Sweetshop of Dreams: A Novel in Recipes

Fans of Jenny Colgan will recognize a familiar theme in Sweet Shop of Dreams––a young woman driven by crisis and/or dissatisfaction leaves the urban city for respite and renewal in the countryside. No complaints here, as I very much enjoyed The Bookshop on the Shore, so I was excited about Sweet Shop of Dreams.

Rosie Hopkins is leaving a mediocre life in London to care for her Aunt Lillian, an octogenarian sweetshop owner in Derbyshire. Rosie has two main jobs: care for Lillian until she can find a suitable living facility and prepare the family sweetshop for sale. Rosie and Lillian are resentful of each other and the situation, but slowly grow to appreciate one another. As Rosie restores the sweetshop, she falls in love with it and Derbyshire.

The reader also hears about Lillian’s coming of age in World War II––her great love and great loss. I enjoyed the alternating viewpoints and I felt Lillian’s story brought a richness to the novel. Colgan is good at balancing the sweet with sharp. I also enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about candy from the UK, but I found the format a bit distracting. Recipes or the history of certain sweets were presented at the beginning of each chapter, and I feel that it would have been better to have them at the end of story. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.