The Christmas Bake Off by Abby Clements

The Christmas Bake Off

Abby Clements

Rating: 5 stars

Amazon UK: Currently free!

Synopsis:

With Christmas just around the corner, the residents of Skipley village are gearing up for the annual bake off, and tensions are high.

Winning means a lot to everyone involved - talented cake-shop owner Katie dreams of baking stardom, Rachel wants to prove she's more than a stay-at-home mum, and John hopes his culinary skills will impress the woman he loves.

But when the judges discover that some cakes have been tampered with, the villagers' loyalties are called into question - whose ambition would stretch to sabotage, and why?

-----------------------------------

At first I wondered if I was going to review this or not, but then I remembered that every book is a book that needs reviewing, no matter how short - so here we are now. This novella is only around 25 pages long (yes, I did really mean it was short). But it was short and sweet.

The story follows a few of the villagers from Skipley, a place that sounds very delightful indeed, on their quest to win the village bake off. Rachel, mum of two and keen to prove she's more than just a mum, makes a beautiful gingerbread house, packed with delicious sweets. Katie, a professional baker in the village, decides to make something new and includes pistachios in her yule log. And John, a  manly man but soft inside, decides to try and show his baking skills to impress the one he loves.

All of the characters included in this short novella, all sound wonderfully charming and kind. Bea, Rachel's mother-in-law, I really liked because she seemed the most kind, especially when her granddaughter confesses her secret to her. Her part of the story was probably the most festive sounding, she makes her entry into the bake off whilst the carols are playing on the radio and the snow is drifting past the windows - it sounded just perfect.

The story, although short, was lovely and I really enjoyed it. Even from those few pages, you got a real sense of community from the villagers and it was lovely to read about. I wish this was a full blown novel! I've been trying to find which novel of Abby Clements this is related to but cannot seem to find it! I'm probably being really daft, but if you know the name of it (if there is one), please let me know!

I just really, really enjoyed this and wished it were longer. I loved the bake off, the bakes the villagers had made, and the descriptions of Christmas. It was all just so lovely and festive.