I started reading the ARC before the book's actual publication date, and when it was in fact published, I still hadn't finished it, and when I finally did, I was definitely hesitant about putting down the rating, because at the time there were only a few and I didn't want to dramatically lower the average. I reread the book during 2023; as it's been many years, the previous concern is obviously out of the way. The book started off just fine, like all the chick-lit ARC I received, it was towards the end though, a gigantic WTF. Like, it made literally no sense. I can understand (or at least imagine) saying absolutely undeserved things under duress (to someone you love, so later on terribly regretting the act and then begging for forgiveness), but banging your cheating ex-wife, whom you loathe, to express your confusion and despair? How does that make any sense? What's worse is the cold shoulder and withdrawal that followed afterwards. Like, what a dick. If it's based on some true story, gal, it honestly sucks to be you and you better make your husband pay for the way he treated you. Like, again, WTF. I can't stress this enough.

A variation of this review is at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1920200711

I love a nice heart warming read and this was just that. It was such a lovely read and I loved the characters.

Anna lost her husband to an accident and Matthew lost his wife to another man. These two, along with Anna's little daughter Ellie, bond in a tea shop Anna's running. The plot might seem familiar but the characters are sweet and the storytelling is nice.

I was not a huge fan of this book, however it was very well written and I am sure those who love this genre can appreciate more than I

Favorite Quotes:

That place is hotter than David Beckham’s boxers! … I’m so not joking – mere mortals like me would have to sell the family silver, if we hadn’t already, to get a table there. It’s worth going out with him just for the grub!

We’re not teenagers, Matthew –we both come with rather a lot of history… Like a second-hand car…

Christ, if it was me, I’d be sticking pins in a Chanel-dressed voodoo doll by now!

My Review:

I’m all about the indie’s and even more so when it is a first-time author, although sometimes it can be a gamble and I find myself holding my breath the book will be readable. Thankfully that was not a concern for this debut performance and the first offering of a planned series featuring a small English village, although the author did have a head start advantage being an English teacher and all. This was a sweet and gentle tale with a slowly building romance and side orders of humor, delicious sounding treats, and family drama until it took a turn for heavy angst and got a bit mired there a bit longer than I wished before those sweet scenes come back into focus. The frequent food mentions seemed to spark copious snacking during reading, that is my current excuse anyway. The premise was entertaining; the characters were endearing and appealing; and the writing was easy to follow, insightful, emotive, and relevant. I already have the second book in this series loaded on my Kindle and ready for immediate perusal.

I learned a few new Brit words and phrases, always a plus score for my day when I can add to my Brit word list – with the top new entries being “doorstep toast” which would be what Americans call Texas toast, and berk, which the Urban Dictionary tells me is the equivalent of an idiot, although the original slang origin was far more… earthy, and rhymes with hunt. So of course, I immediately had to add it to the top of my list ;)

This book had me wanting to read more from the start it was shuch a feel good story. I was couldn't put this book down.

I liked most of the character's my the end of the story I grown to like them all.

Really enjoyed the storyline the writing just flowed can't wait to read the next book.

I would like to thank netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

A delightful book, but oh so predictable, which was a shame because the characters were quite good, but a whole lot more could have been done with the ending. I wish the author could rewrite the middle part of the book involving the daughter's storyline, I blushed for the author at the predictability.

I received this book through NetGalley for review and I thought it was such a sweet story. It's set over the course of a year and broken up into seasons. The story follows a widow and her young toddler who move back to her hometown and she meets a divorced single-dad and his teenage daughter. I loved that it was a story of redemption, healing and second chances at love and family. It was a sweet, easy read of a cute story.

This was a lovely light hearted romantic novel about finding your way and finding love after your husband dies. Perfect for summer holiday reading and I read it in just a few days. I enjoyed it, particularly as it was not the sort of book I wou,d have picked up normally.

I didn't even realize this was a debut novel until after I'd finished it, and I looked for other books by the author. This is a sweet book, and the characters were likeable and well developed. The main character's husband passes, and having been widowed, I felt this part was also well done. Thank you to Aria Publishing and Net Galley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely fun romance to dive into. Plus such lovely descriptions of food and drinks. I want to open my own shop now.

great read and easy to follow story line. look forward to reading more from this author.

Told through the four seasons of the year, we meet Anna and her daughter Ellie as they return to the village of Little Somerby to make a new start. Taking over the town’s tea shop from her godmother, Anna is hoping the change of place and pace will put her world back on its feet, after losing her husband unexpectedly in a car accident. She’s gone all in, buying Pippin Cottage, at the end of Flowerdown Lane, and surrounded by an apple orchard, she’s really just wanting to be in familiar spaces with friends she’s had since childhood, closer to her parents, and fewer memories of her husband. But, as often happens, nothing is going quite according to plan: the movers are late, the heating won’t work and the changes are coming hard and fast, overwhelming her. Oh – and did I mention that it’s just weeks before Christmas?

When a call to the estate agent brings the gruff, albeit gorgeous man, to her door to start the stove- she’s completely taken aback. He’s not pleasant, doesn’t introduce himself, and Anna is instantly thinking the whole change of life is a mistake. But Matthew, despite being unfriendly at the moment, really isn’t. He’s got a ton of personal history (none of it good) in Pippin Cottage, and mounds of paperwork and things to accomplish as the manager of the family’s cider business. A single father, after his wife deserted he and his now teen daughter, he’s consumed with the business and the progress he’s made as manager. Everything else that makes him uncomfortable, unsettled or even uneasy is simply shut in a closet never to be looked at again.

But Anna and Matthew are drawn to one another: a tentative friendship blossoms into more with the steady influence (some say interference) from his daughter Meredith and the long-dead memory of a connection made years earlier, when Anna was a schoolgirl, during a tour of the orchard and cider operation. Slowly Anna starts to move forward, even as she still grips tightly to what might have been in her marriage: the loss and grief are familiar companions, ones that she retreats to often. On the other side: Matthew is a control freak- ready to assign the worst case scenario to all of his personal encounters, shielding himself from actually dealing with the emotional aftermath.

As the year progresses and we see the changes in them both, with secondary characters providing those moments that fill both Anna and the readers with information about town dynamics, gossip and personalities: the story begins to share the sense of community and security that Anna so desperately craved. Even as her relationship with Matt has her constantly overthinking things: her gentle and giving nature is apparent to all, and slowly the desire to be around and with Anna, for Matt, becomes a need. Much as her growing relationship with Meredith (desperate for a woman’s touch), and her very best friend Charlotte who always seems to have a million things happening at once: the connection and dependence that the two form for one another becomes a focal point and facing challenges and issues head-on becomes the crisis point that may tear them apart.

A wholly wonderful debut, bringing plenty of challenges, growth and moments where readers will completely understand everyone’s issues – I can’t wait for the next!

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.

Review first appeared at <a href=”http://wp.me/p3OmRo-8Wp”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

The Blurb :
Following the tragic death of her beloved husband, Anna Hemingway decides it's time for a fresh start. So Anna and her three-year-old daughter Ellie move to a picture-perfect cottage in the beautiful village of Little Somerby, and when she takes over the running of the village tea shop, Ellie and Anna start to find happiness again.
But things get complicated when Matthew Carter, the owner of the local cider farm, enters their lives. Throughout a whirlwind year of village fetes and ancient wassails, love, laughter, apple pie and new memories, life slowly blossoms again. But when tragedy strikes and history seems to be repeating itself, Anna must find the strength to hold onto the new life she has built.


My Thoughts :
Firstly I must mention that amazing cover, its so pretty and detailed with the lovely little cakes in the window. If this alone doesnt make you want to read it, nothing will.
I instantly fell in love with the charactors in this book. Anna Hemingway and her daughter Ellie are trying for a fresh start after losing her husband, two years ago in a car accident, Anna returns to Little Somerby, where she grew up. Taking over the running of the local teashop in the town.
As Anna settles in and makes new friends, she once again gets reaquainted with Matthew Carter, owner of the local cider farm and divorced with a daughter called Merry. Merry takes an instant liking to Anna and Ellie.
I really liked that their relationship starts out pretty early on, I hate it when its all dragged out for the whole book. Its nice to see them at ease with each other and wanting to take things slowly after both being hurt in the past.
The story is set in different seasons, which I really liked as it worked well with the storylines. There are some beautiful descriptions to take into account, so much that I could picture in the town, its pub, bakers, wine shop, butchers and all the other local shops.
I loved the cakes and cream teas served in the tea shop all washed down with a delicious cup of tea.
This is just a great feel good story, that deals with loss, love and hope. Cant wait to read more in this series.

A delicious read that had me reading at every moment I could. This book had so much chemistry I thought my kindle would explode. I especially liked the character Meridith, Matthews 15 going on 30 year old daughter, she was the magnet that pulled Matthew and Anna together. I really hope there will be a sequel to this.

5☆  Charming and Beautiful read

The Second chance teashop is such a feel good story. Its charming and makes you feel warm inside.
It's about second chances, new beginnings, family, friendships, love and romance.

The first few pages for me had me turning pages. The new cottage, the big dog bounding in. It had me laughing before it even began!

Anna moves back to her hometown village Little Somerby with her daughter Ellie.
Anna's husband has passed away and she needs to be with her friends and family.
She moves into Pippin cottage next to her best friend Charlotte and is about to start work running the local village teashop.

Anna throws everything into running the teashop to help deal with her grief and emotions.
Well that is till she meets the gorgeous and sexy Matthew. He is a local and runs the local cider farm. There is an instant spark between them.
Could Matthew be the one to help Anna with her grief?

As the story progresses we learn that Matthew is also a single parent and going through a divorce. He's teenage daughter Merry is a breath of fresh air and seems to take a liking to Anna and Ellie.
Could Merry be the one to bond Matthew and Anna?  Could Anna ever find it in her to love again after losing her husband. Or is it just companionship and friendship she needs?
There is no denying the chemistry between them. I was willing them together. I think he is just what she and Ellie need.

I loved the villagers and the teashop it was delightful and charming and really gelled the whole story.

I really enjoyed how the book was written in seasons. Each season bought exciting new adventures. New celebrations, new challenges and yummy new food.
It kept the story fresh and exciting.

Overall a great first book. I felt like I was fully involved in the story. I loved Anna but I especially loved Ellie and Merry. They made the story enchanting, for me Merry was my favourite character.

It was such an enjoyable, charming and loveable story. Great characters, yummy food and a budding romance. What more could you want. Hoping there will be more to come!

Who doesn't believe in second chances. Sometime we need them to help us. This book was a cute one. Dealt with some real issues but good one

I have to start by gushing over this absolutely beautiful cover, doesn’t it just scream springtime?! I adore it and what’s inside is just as sweet and lovely. Anna is a widow and trying to start a new life for herself and her three year old daughter, Ellie. She moves to the quaintest little village to run a tea shop and though I know it’s not real, I would still really like to visit it myself! There’s something about all these sweet shops, bakeries and tea shops that always pop up in books set in the U.K. that always appeals to me.

Though Anna has no intention of dating anytime soon, she meets Matthew who runs a local cider farm and can’t fight their growing connection. I really liked that this wasn’t one of those books where two people meet, fall in love instantly and everything is utterly perfect, they experience a few bumps in the road. Anna is quite mature and guarded so she takes her time in her new relationship which was very refreshing and appreciated. It follows Anna’s life over the course of a year and is broken up into sections based on the season. I loved experiencing the village through Anna’s eyes and seeing how it looked and felt during all the months of the year.

This was an uplifting read about getting a second chance at not only love, but at life in general. Ellie and Matthew’s teenaged daughter Merry really stole the show and were a great added bonus to the story. This was a light, easy read full of whimsy and hope, one that kept me flicking the pages rapidly as I was so hopeful that Anna would find true happiness. She grows and evolves so much over the course of the book and watching her relationship with Matthew blossom was so sweet and romantic. Is there anything more endearing than watching a love story unfold?!

After losing her husband, Anna moves to Little Somerby with her small daughter Ellie. She takes over running the tea shop where she meets all the villagers. She also takes part in village life and the annual celebrations. She lets romance in and allows herself to date again.

Matthews teenage daughter is a lovely character and she embraces Anna and Ellie and often pops round to see her. It adds the younger characters to the book who also frequent the tea shop.

Family secrets and strife are revealed along the way and friends help heal the troubled waters.

It was a lovely comfortable read and I look forward to reading more by Fay Keenan.

Okay, okay, I'll hold my hands up; I have to admit that I did groan when I saw that this was yet another novel with yet another tea shop/café in the storyline. At least I admit it though, right? Seeing as this book is Fay Kennan's debut novel (and the cover is a tad more-ish), I decided to put my teashop/café vendetta to one side and feed my curiosity by actually reading it. Yes, as soon as I saw the cover I was intrigued by it, definitely not going to lie about that. I was just throwing a little wobbly about the overuse of a particular setting.

Anyway, needed to get my little grumble out of the way before I started singing Fay Kennan's book baby's praises! I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Second Chance Tea Shop' from start to finish! For a couple of seconds max, the thought of the storyline heading down the candyfloss route did enter my mind, when in actual fact, it was the complete opposite!

After the heart ache that Anna has been through recently, she decides that a fresh start with her daughter, Ellie, would be the ideal solution to regaining control of her life. Whilst the village of Little Somerby may be brand new to Ellie, it isn't for Anna and as she starts settling into village life yet again, she ends up recognising A LOT more than she bargained for. Will Little Somerby give Anna the second chance at life which she desperately craves? Or could certain pasts end up colliding and ruin her fresh start before it's even begun?

I have been wracking my brain trying to think of what Fay Keenan's novel reminds me of; a multiple layered cake, that's what it reminds me of! Don't laugh, hear me out. By looking at the cake (the book) we would assume that it's just a book about a little tea shop, yet by reading every chapter and going through each individual layer of the storyline and the character's personalities, it was just like enjoying all of the different layers of a cake. Each layer contained different hurdles, different characters and different emotions, allowing us to surrender to the storyline and the magic between the words. Just like a multi-layered cake layers, no two layers, (or chapters), were the same and that is what made Fay Keenan's book baby stand out for me.

As I said above, a lot of books at the moment are set in the oh-so-popular tea shop or café, which can make it harder for a brand new author to find a way of standing out amongst the crowd. What could 'The Second Chance Tea Shop' bring to the table that was completely unique? A bit like 'what's your tea shop got that mine aint got', kinda thing. But you know what, 'The Second Chance Tea Shop' is unlike all of the other similar books in its market and I'll tell you why.

Firstly, the main character has already built up a life previously which didn't contain any premises involving mini sandwiches. Unfortunately her life got turned upside down in a devastating way.

Secondly, the tea shop featured in this novel is already an established business, which means that Anna isn't doing her own version of 'Changing Rooms' on the building.

Thirdly, there is A LOT more to this storyline that meets the eye; complex characters, devastating secrets, village gossip, heart breaking secrets, and enough warmth to keep your own house warm over the winter. No joke. Emotional it may be at times yet the heart warming factor trumps any sadness and uncertainty.

Fourthly, the little tea shop is portrayed as a character within the book, instead of being the hub of the storyline. It's a fantastic addition to an already brilliant storyline, instead of being the centre of attention.

Personally? This novel has got to be one of my most favourite tea shop books out there. It has been brilliantly written (hard to believe it's a debut book to be honest!), nicely structured with just the right amount of contrasting characters.

'The Second Chance Tea Shop' is just like drinking the perfectly made cup of tea; warm enough, sweet enough, not too strong and not too weak. In other words; perfection.

Thank you Aria.