The Saturday Place By Alice Peterson

‘The Saturday Place’ is the latest book by Alice Peterson.

Holly’s husband died, and she’s lonely. She needs to do something to save herself, quickly. Next thing she knows she’s interviewing for a voluntary cooking job, surprised to be ambushed by a scruffy man who looks like he has a past. Angus has messed up. He’s lost the respect of his family and has none for himself. If it weren’t for his brother and friend who run the café, he’d be sleeping on the streets. Angus is about ready to give up – until he meets Holly, who sparks something in him. Then Lauren arrives from the homeless shelter. She came to London with nothing but an old train ticket, a teddy bear, and the clothes on her back. With no family, no home, no friends, she doesn’t know what love is. People scare her. She’s terrified of Angus and Holly. At first. Each of them finds themselves in the Saturday café at a time when they need something to grab hold of. It might have to be each other…

Alice is back with another heartfelt book that’s brimming with friendship, love and hope. In ‘The Saturday Place’ we meet 3 strangers, all who have lost their place but have found a new sense of belonging in Soul Food. a cafe that opens every Saturday providing food for the homeless. Seen solely from the narrative Holly, who’s dealing with the loss of her best friend and soulmate Jamie, she finds solace in cooking as well as helping others and forms a close bond with Angus, a man struggling with addiction and a timid, teenage girl called Lauren who’s find it hard to be around others. All 3 people are going through hard times but their pain is helping each other get through it all.

I love books by Alice, they’re emotional rollercoasters dealing with hard issues sensitively and in ‘The Saturday Place’, it’s grief, addiction and homelessness, something that everyone will face at some point in their lives. The characters are a lovely bunch and I particularly Lauren, she’s only 19 but has experienced so much in that short time from abusive parents, homelessness and mental health. Initially, she’s quiet and keeps to herself but it’s so lovely with the support of Holly and Angus, we see her blossom and grow in confidence as the book progresses. It’s also so lovely how the trio are there for each other, not only with their fitness group but for the hard times and they don’t pass judgement on each other’s situations.

Beautifully written and focusing on hard issues, ‘The Saturday Place’ is filled with warmth, heart and kindness and is an uplifting and aspirational story that tugs at the heart and lifts the spirits.

You can buy ‘The Saturday Place’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.