Three women who barely know each other start a weekly coffee-shop meet-up with one rule: no judgement. Uplifting British women’s fiction about female friendship, the versions of ourselves we perform, and what happens when the truth finally gets a seat at the table.
Three women. One café table. And the secrets they never meant to share.
Audrey pretends she’s fine. Maggie never lets her mask slip. And Gem? She’s spent years trying to forget who she used to be.
But when a PTA mishap leaves them feeling unprepared and exposed, a small moment of connection turns into something more: a weekly meet-up in the Pink Coffee Shop.
No rules. No judgment. Just coffee, honesty, and the terrifying chance to be real.
But secrets don’t stay buried forever. And the closer their friendship grows, the harder it becomes to outrun the past.
Because you can’t begin again until you’re ready to face the truth.
The Secrets of the Coffee Club is the third standalone novel in The Next Chapter Collection. It’s a heartfelt story of identity, friendship, and the quiet courage it takes to be truly seen.
Praise for the Secrets of the Coffee Club:
★★★★★ “Characters as compelling as before but this one even more gripping.”
★★★★★ “Love Ellie’s style of writing―emotional, honest, and uplifting.”
★★★★★ “A reminder of the importance of great friends and the quiet strength it takes to start again.”
★★★★★ “The third in the series and they just keep getting better. I loved this book and can't wait for the next one!”
★★★★★ “Lovely afternoon reading with my favourite author… couldn’t put this gem down.”
★★★★★ “Loved this as my summer reading – characters as compelling as before but this one even more gripping.”
★★★★★ “Whoop whoop another Ellie special.”
★★★★★ “Another winner in the series.”
★★★★★ “I’ve read all three and loved them all.”
Ellie Barker is a television journalist, author and host of The Next Chapter podcast. Ellie started as a runner in TV just like Rosie in The Pink Coffee Shop. Does the camera really lie? With more than 25 years in the industry, Ellie knows. When she's not being dazzled by those TV lights, Ellie writes contemporary romance novels or Fiction Therapy as she calls it.The Pink Coffee Shop, The Juggle and The Secrets of the Coffee Club are all set in the fictitious Cherry Blossom Park in Bristol―the city where Ellie lives with her journalist husband, sons and dog, Cookie. Her latest novel Do We Really Have to Do This? is the first in a new series set in the fictitious Strawberry Village, also in Bristol, with the next one due in 2024. When Ellie's not holding a microphone or collecting socks, she loves to write warm, uplifting fiction with lots of love and hope. All her books feature a therapist (hence the Fiction Therapy) based on her lifelong fascination with mental health. And be warned: after years of reporting on some of the not-so-fair parts of life, only happy endings are allowed.
Ellie would love to hear from you on her website―where you can read the real-life story behind her books.
