How to Eat a Cupcake

I love cupcakes.  It's not that I'm overly trendy, I actually love just about any dessert, but there's something pretty and petite, simplistic and easy-to eat about cupcakes.  The picture at left is a Cookies and Cream Cupcake I made last year for some coworkers (using this recipe) and I figured talking a bit about my culinary passions would make a nice tie in to a book review of Meg Donohue's debut novel How to Eat a Cupcake
Annie and Julia were born into opposite stations in life - Annie to an Ecuadorian immigrant and Julia to a rich prep-school family - but as nanny to Julia, Annie's mother raised them both and as children they were practically sisters. High school antics drove them apart and after Annie's mother died, the two girls went their separate ways: Annie to pursue independent culinary dreams and Julia to business school.

As grown woman, the two cross paths again and though Annie is reluctant to place any trust in her old friend, Julia's wealth and business savvy hold the keys to making Annie's dream of owning her own cupcake shop a reality. Entering into a an uneasy partnership, the two find that their past of hurt, betrayals, and buried secrets soon surfaces. Annie and Julia must decide if they can overcome their differences amidst a new barrage of business challenges and threats to their shop and possibly even find their childhood friendship rekindled along the way.

Meg Donohue cooks up a winning recipe of friendship, and family, blended with puzzling mysteries in this heartwarming novel. The title How to Eat a Cupcake refers to the different styles each character has of consuming pastries perfectly and though Annie and Julia are as different as chocolate mocha and vanilla bean, each is a delightful heroine in the novel. Reminiscent of the works of Sarah Addison Allen, this was a book that brings descriptions to life in tastes and smells along with sights and sounds, and if there's anything bad I have to say about this novel it's that it will certainly leave readers hungry for a home-baked treat!
Are you a cupcake fan?  Is there a home-baked dessert you prefer?  (I'm thinking of trying out these tasty looking sweets for Valentine's Day!)  If you're not much of a culinary creator, do you like reading books about people who are?

An advance review copy of this book was provided by LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.  This review represents my honest and unbiased opinions about this work.  How To Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue will be released on March 13, 2012.

5 Response to "How to Eat a Cupcake"

  1. Ellen aka Ellie says:
    February 1, 2012 at 4:32 PM

    Do you own this book? May I borrow it?

    Aurora library doesn't own it...

    :(

  2. sonia says:
    February 1, 2012 at 6:32 PM

    I love to bake and lately I've been obsessed with a Nutella pie I concocted but cupcakes are pretty high on my list, too. I just found out about Marian Keyes' new memoir, Saved by Cake. Can't wait until it's released here!

  3. Amy says:
    February 1, 2012 at 8:17 PM

    This sounds wonderful! I'm adding this to my list.

  4. lisa :) says:
    February 2, 2012 at 10:07 AM

    Ellen - I meant to mark this as an advance review! It's not going to be released until March 12!

    sonia - Nutella pie sounds delicious! I found a recipe a while back for Nutella cupcakes but I have not tried them yet!

    Amy - It will be released next month! Hope you enjoy it!

  5. lisa :) says:
    February 2, 2012 at 10:10 AM

    (Make that March 13th, and I just edited my post to include that info!)

Post a Comment

I love reading, I love blogging, and I love comments! Please feel free to chime in on any post new or old, or if you have any overall feedback or something to say about this blog in general I'd love to hear that too! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and have a wonderful day!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.