Forks, Knives, and Spoons: A Novel

by Leah DeCesare

Overview

2019 ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition Semifinalist
2018 International Book Awards Winner in Fiction: General
2017 IAN Book of the Year Award for Outstanding Women’s Fiction
2017 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal for New Adult Fiction
2017 NYC Big Book Awards Winner for Women’s Fiction
2017 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Winner: Contemporary Fiction
2017 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist: Women's Fiction
2017 Independent Press Awards Distinguished Favorites: New Fiction
2017 Best Book Awards Finalist: Best New Fiction

For readers who love Adriana Trigiani, Jennifer Weiner and Liane Moriarty, Forks, Knives, and Spoons is a light-hearted, thought-provoking coming of age story that takes readers on a nostalgic journey back to the 1980s and 1990s. Romantic, witty and warm.

There are three kinds of guys: forks, knives, and spoons. That is the final lesson that Amy York’s father sends her off to college with, never suspecting just how far his daughter will take it. Clinging to the Utensil Classification System as her guide, Amy tries to convince her skeptical roommate, Veronica Warren, of its usefulness as they navigate the heartbreaks and soul mates of college and beyond.

Beginning in 1988, their freshman year at Syracuse University, Amy and Veronica meet an assortment of guys—from slotted spoons and shrimp forks to butter knives and sporks—all while trying to learn if the UCS holds true. On the quest to find their perfect steak knives, they learn to believe in themselves—and not to settle in love or life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781943006106
Publisher:	SparkPress
Publication date:	04/18/2017
Pages:	408
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Leah DeCesare is the author of the nonfiction parenting series Naked Parenting, based on her work as a doula, early parenting educator, and mom of three. Her articles on parenting have been featured in The Huffington Post, the International Doula, and The Key, among others. In 2008, she cofounded the nonprofit Doulas of Rhode Island, and in 2013 she spearheaded the Campaign for Hope to build the Kampala Children’s Centre for Hope and Wellness in Uganda. In a past life, DeCesare worked in public relations and event planning. She now writes, teaches, and volunteers in Rhode Island, where she lives with her family and talking cockatiel.

Editorial Reviews

07/13/2020

DeCesare’s charming debut novel (after her Naked Parenting guides) follows two college roommates who test their dating theories. In 1988, Amy York is excited for a new chapter of her life to begin at Syracuse University. There, she bonds with her roommate, Veronica Warren, and the two balance studying, partying, and shared trips back home. As for boys, Amy has come prepared with “the list,” a set of criteria for her ideal future husband, along with the Utensil Classification System, adapted from advice from her dad (“There are three types of guys: forks, knives, and spoons”). The UCS comes in handy as Amy, Veronica, and their friends encounter plenty of forks (the guys you want to avoid), knives (the guys you want to keep), and spoons (the guys who will avoid you) along the way. Amy is quick to spread the UCS message around, but both young women come to learn there’s more to life than labels. Throughout college and beyond, Amy and Veronica’s friendship sees them through various obstacles, and their bond comes through strongly on the page. While the book’s lessons of self-acceptance verge on self-help tropes, DeCesare makes the trip consistently pleasant. (Self-published)

Publishers Weekly

2018 International Book Awards Winner in Fiction: General 2017 IAN Book of the Year Award for Outstanding Women’s Fiction 2017 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal for New Adult Fiction 2017 NYC Big Book Awards Winner for Women’s Fiction 2017 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Winner: Contemporary Fiction 2017 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist: Women's Fiction 2017 Independent Press Awards Distinguished Favorites: New Fiction 2017 Best Book Awards Finalist: Best New Fiction
“The novel's construct of categorizing men's qualities according to a Utensil Classification System when looking for a romantic partner is memorable, wittily practical, and has the power to influence readers' real-life choices. For that, Forks, Knives, and Spoons breaks new ground.” —The BookLife Prize “A charming debut novel.” —Publishers Weekly “Reading Forks, Knives, and Spoons is like having your best girlfriend take you by the hand and tell you a story. A story you want to sit and listen to until the very end.” —Ann Hood, New York Times bestselling author of The Book That Matters Most
“Leah DeCesare has a writer's voice that is remarkable for a debut novel. The characters in Forks, Knives, and Spoons are so relatable, and the story makes you long for your own youth. A wonderful book about love and growth, discovering who you are, and what makes you happy.” —Anita Hughes, author of Christmas in Paris
“What a warm, wonderful read! I fell in love with Leah DeCesare's wit and her relatable, human characters, who brought me back to that tender and occasionally heartbreaking time at the very cusp of adulthood.” —Cristina Alger, author of This Was Not The Plan
“I couldn’t help but get nostalgic as I read the charming and witty Forks, Knives, and Spoons. There is a delicious innocence and great fun in reading about young women seeking love and romance in a time before a left or right swipe had anything to do with dating. This book is full of heart and hopefulness.” —Jessica Anya Blau, author of The Trouble with Lexie
“Forks, Knives, and Spoons is the perfect marriage of wit, romance, and, above all, heart. DeCesare's writing is simply delectable and sure to woo any woman who has ever wondered if there is such a thing as Mr. Right.” —Nicole Waggoner, author of Center Ring and The Act
“Leah captured me on the very first line, ‘There are three types of guys: forks, knives and spoons.’ With imagination, highly relatable characters, and witty dialogue we are taken back to our youths—reevaluating and categorizing all of our crushes. A lovely story of friendship, love, and the amazing time between childhood and adulthood.” —Dawn Lerman, best-selling author of My Fat Dad: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Family with Recipes, New York Times Well Blog columnist
“Leah DeCesare brings humor, warmth, and wit to the timeless themes of female friendship, looking for love in all the wrong (and right!) places and the fine art of growing up. Any woman who has ever dated will laugh their way through Forks, Knives and Spoons!” —Emily Listfield, co-founder, Jyst, the dating advice app on iTunes and author of Waiting to Surface
“Full of 1980’s nostalgia, DeCesare's ambitious young women protagonists meet campus ‘Forks, Knives, and Spoons’ as they navigate how to ultimately place themselves firmly at the head of their own tables.” —Ann Imig, Founder of Listen to Your Mother “A book (and dating concept!) I had to stop reading multiple times to text my sisters, often snapping pics of laugh-out-loud passages. The 80's nostalgia is spot on. High bangs? Yep. George Michael, Alex P. Keaton? Both. And when my laughter settled, my heart took over. Fans of Sarah Jio, Allison Winn Scotch, Phoebe Fox, and Hannah McKinnon will find a new favorite in Leah DeCesare.” —MM Finck, Women Writers, Women’s Books
“The sounds, cultural references, and scents of the 80’s will envelop you as you read DeCesares’s debut. I felt like I was right back in my dorm room where the biggest decision was whether to play Squeeze or Blondie as I got ready for a dorm party. This page-turning romp through the college years and beyond follows Amy as she navigates a cutlery of cuties in search of the perfect steak knife. I made me want to plan a reunion!” —Robin Kall, host of Reading With Robin podcast and Point Street Reading Series

From the Publisher