Picture drawn by Maggie Stiefvater, 2009. Header made by S.F. Robertson, 2010.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Fresh New Voice of YA- The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski


The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski
"In the world of Sheridan Wells, life is perfect when she’s decorating a cake. Unfortunately, everything else is a complete mess: her mom ran off years ago, her dad is more interested in his restaurant, and the idea of a boyfriend is laughable.

But Sheridan is convinced finding her mom will solve all her problems—only her dad’s about to get a cooking show in New York, which means her dream of a perfect family will be dashed."- summary from Amazon

This was such a fun, compelling read. I loved the cake decorating angle, though it did make me REALLY want cakes whenever I would pick up the book, lol. Mandelski has written a wonderful debut filled with memorable characters, a realistic town setting, and a fascinating plot that mixes regular teen issues with the more rare issue of being in a reality show.

Sheridan was a great main character who is really realistic and flawed. Mandelski also changed some things up that I really enjoyed. There were a couple characters and situations that could have been total cliches, but I felt that she did a good job making them not so much of a cliche.

Overall, this is a great read and I think that fans of Sarah Dessen would really enjoy it. It's a great summer read.

FTC: Received hardcover from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

4 comments:

  1. One of my favorite aspects of this novel was the town. And I agree, Mandelski did a great job of avoiding stereotypes. Great review!

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  2. Aw, this book sounds like a fun read! I'll definitely keep it in mind come summer. (I can totally imagine it making me want to eat cake, too!)

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  3. Cakes featuring heavily AND recommended to Sarah Dessen fans - wow, right up my street! Great review, thanks.

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  4. Oh! I so want this one! I'm glad you liked it over all.

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