Review: The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe by Jenny Oliver

Publication Date: March 27, 2015

Synopsis:
Annie is back on Cherry Pie Island, staring at a dilapidated café that she inherited. She hasn't been home for years, nor does she know what to do with this café. To make matters worse, no one in her family really believes that she can

In an effort to prove her family wrong, Annie makes it her mission to bring Dandelion Café back to its former glory. And it does help that a handsome millionaire appears to be making eyes at her.

Thoughts:
This was a really fun and entertaining read. I didn't know it was what I needed at the moment until I started reading it and realized how much I was enjoying it. It's light, fluffy, and short enough that you could easily read it in one sitting while sitting outside or on thr beach.

I loved the plot, which was really simple and sweet. The idea of someone re-opening an old café without having any prior experiences with cafés was really appealing to me and sounded like an easy adventure. The length of the book already told me that there wouldn't be very many conflicts, which made it more fun. Instead, we had the chance to spend more time with our characters and get to know them better than most contemporaries this length allow.

The romance was really sweet, even though it's kind of insta-love. However, taking into account that both characters are in their mid to late thirties, it's really not unexpected that they'd be more likely to act on attraction sooner than two teenagers or people in their twenties. It was really fun to watch them grow in their attraction toward each other. I liked they way they interacted with each other, and despite how quickly they became close, it felt really natural.

The only reason why I took half a star off is because there was a small conflict thrown in near the end which had a partial resolution, but it felt like the conflict should've had more impact or at least some more attention. It was also pretty sudden and felt like it wasn't fleshed out. There was also one minor storyline that technically had a resolution, but not one that was entirely satisfying. That's really the only complaint I have with the book.

In the end, I enjoyed how the book ended. It felt like the right place to leave off, especially because this is part of a series. I think I'm going to see if I can find the rest of the books somewhere so that I can continue with this series because I really enjoyed this book.

Character(s):
I liked Annie, and while I didn't necessarily relate to her because of our age gap, I did still have an interest in her life. I thought she was handling everything quite appropriately, seeing as she suddenly inherited a whole café. Her personality and sense of humor created several funny and awkward moments, all of which only serve to make me like her more.

Overall:
4.5 stars. I'd definitely recommend checking this out if you're looking for a faster contemporary that's still sweet, light, and fluffy. It's a good beach read too.

Acknowledgements:
Thank you to NetGalley for hosting this on your site. Thank you also to Carina for approving my request to read this in exchange for an honest review.