Book Review & Giveaway: Sweet Nothings

By Melissa Amster

**Giveaway is now closed**

Ever since I read Something New by Janis Thomas last fall, I was eagerly awaiting her sophomore novel, Sweet Nothings. It was definitely worth the wait!

Life’s sweetest moments happen when you least expect them...

When Ruby McMillan’s husband announces one morning that he’s dumping her for another woman, she’s unable to decide which indignity stings the most: the dissolution of their eighteen-year marriage or the deflation of her white-chocolate soufflé with raspberry Grand Marnier sauce. Without a good-bye to their two teenaged children, Walter leaves Ruby to cope with her ruined dessert, an unpaid mortgage, and her failing bakery.

With only royal icing holding her together, Ruby still manages to pick herself up and move on, subsidizing her income with an extra job as a baking instructor, getting a "my-husband’s-gone” makeover, and even flirting with her gorgeous mortgage broker, Jacob Salt. For as long as she can remember, Ruby has done what’s practical, eschewing far-fetched dreams and true love in favor of stability. But suddenly single again at the age of 44, she’s beginning to discover that life is most delicious when you stop following a recipe and just live. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

When I get stressed out, I usually want to curl up in bed with a good book and avoid all my responsibilities. When Ruby gets stressed out, she comes up with a new recipe and calls it a “stressipe.” While I am nowhere near as creative as that, I found the idea very clever and wanted to try some of the recipes she came up with, if only she gave more details. (I can’t just throw ingredients together and expect a masterpiece!) This was just one aspect (out of many) of the story, that had me laughing and grinning. Janis Thomas created a lovable and genuine character to whom I could easily relate, even if I had never been in her shoes. The fun and entertaining secondary characters, each with their own quirks, along with the snappy dialogue kept this story flowing from page one to the very end. Her descriptions made the story feel like a movie in my head, as I could easily visualize characters and places throughout.

The only thing that didn’t work for me was the way Ruby’s assistant, Marcy, talked. I got that she was quirky, but even when she mellowed out a bit, she still talked that way. I just found it weird and somewhat annoying. However, that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story and Marcy was more of a background role than some of the other secondary characters, like Ruby’s hilarious best friend, Izzy, who tells it like it is.

I had a lot of fun reading Sweet Nothings and almost forgot it was a book sometimes. I felt like I was chatting with a close girlfriend while reading it. The cute cover also drew me in, as I couldn’t resist the festive look and the bright colors.

Of course, I had to work my movie casting magic with this novel, in hopes that a Hollywood big shot is reading my review and looking for ideas. (You never know!)

Ruby: Tina Fey
Izzy: Justina Machado
Jacob: Simon Baker
Walter: Jon Favreau
Marcy: Mae Whitman
Ruby's mother: Julie Andrews (there's a reason for this...)
Cheryl: Gwyneth Paltrow (she’s never actually seen in the book, but if there were pictures around, she’d be the one portraying her)

Thanks to Penguin (Berkley) for the book in exchange for an honest review. They have TWO copies for some lucky readers in the US!

How to win:
Since Ruby was a skilled cake decorator, tell us how she should decorate a cake for your next birthday.

One entry per person.

Please include your e-mail address or another way to reach you if you win. Entries without contact information will NOT be counted.

US only. Giveaway ends August 18th at midnight EST.

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