The Fall and Rise of Sadie McQueen

This is another lovely book by Juliet Ashton with an increasing family of characters (in the literal sense of the word) all based around the London corner that is Cherry Blossom mews. Told through the eyes of Sadie who has been a resident for a couple of years now we uncover heartbreaking secrets, lies, jealousy, love and community. It’s a very good study of human weaknesses and thoughtfully written. This isn’t lighthearted by any means however there’s a good mix of gentleness in it so it’s an easy enough read non the less and I would definitely recommend it,

I’m not a touchy-feely sort, but this book makes me want to give it a big hug! I found it charming, laugh out loud funny, but also capable of producing tears of joy. A ragged assortment of tenants occupy Cherry Blossom Mews, a converted stable block somewhere in London. All of the residents are on a journey from some type of addiction, alcohol, social media, abusive boyfriends, etc. together they form a family of sorts and get on with life as it is.
In this time of bad news and negativity everywhere, this is a true escape. Once I started this book I found myself reading through meals and through television shows I had wanted to watch. Sadly I finished and now I miss Sadie and all the residents of Cherry Blossom Mews.

'The Fall and Rise of Sadie McQueen' was a surprising and thoroughly enjoyable read. The style reminded me a little bit of 'The Flatshare' by how easy it was to read and how the writing just flowed. I often forgot that I was reading and felt completely part of the story. Juliet Ashton's style is very natural.

I hovered between liking and disliking the plot for a while. At first I thought that it was moving too quickly and that the rest of the book would be trying to spin out the beginning at the risk of being boring and melodramatic. I was wrong. This book is so full of surprising twists it kept me hooked all the way through! I liked how there were also quite a few subplots but how none of them were confusing.

The way the book explores family relationships and friendships is really touching and not at all cliché in how it tackles them. It deals with grief, alcoholism, abuse but most of all love. Set in a lesser known London neighbourhood, the inhabitants come from all different kinds of backgrounds and families and Juliet Ashton weaves all their stories into the novel.

I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

What a brilliant book. This book has a fantastic story line, excellent characters and is just wonderful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and I enjoyed it immensely.

An odd assortment of residents live in Cherry Blossom Mews, among them is Sadie McQueen. Sadie has lost everything dear to her and she is struggling to pick up the pieces of her life. We follow Sadie as she tries to put her life back together. We also get a glimpse into the lives of the other residents and the reasons why they came to live on the Mews.

This is a wonderful book. Although it deals with the hard hitting subjects of addiction, grief, and domestic abuse, it also has many lighthearted moments. A great story with a surprising twist which I would recommend.

Juliet writes quirky communities so beautifully and Sadie McQueen is another gorgeous read. It's full of heart, humanity and humour - a sweet oasis in a dark world, I loved it.

So many twists and turns in this book i couldn't keep up with it. But i stuck it out and I'm glad i did, it was charming and made me giggle out loud on more than one occasion. The many characters were likable, funny and sad.

The story revolves around a group of neighbours and business owners in Cherry Blossom Mews. Who all have a story to tell. Some tragic, some funny. Sadie McQueen is the central character, who owns the spa.
It was a good feel good story with some hilarious moments.

I would definitely recommend it as a good beach/back garden sunny day book.
Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to review this for you.

It is a thoroughly delightful book. You couldnt help loving a book set in Cherry Blossom Mews!
It was a fascinating case study of relationships, and I enjoyed learning more and more about each person as it was revealed. Cher, Hero, Mary, Arthur, so much to tell us, so much that we could see changing and happening in their lives. Sadie holds the story together and is a wonderful character.
Juliet draws her characters with sympathy and knowledge.
Thank you for a review copy, I very much enjoyed reading this book.

I loved this book. It has such a captivating plot with lots of unexpected twists and turns (some of them verging on the unbelievable!) that it holds your attention from beginning to end.
The setting is also very special with this secluded space in a buzzing city like a safe haven where you long to live.
But the most important point is the motley crew of characters. You can't help loving them each even the most spiky ones. All of them have their own story that interwoven creates a rich tapestry.
I loved the way the story is presented in a very enjoyable prose. This is not the first book by the author I read and loved and I am sure it is not the last one either. I'll be looking oout for the next ones.

A lovely heartwarming story about Sadie and the other residents of
Cherry Bloisom News. All of them need help and find sanctuary in the news but who is their mysterious landlord?
I really warmed to Sadie and her story and the twists were unexpected. I also loved prickly Cher and Fi.
I feel the author could write more stories about the residents- Amber and Fi deserve their own happy ever after

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this. It is a lovely novel about a group of neighbours who live and work in an exclusive but slightly run down private mews estate in London . We have Michael the bookshop owner, Mr and Mrs Bob and their caff, Amber the childless Yummy Mummy, Fi and Sadie at the spa, Mary, who runs what appears to be a charity bric a brac shop, Hero and Jez from the drug addiction centre and various other characters. The book tells us of a few months in their lives, the comings and goings of this neighbourhood, through their weekly residents’ meetings - which are more of a chance to gossip. Everyone has their own thing going on, and addiction of various types seems to be the thread running through their lives. There are plenty of secrets and twists but what comes across most strongly is that this is a “family” who have chosen each other and who have bonds way stronger than blood.

Although a couple of the scenarios required the suspension of disbelief, the characters were all magnificently solid and flawed and I felt like I knew them all. I thoroughly enjoyed this, which took the chick lit genre to a deeper level. I will definitely look out for more by this author.

What a lovely book about a group of neighbours.
It’s full of secrets and twists. However there are a couple of occasions when the plot seems a bit unbelievable.
It was easy to relate to the characters.
I really enjoyed this book and will look out for more from this author

I really enjoyed this book and meeting the quirky cast of characters who have ended up in Cherry Blossom Mews. A story of neighbours who come together to support each other through challenges big and small, with just the right amount of romance thrown in too.. Beautifully written, thanks for the chance to read this, NetGalley!

Such a lovely read, a story of love, friendship and trust. There are so many lovely characters and lots of twists you don’t see coming, beautifully written story and story a nice summer read.


Highly recommended


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
A totally fabulous book light full of fun and perfect for summer can highly recommend.

The 2nd book I’ve read from this author and would recommend. I really connected with the characters and there were plenty of plot twists to keep me wanting more. Cherry Blossom Mews is full of fascinating characters, all with their own back stories, some you like more than others, but they all have each other’s backs.
Was sad to get to the end of the book, could have happily continued

Loved this. Uplifting, funny, poignant in places. Well worth a read. Thanks for letting me review this book.

I enjoyed reading this novel because of its engaging characters and the way they tackled life's struggles. Cherry Blossom mews is the perfect place for people in need of some community support. From Mary with her smelly succession of pooches to InstaAmber who lives through social media, all the inhabitants of the square add to this contemporary story. The main character, Sadie has such a story to unfold and a road to travel that I wish I could read it anew. The children are well drawn, the old folk are written with understanding and the whole thing is a book to relish. I'll be reading more of Juliet Ashton that's for sure.

I loved this book, set around Cherry Blossom Mews, a small gated mews in London that housed small businesses, with accommodation attached that the owners lived in, so a really lovely community feel. It had characters that initially seemed quite perfect, but as the book went on their secrets were revealed.

Sadie is the main character and she owns and runs her spa in the mews. There are also various other characters with a 'charity' shop, builders cafe, Yummy Mummy cafe, bookstore, an artist studio and U-Turn, a place that helps addicts, along with the various characters who own or work at these places.

There are so many secrets that come to light about the various characters throughout the book that it really keeps you on your toes. There was a really massive curveball about halfway through the book that I really didn't see coming - but to be honest I didn't see most of the surprises coming either!

A really clever book that made me want to keep reading one more page to see what happened next with whatever character we were dealing with at the time, with plenty of various emotions, both good and bad. I was laughing one minute and crying the next.

A book that definitely kept surprising right to the very end. Highly enjoyable.

I think the best compliment I could give this book is 'I want to live in Cherry Blossom Mews". I could associate which all the characters all for different reasons and was envious of the friendship they found in the most unusual circumstances. All had a story to tell and I would challenge anyone to say they could not relate to at least one of them.

'Sadie McQueen' brought them all together in her own way, living the good, not so good, and sometimes downright rotten times together. Despite her past she was the glue that held it all together and led to a modern day 'And they lived happily ever after' I really didn't want it to finish.

Imagine everything that you believed was real is suddenly turned on its head. Sadie lived a quiet, happyish life grieving for a husband and child she lost while making A new life for herself.
A community of misfits and lost souls who band together in times of trouble. Looking out for each other but keeping secrets from each other. Letting each other in, but only so far.
This story touches on the cruelty that can occur within families. Addiction to alcohol and other additions you didn't realise could be so damaging.
Terminal illness, Alzheimer's, mental cruelty, teenage rebellion, all create this brilliant story so typical of Juliet Ashton.

I adore anything written by Juliet Ashton and this book is no different.
The story is set in Cherry Blossom Mews, a small gated mews in London that housed small businesses, with accommodation attached.
Sadie is the main character and she owns and runs her spa in the mews. There are also various other characters with a 'charity' shop, builders cafe, Yummy Mummy cafe, bookstore, an artist studio and U-Turn, a place that helps addicts, along with the various characters who own or work at these places.
Then new-comer appears!
This book is like a warm hug and a delight to read.

I had a feeling I was going to enjoy this book from the description, (and I love the front cover).

It’s a really lovely cozy book about love, communities, and just life really. When I picked up this book I felt like I was part of Cherry Blossom Mews, one of the residents. I felt like I attended the meetings and I was swept along with their lives, I felt their heartbreak, anger, and care.

I didn’t want to leave this book, I wanted to stay...