The New York Times bestselling author of The Lost and Found Bookshop brings readers a can’t-miss tale of friendship, hardship, redemption, and love between a San Francisco baker and a barbecue master from Texas. Jerome Sugar learned the art of baking in his grandma’s bakery, also called Sugar, on historic Perdita Street in San Francisco. He supplies baked goods to the Lost and Found Bookshop across the street. When the restaurant that shares his commercial kitchen loses its longtime tenant, a newcomer moves in: Margot Salton, a barbecue master from Texas. Margot isn’t exactly on the run, but she needs a fresh start. She’s taken care of herself her whole life, pulling herself up by her fingernails to recover from trauma, and her dream has been to open a restaurant somewhere far, far from Texas. The shared kitchen with Jerome's Sugar bakery is the perfect setup: a state-of-the-art kitchen and a vibrant neighborhood popular with tourists and locals. Margot instantly takes to Jerome’s mother, the lively, opinionated Ida. The older woman proves to be a good mentor, and Margot is drawn to Jerome. Despite their different backgrounds their attraction is powerful—even though Jerome worries that Margot will simply move on from him once she’s found some peace and stability. But just as she starts to relax into a happy new future, Margot’s past in Texas comes back to haunt her…
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I picked this up thinking it would be a romance. It isn't, so I was disappointed. The middle gets hijacked by a political message/argument that I didn't think was particularly well argued. If you're in the particular choir Susan Wiggs is preaching too, you'll probably love it. If you're not, you'll probably say—what the heck!
I'm sure Susan Wiggs didn't plan on the incredibly bad timing of this book's release, but it should come with a big WARNING sticker on the cover: MC becomes pregnant as a result of a rape and tries to get an abortion while she is in jail for murdering her rapist in self-defense. Oh, and all of this happens IN TEXAS. I can think of a few million women who would be triggered by reading this book, so my advice is to ignore the misleading generic cover picture (which isn't even accurate - the heroine cooks barbeque, she doesn't bake cakes) and understand that this is a fucking horror story.
I could go on about the fact that the book's pacing is strange - we get quick back stories of the hero's mother and her first lover, and the revelation of a secret that is obvious to anyone who reads Women's Fiction. This is followed by a long flashback to the events described above, and then suddenly it's ten years later and after a few roadblocks that are very quickly dealt with, everyone gets their HEA. But frankly I couldn't get past the fact that there are numerous women living this nightmare right now, without even the legal rights that the heroine had.
YMMV if you can separate the book's plot from the very real destruction of women's rights that are taking place in front of our eyes.
