The Late Bloomers' Club: A Novel Paperback – July 23, 2019

This is another stellar story by Ms. Miller. I love her writing style, which is very immersive. Her books remind me of Trisha Ashley, only set in Vermont rather than England. Nora is one of the late-bloomers, the owner of the Miss Guthrie diner. When she and her sister Kit inherit a neighbor's property, it sets off fireworks in the small town. Should they sell to a big box corporation or try to maintain the acreage for the sake of the town? Nora is under a lot of pressure, and her attraction to Elliot, the representative from the big box store, doesn't help.So now I've devoured her books in two days, and I will patiently wait for another from this very gifted author.

Small town life + quirky characters + sister drama + light romance + missing dog + financial trouble = cozy delightA delightful novel about two headstrong sisters, a small town’s efforts to do right by the community, and the power of a lost dog to summon true loveNora, the owner of the Miss Guthrie Diner, is perfectly happy serving up apple cider donuts, coffee, and eggs-any-way-you-like-em to her regulars, and she takes great pleasure in knowing exactly what’s “the usual.” But her life is soon shaken when she discovers she and her free-spirited, younger sister Kit stand to inherit the home and land of the town’s beloved cake lady, Peggy Johnson.Kit, an aspiring–and broke–filmmaker thinks her problems are solved when she and Nora find out Peggy was in the process of selling the land to a big-box developer before her death. The people of Guthrie are divided–some want the opportunities the development will bring, while others are staunchly against any change–and they aren’t afraid to leave their opinions with their tips.Time is running out, and the sisters need to make a decision soon. But Nora isn’t quite ready to let go of the land, complete with a charming farmhouse, an ancient apple orchard and the clues to a secret life that no one knew Peggy had. Troubled by the conflicting needs of the town, and confused by her growing feelings towards Elliot, the big-box developer’s rep, Nora throws herself into solving the one problem that everyone in town can agree on–finding Peggy’s missing dog, Freckles.When a disaster strikes the diner, the community of Guthrie bands together to help her, and Nora discovers that doing the right thing doesn’t always mean giving up your dreams.

The Late Bloomers' Club is a story of family, devotion, fulfillment, and love. Anyone who has ever put their family first and set aside their own passions to care for those they love will resonate with Nora. Anyone who "ran away" and was "lucky enough" to pursue their dream will resonate with Kit. But honestly, it doesn't matter if you'll resonate with either one of them because you'll love the town and family of Guthrie, VT.This story never lags and even to the very end had me gasping, smiling, crying, and rejoicing. I was so happy to see Livvy make an appearance in the book but equally happy that she was just part of the town color, so even if you haven't read Louise's first book (The City Baker's Guide to Country Living) you won't be confused in the slightest.I can hardly wait to see was Louise Miller comes out with next, and while I'll happily read anything set anywhere, I do truly hope there is more of Guthrie in my future.

If you make the burnt sugar syrup and let it cool before adding it to the cake, why in the world would you be using the mixer while you were making the syrup? Seems to be a fatal flaw in the fire business. Especially since it was emphatically stated never to leave the syrup while cooking.I had enjoyed the book, but you lost me with this plot twist. Stunned to read the author was a chef.

This was a lovely read. A small town with plenty of charm and quirks, and characters to match. Nora and her younger sister inherit land and a house from Peggy, an elderly neighbour. Nora runs the town’s diner, which was her father’s dream and not hers, while Kit is the take-off-to-find-her-dreams younger sister who only appears when she wants something from Nora. The inheritance could solve a lot of problems financially but the only buyer is a big store which will mean huge changes for the town if the sale goes ahead.One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was that the decisions weren’t all black and white, some of the town’s folk are in favour of the store, which was a pleasant fictional surprise. Running through the story is the hunt for Freckles, the lost dog who belonged to Peggy and who ran off after the accident that killed Peggy. The other theme is that of cakes and baking as Peggy was known as the cake lady.Another of the enjoyable aspects of the story is that Nora at 42 is slightly older than the usual main characters in what some might call a romance. The inheritance finally gives Nora the opportunity to figure out how she wants to spend the rest of her life, and who with.The only negative comment I have is that I loathed Kit. She was totally selfish in her attitude towards Nora and what she expects from her sister without ever giving anything back except trouble. She flits in and out of Nora’s life always leaving a mess to clear up. I know there needs to be opposition in books, but Kit never redeems herself. There is an opportunity towards the end but she doesn’t take it and as usual it is left for the people around her to apologize. I guess if anything my annoyance with her character shows how much I became involved in the story. A great read.

I'm not sure anyone could be as patient and understanding as Nora, and her sister drove me nuts with her selfishness...but the Huckleberry sisters lives are entertaining. This is just the sort of relaxing read I adore. The action certainly kept my attention, and I'll read any books Louise Miller decides to write. It would be lovely to live in a town like Guthrie. There are lots of characters, but none were superfluous and all were quite interesting. Delightful!