Sweet on You

1.5 Stars<br />*not sure if i'm rounding up or down yet...*<br /><br />So I had HIGH hopes for this one. The blurb sounds fun and cute - and while I am not a huge romance reader I do like a fun rom-com every now and then. Add food writing to the mix and it's irresistible for me.<br /><br />AND there lies my biggest issue... because this was so not what I expected. I felt disappointed to say the least. Well let me explain....<br /><br /><b>The story line is totally full of cliches</b>. Like go collect every romance novel cliche throw it all in full of cliches!<br /><br />❊Insta-Love? - check ✓<br />❊evil adversary bitch? - check ✓<br />❊supportive parent? - check ✓<br />❊cool girl fiend? - check ✓<br />❊unlikely neighbor, that turns out to be a friend? - check ✓<br />❊heart wrenching back story? - check ✓<br />❊heroine that after much battered life finally steps up? - check ✓<br />❊HEA? - check ✓<br /><br />OH yes it's all there. And frankly I wouldn't have mind it as much if there wouldn't be some key ingredients missing!<br /><br />Well there was <b>not much romance </b>actually. Except the kind of insta-love thing that featured every now and then. I found the love interest not only really sudden but there was no chemistry. I am not a fan of insta-love, but this was ... well it wasn't. Supposedly Andi is a commitophobe.. and I really didn't get that<br /><br />There was definitely <b>no comedy</b>. And I am not sure why I thought this would be funny. But well after reading the blurb I kinda assumed it. All the scenes of mishaps were so way over the top and so rushed, it was just unbelievable and made me role my eyes. Besides the non-humor factor though it was also way to predictable.<br />The entire novel goes from A to B to C. And it's clear where it will end and mostly how right from the start.<br /><b>But worst of all it felt rushed, like going through the motions and suddenly all was solved and everybody was happy clappy.</b> The end.<br /><br /><b>The character building was basically nonexistent</b>. <b>Every single character stayed in their cliche lines</b> and I simply couldn't connect with them<br /><b>The villain was so over the top and her motives so way out there, it was totally ridiculous</b>!<br /><br />There was <b>no food writing- virtually.</b> Well except the mentioning of what kind of cupcakes were made. And this would be my favorite part of food novels.. food talk. Hence this is hands-down my biggest disappointment!<br />I kept on expecting some kinda food writing to come up, but the novel finished and there was a recipe at the end.. and I never got my food talk. <br /><br /><b>The prose was way to simplistic</b>, totally not my kinda thing.<br /><br />Look I didn't expect something super deep and thoughtful- i wanted fun and fluff and cute. But this was way to rushed and just not well executed. <br /><b>I still like the overall idea of the story. I loved the idea of the Cup Cake Diaries. This has huge potential- I just wish it would have been executed way better!</b><br />The only thing foodie about this was my need for a good cupcake and coffee to replace the evident disappointment left after reading it.<br /><br /><br /><i>ARC was provided by Publishers through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!</i><br /><br />

I received this book as part of a blog tour for my honest review<br /><br />Andi is a single mother trying her to best to make things work, her sister Kim and friend Rachel get together and the three of them open Creative Cupcakes with the financial help of Jake. This was a fast feel good read, the characters were likable and down to earth. Their struggles and problems were realistic, the romance between Andi and Jake was sweet. Both of them have not so stellar pasts and it was nice to see good people get their HEA. Sweet On You is a good start to this sure to be interesting series.

This was actually a 2½.<br /><br />This was a fun read, and I don't expect complete realism from a romantic comedy, but seriously, people. The heroine opens a gourmet cupcake bakery, expecting to make enough profit in the first <b>month</b> to be able to pay 2 months worth of rent. Let me repeat that. She's just opened a small business, expecting to make an immediate profit! Did I mention she has 3 partners?<br /><br />And no one questions how a single father, a newspaper reporter, comes up with that much capital?<br /><br />The villain was a wee bit over the top as well. It was as though the author didn't trust her characters and dialogue to carry the story, so she stuck in a really silly conflict. Really silly.<br /><br />If this hadn't been such a fun read, it would definitely have been thrown against the wall!

You guys, this book is definitely tasty. I literally tore through it in an hour or two, because I just could not put it down. Panzera chronicles the lives of three down of their luck friends in Astoria, Oregon. <br /><br /> Andi, Rachel and Kim have a unique tradition. Every birthday, they split a cupcake and share goals for the four months until the next girl's birthday. This year, they all find themselves unemployed, pretty down and out. But one thing you can't shake with these three, HOPE. Panzera delivers it in spades throughout the book. <br /><br /> After seducing a cupcake away from hunky Astoria reporter, Jake, Andi shares her dream of opening a bakery with her friends. Together, they bring Creative Cupcakes to live. Best of all, Jake agrees to come on board as their partner, giving Andi plenty of opportunities to get cozy with her new crush. <br /><br /> But of course, not all dreams come easily. Some nasty protestors threaten the success of Creative Cupcakes. Determined to make it on their own: Andi, Rachel and Kim refuse to give up! <br /><br /> What I really loved about this book was how Panzera created beautifully relatable characters. Andi, Rachel and Kim are passionate, creative and flawed. They fight, they argue and remind me so much of my closest friends. We are all big dreamers, passionate people who sometimes get a little carried away. Sweet on You reminded me of picking up my best friends' journal and reading our own stories. <br /><br /> I think that is what made this book so successful for me. Panzera sucked me in with cupcakes but delivered girls I wanted to cheer along. Of course, the sweet relationship that evolves between Jake and Andi didn't hurt. They have both been hurt, are scared to risk their hearts, but cannot deny the connect between one another. I love that they take their love slow, bringing it to life through a series of low-pressure dates and growing a business together. <br /><br /> I put down Sweet on You and immediately picked up Book Two: Recipe for Love. Now I am patiently (or not so patiently) waiting the ARC for book three. You guys, The Cupcake Diaries are definitely a homerun in my book. <br /><br />Disclaimer: I was gifted a free copy of this book in exchange for an entire review. However all opinions expressed are my own.

Darlene Panzera’s Sweet on You is the first novella in the Cupcake Diaries series. The second novella, Recipe for Love, and the third, Taste of Romance, will be released in the next two weeks. If you’re looking for a quick light read then you’re in luck!<br /><br />I enjoyed Sweet on You and particularly loved the opening scene! Andi, Rachel, and Kim have come together to celebrate Kim‘s birthday. The trio has a tradition that involves splitting a cupcake three ways every quarter. Unfortunately Andi was pressed for time and couldn’t buy one until she spots a man with a bakery box. With a little encouragement she walks up to Jake and offers to buy his cupcake. What ensues is cute tête-à-tête between Jake and Andi that will leave you with a grin on your face.<br /><br />I really enjoyed the dynamics between Andi, Rachel, and Kim. What starts off as a joke, opening a cupcake shop, ends up becoming a reality. All three are currently going through individual hardships and we can associate with them. Even though this is Andi’s story, they all play a central role. Character development is a bit weak, but then again it’s a novella and you don’t get in-depth characterization because there’s only so much you can cram into 100 pages. Of course we have to have a villain and what a piece of work she is! By end I wanted to shove a few cupcakes down her throat to force feed her.<br /><br />The romance between Jake and Andi is sweet. Both are willing to have an adult discussion regarding their relationship and how it would affect the business partnership. There’s a particular touching scene with Jake and Andi at a fundraiser for cancer research in which Andi says to herself that she shouldn’t be there with Jake and his family, but when he grabs her hand, she realizes that he needs her. It’s nice to read about two characters that don’t have deep dark secrets to hide or another person coming between them. You’ll be cheering for this couple as you read along.<br /><br />My favorite quote:<br /><br />“You burned cupcakes in your tenth-grade home economics class and set the school on fire.”<br /><br />Darlene Panzera’s Sweet on You is a cute read. If you’re looking for a quick light read, this is your book. I do have to warn you, you’ll be craving cupcakes by the end!<br /><br />Review originally posted at <a href="http://literaryetc.com" rel="nofollow noopener">Literary, etc</a>

Three close friends have been having a hard time lately. They each are struggling to make ends meets and do something with their lives. During an annual birthday tradition they get the idea to open up a cupcake shop. First they have to get the money to open the shop and then keep it going. For Andi this is her dream. Raising a daughter alone with no help she just knows the shop is the answer to her prayers. Andi has to deal with attacks from a health nut, her father not believing in her, making enough to pay her rent and also deal with her feelings for Jake who helped her get the business going. <br /><br />Andi is a character some of us can relate to. She is struggling to do it on her own with help from her best friend Rachel and sister Kim. They are not in to good a shape their selves but they try. Andi is a sweet woman who is afraid to open up her feelings again. She was treated badly by her ex husband and her father never gives her a chance. She is a hard worker and wants to have success so bad. Her best friends are amazing woman as well and I can't wait to read their stories. Jake is smart, good looking and interested in Andi. He does all he can to help all three achieve their dream. He has had a tragic past as well but is trying to move on.<br /><br />This is a quick wonderful read. I love these girls and got attached to them very quickly. They are very easy to relate to. At times they are sad and at times they can be funny but they are always their for each other. The story has a cute plot even with a villain to not like. You hope for the best for Andi the whole time you read and hope she opens her eyes to what she could have with Jake. Anyone wanting a great, quick read with amazing characters should read this. I love it and can't wait to see what the other girls get into and what will happen to Andi and the shoppe.<br />

Andi, Kim, and Rachel are out on the town to celebrate Kim's birthday when they meet Jake, a good-looking newspaper reporter. Although Andi has not been dating since her divorce, Jake may change that. Meanwhile, the three young women team up to open a cupcake shop together, despite no real business experience. If they can survive the attacks from the local health nut, they just might make it.<br /><br />A fun, romantic novella with engaging characters and interesting scenario, and my personal favorite, a recipe at the end of the book. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.<br /><br />4 stars<br /><br /> <br /><br /> Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Tasty Book Tours book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” <br /><br />

Reviewed for Read Your Writes Book Reviews<br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.readyourwrites.blogspot.com">www.readyourwrites.blogspot.com</a><br /><br />Sweet on You is the first of three novellas in The Cupcake Diaries series by Darlene Panzera. The series centers around three friends, Andi and Kim Burke, who are sisters, and their best friend Rachel Donovan. <br /><br />Andi Burke is having a ruff time. She’s a single mother, who’s unemployed, she can’t find her deadbeat ex-husband to get him to pay child support, and she’s about to get evicted from her house. The night of her sister’s birthday Andi has this idea to become her own boss, by opening up a cupcake shop. Since they are all unemployed, Kim and Rachel agree to join Andi in helping her to fulfill her dream.<br /><br />While I enjoyed the story, I found it a little hard to believe, that Jake Hartman, a man Andi met once at a bar offers to finance and become part owner of her new business venture. Sweet on You is a sweet romance. It’s a story of what can happen when you run out of options and all you have left is your determination and drive.<br /><br />Rating: 3.5<br />Source: Blog Tour Host/Publisher<br />

With a title like The Cupcake Diaries, I was expecting a cutesy, unrealistic love story. Once I started reading it, I was so happy to see that this wasn’t the case. Darlene Panzera created real characters with real issues and put them in real situations. The main character, Andi, was forced into single motherhood when her husband decided that he no longer wanted to be married. After her divorce is finalized, Andi is put into a tough place financially. Rather than ask someone for a handout, she decides to turn her dreams into reality and open up a Cupcake Shop. Andi is busy working on keeping her shop open, and falling in love again is the last thing on her mind. <br /><br />I really admire Andi. She is a good example of what a single mother should be. When she had no other options, she made her own way. I am looking forward to the next installment of The Cupcake Diaries called Recipe for Love.

I received a review copy in exchange for my participation in the blog review tour. All opinions and thoughts are my own.<br /><br />When I saw the email for the Cupcake Diaries series I knew I had to read it. After some heavy duty reading material, I needed some fluff. <br /><br />And this was exactly the kind of delicious fluff I needed.<br /><br />Andi, Kim, and Rachel have birthdays that are exactly four months apart. Every birthday they split a cupcake and make goals - not wishes - for between each birthday. <br /><br />I loved all three women; they were spunky, determined, and just balanced each other out perfectly. Jake was a welcome addition, though he spent most of the book hiding in the background. Mia was so adorable. <br /><br />The zumba group were annoying, but after awhile I just found them amusing. <br /><br />If you're looking for a series of books to keep you entertained at the beach for a weekend this summer, definitely pick up this trio...you won't regret it! <br /><br />But you might want a cupcake or ten...