Cupcakes at Carrington’s

by Alexandra Brown

Carrington’s Department Store – where life is sweeter…

‘Defies the chick lit cliché’ Heat magazine

'Deliciously delightful from start to finish, sprinkled with magic and full of heart' Miranda Dickinson

Georgie Hart had it all – as a top personal shopper in London, the heady world of Mulberry launch parties and Louis Vuitton goody bags meant she was living the dream. But all that extravagance took its toll on her bank balance and it was time to stop drinking champagne on beer money.

Now Georgie runs the luxury bag concession at Carrington’s Department store in the pretty seaside town of Mulberry Bay and her lavish spending is confined to a red velvet cupcake with butter cream icing in Carrington’s cafe.

But her plans for a quiet life are thwarted when Carrington’s goes into a recession-busting makeover and soon, with the arrival of Maxine, wielding the axe in her immaculately manicured hands, Georgie is fighting not only for her job, but also for the attentions of her dishy boss, James. And when newcomer Tom arrives, who may or may not be the best thing since sliced bread, Georgie must decide where her loyalties really lie…

• ISBN13: 9780007488230
• Publish Date: 17 January 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 400
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[Leah]

When I heard about Alexandra Brown’s debut novel Cupcakes At Carrington’s, I was really excited. I loved the concept, I loved the title, I loved the fact it was the first novel in a series (three books currently, maybe more, who knows?) and when the cover was released I nearly died because it was utterly gorgeous. It’s one of the finest book covers I have ever seen, and the best bit is, it looks even better in real life with shiny gold/orange-y lettering. I pre-ordered it as soon as I did my January books Amazon order and I was so chuffed when it eventually dispatched, earlier than I expected, though it wasn’t soon enough! I dived in as soon as it arrived, and it was a really good read.

First, let me clear up the negatives I had. Get ‘em out of the way, as soon as possible. The first problem I had with the book was Georgie herself. She was a bit weak-willed. She cried a lot, she spent so much time worrying about other people’s motives and what other people were up to, and she was never very sure of herself. I didn’t like that, I do not like that at all in Chick Lit characters because it’s pretty much seen as the norm. It seems that a Chick Lit main character cannot be pretty, skinny, confident, or kick-ass. Instead, she must be weak-willed and fear everyone in the world, ever, is prettier and shinier and skinnier. I love the genre so, so much, but I hate that cliche so bad. I liked Georgie in the end, but I wanted her to be firmer with her decisions, less wishy-washy. The only other problem was her flip-flopping between James and Tom. She was fawning over James one minute, but then drooling over how hoooot Tom was the next. It was confusing. But that’s all, and I hate typing it anyway because I don’t want to point out any bad bits, but I wouldn’t be a good blogger if I didn’t, so there they are and that was all, apart from that I did really, really like the novel.

There’s loads I liked about the novel. I loved the setting, I thought Carringtons sounded like such a fabulous place to work but more than that such a fabulous place to shop! I loved the sound of the Cupcakes Sam made, I’m actually on a diet at the moment so I was drooling at all the red velvet cupcake eating that was going on. Georgie despite her neuroses was actually a really likeable character. As was her best mate Sam, and lots of her colleague especially Tom. I’d have liked if there was more interaction between Georgie and Tom especially as most of their interactions ended with Georgie feeling embarrassed. I’d have liked more flirting, we’re told of the sparks but rarely shown them, y’know?

I very much look forward to the second Carringtons novel, though I am a bit concerned – Georgie a reality star? Hmm. I’m not sold on it just yet! Cupcakes at Carringtons was a really good read. It wasn’t perfect and I did have a few issues but I found that when I had finished the book that I was smiling so I can’t complain too vociferously. It did what it said on the tin and I did find myself lost in all the drama and goings-on. I would definitely recommend the book, I really, really enjoyed it.