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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
This book was interesting. At first I thought it was a work of non-fiction, so I was relieved that in fact her husband did NOT leave her after she lost all the weight. There were things about this book I really liked - her struggles with living after the divorce, her honest tone. I also liked the descriptions of food. I'm not sure that she really was describing healthy food, because the way she describes it sometimes makes it sound waaay too good to be true. The recipes in the back were an interesting touch, but I didn't bother copying them or using any of them. The ending, as people have said, pretty disappointing and abrupt.
This book is terrible.
The plot had some potential, as a cutesy silly little thing.
But the dialogue is painfully unrealistic, and leans heavily on stereotypes.
And, worse, it absolutely did not turn out to be the story of a protagonist growing out of all the internalized fatphobia she’s dealing with in the beginning. She never matures past this; the book ends just as steeped in diet culture as it began.
Don’t waste your time.
The plot had some potential, as a cutesy silly little thing.
But the dialogue is painfully unrealistic, and leans heavily on stereotypes.
And, worse, it absolutely did not turn out to be the story of a protagonist growing out of all the internalized fatphobia she’s dealing with in the beginning. She never matures past this; the book ends just as steeped in diet culture as it began.
Don’t waste your time.
When I picked up this book, I assumed it would be a fun, light read. There was not a lot of depth to the characters, but they were interesting enough to move the story line along. I did enjoy how well Stacey Ballis described Mel's relationship with food and that was not as simple as "I love unhealthy food". I also enjoyed the food memories at the beginning of each chapter, as they added a bit of depth to Mel's character. The recipes in the back of the book are an added bonus and I may try a few of them. The only reason I could not give this book 3 stars is because the ending was so abrupt. The book came to a screeching halt at the end. It would have been nice if perhaps an epilogue was added at the end, perhaps dealing with the characters one year later.
Wow! Knowing that Stacey Ballis is BFF's with Jen Lancaster, I expected a similar style of writing. Far from it and the two can not be compared. (I love you both!)
Now that that is out of the way...I really, really loved this book! I am that fat girl trying to get healthy (again) and though I am confident my marriage will survive my weight loss (I was thin when we first met), the self-reflection and association with food habits was spot on for me! Melanie is an upbeat, positive energy person that inspires those around her. She learns that the past is the past and sometimes it should be left there and not dwelled on.
Good Enough to Eat is refreshing (pun intended) and tackles the obesity issue straight on, yet with a sensitivity to not make it a debilitating disability.
Thank you Stacey! This book is an inspiration to me. Though it is a work of fiction, it's not science fiction! I'm re-energized for my own health journey and can't wait to try the recipes!
Now that that is out of the way...I really, really loved this book! I am that fat girl trying to get healthy (again) and though I am confident my marriage will survive my weight loss (I was thin when we first met), the self-reflection and association with food habits was spot on for me! Melanie is an upbeat, positive energy person that inspires those around her. She learns that the past is the past and sometimes it should be left there and not dwelled on.
Good Enough to Eat is refreshing (pun intended) and tackles the obesity issue straight on, yet with a sensitivity to not make it a debilitating disability.
Thank you Stacey! This book is an inspiration to me. Though it is a work of fiction, it's not science fiction! I'm re-energized for my own health journey and can't wait to try the recipes!
I've said it before and I'll say it again...I have a total girl crush on Stacey Ballis. I love her version of chick-lit: not everything ends up wrapped with a pretty bow as you expect but the her ending is always just as satisfying. This is a great book filled with warmth and a honest approach of a woman learning how to love her new-self. I'd highly recommend.
This book was somewhat perfect for me at this moment in my life... Combination of light read and emotional at times.
Such a feel good read - and lots of recipes in the back, too!
Didn't get this in time to read it for book club, but am enjoying it more than I expected. Finding lots of simiarities in my former really heavy self and the protagonist. Lots.
All in all a disappointment. I was expecting to read a romance/chick lit type book and it was all over the place. The hero in this one (Nate) really sucked. And the heroine (Melanie) wasn't great either. Other reviewers complained about the constant speech making by everyone involved and I have to agree. Real people do not speak like this. Ballis definitely knows her way around a stove though. The recipes that she included sounded awesome and were honestly the only reason why I gave this one 3 stars.
"Good Enough to Eat" follows former lawyer Melanie who is now a gourmet chef. She cooks healthy food after finally dieting and exercising her way to a healthier weight. Now she's dealing with being single after her ex-husband leaves her for her former boss (who is heavier than Melanie used to be). Melanie is trying to figure out how to get her life together due to money issues and comes across a younger woman (Nadia) who she ends up employing and living with who has secrets of her own. Melanie meets a new guy (Nate) who honestly is the type of guy that would write into Reddit's Am I The Asshole (AITA) thread and act as if he did nothing wrong and wonders why women are so emotional.
I initially found Melanie to be pretty interesting, but after a while I got tired of her. I just lost 12 pounds (and counting) and have been exercising about 5 days a week. I somehow have managed to be around normal food and people eating fried things and drinking and have not turned into a self righteous ass. Melanie is obsessed with food and her going on about calories and wanting to eat a vat of mashed potatoes honestly started driving me up the wall. She seems to need a therapist badly and is using her nutritionist, her friends, her sister, and even Nate to be that for her. The character is set up to be constantly second guessing herself. It doesn't help that she looks down upon other people a lot (see Nadia) and I just didn't get why anyone acted like she was this really good friend. I have enemies I am on better terms with.
Nate, the love interest, just sucked. He's an investigator/documentary/director person. Yeah, I am not looking that back up. He starts seeing Melanie and honestly his family sounds better than he is. He's self-absorbed and judgmental as hell. He and Melanie snark on Nadia and her relationship with her boyfriend. They honestly should work romance wise since they are both kind of nasty at times, but Melanie draws the line when Nate does something that directly affects Nadia. I mean not enough to stop seeing his terrible ass though.
I honestly wish that the book had focused more on Nadia. She's more mature than Melanie and doesn't judge people based on outward appearances. Her backstory will break your heart and I wonder if Ballis has ever followed up on her in her subsequent books.
The other secondary characters talk like cliches (see Kai).
The writing could have worked I think if it had focused more on Melanie's weight loss journey and subsequent single life. I think following her post that just didn't work since she has a lot of other issues she needs to work through as well. The recipes starting each chapter (almost I think) were really cool. I liked the memories behind things that Melanie was sharing with readers. I eat certain things and they remind me of my mother (spaghetti, lasagna, beef stroganoff, fried chicken, and cake).
The flow doesn't really work though. I think that Ballis is trying to make the book be about whether Melanie and Nate are ready for the next steps in their relationship, but it's ultimately about Melanie and what she wants next. It doesn't follow a typical romance/chick lit plot with the girl meeting boy, having misunderstanding, and then HEA for the two of them.
The book takes place in Chicago (I believe Ballis's hometown or current hometown at any rate) and I don't get a really good sense of the city like I have in her other works.
The book ends on July 4th, which I guess was symbolically supposed to be about Melanie's independence.
"Good Enough to Eat" follows former lawyer Melanie who is now a gourmet chef. She cooks healthy food after finally dieting and exercising her way to a healthier weight. Now she's dealing with being single after her ex-husband leaves her for her former boss (who is heavier than Melanie used to be). Melanie is trying to figure out how to get her life together due to money issues and comes across a younger woman (Nadia) who she ends up employing and living with who has secrets of her own. Melanie meets a new guy (Nate) who honestly is the type of guy that would write into Reddit's Am I The Asshole (AITA) thread and act as if he did nothing wrong and wonders why women are so emotional.
I initially found Melanie to be pretty interesting, but after a while I got tired of her. I just lost 12 pounds (and counting) and have been exercising about 5 days a week. I somehow have managed to be around normal food and people eating fried things and drinking and have not turned into a self righteous ass. Melanie is obsessed with food and her going on about calories and wanting to eat a vat of mashed potatoes honestly started driving me up the wall. She seems to need a therapist badly and is using her nutritionist, her friends, her sister, and even Nate to be that for her. The character is set up to be constantly second guessing herself. It doesn't help that she looks down upon other people a lot (see Nadia) and I just didn't get why anyone acted like she was this really good friend. I have enemies I am on better terms with.
Nate, the love interest, just sucked. He's an investigator/documentary/director person. Yeah, I am not looking that back up. He starts seeing Melanie and honestly his family sounds better than he is. He's self-absorbed and judgmental as hell. He and Melanie snark on Nadia and her relationship with her boyfriend. They honestly should work romance wise since they are both kind of nasty at times, but Melanie draws the line when Nate does something that directly affects Nadia. I mean not enough to stop seeing his terrible ass though.
I honestly wish that the book had focused more on Nadia. She's more mature than Melanie and doesn't judge people based on outward appearances. Her backstory will break your heart and I wonder if Ballis has ever followed up on her in her subsequent books.
The other secondary characters talk like cliches (see Kai).
The writing could have worked I think if it had focused more on Melanie's weight loss journey and subsequent single life. I think following her post that just didn't work since she has a lot of other issues she needs to work through as well. The recipes starting each chapter (almost I think) were really cool. I liked the memories behind things that Melanie was sharing with readers. I eat certain things and they remind me of my mother (spaghetti, lasagna, beef stroganoff, fried chicken, and cake).
The flow doesn't really work though. I think that Ballis is trying to make the book be about whether Melanie and Nate are ready for the next steps in their relationship, but it's ultimately about Melanie and what she wants next. It doesn't follow a typical romance/chick lit plot with the girl meeting boy, having misunderstanding, and then HEA for the two of them.
The book takes place in Chicago (I believe Ballis's hometown or current hometown at any rate) and I don't get a really good sense of the city like I have in her other works.
The book ends on July 4th, which I guess was symbolically supposed to be about Melanie's independence.
2013 review - I really, really enjoyed this novel. 4.5 stars would be more accurate. Like "Off the Menu", this book revolves around a center theme of food and ends with a collection of recipes.
I found the characters and dialogue to be rich, diverse and realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I read it in one (long) sitting.
2018 review - Just what I needed at the time. The character is turning 40, she has a coming of age/starting over story, and everything turns out well in the end.
I found the characters and dialogue to be rich, diverse and realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I read it in one (long) sitting.
2018 review - Just what I needed at the time. The character is turning 40, she has a coming of age/starting over story, and everything turns out well in the end.