About the Book
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.
Title: The Fall and Rise of Sadie McQueen
Author: Juliet Ashton
Published By: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: 26th December 2019
Our Review
I really feel as though I've become part of the neighbourhood of Cherry Blossom Mews, it is the sort of place that I imagine would feel like a warm hug as soon as you set foot in it. Cherry Blossom Mews is where Sadie McQueen escaped to when her life went so disastrously wrong.
Feeling full of guilt and self doubt she set up home there and opened up a beauty salon in the premises below her flat. Every chapter begins with an email invitation for the Residents meeting for Cherry Blossom Mews.
The neighbours are such an eclectic bunch, some would say misfits, each with their own personal problems and individual charm. They may not get on with each other all the time but they are completely protective of each other when push comes to shove.
The characters' stories were full of unexpected twists and turns and shocking revelations which managed to tug on every emotion and I can honestly say I didn't see any of them coming.
The writing flows gracefully at a relaxed pace and I felt was incredibly poetic. The general feel of the book was one of warmth, cosiness, love and friendship.
Addiction was a very strong theme throughout the book and brought up some very raw moments but was dealt with sensitively.
Sadie McQueen has had a tough battle to face but with the characters from Cherry Blossom Mews helping her fight her corner, you just know she will get there in the end because they leave no one behind.
This book faces hard issues but has an uplifting finish and all the love, warmth and humour of Juliet's previous book The Sunday Lunch Club.
Sincerely
Book Angel x
About the Author
I enjoy writing almost as much as I love reading. Books are constant friends; no fall-outs about borrowed shoes, no lusting after the same man. The books I write are about love in all its colours. Romantic love, of course - it makes the world go round, after all - but also family love, the way we feel about our friends and children and colleagues and the woman we see every day on the bus but never say 'hello' to.
There's no end of inspiration. Most authors are baffled by that commonly asked question, "Where do you get your ideas from?" The answer is simple: YOU. People are inspiring, with all their niggling faults and shimmering virtues. The tangles we get ourselves into, and the ludicrous ways we attempt to untangle ourselves, are a never ending source of material. In fact, most authors daren't use too much real life in their books because it would sound too much like fiction.
I've just remembered that this is supposed to be a biog, so here's some info about me. I live just outside London with my daughter, Niamh, who's 12, and my husband, Matthew, who's considerably older than that. The house hums with creativity, as I scribble downstairs and Matthew composes music for theatre and TV upstairs. We have two dogs, one of whom is wildly energetic, one of whom was born an old lady and prefers to sleep all day.
Hmm, what else? I'm Irish, but you wouldn't know that from my accent. I can't sing. My favourite crisp flavour is Roast Chicken, but I reserve the right to change that at short notice.
I hope you enjoy my books. They are the way I speak to the world.
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