I loved this book. The characters, the storyline, the setting.
I felt like I was there, looking over everyone's shoulders, rooting for the main character and many of the others as well. It's a brilliant read, with lots of humour and the occasional (mostly happy) tear.

"The Sandycove Supper Club" by Sian O'Gorman is a delightful and heartwarming tale that explores the themes of love, self-discovery, and pursuing one's passions. The story follows Roisin Kelly, who, after a whirlwind courtship, finds herself married to aspiring novelist Brody Brady. However, the honeymoon phase quickly dissipates as Brody becomes a reclusive lodger, absorbed in his writing, leaving Roisin feeling like she's walking on eggshells.

O'Gorman skillfully portrays Roisin's journey from a mundane life of working in the Council Planning office to discovering her true passions of cooking and entertaining. The narrative takes an unexpected turn when Roisin is reluctantly drawn into being the head chef for a charity supper club suggested by her best friends, Jools and Richard. This sets the stage for Roisin to step out of her comfort zone and confront her lack of confidence.

The novel expertly weaves together humor, relatable characters, and a charming storyline. Roisin's transformation is both believable and inspiring, as she learns to believe in herself and her dreams beyond the constraints of her current situation. The supporting characters, especially Jools and Richard, contribute to the overall warmth of the narrative, providing a solid foundation for Roisin's growth.

The exploration of friendship and the impact it can have on one's life is a notable aspect of the book. The camaraderie between the characters adds depth to the story, highlighting the importance of surrounding oneself with supportive and encouraging individuals.

The title event, the Sandycove Supper Club, serves as a catalyst for change in Roisin's life. The charity fundraiser becomes a platform for her to showcase her culinary skills and gain the confidence she needs to pursue her passions. This uplifting and feel-good element is a key strength of the narrative.

Sian O'Gorman's writing style is engaging, and she infuses the story with a good balance of humor and heart. The novel's message about finding fulfillment and happiness in unexpected places resonates, making it a rewarding read for those looking for a light-hearted and inspiring story.

In conclusion, "The Sandycove Supper Club" earns its four-star rating through its endearing characters, well-crafted narrative, and the uplifting journey of self-discovery. Sian O'Gorman successfully captures the essence of pursuing one's dreams, even when life takes unexpected turns, and delivers a charming story that leaves readers with a warm and optimistic feeling.

The Sandycove Supper Club was such an enjoyable read and perfect for the end of summer.

Roisin thought her life was going to be perfect, now that she was newly married to her author boyfriend after a whirlwind romance. Unfortunately, he had other ideas and soon holed himself away to write a book before his deadline in a year and Roisin was left pretty much on her own. When one of her friend suggests that Roisin cook for a club she wants to start in order to raise money for charity, she is reluctant at first but gives it a go. Her love of cooking is reignited and she grows to enjoy preparing menus for the supper club and showing off her skills. Over the course of the summer Roisin makes new friends, overcomes fears and sees that her life could be so much more but she has some tough decisions to make first.

A warm and comfy book about friendship and love. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I'll definitely be looking into her others and the next in this series. The lack of confidence shown by Roisin is credible, as is the dysfunctional office she works in, leading lots of comical dialogue. The scourge of the office, Saoirse, requires disciplinary action for her lack of team working, the husbands in the book are selfish and the women have to learn to stand up for themselves, making this an interesting story with romance linked throughout the plot. I enjoyed it very much, and recommend it as very good chick lit, it is great women's fiction with a storyline that is engaging, even the cover is gorgeous!

Really good book. The plot was well-written and engrossing. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Sian O’Gorman’s The Sandycove Supper Club is an uplifting read about finding your path and following your dreams perfect for Faith Hogan and Cathy Kelly fans.

When Roisin met Brody Brady, she fell head over heels in love with him. Being charmed by the aspiring novelist was easy and despite her friends and family telling her not to rush things, she had ignored their pleas and married him after a whirlwind courtship. Roisin had stars in her eyes and imagined a lifetime of marital bliss with Brody, but reality proved a completely different prospect altogether. One year later and Roisin is miserable. While Brody pens his masterpiece and barely makes any contributions – financial or otherwise – she works her fingers to the bone at the Council Planning Office.

Roisin would love some excitement in her life as opposite to the daily grind and mundanity. She adores cooking and nothing gives her greater joy than hosting dinner parties for friends and family. Encouraged by her best friends Jools and Richard to head a charity supper club, Roisin finds herself becoming the charity’s head chef for the fundraiser and for the first time in a very long while gets a spring in her step and new lease of life.

Roisin hasn’t felt this alive in years. She has finally realised that there is more to life than dead end jobs, moody writers and poor hygiene. Is she ready to step out of the shadows and fight for her dreams? Will she find the courage to take a leap of faith and a chance on herself? Or will she let her doubts and insecurities hold her back?

The Sandycove Supper Club is a fun, effervescent and inspirational tale readers will love. Full of characters it is impossible not to relate to, The Sandycove Supper Club is a story about forging your own path, stepping out of your comfort zone and being the best version of yourself you could possibly be that effortlessly touches the heart and makes readers laugh out loud.

Sian O’Gorman writes so well that stepping between the covers of The Sandycove Supper Club feels like a chat with your best friend over a lip-smackingly delicious lunch.

An enjoyable read full of warmth, wisdom and heart, Sian O’Gorman’s The Sandycove Supper Club is sure to delight readers everywhere.

I had high expectations of this latest novel by this author but was slightly disappointed.
A fairly slow start which ended up full of charm and characters.
It's set in Ireland and is based on the main character Roisin.
It was an enjoyable read and i am glad I persevered with it.

At the start of the Sandycove Supper Club we meet Roisin and learn how she is swept of her feet by Brody. Within months after their first meeting, Brody and Roisin get married and Roisin is dreaming of their happily ever after despite her family and friends warning her…. Fast forward a year and we find Roisin stuck in a mostly loveless marriage and in a somewhat dead-end job. She comes across as rather lonely and quite miserable. Cue a cast of quirky and interesting side characters to help our heroine find joy and happiness in her life.

In all honesty, I nearly chucked this book to the side. The start was slower than I’d hoped for, and I needed slightly more time than most to warm to Roisin. But as I was going through the pages and Sandycove started to come to life, there was just so much charm. Sian writes in a playful manner, which ensures a lovely backdrop for an altogether heartwarming story. I loved to see Roisin blossom as she throws herself at her second (or should we say first) love: cooking. And, not unimportant, while Roisin’s storyline was a great one indeed, the large cast of characters made for a good number of smaller stories which were each well-developed and added to the overall charm of the Sandycove Supper Club.

I really enjoyed the last book I read by this author. There was something about the style that appealed to me. The people and places that were conjured up were equally attractive. The story was entertaining as well. I, therefore, went into this expecting an equal, if not better, experience. I am talking about another book at the start of this with a clear purpose in mind, even if that does not seem possible.
This fell short in only one of the above mentions. I did not enjoy the story. It is strange how that happened. The writing was as good as the last visit, as was the imagery. I was just unable to get invested in the outcome of the narrative.
Our leading lady is an excellent cook, although that is her passion and not her profession. She has some workmates and two close friends. The story begins with a whirlwind romance resulting in a quick wedding. It was extremely obvious why the 'whirlwind' part was the way it was, but Roisin refused to see it. This might actually have been annoying if written by somebody else, but I read it and accepted it as I was swept away by the people, their conversations and their introspections. This latter part is why I would still recommend this to people fond of a growth arc involving a woman finding herself with plentiful help from a robust supportive friend group.
Some of the situations the characters found themselves in seemed to duplicate themselves, but overall this is an author I would not mind blindly picking up another book by! Roisin finds herself and a new purpose in life. Some more expected things happen to the people around her, but that is an integral part of this genre and happily-ever-afters.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is based on my own reading experience.

A first book from Sian for me and I enjoyed it. Set in Ireland Roisin goes to a party her uni friend Richard is throwing with her friend Jools and meets her future husband Brody, is this going to be a decision she will live to regret!
A year on and roisin and Brody are married and he is heading towards the deadline of his first book. They don’t have much of a marriage as Brody spends all his time writing.
When Jools injures her leg and can’t raise the money she plans for charity Richard suggests A Supper Club to raise it. Roisin is the budding chef and with the help of her close friends and family theSupper Club is born.
Will the supper club make money, will Brody meet his deadline and will they ever have a normal marriage.
I enjoyed reading this book and getting to know Roisin family and friends that teaches us about love and friendship along the way.
Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC of this book.

The Sandycove Supper Cllub is the first book I’ve read by this author but won’t be my last. Though it had a bit of a slow start for me, as the story went on I wanted to keep reading. The story was both heartwarming and uplifting and made you feel a part of the story as you read it. Sandycove is definitely a place you’d want to visit.

Sian O’Gorman has written a lovely story and in the end it was truly enjoyable.

Thank you to #netgalley and #boldwodbooks for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

#SianO’Gorman #thesandycovesupperclub

I’ve read all of Sian O’Gorman’s books, and I jumped at the chance to read and review this latest one.

What a gorgeous read it is! It’s like a breath of fresh air, full of wonderful characters, humour and warmth.

As a Dubliner myself, I am familiar with the area where this book is set, and it was easy to picture the lovely seaside village of Sandycove.

The characters are what really makes the book though, and these are so authentic and full of life. Roisin is really loveable. She has a wide circle of wonderful friends, and a really close family. She was perhaps a bit naïve to rush into her marriage to Brody, but it certainly makes for interesting and humorous reading, as Brody changes from a dashing and creative writer, into a bit of a slob, who is more like a tiresome housemate than a husband.

Roisin has a passion for cooking, but she doesn’t have much confidence in her abilities. She’s reluctantly persuaded into the idea of the supper club. She’s a very caring person, and will always try to help others.

There are a few tricky situations that she has to manage, particularly with her job, and I really enjoyed the office banter in the Planning Department. There are some genuinely laugh out loud moments throughout the book.

I can’t recommend this really enjoyable book highly enough. If you enjoy a refreshing, light-hearted, funny and heart-warming tale that makes you feel as if the characters are your friends, you will love this one.

This book was easy to read and I felt connected to the characters from page. 1.

Upbeat, well-written and enjoyable.

From the very start I was enchanted by Roisin Kelly and her friends and family – they were just so real and loveable. What I didn’t like, however, was the way her Husband Brody treated her. He was a complete waste of space. As for the hamster – I couldn’t believe that he went against Roisin’s wishes! True to firm, Roisin ended up loving the little rodent, regardless.

Roisin was a true people person – you couldn’t meet anyone kinder, and she contributed to my immense enjoyment of the book. I just hated the way that certain people took advantage of her.

Roisin was guilty of wanting the best for everyone; a real people pleaser and one just had to hope that this wouldn’t backfire on her. The supper club, as a fundraising idea,, was a perfect use of the skills of Roisin and her friends. Roisin genuinely seemed to be a talented chef and her food sounded divine. Surely her skills were wasted in the admin department of the local planning department.

Relationships feature heavily in this book, with them generally being a bit of a disaster!, it could be argued that Roisin’s divorced parents had the best relationship in the book.

I loved the Irishness in the book – the places, language and the people and they stirred a yearning in me to perhaps visit the area.

Heartwarming and uplifting! I loved watching the heroine reclaim her story and find her passion. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this!

My feelings about this book are a little mixed. There were many characters that I really loved. Harry came across as a very old 72 year old, but the kindest man who would never intentionally do anyone any harm. I also loved Jools and her brother Paddy, the best friends a girl could ask for.

There were, however, also characters that I really didn't like, like Soirse, Brody and Anna. I understood the important role these characters played in Roisin's story, but I still didn't like them one bit and I didn't like who Roisin was around these people for the majority of the book.

Overall it was a heartwarming story to read and one I would recommend.

What a lovely, delightful story!

The book follows the character of Roisin over the first year of her marriage to Brody.

I was drawn into the story from the synopsis alone as the author is new to me and I admit I didn’t know what to expect but I warmed to the lead character of Roisin from the very beginning. I found that the author Sian O’Gorman has one of those easy going writing styles that flows from the page. She certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into what turns out to be an enjoyable and heartwarming read. The story is really well told, the characters were well developed and there are plenty of light and dark moments. There are a few different storylines providing intrigue and a few surprises too! I felt really invested in Roisin’s efforts to change her life and in the strong friendships that sustain her. The emotional content is really well-handled too and the whole book is infused with a gentle warmth that I really enjoyed. There are even some wonderful touches of humour!

‘The Sandycove Supper Club’ is very well written and an emotional read with ups and downs and twists and turns. It is a summer read that’s never too challenging, that’s always engaging, and where you’ll find friendship and love between the pages. I love the way in which Sian makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story themselves and at the heart of the action.

I’d definitely like to read more from Sian O’Gorman and will be seeking out her books. I highly recommend this book and author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

We first meet Roisin Kelly after a whirlwind romance with writer and columnist Brody Kelly. They met and married within six months. Fast forward to one year later and Brody is writing a book some sort of Joyce esque masterpiece.

Roisin works in the local county council planning offices. Her official role is administrator within the office. However her boss JP has tasked her with an project that has reached an impasse. This particular building makes up the Sandycove coastline. Can she save it?

When her friend Richard can no longer run the marathon he decides to come up with a unique way to raise money for charity. Roisin is drafted in to start up the inaugural Sandycove Supper Club that will be hosted in her Mum’s house.

Told from the perspective of the main protagonist Roisin. As the name of the book suggests this story is set in the beautiful Sandycove, a small seaside suburb of Dublin.

We quickly cotton in to the fact that Brody Kelly is behaving like an insolent teenager. He is so deep in the creative process, Roisin feels as if she has a lodger rather than a husband. He needs a good kick up the bum in my opinion.

I loved the setting of the supper club and reading about the different types of food on offer each evening.

I equally loved the fact that there were quite a heavy number of characters. However it was easy to distinguish which were central to the overall story and who I should become invested in.

My first of O’Gorman’s books but I will be checking out the authors back catalogue. Especially as a lot of them are set along the Dublin coastline.

Low self-esteem can lead to a lack of confidence and Roisin was a testament to that. Stuck in a job that she didn’t really enjoy, and pining for a love she had lost, she got married to a man she hardly knew, against advice from family and friends. Now she was determined to make the marriage work, despite Brody turning out to be nothing like the man she first met. She put up with all his ways and his lack of affection, thinking that she was supporting him in writing the great novel he talked of!

Meanwhile, she would ply her friends colleauges and family with the delicious food she made. When her friends decided to create a Supper Club to raise money for charity, Roisin reluctantly agreed to cook for strangers. With the encouragement of her friends, she tried out new dishes and began to grow in confidence with the feedback from the diners.

Redisovering her joy of cooking, she realizes that she’s been settling in other areas of her life. She begins to find the courage to reclaim herself and start to follow her heart and her dreams.

A lovely story, told with emotion and humour. It was easy for me to identify with Roisin in her choices and then in her slow growth in confidence and coming into herself. Roisin’s soft heart and generosity of spirit made her a very loveable character. I had to read through to see what she would decide to do with her life!

The other characters of this story, Roisin’s friends, colleagues and family are very well drawn and the conversations and interactions are entertaining and endearing too. There are so many smaller stories of love, discovery, community and friendship within the larger story that move you to smile and tug at your heart!

This is a beautiful story of self-discovery and finding love within yourself, before you find romantic love. Sian O’Gorman is fast becoming one of my favourite writers!

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting this large Irish family and group of friends for what is a lovely, uplifting read. From the beginning, when Roisin impulsively marries the would-be author, Brody, you have a feeling that her story is going to be a bit complicated and far from humdrum. The humour is what stood out in the story for me. Brody's pet hamster and some of Roisin's work fellows were great sources of laughter but most of all, was Brody himself, the self-centred writer and spinner of yarns.

The idea for the Supper Club is a challenge for Roisin, set by her friends who can see that her heart is not totally in her job as an admin assistant in the Planning Department. She is a talented chef but has zero confidence in her abilities and has to slowly build up her self- esteem. Her family have their own complicated dynamics but their family love shines through. Above all, the Supper Club sounds quite idyllic, situated in Roisin's childhood garden. It sounds like just the sort of place I'd love to go. With romance, laughter and a few exasperating moments, you are always aware that these are real human beings with faults and virtues. It is a romp of a read.

In short: Facing up to your heart's desire
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