Shall we dance?
After a humiliating divorce and watching her former rock star husband leave her for a model live on reality TV, Pippa is determined to disappear. So she returns to the small Kent village where she grew up to make a fresh start. Little did she know that would mean saving her beloved childhood dance school or falling for her old school crush Tom too!
The Review: The Little Shop Of Hopes and Dreams was one of the first reviews I did on this blog (see review here) and when I saw that this book was up I was very excited. I was expecting a warm, inviting, homely read and that was what I got. We meet Pippa who is back at her childhood abode in the village of Elmhurst after her marriage fell apart very publicly as a result of her rock star ex boyfriend. Pippa is feeling sorry for herself, which usually would lead me to thinking a character is overly negative, and yet you can’t help but like her straight away and cheer her on as she decides she’s going to make her new circumstances work.
Pippa was a dancer in her previous existence and we watch her as she struggles to return to dancing with the help of her old teacher Miss Mimi while helping resurrect the dance school. There were a lot of characters in the book, but they were nicely introduced and you just accepted them as they popped by. The settings, the descriptions, the book itself had so many moments that made me smile, but unfortunately a few that required a few too many pinches of salt, they were just that tiny bit over the top sickly sweet for me. Add to this the fact that I received this as an advance review copy that had a large number of spaces missing, and a few errors, and I’m afraid I began to play editor, lost the sense of romance that had appeared and couldn’t give it more than a 3.5. That being said, I have no doubt the issues will have been rectified, and that this book will appeal to those who want a warm, homely read full of romance and dancing. Thanks to Netgalley for this book in return for an honest review.
Rating: 3.5/5