This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
REVIEWED BY KIRA SLAUGHTER
Can you really make a living from indulging in your dreams?
TV producer Stella Weston is over worked, over weight and under fire. Having battled uphill for years to balance her career with her family life, she is repaid by being put out to pasture on a religious gardening programme- complete with a nervous vicar, his nymphomaniac wife and 22 stone Britney wannabe gardener, Gerald.
In the past, comfort has always been found at the bottom of her mixing bowl, but when even the most delicious lemon sponge with zesty frosting cannot save the day, Stella decides enough is enough.
However, finding the courage to quit is sometimes the easy part. Can you really turn a passion into a profession? Does more time at home actually give you a happier family life? Are men truly from Mars or another universe altogether?Stella has to roll up her sleeves and find out- when the going gets tough, the tough get baking…
When I was approached by Sue Watson to read her new book I was very excited. As much as I adore other Chick Lit authors, I always love finding new authors to read; there is always someone new waiting to be discovered and thrown into the spotlight.
When this book dropped onto my doormat I couldn’t wait to get stuck into it. After reading the synopsis on the back of the book, I thought it looked like a fun, light-hearted read (which you know are my favourite kind!).
The book opens onto main character Stella in the middle of a work crisis. Her boss is an utter she-devil and Stella is desperately trying to juggle a high powered job with looking after her young daughter, Grace. Being a TV producer for a big media company, she is always having to dart off to random locations around the UK, and she is finding that her home life is suffering because of it.
Her husband Tom also works in the industry as a cameraman, and between them they try to spend as much time with Grace as possible. However, when Stella’s boss suddenly decides that Stella is ‘dead weight’ in the company, so to speak, she is made redundant and it seems her dilemma about spending time at home has now been sorted…
The characters in this book, especially Stella and her two friends Al and Lizzy, are brilliant. They’re funny, loyal and straight to the point, which is just what Stella needs after a pretty emotional Christmas and a hilarious situation involving a frozen turkey (I’ll say no more but you will have to read it to find out the full story!).
I loved this book as it switched between hilarious in one chapter to heartbreaking in the next, yet what never failed to keep me hooked was Stella and her effort to turn into Best Mom Ever/ Baker Supreme. With a great cast of supporting characters (including the frozen turkey, of course!) and a brilliant plot, Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes is definitely a must read.
A tasty debut from Sue Watson.
10/10