Review: Vanity Fare by Megan Caldwell

Vanity Fare by Megan Caldwell

Publisher: William Morrow  

Pages: 400 

Format: eARC 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  A charming novel about a 40-year-old Brooklyn mother, recently divorced, who starts writing copy for a bakery, discovers a knack for food-related literary puns, and becomes entangled in a love triangle.

Molly Hagan is overwhelmed.

Her husband left her for a younger, blonder woman, her six year-old son is questioning her authority, and now, so is she. In order to pay her Brooklyn rent and keep her son supplied with Pokemon and Legos-not to mention food and clothing-she has to get a job. Fast.

So when an old friend offers Molly a copywriting position at a new bakery, finding romance is just about the last thing on her mind. But the sexy British pastry chef who's heading up the bakery has other thoughts. And so does Molly when she meets the chef's intimidating business partner-who also happens to have a secret that might prevent Molly from getting her own Happily Ever After.



Kritters Thoughts:  This book was centered around a woman who is in the middle of going through a pretty bad divorce, while raising her son and trying to find the next job to support her family.  With three leading men in this book, the reader was left to wonder who would end up in her life, if anyone at the end of the book.  

Molly ends up doing marketing and copy work for a bakery that is opening near the New York Library.  This bakery wants to use their proximity to the library as a way to get customers to come in the door and with the main character as a former English LIterature major can easily combine marketing baked goods with a library theme.  I absolutely loved watching the marketing concept come together, it made me wish a bakery like this was opening near my indie bookstore!

The one part that didn't make me fall completely head over heels for the book was the constant reminder that she was unhappy and dealing with her list of issues.  I wish there was a little more plot and a little less whining.  

It was a good piece of women's fiction that combines two great things that I love - books and baked goods!  If the one little thing that I didn't love was fixed, I would be passing this book along to anyone I know, especially those who like books and baked goods!   

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2012 Challenge: 78 out of 25

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Edelweiss.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.