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Book Review | A Year at Castle Court by Holly Hepburn

Holly Hepburn is a new author for me and I’ve enjoyed being a part of Cat and Sadie’s life in A Year at Castle Court.

Sadie is a single mum, nursing a broken heart. Her best friend from childhood, Cat, is burned out from working long hours as a chef in Paris. In need of a change, they decide to invest in their dream – running their own handmade biscuit shop in gorgeous Castle Court, a three-storey food court tucked away behind Chester’s bustling streets.
 
They soon discover that Castle Court has its own community – a little haven of delight against the stresses of the outside world. But not everyone welcomes the new business; the patisserie owner is less than pleased by what she sees as direct competition and Greg, who runs the fancy bistro that dominates one end of the courtyard, doesn’t think Sadie and Cat have the talent or business acumen to succeed. Luckily, there’s support in the form of the delectable Jaren, who owns the Dutch waffle house opposite Smart Cookies, and Swiss chocolate-shop owner, Elin. And if all else fails, the friends can drown their sorrows in Seb’s cocktail bar on the third floor!

Book cover A Year at Castle Court by Holly Hepburn

A Year at Castle Court by Holly Hepburn is published by Simon & Schuster UK.

Book Review

We meet Cat and Sadie 3 ½ weeks before Smart Cookies opens its doors to the Christmas shoppers and by the time the year had passed, I felt as if they were my friends and we had weathered a lot together! 

I enjoyed the conflict and tension from their romantic relationships as well as the business owners in Castle Court.   The secrets, lies and betrayals had me raging on their behalf and yes, punching the air in triumph too. 🙂 

I love it when I’m involved emotionally.  I have to say I truly detested Sadie’s ex Daniel.  From the outside it was easy to see his manipulations and I hoped she would make the right choices.  As noble as it is to put children first, it’s never easy and a lot of work to make a happy home.

Castle Court is an awesome community.  The majority of business owners looked out for each other and pitched in.  When there was a celebration everyone joined in wholeheartedly and when something went wrong, they willingly gave what they could whether time or the use of a kitchen.  I enjoyed the diversity of characters and as different as they each were, they came together to make a whole.

A Year at Castle Court had me eager to pick up reading where I left off, eager to continue being a part of Smart Cookies and the community.  Recommended.

Connect with Holly Hepburn

Twitter @HollyH_Author


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I'm passionate about helping others to find a centre of calm. On my mental well-being journey I've qualified in different 'therapies' including Mindfulness and as a Mental Health First Aider.  I took my love of crochet one step further too with a crochet diploma.  Join me on:  Substack | Twitter  |   Facebook  |  Pinterest  |  LinkedIn  |  Threads Read More Behind the Scenes

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