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Free-spirited Annie Quintana and sophisticated Julia St. Clair come from two different worlds. Yet, as the daughter of the St. Clairs' housekeeper, Annie grew up in Julia's San Francisco mansion and they forged a bond that only two little girls oblivious to class differences could—until a life-altering betrayal destroyed their friendship.
A decade later, Annie bakes to fill the void left in her heart by her mother's death, and a painful secret jeopardizes Julia's engagement to the man she loves. A chance reunion prompts the unlikely duo to open a cupcakery, but when a mysterious saboteur opens up old wounds, they must finally face the truth about their past or risk losing everything.
How to Eat a Cupcake is told from both of the perspectives of Julia and Annie, old high school friends who parted ways after a mishap their senior year. Sometimes, this literary technique of multiple perspectives can go wrong, but in How to Eat a Cupcake it flows perfectly. Each character has such a distinct voice: Julia distant and troubled, Annie hilarious and sometimes sad, but always sassy. As we have been taught, there are two sides to every story and I like that Donohue chose to let us see both of these POV's come together, from their awkward reunion, to clashing flashbacks and current mutual understandings.
Annie and Julia are unlikely friends from the beginning and only by forgiving and understanding each other can they remain so. They come together to start a cupcakery and the descriptions of the shop and the sweets were so detailed that I longed for a cupcake ASAP!
Throughout How to Eat a Cupcake, several mysteries begin to unfold: one from their shared past and destruction of their friendship in their high school years, one involving Annie's mom and her missing recipe book and another that threatens their burgeoning business and possibly their lives.
A couple of love interests float in and out and in again, but this book is not a romance. The real relationship being dissected in detail in How to Eat a Cupcake is the bond between friends and the trust and understanding needed to put a broken friendship back together again.
Donohue has put together a perfect cupcake of a novel. The story has many levels: sweet, tart, spicy and mellow. What a great treat to curl up and pass the time with!
17 out of 21 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.KrittersRamblings
Posted April 1, 2012
Are you looking for a book that is centered around friendship and will take you on a journey with two friends who are reconnecting? This book would be the one to pick up and read and pass onto a friend.
The book hops between both main characters points of view with ease - Julia is the organized, behind the counter, saleswoman who is trying to find out what her future should look like and Annie has always felt left out, but can bake like the dickens! (Yes, I used dickens in a review!) They are friends from the past, but history and drama has separated them. Although this book had some predictability to it, the overall story and writing were superb, so I didn't mind that I knew where it was headed.
A sweet (in more ways than one) book that friends of all ages can enjoy.
12 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 24, 2012
So much better than I expected. I loved the writing style with the different perspectives. I craved cupcakes when I was done!
8 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Annie Quintana and Julia St. Clair as a different as night is to day. Separated by ten years, the two find themselves brought together once again. Julia St. Clair is ambitious, sophisticated and is very wealthy. The only daughter of the St. Clair family, she is in the planning process of her wedding to Wesley, a Southern businessman but is hiding a secret she must tell him before she marries. Julia finds herself with time on her hands now that she has quit her job to move back home to San Francisco to begin planning her wedding with her mother, Lolly.
Annie Quintana has been used to taking the back seat in life, especially when it comes to Julia or the St. Clair family. Annie's mother Lucia was the housekeeper for the St. Clair's and also became a close personal friend to Lolly during the time she worked there. Annie grew up with Julia since they lived in a small apartment on the St. Clair estate and was provided for by the St. Clair family. Attending the same schools as Julia since they were both only children. It made sense for them to be friends. Lucia died in the kitchen after having a brain aneurism and after attending the funeral and dealing with issues in high school, the girls grew apart.
Now that Annie has been asked by Lolly St. Clair to cater her party by bringing her delicious cupcakes, Annie and Julia are reunited. By this reunion isn't a warm one. The reader gets a sense that something more has happened between the two girls and as they begin to make plans to go into the cupcake business together, the reader is taken on a journey between alternate points of view between Julia and Annie.
As they come to terms with how they can work together in running this business, the reader gets a sense that all is not what it seems to be. Annie is warm and hard working, trying to find a way to make her cupcake business a success while still working through some unresolved issues with Julia that happened in high school. Julia on the other hand remains distant from wedding plans, avoids confrontation with Annie over what issues she has with her, and seeks solace in sharing drinks with her ex boyfriend Jake Logan.
I received How To Eat A Cupcake by Meg Donahue compliments of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. The beginning of the book starts off pretty slow for me trying to figure out where these two fit into each other's lives but about 1/3 of the way through the story picks up. I related to Annie the most, having been raised in Julia's shadow most of her life, she seeks resolution with Julia before she can move forward but Julia is constantly changing the subject or passes it off without realizing the impact it had on Annie's childhood. Julia is a bit self absorbed and likes to be the center of attention, seeking to remain at the top of whatever event is going on at the time. I really liked this book because it portrays a unique connection between the two women who come from different walks of life but are drawn together in a compelling way. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend this one for a great summer read. The only thing missing were some recipes for these delicious cupcakes that are invented along the way!
6 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Donohue has blasted her debut novel right out of the ballpark. It was moving, believable, well written and real. The characters were well developed and despite their imperfections you found yourself rooting for them, grieving with them, celebrating with them...just simply feeling for them throughout the entire novel. The novel was perfectly paced and it kept me engaged from start to finish. Just when I thought I may have figured things out Donohue threw me for a loop. I am so excited to see what else Donohue has in store for us as readers. One thing I know for sure is that she has talent and staying power! I rate this book 5 stars and highly recommend it.
5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I finished How to Eat a Cupcake late last night propped up in bed and drooling on my pillow! A delightfully delicious sweet story of rekindled friendship with a little romance & mystery stirred in...:)
This is the story of Annie & Julia. Best friends from very different worlds who grow up together. They grow apart through childhood hurts and losses, go their separate ways & at a turning point in both their lives end up coming together again. Through the love of cupcakes and family they manage to build a thriving "Cupcakery", find love and the friendship they thought was lost along the way.
I do have one complaint...You need to include some of those mouth watering cupcake recipes!!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.How to Eat a Cupcake is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award. The Mom’s Choice Awards
honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of PBS’s Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times best-selling Author and; LeAnn Thieman, motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books. Parents and educators look for the Mom’s Choice Awards seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families.
2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 17, 2013
How many pages is this book
1 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 10, 2013
There are very few spacing parts to it, and the paragraphs are all jumbled together
1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 13, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. Julia and Annie's story was sweet and interesting. I was worried this would be predictable, but I was happily surprised with the entire story. I couldn't decide which character to root for, but by the end of this book I was seriously voting for both Julia and Annie. One thing missing......cupcake recipes....
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 4, 2013
I wasn't at all confident in a book that cost $3, but I'm very glad I gave it a chance. It's a cute story, if a bit fluffy and predictable. I really liked it though. I was instantly hooked! And despite being mostly predictable, the twist at the end was entirely unexpected!! I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a little distraction in their life.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 9, 2013
Loved this book. The characters grew up and into each others' lives. It was very well written and I enjoyed reading it. It is her first novel and I will certainly read her next one. I wasn't sure what to expect but I wasn't disappointed. I loved the title, the cover, and what Sarah Jio wrote in her comments about the book.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 11, 2013
Looking forward to more from this author
1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 10, 2012
Looks like i'm going to be hungry
1 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 15, 2012
Good book, especially for a first-time author. Kept my attention. I would read another by this author when she publishes again.
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 19, 2013
This is not a good book for kids dont read it
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.bookgirlTC
Posted June 16, 2013
Julia and Annie grew up together. Annie's mother, Lucia, was Julia's nanny and became the family cook. They became estranged at 18 and it's now ten years later. Julia is a successful business woman who's recently moved home to San Francisco to plan her wedding and Annie is a successful baker with a growing reputation. Julia's mother has hired Annie to supply cupcakes for her charity event and the two reunite. Julia, who's bored, suggests a business proposition to Annie: open a cupcakery, funded by Julia's money and Annie's incredible baking talent. The book is about how they resolve the rift that tore their friendship apart 10 years ago. I found it slow-going at first. Annie hates Julia for something she thinks Julia did and Julia is depressed over something that's recently happened in her life. Both instances are hinted at, but, it's not until the last 80 or so pages that we find out what happened. Overall, I enjoyed the book, I just wish we'd gotten to the heart of the matter sooner - oh, and there was a twist I didn't see coming.
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Posted June 14, 2013
Light and easy. Just takes you away from everyday life and into Julia's and Annie's lives. Very well written. I loved it!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 14, 2013
A nice little summer book - not a life-changer, but entertaining mind candy.
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Posted June 7, 2013
Loved the characters, loved the plot, the book and LOVED the cupcakes!! Would read m,ore by this author.
blondebird
Overview
Free-spirited Annie Quintana and sophisticated Julia St. Clair come from two different worlds. Yet, as the daughter of the St. Clairs' housekeeper, Annie grew up in Julia's San Francisco mansion and they forged a bond that only two little girls oblivious to class differences could—until a life-altering betrayal destroyed their friendship.
A decade later, Annie bakes to fill the void left in her heart by her mother's death, and a painful secret jeopardizes Julia's engagement to ...