Book Review: Too Many Cooks

by: Dana Bate

A debut novel, how fun! I just liked the look of the story, and couldn't wait to give it a go.

I loved it. The main character is quirky and not quite sure what to do with herself. Kelly kind of fell into ghostwriting cookbooks, and has the perfect boyfriend...too perfect. When her mother dies and leaves her a letter about shaking up her life, and she gets a call from a movie star who wants her to ghostwrite a cookbook for her in London, she decides to go for it. How bad can it be, right?

The movie star is insane. And crazy she can handle. Her parents are pretty much out there, but this level of crazy would make anyone wonder what they had been thinking!

The lady has been a star too long and has no sense of reality anymore. She's in a loveless marriage, and Kelly develops a crush on the husband. That was not the romance I was expecting. I couldn't help cringing and hoping she wouldn't go there. But there is another possible match. So I am rooting for Henry, the young man she met through a mutual friend.

It's not surprise that Kelly really wonders what she is doing there. She absolutely loves cooking and she is great at it. Why is she writing cookbooks for other people?

What on earth will she do if she walks away from this.

Poor Kelly feels trapped.

Well written chick lit. Some romance, but this is about Kelly's journey.

Book Review: The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs

by: Dana Bate

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
Hannah Sugarman seems to have it all. She works for an influential think tank in Washington, D.C., lives in a swanky apartment with her high-achieving boyfriend, and is poised for an academic career just like her parents. The only problem is that Hannah doesn’t want any of it. What she wants is much simpler: to cook.

When her relationship collapses, Hannah seizes the chance to do what she’s always loved and launches an underground supper club out of her new landlord’s town house. Though her delicious dishes become the talk of the town, her secret venture is highly problematic, given that it is not, technically speaking, legal. She also conveniently forgets to tell her landlord she has been using his place while he is out of town.

On top of that, Hannah faces various romantic prospects that leave her guessing and confused, parents who don’t support cooking as a career, and her own fears of taking a risk and charting her own path. A charming romantic comedy, The Girls’ Guide to Love and Supper Clubs is a story about finding yourself, fulfilling your dreams, and falling in love along the way.

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This book really touched me. It starts out with Hannah kind of having a dream life. She has a boyfriend who is doing well, she has a job that her family approves of. But it's not really perfect. He's kind of an ass and throws her out and she honestly hates her job. She loves to cook, that's where her passion lies.

So when she finds her perfect apartment, her friend starts pressuring her to hold a supper club. It's an illegal and secret dinner. I was hooked. I'd love to do something like that! But with 2 kids and a ratty old trailer, I'll have to live through Hannah for right now.

It's a good sign when you are cringing at all the bad choices a character makes but you still can't put it down. I read this book months ago, the cover caught me. I had some free time and library books but this cover just screamed "read me!" It really was a great chick-lit story. Romantic comedy? Fun, definitely fun!