Wednesday 29 July 2015

Reviewed: Snow Angels, Secrets and Christmas Cake by Sue Watson







Snow Angels, Secrets and Christmas Cake was published by Bookouture on October 17, 2014.


Thanks to the publisher for auto-approving me for a copy on Netgalley.



Snow Angels, Secrets and Christmas Cake was a purely divine slice of festive fiction by Sue Watson, the perfect tonic to put a big smile on your face. Sue delivered a beautiful combination of the touching, serious side to life, mixing it with humour and infectiously uplifting qualities which made me love this book almost instantly as we get to see both sides within a couple of chapters. This book tells the story of two very different sisters, Sam and Tamsin Angel. Sam is thoughtful and down-to-earth, a hard-working mum running a scrumptious bakery and making ends meet. Her husband died a few years ago and she’s ok, but has never really fully overcome her grief and so she throws herself into making the best life for their son Jacob. In contrast, her sister Tamsin, on surface, is a lot more me me me and lives an expensive, glamorous lifestyle with designer clothes and posh coffee and all the material things Sam really isn’t interested in. But when Tamsin’s husband does a runner, leaving Tamsin with bailiffs at the door, Tamsin is devastated to realise her life has changed for good as she moves in with her sister in the tiny bakery flat. But will she realise there’s a different side to life that she’s been missing all along?

I loved reading about both sisters. Seriously loved it. I loved the differences between them, the relationship between them, how when they spend too much time with each other, roles reverse and they end up sounding like one another. How they cared about each other but were never, not for one moment, afraid to say what they really think, whilst being supportive at the same time. The bond between Tamsin and Sam is evident from chapter one and it gets stronger throughout. Even though they both find each other a little annoying at times, there’s a lovely heart-warming friendship there. The dynamics between them were witty and fun to read, from Sam hitting her with sarcasm and Tamsin taking things too literally and seriously. Their bond made me smile a lot throughout this book and I couldn’t help but feel that was the kind of sisterly relationship I’d have loved if I’d had a sister. Tamsin was so energetic and vibrant, the star of the show although I probably did prefer Sam a bit more because I could relate to her better. Saying that, I think they worked brilliantly together and as both their characters developed, I had an inkling that maybe they weren’t too dissimilar after all…

The story is written in alternating chapters between Sam and Tamsin and it was a joy to get to know both of these sisters. Early on, there was a slight repetition in Tamsin and Sam’s chapters as we heard the same story from both perspectives, which disrupted the flow of the book a little bit, but that soon stopped and it wasn’t an issue because I didn’t want to put this book down, reading it in one go and falling for Sue’s gorgeous writing. I have to (I do) mention the bakery here because it sounded so heavenly! The amount of food I was craving and wanting to eat throughout the few hours I spent reading this book was insane and every little description had my mouth-watering and my belly rumbling.

Another thing I loved about Sue’s writing in Snow Angels, Secrets and Christmas Cake was how even though her writing is wholesome and light-hearted, she doesn’t shy away from touching on the more serious sides to life. Throughout her exploration of Sam’s grief and the impact the death of his dad had on little Jacob, to bullying and the uncomfortable events in the past which affect Tamsin, there’s a lot of depth to the writing and the story isn’t too fluffy that we miss out on some realism and emotion. We really get shown how strengthening it is to let your problems out instead of letting them drag you down and how necessary it is to start living and looking to your future. I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy this book from start to finish. I adored the story and the characters, the bakery that I would quite like to live next door to me, the sisters I would love to meet, the good-looking men, the food and I could go on for a lot longer. Just one thing, I wanted to see more of Jesus (the character…)! Snow Angels, Secrets and Christmas Cake was sparkly and festive, with brilliant characters, great humour and a delightful story that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy.


Gorgeous uplifting story of two very different sisters - with humour, emotion and scrummy food descriptions to boot







2 comments:

  1. I totally agree with you on this one again, I loved it and think you've phrased your review very well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Suze, and I'm so glad you loved it too!

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