Book Review: There's Cake in My Future

By Melissa Amster


What better way to end a year than to read a book about what could happen in the future. And Kim Gruenenfelder's latest novel really takes the "cake." All attempts at wittiness aside, I really had fun reading this novel.

"There's Cake in My Future" is about how Nicole, who is about to get married, rigs the charms in her cake at her bridal shower so that her friends pick the ones that will be significant for their future happiness. However, a mistake is made with the positioning of the cake and everyone gets charms that weren't intended for them. This especially puts things in a tailspin for Nic and her two best friends, Mel and Seema, when the symbolism in the charms proves to be true for their other friends. Soon they are navigating through uncertainties in their love lives and it leads to unexpected results.

This is my first experience reading one of Ms. Gruenenfelder's novels, and now that I have, I want to read her others. I really liked the distinct personalities she gave to each of her main characters. She kept me on my toes, wondering what was going to happen for them and hoping things would work out for the best. They were each sympathetic and easy to relate to in their own ways. The dialogue was smart, humorous and realistic. The supporting characters were easy to visualize and they added even more substance to the story. She even tossed in pop culture references, which I will never complain about. And having a main character named Melissa scores her some major bonus points, as well. The whole story had the feel of "Friends" combined with "Sex and the City."

Although the ending felt a little vague, I really liked everything about this story and could easily see her doing more with all three of the main characters in a future novel, should she choose to write one. Shall we say "There are more novels in Ms. Gruenenfelder's future?" In the meantime, I have been recommending this novel to my friends and want to recommend it to anyone in the mood for some good chick lit and entertainment.