what I thought from the blurb,

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley in return for my honest opinion.

Ah I really needed this uplifting and inspiring book last week and it was perfect for beating away the blues.

Cathy has spent all her teenage and adult life caring and now her mum has passed away, and Cathy is lost. Having given up friendships, social engagements, a career and a love life to give every waking minute to her mother, Cathy is at a loose end and finding it hard to fill her days until she takes a step and nrings along some baking to a local coffee morning. From there, Cathy’s confidence flourishes as her baking become more popular and she forges new relationships – including a possible romantic one. Can Cathy finally find happiness for herself?

My heart went straight out to Cathy from the very beginning of this book and I cheered on every little step she took to move forward and took great joy watching her succeed. She was such an adorable character who had selflessly sacrificed her life and I just wanted to take her under my wing and introduce her to the world. My mouth was watering at every bake Cathy made and I could almost smell Christmas in the air whilst I read.

I found warmth in the way she was enveloped into the heart of the community and gently nudged to find and use her strengths. Her new friends were amusing and full of character and brought depth to the plot.

The village of Linnetford seems so quaint and picturesque, particulalrly at Christmas time. The church hall sounded cosy, the coffe shop seemed perfect and the cottage itself where Cathy lived just sounded like an absolute gem.

This is such a cosy and heartwarming book to wrap youself up and read. Highly recommended to read on a rubbish day. You’ll feel warmth in no time at all.

Cathy is a lovely lady, lost after the death of her mother. This book tells the story of Cathy as she comes back to living, baking of course, but also friends and romance.  A well written, gentle book.

Loved reading this novel, very well written and a pleasure to be able to curl up  with it. There are plenty of twists and turns going on with the lives of the characters. I know that I will be reading this again. 5 stars and a good recommendation.

Thanks to Netgaley and publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review.

An entertaining and well written romance.  Good plot and character development.  I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

We are introduced to the main character of Cathy straight away in the story. Cathy is trying her best to manage the grief and loneliness she now feels after her beloved Mum passed away. After caring for her throughout her illness, Cathy has given up a lot in her life, including friends and relationships. One of the only things that keeps Cathy going is her love for baking. So when the local Church organise a Coffee Morning to help raise money for cancer research, she decides to go along. After enjoying the Coffee Morning, Cathy decides she will go back again.

CAN CATHY TURN HER LIFE AROUND?

Getting to know more and more people at the coffee mornings, some of the ladies who attend suggest that Cathy starts a weekly baking class at the Church. Reluctantly, Cathy agrees as she wants to share her love of baking with others. The cookery classes go really well and everyone loves them, apart from moody teenager Tansy – who is the niece of Cathy’s new friend, Erica. Life seems to be getting better and better for Cathy. New friends, the cookery classes and the mystery man she keeps bumping into on her way to work. Cathy later discovers the mystery man is Matt, the brother of her friend Erica. They spend more and more time together, getting to know each other and falling for each other.

As their relationship gathers pace, Cathy is feeling happier than she has in years. The last thing she expects is her ex to turn up out of the blue after all these years! Cathy’s Christmas Kitchen is a lovely, heat-warming story about life, loneliness, friendship and love. A perfect read to get you in the festive mood.

This was a fun, light-hearted Christmas book featuring a grieving daughter, who is an excellent baker, her ex fiance and a local church group.  It was a sweet, easy going story, albeit a bit predictable.  Thank you to Netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.