Double Feature Review: Something sweet

By Melissa Amster

The Matchbaker by Jerrica Knight-Catania

Ingredients

1C Chaos
1Tbsp Romance
3Tsp Betrayal
2C Comedy
1Pinch Magic

Candace Cooper is living the life she set out to live. With a posh apartment in Manhattan, a high-powered job that takes her all over the world, and designer clothes that most women would kill to have in their closet, she's definitely living the high life. But when her But when her best friend drags her to a seedy section of Paris to meet with a crack-pot fortune teller, she hears things she doesn't want to hear. She desperately tries to ignore the unsolicited advice, but that becomes nearly impossible when her perfect life starts to unravel. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

The Matchbaker is a light and entertaining novel that fans of Sophie Kinsella and Juliet Madison will especially enjoy. It has all the factors that make up a great chick lit story: career, romance, fashion, humor, friendship and, of course, cupcakes! The cupcakes were almost their own character, as they sounded delicious. (There are recipes at the end of the story, should you wish to try them yourself.) Just have a suspension of disbelief when you read this story because it's not entirely based on reality. Especially since the ending ties up a little too neatly, as a result. Overall, it's a cute story that I'd recommend to all our readers and I hope Jerrica Knight-Catania will take another foray into the chick lit world again soon!

Of course, I have a movie cast picked out:
Candace: Lacey Chabert
Holly (Candace's sister): Anna Camp
Colin: Stephen Amell
Joe: Jared Padalecki

Thanks to Jerrica Knight-Catania for the book in exchange for an honest review.

There's More to Life Than Cupcakes by Poppy Dolan

Ellie Redford has a husband, a job and a home. According to the rest of the world, it’s baby o’clock already. Shame life doesn’t come with a recipe…

Ellie knows that starting a family with lovely husband Pete would be an amazing adventure. Pete would make a brilliant dad and she’d have an excuse to eat shed loads of Cherry Bakewell. But Ellie’s bestie would rather she was up at three a.m. with a bottle of Malibu, not formula. And with redundancies looming, Ellie’s boss isn’t exactly going to throw her a shower if she disappears for a year, with pay.

While Ellie juggles her feelings (and everyone else’s) as competently as a drunken clown, she finds herself signing up for a baking class, alongside the young, free and sizzling hot Joe. As they work buns and shape tarts, is there more to their friendship than a shared appreciation of Paul Hollywood?

Ellie’s soufflés may be rising, but her personal life is one big soggy mess. If she doesn't make a decision soon, she may just lose everything that matters to her. Maybe it's time to take off the pinny and face up to the truth: there’s more to life than cupcakes... (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

There's More to Life than Cupcakes also has a lot of important chick lit elements: career, romance, friendship, food and blogging. I liked the questions this novel raises in terms of whether a woman should or shouldn't have children and all the expectations that are placed on women when they reach a certain age. I definitely felt frustrated for Ellie when she was dealing with all the different pressures in her life and trying to decide what was best for her own needs. I liked how she used a blog to sort through her thoughts. Had this blog actually existed, I would have been following it and commenting often. While this was a conflict running through the story, it went along its merry way for the most part and didn't really climax until close to the end. I had no idea it would take such a long story to get across the main message. However, it stayed afloat and didn't drag, thanks to fun dialogue and humorous misunderstandings. I just wish there had been a glossary at the end to decipher all the British slang and pop culture references. Overall, it is an enjoyable novel for an easy read at this busy time of year. Just make sure you read it on a full stomach or you'll find yourself noshing on treats after reading about all the baked goods. And while I can easily visualize the characters, I don't have any casting ideas in mind, but maybe some new actors could make their debut if this became a movie.

Thanks to Novelicious Books for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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