Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review
Publication: March 4, 2014
Description:
Barbara O’Neal’s new novel of food, friendship, and the freedom to grow your dreams brings together four very different women longing to savor the true taste of happiness.
Popular blogger and foodie queen Lavender Wills reigns over Lavender Honey Farms, a serene slice of organic heaven nestled in Oregon wine country. Lavender is determined to keep her legacy from falling into the profit-driven hands of uncaring relatives, and she wants an heir to sustain her life’s work after she’s gone. So she invites her three closest online friends—fellow food bloggers, women of varied ages and backgrounds—out to her farm. She hopes to choose one of them to inherit it—but who?
There’s Ginny, the freckle-faced Kansas cake baker whose online writing is about to lead her out of a broken marriage and into a world of sensual delights. And Ruby, young, pregnant, devoted to the organic movement, who’s looking for roots—and the perfect recipe to heal a shattered heart. Finally, Val, smart and sophisticated, a wine enthusiast who needs a fresh start for her teenage daughter after tragedy has rocked their lives. Coming together will change the Foodie Four in ways they could never have imagined, uniting them in love and a common purpose. As they realize that life doesn’t always offer a perfect recipe for happiness, they also discover that the moments worth savoring are flavored with some tears, a few surprises, and generous helping of joy.
Rating: 2 stars
Review:
As much as I love the cover (it's so cute), I wasn't too fond of the story as it went along. It started out really good but started to become boring, predictable and I felt like it glorified cheating a little bit.
The story focused on four women who met through blogging. Lavender's 85th birthday is approaching and she invited her three friends Ruby, Valerie and Ginny to visit her farm and celebrate her birthday. But Lavender is also looking for an heir to her farm and is thinking of leaving it to one of the three women.
Each of the women were dealing with personal problems: Ruby who was in her 20s was pregnant and still dealing with trying to get over her ex boyfriend but there may be a new romance for her if she can move on. Ginny who was in her 40s felt like she was in a love less marriage and Valerie who was also in her 40s was a widow after an accident took her husband and two other daughters and was now trying to help her daughter and herself try to deal with their lost. While Lavender was trying to keep her nephews from trying to sell her farm to a land greedy farmer as soon as she dies.
Now this seems like it would have been interesting with ladies bonding over blogging and food but like I said earlier the story became a bit too predictable and the story was a little slow moving.
I will start with what I liked about the story first:
- I like that the author told the story in an interesting and unique way, from going from one character to another but without it feeling too disjointed. As well as the author used posts from the characters' blogs, recipes and emails throughout the story.
- The author did a really good job of providing details such as the food, the sights around the farm or the various things Ginny saw on her trip.
- I love that there were recipes that were included.
What I didn't like were:
- It was sooooo boring. The words were there but there was no emotion in the words. There was nothing that made me feel engaged or connected to the story.
- The characters. None of them really stood out or were that interesting to me. I think I would have cared more for the characters and their problems if I liked them more.
- The story was slow moving. It spent too much time on Ginny traveling and while she was traveling the story with the other ladies didn't really develop because it was sort of on hold until Ginny arrived. But even when Ginny finally showed up the story just dragged and dragged. I was so bored reading this.
- I didn't like that it seemed to glorify cheating with several of the characters having done that.
- The supernatural aspect. Why was there a ghost who was intervening in their lives (mainly Ginny's)?
Overall, I don't think this book was for me which is a shame because from the premise it seemed like it would be a good read. I was so excited to read this but it just didn't work for me.
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