The Fall and Rise of Sadie McQueen

Cold Feet meets David Nicholls, with a dash of Jill Mansell

By: Juliet Ashton

Narrated by: Karen Cass

This is a novel about community, love, laughter and healing. Think Cold Feet meets David Nicholls, with a dash of the joy of Jill Mansell added for good measure.

It doesn't look like much from the outside, but Cherry Blossom Mews is a miraculous place. It's somewhere that finds you, rather than the other way around.

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.
Praise for Juliet Ashton's novels:

‘A warming testament to the elasticity and enduring love of true family bonds. I adored this book' Penny Parkes

'Fresh, funny and utterly fabulous’Heat

‘A joy from start to finish. The relationships within the family ring so true. And the twists kept me guessing. A beautiful book’ Laura Kemp

The Fall and Rise of Sadie McQueen

The second book I’ve listened to by Juliet Ashton, but won’t be my last. Overall a good story. I started to lose interest part-way through… it just felt like the story was losing its way a bit, but I’m glad I stuck with it as I ended up very happy with it. Karen Cass is a great narrator, which also helps.

You must fall to rise

I was getting discouraged by the depressing tone of the story, until I took a close look at the title. Sadie needed to fall to rise. So many of the characters needed to, as well. In most ways, this is a tender story of a group of people with tender stories. The best bit, though, is that it is often truly surprising. The plot twists come swiftly and out of nowhere. Now, there’s a thrill!