I found The Gingerbread Cafe a bit slow and difficult to get into. I persevered and it was ok, if a little predictable.

The Gingerbread Cafe by Anita Faulkner

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Can Gretel find the recipe for the perfect Christmas?

The Gingerbread Café is always full of Christmas magic. Come rain or shine (or even a July heatwave), there's always a hot chocolate bursting with cinnamon and marshmallows waiting for you. For introverted Gretel, it's been the perfect escape from 'real life'. The owner, Nell, is Gretel's last link to her late mum, and hiding out at the café feels so much safer than making new friends.

So when Nell suddenly passes, Gretel is left heartbroken. Then she discovers that Nell has left the café to her - but there's a catch. Gretel has to share the running of The Gingerbread Café with the least festive person ever: Nell's nephew, Lukas. Head chef at the local fancy restaurant, Lukas makes it clear he has no time for the café, Gretel or even Christmas itself, and Gretel's too busy struggling to save her burnt batches of gingerbread to work out why.

My Opinion

First of all I would love to have a festive cafe locally. This is a story about love, learning to deal with grief, community and of course everything festive. This is a book that you really must read although it will leave you feeling very festive and the food descriptions will leave you hungry.

I read this book in one day - I was drawn in by Mistleton and the lovely residents that live there. A heart-warming tale that really must be read with some snacks on hand.

Rating 4/5

This book was such a wonderful, heart-warming read full of family, friendships, love, loss, community and plenty of gingerbread and hot chocolate. What's not to love. Full of great characters and plenty of festiveness, this is the perfect cosy, festive read. I had actually forgotten I had it as a netgalley read so had pre ordered it too, hence the slightly late review.

If you are a fan of a cosy, heartwarming romance set at Christmas, with plenty of hot chocolate, gingerbread, snow and glorious Cotswold stone, then this is the book for you. I defy anyone not to fall in love with Angel Gabriel., Gretel’s pet ferret. Oh, and there’s knitting too!! I will definitely be recommending this book to customers.

This is a vey quick read, more of a Novella, it is one of those love / hate books which comes good in the end, if you need a quick festive read, this is the book for you

This is a sweet enemies to lovers story, it did take me a while to connect with the characters but I grew to love Gretel and her friends as I went through the book. I loved the different people with their shops and crafting sessions, and the community spirit that brought them all together to save the town.

I thought there may be something to explain the magic jukebox towards the end but that was left to the imagination. The magic of people letting go of the past, connection between the characters and doing whatever made them happy filled my heart 🤍

Overall, this book was a grower and I really did enjoy the story the more I got into it. It definitely filled me with joy and Christmas spirit

One of my favourite things about the festive seanson is gingerbread from eating it to decorations that look like it I love it. This book had everything I love and more. Its adorable and I didn't want it to end.

I have heard a lot of praise for Anita Faulkner's first book. When I was offered early copy of this book to read I was excited to read it.
I love Christmas books, and I love Gingerbread, to me it is very festive and evocative.
I really loved reading this book, it is very cosy and festive and has a real sense of community. It is heartwarming and enjoyable.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.


THE GINGERBREAD CAFE
BY
ANITA FAULKNER.

Nel owns The Gingerbread Cafe, where it really is Christmas every day.
One of her most loyal customers is Gretel.
Gretel is a broken soul. She is dealing with her own overwhelming grief and copes mainly by creating Christmas crafts in stained glass.

When Nel passes away, she leaves a gift for Gretel in her will.
Gretel is now the new owner of half of The Gingerbread Cafe. Unfortunately, Nel’s grumpy nephew Lukas is the owner of the other half.
The will stipulates that they cannot just sell up and cash in, so it looks like this unlikely pair are stuck with each other for some time to come.
However when you consider that Gretel can’t bake for toffee and Lukas is a talented chef, they may just make the perfect partnership, if they can get past their differences.

Alongside Gretel and Lukas we meet an eclectic cast of colourful characters, who all bring something special to the story in their own way.

I do have one complaint about this story. All the mentions of scrumptious food did make my mouth water and sent me rummaging through the cupboards for any hidden treats I may find. This is not a diet friendly read!

Seriously though, there is just so much to love about this book. It is quite honestly such a warm hearted festive romp. If this book doesn’t melt your insides, You really must have a heart of stone.

The Gingerbread Cafe is a book about learning to deal with grief, finding a way forward, friendships, love, community, everything festive and a ferret called Angel Gabriel!

Anita Faulkner has once again shown us readers what a super talent she is. Her personality shines in her vibrant writing.

You have to add this gem of a book to your festive reading list. Hang your baubles, wrap your gifts, then pour yourself a large Baileys and settle in for a wonderful slice of the most feel good Christmas fiction.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Out now on all formats.

With thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group Uk for a digital arc of this title.

Such a sweet story!
I love love love Angel Gabriel, what a fantastic character!
Charming and emotional, it was a delightful book filled with hope and determination to succeed.
The characters were adorable, their relationship was intriguing to watch too.
Captivating and endearing, a great festive book.

What a lovely Christmas read. Watching Gretel navigate her grief and open her heart was beautiful. The friendships form from all the shops in the street was moving, and the descriptions of the cafe, street and Christmas tree were so realistic that at times I felt I was there. Lukas was amazing too, seeing his heart open and his life goals change and grow and intertwine with Gretel was beautiful.
An amazing Christmas read that, if you aren’t already in the mood will certainly do the trick.

This is a truly delightful book. Gretel lives in a year round Christmas security blanket, keeping memories of past losses close. When she inherits a Christmas themed cafe, that is soon under threat, she knows things have to change. An incidental highlight (for me) is the juke box in the cafe which has a mind of its own, and plays pertinent songs, sometimes at inopportune moments. Although sad at times, this is a heart warming book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Such a cute easy read! Perfect for the holiday season!
Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the early access to this book.

Having read A Colourful Country Escape, I was so excited to get my hands on this book because I just knew it would be packed full of humour and cosy Christmas cheer.
I was right. This book serves up all the Christmas warmth along with a hefty dollop of romance and a beautifully woven sense of community. I loved it!
Gretal and Lukas are deftly written characters, flawed and relatable and it is impossible not to cheer them on as a couple from the very first minute when Lukas Grinch-face inadvertently attacks Gretal with a Christmas tree.
The author weaves Christmas through every page, conjuring up the smells, sight, sounds and tastes of the season, making you desperate for gingerbread and spiced hot-chocolate as you read.
Add in the mysterious but utterly charming teenager Amber, the beautifully quirky shopkeepers of Mistleton, a swingy-bobbed villain in custom-made trainers and a ludicrously cute ferret and you have a perfect Christmas romance.

A most enjoyable read and my first experience of this author, but I look forward to reading more in the future. A well deserved five stars!

If you enjoy a sweet Christmas romance you will enjoy this story from Anita Faulkner. I enjoyed the description of the quirky street and its shops, it really conjured up a picture for me. I did struggle to get into the story and took a while to become engaged with the characters.

The story is about finding yourself and your place in the world. Gretel lives in the past, mostly in Christmas past. She is stuck there and is afraid to move on until circumstances push her to be bold and change things and meet people. She is a bit of a conflicted character, in some ways timid and retiring and then suddenly helping to change the street and residents her cafe is in.

I found Gretel a little frustrating at times but I grew to like her. I loved the other shop owners in the street, there were some great characters amongst them. They were a really varied bunch and it was nice to see them come together.

Although this book didn't turn out to be a favourite for me, it was an enjoyable read and I am sure it will be a very popular read with many.

Loved this one but, what’s not to like. Hot chocolate, cake and Christmas all wrapped up in this sweet book. A cozy read. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A delightful charming read although there were moments that I wanted to reach in and shake some sense into Gretel but as the book progressed, I was silently cheering her on. It’s romantic without being over the top .

This was such a cute read! I instantly got Hansel & Gretel vibes. It was so relatable a losing a parent myself recently I could relate so much to Gretel. Than to lose the last link to her mom in Nell was equally heartbreaking. it was lovely for her to acquire the cafe from Nell. Enter Lukas who is of course the grumpy nephew of Nell hell bent on getting rid of the cafe and handing it over, I was really invested to see how they open Up to each other or if they even would and found it to be a really sweet book! It was a great cozy read and really left me feeling warm inside. Very excited to acquire this for our readers who I feel will have a similar response.
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The Gingerbread Café is always full of Christmas magic. Come rain or shine (or even a July heatwave), there's always a hot chocolate bursting with cinnamon and marshmallows waiting for you. For introverted Gretel, it's been the perfect escape from 'real life'. The owner, Nell, is Gretel's last link to her late mum, and hiding out at the café feels so much safer than making new friends.

So when Nell suddenly passes, Gretel is left heartbroken. Then she discovers that Nell has left the café to her - but there's a catch. Gretel has to share the running of The Gingerbread Café with the least festive person ever: Nell's nephew, Lukas. Head chef at the local fancy restaurant, Lukas makes it clear he has no time for the café, Gretel or even Christmas itself, and Gretel's too busy struggling to save her burnt batches of gingerbread to work out why.

Gretel is determined to keep Christmas alive and make the café a success before Lukas hands the keys over to the scrooge-like developers. But she can't do it alone; besides an over friendly ferret and a waitress with a secret, the only person she has now is Lukas. Will it take a Christmas miracle to get the pair to finally see eye to eye, or could the ice already be melting?

Oh this book is so cute, cosy and uplifting. Heartwarming and completely full of the Christmas spirit. I would absolutely love to visit the Gingerbread Cafe and eat a cinnamon bun and drink a hot chocolate full of cream and marshmallows.

In this book we meet Gretel who has lost her mum. Gretel spends lots of time in the gingerbread cafe as Nell the owner is the last link that Gretel has to her mum. Sadly Nell passes early on in the book and Gretel is left absolutely heartbroken. It is here that Gretel discovers that Nell has left the gingerbread cafe to her. However there is a catch. The catch is that Gretel has to share the running of the cafe with Lukas who is Nells nephew. However Lukas has no interest in running the gingerbread cafe as he already had his own restaurant. Can Lukas and Gretel find a compromise? Can they work together to save the cafe? And could love possibly be in the air?

A really lovely, fun, festive and heartwarming book.