A lovely heart warming book with a brilliant cast of characters. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend giving it a go!

Jennifer Quinn's favourite TV programme is 'Britain Bakes'. When at 77 she decides to apply to be a contestant she keeps it a secret from her husband of nearly 60 years until she is confirmed as being chosen. But that is not the only secret she has kept for over 60 years.
Gradually over the course of the story we learn her secret but how will her husband Bernard react when he finds out?
A heartwarming story of love and determination, very well told.

A lighthearted fun easy read which kept me amused from start to finish. A great storyline with great characters what’s not to like?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

‘Mrs Quinn’s Rise To Fame’ is a delicious novel which I devoured with joy in one sitting! The book focuses on 77-year old Jenny Quinn, an enthusiastic amateur baker whose early memories of baking with her mother and decades of nurturing her husband Bernard and extended family with delectable delicacies earn her a place on her favourite TV show, ‘Britain Bakes’.

I fell in love with Jenny; my heart swelled reading about her relationship with Bernie, broke as I read about the secret she’d been keeping for most of her life, and leapt with excitement as she progressed through the series and proved to herself that she wasn’t silly to enter the competition! While the Quinns were at the centre of the tale, the other contestants were also interesting - especially the wonderful student Azeez who she became close to - and I really warmed to producer Carys.

I adored reading about the different episodes of the series and the little twists to the format which gave it all the cosy ‘Great British Bake Off’ vibes but provided sprinkles of originality. I enjoyed the puns uttered by the comedian host, the golden spoon blind bake challenges and the rotating guest judges.

I could almost taste some of the vividly described cakes, biscuits and pastries and was moved by the way sweet and savoury confections punctuated some of the pivotal moments of Jenny’s life in flashback scenes.

With a lot to say about destiny, love, loss and ambition at any age, this absolute treat of a novel is a must-read! Five stars from me, of course!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

3.5 A quite sweet and fairly undemanding novel split into dual time zones of the same character - Jenny’s - life.

In the present, Jenny is in her late 70’s and about to celebrate her 60th year of marriage to Bernard. Slightly later than most, Jenny finds herself in the midst of an existential crisis and feels that she hasn’t accomplished anything. As a result, she decides to enter herself for the Britain Bakes tv series.

In the past, Jenny is 17, motherless and naive. There are always those ready to take advantage of youth and Jenny’s life quickly changes beyond her imaginings.

Overall, it is a really nice read and cleverly shows how much social mores have changed within the space of a lifetime. What worked less well for me was the lack of genuine jeopardy I felt on older Jenny’s behalf. Some secrets I could understand her not wanting to share but others seemed unnecessary and giving worry for no reason. Some of the secondary characters also seemed a little two-dimensional.

With thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I adore baking and anything to do with Bake off and I hoped this book would bring some of that magic to something I enjoy so much, but this book was bland. The main character wasn't particularly captivating and her flashbacks were interesting but I couldn't really understand its relevance to the story aside from adding drama. If the son had been a contestant on Britain's bakes and somehow revealed the recipes that Jenny had written years ago, this may have created a twist that created some relevance, or even the son becoming a famous baker, to the plot. The plot appears as if the author wanted to emulate the famous baking competition but then decided to write a different story half way through with Jenny's past.

The chapters were drawn out and didn't hook me from the start. Unfortunately this wasn't what I was expecting when I decided to read this book.

Utterly delightful book. I so enjoyed the characters. Baking is not my thing but it certainly could be after reading this! The characters were very believable and whilst some of it was predictable that took nothing away from the wonderful story unfolding throughout . It was beautifully written and such a compelling read.

This was such a fun lighthearted read!

I loved the premise of a baking show (and GBBO), and thought that Jennifer made a great character for this story!

The chapters were short, the story engaging and I LOVED it!

HIGHLIGHTS
- The main character is adorable
- ALLLLL the food
- The coziness

I finished this book with my heart full. It’s a gorgeous story with so much to say about life, love, mistakes, and getting older.
Jenny, an 76 year-old entrant into a national TV baking show, learns much about herself and her beloved husband Bernard through pushing herself to achieve her dreams. Accustomed to keeping her innermost desires secret, she doesn’t even tell her nearest and dearest what she’s doing. She doesn’t realise how proud they will be of her. She’s an extraordinary, ordinary woman, and a character I rooted for all the way.
As the book says, “if you’re fulfilled in yourself, I think often you can be a better person to those around you.” It’s wonderful to follow Jenny’s story of personal growth and fulfilment in this book, with all its ups and downs. I also loved Bernard - who doesn’t need someone like him in their life? The cast of secondary characters were well defined and likeable.
The revelations in the story didn’t come as a surprise, but it was all beautifully done, and as richly crafted and satisfying as one of Jenny’s bakes.
Highly recommended.

I was looking forward to reading this book as it was marketed as an uplifting and warm hearted book, which I think many of us feel we need in our lives at the moment.
It lived up to this, but for me was almost too cosy and twee. Jenny's secret once revealed wasn't a huge surprise and although dealt with sensitively I thought maybe warranted a little more attention before the rather rushed ending.
Thank you to netgalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy of this book.

3.75/5

If you're the kind of person who loves the coziness of the BBC years of 'The Great British Bake Off' and the soothing, relatively low-stakes drama on 'Call The Midwife' - you will love this book. And I quite like those above things, but I don't know if I'd say love. Which is exactly how I'd describe my feelings towards 'Mrs Quinn's Rise To Fame'.

The latest in a glut of 'GBBO-style novels', this one focuses on an elderly woman named Jenny who decides to enter a Bake Off-style show for reasons that are never quite abundantly clear except she's a great baker and she likes the show. But running through the novel is a back story about something from her past, which whilst interesting, never fully intertwines with the central story until the last few pages. It feels a bit disconnected, if I'm honest.

Olivia Ford's novel is pacy and interesting, though I feel the structure leaves something to be desired. Far too much time is spent on set-up, not enough time is spent on the nitty-gritty of the competition (one of the reason's I picked up the book in the first place) and the ending is horribly rushed, with significant story plots only being introduced in the 5% of the novel, barely giving it time to resolve itself. If anything, the ending sort of ruined things for me - I knew that what was a very thorny and complex issue wasn't going to get the narrative time it needed, which put a damper on it all. It's a suitably vague finish, which seems rather at odds with how much focus the whole b-plot was given. The title is also...odd as very little time is spent on said 'rise' and the context in which it is introduced to the novel makes it feel rather shoehorned in.

The food descriptions really are the saving grace - it's a novel that has a certain tweeness, a certain cosiness about it that will certainly have its fans. It was uplifting enough to pull me out of a rather cynical reading slump, so for that I must certainly give it credit.

Really enjoyed this one! The author really made you root for the main character - you learn a lot about her life and her past and she has a very caring personality. It was an emotional but uplifting read and I think a lot of people will love this.

Great book - really enjoyed it. Jenny is 77 years old and has baked all her life - she lives for it! She dreams of entering Britain Bakes, a TV cooking programme but feels she is too old to take part. However, at the last minute, she pushes the ‘submit’ button on the application form - and she gets through to the final 8 and onto the telly!

She bakes recipes that really mean something to her, obtained either from relatives or experiences - I loved the way that the chapters started with a passage from earlier in her life, where the story grew to show what she had gone through. Each of these passages included a recipe and explained why she baked that on the episode of the show. The passages also revealed the secret that Jenny had kept to herself all her life, even from her beloved husband of almost 60 years, Bernard. However, secrets can rarely be kept as that forever and that was the case for Jenny. Will her relationship with Bernard survive, even after all these years of happiness, when such a big thing is revealed? And will the story come full circle and have a happy ending? You’ll have to read the book for yourself to find out - I’m sure you won’t be disappointed if you do!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review, which is what I have given.

What a perfectly charming book. Beautiful written story of Jenny and Bernard. She loves baking and enters a competition. It brings lots of emotions and secrets to the surface , unexpectedly.
A truly enjoyable read.

77 year old avid baker Jenny, married to Bernard for 59 years, makes a big decision - to secretly apply for baking TV show Britain Bakes. When she is accepted to the show, her family are right behind her. However, another very long held secret is brought to Jenny's kind during filming. Will she keep quiet, or eventually reveal all to Bernard?

Delicious descriptions, wonderful characters, and a heart breaking revelation. A tad predictable, yes, but a sweet read nonetheless.

I really enjoyed this book. As a fan of The Great British Bake Off I was intrigued to find out what would happen as Jenny submitted her application to appear on a similar baking programme. This was so much more than the tale of the baking competition though, and through a series of flashbacks, we learn of a painfully sad past and a secret Jenny has kept from her husband Bernie for their entire married life. Some joyous, fun parts, as well as sad and poignant moments and beautiful writing with fantastic descriptions. Would recommend!

If you are a fan of The Great British Bake Off, or any baking show for that matter, then you will love this book.

I love the descriptions of Jenny’s baking techniques and end results. It constantly made me hungry for baked goods. I liked the flashbacks to Jenny’s childhood - how a certain recipe was linked with a memory. It really helped to build character background.

However, I find it hard to read when we started to learn what Jenny’s secret was. I really struggled with the content and couldn’t bring myself to continue with the story sadly.

I couldn’t put this down, it was delicious and delightful. The mixture of past times, present day and baking as a love language was a recipe for perfection.
The relationship between Jenny and Bernard was the perfect pairing, even with that one secret. Great characters, a compelling and heartwarming story and cake! What more do you need?
I would definitely watch Bake Off with this lineup, I might even be tempted to try baking.

A great read with delicious recipes.
Jenny is 77 and has been married to her husband Bernard for 59yrs and apart from her baking everyday she is bored and applies to the TV show Britain Bakes without telling anyone even her husband..
Jenny gets through to the final and loves the daily bakes and thrives as the competition gets to the end.
Memories are unearthed of the secret she kept as a teenager, not even her husband knew.
I loved all the characters and the recipes made your mouth water.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

Oh my days how I just adored Jenny….and also the book and her story and just everything about it, a beautifully written novel that wraps you up warm and pulls you in tight, I honestly can’t think of a better book to read in front of the fire with my feet up! More please!!!