Reviewer: Tina When in Doubt, Add Butter by Beth Harbison
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: July 17th 2012
Genres: Women's Fiction
Pages: 338
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
From the New York Times bestselling author of Shoe Addicts Anonymous and Always Something There to Remind Me comes a delicious new novel about the search for true love and all the ingredients that go into it.
As far as Gemma is concerned, her days of dating are over. In fact, it's her job to cater other peoples' dates, and that's just fine by her. At thirty-seven, she has her own business, working as a private chef, and her life feels full and secure. She's got six steady clients that keep her hands full.
There's Lex, the fussy but fabulous department store owner who loves Oysters Rockefeller and 1950s comfort food; Willa, who needs to lose weight under doctor's orders but still believes butter makes everything better; a colorful family who may or may not be part of the Russian mob; an überwealthy Georgetown family; the picture-perfect Van Houghtens, whose matriarch is "allergic to everything"; and finally, a man she calls "Mr. Tuesday," whom she has never met but who she is strangely drawn to.
For Gemma, cooking is predictable. Recipes are certain. Use good ingredients, follow the directions, and you are assured success. Life, on the other hand, is full of variables. So when Gemma's takes an unexpected turn on a road she always thought was straight and narrow, she must face her past and move on in ways she never would have imagined. Because sometimes in life, all you need is a little hope, a lot of courage, and---oh yes---butter.
I have been in a kind of “fluff’ read sort of mood lately. I went to the bookstore and the library quickly scanning the shelves for books that gave me the impression that they would be quick, easy and uncomplicated. Well, I found several. I just finished one by Beth Kendrick and then picked this one up thinking it was the same author. I guess since both of them were together and had that sort of “cutesy” cover going on I just assumed..
Anyway, another reason I chose the book was because I love to bake. And any book that has cupcakes on the front of it will at least make me pick it up and check out the blurb on the back. Since this one was about a girl who was a personal chef, my mind said “Heck yeah” and into my basket it went.
When I picked up When in Doubt, Add Butter , I pretty much had an idea that I was getting a cute little story that I could read quickly before bed without doing a lot of thinking or one that I could read a couple chapters during my lunch break at work. It was a quick read and I can say that I enjoyed the story, although it was VERY predictable and had ending that I wasn’t that keen about. (Which I will not talk about….no need to spoil it for the rest of you all). I also think I would’ve rated this 3.5 starts had it included some recipes in it as well.
So, if you are looking for something thought-provoking and deep, you will need to keep on looking. But then, my question to you would be “Why would you pick a book titled When in Doubt, Add Butter, if you wanted something profound?” I did think this was an enjoyable read for what it is, which I would personally call a “rainy day book”.
I will most likely keep my eye out for a couple more books by Beth Harbison. I found her writing to be catchy, and it did make me smile in places.
Leave a Reply