Welcome to Brew, a cafe where kindness is almost as important as coffee... almost!
Abbie has fled London and the humiliation of not being able to make rent after being made redundant. Her sister, Louise, unlucky in love, has thrown herself into her career at the local hospital. And Eszter, who has travelled from Hungary with her daughter Zoe, is hoping to fulfil her husband's dying wish: to reunite his family.
This summer, three very different women are inspired by the random acts of kindness written up on the Kindness Board at Brew, and decide to make a pact to be kinder to others and to themselves.
Can a little bit of kindness really change your life? Eszter, Abbie and Louise are about to find out!
I'd like to thank Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour as it gave me the perfect opportunity to finally read the copy of Summer at the Kindness Cafe that I'd bought last year but like so many of my personal book purchases I hadn't gotten around to reading it yet.
It's not very often that I agree with taglines, if anything they generally put me off, but it's true 'The most heartwarming story you'll read this year' is the perfect description for Victoria Walters' latest book Summer at the Kindness Cafe. It was the comfort read I needed at a time when I was feeling a little jaded with the constant toil of day-to-day life.
The three central characters, Abbie, her sister Louise and Eszter, each have their own story to tell and their reason behind coming to the quiet haven of Littlewood. All three were feeling a little lost and unsure of where their futures were heading but it's not long before they fit right in at home in the town and are welcomed with open arms especially by local cafe owners Harry and Joy.
The cafe Brew was certainly at the heart of this storyline with its kindness board, a place where people could leave little messages to say thank you for acts of kindness that have been bestowed on them and pledges to pay it forward with their own promises. It's a reminder that it doesn't take much to show a little kindness to others, and that your small gesture might mean a whole lot to someone who needs to know that somebody cares.
Over time the full stories of the women are revealed, all three have experienced loss and heartbreak and are unsure of what the future holds in store for them, but the one thing they have in common is that they have gravitated to Littlewood. A random act of kindness meant Eszter crossed paths with Abbie, who in turn introduces her to her sister Louise, and a close friendship develops between them which sees them being there supporting one another as they take the first tentative steps into searching for reconciliation, new love and new careers.
By the time I'd swiped the final page on my Kindle I felt right at home in Littlewood, I loved the whole community spirit that radiated through the storyline and almost wished it was a real place that I could go and visit for a relaxing break. The three women felt so real to me, they could just as easily be you or me or someone we know and I loved their strong bond. The whole concept of friendship and acts of kindness really shone through and I was sad to reach the gorgeous finale so I'm hoping that we may get a return visit to Littlewood at some point in the future.
Summer at the Kindness Cafe is the perfect feel-good read for anyone who needs to take some me-time, switch off and just forget about everything and curl up with this charming story.
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