Life is sweet

3.5 stars. Liked for Becca, the former child TV star turned cake baker heroine, and the sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous portrayal of how 15 minutes of fame at a young age can have a lifelong impact. Also liked for the slowly developing relationship between heroine and the down-on-his-luck drifter who has a surprising role to play (not that surprising, actually).

Meh about the romance angle, which lacked passion primarily because Matt is already in a relationship with another woman for most of the novel. Meh also about the abrupt change of scene and tone in the book's final 50 pages, which bring it almost to a slapstick level. Meh also for one more book set in a bakery - I'm over cakes, cupcakes, etc. as the answer to life's problems in women's fiction.

Disliked for the cavalier way the story portrays the impact of changing relationships on Olivia, the 11-year old daughter of Matt's girlfriend Nicole. Nicole is an absentee mother at best, who eventually breaks up with Matt, the one constant presence in her life. Yet riding a horse and eating cake seem to be the only supports Olivia needs to get through all of these changes

I still find Elizabeth Bass to be an above-average women's fiction author. Her characters are just quirky enough to stick out from the rest of the pack.