I'm a sucker for books about shops and I'm a sucker for sweet shops in particular and then add in the word 'beachside' and you have a few words there that will always get me reaching for a book. As soon as I saw The Beachside Sweet Shop I knew I had to have it. I was....well... like a kid in a sweet shop.

Our heroine is Marnie Appleton. The sweet shop has been in her family for years and she likes running it but somehow she thinks she would prefer to run away and go travelling. The grass is always greener and all that. I liked Marnie a lot. She's kind and caring and missing her ex, Alex, who went away to work in New York.

Karen Clarke is brilliant at characters. She writes them in such a way that I can easily imagine them, what they will say, do, feel. One of my favourite characters has to be Josh who turns up looking for a job. He seems like a classic beach bum sort, still skateboarding at 25 and drifting around, but I just thought he was brilliant and so much fun.

This book had me chortling away many times. It's really funny. Right from the first page it had me smiling at an exchange between Marnie and the sweet supplier. There's some really clever dialogue. And whilst it's a light read, as you might expect from the cover and the subject matter, it also has depth and emotion. It had my mouth watering from all the mention of confectionary, it made me feel annoyed by an attention seeker looking for any reason to make a splash and ruin Marnie's reputation, and it had me laughing out loud at some of the witty situations and exchanges.

I wanted to put myself right into this book. I wanted to be behind the counter of the sweet shop, I wanted to stroll to Bob's Bakery at lunchtime for a chicken baguette and I wanted to sit and eat it looking out to sea. Alas, I had to make do with imagining it between the pages of this book which was the next best thing.

There are lots of coffee shop/cupcake/sweet shop/seaside type books, which is not to say that there are too many of them, but I do think this one is a standout one for me and I'm really looking forward to reading the next one in the beachside series, The Beachside Flower Stall. I hope some of the sweet shop characters reappear.

A fabulous candy cane of a read. I absolutely loved it (can you tell?).

Struggling to keep her sweet shop afloat, a legacy from her grandfather, while dreaming of “elsewhere’ has Marnie in a bind. She gave up what she thought was most important: travel, a fiancé and new experiences in order to care for her grandmother after her grandfather’s death. See, they were the stable home and guidance for Marnie as a child, as her mother had spent very little time in Shipley, preferring the vistas and spaces of elsewhere. A bit of a negative Nancy, at first Marnie is full of self-doubts, woe is me, and existing in this life as she dreams of other places. It doesn’t help that her shop is in serious need of a reboot, and the new to the village neighbor is bound and determined to use a crusade against sugar to keep her in the public eye, by protesting and harassing Marnie’s shop at every opportunity.

To the good: Marnie has a best friend in Beth, who, heavily pregnant, is more than supportive of her friend even as her husband can’t seem to keep civil. Funny and outrageous, Beth is the light and shine that Marnie needs through the story, until she comes to her senses, unearths a family secret and finds a new path for herself. Along the way, we have the mysterious Josh –clever, experienced and helpful. More than willing to pitch in and give Marnie a hand with the shop, even as his reasons are never quite clear until the end. A lovely flirtatious friendship bounces between the two, keeping Marnie’s rather socially awkward moments and her own internal conflicts free reign to run amok. And run amok they do: for so long she’s determined that, despite the pushes from her friends, the clear realization that she isn’t responsible for caring for her very independent Grandmother, and her own litany of excuses to stay put are really simply that. Excuses to keep her home, despite her feeling that she should want more.

Clever and frustrating in alternate turns, the story shows Marnie’s growth and understanding of herself and those around her as she begins to gain self-confidence no longer comparing herself to her mother or others. With a litany of characters from the village and plenty of moments that instantly bring readers a picture of scenes, the story is light, quick moving and engaging. While I wasn’t quite sure of just what to expect, I’m curious to see the next book set in the small town of Shipley, and see if Marnie continues to thrive.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

I really wanted to love this book! Sadly, I didn't get interested in the characters and abandoned at the book at 55%. I felt the heroine was depressing and not very interesting.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

2.75 Heart I had the hardest time with this book. First it just didn’t have the lightheartedness that I expected from the description. There is way too much about Marnie wanting to keep the place for her grandfather. Beth and her hubby are not really very interesting to me either. Marnie spends way too much time thinking of Alex and Josh seems too young for Marnie in attitude not years.

This was just not my cup of tea.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an altogether different type of read than what I was expecting it to be. From the blurb/cover combination I assumed that it would be a lighthearted, chick lit type of read, but instead it was heavier, dealing with darker subject matter than I was expecting. It was a very emotional read, one that moved me and touched my heart.

There are three main players; Kat a nurse who has just been dumped by her boyfriend of several years who she saw as her future husband, Susan a new patient of Kat’s who refuses to utter a word, and Rhys a plumber who is the only connection anyone can find in Susan’s life. All three are dealing with their own heartaches, losses and loneliness and I was eager to see how their lives would intertwine.

Mansell delves into several heavy issues from suicide, adoption, loss, forgiveness, and ultimately love. I felt some sort of attachment to all three of the characters, they were all able to tug at my heartstrings. Kat is so lonely after her breakup and needs to find her way again. Rhys lost his brother and the grief is overwhelming, I wanted to hug him so many times. Susan was visibly broken and after learning why she’s so devastated I shed some tears. All of them have detached themselves from the world for different reasons and it was easy to understand why. Ultimately they lean on and learn from each other in order to begin to heal. As much as I love a tidy ending, I appreciated the way Mansell left things. There was closure, but it was messy and true to real life. While this was a highly emotional read, in the end it was inspiring and left me with a smile on my face.

The Beachside Sweet Shop by Karen Clarke has the most eye-catching, colourful cover that when I saw it on Twitter I knew I had to read it even without glancing through the blurb. It is the first in a planned series with The Beachside Flower Stall to follow soon after the publication of this book. It's a typical read of the chick lit genre and I found it to be very enjoyable, a nice easy read ideal for when you want something very light to settle down with for a couple of hours. I've read quite a few books recently where cafés or teashops have been the focal point so it was refreshing that a sweet shop by the sea is the setting for Marnie Appleton's story. The cover says this is a feel good romantic comedy and I would agree as it does give you that warm feeling inside with a few laughs and some romance along the way. It was a lovely, quick read which was uplifting and cosy and a book which made you feel happy and contended.

Just over two years ago Marnie Appleton inherited the sweet shop from her grandfather and since then she has been happy enough running it as the sweet shop formed a huge part of her childhood. In fact this story is filled with nostalgia all surrounding sweets as the descriptions of all the wonders sitting on the shelves in the shop would bring such happy memories back for so many readers. Memories of times when they were younger and would have visited sweet shops with their pocket money or to be treated by an adult once a week and you would stand and stare at all the tempting treats and attempt to make up your mind as to what you would fancy. The descriptions of all the various sweets were just mouthwatering and although it's a cliché to say I would think you need some form of something sweet to hand while reading this book. Marnie does enjoy her job although times are becoming increasingly tough.

The shop is becoming that little bit worn with age and with the advent of healthy eating and healthy living maybe not so many people rush to buy sugar laden sweets. Yet if the traditional sweet shop run by Marnie's family were to disappear years of memories and special moments would vanish with it. Marnie knows she is reaching that turning point in her life and as we get a glimpse into her back story it all becomes clear. In the past she had big dreams and aspirations to travel the world with boyfriend Alex, they had many destinations in mind and she had been due to go to New York with him until the sudden death of her grandfather. In one way it shows Marnie has such loyalty to her family and those around her and she stayed home when she was needed even though it meant sacrificing her relationship. Her grandmother Celia had broken her ankle and needed to be kept an eye on. Celia's presence in the book wasn't over bearing but instead she provided plenty of the comedic moments in her job as a dog trainer and her own dog added so much humour and laugh out loud moments when needed. Despite Marnie sacrificing everything to keep the sweet shop going and stay with Celia, I could see she was struggling internally with a pull to get away and experience the world. Her mother did the same and rarely comes back so I think that's why she felt why should she be the one who has to stay. This battle for Marnie continued throughout the book and I could see how someone could be so torn in two.

There weren't too many characters to become familiar with and I liked that because often I feel an author can create too many characters we have to follow and they can become surplus to requirements and rather underutilised. Beth, Marnie's best friend, married to builder Harry is pregnant with her first child and attempting to complete a P.H.D while helping Marnie out in the shop. Beth was such a brilliant character and I wanted her to feature even more in the story. She was the backbone in the friendship and offered reason and sense when Marnie couldn't see it. She always wanted the best for Marnie and helped keep her mind at ease and offered practical solutions to the problem regarding keeping the sweet shop going in the face of stern opposition. If only we all had a fiend like Beth we know we would be looked after and supported.

As well as the fact Marnie is constantly wrestling with her emotions, a new face in town is determined to put the shop out of business and will use any means possible to achieve this. The health freak and lifestyle blogger Isabel Sinclair was the perfectly crafted baddie always there to foil any positive attempts made by Marnie to keep the shop going. She had a vendetta and was on a crusade and wanted as many people as possible to boycott the shop. Isabel was an awful person and she made me angry with her various actions so many times that I wanted to give her a good slap not to wake herself up but just to vent my frustrations at her ridiculous, overbearing, immature attitude. Every story has to have the one person who is not nice and sweet and Isabel certainly was that person. But Marnie wouldn't go down without a fight.

When handsome surfer type dude Josh makes an appearance and begins to worm his way into both the shop, and maybe even Marnie's affections, you would think things begin to change and move in a more positive direction but there was such a lot that began to happen that I never quite knew what would happen in the end. Marnie experiences a roller-coaster of emotions and experiences and her beliefs waver. She wants to throw in the towel and just escape away on a plane to somewhere hot and exotic and forget everything and place it somewhere in a compartment at the back of her mind. Realistically can we really do that? It's not that easy and would we really take the easy way out given the opportunity and leave friends and family behind you need us? Marnie battles with her conscience but I loved how her ideas started to flow and slowly I felt she began to get herself together and wanted to keep the shop going. I enjoyed how things started to come together near the end and there were a few surprises thrown in some of which I didn't see coming.

Overall The Beachside Sweet Shop was a lovely read infused with warmth, humour and romance combined with just the right amount of will it, won't it succeed due to outside forces. The brief mentions of the flower stall - blink and you will miss them - have me keen to read the next installment in the series and I am glad there is only a few weeks to wait.In the mean time do curl up on the coach for a few hours and enjoy Carrie's story.

Well if you enjoy the Bridgett Jones type humour then roll up and step into this delightful Beachside Sweet Shop because boy are you in for a treat. This was a very visual read for me and there were so many times that I just had to stop reading, no that's not true, there were times when I simply could not read any further because the words were blurred. No it wasn't a bad copy, I was crying so much I couldn't see and I feared that I would short circuit my kindle with tears from laughing. This is such a very funny book.
Marnie is the owner of a very olde worlde sweet shop, the sort that stock all those old favourites, pineapple cubes, pear drops, striped candy canes and gobstoppers, the ones that you can suck the memories out of when you close your eyes. It wasn't her career choice but she had spent hours with her granddad in his pride and joy, this sweet shop, so when he died, Marnie just couldn't let it go, she gave up her dream of travelling and took over. Well that was two years ago and people still referred to it as her granddad's shop. Now her friend and very pregnant employee Beth had entered her into a competition and the seaside town's people had voted for her and she had won. But would this be the making or the breaking for the little sweet shop and Marnie?
 Karen Clarke's characters were entertaining from the first sentence until about 18 months from now when the memories will start fading. I loved getting to know them all. Marnie's  turbulent love life and her quirky clumsiness. Beth and the wickedly hilarious pregnancy and birth. To the more serious issues of family relationships. It is also a story that will stir your own memories of years gone by.
A big fat buy this book with all the sugar coating it has, I savoured every ounce!
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Marnie inherits her grandfathers sweet shop and when it wins an award it starts to attract negative attention from one of her new neighbours who is on an anti sugar campaign with a hidden agenda.

Marnie has a yearning to travel but also a lovely sense of family- she doesn't want her grandfathers shop to fail. With a failed relationship behind her- is she ready for a new love?

There is a lovely cast of characters- Marnie's nan is a superstar at dog training, her mum is a wannabe hippy and her friend is a lovely support to her whilst she plans the sweetshop's future. I loved the plans and the recipe testing. It made me want some Turkish Delight and Jelly beans on hand!

A hint of romance, set by the beach and delicious sounding sweets- what more could a book offer!!!!!!!!!

Another great author to add to my favourites list..

Review added to my blog, Good Reads and Amazon

A really lovely "sweet" tale. Great writing style and good insight into people's characters and motivations. Some laugh-out-loud moments and hearty groans. Loved the story and inspired me to try to bake some homemade treats with the kids!

This made me smile from beginning to end. A really enjoyable feelgood read. Marnie runs what was her grandfather’s sweet shop but dreams of travelling which she once did with her (now ex) boyfriend. She came back when her grandfather was dying and their was no-one else to take over the shop. Things pick up when she wins an award but behind the scenes is someone who wants the shop closed and will go to great lengths to do so. With drama, a hint of romance and a smile this takes you through a range of emotions, mostly all good, for that perfect spring time read. Sit back, enjoy a coffee and remember those sweets from the past.
I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Not only does Bookouture put out fantastic thrillers, but they also hit the bulls-eye in the rom-com department as well. Not usually my go-to genre, but who doesn't like a light hearted, fun read to cleanse that palate?

Marnie has inherited her grandfather's candy store. Her best friend enters the shop into a contest (unknowingly to Marnie) and they win! She decides to take that money and update the shop but a catty neighbor decides to wage war against sugar, the candy shop and Marnie resulting in some new decision making on Marnie's part with the help of Josh, the hunky new younger man she hired on a whim.

Equally funny, heart warming and entertaining, this book reads like a Hallmark or Lifetime movie - and quite frankly, these are my guilty pleasures. Marnie is a clumsy delight and I would absolutely be friends with her. You pretty much know where the book is going and what the outcomes will be but the ride is fun so I suggest you pick up the book and go along with it.

I really enjoyed reading The Beachside Sweet Shop. It was a light-hearted and fun read the whole way through. I could almost imagine standing in the sweetshop and picking some out! I liked the romance, the picturesque setting and the charming characters. I wasn't too keen on Marnie and her mothers constant mind changing - it seemed that they went from one opinion to the other instantly which was a little irritating. Particularly as her mother went from wanting to be in the stop to freaking out in the space of a few paragraphs! Beth, Josh and Celia were my favourite though, and as someone who loves making things I got a lot of ideas from the book. I don't think it's one that I would read again, but I did enjoy it. Thank you for giving me the chance to review it - I will be putting up a blog post today or tomorrow.

As soon as I spotted "The Beachside Sweet Shop" on NetGalley I was immediately drawn to it - this cover is adorably gorgeous and even though I am more a chocolate girl myself only looking at this glass filled with candies makes my mouth water. Yes, I had some doubts before I started reading it as I was scared that it's going to be the next in the popular formula of books set at the seaside and in a sweet shop with nothing more to offer, but no worries, guys - it turned out to be a hilarious, light - hearted, wonderfully enjoyable story that will allow you to put your mind to rest.

There is a lot going on in Marnie's life, especially when the shop is considered. Winning the prize (because the shop has won a prize for the best local business!), instead of bringing joy, brings commotion and troubles, as one of the new neighbours, ex - model, starts a campaign against sweet shop and sugar in general. Then Marnie looks after her grandmother who has broken her leg, and this accident has actually made Marnie to break up with her boyfriend Alex, but our Marnie - of course - still has feelings to Alex. But did Alex move on in New York or is he still waiting for Marnie? Then there are troubles with the regular supplier of the sweets, and Marnie's best friend Beth, who also helps at the shop is heavily pregnant so she is in a need for a substitute, and then suddenly the gorgeous Josh appears, and does Marnie feel attracted to him? You see what I mean, right? Not a single flat moment, and this all topped with brilliant one - liners and fantastic sense of humour.

The characters were larger than life and so colourful, and it was so easy to fell in love with them. Josh is not only a skateboarding sexy god but he also does magic, ha! There is also Doris Day, a wannabe detective, neighbour of Marnie's grandmother and she is really the one that knows everything, but not in this bad, prying way. The weakest character was, I think, Isobel - the way she acted just didn't sit with me, you couldn't take her and her reasoning seriously. Marnie herself was not too bad. However, her best friend Beth was the most colourful, engaging character of all, I think. She was shining through the pages and I so want a book about Beth! Actually, those were the scenes with Beth that made me laugh out loud, especially the ones when she got into labour. Hilarious!

Now, guys. I would be myself if I haven't had some issues, right? There were some things that didn't sit with me about Marnie, as much as I loved her, her indecision made me feel so, so frustrated! I was thinking she's only looking for excuses because if she was so desperate to leave Shipley then nothing would keep her, and the only thing she did was moaning how much she wants to leave and making a martyr of herself when staying because of her grandmother breaking a leg or nobody from the family wanting to take care of the shop. I also didn't get the issue with Alex. Why did she tell him in the first place he should go to America? Again, to feel like a martyr? Then, the thing with Isobel and her campaign to close the sweet shop. I was like, what, closing one little sweet shop will solve all the problems? And who the hell did she think she is to decide she has the power to do what she wants? Because she's a yummy - mummy?

The Beachside Sweet Shop itself reminded me of the old - school sweet shops, painted in pastels, with black and white photos on the walls and yellow awning. The novel was mostly set there and it's only a pity that there was not more about its interior and that it took Marnie so long to change it. However, I liked that it had its own group of customers and that it had a history and that people appreciated it as much as the sweets themselves. I think the shop just reminded those people of their own childhood and Marnie did her best to stock all kind of candies possible. But not the willies (ha! Read for yourself! Hilarious!).

"The Beachside Sweet Shop" is the first book in the series and I am already looking forward to "The Beachside Flower Stall". It was light - hearted and witty and it kept me entertained, and it was written in a way that kept me glued to the pages - I've finished this lovely novel about being unhappy in life but eventually changing it, taking control in your own hands in one day. It is not a story that is going to change lives but it is destined to make you feel happy and warm inside. Recommended!

I was quickly reeled in by the authors humorous writing style. 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. The characters gave me the same feeling, almost like I already knew them. The scenes were easily pictured in my head and the descriptions brought vivid memories of my own sweet shop experiences to mind.

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. On top of all the drama there was some kind of secret hanging over the storyline which had me coming up with all sorts of theories and explanations.

Romantically Marnie's life was a bit of a jumble. I got the feeling she wanted something more but hadn't quite figured out exactly what it was that she wanted. As the reader I could see which direction she should have headed but book characters don't always take the easiest route do they!

This was a bright read that left a smile on my face and my taste buds in need of some sweet treats.

This story set in a beach town reminded me of the candy - lemon sour. It started sour in a way but then towards the end pulled me in with some much needed respite. One if those stories that I neither love nor hate.

Such a lovely book. I thoroughly enjoyed Marnies story and would love to read more by this author. I recommend this book if you're looking for a happy light read!

Thank you too NetGalley and Bookcouture for an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry unable to finish this one :-(
Will happily host an extract or something for the blog tour

This was my first time reading a book by Karen Clarke and i thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more titles.

This was a nice feel good read. Marnie came home from her travels leaving behind her boyfriend when her Grandad is taken ill. Unfortunately he passes away and then her Nan breaks her leg so her plans go on hold while she runs her Grandad's sweet shop down on the sea front. A new neighbour decides to take against the shop and try's to get Marnie shut down. The book follows the ups and downs that Marnie has trying to modernise the shop and bring in more healthy sweets that she makes herself. I enjoyed the book and will be recommending it to friends.

Marnie Appleton inherited the sweet shop from her Grandfather. The shop needs to be brought up to date so she employs Josh, a handsome addition, to help. She also has a new neighbour, Isobel, whose a fame hungry blogger, who is on a crusade against sugar. With her ex boyfriend returning with a new love, Marnie has a lot to cope with.

This is a light hearted, feel good love story. One to read on the beach when on holiday.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Karen Clarke for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.