If you are looking for a novel full of strong warm female friendships, romance and gossip all washed down with tea and cake. Then look no further than Vanessa Greene’s new novel.
The Seafront Tea Rooms is in Scarborough, it is frequented by locals and the occasional tourist and passers-by. Those from outside the area, know nothing of it and the owner wants it to remain that way.
Charlotte visits by chance, whilst researching a journalist piece on the best tea rooms, in the hope that this will then secure her the editors job at a London based food magazine. Nursing a broken heart and a lot of anger with her sister, she seeks some sort of comfort in this seaside town and it’s tea rooms.
It is here that she meets, Kat a local single mum who is struggling to make ends meet whilst looking after her dinosaur mad son Leo. Kat has an affinity with the Tea Rooms and it is the place that she can be just Kat.
Another outsider and a complete novice to the British obsession with tea although has a complete affinity with anything pastry made is Seraphine a French Au Pair who is across improving her English ready to return to France after the summer to take up a teaching job.
Between the three of them, a friendship is formed and they all pitch in as the summer progresses and they learn a lot about each other. More importantly they learn about themselves and that it sometimes takes an outsider to make you realise what is literally under your nose all this time. There is plenty of romance and some rather tense situations as all three characters have to juggle some life changing decisions and revelations. Encompassing all of this is an abundance of tea and cake.
If you don’t want tea and cake when you start this book, you will by the end!
Vanessa Greene is an author who if she continues to produce such work as this one and her début novel The Vintage Teacup Club is going to be up there with the likes of Trisha Ashley, Katie Fforde and Carole Matthews. If you like these authors then you will like Vanessa Greene.
Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
2014 is my year for Vanessa Greene, my only one disappointment now is I have read everything she has written and will now have to wait for her next novel.
This latest one I read within 24 hours. I think that is a testament to the writing, which has captured me and made me carry on reading because I wanted to stay with these characters, I wanted to share in their tea and cake and catch up on their lives and I felt I was part of their friendship.
The Book Jotter 