Library Loans

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The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller
Published by Penguin Books on November 7, 2017
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

A full-hearted novel about a big-city baker who discovers the true meaning of home—and that sometimes the best things are found when you didn’t even know you were looking

When Olivia Rawlings—pastry chef extraordinaire for an exclusive Boston dinner club—sets not just her flambéed dessert but the entire building alight, she escapes to the most comforting place she can think of—the idyllic town of Guthrie, Vermont, home of Bag Balm, the country’s longest-running contra dance, and her best friend Hannah. But the getaway turns into something more lasting when Margaret Hurley, the cantankerous, sweater-set-wearing owner of the Sugar Maple Inn, offers Livvy a job. Broke and knowing that her days at the club are numbered, Livvy accepts.

Livvy moves with her larger-than-life, uberenthusiastic dog, Salty, into a sugarhouse on the inn’s property and begins creating her mouthwatering desserts for the residents of Guthrie. She soon uncovers the real reason she has been hired—to help Margaret reclaim the inn’s blue ribbon status at the annual county fair apple pie contest.

With the joys of a fragrant kitchen, the sound of banjos and fiddles being tuned in a barn, and the crisp scent of the orchard just outside the front door, Livvy soon finds herself immersed in small town life. And when she meets Martin McCracken, the Guthrie native who has returned from Seattle to tend his ailing father, Livvy comes to understand that she may not be as alone in this world as she once thought.

But then another new arrival takes the community by surprise, and Livvy must decide whether to do what she does best and flee—or stay and finally discover what it means to belong. Olivia Rawlings may finally find out that the life you want may not be the one you expected—it could be even better.

After setting fire to her reputation in Boston, Olivia needed somewhere to lie low. Taking a position as the baker at the Maple Sugar Inn, Olivia found that small-town life agreed with her, but would she be able to finally put down roots and call somewhere home?

This book had so many elements I adore all wrapped up in a fun and heartfelt story. I won't say that I always agreed with Olivia's choices, but I did find myself invested in her. Abandoned by her mother and, more or less, on her own since since her father's death when she was a teen, she found something better than the accolades she earned for her baking. She found a family. Between her best friend, Hannah, the McCracken family, and everyone at the Inn, Olivia ended up a part of something really wonderful. It warmed my heart, the way they embraced her and claimed her as their own.

As I mentioned, Olivia was a baker, and wow! Did she bake some incredible sounding treats. Miller filled those pages with mouth-watering and rich descriptions of all Olivia's creations. I loved hearing about them all, but I do believe it was the town of Guthrie that really won my heart. I loved reading about the community and all their celebrations.

It filled my heart with joy that Olivia was able to find somewhere as special as Guthrie to rebuild her life, and also, find love of all sorts. The whole journey was a bumpy one, but it was worth her effort since such a low point in Olivia's life led to a place where she formed meaningful and lasting connections and built a future filled with lots of love.

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Talking at Night by Claire Daverly
Published by Pamela Dorman Books on June 20, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

Will and Rosie meet as teenagers.

They’re opposites in every way. She overthinks everything; he is her twin brother’s wild and unpredictable friend. But over secret walks home and late-night phone calls, they become closer—destined to be one another’s great love story.

Until, one day, tragedy strikes, and their future together is shattered.

But as the years roll on, Will and Rosie can’t help but find their way back to each other. Time and again, they come close to rekindling what might have been.

What do you do when the one person you should forget is the one you just can’t let go?

This was a quiet but powerful story of life, love, and loss.

Rosie and Will had met as teens. There was a connection but for "reasons", Rosie held back from embarking on a relationship with Will. Their relationship detour started with one reason, but the deterrents kept coming. I really felt that the universe was conspiring against them. If you have read Love, Rosie, it's a bit like that. Will and Rosie kept passing in and out of each other's lives, while separately experiencing events that shaped them. It was a long road for them both to reach that point where they could clearly define what they wanted and needed so that they could maybe be ready to embark on a life together.

So many ups and downs, gains and losses. My heart ached for these two. I think the story spanned almost twenty years. It was hard not to care for them over all those years, but it wasn't easy. Heartache, heartbreak, and lots of pining filled these pages, but I have to admit, I rather enjoyed it. There was a point where it started to have a Normal People feel - *shudder*, but it got back on track (thank goodness!).

Overall: A painfully beautiful story of inextinguishable love.

Are you a baker or an eater?
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