Semi-Sweet: A Novel of Love and Cupcakes

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Semi-Sweet: A Novel of Love and Cupcakes

by Roisin Meaney (Goodreads Author)

3.49 of 5 stars 3.49 · rating details · 397 ratings · 99 reviews

Hannah Robinson is just about to open the doors to her new shop Cupcakes on the Corner when out of the blue her boyfriend Patrick announces that he's leaving her for another woman. Faced with starting a business on her own, Hannah begins to wonder if her life-long dream has just turned into a nightmare. So her best friend Adam sets his birthday as a deadline - seven months...more

Paperback, 400 pages

Published April 25th 2011 by 5 Spot (first published October 1st 2010)

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Jul 30, 2011 Aislynn (Stitch Read Cook) added it

Shelves: netgalley-read, read-in-2011, contemporary-romance

Like the name this was a semi-sweet novel. It has it's ups and downs and isn't a cookie cutter sweet as pie romance.

This contemporary romance is set in a small town, where everyone knows everyone. Nothing gets past the town gossips and everyone quickly knows who's to blame when something goes wrong. Poor Hannah is dumped by her boyfriend of over a year; he leaves her for his pregnant girlfriend.

I quite liked Hannah as a character - she put her whole self into her shop. She took all her sadness,...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Adela rated it 2 of 5 stars

I picked this one up at the library because it was about a cupcake shop and made me think of my favorite cupcake shop employee. So if you want to know what it's like to start a cupcake shop in an Irish town in the middle of a recession and a disastrous love life, this book is for you.

What this book really needed was some humor. It wasn't entirely depressing or anything, but really some humor would have done wonders for it. Made it less humdrum ordinary. The relationships entered into at the end...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Wendy Hines rated it 5 of 5 stars

Just days before Hannah Robinson is to open her own shop, her live-in boyfriend dumps her. He says he has found someone new and moves out on the eve of her celebration party. Shocked and heart-broken, Hannah throws herself into her shop. She arises every morning at three am to make dozens of delectable cupcakes to sell in her shop. She knows she needs to find another housemate to help her pay the bills, but she is too sad and busy to worry about it right now.

Patrick feels bad about dumping Hann...more Just days before Hannah Robinson is to open her own shop, her live-in boyfriend dumps her. He says he has found someone new and moves out on the eve of her celebration party. Shocked and heart-broken, Hannah throws herself into her shop. She arises every morning at three am to make dozens of delectable cupcakes to sell in her shop. She knows she needs to find another housemate to help her pay the bills, but she is too sad and busy to worry about it right now.

Patrick feels bad about dumping Hannah, but it couldn't be helped. He was enjoying juggling two women, but Leah became pregnant so he moved in with her. But things are not going well with Leah's mother as she plays bridge with Hannah's mother and the two are not happy with their offspring.

Then Hannah's best friend Adam decides to move in with Hannah to help her pay the bills and to let his sister Nora use his flat, since she is recently divorced and needs somewhere to stay. Nora finds a job as a PA assistant for Patrick and becomes the perfect dalliance for Patrick to escape his humdrum life.

Adam takes to going to a new wine bar on the weekends and urges Hannah to come along. Adam has his eye on a shy blonde who plays the clarinet. But Hannah starts to see one of the players who also comes into her shop, a carpenter named John.

Meanwhile, Geraldine, Hannah's mother, works at the Glass Slipper for a woman named Alice. Alice's husband Tom works with Geraldine's husband Steven. Alice is concerned about Tom's habit of drinking and when an accident brings things to a head, life gets sticky for everyone concerned.

A top-notch cast of characters whose lives intermingle will have you cheering and booing at some of their choices and antics. I totally despised the characters of Tom and Patrick but I really enjoyed Hannah, Adam and Geraldine. You will find yourself caught up in their lives, sharing their heartbreaks, triumphs and zest for life. Roison Meaney's writing reminded me alot of Debbie Macomber and Jill Mansell. I really enjoyed the writing and the dialogue between the characters as well as having a novel that ended without any loose ends. Well worth the read!
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Jul 21, 2011 Romancing the Book rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit

Reviewed by Jen
review copy provided by NetGalley

I'll admit that the title of this book drew me in and the blurb made me want to read the book. However as I read, I found that a "novel of love" is a little misleading. This book is not a romance... it is very much chick-lit or woman's fiction. The blurb makes it sound like the story is going to be about Hannah, and while she is a main character in the story, she isn't front and center. There are multiple plots going on at once; I think I can come...more

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May 04, 2011 Cheryl rated it 2 of 5 stars

Hannah Robinson gets a huge surprise when she is getting ready to attend a party with her boyfriend, Patrick. Patrick informs Hannah that he can no longer pretend to love her. He has found someone else. Hannah’s life starts to crumble. She was suppose to open a bakery called Cupcakes on the Corner but without Patrick in her life, she just wants to stay in her home and not leave. Hannah’s good friend, Adam convinces Hannah to open her shop and give it at least seven months before she gives up. Ha...more

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May 03, 2011 Norma rated it 5 of 5 stars

Roisin Meaney may be a name that is new to those of us in North America, but she is not a stranger in Ireland where this book was previously published.

Meaney definitely knows how to bake up a tasty story from scratch. The fact that it was set in a small, idyllic town in Ireland was just the frosting on the cupcake!

Hannah’s life goes from one extreme to the next in just a few moments. Hannah wasn’t sure what to do or where to go. Thankfully, she has a wonderful friend in Adam. He knew just the ri...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars

As I peruse book blogs, it seems that the latest fad is books with some sort of dessert in the title. When this one was offered on NetGalley, it piqued my interest so I grabbed it. I found it to be an interesting book about a young woman's love life--yet it wasn't a romance in the usual sense. While Hannah was certainly the main character, she did not appear in all scenes and one of the subplots did not really involve her at all.

Semi-Sweet is set in a small Irish town and was actually first pub...more As I peruse book blogs, it seems that the latest fad is books with some sort of dessert in the title. When this one was offered on NetGalley, it piqued my interest so I grabbed it. I found it to be an interesting book about a young woman's love life--yet it wasn't a romance in the usual sense. While Hannah was certainly the main character, she did not appear in all scenes and one of the subplots did not really involve her at all.

Semi-Sweet is set in a small Irish town and was actually first published in Ireland. I enjoyed reading about some of the differences in Irish culture and ours. The town in which this book was set was one small enough that everyone knew everyone, yet the characters often took taxis. Prices for things were quoted in Euros or Pounds Sterling, which given my total lack of knowledge of currency exchange, meant nothing to me. American spelling was used in this book.

For a short book, Semi-Sweet had a lot going on. We follow Hannah through several relationships; watch Alice and Tom go to Hell and back, and cheer Adam on as he reaches out to the mysterious musician. Nora is easy to hate, and I just wanted to shake Leah. Patrick didn't change Will the cupcake shop make it?

One disadvantage of reviewing a NetGalley edition rather than the published book is that I don't know if the issues I had with the formatting will be in the final, or not. As I noted above, there is a lot happening in this book and the story lines don't really tie together. One paragraph would be about one story line and then the next about another, and there were no visual cues in the galley I read to tell me to shift gears. Only after realizing that the paragraph I just read didn't make sense when added to the one before did I realize that I had been shifted to a different story line. Perhaps the final will have some sort of heading or spacing to show this.

I wonder if there is going to be a sequel because the ending, while definitely showing that things are heading in the right direction does not give any final outcome to the relationships.

There are lots of incidences of non-marital intimacy in the book, but mostly we are left on the other side of the bedroom door. Grade: B(less)

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Mar 14, 2011 Jennifer Daiker rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: roisin-meaney

Semi-Sweet is a life changing love story. With Hannah Robinson about to open the doors to her new shop the last thing she needs is her boyfriend Patrick to announce he's no longer interested in her.
The opening scene has you wanting to grab a carton of Ben & Jerry's and rushing over to help Hannah heal, too bad she's already at the celebratory get together for her upcoming cupacke shop. It was sweet and inspiring to watch Hannah pull her life together one cupcake at a time.

Adam was an absou...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Regina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit

What can I say?! I absolutely loved the book cover (so feminine), the plot, the writing style, and the characters. I was definitely in love with this book. I can't even believe I never read of one Meaney's books before, if all her books are like this one, and then I definitely have been missing out.

Hannah is about to open the cupcakes store of her dreams. Just before the big opening, her boyfriend Patrick tells her that he's about to leave for another woman. Obviously, I didn't like Patrick from...more

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May 15, 2011 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

What a delightful novel. Warning...I dreamed about cupcakes all night last night and woke up with the desire to find the perfect strawberry cup cake recipe online...I think I did, I'll have to try it out this week. I enjoyed the different people populating this novel and the felt their emotions as they moved through the events of their lives. I felt it was a very relevant modern chick lit novel. It is probably the first novel that I've read that was set in Ireland in some time. I was cheering fo...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Clair Coult rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My son chose this book for me at the library because it had cupcakes on the front. I don't read much chick lit and I have to admit this rather disappointing. I got half way through and I was still waiting for something to happen. I asked myself would I care if someone dropped a bomb and they died a fiery death? No, not really. I hate leaving things unfinished though so I ploughed through to the end, just in case it picked up. It didn't.

I found the style of writing easy to read but quite difficul...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Julie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: once-is-enough, ireland

Ummmmm....you know I'm not sure what to write.
The cupcake store was a cute idea.
But I've gotta say that I was put off by the amount of people that the story was told through. There's the supposed 'main character' Hannah, her boyfriend-Patrick, her boy friend-Adam, her parents, her parents co-workers, her boyfriend's mistress, Adam's sister.....etc. It left me feeling attached to...no one.
I enjoyed reading the Irish words for different items, but might have felt more....'transported' if not on...more

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Apr 22, 2011 CoffeeTimeRomance andMore rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Ms. Meaney’s novel has a basis of realism, romance, and intriguing characters to help make her story interesting. I like the way that Hannah and Adam come across as such strong characters who help each other out in their times of need. I did wish that the storyline between Hannah and John could have been more detailed since their lives interact with one another and it has a major impact on the overall tale. The emotional pitfalls that Hannah struggles with as she starts her new business and trie...more

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May 17, 2011 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Fair disclosure: I got this book as a galley from netgalley.com.

This book was my first try at galleys, which I view as another way to satisfy my insatiable (and very expensive) desire to read. I signed up for the website and requested one of their most popular books, since I've gotten a lot of not-so-good books on the free kindle book list lately, and didn't want to get burned again. I was very pleasantly surprised with this one.

The story revolves around Hannah, a 30-something Irishwoman who has...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, netgalley, contemporary, read-2011

Originally posted on Book Chelle.

More like 3.5.

I was intrigued by the title when I saw this on Netgalley's list of books. Of course I was drawn to the title. Anything mentioning cupcakes always has my instant attention. Then I saw the beautiful cover that is reminiscent of the 50's era. I can just imagine a Mrs. Cleaver type behind the counter, while young girls with poodle skirts enter the store. So yes, I was interested in reading it.

Hannah Robinson is a great girl. She is about to open her ve...more Originally posted on Book Chelle.

More like 3.5.

I was intrigued by the title when I saw this on Netgalley's list of books. Of course I was drawn to the title. Anything mentioning cupcakes always has my instant attention. Then I saw the beautiful cover that is reminiscent of the 50's era. I can just imagine a Mrs. Cleaver type behind the counter, while young girls with poodle skirts enter the store. So yes, I was interested in reading it.

Hannah Robinson is a great girl. She is about to open her very own business, a cupcake shop in town. She signed the lease, fixed the shop up, and has perfected her recipes. She's a good daughter, a great friend, and a wonderful girlfriend. So why is it, that her boyfriend, Patrick, has just told Hannah that he no longer wants to pretend to love her and proceeds to tell her that he is leaving her for someone else? And why tell her right before a dinner party being held for her?

Hannah goes through the story living through a harsh and heart breaking break-up. It doesn't help that she lives in a small town and soon, everyone knows about her business, who Patrick is, and eventually, who the other woman is. It was easy to relate to Hannah. She is trying to save herself after such a tragic experience. She felt that Patrick was the love of her life and after his infidelity, she still had to be strong enough to run her business. I couldn't help but sympathize with Hannah. You wish for everything to work out in her world.

You will love the various cast of characters in Semi-Sweet. Although, there are some who you will despise. But Meaney's writing is so thorough that her intention for each character comes through loud and clear. Their lives separate, yet intertwined.
The story is told in a very different manner than most books that I have read. You start with Hannah's point-of-view, then proceed to Patrick's, and with each character that becomes a focal point, you switch to their point-of-view. At first, it was a little too much to constantly switch from one voice to another, but after a while, it became a necessary part of the book. I was able to see each character in many different angles. I was able to understand their thought process, what they thought of the situation. To a certain extent, I feel like I'm a part of the town, being a part of the gossip mill.

Meaney writes a story with a main plot and several sub plots. She introduces characters that have depth and individuality that you can't help but be emotionally invested. While the different points of view may be confusing, it is also genius on how Meaney came about with the structure of the book. Nothing is happy ever after, just semi-sweet.
It's a great read and I think you should add it to your bookshelf today.(less)

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Apr 25, 2011 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Goal: Operate Cupcake shop
Timeline: Seven Months
Glitches: more than enough to count
Can it be done?

Hannah is about to open the doors to her little bakery. But things aren’t going as smoothly as she’d planned. There’s more than a couple glitches. And then there’s Alice. Talk about a lot to take in...this book certainly packs a punch.

I have to admit, the blurb snagged me. I wanted to read about Hannah and her shop. What I got was a lot more. Roisin Meaney writes in a very frantic yet fluid sty...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Jlaurenmc rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In her latest novel released to the U.S., Roisin Meaney channels the best of one of my favorite authors, Maeve Binchy. Set in Ireland, her novel Semi-Sweet: A Novel of Love and Cupcakes boasts charming characters, a lovely small town setting, and a deftly-woven plot. Semi-Sweet is the Irish equivalent of a cozy mystery, minus the mystery. I suppose you could categorize it as "chick lit", although I often dislike that term; still, if ever a book fit that bill, this one probably did.

Meaney calls...more In her latest novel released to the U.S., Roisin Meaney channels the best of one of my favorite authors, Maeve Binchy. Set in Ireland, her novel Semi-Sweet: A Novel of Love and Cupcakes boasts charming characters, a lovely small town setting, and a deftly-woven plot. Semi-Sweet is the Irish equivalent of a cozy mystery, minus the mystery. I suppose you could categorize it as "chick lit", although I often dislike that term; still, if ever a book fit that bill, this one probably did.

Meaney calls on a large cast of characters to populate Semi-Sweet. Although cupcake shop owner Hannah is arguably the novel's main character, her fictional town of Clongarvin is speckled with equally interesting characters: her parents, Geraldine and Stephen; Geraldine's boss Alice and Stephen's fellow dentist Tom; Hannah's best friend Adam and his sister Nora; Hannah's ex, Patrick and his new (pregnant) girlfriend Leah; Leah's mother (and Geraldine's fellow bridge player) Fiona; and musicians Wally, John, and Vivienne.

Readers get a glimpse into all of these characters lives, from their triumphs to their extreme failures. Through her rich characters, Meaney fairly brings Clongarvin, Ireland, to life.

The plot is (as most plots are) based around a series of problems, most of which sort themselves out in one way or another as the novel moves along. Hannah has just opened a cupcake shop, a daunting task in the slow economy. Almost at the same time, Patrick leaves her for his pregnant mistress Leah. Leah's mother Fiona is not exactly thrilled with either her daughter bearing an illegitimate child or with facing Hannah's mother Geraldine at bridge club.

To help with her expenses after Patrick leaves, Hannah's best friend Adam moves in with her and rents his own apartment to his sister Nora, freshly home from living in America. Alice and Tom face problems brought about by Tom's constant drinking. The musicians from the local wine bar insinuate themselves into the other characters' lives with one love affair after another. Geraldine and Stephen are almost narrators in the novel, as no action revolves around them, but they provide commentary on all the other characters' escapades.

Semi- Sweet and the town of Clongarvin are charming, as is Meaney's cast of characters. I highly recommend this novel, especially if you enjoy books set in Ireland as much as I do. Bonus: the cupcake recipe included at the novel's start. (less)

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May 11, 2012 Nari (The Novel World) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fiction

An story with an ensemble cast set in the small rural town of Clongarvin, Ireland. The story starts with Hannah finding out that her boyfriend of a year and a half is leaving her for another women only weeks before she's set to open up her own business, Cupcakes on the Corner. Although Hannah is the connection between all the other characters, she is not the main focus on the story. There are multiple storylines (a couple too many honestly), and each one overlaps in a very easy-way. The story is...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Margaret rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-to-look-for

Just as Hannah is getting ready to go to out to dinner to celebrate the opening of her own cupcake shop, she gets the news from her live-in boyfriend of one year that he won't be going with her. Instead, while she is out with family and friends, he will packing up and moving out to be with "the one true love of his life". He didn't mean for it to happen, but....
This is the story of Hannah's fear, determination, and will-power to make her business successful and to put the pieces of her life back...more

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May 03, 2011 Lindsay Paige added it

Shelves: reviewed

Title Thoughts: I love it. The book is semi-sweet.

Cover Thoughts: I really like it because the shop is a big part of Hannah's life.

WARNINGS: Vague sex every now and then.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked how we saw the lives of many of the characters in the book. That allowed me to better understand the characters. It allowed me to understand how certain actions affected them. I don't think it would have been as good if it only showed Hannah's life.

This isn't your usual romance like we usuall...more Title Thoughts: I love it. The book is semi-sweet.

Cover Thoughts: I really like it because the shop is a big part of Hannah's life.

WARNINGS: Vague sex every now and then.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked how we saw the lives of many of the characters in the book. That allowed me to better understand the characters. It allowed me to understand how certain actions affected them. I don't think it would have been as good if it only showed Hannah's life.

This isn't your usual romance like we usually think of. The romances in Semi-Sweet are real relationships with real problems. The book doesn't focus on just the romances either. We see one person try and grow out of their shell. We see three people who are recovering from a break up. We see people struggling with death and drinking. This book is a book that is about life. The surprises that come along. The lies, deceit, death, and all the trials and tribulations that come with life. All of those things are in this book.

Meaney tells this book really well. She took me to a small town in Ireland and introduced a group of people. From there, she hooked me with her characters and held my interest about what would happen to them all. I liked that she had characters that I really liked and characters that I didn't like. Some characters deserved just what was coming at them while others dealt with the pain and hurt from them.

Addict's Last Words: This book, to me, is about hope and holding on. It's about not giving up just because the going got tough. It's about keeping your heart open, even if you have been hurt.

To Buy or To Borrow: I wouldn't mind having it on my shelf.

Disclosure: A time limited copy of this book was provided for me by NetGalley.com. No payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was not any obligation to write a review. All opinions expressed here are entirely mine and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist, or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.(less)

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Apr 26, 2011 Divya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book Review: Semi-Sweet
Author of the Book: Roisin Meaney
Publication Date: Today! April 25th, 2011
Publisher: 5 Spot
Recommended Ages: 16 and Up
Type: Adult Fiction
Page Count: 400 Pages
Date Finished: April 23, 2011
Reviewer: Roshini
Acquired: Received ARC through mail from publisher for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Hannah Robinson is just about to open the doors to her new shop Cupcakes on the Corner when out of the blue her boyfriend Patrick announces that he's leaving her for another woman. Faced with...more

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Mar 14, 2011 Tonya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads

Like a cupcake, IRRESTIBLE. We start out with Hannah who is about to go to dinner with her family, to celebrate the opening of her new cupcake shop, and her live-in boyfriend is breaking up with her. The toad that he is, is moving in with the massage therapist that Hannah gave him a gift certificate with.

The fun doesn't stop there though! Along with all the wonderful talk of cupcakes and treats, you visit the small town in Ireland with many of Hannah's family and friends and the goings-on in the...more

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May 12, 2013 Bonnie marked it as to-read

Shelves: adult, contemporary, foods-yum-yum, owned-book

Unfortunately, this book and I didn't click at all. I hated the characters, I couldn't get into the storyline, and I couldn't bring myself to finish. Very bummed.

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Mar 17, 2011 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars

One tasty tome that you won't have to wait long for is the first export from Roisin Meaney which is due to arrive this April. I've just finished reading this book now and already I'm hoping to see more of Meaney's work here in America.

Semi-Sweet chronicles Hannah Robinson's struggles to establish her new business,a bakery called Cupcakes on the Corner,and to recover from the sudden departure of boyfriend Patrick who left her to be with his pregnant girlfriend Leah.

Hannah's old friend and new...more

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Apr 30, 2011 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-reviews

Semi-Sweet is an engaging story with surprising depth and emotion.
Hannah's fairytale romance abruptly ends when her live in boyfriend leaves her for someone else. The other woman, Leah, has ensured Patrick's attention by deliberately falling pregnant, but he has already proved loyalty is not his strong suit. Hannah's best friend Adam, has a crush on a painfully shy clarinet player, while his twin sister is looking for a little fun. Family friend Alice, is concerned by her husband's growing depe...more Semi-Sweet is an engaging story with surprising depth and emotion.
Hannah's fairytale romance abruptly ends when her live in boyfriend leaves her for someone else. The other woman, Leah, has ensured Patrick's attention by deliberately falling pregnant, but he has already proved loyalty is not his strong suit. Hannah's best friend Adam, has a crush on a painfully shy clarinet player, while his twin sister is looking for a little fun. Family friend Alice, is concerned by her husband's growing dependence on alcohol and the strain it is placing on their marriage. The novel examines the complex web of relationships in a small Irish town, and how the loss, and gain, of love changes them.

Hannah's story is central, her breakup with Patrick, her anxiety over the launch of her new business, and then her fledgling romance and attraction as she begins to recover from Patrick's duplicity, leads the character driven novel. Hannah is immediately sympathetic and Meany has captured the emotions of loss and mourning when a relationship ends suddenly with a deft hand. I think because we as the reader are aware of what a creep Patrick is, it does get a bit wearing as Hannah dwells in misery, but the rebuilding of her battered self confidence is realistic, which creates a well rounded and very likeable character.
Hannah is surrounded by friends and family in her small Irish town, and Meaney uses their perspective to reflect Hannah's experiences as well as develop subplots that weave their way through the story. We see different sides to the relationship between Leah and Patrick that couldn't be explored from a single viewpoint. Similarly we are able to follow Adam's growing crush on ?? and her brother's attraction to Hannah. The ties between this group of characters, also including Nora and Patrick are well managed and the shifts in perspective generally smooth.
Alice's story didn't work for me. She is peripherally connected to Hannah as a family friend, but her relationship is very self contained and the drama it provides barely touches the other characters at all. As the other subplot's are intimately tied to Hannah, it seemed an odd addition to the storyline.
With so many characters having the opportunity to provide different perspectives on events, and each other, Meaney highlights the shades of grey found in real life. Leah is firstly introduced as a calculating mistress, for example, but slowly earns our sympathy as she struggles with her cold and judgmental mother and Patrick's callous behaviour.

Semi-Sweet is not the lighthearted chic lit I was expecting but something rather more complex in both style and theme. At times both sweetly romantic and painfully emotional, it is a charming and satisfying read.
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Dec 03, 2011 Barb rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, fiction

I enjoyed the book, and it had some moments that really spoke to me. I loved Meaney's descriptions of certain things; they just seemed incredibly true to life. I think my problem with this book comes in its trying to balance things that can't really be balanced. Some characters were incredibly well-rounded and realistic, while others seemed more cartoonish. And I don't understand the shoehorning of the story of Alice and Tom with the romantic entanglements of the other characters in the book. Th...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-read

I find that I remember clearly all of the characters in this book, the story lines and the setting which is the small Irish (fictional) town of Clongarvin and the charming cupcake shop on the corner opened by the main character of Hannah. Remembering this book three months later speaks volumes for the reason I gave it 4 stars!

The book opens with Hannah's excitement at fulfilling her dream of opening a cupcake shop. She is getting ready to go to a congratulatory dinner party with her live in lov...more

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Nov 12, 2011 Jennifer Whiteford rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I have a few criteria for chicklit novels. I like them to be set in the UK, preferably in a small town. I like there to be either dogs or baking involved. I like the heroines to be smart and awkward and funny. And I like them to be well-written and not vacuous. So yes, my options are limited. This was one I took a chance on and it turned out to be a winner. It met all of the above criteria and had the added bonus of a few really great villains thrown in, which I also enjoy. A quick, fun read. An...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Danielle rated it 3 of 5 stars

It doesn’t get sweeter than cupcakes and love. For Hannah Robinson, it’s all she’s ever wanted; a cute cupcake store on the corner, a wonderful boyfriend and armfuls of potential. She thought she had it all, but when her boyfriend announces quite suddenly that he’s leaving her for another woman with only days to prepare for her store’s opening she’s devastated. Through the help of her best friend Adam and the drive to finish what she set out to do Hannah opens her store and keeps busy. All the w...more It doesn’t get sweeter than cupcakes and love. For Hannah Robinson, it’s all she’s ever wanted; a cute cupcake store on the corner, a wonderful boyfriend and armfuls of potential. She thought she had it all, but when her boyfriend announces quite suddenly that he’s leaving her for another woman with only days to prepare for her store’s opening she’s devastated. Through the help of her best friend Adam and the drive to finish what she set out to do Hannah opens her store and keeps busy. All the while her ex-boyfriend, Patrick has learned he’s going to be a father from his new girlfriend and Hannah has found a new potential love interest. This and more is what awaits readers of Semi-Sweet: A Novel of Love and Cupcakes.

Where to begin? How could you possibly go wrong with a cupcake shop? You really can’t, and I loved Hannah’s shop with it’s unique decorations and quaint atmosphere. I’m a huge fan of food in Chick Lit books, especially when it’s done well. In Semi-Sweet: A Novel of Love and Cupcakes Hannah gives herself seven months to make it work and she absolutely does. How could anyone survive such a horrendous break-up only a week before opening your own business? Yet for Hannah it was just the perfect thing to keep her busy and moving forward to the next great thing.

As for the love interests in the book…for some reason, even now, I still wanted Hannah to end up with her best friend Adam. What is it about girls with best guy friends and wanting them to suddenly discover they’re in love with each other? It must be partially due to my love of the movie My Best Friends Wedding. But seriously, I loved the tension and friendship between Adam and Hannah as well as there pact to marry each other if they were both still single in their 60′s. So adorable! That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed Hannah and Adam’s respective love interests throughout the book as well as many of the supporting cast.

As for the remaining characters in the story…Geraldine, Fiona, Stephen, Wally, John, Leah, Nora, Dave, Claire, Una, Alice, Tom and a few others. It all got to be a bit much for me. It was a bit like reading a soap opera with just as much sexual happenings as well. I think that though I loved some of the supporting cast, my disappointment came when I was becoming engrossed in Hannah’s story and suddenly without little or no notice at all I’m whisked away to another character I’d have to take a moment to remember. In the first hundred or so pages it was a bit confusing, but once I got acquainted with everyone it started to get easier. What I really wanted was more of Hannah and Adam’s story as well as perhaps a bit of Leah and Patrick. Though the main characters were still more than present in many of the scenes I would have enjoyed it a bit more were they not chopped up so much.

Regardless of my misgivings, Semi-Sweet: A Novel of Love and Cupcakes was an incredibly fun read. As Hannah stumbles through her recovery from losing Patrick you are able to see the wonderful person she is and all she has to offer the world. A story about finding oneself, enjoying life and making the most of every moment no matter the circumstances. A wonderfully enjoyable and quick read from Roisin Meaney!

Originally reviewed and copyrighted at Chick Lit Reviews.(less)

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Aug 12, 2012 Xenia rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is a delightful chick-lit book. I would not call it a romance novel. Semi-Sweet takes place in a small town in Ireland where everyone knows each other and lives intermingle. I admired Hannah for the way she handled the sudden breakup of her relationship with Patrick. I loved Adam and Vivienne being paired together. It was so sweet of him to notice her and see beyond the shy and introverted personality. I loved that Adam saw something in her that was worth buying a clarinet and pursuing...more

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About Roisin Meaney

Born on 3rd September.
A published author of nine books for adults and two for children, Roisin has also written numerous articles for journals and newspapers. She worked as an advertising copywriter for a number of years, and brings a vast amount of experience to the editing team. Her first novel, The Daisy Picker, won a Write a Bestseller competition. Her third novel, The Last Week of May reached...more

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