Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop

Rebecca Raisin

Mar 2019 · Sold by HarperCollins UK

About this ebook

The trip of a lifetime!

Rosie Lewis has her life together.

A swanky job as a Michelin-starred Sous Chef, a loving husband and future children scheduled for an exact date.

That’s until she comes home one day to find her husband’s pre-packed bag and a confession that he's had an affair.

Heartbroken and devastated, Rosie drowns her sorrows in a glass (or three) of wine, only to discover the following morning that she has spontaneously invested in a bright pink campervan to facilitate her grand plans to travel the country.

Now, Rosie is about to embark on the trip of a lifetime, and the chance to change her life! With Poppy, her new-found travelling tea shop in tow, nothing could go wrong, could it...?

A laugh-out-loud novel of love, friendship and adventure! Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Holly Martin.

Readers LOVE Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop!

‘Oh YES, YES, YES!!! I bloody loved this. I absolutely adored this book.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Awesome!!!... Absolutely brilliant... I loved this book a huge amount... I sat and read it in an afternoon.’ Vonibee, 5 stars

‘Had me hooked from the very first page... Absolutely joyous.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this novel and read it through in one day... It brightened up my day so much that I couldn’t take the soppy grin off my face as I finished reading the final page.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘A fast-paced, funny, romantic, heart-warming and realistic book that will have you not only laughing out loud but glued to the page.’ Chicks, Rogues and Scandals, 5 stars

‘Such a pleasure to read, I lost myself within the pages... An incredibly enjoyable book.’ Rachel’s Random Reads, 5 stars

‘There is just so much to love about this story... This wonderful, cosy read just resonated with me so much!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Ratings and reviews

Very enjoyable story about Rosie, a hard working Michelin starred sous-chef who is cheated on and dumped by her husband. He is also a chef and the gossip is rife in their community so Rosie decides to have a complete change after the split, as she needs to find a new home anyway. She decides that she also needs a break from her hectic life so she ends up buying a bright pink camper van called Poppy, hands in her notice at her job, and heads off into the sunset to sell comfort food at festivals around the country. This decision may have been drink fuelled(!), as she didn't initially remember even buying Poppy until it's previous owner turned up to deliver it, but it was the best decision she ever made. It was a steep learning curve, driving a van around the country, living and cooking in a small space, and trying to make ends meet. But she made some lovely friends (Aria and Max) and found romance and a new life along the way, albeit with a slightly mysterious email 'friend' helping her along the way. There was a lovely feeling to the whole book and I really enjoyed Rosie's journey, and absolutely loved Max!

Oh those inebriated online purchases - always fun when the delivery comes and you can start berating yourself for buying some useless piece of rubbish. Fortunately for Rosie, her piece of drunken shopping turns out to be a gorgeous vintage camper van called Poppy. I suppose that's one of the perks of working as a sous chef in a michelin starred restaurant - you never get chance to spend anything left over after paying the bills as you are far too busy working; leaves you a nice chunk of disposable income for those drunken purchase moments. Also, it apparently leaves you with a decent chunk to fund a travelling lifestyle. I did find it very hard to believe that you could (A) cook enough baked goods in a campervan to make a profit, however small (B) that said campervan would pass health and safety inspection as a food preparation area. Setting aside those practical and real world concerns, the fictional world that Ms Raisin creates is entirely bucolic. Yes, we have the nasty husband who leaves Rosie for a younger model precipitating the adventure. Yes, we have Rosie's controlling nature and need to plan to the last second to deal with. Yes, we have a supporting cast of eccentric characters who are all too ready to admit a stranger in to their midst and become instant friends with. Yes, we have a shady sounding "penpal" encouraging and luring Rosie in to the lifestyle. Yes, we have the misunderstood rugged hero that provides a will-they-won't they- for Rosie. Basically, everything you expect from this genre is tucked away in there in various guises. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing - certain things are expected but it is how you deliver them that is important. Fortunately, Ms Raisin delivers them with a verve that makes things seem as fresh as the dew on the festival fields. None of it really stands up to close scrutiny but who really pays close attention to if this would work in reality - we read to escape reality. Although, I am sure this would provide inspiration for someone already on the edge of making the decision to try van life for a while. It is humorous but falls short of being genuinely funny, certainly not a laugh out loud book - although very, very few are. I do have a sense of humour, quite an overdeveloped one but this raised nothing more than the occasional smirk and those were in places that I am pretty sure were unintended by the author. Overall, this is a good solid holiday read. Nothing too challenging, nothing too dramatic or heart rending but a heroine you want to get behind and a lifestyle straight from Enid Blyton - what could be better?

Imagine coming home from yet another multiple hour shift in the restaurant where you’ve cooked, settled differences and have hopes to celebrate your birthday and make it special, only to find your partner arriving hours later with a “we need to talk” face on, and no present or recognition. If you are Rosie, you’re busy making excuses for the husband who isn’t ‘a details guy’ as you try not to face plant in the ‘celebration tart’ you made after work just to have a quiet celebration. And that ‘talk’ is about his finding someone who is more ‘spontaneous’ and less controlled, and wants to talk – at one in the morning – about ‘splitting up “ the household built over the last seven years. Devastating isn’t it. This was Rosie’s birthday – as she spent the night in self-recrimination, drinking wine and stumbling to work the next morning at ‘stupid o’clock’ only to discover that EVERYONE already knew about his affair, and you’ve not got the energy or ambition to deal with the whispers or gossip. And it’s then you decide that you need to chuck it all in, after having made a drunken purchase of an RV, and found an on line community of “travelers’” who live in said RV’s and move from place to place as the mood takes them – some working the ‘fair circuit’ peddling wares. You’ve already got a set of skills with your years in the kitchen, and your own tea blending hobby – and soon you are packing up and heading out after suggestions from the on line community. More importantly than what’s on the menu is Rosie and dealing with her grief from the breakup, her reluctance to try new things, and her need to have a plan A, B, C and “just in case”. Understandable really as she is still holding onto guilt from her own relationship with her father – who descended into hoarding and tried to fill his own sadness and emptiness with ‘things’, and the young Rosie couldn’t help, and her reaction was to ‘overthink every move, over organizing her life and making no steps without contingency plans. But, some challenges from Aria, the new world opening up as she meets and sees the little community of :nomads’ and their willingness to stop and breathe, and an unexpected analysis from a woman on the circuit, not to mention two intriguing men, Rosie’s own confidence along with the ability to focus allow her to find new potential and dreams with a life that isn’t so structured and controlled. Honestly – it was the growth, the timid to more-daring and less tense Rosie that was a wonderful surprise – and those moments – from laugh out loud to wanting to just sit and drink those teas that had me tearing through this book, reading it all in one quick sitting. Of course, I can’t wait to put a copy on the shelf for one of those days when I really need a read that takes me away and makes me smile – this book is that antidote to cold weather, reading blahs or just when you want to escape into a truly feel-good story that can’t help but make your heart sing in all the best ways! It’s a favorite read for 2019 – and I’ve decided that I can’t go wrong with a book from Rebeca Raisin when I just want to be happily entertained for hours! I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

About the author

REBECCA RAISIN writes heartwarming romance from her home in sunny Perth, Australia. Her heroines tend to be on the quirky side and her books are usually set in exotic locations so her readers can armchair travel any day of the week. The only downfall about writing about gorgeous heroes who have brains as well as brawn, is falling in love with them – just as well they’re fictional. Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships and believe in true, once in a lifetime love. Her bestselling novel Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop has been optioned for film with MRC studios and Frolic Media.