Marie Dunwoody has all the trappings of the successful modern woman: a lovely husband, three wonderful children, a detached house and a professional career. Except, she can’t bake for toffee. Her cupcakes are crap. Her meringues are all runny, her sponges flat, her biscuits rock-hard. But that’s precisely why Waitrose was invented, right? But Marie can’t ignore the disappointed looks from her family any more, or continue to be shamed by neighbour and nemesis, Lucy Gray. Lucy, ever the domestic goddess, whips up perfect profiteroles and luscious layer cakes with one hand, while ironing her bed sheets with the other. Marie’s had enough: this is the year she kicks baking butt. And she’s not alone for long: husband Robert has clocked that his boss can be swayed by a good shortbread or two and so takes up the pinny and roling pin himself, seeing as serious redundancies are on the horizon. Twins Rose and Iris are happy to eat all the half-baked mistakes that come their way as things heat up in the kitchen, but big brother Angus is more distant than usual, as if something is troubling him. And there is no one more nosey than nine-year-old girls… With family life as jumbled as a Rocky Road slice, will Marie banish her baking demons? Can Robert save the wobbling souffle that is his career? And is there more to Lucy’s sugar-coated life than meets the eye? This is a laugh-out loud novel, perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan and Allison Pearson. *** This is a work of fiction, in no way endorsed by Mary Berry, and where neither Mary Berry herself nor her recipes feature. ***