Christmas at the Cupcake Café

A Novel (The Cupcake Café, Book 2)

By: Jenny Colgan

Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt

How many times can your life change?

Once upon a time, Issy Randall was the girl nobody wanted. But when she opened the Cupcake Café, her life changed - and now Issy is happy, confident, and in love with a wonderful man raising his young brother after the death of their parents.

Is life about to change again? With the holidays approaching, cracks show in Issy's perfect world. Her boyfriend, Austin, has been scouted for a possible move to New York City. Her colleagues at the Cupcake Café are suffering heartbreak. And as Christmas looms ever closer, Issy finds herself forced to decide what she holds most dear.

©2012 Jenny Colgan (P)2020 Tantor

Not as good as the first book

I was so excited to see there was a second book in this series after listening to and loving the first one. I just couldn’t really get into this one. The characters didn’t seem as likable as they were in the first. And as some of the other reviewers have stated, I did take offense to the MANY jabs that were made throughout toward Americans. It was a little overkill in my opinion.

Not what I expected

The first was such a fun listen and this one was a little sadder and I don’t feel like we got a lot of resolution for all the side stories. An epilogue would have been nice and I really would have liked to actually see them be together since we spent the entire last book getting them there. Additionally, being born and bred in the tri-state area, The stereotyping of New York City and Americans was appalling. Not to mention the root beer float debacle, so some research, there is no lemonade anywhere near a root beer float. Maybe keep the location out of The US if you have such feelings about it. Narration was ok though I did enjoy the previous one more and I won’t even start about the “American” accents.

A Christmas Gem

This is a sweet story for the holidays, to put you in the mood for fairy lights and cakes alike! It’s nice to revisit the Cupcake Cafe and see what the familiar characters are up to.

Perfect Christmas Book

Well done Christmas story. Characters are relatable and endearing. Narrator is perfect, very easy to listen to for hours.

Not a fan of the American Stereotypes

Not a fan of the horrible American accents or all the stereotypes, like the brownie recipe that is just offensive in its digs at Americans. And people in NYC are not all rich and perfect -looking. We Americans also don’t all tattoo our eyebrows on.
Love her books, but as an American, I’m not a fan of this one.

Cozy read

I LOVE Jenny Colgan’s works. I discovered her this year and let me tell you, her books are just what 2020 ordered. They make you feel good and they’re funny to boot.

I would read Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe before reading this one, but it’s not 100% necessary. I did enjoy the narrator for the most part, though she does struggle with American accents sometimes. I won’t hold it against her too much.

If you’re looking for a book to make you smile and feel happy, Jenny is for you!

Hope

I love these books and can’t wait for the next one. They make me feel happy and give me hope for the future. Thanks

Cupcakes UK vs USA

Lovely story of people figuring out how to do life together, especially at Christmas time.

Narrator Needs to Practice Her American Accents

Seriously awful. Fortunately, it didn’t ruin the story, just made me think, “that poor girl; how embarrassing.” As an American who can do a decent New York accent, I wouldn’t attempt a British accent or any of the various regional accents, ever. Not without a great deal of coaching from an expert. Hopefully a lesson was learned.

Also, and this is kind of a nit, Americans don’t call red Bordeaux varietals “claret.” They are called by whatever the majority varietal is in the blend - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, etc. Chances are, poorly voiced the high roller banker in NYC have been drinking a high end Cabernet Sauvignon like Opus One or Stag’s Leap.

I need to finish the rest of the book before leaving a definitive review. These are my reflections thus far.

Good with a cup of Hot Chocolate

Very cute!! But a little slow, still all the same very cozy, sweet, and cute tail for the holidays with a very happy ending !