- Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (26 Dec. 2019)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1471168409
- ISBN-13: 978-1471168406
Synopsis
Sadie McQueen has leased a double fronted space in this small cul de sac in a culturally diverse corner of central London. The cobbles muffle the noise of double-deckers roaring past the arched gates. Turn right and you are in a futuristic maze of corporate glass monoliths. Turn left and you see a wide street with many different houses. Towering above the mews are the degenerating tower blocks of an infamous estate. The old folks home and the nearby school are both in need of TLC; the private members’ club that set up shop in a listed Georgian building has been discreetly refurbished at huge expense.
Into this confusion comes Sadie. She fell in love with the street the moment she first twisted her ankle on its cobbles. Her double-fronted unit is now a spa. She has sunk all her money into the lease and refurbishment. She’s sunk all her hope into the carefully designed treatment rooms, the calm white reception space, the bijou flat carved out of the floor above.
Sadie has a mission to connect. To heal herself from tragedy. Sadie has wrapped the mews around her like a warm blanket, after unimaginable loss and unimaginable guilt. Her hard-won peace is threatened, not only by the prospect of the mews going under but by a man aptly named Hero who wakes up her comatose heart.
Sadie has a lot to give, and a lot to learn, not least that some ghosts aren’t ghosts at all.
Review
Cherry Blossom Mews, a quiet haven in the midst of London, a place where Sadie McQueen can heal and start her life again. Her fellow residents all have secrets that bring them together, to a place of safety and community. Sadie sets up her spa Sakura, hires the honest and mouthy Fi, and Cher, sister of the local version of the Kray’s, but there are still ghosts that follow her around. Sadie has the chance to move on, find love, be happy but only if she can forgive her self. The Fall and Rise of Sadie McQueen is a real feel good book about family, community, love and hope.
The eponymous Sadie McQueen is at the heart of this book. Rather than move to London to find fame and fortune, Sadie goes to lose herself, be anonymous, go where no one knows her story so she can build a new life for herself. Sadie’s husband was killed in a car accident, that she blames herself for, three years previously. She has a real battle about moving on and finding love with Hero her neighbour. There is no doubt there is chemistry between them but Sadie feels as if she is cheating on her husband. Sadie comes across many obstacles that everyone faces at sometime in their life and this is what makes her such an endearing character. Her fellow residents in Cherry Blossom Mews are a diverse and interesting group that add colour, humour and drama to the book; Michael runs the bookshop and is facing unrequited love, Hero opens a clinic for those dealing with addiction and is Sadie’s love interest, Mr and Mrs Bob run the cafe with Mrs Bob’s caustic tongue, Amber is Instagram obsessed and runs Yummy Mummy, a cafe and shop and finally Mary and her dog Noel who run the charity shop.
Rather than have chapters that are numbered the plot is divided by the weekly Cherry Blossom Mews Residents Association, that is more about gossip than getting things done. Whilst Sadie may be the main character, the supporting characters all have their own story, their own secrets and surprises along the way. In these personal stories the subjects of addiction, betrayal, death, illness and domestic abuse are all dealt with empathy and understanding. Like Sadie, many of the characters have problems with their family; Hero from his privileged background and broken marriage, Cher and her gangster brothers, and Mary learning about her family betrayal. The real message of this book is that a community can be your family, to support and love you when your own family may have abandoned or betrayed you. After all, you can’t choose your family but you can choose your friends.
The Fall and Rise of Sadie McQueen is heart warming, emotional and uplifting. Sadie’s story isn’t an easy one, and there are a few shocks along the way, but she is a character that you can’t help but love. The mixture of drama, sadness, humour and romance make this a fabulous read and being released on Boxing Day perfect for that after Christmas slump. So, take yourself off to to Cherry Blossom Mews, make new friends and have a fabulous time.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for my advanced copy of The Fall and Rise of Sadie McQueen by Juliet Ashton in return for my honest review.
