May 1, 2011
After a bad divorce, Jenna realizes she needs a change of pace, so she decides to move back to her hometown in Texas to be near her adoptive parents and open a cooking store. Life is pretty stable, until her birth parents find her and turn her world upside down. As Jenna warily gets to know her "other" family, she begins to open her heart to new possibilities, no matter in what form they come. A lovely, light family story with a touch of romance from the author of Chasing Perfect.
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from April 15, 2011
Jennas ex-husband has not only broken her heart with his cheating ways, but hes also crushed her soul and what little faith she has left in herself as a professional chef. She leaves L.A. and heads back to her small Texas hometown, where she opens a culinary store, Grate Expectations. But with her lack of retail training and her introverted personality, she seems to be driving away as many customers as she pulls in. Flamboyant Violet, redeeming herself from a life on the street, becomes Jennas assistant, and her creativity and people sense mesh perfectly with Jennas knowledge and skill as a chef. However, just as business begins to boom, and Violet has boosted Jennas confidence enough for her to offer cooking classes, a hippie-ish couple walks into Grate Expectations claiming to be Jennas birth parents, and thats not their only secret. This poignant tale of family dynamics, the jarring impact of change, and eventual acceptance and healing is sure to please Mallerys (Straight from the Hip, 2009; Lip Service, 2009; Sunset Bay, 2009) many, devoted fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)