The Seafront Tea Rooms

4.5 stars.

The Seafront Tearoom by Vanessa Greene is a charming novel of friendship, love and new beginnings. A heartwarming story featuring a unique storyline and a delightfully appealing cast of characters that I recommend to readers of contemporary women's fiction.

Set in the small seaside town of Scarborough, a local tearoom brings together three very different women who unexpectedly form a close friendship. Local Kat Murray is a single mom who is friends with the owner of The Seafront Tearoom, Letty Hill. A position as an au pair brings Frenchwoman Séraphine Moreau to the small town while it is her love of pastries takes her to the town's best kept secret. Charlie Harrison's visit the charming town coincides with her latest writing show more assignment featuring Britain's best tearooms. When a family emergency leaves her short of time to visit and review a variety of tearooms in the vicinity, Charlie enlists Kat and Séraphine to help her make the deadline for the articles. As three women bond over their love of tea, they become a support system for one another as they traverse through a few difficult times in their lives.

Charlie's visit in Scarborough to meet her new niece is fraught with tension. Her relationship with her sister Pippa has been strained for quite some time and just as she about to depart, Charlie discovers Pippa's perfect life is falling apart. Although she is on the verge of achieving a coveted promotion at work, Charlie volunteers to stay and help Pippa through this difficult time. While trying to balance work and family, Charlie enters into a relationship with Letty's son Euan, but can their fledling romance survive once she returns to London?

Kat is struggling to make ends meet so she eagerly accepts Charlie's job offer. The temporary job coincides with her son's impromptu trip to Scotland to visit his father and grandparents so she has plenty of time to devote to visiting tearooms and writing the reviews. Her relationship with her ex is tenuous and the situation between them deteriorates further after he makes a shocking announcement. A surprise romance brightens her life but a stunning revelation threatens a cherished friendship.

Séraphine eagerly accepts the au pair position in an attempt to temporarily escape from a difficult situation at home. Not wanting to upset her family, she is torn about what to do about an unexpected romance so she hoping a little distance will give her a new perspective about the relationship. Her first few weeks with her young charge Zoe are just the distraction she needs, but Séraphine is soon frustrated by her inability to connect with Zoe. Her new friendship with Kat and Charlie gives her the courage to follow her heart but Séraphine still worries about her family's reaction to her news.

The Seafront Tearoom by Vanessa Greene is a light-hearted, entertaining novel that touches on a few serious issues without angst or drama. The storyline is true to life and the characters are beautifully developed with realistic problems to overcome. The friendship between Charlie, Kat and Séraphine is quite touching and easily withstands the difficulties they each encounter in their respective lives. A few unexpected plot twists keep the story moving at a brisk pace and the novel's conclusion is heartfelt and satisfying. A lovely novel that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend. show less

A feel-good story for grey winter days. Four women solve their problems (and others'!) and bring meaning into their lives through the power of friendship. Love-stories included, of course, a whole bunch of them.Yes, it was pretty clear from the beginning who will end up with whom and what life-altering changes would be made, characters were pretty black&white with shallow arcs and not much conflict (especially throughout the various romance arcs) and the dialogue was stiff and expository, but the scenery was pretty and the characters were, if nothing else, at least charming.

Just why is it always the women who turn their lives upside down and question everything they ever believed in for the love of a man, and never the other way around?

Sweet, well written story with very likable characters.

Kat is a single mom.
Seraphine is a French au pair.
Charlie is a journalist whose job is very important to her.

Charlie decides to write an article about teahouses/tea rooms. She also decides to visit her sister while writing the article. Her sister is a stay-at-Home mom that doesn't see eye to eye with Charlie. She implies that Charle's fiancée left because she was too absorbed with work.
When some drama starts in her sister's life, Charlie decides to stay longer with her while writing the article.

She makes friends with Kat who is a regular at a tearoom and Seraphine who is new to the area.
They set out together to find and review places for Charlie's article.

They make become friends show more and confidants and talk about relationships.
I like that each character had to confront the drama of their situation or their ex. A lot of books just explain why the ex is awful and they're not a character. I felt like there was sympathy/empathy here and it showed both kindness and resolution. show less

Vanessa Greene has written many books that feature tea including, The Vintage Teacup Club and Tuesdays at the Teacup Club. Tea is a warm, comforting, relaxing, and rejuvenating pleasure just like her latest book, The Seafront Tearoom. Which centers around a quaint little cafe called The Seafront Tearoom. The Seafront Tearoom is a hush-hush little jewel that the town of Scarborough likes to keep hidden from tourists, lest it ruin their little hideaway.

This book centers around three friends who are each at a crossroad in their life. Kat, who is a single mother, is trying to find a job. Seraphine has moved from France to be an au pair and is struggling to connect to her charge. Charlie is career driven but is struggling to overcome a show more betrayal of her past and rekindle a connection to her family. The Seafront Tearoom is the backdrop where they forge a friendship over tea and scones that will help them find the strength to make hard choices and move forward in their lives.

The Seafront Tearoom is the perfect book to curl up on you couch with during these cold months. It's warm theme of friendship and the talk of tea left me warm and fuzzy. And at times even a little hungry--the ladies do their fair share of baking delicious treats to go with their afternoon tea. It also has made me crave homemade strawberry jam. Anybody want to send some my way? The story was a little predictable at times, but it's still an enjoyable read. The characters have a quality to them that make them seem real. Overall, this is an enjoyable story. It's the first book I've read by Vanessa Greene, and I'd love to read another.

Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2015/12/review-seafront-tearoom.html#AszMctcDLB... show less

The Seafront Tearoom by Vanessa Greene is a British novel about friendship. The Seafront Tearoom is owned by Letty. It has been in her family for over a hundred years. It is a local gathering spot in Scarborough and the people that know about it like to keep it quiet (and so does the owner). Kat Murray is twenty-six and lives nearby with her son, Leo. She was living with Jake but they are better off apart. Jake is now trying to set up a new business in Scotland. Kat is having trouble making ends meet and is looking for a job. Seraphine Moreau is twenty-three and just got her teaching certification. She wants to teach English to teens in France. She has decided to visit England to improve her conversational English. She will be staying show more with Adam and acting as his au pair. Seraphine has a secret that she has not told anyone and she is not sure she will be able to share it. Charlotte “Charlie” Harrison is a writer and features editor with Indulge magazine. She has decided to write an article (actually a spread) on tearooms. She will visit her sister and her new baby while she is in the area.

These three women meet and The Seafront Tearoom. Charlie wants to feature the tea shop in her article, but Kat asks her to reconsider. Kat and Seraphine offer to help Charlie with her article by finding other tea shops for her to write about. The three set out on their adventure indulging in tea, sandwiches, and sweet treats. They will become fast friends who can discuss anything with each other. They help each other discover what they want out of life professionally and personally as well as help each other out during the good and bad times.

I give The Seafront Tearoom 3.75 out of 5 stars. The Seafront Tearoom has romance, friendship, break ups, secrets, and more. There are a lot of descriptions of British desserts with unusual names (it is interesting how different countries call the same item different names) and enough tea to fill a giant lake. The books pace slowed down in the second half, and I felt the story could have ended much sooner (went on too long). There was a nice twist that I liked and a lovely ending (these types of books always have a good ending). If you are looking for a light, fluffy book to read, then you will enjoy The Seafront Tearoom. If you are looking for a novel with depth, then skip it.

I received a complimentary copy of The Seafront Tearoom from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

This book grabbed me by the title and the cover! I love the beach and afternoon tea. Good character development.I liked all the characters except Jake. I enjoyed the concept of tea room menus and reviews and the travels the ladies took. My mouth was watering at the tea tray food and pastries.I enjoyed this lighthearted story.
I have a tea room abt 4 miles from my home and we go abt 2 times a year for afternoon tea. It is a lovely,relaxing way to spend an afternoon. No fast food here.

THE SEAFRONT TEAROOM is a cozy, comfy, sweet read.

Tea, cakes, love, and friendship are all a part of THE SEAFRONT TEAROOM.

We meet three women who start out as strangers and bond over tea, tea rooms, and personal situations.

Charlie works for a magazine that is currently reviewing tea rooms in Scarborough, England. Kat is a single mom who is a tea connoisseur and has a talent for writing. Seraphine is an au pair from France who helps with the tea room reviews.

I fell in love with the idea of visiting quaint, out-of-the-way tea rooms and meeting the owners.

​ Ms. Greene's descriptions of the characters as well as the surroundings pulled me in and had me wanting to open a tea room and spend time with these characters. :)

THE SEAFRONT show more TEAROOM is filled with wonderful characters you would want to be friends with and tea room locations you will want to visit.

THE SEAFRONT TEAROOM is as inviting as the cover.

Read and enjoy!! 5/5

This book was given to me without compensation and free of charge in return for an honest review.​ show less