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kdurham2's review
5.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
A combo of You've Got Mail and Father of the Bride with a fantastic baking twist - and be warned once you start this book, you won't want to put it down til the last page!
Sophie is left at the altar in the first chapter and not only does she lose her groom, she also loses her way in her career and ends up back at her grandmother's home to regroup and find a new direction. Through an interesting meeting she becomes a wedding advice person via email and gets back into the business in her hometown bakery.
A combo of You've Got Mail and Father of the Bride with a fantastic baking twist - and be warned once you start this book, you won't want to put it down til the last page!
Sophie is left at the altar in the first chapter and not only does she lose her groom, she also loses her way in her career and ends up back at her grandmother's home to regroup and find a new direction. Through an interesting meeting she becomes a wedding advice person via email and gets back into the business in her hometown bakery.
amibunk's review
3.0
3.5 stars
There were lots of things I liked about this novel: the characters had some heft and were very entertaining, the writing was decent, and the plot had some good pacing to it (with the exception of the first two chapters.) So it was an enjoyable summer read and I'm glad I read it.
However. HOWEVER, there were just some things that irritated me to no end. First, the main character Sophie, despite being multifaceted, never had any real character development. After her hastily described rock bottom moments in the first chapters of the book, her growth remained fairly stagnant. Yes, her circumstances changed but not through her growth and development. And while I liked this character's pluck and determination, I wanted to shake her just a little bit.
Another thing that got on my nerves was the CONSTANT mentioning of food. I get it's a foodie kind of a book, and I love that stuff. And I truly appreciated that it seemed like the author knew her food, but man, there was so much of it in this novel. In the very first chapter the description of the wedding food goes on for PAGES. It was so out of balance compared to the time devoted to characters or action. All of which made the first two chapters feel like a huge information dump given to the reader to get them to where the author truly wanted to start the story of how Sophie pulls herself up by her bootstraps and takes back her life.
Finally, the side plot of friend Jean's romance with Hanna was underwhelming. It either needed more fleshing out like the side plot of Bubble's secret relationship or it just needed to be scrapped altogether. Sadly, it was just this weird blip in the overall plot that did more to make Sophie and Ruth seem like small jerks than it added to the comic relief.
So at the end, I am left with a book that I genuinely enjoyed, but one that I find easier to criticize than praise.
There were lots of things I liked about this novel: the characters had some heft and were very entertaining, the writing was decent, and the plot had some good pacing to it (with the exception of the first two chapters.) So it was an enjoyable summer read and I'm glad I read it.
However. HOWEVER, there were just some things that irritated me to no end. First, the main character Sophie, despite being multifaceted, never had any real character development. After her hastily described rock bottom moments in the first chapters of the book, her growth remained fairly stagnant. Yes, her circumstances changed but not through her growth and development. And while I liked this character's pluck and determination, I wanted to shake her just a little bit.
Another thing that got on my nerves was the CONSTANT mentioning of food. I get it's a foodie kind of a book, and I love that stuff. And I truly appreciated that it seemed like the author knew her food, but man, there was so much of it in this novel. In the very first chapter the description of the wedding food goes on for PAGES. It was so out of balance compared to the time devoted to characters or action. All of which made the first two chapters feel like a huge information dump given to the reader to get them to where the author truly wanted to start the story of how Sophie pulls herself up by her bootstraps and takes back her life.
Finally, the side plot of friend Jean's romance with Hanna was underwhelming. It either needed more fleshing out like the side plot of Bubble's secret relationship or it just needed to be scrapped altogether. Sadly, it was just this weird blip in the overall plot that did more to make Sophie and Ruth seem like small jerks than it added to the comic relief.
So at the end, I am left with a book that I genuinely enjoyed, but one that I find easier to criticize than praise.
doublearegee's review
3.0
3.5 stars. A nice retelling of Shop Around the Corner, but that did make it a little predictable.
zarco_j's review
4.0
If I'm honest my initial reaction was negative towards this, but I'm happy to say I enjoyed it more than expected. I thought the ending felt a little rushed though.
samalvarez823's review
5.0
What can I say, I've loved her writing style since "Inappropriate Men" came out! Easy to read, awesome and very likable characters that, are completely relatable. "Bubbles" is hilarious and makes me envious for a grandmother of her caliber. Love it!!
jayfr's review
4.0
If I'm honest my initial reaction was negative towards this, but I'm happy to say I enjoyed it more than expected. I thought the ending felt a little rushed though.
cservat129's review
5.0
This is my favorite book so far this Spring! I loved Sophie! The cast of characters were great, especially Bubbles, Sophie's 80 something grandmother, what a lively and fun lady, I would love to have a relative like Bubbles. Sophie's hippy parents were great as well, their support of Sophie's situation was so endearing to me. I would have to say that to me this book was more like the Judy Garland movie, In The Good Ole Summertime, which just happens to be one of my all time favorite movies, I am a big fan of old movies. I enjoyed the old-fashioned feel of this book, the neighborhood bakery that Sophie helps to bring back to life, the old Chicago neighborhood, I felt like I was there with Sophie, that's how good the description of the setting is. Herman, the bakery owner is another favorite of mine, what a sweetheart!
Grab a cookie or a pastry and enjoy!This review was originally posted on
Grab a cookie or a pastry and enjoy!This review was originally posted on
hillarysbookhaul's review
4.0
Do not read this book hungry!!! But in all honesty I really enjoyed this book the author is a great writer and it was a real page turner!!! The descriptions of the deserts and food in this book made me so hungry! The author was kind enough to give recipes at the end of the book which I love!! The twist at the end almost made me cry! Loved it!! really want a sequel!!
girlinacardigan's review
4.0
https://jenninsf.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/wedding-girl-by-stacey-ballis/