The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

Andrea regularly shares reviews of her favorite books over at her blog, Good Girl Gone Redneck. This post was originally featured there. 

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake was such an enjoyable story. I think I waited too long to read it. It had been sitting around my house for a few weeks while I traveled for a bit, so I must admit that I devoured it once I picked it up.

First of all, look at the cover. I mean, could it be any prettier?

Don’t you immediately want a slice? I have to be honest, I’m not really a huge coconut fan. I like the fresh stuff (despite it being impossible to crack into!), but when it comes to shredded coconut on desserts? Not so much. But this? I might want this entire cake. It looks amazing.

Amy E. Reichert’s first novel is one that drew me in from the start.

Yes, yes, the cover is amazing and yes, I DO judge books by their covers. Come on, you do, too. Admit it. But the story pulled me in beyond that.

I loved Lou. From the moment I met her I wanted good things for her. And I immediately didn’t like (or trust) Devlin. The fiancé. As soon as Lou described him as her very own Disney prince I wasn’t thrilled. Because Disney princes may be the be all when it comes to animated movies, but have you looked at them? I mean, really, really looked?

Coiffed hair. Cheshire cat smile. The sparkle off of the teeth. No thanks. I feared bad things from this man. And I was right not to trust him. But I really loved that Reichert didn’t let him disappear, and he continued to surface throughout the story. It worked well.

Admittedly a few aspects of Devlin, Lou, their relationship and how it progressed were things I predicted early(ish) on. And despite that? I enjoyed the book anyway.

Lou meets Al on the day all things fall to pieces. She doesn’t know it’s going to be that day when she meets him. We don’t know whether we like him or hate him when we meet him. And we don’t know how things are going to unfold, or quite possibly unravel, once we realize that we might not like him very much and our hearts ache for Lou.

Their connecting continues and they find themselves growing closer together. But there are secrets between them – secrets (one big one) that might blow their not-quite-yet-a-relationship apart before it even begins. Or quite possibly after. Which would be worse?

We don’t know. Can you tell we don’t know a lot of things? We just know we like Lou and we like her friends and we want her to be happy. We like her restaurant – I almost forgot one of the most important things. Lou is a chef and restaurant owner. Her staff and her customers are her family. And I loved each of them. Honest. I did.

And there’s another story that is a part of this book that strongly connects to Lou and her relationships, and so as not to give it all away – I’ll simply say that Reichert tugged at the heartstrings, bringing me to tears a few times. Good stuff. *sniffle*

So. Lou. Al. The restaurant.

And another character we cannot overlook? Milwaukee. Yes. The city. The way the author shared her city with us was phenomenal. And now I totally want to enjoy a culinary tour of Milwaukee with a native. Stat.

You will, too, after you get yourself a copy of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake. (This is an affiliate link!) 

Looking for more book recommendations? I have a title or two you should look into, so feel free to stop by and check out my suggestions. See you soon!