Little Teashop of Horrors

by Jane Lovering

[zooloo1983]

Every so often you pick up a book, any book and you know exactly how it will end in the first few pages. The same can be said here, however, the journey we go on with the two main characters Amy and Josh are not anything I have read before. This is my first book by Jane and I can honestly say this won’t be my last.

The chapters alternate between Amy and Josh, so you get to see their perception of the day to day life they both lead as their lives intertwine. Set in Monkpark Hall in Yorkshire (based on a real place) where some ‘posh git’ Edmund Evershit… I mean Edmund Evershott (Josh is wearing off on me)has taken over of the running of the estate. Things don’t add up, and he takes a shine to Amy but is it all that it seems?

Amy is a size 14 nobody (her words not mine!), she is used to her best friend Jules taking the limelight, the gorgeous blonde flirt. No one looks at her, and if they do they are just looking at her chest, she has no self-worth. Her backstory really did upset me, but I think more so as I think of growing up. I was the girl, like Amy, that boys only wanted to be friends with and if anyone showed a slight bit of interest my said best friend at the time would swoop in and divert their attention to her. So I did resent Jules and her behaviour, she turned out ok in the end, but Amy had by that point kept quiet, not to make a fuss, instilled by her Grans words to her.

Josh, the quiet bird boy who had the model good looks. Well didn’t his story just make you sob your heart our for him (read the book to find out!), his story was just so heartbreaking. He’s completely in love with Amy but in such an innocent way you realise how broken he truly is. I just wanted to give him a cuddle, not that I think he would let me. I loved all his birds and his Bird of Prey show and I mean I want my own Skrillex owl, rescued by Josh, they are his escape from the world and his only companions.

You have the storybook bad guy in Edmund, who is a douche, and he is the sort of person who tries to save himself and throw anybody he can under the bus. I loved the comradery at the end of the book when everyone stood up to him to save Amy. And Amy’s Gran, she was definitely the comical relief with her obsession that the spoons had been moved and the curtains were wrong, it was great.

This love story is not your typical drunken love, there is the miscommunication but everything is so innocent which I loved. These two broken people have found hope, healing and eventual love with each other. But most importantly they found trust, neither is going to run away from each other despite their history and that is what is truly beautiful about this story.



*Thanks to Rachel @ Rachel Random Resources and the author for the copy of my book*

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