Jenny Oliver Books in Order (Updated 2026-02-27)

Jenny Oliver writes warm, contemporary romance and feel-good fiction, plus a small YA strand.

Her catalogue is split between two numbered series and a set of standalone novels, so the only time “order” really matters is when you’re inside those series.

Read this first

If you want the cleanest on-ramp, pick The Parisian Christmas Bake Off (2013) for a seasonal standalone, or start Cherry Pie Island at Book 1 if you prefer shorter, linked stories with recurring faces.

How the books connect

• Cherry Pie Island: linked novellas set in the same place; best in order for returning characters and running jokes.
• Chelsea High: YA duology; best in order for relationship progression and callbacks.
• All other novels: designed to work as standalones (no required sequence).
• Omnibus/anthology editions: separate lane; not required for any storyline.

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Cherry Pie Island (Series) – Publication order

1. The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe (2015): A fresh start on Cherry Pie Island turns into a community project, introducing the setting and the circle of people the later stories keep revisiting.
2. The Vintage Ice Cream Van (2015): A summer plan built around an ice-cream van becomes a moving meet-cute, widening the island’s cast and tying new romance to old ties.
3. The Great Allotment Proposal (2015): A plot built on secrets and good intentions escalates fast, using the allotment community to push a relationship toward a public, point-of-no-return moment.
4. One Summer Night at the Ritz (2015): A single glamorous evening shakes up assumptions, turning flirtation into consequences that ripple through the island group.
5. Four Weddings and a White Christmas (2015): Multiple celebrations force overdue honesty, giving the series its most “all together now” payoff and a festive sense of closure.

Note on reading: Each installment can be enjoyed alone, but reading 1-5 in order makes the returning characters land better.

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Chelsea High (YA Series) – Publication order

1. Chelsea High (2020): A new school year resets reputations and alliances, establishing the social map the duology keeps testing.
2. Forever Summer (2021): Summer pressure turns small dramas into lasting choices, completing the relationship and friendship arcs seeded in Book 1.

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Standalone novels – Publication order

1. The Parisian Christmas Bake Off (2013): A Paris baking competition becomes the arena for reinvention, where ambition and attraction collide under festive scrutiny.
2. The Vintage Summer Wedding (2014): A wedding setup triggers romantic chaos and practical headaches, with the “big day” forcing decisions that can’t be postponed.
3. The Little Christmas Kitchen (2014): A cozy holiday project pulls strangers into close quarters, turning shared work into a romance that depends on trust arriving quickly.
4. The Sunshine and Biscotti Club (2016): A Tuscany escape turns into a friendship-and-love reset, where the real change comes from staying put long enough to be honest.
5. The Summerhouse by the Sea (2017): A coastal summerhouse becomes a pressure cooker for personal reinvention, as old habits clash with the possibility of new love.
6. The House We Called Home (2018): A return to a meaningful place drags the past into the present, making romance inseparable from family memory and unfinished business.
7. The Summer We Ran Away (2020): A flight-from-everything summer forces two lives into proximity, turning escape into the moment accountability finally shows up.
8. One Lucky Summer (2021): A sunlit opportunity looks like a gift until it demands change, pushing the heroine to choose between comfort and the life she actually wants.

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Omnibus editions and collaborations – Separate lane

These are collections (often multi-author) and don’t affect the reading order of Jenny Oliver’s solo novels or series.

• Love at Christmas, Actually (2015): A festive bundle that includes Jenny Oliver’s seasonal story alongside other authors, meant for holiday sampling rather than continuity.
• The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2015): A Christmas collection (with another author) built for mood reading, not for tracking characters across books.

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A few reading routes that work

Route 1: “Give me the most ‘series’ feel.”
Read Cherry Pie Island (Books 1-5), then switch to Chelsea High (Books 1-2).

Route 2: “I only want full-length standalones.”
Start with The Parisian Christmas Bake Off (2013), then continue through the standalone list in publication order.

Route 3: “I’m here for holiday comfort.”
Read The Parisian Christmas Bake Off (2013) → The Little Christmas Kitchen (2014) → then try the omnibus editions if you want extra festive shorts.

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FAQs

Do I have to read Jenny Oliver in order?
Only if you’re reading Cherry Pie Island or Chelsea High. The rest are standalones.

Is there a chronological order different from publication order?
Not in a way that meaningfully changes the experience, because the non-series novels aren’t built on a shared timeline.

What’s the safest single-book starter?
If you want one and done, choose The Parisian Christmas Bake Off (2013). If you want a linked set, start with The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe (2015).

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Bottom line

For maximum continuity, follow the series lists in order. For everything else, pick any standalone by premise, Jenny Oliver’s novels are structured so you won’t be “lost” if you jump in wherever you like.