"There's More to Life Than Cupcakes" by Poppy Dolan

Ellie Redford has a wonderful life with a lovely husband, job, and home.  Everything is perfect for her but to everyone else she is missing one thing - a baby.  The pressure is coming from everywhere, especially her husband Pete.  And it’s not that she doesn’t want a baby….one day.  

With increased responsibilities at work and a best friend who is firmly set against babies, Ellie isn’t sure if having a baby is a good idea right now.  While she tries to figure things out, through the help of an anonymous blog and field research, she signs up for a baking class.  But she’s not prepared for what comes her way in the form of fellow student, the young, hot Joe.  And when a weekly baking class turns into the opportunity to be on a reality cooking show, her personal life becomes even more muddled than before.  

There’s More to Life Than Cupcakes is a funny, smart, and delicious novel from Poppy Dolan.  It is full of fantastic characters, lots of humours, and should come with a warning that all the talk of baking and food will most likely add a few inches to your waistband!

I read Dolan’s first novel, The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp last year when she was a self-published author and really enjoyed it.  So I was very excited to see that she had a new novel, and now she is being published by the brand new imprint, Novelicious Books.  I’m so happy for her, as I really love her writing.  

This book really made my week, actually month, okay the last three months.  I was in a reading slump, not finishing any of the books I started, and then this one came along and I was hooked from the front page.  I’m not a baker, nor do I have any hopes or dreams of being one, but this book had me entertaining the notion for more than a moment.  A rom-com with delicious foodie details?  It’s all right here.

Each character in the book played an important role and were genuinely likeable.  Nothing in the book felt extra.  I thought Ellie and her indecision about having a baby would get on my nerves (as someone who couldn’t wait to have kids, I’m a little biased) but she didn’t come across in that way at all.  Yes, there were times I wished I could reach through the pages and shake her, but I think that is needed in every main character in these sorts of books.


Sometimes when I find myself gushing about books like I’m doing now, with nothing bad to say, I wonder if my readers are going to think it’s all a little too perfect, but that is what this book is.  If you’re a fan of chick lit, I highly recommend Poppy Dolan.  She is someone to keep your eye on, as I expect tons more hilarious, romantic novels from her.

I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher.  All of the opinions expressed above are true and my own.

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