C is for Colgan | Blogging from A to Z

Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams
by Jenny Colgan

I'm not a big reader of contemporary. I don't dislike the genre - in fact whenever I do stray into contemporary it's very rarely that I don't like what I read - but it's not one of my favourites. I love genres like historical fiction, magical realism, fantasy and, recently, science fiction, so if I'm given a choice to read about a book with magic and a book without, nine times out of ten I'm going to read about magic.

Jenny Colgan's one of those authors whose work I always saw on the shelves and never paid much attention to. I thought her books looked cute, but they didn't seem like my thing. Then one day my sister told me about Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams and how much she'd enjoyed it and a couple of weeks later I stumbled across a brand new copy for just £1.99, so, naturally, I picked it up.

I finally read it in November and I was pleasantly surprised. I expected to like it, it sounded sweet (hurr hurr) if nothing else, but I didn't think it was going to touch me in the way that it did. Then over Christmas I read Colgan's two other Rosie Hopkins books, Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop and The Christmas Surprise, and thoroughly enjoyed them both!

I'm hoping to read some more of Colgan's work this year, and recommend the Rosie Hopkins books to anyone, whether you're a fan of contemporary or not!

Review | The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan | Twelve Days of Christmas

The Christmas Surprise

by Jenny Colgan

My Rating: 

Rosie Hopkins, newly engaged, is looking forward to an exciting year in the little sweetshop she owns and runs. But when fate strikes Rosie and her boyfriend, Stephen, a terrible blow, threatening everything they hold dear, it's going to take all their strength and the support of their families and their Lipton friends to hold them together. 

After all, don't they say it takes a village to raise a child?

The Christmas Surprise is the latest book in the Rosie Hopkins series, beginning with Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams and Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop, which I reviewed here!

Ironically, The Christmas Surprise surprised me. I thought I knew exactly what I was going to get out of a book like this - surely it's just another fun, contemporary read about having a baby? - but it turned out to be quite different to what I expected. I don't want to say too much about the plot because I don't want to spoil it, so all I will say is I thought Colgan handled a lot of her content material very well and I enjoyed this book very much. I've become very attached to Rosie and co., and with that ending (which I'd half expected and half hoped for!) I hope we'll see another Rosie Hopkins book soon.

So if I enjoyed the book that much, why didn't I give it 5 stars? Well there were a few reasons. Firstly, as much as I love Rosie and Stephen it feels as though a lot of the problems they've faced throughout the Rosie Hopkins books have been the same. I suppose we could argue that a couple will often face the same hurdles because they have the same weaknesses, but it can get a little tiring. I also felt as though everything wrapped up far too quickly and easily near the end of the book - quite a contrast to the rest of the book which took its time. And finally, this book didn't feel quite as Christmassy to me as the previous book, but I still really enjoyed it and I look forward to more of Rosie in future!

What's Up Wednesday! | 10/12/14

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

After finishing Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop I've been eagerly awaiting my copy of The Christmas Surprise in the mail, which is the latest Rosie Hopkins book and another Christmassy, contemporary read - just what I'm feeling right now!

In the mean time I've finally started The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, and despite only being three chapters in I can tell I'm really going to enjoy this book.

What I'm Writing

Sadly, nothing this week. This week's pretty busy - I'm actually away from home until Friday night - and I feel a bit... creatively deflated. I was really into my SNI, but the more I wrote for it the more I realised there's just not enough of a story there right now for me to pursue it properly, and the characters still feel very much like ideas rather than people. It still needs a little more time to stew. I think that's one of the reasons I've been reading non-stop recently; it's like I'm stocking up on inspiration for future projects. I do feel guilty for not writing anything, though, and I hope something grabs me soon - even if it's just a short story!

What Works For Me

Me time. I need time alone to think and relax and just be. I love being surrounded by people, but just as I get very cranky if I'm lonely for too long I also get really cranky if I get no time alone at all.

What Else Is New

I'm graduating today! An entire year's worth of work has led up to today, where I'll at last be graduating with my MA in Creative Writing. I'm really looking forward to seeing campus again and catching up with a bunch of my friends.

After the ceremony my parents and I are travelling across to Yorkshire to visit my sister, so it's unlikely I'll be able to respond to any comments or comment on anyone else's WUW posts until the weekend. I hope you all have a great week!