May 6, 2013
Lewis (You Have Seven Messages) offers a thoughtful story about food and family, set in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Silver Lake. Sixteen-year-old Olivia and her older brother, Jeremy, are doing everything in their power to help with their adoptive fathers’ finances, struggling restaurant, and faltering marriage. Olivia gets a job at a casting agency despite her disinterest in Hollywood (her dream is to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Paris), and Jeremy rents an ice cream truck, but their efforts only bring more turmoil. Olivia’s chance meeting with a psychic and discovery of a vintage cookbook spark both an imaginary dialogue with a housewife from the 1960s and a true one with herself. Olivia’s passions feel real throughout the book, from her crush on a boy that got away to her cooking (readers who share her culinary interests will come away with quite a few ideas) and her search for answers about the mother she never met. Teens seeking direction and control in their own lives will gladly accompany Olivia as she works to put hers in order. Ages 12–up. Agent: Mitchell Waters, Curtis Brown.
May 15, 2013
Some solid cooking tips shared by the main character, an aspiring chef, are an added bonus to this slick, enjoyable novel that juggles a variety of mostly successful plotlines. Olivia and her ne'er-do-well singer/songwriter older brother Jeremy adore their two dads, Enrique and Bell, even if they seem to be unraveling a bit in the face of bills that are piling up both on their home mortgage and Bell's restaurant. Early on, Olivia stumbles into a chance meeting with a psychic that foreshadows many of the novel's events, including a romance and her first sexual experience, her decision to pursue the identity of her birth mother and the discovery of an annotated cookbook from the 1960s whose former owner captivates her. Food metaphors are occasionally overdone--"Without every flavor of our family working together, there is no dish"--and coincidences abound to a degree that strains believability, but the nicely ambiguous ending saves the story from feeling too pat, and the psychic cues readers to expect that fate may be at work. Nuanced characters, including the talented protagonist and her loving but realistically flawed family, are the stars of this introspective and poignant coming-of-age tale. It should win fans among those who appreciate a good balance between depth and a playful tone. (Fiction. 12 & up)
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June 1, 2013
Gr 8 Up-Sixteen-year-old Olivia lives in a funky neighborhood in Los Angeles; has an older brother who is trying to make it as a musician; a British best friend, Lola; and two Dads. Bell is the affectionate, openhearted, restaurant-owning father and Enrique is a caring former ballet dancer, currently a stylist. Olivia is an aspiring chef who creates weekly specials at Bell's troubled restaurant, using food to comfort others and express her emotions. A chance elevator encounter with a psychic sets the stage for a pivotal summer. Her job with a talent agent leads to a reignited romance with a boy from her past, and her purchase of a vintage cookbook opens her up to new experiences. Although her upbringing has been full of love, Olivia feels the absence of a mother. With Lola's help she finds her mother's name and meets her. This reunion allows Olivia to recognize that she already has all that she needs. The portrayal of a loving and supportive unconventional family is well done. Despite its convenient resolution, the subplot involving Bell's restaurant illustrates how families pull together in tough times. Olivia is a sympathetic protagonist and her struggles to find her place will resonate with many readers. Enjoyable chick lit that is likely to be popular.-Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL
Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2013
Grades 9-12 Olivia, 16, has a lot going on. Her two dads may lose the family restaurant, her brother is a flake, a boyfriend returns to take her virginity, the mother of her best friend has cancer, and she may have found a clue to the identity of her birth mother. If that's not enough, Olivia, a chef in her own right, has found a vintage cookbook with notes that resonate in her life. Considering the amount of story here, Lewis does a good job of mixing up the ingredients. Except for maybe the cookbook story line. And the part where boyfriend Theo is raising his developmentally disabled brother. But Olivia's first-person voice is so likable, most of the characters are so relatable (especially the dads), and the setting is so well realized, this is all kinds of fun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2013
Adopted by two dads, Olivia begins to sense a void in her life. Serendipitously, Olivia finds her supposedly "nameless" birth mother but quickly realizes that maybe the secret ingredient to a fulfilled life is appreciating what one already has. Lewis's mature protagonist adapts remarkably well to her nontraditional life in this story that limns themes of adolescence, adoption, illness, and financial instability.
(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)