This book is filled with wonderful characters. They are engaging and endearing. This is a heartwarming story. This book is humorous in places

This is a book that grew on me as the story progressed. I loved getting to know Hilary, Joy and Chloe, as they form a stronger bond than just work colleagues when the hospital cafeteria that they work in comes under threat.

All three ladies are hiding things in their personal lives, Hilary's as readers we know about up front, Chloe's is fairly simple to guess, and Joy I had an inkling before it was revealed to the others and to the reader.

Seeing Hilary's personality mellow a bit, while suddenly being up for a fight and for a change in her ways was wonderful and I loved the community effort in the hope that the cafeteria wont' go under.

We got to know some of the regulars and some of the doctors too at St Jude's hospital, and it was just a really lovely story that left me feeling happy that I had read it.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

The tea ladies of St Jude's is about 3 ladies who form an unlikely friendship. They each have their own background stories but come together to help save the tea shop the volunteer at in the hospital. A lovely read

I’ve read a few of Joanna Nell’s novels now, so I know that I can expect them to be well-written family dramas, often about aging, and that they will both warm and break my heart in equal measures. This one is no exception to those rules!

I found the story a little hard to get into at first, as one of the first characters we meet is the rather prickly and judgmental Hilary, who immediately got my back up with her inner commentary on Joy and Chloe. But, as expected, we soon get past that veneer to the deeper characters beneath and I was able to fall fully into the story and feel the characters’ struggles as my own.

Each of the ‘Tea Ladies’ has her cross to bear – Hilary has her ex-husband and sister, plus her worries about the future of the cafeteria; Joy has her husband’s serious illness, and her antipathy for anything too serious; Chloe has issues with her parents and boys, and is struggling with the career path laid out for her – but they all gradually come together in a common cause and learn lessons about themselves and each other along the way.

Heartwarming, witty, touching and just all-round lovely to read, I thoroughly recommend this, and all other Joanna Nell books for anyone who loves a cosy, people-centred story about strength, hope, and found family.

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

Very sweet story with plenty of opportunities to laugh out loud. All the feels and well written besides. I enjoyed every bit of it@

I just loved it.

When you just want to read a heartwarming story, no complicated plot, just immerse yourself in another world - then this is the book to read.

I really related to so much in this book, despite it being set in Australia (which I forgot about until half way through) so many things resonated with me. The volunteer hospital experience is one I am familiar with and the author got it spot on, including the career volunteers!

We meet Hilary, Joy and Chloe as they are all volunteers for different reasons at the hospital cafe. They all have a different backstory and the relating of these made me care about them all so much more. Each character is so well defined and the differing ages really made this so realistic too. I also applaud the author for making the older women social media savvy too.

Everything is beginning to settle down for Hilary with her new staff when the cafe comes under threat from closure. This is when the three ladies really begin to rally together and form a team to fight everyone that's against them, despite efforts from others to undermine that.

The Tea Ladies of St Jude’s Hospital by Joanna Nell, another NetGalley read. Hilary, Chole and Joy are three unlikely friends, each with their own stories and there own struggles. Brought together working inThe Marjorie Marshall Memorial Cafeteria. They maybe an unlikely trio to begin with but together they bring out the best in each other and become firm friends. This is a sweet and cute little read. I’m not a lover of using the word nice but it was a nice easy and enjoyable read. I love the mix of characters, Hilary, Chole and Joy, they all have these quirks and their own personalities, their own stories, each one struggling for different reasons. However a trio that perhaps would be firstly judge for being a bit strange and world not work, I love the fact that they do work and in some ways unintentionally they help each other, they help each other find their way, find their confidence, find their strength and passion. These are three strong woman, all at different stages in there lives, yet they don’t know how strong they are. By no means is this the best book I’ve read this summer, it’s a new author for me and I liked it and I would definitely read something by this author again. I will say that this is definitely a slow burner of a boom, the fondness of have for this story grew throughout the book. I would recommend this to friends and family. There’s no big surprises or major plot twists, it’s not a sit on the edge of your seat read, but you can kind of predict this if you’ve already picked the book up, so for me this is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ read.

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Delightful! Absolutely delightful!

Three women, three totally different lives, brought together by a hospital cafeteria, and utterly uplifting and heartwarming. I simply adored everything about this book.

Told from the three separate POVs, the characters were well written and distinct, and I fell in love with all of them. Nervous, shy Chloe with her whole life ahead of her; uptight Hilary who is stuck in her ways; and Joy, whose name describes her perfectly, and who has temporarily lost her joy for life. Each woman has to find their way in the world, and the cafe is integral to that.

A story about friendship, family, new beginnings, and love, this book left me with such a warm, fuzzy feeling, and was a Joy to read (see what I did there!).

A mix of quirky characters volunteer at the old cafeteria at St Judes Hospital. They are each there for their own reasons, and have their own secrets. However they unite when the very existence of the cafeteria is threatened by renovations and soy milk lattes from the new cafe. Can they drag the old worn out cafeteria into the modern world, and do they want to? Great characters, nice depth, and some great twists and turns, leaves you full and satisfied at the end. I just want one of Joy's scones to make it complete!

A good uplifting book full of heart and soul and all the good stuff, I loved it and will look out for more from this author…it’s such an easy and fabulous read and one I got through in no time, how I loved them all and enjoyed their adventure immensely…

A good read
Never read this ladies books before but I will definitely be reading more
This book is one that just gets you hooked and you escape with it
Thanks NetGalley

I read the single ladies of Jacarada and loved it, this was also a wonderful read. Heartwarming and full of loveliness. A great read.

Three women of varying ages come together and find out just how strong their bond can be. A lovely book to sit down with a cuppa and a blanket!

This was a lovely book about three women of different ages working in a hospital cafeteria. They have very different personalities and reasons for helping out.
They face a challenge and i love the way they come together to tackle it. They are all keeping secrets close but being together starts to help thrm open up.

Hilary is a volunteer manageress at the Margaret Marshall Memorial Cafeteria based in St Jude's hospital. She was married to Jim and lived a comfortable life until she finds out that Jim had lost all their money. Having nowhere else to go, she moves back in with her sister Nancy. Their relationship is strained at times as Nancy gave up her dreams to look after their parents whilst Hilary pursued hers.

Joy is also a volunteer at the cafe who was married to Len. She is a little unsteady when serving and waiting on tables but is always upbeat and tries to keep a happy medium.

Chloe is a young student hoping to get into medical school. Her mother, also a doctor at the hospital arranges for her to volunteer at the cafe as part of her Duke of Edinburgh scheme.

The cafe is run as a fundraiser and they are trying to raise enough money for a mural to be painted in the children's ward. When changes to the hospital threaten the future of the cafe, it seems like a lost cause until all three start being honest with themselves and each other about their circumstances. This newfound openness gives them the incentive to fight for the cafe to remain open.

This is a really gentle, easy read that shows that even a little group of volunteers can fight against big corporations if they are determined enough.

Joanna Nell’s books are something I only have discovered thanks to netgalley. And whenever I see a new one, I am always intrigued about what she is going to tackle next as it has at times a rather sad subject and in the main the character re those sprightly and determined older people who almost always get over looked.

The volunteers at the Marjorie Marshall Memorial Cafeteria have been raising money for various projects around the hospital for a number of years. As well as serving the traditional tea they have also provided the sympathy. The current volunteers are Hilary, manageress and with indominable spirit she runs the place with a rod of iron. She is also having to deal with elderly sister who insists on driving her to work every day and also the fact that she has left her husband after he spent all the money.

Working alongside Hillary is Joy. Joy by name and nature, never on time and with a wealth of observations about everything she will forever annoy Hillary. Then there is Chloe, seventeen years old, working towards her Duke of Edinburgh and determined to live up to her parents expectations and follow them into the medical profession. If only her heart was in it.

But longstanding traditions and volunteers don’t make good business sense. And it seems the Marjorie Marshall Memorial Cafeteria is earmarked for closure. Surely these three unlikely women can do what they can to save it.

But with their own problems as well, it seems personal and professional will cross over and have some interesting outcomes!

This book made me chuckle and cry. We learn more about the backgrounds to the three main characters as the book progresses and whilst I did work out what they all had to hide, what they gave within the pages of the book and the story made it all the more special.

This authors novels are unique, they are set in a place that you cannot really pinpoint (but if you do your research it will be Australia) but actually they could be any hospital, any cafeteria, any volunteers from anywhere in the world and the spirit and determination would be just the same. A wonderful story to add to the Joanna Nell oeuvre.

The tea ladies of St Jude’s Hospital
By Joanna Nell

The book follows the stories of the three tea ladies of St Judes Hospital. Two are elderly and one is young but they all have secrets. The story follows their time as tea ladies each with a different approach.

The beginning of this book is so all over the place. Slow going and very confusing. The book could almost be written by two different people.

The book follows the journey of the ladies Hilary, Joy and Chloe the humour , sadness and in some instances frustration the characters face, when the book settles are wonderful there is such a collection of emotions you will find in some cases will come unexpectedly.


On the whole a well written book and stick with the story it is worth the effort.

Due to the books start I can only rate the book 3.5/5 but the second half is by far a 5/5

Three ladies from differing backgrounds are volunteers at the cafe. A sudden change brings them together, and their back stories emerge. Will they be victorious?
I enjoyed this fourth book, but found that it did not have the laugh out loud moments as previous stories from the author. A more sombre, life affirming read

I found this book rather disappointing. After reading many of Joanna Nell’s books this is my least favourite. Of course it is well written but I just didn’t enjoy the story this time.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

The author’s writing style lends itself perfectly to the genre. She knows exactly when to end a scene. The characters are well-drawn and believable. The plot is perfectly paced, holds your interest, and keeps you guessing how it’s going to play out! It’s a page turner, for sure!