Starred review from May 7, 2012
Bestseller Harbison (Shoe Addicts Anonymous) dazzles in her latest, a perfect blend of chick lit and women’s fiction that tells the story of private chef Gemma Craig and her bumpy road to happily-ever-after. In her late 30s, Gemma has abandoned the corporate lifestyle to follow her first love: cooking. With five regular clients—ranging from a boisterous Russian family to an allergy-prone housewife—she’s making a go of it. Happily single, Gemma has a red-hot one-night stand with a guy she meets in a bar, and trades flirty notes with “Mr. Tuesday,” a high-powered lawyer she cooks for yet has never met. Because of some past trauma, Gemma is determined to keep to her well-defined life plan, but complications that arise from the one-night tumble turn her plans upside down. Forced to deal with the past, Gemma struggles to figure out how it will influence her future—with a genuinely surprising twist. Gemma is a sweetly flawed everywoman readers will immediately identify with, and the supporting cast of secondary characters contribute texture and color to this engaging tale. Absolutely first-rate. Agent: Annelise Robbey, the Jane Rotrosen Agency.
July 1, 2012
Carried by an appealing narrator, this latest from the bestselling author of Shoe Addicts Anonymous (2007, etc.) features the exploits of a personal chef and her collection of oddball clients. Gemma Craig is 38 and single. And that's okay. She's not sure she has what it takes for a long-term relationship (she averages two months), and anyway, she is satisfied with her life: friends, family and a career she enjoys. As a personal chef in D.C., she has a string of clients that both amuse her and keep her solvent. Mondays are the Van Houghtens--restricted diet, no flavor, neurotic wife. Tuesday is "Mr. Tuesday," a client she has only met through addictively cheeky notes. Then there's Lex, a gallant older bachelor who owns a department store. Thursdays are the Olekseis, a large Russian family that may have ties to the Russian Mafia; for all Gemma knows, they could head the Russian Mafia. Fridays are filled by Lex's overweight niece Willa, a shut-in who has made a fortune from online poker. This no-strings-attached nurturing suits Gemma, until she meets Mack. The two have a memorable night, but they part without the essentials--names and numbers--which seemed a little pointless in the midst of all that passion. A watery mistake blurs Mack's goodbye note and number, and that's that. Gemma can't help but revisit that night in her fantasies, even though she has more urgent concerns: she's losing her weekend catering jobs and thinks Mrs. Van Houghten is sabotaging her business. And she's also found out...well, let's just say things get complicated. A lovable heroine and an engaging cast of eccentrics makes for a cheerful summer read.
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February 15, 2012
Private chef Gemma Craig does wonders for other people, from picky department store owner Lex and morbidly obese Willa to allergy-prone Angela and "Mr. Tuesday," whom she never sees. But only when the unexpected happens does she start taking care of herself. Lots of publicity, from chick lit blogs to an Indiebound campaign.
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