Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe

The latest from Brit chick-lit writer Colgan (Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe) tracks 31-year-old Issy Randall as she transitions from thankless desk job to following her bliss. Being intimate with her duplicitous boss Graeme doesn’t save good-hearted Issy from being laid off. With her beloved Grampa Joe fading in a nursing home, and an unusual retail space up for grabs, Issy uses the knowledge of baking imparted by her grandfather to open her own business. Colgan does a good job of establishing how doubt and second-guessing keeps Issy and her loan officer, Austin, from acting on their affection for one another, letting the situation build to a boiling point. Meanwhile, Issy pines for old boss Graeme, who misses her for selfish, sinister reasons. Issy’s roommate Helena tries to help Issy’s love life and bolster her business confidence. Our heroine gets by with help from unlikely friends, including a shrewd single mom from the other side of the tracks and her high-strung sugar-snob nemesis. Being privy to Graeme’s condescending thoughts is a pleasure, since the nature of this narrative guarantees his comeuppance. Though longer than it needs to be, this is a satisfying read. Good guys sometimes finish first. Recipes. Agent: Ali Gunn, Gunn Global Media (U.K.). (July)