Details
Title: The Sweetest Thing
Author: Christina Mandelski
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Publication Year: 2011
Language: English
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Baking, Realistic Fiction, Family
Rating: 6/10
Continuation: No continuation yet.
Pages: 336
Rating: 6/10
Continuation: No continuation yet.
Pages: 336
Summary
Sheridan Wells is obsessed with her cakes - she spends every second she can at the bakery. Unfortunately, her life is far from perfect. Her mother left their family for another man when she was 7 and her father is too wrapped up in his restaurant to notice anything. Sheridan is perfectly convinced that finding her mother will solve all her problems, but her father's potential cooking show throws a wrench in her plans.
Review
Hmm... this book was interesting, because it was a little weird. I mean the premise wasn't exactly revolutionary, but it also isn't something I've ever seen before. I picked this read up solely based on the fact that it was based on cakes. As an avid baker myself, I thoroughly enjoy seeing baking worked into story plot lines, as it's just something I find myself relating to. This book was a really light read - only took me a few hours to finish cover to cover.
⚠[BE WARNED: SPOILERS AHEAD]⚠
As far as chick-lits go, the book does try to touch on some difficult issues, which I do appreciate. Sheridan's father can be frustrating and selfish at times, but that only adds to the realism of the narrative. Instead of being portrayed as the ultimate villainess, Sheridan's mother is just a broken woman flitting about and flaking when things get difficult. Instead of firmly painting each parent in black or white, the writer delicately develops both characters and humanises them by making them multi-dimensional. This can be quite rare, especially where controversial topics are concerned, as the writer is often eager to distance themselves from the negative connotations. Mandelski takes a risk here and it pays off. Personally, I loved the fact that there wasn't a single character portrayed as 100% good or bad (except perhaps Haley blegh! What purpose did she even serve!?).
Sheridan's hot new beau is a bit dumb and obsessed with *ahem* "defacing her temple", but he also seems to genuinely care about her as a person. Instead of taking the easy way out and portraying him as a cheater or a manipulator, Mandelski dares to break the mould. The same applies to Sheridan's friends, trying to be supportive besties, while also speaking up when she's being an absolute idiot.
BREAKING NEWS: Just a fangirl moment - I loved Jake for no reason in particular. I can't explain it, except for the fact that he just seemed like a good dude and the description of those kisses had me dead 😍. Felt like an important detail to share. We now return you to your regular transmission.
Now, here's a few things that bothered me. Throughout the book, Sheridan's character is a little too naive. I understand her need to cling to the past, but at some point, realistically, she would have come to terms with her mother's disappearing act. Instead, she pretty much acts like her mom left yesterday and will be back any second now. It really frustrated me to see Sheridan keep pushing away the people she loved, in hopes that this elusive figure would materialise at some point, 8 years later. Obviously, this plays a key role in the narrative, but it definitely could have been handled better.
Another issue was the fact that the storyline really wasn't developed in any one specific portion. There were several running sub-plots, but nothing was really well-explained or expanded upon. The loose ends really gave the impression that these plot points were a half-hearted attempt at beefing up the word count, instead of elements valuable to the narrative. Some examples would be Sheridan's father's romance with the TV show producer or Sheridan's sudden love story with the hottest stud in school. I was quite disappointed with how little any of these plot points were interconnected - I mean what even was the point of her father's romance, since nothing really came of it!? As I said at the beginning, just plain weird.
Overall, the novel had its good bits and its bad bits, but I didn't mind it much as a palate cleanser. If you're looking for deep introspection or clever plot twists, this book isn't for you. It's exactly what you'd expect and predictable at every turn (Sheridan's mother doesn't magically become a better person. What a surprise! ), but sometimes that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you just need something fun to read to clear your mind, I'd suggest giving this book a shot.
⚠[BE WARNED: SPOILERS AHEAD]⚠
As far as chick-lits go, the book does try to touch on some difficult issues, which I do appreciate. Sheridan's father can be frustrating and selfish at times, but that only adds to the realism of the narrative. Instead of being portrayed as the ultimate villainess, Sheridan's mother is just a broken woman flitting about and flaking when things get difficult. Instead of firmly painting each parent in black or white, the writer delicately develops both characters and humanises them by making them multi-dimensional. This can be quite rare, especially where controversial topics are concerned, as the writer is often eager to distance themselves from the negative connotations. Mandelski takes a risk here and it pays off. Personally, I loved the fact that there wasn't a single character portrayed as 100% good or bad (except perhaps Haley blegh! What purpose did she even serve!?).
Sheridan's hot new beau is a bit dumb and obsessed with *ahem* "defacing her temple", but he also seems to genuinely care about her as a person. Instead of taking the easy way out and portraying him as a cheater or a manipulator, Mandelski dares to break the mould. The same applies to Sheridan's friends, trying to be supportive besties, while also speaking up when she's being an absolute idiot.
BREAKING NEWS: Just a fangirl moment - I loved Jake for no reason in particular. I can't explain it, except for the fact that he just seemed like a good dude and the description of those kisses had me dead 😍. Felt like an important detail to share. We now return you to your regular transmission.
Now, here's a few things that bothered me. Throughout the book, Sheridan's character is a little too naive. I understand her need to cling to the past, but at some point, realistically, she would have come to terms with her mother's disappearing act. Instead, she pretty much acts like her mom left yesterday and will be back any second now. It really frustrated me to see Sheridan keep pushing away the people she loved, in hopes that this elusive figure would materialise at some point, 8 years later. Obviously, this plays a key role in the narrative, but it definitely could have been handled better.
Another issue was the fact that the storyline really wasn't developed in any one specific portion. There were several running sub-plots, but nothing was really well-explained or expanded upon. The loose ends really gave the impression that these plot points were a half-hearted attempt at beefing up the word count, instead of elements valuable to the narrative. Some examples would be Sheridan's father's romance with the TV show producer or Sheridan's sudden love story with the hottest stud in school. I was quite disappointed with how little any of these plot points were interconnected - I mean what even was the point of her father's romance, since nothing really came of it!? As I said at the beginning, just plain weird.
Overall, the novel had its good bits and its bad bits, but I didn't mind it much as a palate cleanser. If you're looking for deep introspection or clever plot twists, this book isn't for you. It's exactly what you'd expect and predictable at every turn (Sheridan's mother doesn't magically become a better person. What a surprise! ), but sometimes that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you just need something fun to read to clear your mind, I'd suggest giving this book a shot.
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