The Sweetest Thing

Mandelski, Christina. The Sweetest Thing.

Sheridan's father is a great chef who owns a restaurant in a small town, where Sheridan's grandmother runs a bakery. When he gets offered his own cooking show, the family may need to move to New York City, which Sheridan doesn't want to do, in part because she is afraid that the mother who abandoned her years before won't be able to find her. Sheridan is a great cake decorator who works hard in the family business while trying to have her own life at school. She has finally caught the attention of Ethan, and the two date. She's thrilled, but saddened that her best friend, Jack, finds their relationship so offensive. When her father's show starts ramping up, Sheridan tries to find her mother, hoping that she will come home for Sheridan's birthday. As in real life, things don't always work out.

Strengths: Excellent romance and cake book! Really enjoyed this one, as did Older Daughter. We both appreciated that Ethan wasn't a huge jerk; Sheridan just like Jack better in the end. The way the relationship with the mother worked out was a bit of a twist, and the fighting with the father showed how much the characters meant to each other. REALLY looking forward to seeing what this author writes next!

Weaknesses: Nothing major; I'm not getting the appeal of the cooking show since I never have watched any on television (Unless you count Graham Kerr back when I was in third grade at the babysitter's), but many people seem to like them.