Book Review: Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery by Cathy Bramley

Cathy Bramley's books are always a treat, with scrumptious food descriptions, well developed and relatable characters and original and fun settings. Today I am reviewing her latest release, Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery. Here are my thoughts on it:

Title: Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery

Author: Cathy Bramley

Published: March 22nd 2018 by Corgi

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: Thirty-two-year-old Hetty Greengrass is the star around which the rest of her family orbits. Marriage, motherhood and helping Dan run Sunnybank Farm have certainly kept her hands full for the last twelve years. But when her daughter Poppy has to choose her inspiration for a school project and picks her aunt, not her mum, Hetty is left full of self-doubt.

Hetty’s always been generous with her time and until now, her biggest talent – baking deliciously moreish shortcrust pastry pies – has been limited to charity work and the village fete. But taking part in a competition run by Cumbria’s Finest to find the very best produce from the region might be just the thing to make her daughter proud... and reclaim something for herself.

Except that life isn’t as simple as producing the perfect pie. Changing the status quo isn’t easy – and with cracks appearing in her marriage and shocking secrets coming to light, Hetty must decide where her priorities really lie...

Review: A new book by Cathy Bramley is always a highlight in my year. I love her uplifting and inspiring stories and her lovable and relatable characters. In Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery we meet Hetty Greengrass, husband Dan and daughter Poppy. They live quite a content life in Sunny Bank Farm and Hetty is always there to help with whatever is needed, both with the farm and their family.

But as we get to know her, we soon discover that something is missing in Hetty's life. Her daughter regards her entrepreneur aunt Naomi as a role model, not her mother. So maybe it's time for Hetty to embark on a new venture? She has always loved baking short-crust pastry pies and she is pretty damn good at it, so with a little push from her sister-in-law Naomi, Hetty is ready to start her own business. 

I really enjoyed reading about Hetty's new adventure and found it very inspiring to see how determined she was to make it a reality, even with all the obstacles that she had to overcome. That's probably why I didn't like her husband very much, as he was not supportive of her. Luckily, Hetty had a whole net of support, from other business owners in the area to her daughter, who were all there for her. 

But this story was not only about pies (even if they all sounded delicious!), Cathy Bramley had so many surprises in store for us! There were secrets, doubts, old flames and shocking revelations that definitely kept me on my toes. I think that the author handled the more serious issues very well, giving them the time to unfold at the right path and not rushing through them. And main character Hetty kept surprising me with her big heart and love for her family and friends. A beautiful character.

Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery is a scrumptious inspiring read that reminds you how important it is to believe in your dreams. Definitely best enjoyed with a piece of a delicious apple pie. 

Rating: 4.5 stars

I would like to thank the published for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.