Book Review: Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

  Taking a walk along the beach, past old homes and busy tourists pleasantly ushers in a time of tranquility and excitement. Summer means a lot to many people. But in the tidal village of Mount Polbearne, life is about to get a bit crazy for Polly Waterford and her fellow townsfolk. 

   Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery is written by Jenny Colgan, and reunites all of her fan-favorite characters from Little Beach Street Bakery. It is released by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, and is the second book in her popular trilogy. In it we see Mount Polbearne has once again become a destination for tourists. Polly and her, boyfriend, Huckle, have settled into their lives as lighthouse owners. Neil the Puffin is still as adorable as ever. And Kerensa and Reuben are in wedded bliss. But when old Mrs. Manse passes away, her relatives descend upon the two bakeries that Polly runs, causing an unpleasant upheaval in the hierarchy of ownership. Mrs. Manse's nephew, Malcolm (a slouchy and somewhat greasy man), is given full reign over each bakery. He constantly complains of how things are run, and ultimately fires Polly.

  Polly is distraught as she watches the bakeries become shells of their former selves. But she must act fast to keep the bills paid. Without too many options, Huckle returns to the states to manage his brother's farm. Polly has an idea to buy a food truck and run a business of it. She buys Nan the Van from a former food vendor. His experiences with using the truck are tragic in number, and he lets Polly have the truck well below cost. Once she is ready, Polly boldly sets up shop at the car park near the Causeway to Mount Polbearne. Of course Malcolm is furious, and he does everything he can to discredit her. Polly is searching for customers for her fledgling business, and even her loyal townspeople are only showing up in handfuls. But when a journalist from a local paper visits with Polly and writes a phenomenal article on Polly's food truck. The publicity sends Polly into famous territory, and she is soon the destination for artisan breads. But a dangerous storm threatens to revisit Mount Polbearne and destroy everything in its path.

  Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery was a triumphant return to Colgan's popular tale of bread-making. I loved returning to the coast of Corwall, and enjoyed the author's character development skills. She did not keep her characters stagnant, but opened them up to new experiences. I finished this book in a day, because I loved it so much. Jenny Colgan also threw in some comedy, action, and brought in a deadly storm that threw Polly into the mix, saving stranded boaters. It was an enthusiastic read that set aside many of my plans, so that I could continue this wonderful story. 

  I read this novel with the narration of actress Alison Larkin. Her way of storytelling was quite charming. I loved her voices, and she even did a pretty good Southern accent. My favorite reading of hers was that of Jayden. She portrayed him with heart and a scrappiness that accentuated the narrative.

  I gave Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery four out of five stars. This is a great book to bring to the beach, as the ocean tides roll in and the sun is warm on your face. Maybe you can even bring some artisan breads and a tea to make the experience really authentic. I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I did.

  
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