The importance of 5 stars…

Synopsis

Lavender Cottage, Yorkshire’s finest B&B, is owner Janet Jackson’s pride and joy. Now, after a year of running it and coming out alive, she’s set her heart on becoming a Superhost. For that Janet will need a bloomin great tsunami of 5 star reviews- despite the many obstacles that stand in her way.

Number one, of course, is the guests themselves. Their strange requests, habits and lasting damage to her garden, the cottage and her sanity, are a non- stop challenge.

Add in the piles of laundry, sleepless nights, scary spreadsheets, sneaky neighbours, and sex with no strings . . . and her goal seems far away. 

Yet despite an endless run of dramas, and thanks to her passion for hospitality and home baking, Janet may find she is just a Lemon Drizzle cake or two away from a 5-star life.

My review

Janet Jackson worked hard in the past year to make a success of her B&B, Lavender Cottage. But in order to become what is called a ‘Superhost”, she must gain a lot of 5 – star reviews.
But not all the guests are that easily pleased, as they all have their own kind of strange requests and habits.
And it’s not only the guests Janet is struggling with, but also her own private life is causing her more than one stressed moment.
Nevertheless, despite all the anxiety Janet is facing, Superhost is the goal she wants to achieve. But will she realize that dream of hers?

After reading the first book of the series, I was so sure that running a B&B would be absolutely nothing for me. To deal with all the stress, the drama, no way José! 😊
And after finishing this book, I am only even more convinced that I will never ever ever run a B&B, not for all the money in the world!

Of course I was happy to discover that Janet managed to survive a year with her Lavender Cottage. And of course I wanted her to achieve the status of Superhost. But at the same time, I also knew this wouldn’t be a walk in the park. Not only because guests can be truly annoying, difficult and demanding, but also because Janet doesn’t only has to worry about the B&B, as her personal life is not that easy too…

I was happy to see how Janet has become more assertive in this book, even if it’s clear that she isn’t there completely yet.
There are still moments where I wanted her to truly speak out her mind and not let people just walk over her. Obviously, easier said than done!

There is also the whole new dynamics at Janet’s home, especially as her sister Mitzi is all into renovating the attic for her own, and is ever more into otherworldly things. I have to admit, it was a bit difficult to me completely understand what Mitzi was up to, but that is purely on me, as Mitzi’s world is so far away from my own! 😊

Janet struggles in this book to keep all the balls in the air, but it was also sweet to see how she rely on the support of her daughter Chloe, Mitzi and even some new appearances in this book. It was great to see how people want Janet to be successful in her B&B.
But I have to say, the struggles are of such a wide range, from a personal level, with also irritating neighbours, to obnoxious guests, I don’t know which one is the worst.

Nevertheless, even those struggles put a smile on my face, perhaps the evil kind of smile? 😊 Because let’s be honest, isn’t it funny to see how much can go wrong in someone else’s life?
But it was also funny to see how in a way Karma found a way in a hilarious way!

This book made me perhaps more resolute to never have a B&B on my own, but that didn’t take away the pleasure I had reading Janet’s continuing tale. It was great to see how Janet continues to mature, how she is even able to find new directions with her business. And all of this, while surrounded by the most supporting people around her!