A Second Bite at the Apple
by Dana Bate
Sydney Strauss is obsessed with food. Not with eating it--though she does that too--but with writing about the wonders of the gastronomic world, from obscure fruit hybrids to organic farming techniques. Since food journalism jobs are more coveted than Cronuts®, Sydney pays her bills working for one of TV's biggest egomaniacs--until she's left scrambling for shifts at a local farmers' market.
Stacking muffins for the Wild Yeast Bakery isn't going to win her any James Beard awards. But soon Sydney is writing the market's weekly newsletter, and her quirky stories gain attention from a prominent food columnist. After years of putting her love life into deep freeze, she's even dating again. And then Sydney gets a shot at the story, one that could either make her career or burn it to a crisp--along with her relationship and her reputation.
Stacking muffins for the Wild Yeast Bakery isn't going to win her any James Beard awards. But soon Sydney is writing the market's weekly newsletter, and her quirky stories gain attention from a prominent food columnist. After years of putting her love life into deep freeze, she's even dating again. And then Sydney gets a shot at the story, one that could either make her career or burn it to a crisp--along with her relationship and her reputation.
My review.............4 stars
This one was a fun read, especially after my last two books (which I was not overly enthusiastic about). We start out at a network morning show, then move into farmers markets, then delve into writing food blogs. Throw in some family dynamics involving an upcoming wedding for her sister, a new love interest with a questionable past, and a big break destined to create all kinds of havoc for all kinds of people. I was laughing out loud several times (most notable was the scene at the Kennedy Center fountain), and then shaking my head knowing things were not going to go well. It had a great mix of characters, and the main characters were well written. Even though I was annoyed with some of them at times, it was written so that you understood why they did what they did. I didn't dislike any of the characters, they stayed true to themselves.
I thought the ending was a bit rushed, but other than that, I really enjoyed this one. It also gets kudos for the cute cover (I'm such a sucker for a cute cover)! I received an advance copy of this book through netgalley, but the release day is today. Go ahead and pick this one up. It's a light read, and even has recipes at the end!
I saw this one but didn't end up requesting it. Definitely sounds like I missed a fun read! I'll have to look for this next time I'm at the bookstore!
It was good. Kind of a little bit of everything, so it kept the story moving along nicely.
Sounds like a fun reading! Love that cover too. Happy Thanksgiving! xo Kristy
Thank you Kristy! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
This does sound good despite the rushed ending..I hate when that happens. I would rather have another 50 pages or so.
Ohh fun, blogs and markets! Two things I know a lot about and love. This sounds like a really good read and I love that it made you laugh out loud. Recipes are a nice bonus too.
It was a really fun read. It's been written up on some of the blogs by UK people under a different name (Second Stall....something, can't remember). I know it's common to have different covers, but to have a different name in the UK and US? Strange. Good book nonetheless.