The Beachside Sweet Shop has been on my Netgalley list for far too long and I’m so glad I finally got around to reading it. It is such an enjoyable read, with such lovely characters, I couldn’t help but find myself captivated by the beautifully written, heart-warming and often quite amusing story.

We meet Marnie Appleton, who is a very likeable 29 year old. She is successfully running a sweet shop, inherited from her late grandfather. Things are ticking along nicely, but it seems that Marnie isn’t 100% settled. She has always felt the need to travel, to follow in her mothers footsteps, and she did for a little while with her then boyfriend, Alex, but since then there has always seemed to be something to keep her in Shipley.

When she wins a business award for the sweet shop it spurs her on to give the place a bit of a revamp, but not all of the publicity it leads to is positive. However, she decides to try a new line of home-made, low sugar sweets (to appease the sugar police!) but nothing is ever straight forward!

At the same time she’s trying to keep her relationship with her new assistant, Josh, strictly professional and trying not to think about Alex now having a new girlfriend. Also having to contend with her best friends partner not being her biggest fan for some unknown reason and her mother returning from her travels, there is much more to this story than meets the eye.

I loved Marnie’s friendship with Beth. They are so amusing together. I also couldn’t help but like Marnie’s mother, Laura. I pretty much loved all of the character’s really. Even Isobel! She would totally do my head in, in real life, but she’s a great character to read!

Overall, an uplifting story which made me giggle and brought a tear to my eye. I loved it from the first page to the last. I’ve already added the second book in the series to my list.

Many thanks to the author and Bookouture for my review copy via Netgalley.

Via AmazonUK…..

‘Within the first page turn I was laughing out loud… It was a delight to read.’ 5* Rachel’s Random Reads

When Marnie Appleton inherited a sweet shop from her grandfather she was determined to do his legacy proud. The shop has been a much-loved feature of the little seaside town of Shipley for years, but now Marnie needs to bring it up to date, and she’s recruited gorgeous new assistant Josh to help.

Marnie gets busy redecorating the shop and choosing delicious new sweets to stock, but things are never that simple: new neighbour Isobel, a fame-hungry blogger, is on a crusade against sugar, and she’ll go to any lengths to secure bad publicity for Marnie’s shop.

Marnie fights back with homemade sugar-free treats, but with her best friend Beth heavily pregnant, her grandmother Celia recovering from an operation, and her very recently ex-boyfriend Alex returning to Shipley with a new love, Marnie has a lot on her plate.

And then there’s Josh, with whom Marnie is struggling to keep her relationship strictly professional…Will both the sweet shop and love flourish?

A deliciously heartwarming read about family, friends and handmade coconut ice. Perfect for fans of Cressida McLaughlin, Debbie Johnson, and Tilly Tennant.

What people are saying about The Beachside Sweet Shop:

‘I do love a book that can make me giggle after just a few pages. As well as being funny, the storyline had a homely feel to it, reading it made me feel comfortable, relaxed and welcome…It’s amazing how much drama one little sweet shop can create! I was captivated, and sometimes surprised, by the goings on in the little village shop…a bright read that left a smile on my face and my taste buds in need of some sweet treats.’ 5* V Family Fun

‘I smiled all of the way through this gorgeous heart-warming read. A lot of the sweets reminded me of my childhood. The fictional Seaside town of Shipley sounds gorgeous, I almost packed my bags and started looking on TripAdvisor for a place to stay. The characters and storyline are just everything I adore in a book. I can honestly say that I felt quite sad to be saying farewell to everyone at the end.’ 5* The Reading Shed

‘Brilliant! Such a beautiful, heart warming story! Loved every word! So well written. A magical, feel good tale. Loved, loved, loved. Highly recommend it to everyone.’ Renita D’Silva

‘Had me chortling away…really funny…A fabulous candy cane of a read. I absolutely loved it.’ 5* Short Book and Scribe

‘Light-hearted and witty…Kept me glued to the pages.’ 4* On My Bookshelf

‘I feared I would short circuit my Kindle with tears from laughing.’ 5* Books from Dusk til Dawn

‘Funny, heart-warming and entertaining.’ 4* Where the Reader Grows

‘Light, quick moving and engaging.’ 4* I am Indeed

‘Very enjoyable… a lovely read infused with warmth, humour and romance.’ Shaz’s Book Blog

‘Fantastically funny…an entertaining read.’ Jo’s Book Journey

‘A sweet and charming read.’ 4* Pretty Little Book Reviews

‘I really enjoyed this book … all the characters were lovable.’ 5* Katie’s Book Ends

‘This book was a great read, so easy to dive into and get lost…Highly recommend it…dive in and forget the world around you.’ 4* Trish B’s Blog

‘Such a sweet book (sorry, couldn’t resist)… A really cute, sweet (sorry, I did it again) read. Thoroughly enjoyed it.’ 5* Lilac Mills

‘I can’t wait to read the next.’ 4* Lilina Reads

‘A delightful British love story.’ For the Love of Books

‘A delicious novel…I highly recommend this.’ 5* With Love for Books

About the author…..

Karen is the author of the popular BEACHSIDE and SEASHELL COVE series of romantic comedies, published by Bookouture.

She’s also written three romcoms with a paranormal twist, all available to download

When she’s not working on her novels, Karen writes short stories for women’s magazines and has had over three hundred published globally. Some of them can be read in her short story collection ‘BEHIND CLOSED DOORS…and other Tales with a Twist’

Karen lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and three grown-up children, and when she’s not writing loves reading, walking, baking and eating cake.