I really loved the story in this book it was very intriguing from start to finish. I loved hearing about all the bakery in the story as I love baking with my nan

What a beautiful book. Started reading just as GBBO finished and loved all the references and behind the scenes view. But what was even more special was Jenny's story. It certainly pulled at the heart strings. Great for curling up with a hot drink in front of the fire. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I absolutely devoured this book. I loved it. As a fan of the GBBO, it made fun reading. Get yourself a cuppa and a slice of cake and enjoy. It’s a huge recommendation from me.

I think if I was a younger reader, I would have given five stars. It is a lovely story but a little too close to my lived experience…. I hope younger people will love the joy in it but be shocked by the insight into societal prejudices of just 50/60 years ago.



Spoiler alert
To be an unmarried mother was to live with shame and be treated cruelly - probably until the end of the 70s/ early 80s. This was as true for medical staff as the general public.

This is lovely tale about a 77 year old woman who feels she needs to prove herself in life and decides to enter a baking competition on the tv….all terribly similar to a well known cooking contest that we know and love.
It’s a gentle, unassuming read and deals with other issues that she faced as a young woman. Not wishing to give too much away, the story of teenage pregnancy is told in the past tense and it’s heartbreaking in parts.
I would like to have delved further into this part of the story and its eventual outcome. I felt that the ending was a bit rushed and it could have been taken further. Maybe it’s setting it up for a sequel but I felt there could have been more to discover here.
Very readable, like snuggling up with a huge mug of tea and a good portion of lemon drizzle cake!

Fans of GBBO will adore this book, especially all the little insights into what it takes to make such a TV show. This is a warm and uplifting story, with more emotional depth and subtle layers than the initial premise suggests. The past and the present storylines are cleverly woven together through the recipes. I enjoyed reading about a main character who might be advanced in years but who still has a lot of life yet to lead. Jenny is an inspiration to us all.

I loved this book! As someone who also loves to bake and watch a certain baking show I relate to Jenny (even if she is more than double my age). This is more than just a simple book about a woman who loves to bake, it has so many layers and all the characters are amazingly written and you really feel like you know them by the end.

What a beautiful book!
I love GBBO as much as anyone else, and preparing to read a story based on a similar programme excited me. But the biggest pull was that the main character was a woman in her senior years.
Jenny Quinn is seventy-seven years old. She doesn't feel like she has achieved much in her life, apart from being a brilliant baker, her husband of fifty-nine years, Bernard, would agree. As would her neighbours and family, who are treated to her baking delights regularly.
She watches Britan Bakes regularly, and this year, something prompted her to apply. She is probably the most shocked when she is invited to an audition. Keeping that a secret is one of the hardest things for her, as she hides nothing from Bernard.
Well, almost nothing. There is one more secret. Something huge that eats away at Jenny. It is revealed in short bursts through the story, as we see Jenny's journey through the contest, how she has to deal with modern life alongside her traditional way of baking and living, and how she interacts with the different people she meets along the way.
I don't quite know how to praise this book as much as I want to. I loved it. Jenny is a beautiful character, as is Bernard. I already recommended this one to my mum!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, for an ARC.

Long Kept Secrets..
What secret is Jennifer Quinn keeping very close to her chest? Well, the place on the baking show for sure - but there might just be something else hidden away. As Mrs Quinn commences her rise to fame, will it also be her downfall? An emotionally astute and heartwarming tale with a well drawn cast of characters and a nicely crafted storyline demonstrating that it may, perhaps, never be too late to pursue our very real dreams.

This book was a joy to read, it felt uplifting, amazing to have a main character in her late 70s, who has been happily married for 60 years, yet still has oomph and get up and go, even if it is with creaky knees and arthritic hands. Never having had a family of their own, Jenny and husband Bernard find joy with Rosie, Bernard’s niece, and her children, Poppy and Max. But just for once, Jenny would like to strike out and do something for herself. She dares to apply to go on a TV cookery show, never realising how it will changer her life in so many ways. This is heart warming, nicely paced, well written and has lovable, realistic characters. It made smile, cry and feel grateful to have been allowed to read and review this tile. Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Mrs Quinn is keeping secrets these days. And not just the one big secret she's always kept, even from Mr Quinn, but a more recent and unexpected one too!

Having won a place on a television baking contest, this lady - now in her late seventies - is about to have her life transformed by intense competition, intrusive cameras, and unexpected celebrity.

While she and her husband Bernard have always been great fans of the Britain Bakes show, Mrs Quinn nevertheless struggles to tell him about this latest development in her long and surprisingly storied life. Instead, it is the reader who discovers the links with the past, the personal stories of her family, and the delicious recipes that make up Mrs Quinn's passion for baking.

This is a delightful and uplifting book that features relatable characters in Mrs Quinn and her husband, and makes the reader feel as though they're spending time with old friends.

I really liked the recipes, and the way that they highlighted in the chapter titles. Recommended to those looking for an enjoyable book that positively radiates warmth. It gets 3.5 stars.

A charming bittersweet story in parts that shows despite your age, it’s never too late to follow your dreams. Jenny’s world changed when she was 17 and changed again 60 years later. It’s not my usual genre but I was intrigued by the blurb as I enjoy watching GBBO. As I’ve said a delightful story that has its share of heartbreaking moments mixed in with some that made me smile.

Jenny is in her 70's and loves to bake - on a whim she applies to the TV show Britain Bakes and her life is completely changed. I loved Jenny she was such a lovely warm character and so is her husband Bernard. This is a lovely hug of a book with each chapter was headed with a cake or bake which I loved. I loved that all the recipes she made meant to something to her - it will make you want to write down family recipes to keep them going for the next generation. Its a heartfelt book and I did shed a few tears. Lovely story

Absolutely brilliant!! Loved every minute of it… as a huge bake off fan I devoured this book. Lovey Jenny’s character - and that of Azeez. Loved the multiple layers of love, her childhood, her teen years, her Bernard - her everything. Loved the intertwining of bakes and the use of bakes as chapter titles. All in all, a lovely read that has depth and meaning without pretension. 5 huge stars. Loved it and now quite bereft.

Mrs Quinn is a family baker in her 70s who secretly enters into the tv series 'Britain Bakes' ( think Great British Bake Off), and finds herself baking on tv.
Mrs Quinn is a warm and engaging character and as a reader you really want her to succeed. Over the progress of the show it starts to become clear that her passion for baking is firmly rooted in events in the past. This was an emotional but enjoyable read. Mrs Quinn is a very human and very lovable lady, and her relationship with her husband, Bernard, really shines through this story. I loved it.

Jenny Quinn is 77 and decides to secretly apply for Britain Bakes without telling anyone, including her husband Bernard.
Thinking of the cakes she’ll bake, she’s reminded of past family recipes and the memories and secrets they hold.
Being a fan of The Great British Bake Off, I absolutely loved this book as I followed Jenny’s journey through the competition, watching her grow in confidence, make new friends and realising you’re never to old to try something new. And the heartbreaking back story……..just so emotional - it made me cry.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book so much! As a Bake Off fan, the story of 77 year old Jenny who feels she has achieved nothing in her life and decides to enter a tv baking completion, was an absolute joy. Jenny and Bernard, who have been married for almost 60 years, are the most beautiful couple and the way Jenny’s painful story unfolded throughout the book melted my heart. Jenny’s recipes tell the story of her life and I just wanted her to have her happy ending. Loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

AMAZING! Literally have no bad words to say about this book and literally has everything I love in a book. The recipes made me want to whipp out my blender and get baking and the wonderful couple Jenny and Bernard (married for 59 years!) and made me envious of their relationship and it is just wholeheartedly such a beautiful book.

I loved this book so much. It was very heartwarming to see Jennifer feel brave enough to pursue her dreams at the heady age of 77. The love her and Bernard have for each other was also incredibly touching to read about- the way they knew each other inside out and their awareness of how fragile their happiness was in terms of how long they’d both stay well enough to enjoy it. I thought it was fab reading behind the scenes of Britain bakes and then the angst and pain behind the meaning of 11th January and her big secret was just so beautifully written about. I really can’t recommend the book enough!

Ooh this wasn't really one for me. I found the portrayal of an older married couple horribly cliched and not sure the 'drama' of a baking competition really worked for me. Some lovely writing here and a really great premise for a novel, but this one didn't move me the way I'd hoped. I am certain the book will do brilliantly, it just wasn't to my taste.