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| Book cover via Amazon.com |
Opinion
I want to thank Kimberly Stuart for her team of helpers. They contacted me about reading this book in exchange for an honest review, and I’m so grateful for it, and they sent me a complimentary copy of the book so that I could review it and the e-copy for all of its glory. As many of you who read my reviews will know, I am fair and honest, and I like to look at more than just the story, I also want to see how it looks on a digital reader.
In this part of the review, I’m going to talk about the things I found in the first impressions. Right off the bat, I didn’t want to stop reading the story once I started it. That says a lot about me. I didn’t have any compulsion to stop and take notes as I went, but I did force myself to. I was so at ease with the story that it was comfortable to me, and I began to read it like I would any book that is in my “comfortable reading” pile. I immediately fell in love with the MC in the story. Oh my gosh. I haven’t considered what my life would be like without children and marriage, but I feel like I’d be as cool as this character. I want to think that at least. Charlie is amazing. I think the initial setup was beautiful and I loved how the initial issues with her came together so well. I need more hooks like this; it’s not just the first words or sentences; it’s about the whole package of the first 5% of a story that makes me happy. I think also she is right, no more perfect smell exists than a perfectly executed chocolate cake. This book got me in my mind, heart, and stomach. I love foodie books with great plots and the art of the meal involved.
Let’s go into some critiques, and the first I’m going to go into is from the “Story Structure, Foundation, and Presentation” portion of my scoring. My initial critique here is one I’ve talked about a few times in previous reviews, and that is the use of indenting words in blocks or paragraphs. Now, let me preface this, the indenting I’m talking about is used for flashbacks in this case or phone calls. The issue is though when a writer is going to use it for longer pieces than a few words or even one paragraph, it bends the reader's eye on an e-device, and it hurts after awhile. Thankfully this was used sparingly, so it didn’t cause any problems that made it painful to read. It’s something I’m noting because I know a lot of the readers who follow my reviews do care about the e-copy and the eye strain that can happen.
For this part of the review, I want to go into what I truly enjoyed about “Sugar.” Honestly, it’s like this book was written for all the various things I love in books and television are. I find reality TV guilty pleasure, and even more so if it’s about cooking. However, I also enjoy reading about well plotted out romance that falls in sync and isn’t pretentious. The love between the MC and the love interest falls so well together, and it’s almost perfect. I love that there is real tension, true stakes to the things going on in both peoples lives and that families are involved.
I truly enjoyed the story arch and how it worked for the story the MC goes through. One thing that’s very appreciated is that she’s realistic and that she has a different way of looking at things. She doesn’t have anything I found frustrating, or unreliable too. I also love the secondary characters. The married couple who is tied to this story reminds me of my husband and me at times. I love how they act together, and I love the way the family works. It’s fun to read them all working together and all of the family like things
Let’s talk about the e-reader copy again, and the good things about it. Aside from the earlier critique about the paragraph and spacing, I am pleased to inform you all that the margins and font changes make for a comfortable read. You will have no problem what setting you put this book on with your Kindle, and your eye strain aside from the previous critique should be at a minimal. The spot check on the novel was outstanding, and the punctuation, presentation and other aspects were done well. I have to thank whoever did the e-copy for “Sugar” because they put in a lot of work. There is meticulous detail work that is designed to make this a good read for anyone who prefers a digital experience. Well done to whomever you are, I hope you read this review and know I appreciate you.
Next, let’s go into the romantic tension of the story. It’s done well. I love when a romance novel has bits of “will they or won’t they” in a believable setting. I didn’t feel anything was contrived, and I felt the arc’s between the primary love interest was done well. There are times the MC is a bit abrupt with how she behaves, but given the well done back story as to why she does what she does, I found this to be just fine. I have zero problems with how the romance worked out, and frankly, if I were on a reality show but trying to have a life, I could see a lot of stuff blowing up around me inadvertently. It’s all very logically presented to the emotional mind, and I loved that about the book.
Another thing I loved was the behind the scenes aspect of the television part of the story. I’ve watched a lot of reality TV, mainly when it first was a thing on MTV. So much so my kids love to watch “Cake Boss” still, even though it’s an older show. While I know much of reality TV is scripted, the parts of the story that goes into that aspect of it had a core of realism. It’s incredible how much of that nonsense scripted reality is represented well in parts of this book. I truly enjoyed how much some of it made my skin crawl with rage over the situations the characters were put in all for the sake of potential viewers. I also really loved that the main character was able to see the forest through the trees in some parts of it. That’s realism. There are people on this planet that aren’t interested in fame; they want to do something they are good at. I relate to this so very much.
I truly loved the settings and the storytelling among the actual world around the story. To clarify, I’ve not seen Seattle in such a good light since “Frasier” was on the air because the show took the viewer to Seattle and gave them the experience of it. I've never been to Seattle, but I feel as though I know it better thanks to "Sugar" and what Kimberly wrote about it. The bits with the line cooking and the busy kitchen made me smile as well. Regardless of place, the book took the aspects of a place and made them shine through the words. New York was another place that was presented well. I got the impression that all places were fully fleshed out to where they should be to add to the realism of the story.
Lastly, the food. Oh, the food! I want the compendium recipe book that has to come later to this story, because there was a variety of food mentioned from bacon cupcakes to a hot chocolate shot that sounds fantastic, to this tart recipe that I need to figure out at some point. Look, I’m not a glutton or anything, but the idea of well-made food for the occasional dessert sounds fantastic. I love that the main character had issues with certain cooking implements, and preferred to bake to precise specifications. This indeed is a foodie book.
Score
With all of this in mind, the score for “Sugar” gets a sweet 91/100 which is a five-star review on Goodreads and Amazon.com. I want to thank Kimberly Stuart’s team for including me in reading this fantastic book. I enjoyed it. This also is going in the “Mrs. Y Recommends” Pile because I’m very sure I’m going to read “Sugar” many times during my days.
If you are looking for something sweet, funny, serious but a cute romance, this is your book! Pick it up on Amazon.
