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Cherry Pie Island #3

The Great Allotment Proposal

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Welcome to Cherry Pie Island – once you step on to the island, you’ll never want to leave!

Socialite Emily Hunter-Brown has just bought the old manor house on Cherry Pie Island – and her friends think she’s gone mad! Still, they should have known that wild-child Emily will try anything once…even settling down!

But when Emily discovers she has an allotment to take care of as well as the crumbling mansion, she’s unexpectedly flummoxed! It’s all very well knowing that you have to swap your high heels for Hunter wellies….but it’s quite another actually getting dirt underneath her Chanel Rouge Noir polished nails?

And what is she supposed to do with her bumper crop of courgettes anyway?!

The Cherry Pie Island series

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café – Book 1

The Vintage Ice Cream Van Road Trip – Book 2

The Great Allotment Challenge – Book 3

One Summer Night at the Ritz – Book 4

The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café is Book 1 in The Cherry Pie Island series.

Each part of Cherry Pie Island can be read and enjoyed as a standalone story – or as part of the utterly delightful series.

Praise for Jenny Oliver

'I thoroughly enjoyed this book it had a sprinkling of festivity, a touch of romance and a glorious amount of mouth-watering baking!' - Rea Book Review on The Parisian Christmas Bake Off

'With gorgeous descriptions of Paris, Christmas, copious amounts of delicious baking that’ll make your mouth water, and lots and lots of snow – what more could you ask for from a Christmas novel!' – Bookboodle on The Parisian Christmas Bake Off

'The baking part of the book is incredibly well written; fans of The Great British Bake Off will not be disappointed to see all their favourites in here! This is a lovely little read that is perfect for the festive period!' - Hanging on Every Word on The Parisian Christmas Bake Off

ideal for a summer read.' – Catch a Single Thought on The Vintage Summer Wedding

'Jenny Oliver writes contemporary women's fiction which leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.’ – Books with Bunny on The Vintage Summer Wedding

'…it was everything I enjoy. Oliver did a wonderful job of allowing us to immerse ourselves in the lives of the pair, she created characters that were likeable and well rounded…I couldn’t find a single flaw in the book.' - 5* stars from Afternoon Bookery to The Little Christmas Kitchen

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 27, 2015

64 people are currently reading
261 people want to read

About the author

Jenny Oliver

24 books253 followers
Jenny Oliver is the bestselling author of The Summerhouse by the Sea - the PERFECT book for your summer reading! Out May 18th.
Her book The Sunshine and Biscotti Club, set in sunny Tuscany, was nominated for the Best Contemporary Romantic Novel at the RONA awards.
Jenny wrote her first book on holiday when she was ten years old. Illustrated with cut-out supermodels from her sister's Vogue, it was an epic, sweeping love story not so loosely based Dynasty.
Since then Jenny has gone on to get an English degree and a job in publishing that's taught her what it takes to write a novel (without the help of the supermodels). She wrote her first book The Parisian Christmas Bake Off on the beach in a notebook that would end up covered in sand each afternoon and damp from the sea. Nowadays her inspiration comes from her love of all things vintage, a fascination with other people’s relationships and an unwavering belief in happy ever after!
If you are looking for some bite-size reads why not try her Cherry Pie Island novella series. The first five books - The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe, The Vintage Ice Cream Van Road Trip, The Great Allotment Proposal, One Summer Night at the Ritz and Four Weddings and a White Christmas are out NOW! Mouthwatering, feel-good and the ultimate escapism!
Follow her on Twitter @JenOliverBooks, Instagram jenoliverbooks or go to the website jennyoliverbooks.com to find out more about Jenny, her books and read her blog!

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5 stars
268 (45%)
4 stars
179 (30%)
3 stars
123 (20%)
2 stars
13 (2%)
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5 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Cora Tea Party Princess.
1,323 reviews862 followers
August 4, 2015
5 Words: Family, love, friendship, community, fame.

So, so sweet.

Once again I was transported back to the tiny Cherry Pie Island and its wonderful occupants, and I was able to discover even more about the dear old lady who sits in the background of all of these stories.

This one was very, very fun. I like stories of new beginnings and reading about the mansion being returned to its former glory made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I loved how strong Emily was, and how she defied everyone's expectations. I loved the sense of community, the passion, the snobbery, I loved it all.
Profile Image for Diane.
1,015 reviews14 followers
August 25, 2023
Continuation of the Cherry Pie Island series set in contemporary England. Had to skip the second in series because it wasn’t available at my library so it took me a few pages to get back into the characters of the series. I would definitely recommend reading them in order. Having said that, I did enjoy this one. Sweet romance with some foul language.
Profile Image for Sarah W.
105 reviews5 followers
June 6, 2015
Love the Cherry Pie books. So easy to read - I want to live there!
Profile Image for Annette.
1,768 reviews10 followers
May 22, 2018
Ms Oliver had created another sweet story of the population on Cherry Pie Island. Nearly all the familiar characters are right there.

Emily Hunter-Brown has come home to move into her newly purchased home. In the past, she was a movie personality. She was at the very top of her career, engaged to the perfect actor. All that came crashing down when her fiancee walked away to marry another woman. Now, she must completely rebuild her life and what was once a graceful home from her past.

Emily has the reputation of being a wild child who has one disaster after another. She appears in magazines and in newspapers and generally never in a flattering light. Now, she has a makeup business and it is becoming very successful.

She has come to the island to try to return to a place and time where she was a happier person. She is even considering settling down.

There are several plots in this story. Emily is one of 3 women who are reading the diary of an elderly woman who had a secret life during WWII. There is fighting over who will be able to participate in the annual competitions. Will the ugliest vegetable be shut out of any contest? And Emily has run into her first love, Jack. He apparently wants to avoid her, or does he?

Emily is learning to become a gardener. At first, other gardeners who plan to compete for prizes take advantage of her lack of knowledge. But, then she buckles down, pulls on her wellies and forges ahead. Creating the perfect dahlia becomes a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

This is a story about family. There are families who are not related by blood, but they share some of the same dreams and goals and a love for one another. This is a story about history and how it is not always what it seems. This is a story about people who share your sorrows as well as your joys. It is also confirmation that people can become whoever they choose. Changing your life is difficult but not impossible.

Ms Oliver has a way with a story. She presents people who are likable, interesting as well as people we want to know. She is gentle with human beings who are not perfect, but they are perfectly human.

Emily is a strong woman who is moving forward in her plan to settle down and be a part of something she thought was lost. She also sees the lives of others clearly and she wants to help them find happiness.

Any fan of the Cherry Pie Island stories will love this one. Emily is the star of this story, but the lesser stars shine just as brightly.

I like this series and this story.
Profile Image for Judy.
3,382 reviews31 followers
September 21, 2017
Another sweet quick read in the Cherry Pie Island series. In each a new couple is featured, but characters from the previous books reappear and there is an ongoing story about a character who has died before the series began, but who had an impact on everyone's lives. In this one they found her diaries from the WWII period, and a bit more is discovered about her life.
Profile Image for Amanda.
1,476 reviews36 followers
January 19, 2020
She has a successful business, a dodgy past and paparazzi following her around.

He has no responsibilities, an offputting beard, and no hesitation tossing a nosey photographer in the river.

The only thing they have in common is an interest in their allotments, and apparently, chemistry.

I like Emily, she has a large and appealing personality.
Profile Image for Nessa.
1,866 reviews72 followers
August 25, 2020
I'm very much enjoying this series but I think this one has been my favourite so far. I really liked the character of Emily and to know her.

It's a light and easy story, not too taxing and is highly entertaining.

I also loved being reacquainted with some of the characters from previous books one and two.

I'm looking forward to starting book four straight away.
50 reviews
October 27, 2020
Book 3 loved it.

Really enjoying the Cherry Pie Island books, a few more characters added, full of fun, wit and charm. Love Emily and Jack can't wait too see which new character introduced in book no. 4.










Profile Image for Nicola Malloch.
624 reviews9 followers
August 6, 2021
My only complaint is that I wish the last chapter was longer. I am thoroughly loving the characters and tails from cherry pie Island. I have read each one (I believe this is book 3 in the series) and with each one I fall a little more in love with the island of blossom laden trees.
77 reviews2 followers
August 17, 2017
Great read. Better than the 2nd book in the series.
168 reviews37 followers
August 7, 2016
'The Great Allotment Proposal' is the third book in the fantastic Cherry Pie Island series and after being hooked from the first, it was nice to get to know the characters even better. Book 1, 'The Grand Re-opening of the Dandelion Café', introduced us to the quaint island, Oliver took us to France in the second novel, 'The Vintage Ice-Cream Van Road Trip', and returns us in this third installment.
Whilst each novel has focused on a separate romantic coupling, the characters, both main and minor, overlap and consequently I would recommend reading them in order to fully appreciate the sub-stories and character developments.
Hollywood starlet Emily Hunter-Brown has returned to Cherry Pie Island having purchased her childhood home (well, mansion) and is looking for a calmer lifestyle and the chance to settle down. Left in charge of her brother's girlfriend's allotment, she comes face-to-face with her childhood sweetheart Jack, but he's not quite the guy she remembered.
Though it is difficult to argue the book isn't predictable, that does nothing to stop it being light-hearted, funny and pure escapism that takes you to an island that, quite frankly, I'd move to I a second.
Profile Image for Sheerie.
247 reviews18 followers
July 2, 2015
Emily returns to a Cherry Pie Island after being able to buy back the mansion she grew in and had such fond memories of and also people she knows from her youth. Although being a socialite she helps her absent friend out who has left the island and is living in France, who could believe that she promised to help care for her allotment. Emily finds although not much of a gardener she feels so much more comfortable outside in the muck in dirty jeans than she does in designer dresses. Cherry pie island sounds such a lovely place to live and it has the heart and soul to accommodate everybody. A lovely read.
Profile Image for Verity W.
3,542 reviews34 followers
July 10, 2015
This series is so much fun. I'm really enjoying the fact that each installment is about someone different from the island, but with threads from the others running through and the same characters reappearing.

This is Emily's story - she's an ex-actress turned papparazzi fodder after notorious jilting. She's trying to make a new life for herself, but will the media let her.

This is funny, romantic and sweet, and sets up the next intallment as being totally intriguing.
Profile Image for Katie Ryback.
10 reviews
June 7, 2015
another fab book. but very sad to finish again.... anymore after book 4?? x
7 reviews
May 22, 2016
I really liked it, very easy to read wasn't at all mushy
Profile Image for Karla.
19 reviews1 follower
June 4, 2015
Love Cherry Pie Island.
Profile Image for Nuria.
40 reviews4 followers
September 6, 2017
The story of the islanders (see books 1&2) continues with Emily, Holly's baby daddy's sister, who is looking after Holly's allotment garden while she is away. Being the ex-girlfriend of a famous movie star and having paparazzi constantly chase her, doesn't make settling down in her childhood home and catching up with special Cherry Pie Island acquaintances very easy. And then there is Jack who lives on a boat on her property. He couldn't care less about all the media fuzz and generally wants nothing to do with it. But somehow he ends up being the center of it all.

As always, Jenny Oliver's writing style is really good and you can't help but fall in love with the characters as well. I really do feel, like they are my friends as well. But... as book three contains all characters from book one and two, it gets a bit crowded... To read more about that, head on over to my blog at https://wp.me/p95M0P-hK.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

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