BRUNCH WITH BINGO: HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE: A GUEST REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S

"BRUNCH WITH BINGO DAY"
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THIS SUNDAY'S
   SPECIAL BRUNCH BOOK CHOICE IS....

 GIVEAWAY ENDED 
HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE

BY MEG DONOHUE

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Free-spirited Annie Quintana and sophisticated Julia St. Clair come from two different worlds. Yet, as the daughter of the St. Clairs' housekeeper, Annie grew up in Julia's San Francisco mansion and they forged a bond that only two little girls oblivious to class differences could—until a life-altering betrayal destroyed their friendship.

A decade later, Annie bakes to fill the void left in her heart by her mother's death, and a painful secret jeopardizes Julia's engagement to the man she loves. A chance reunion prompts the unlikely duo to open a cupcakery, but when a mysterious saboteur opens up old wounds, they must finally face the truth about their past or risk losing everything.

 

PRAISE FOR HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE: 
“A sparkling, witty story about an unlikely, yet redemptive, friendship….Grab one of these for your best friend and read it together—preferably with a plate of Meyer Lemon cupcakes nearby.” 

—Katie Crouch, bestselling author of Girls in Trucks and Men and Dogs

 “Beautifully written and quietly wise, Meg Donohue’s How to Eat a Cupcake is an achingly honest portrayal of the many layers of friendship--a story so vividly told, you can (almost) taste the buttercream.”— Sarah Jio, author of The Violets of March and The Bungalow
 “A heartwarming and unpredictable tale of friendship, family and frosting.”— Zoe Fishman, author of Balancing Acts "An irresistible blend of sweet and tart, this book is truly a treat to be savored."— Beth Kendrick, author of The Bake Off and Second Time Around

“Deliciously engaging. Donohue writes with charm and grace. What could be better than friendship and cupcakes?”-- Rebecca Rasmussen, author of The Bird Sisters

 “Donohue’s sweet debut is a clever exploration of how a West Coast mean girl grows up and gives in to friendship, love, and dozens of delicious cupcakes....Donohue’s culinary romantic thriller will keep readers hungry for more.”— Publishers Weekly ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Meg Donohue has an MFA from Columbia University and a BA from Dartmouth College. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she now lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughters, dog, and a weakness for salted caramel cupcakes. To read more about Meg's "bio" you can visit her website HERE.

Follow her on Twitter: @megdonohue

Become a fan on Facebook

Visit Meg’s website: http://www.megdonohue.com/

GUEST REVIEW: 
Today's Guest Reviewer is once again a favorite of mine, Carol Wong. I have decided to become a fly on the wall to see just how this talented lady can do all she does, and still read and write such great reviews so often! Carol's latest review for me was for the audio book for THE DOG WHO DANCED (check it out HERE). Carol lives with her husband in Texas and is an animal lover, and all-around good person! I particularly like her because she loves books as much as I do. Now enjoy Carol's review of HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE!
I really enjoyed reading 'How to Eat a Cupcake' by Meg Donohue. In fact after I finished the book, I looked for more books by her but couldn't find any. So, if this is her first book, I think she has done very well.

What attracted me to this book was the cover with a wonderful array of cupcakes in a cupcakery. After my mouth watered for a while, I started to read the story of two women of the same age who grew in the same house but weren't related to each other.

Anna Quintana was the daughter of the cook and housekeeper for the St. Clairs. She didn't know who her father was and her mother didn't tell her about her past. Anna had a bubbly personality, curly hair, was very creative with cupcakes. Since her mother died early and after an argument that they had had, Anna felt cheated out of a chance to reconcile with her mother. Anna was determined to be independent and vowed never to return to the house where she grew up.

Julia, the Sinclair's daughter was serious, a successful business woman, engaged to be married, ambitious and she hid her depression from everyone. Although she grew up with all the advantages, she was somewhat jealous of Anna for a wonderfully loving mother.

Julia's mother, Lolly had sent invitations to Annie before but when one came requesting her to cater a charity event for a fee, Annie's friend told her to go ahead and do it. When Julia tastes Annie's mocha flavored cupcake, it made her a little less sad and temporarily released her pain for all the secrets that she kept from every one. That cupcake made Julia to decide to open a cupcakery.

Julia and Anna's joint business tested to the limits any remains of any friendship that they had when they were young. Being together, eventually brought their closely held secrets, and provided for a slow healing between them.

'How to Eat a Cupcake' has mystery, humor, wit, surprises, sorrow, regret, anger and just about every emotion that you can imagine. At the first, I felt that Anna was just a little too bubbly but she grew on me and so did Julia. I was sad that the book ended.

I recommend this book to all who love to read about women's relationships and who enjoy an occasional delicious cupcake.
Carol received this book free from the Amazon Vine Program but that did not influence her review in any way.

 

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO MARY AND THE GOOD FOLKS

AT WILLIAM MORROW PAPERBACKS, I 

HAVE ONE COPY OF THIS DELIGHTFUL

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GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, MARCH 25

GOOD LUCK!