Semi-Sweet: A Novel of Love and Cupcakes
From the bestselling Irish author Roisin Meaney, comes a novel about a cupcake shop owner searching for love after her boyfriend leaves her for another woman.
Hannah Robinson, is just about to open the doors to her new shop Cupcakes on the Corner when out of the blue her boyfriend Patrick announces that he's leaving her for another woman. Faced with starting a business on her own, Hannah begins to wonder if her life-long dream has just turned into a nightmare.
So her best friend Adam sets his birthday as a deadline - seven months to make her shop a success, or walk away from it all. And as Hannah immerses herself in early-morning icing, she soon discovers that she's too busy to think about Patrick and his now pregnant girlfriend ...or to notice an increasingly regular customer who has recently developed a sweet tooth for all things cupcake.
But while Hannah is slowly piecing her life back together, family friend Alice's is falling apart. Her husband Tom's drinking is getting out of control and things are about to get a whole lot worse. As the seven-month milestone approaches, Hannah must decide her future. And while she's figuring out what's really important, it becomes clear to everyone that happiness in life, and in love, is all in the making.
The first edition of SEMI-SWEET was published in Ireland in February 2010 and spent five weeks in the Top 5 on the Irish Bestseller list. Roisin Meaney is the author of six books and is a consistent bestseller in Ireland. The Last Week of May and The People Next Door went to #1 and #2, respectively. Heralded as the new "Maeve Binchy," Meaney has received high acclaim in the Irish press.
Roisin Meaney was born in Listowel, Co Kerry, Ireland. She has lived in the US, Canada, Africa, and Europe. In 2002, Roisin won the Tivoli Write a Bestseller competition with her first novel, The Daisy Picker, which was subsequently followed by Putting Out Stars. Roisin is currently based in Limerick. SEMI-SWEET is her sixth book.
My Review
I read this book last weekend and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Set in modern Ireland, this is a very upbeat love story with interesting characters and a good plot line. There are several other smaller stories taking place that feed into the major plot and it works together nicely.
Roisin Meaney did a good job writing an adult romance that wasn't overly graphic in description. The situations seem real and not contrived like so many other romance novels. I would definitely read another of her works as well as recommend it to my readers.
Also, beware that as you are reading this novel, you will find yourself craving cupcakes. I did and ended up making 3 recipes of them. Don't worry though, they went to the local fire department fund raiser and I ate only a couple!
Okay, I am from the deep south, Mississippi as it happens, and I tend to be a little bit harder on these type books because so many of them are too exaggerated and seem cartoonish in their characterizations. I have to give Mr. Childress credit, he got it just right in my opinion. I literally could not lay this one down. It was what I dreamed about last night after I finished at 1 a.m. There is so much good in this book. I love the time it was set in (early 1970's) during integration and Watergate. It is a coming of age story about 17 year old Daniel Musgrove who is transplanted into Mississippi from Indiana. It had incredible conflicts, and was dark without being negative. There are issues the author addresses such as inter-racial relationships, bullying, and Daniel's crisis of conscience. I thought it made the people of the South seem real and true to life especially since Daniel considers himself a "Yankee" and the story is told from his point of view. It has conflict and humor and it is one of the most enjoyable reads I have had in quite awhile. Be aware that there is some rough language and some explicit descriptions, but overall I loved the book and will be reading it again!
