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Cupcakes at Carrington’s: The most escapist and uplifting read from the Queen of Feel Good Fiction & No.1 best seller: Where life is sweeter... (Carrington's) Kindle Edition

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,365 ratings

Carrington’s Department Store – where life is sweeter…

‘Defies the chick lit cliché’ Heat magazine

'Deliciously delightful from start to finish, sprinkled with magic and full of heart' Miranda Dickinson

Georgie Hart loves her job – running the luxury handbag concession at Carrington's Department store in the pretty seaside town of Mulberry Bay, and treating herself (once too often!) to a red velvet cupcake with buttercream icing in Carrington's café.

But Georgie is thrown into disarray when Carrington's is plunged into a recession-busting makeover, cueing the arrival of femme fatale Maxine, who wields the axe in her immaculately-manicured hands.

It spells a recipe for disaster for Georgie and soon she is fighting not only for her job, but also for the attentions of her gorgeous boss, James. And when hot newcomer Tom arrives, who may or may not be the best thing since sliced bread, Georgie must decide where her loyalties really lie…

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Product description

Review

Praise for Alex Brown:

‘I adored it’ Milly Johnson

‘A really lovely read' Sarah Morgan

‘Very lovely’ Jill Mansell.

‘An intriguing and heart-warming story you will love’ Katie Fforde

‘Warm and cosy’ Lucy Diamond

'Poignant and moving, the cleverly entwined stories kept me turning the pages.’ Trisha Ashley

‘Alex Brown at her very best – charming, witty, heartwarming and full of absorbing characters' Carmel Harrington

'A lovely, warm-hearted and compassionate tale’ LoveReading

‘This was genuinely one of the most special books I've read this year.’ Bookish Escapes

A lovely book to curl up and unwind with, as sweet and charming as home made apple pie’ Milly Johnson

‘Adorable, comical and magical, this is a festive delight’ Closer

‘We love it!’ Now

‘A romantic, fun, festive joy’ HEAT

From the Back Cover

Georgie Hart had it all – as a top personal shopper in London, the heady world of Mulberry launch parties and Louis Vuitton goody bags meant she was living the dream. But all that extravagance took its toll on her bank balance and it was time to stop drinking champagne on beer money.
Now Georgie runs the luxury bag concession at Carrington’s Department store in the pretty seaside town of Mulberry Bay and her lavish spending is confined to a red velvet cupcake with butter cream icing in Carrington’s cafe.
But her plans for a quiet life are thwarted when Carrington’s goes into a recession-busting makeover and soon, with the arrival of Maxine, wielding the axe in her immaculately-manicured hands, Georgie is fighting not only for her job, but also for the attentions of her dishy boss, James. And when newcomer Tom arrives, who may or may not be the best thing since sliced bread, Georgie must decide where her loyalties really lie...

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008NZGJAY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins (17 Jan. 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 840 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 402 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0007488238
  • Customer reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,365 ratings

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
1,365 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoyed the book and found it lighthearted and enjoyable. They found the storyline interesting with potential for drama. The humour was described as witty, funny, and made them laugh and cry. The characters were described as great and brilliantly portrayed. Customers enjoyed the cupcakes and shoes mentioned in the book. The cover art was described as gorgeous and vibrant.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

108 customers mention ‘Readability’105 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it a lighthearted read with relatable characters. The main character is likable and believable. The book is described as delightful and relaxing, with friendly and not-so-friendly characters.

"...Alexandra Brown's first novel has been a delightful read with a nice bunch of friendly and not so friendly characters adding extra sparkle to the..." Read more

"...Georgie is a likeable main character, she is relatable, kind and a good friend. I also adored Georgie's friends Sam and Eddie!..." Read more

"...I found the book started well but lost it's way a little - there were a lot of characters introduced very quickly, not touched upon for several..." Read more

"...It was definitely worth the read and deserved all the build up it gets, it is such a great book full of fun and laughs. I adored it!..." Read more

85 customers mention ‘Storyline’78 positive7 negative

Customers find the storyline interesting with funny plot twists and potential for drama. They say the content is engaging enough to get all the way to the end. The short chapters give the story good pacing, and they eagerly await the next chapter.

"...into the store like I was actually there and having short chapters gave the story good pacing...." Read more

"...But what made this book extra special was that Alexandra incorporated a serious undertone to the story...." Read more

"...what will happen, but I couldn't do this with this book, it kept you interested right until the last page and I wasn't even thinking about the..." Read more

"...and turns for the various characters through the book, each one interesting, captivating and leaving you gasping for more as every page turns!..." Read more

70 customers mention ‘Humour’56 positive14 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor. They find it humorous, with funny parts and more serious ones that keep them turning the pages. The main character is relatable and kind. The narrative is beautifully written with one-liners that make readers laugh. Overall, customers describe the book as an enjoyable, uplifting read that makes them happy to read before bed.

"...while at the same time has created a wonderful world of cupcakes, laughter, romance and friendship...." Read more

"...Georgie is a likeable main character, she is relatable, kind and a good friend. I also adored Georgie's friends Sam and Eddie!..." Read more

"...going to read the rest of the Carrington’s books, she has a lovely, funny and intriguing style to her writing and with ease can make the reader..." Read more

"...Overall a witty, vibrant, laugh out loud gem of a debut from Alexandra Brown and it doesn't end here!..." Read more

53 customers mention ‘Character development’39 positive14 negative

Customers enjoy the character development in the book. They find the characters interesting, with many twists and turns throughout. The lead character is brilliantly portrayed, and the boy assistant is well-portrayed.

"...has been a delightful read with a nice bunch of friendly and not so friendly characters adding extra sparkle to the plot which makes it hard to put..." Read more

"...Alexandra Brown has come up with the perfect recipe. There were great characters, plenty of laughs, delicious cupcakes, a bit of mystery and plenty..." Read more

"...well but lost it's way a little - there were a lot of characters introduced very quickly, not touched upon for several chapters then they'd dot up..." Read more

"...You find many twists and turns for the various characters through the book, each one interesting, captivating and leaving you gasping for more as..." Read more

21 customers mention ‘Taste’21 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's descriptions of red velvet cupcakes and old-world department store charm. They find it relatable, fun, and sweet.

"...smell the Revlon and the exotic fragrances, the fluffy and sweet taste of the cupcakes and the softness of the leather handbags...." Read more

"...There were great characters, plenty of laughs, delicious cupcakes, a bit of mystery and plenty of romance in the air...." Read more

"...It sounded like a perfect recipe for a good book - Carrington's a small department store is failing in the recession and the store and it's staff..." Read more

"...I love nothing more than a good cake and everything that was served in the café sounded so delicious and made me crave some cake!..." Read more

17 customers mention ‘Cover art’17 positive0 negative

Customers find the cover art appealing and engaging. They appreciate the department store background and the different characters in the book. The book is described as a vibrant, laugh-out-loud gem that makes readers feel posh.

"Alexandra Brown had me at the word cupcake! From the gorgeous cover to the delicious title, I knew this book was the one for me...." Read more

"I was really excited about reading Cupcakes at Carringtons, the cover art is lovely and the cover blurb enticing so I made sure I was ready to begin..." Read more

"...definitely going to read the rest of the Carrington’s books, she has a lovely, funny and intriguing style to her writing and with ease can make the..." Read more

"...Overall a witty, vibrant, laugh out loud gem of a debut from Alexandra Brown and it doesn't end here!..." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Lightness’8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book lighthearted and enjoyable. They say it's well-written and doesn't take long to finish.

"...Very light hearted and didn't take me long at all to finish it...." Read more

"...with enough plots and sub plots to keep you interested and yet light enough that you don't need to concentrate too hard to keep up...." Read more

"...So glad I 'bought'it: so light, amusing, well written that I loved it and got through it overnight. Recommended for a relaxing read." Read more

"...A great read, light and fun. Takes you into the world of Georgie and a break from your own everyday life, contains a few twists and turns throughout." Read more

19 customers mention ‘Boredom’3 positive16 negative

Customers dislike the book's dull and predictable story. They find it disappointing, with unrealistic explanations and poorly executed ideas. The dialogue seems pointless and shallow, with no real plot.

"...Tedious, pointless dialogue, shallow characters, not much of a plot. It is free though on Kindle." Read more

"...It is not very exciting but is interesting and I liked hearing of the store...." Read more

"Initially a bit boring so was not sure I was going to stick with it, then the storyline improved ...." Read more

"...a little like pulling teeth trying to wade through, what is, a pretty dull story. I believe there are others in this series. I won't be reading them...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 January 2013
    For me it was a pleasure stepping into the world of Georgie Heart. A pleasant twenty-something sales assistant who is in-charge of the handbag section in Carrington's department store.

    Georgie works hard at her job and has earned the respect of her colleagues as one of Carrington's best sales assistants. But not everything is great in her world as she finds herself in debt, struggling to pay her mortgage and the repayments on her store cards. Her love life is not in the best shape either with no sign of a date anytime soon and her distant relationship with her Dad, bringing painful memories from her childhood.

    So it seems her job is the highlight in her life along with her good friend and colleague, Eddie (who loves to fill her in on work gossip) and the adorable Sam who runs the Cupcakes at Carrington's café where Georgie often treats herself to a delicious red velvet cupcake (or perhaps a couple more). And there's James, her handsome boss, whom she's had a sweet-eye on for some time and may also have a thing for her too. But suddenly things take a turn for the worst when everyone at Carrington and Georgie's dream job could be at stake due to a recession.

    Overall sales within the store have not been great for some time which gives the boss at Carrington's, Mr Walter Davenport also known as The Heff, no choice but to make a staff announcement - Carrington's is to be given a make-over and has employed sleazy Business Consultant, Maxine to do the job. Maxine is loathed by everyone from the start with her fake beauty-pageant smile as panic sets in. Georgie and the rest of the staff begin to wonder about the future of their jobs as the formidable Maxine starts to shake things up. Georgie now learns in order to keep her job she needs to up her sales by selling as many handbags and now finds herself in competition with her other colleagues, whom she truly adores or she's out the door.

    Along with Maxine comes Tom, another new employee that's heating things up in Carrington's with his gorgeous looks and toned body and now Georgie doesn't know whether she's coming or going with her job at stake, her feelings for James, new hottie Tom, her increasing debt, having to deal with that dreadful Maxine as her new boss and her fallen relationship with her father!

    First of all choosing a department store as a backdrop for a novel I thought was great because with it brought an interesting cast in different locations within the store. That's exactly what you get here at Carrington's. My first impression of this novel was glamour. Loved the fine merchandise and how it was presented bringing it and everything around it to life. I could smell the Revlon and the exotic fragrances, the fluffy and sweet taste of the cupcakes and the softness of the leather handbags. Alexandra's writing drew me into the store like I was actually there and having short chapters gave the story good pacing.

    Having once worked for a large retailer there were a few things I could relate to. Alexandra captured retail culture well in this book with all the back biting, gossip, manipulation from the Management and all the politics that you get at work, while at the same time has created a wonderful world of cupcakes, laughter, romance and friendship.

    Alexandra Brown's first novel has been a delightful read with a nice bunch of friendly and not so friendly characters adding extra sparkle to the plot which makes it hard to put down (even when you really need too!)

    Christmas at Carrington's will be the second book in this series due for release in November 2013.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 September 2013
    Alexandra Brown had me at the word cupcake! From the gorgeous cover to the delicious title, I knew this book was the one for me. I'm partial to a cupcake or 5 so I was looking forward to finding out what Cupcakes at Carrington's had in store for me.

    Georgie feels like the luckiest girl in the world working at Carrington's Department Store. Not only does she spend her days surrounded by designer bags and other luxury items, her best friend Sam runs Carrington's Café, the perfect place to pop in for a red velvet cupcake. Everything is pretty cushty at work until Maxine is forced upon them like a case of the plague. Maxine's job is to make sure Carrington's can weather the recession storm and she doesn't take ANY prisoners.

    Now not only does Georgie have to fight to keep her job, she has to compete against her boss James, who may or may not be flirting with her of late. And when the gorgeous new employee Tom is thrown into the mix Georgie is struggling to keep her life under control.

    This book was a breath of fresh air from the more 'heavy' books I have been reading lately. Georgie is a likeable main character, she is relatable, kind and a good friend. I also adored Georgie's friends Sam and Eddie! Sam and Georgie have been friends since they were little girls and are still as close as ever. Their friendship felt very real and I could feel how close they were through Alexandra's writing. And Eddie... I need a friend like Eddie! He was the sweetest guy ever and gossip queen of Carrington's - no gossip could get passed his radar.

    Alexandra Brown has come up with the perfect recipe. There were great characters, plenty of laughs, delicious cupcakes, a bit of mystery and plenty of romance in the air. But what made this book extra special was that Alexandra incorporated a serious undertone to the story. Georgie has to deal with some rather serious problems in her personal life that are handled with a lot of tact and understanding.

    I really enjoyed Cupcakes at Carrington's and I cannot wait for the sequel Christmas at Carrington's.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 January 2013
    I was really excited about reading Cupcakes at Carringtons, the cover art is lovely and the cover blurb enticing so I made sure I was ready to begin reading this immediately it was delivered to my Kindle.

    It sounded like a perfect recipe for a good book - Carrington's a small department store is failing in the recession and the store and it's staff (chiefly Georgie in Ladies Accessories) need to downsize staff numbers. How will this impact the store and it's close knit team, who is the mysterious new salesperson Tom and what exactly does the scheming analyst in charge of the restructure have in store.

    I found the book started well but lost it's way a little - there were a lot of characters introduced very quickly, not touched upon for several chapters then they'd dot up again making me have to think hard about who they were then off they'd flit again for ages. The main character does lack proverbial backbone but to be fair does have redeeming qualities. The love triangle at the books core is a little weak and clearly designed to be followed through into subsequent instalments which adds to the overall lack of closure at the end of the book.

    I liked many of the characters and the setting is a great concept but some of the plot lines were over-complicated and under written. I'd give Carringtons another whirl with book 2 but maybe in the Sale this time???

Top reviews from other countries

  • Oasiskid
    3.0 out of 5 stars Okay
    Reviewed in Canada on 7 May 2020
    Read this because I was looking for author similar to Annie Darling. Prefer the characters and storylines in the Bookshop books by Annie Darling.
  • Caroline
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book!!!!
    Reviewed in France on 15 September 2014
    This book is just FANTASTIC! I loved this read from line number 1 but it's getting better and better the more you go into the story. I loved the main character Georgie and her way to handle with the complicated situation she founds herself into and I loved her friendship with her bestfriends Sam and Dannie. I also loved the character of James. I cannot wait to read the 2nd book in the Carrigton serie! Yes this book was excellent! Very good surprise for me! Thank you Alexandra Brown for this little gem!
  • mtra11
    5.0 out of 5 stars delightful read!!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on 23 March 2013
    I love red velvet cupcakes...and so does the lead character..Georgie Hart. What a great first novel for this author !! Most enjoyable story line....and real characters. One can identify with everyday people in life.
    Georgie reminds me a bit of Rebecca in the shopaholic series. ..and I love the British style of writing.
    There are so many fun moments in this book. ..and some very serious ones too.
    I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fun read !!
  • Niki
    4.0 out of 5 stars but all in all it was a nice light read
    Reviewed in Canada on 18 November 2014
    It was a cute book with a fairly predictable chain of events, but all in all it was a nice light read.
  • Anissa Annalise
    4.0 out of 5 stars Such Fun!
    Reviewed in the United States on 26 February 2013
    I used to very much love reading Brit chick-lit & it's been quite a while since I've delved into one. This caught my eye for a few reasons, the Brit chick-lit thing, that its setting is a department store & that I'm looking very much forward to Mr. Selfridge. This is part of my Downton Abbey season gap therapy, so don't judge. I am also happy that this book is the first in a series. I liked all of the characters & really liked Georgie, so I want to see how this all plays out.

    There's the usual retail therapy, brand name flurry & the main character with money troubles but instead of it being staid & boring, Georgie made it fresh. The descriptions of Sam's tea shop made me want to pull up a cupcake & stay a while. The same feel applied to the description of Carrington's. I liked taking a break & "shopping" vicariously as Georgie narrated. She had me at "handbag". I automatically adored Cieran, Sam & Eddie. Tina not only had a bad attitude she had horrendous taste. Her description of what she was having at the wedding was cringeworthy, gave me Kyle/Chardonnay (Footballer's Wives) nuptial flashbacks & I rooted for & then reveled in everything crashing and burning around her. It was great payoff & only second to Camille's epic takedown. Maxine was also perfect in her role as stress-inducing hatchet woman when she swooped down on Carrington's to revitalise & restructure. Kon Malikov was easy to spot as a problem & it only got worse when the necklace entered the picture. And James... ugh. Not worth half the angst Georgie expended on him. I was all-in for Tom from the start. He just struck me as the one for Georgie. Through it all, as Georgie was trying not to but still creeping along making the small mistakes that inevitably would snowball, I cringed & waited but I never stopped caring that she'd make it all okay in the end. Even when she was being a ninny, double-doubting herself & not speaking up when she should, I was never fed up enough not to stick with her. I was willing her to quit the job, get out from the work stress & paranoia & get a decent night's sleep. I liked her & rooted for her all the way.

    This was just the thing I needed to read. A bit of a light-hearted story with pretty things & just enough problems woven in to keep the story fresh but not weigh it down. I was smiling when it was over. I'll be looking forward to the next in the series.

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