This is a strong 3, almost a 4 rating. A pleasant read, with a fun premise. Slightly predictable, but still very enjoyable, thanks to characters that are relatable, and a city that is one of the characters in the book. How refreshing to find a foody book set in a city that gets little acknowledgement on the food scene. And, of course, I always love recipes - the cake recipe is at the end of the book.

May contain spoilers!

I read this for the first meeting of a book Club I joined. It's not something that I would pick. But that's the point of a book club, right? It was a fun weekend read. Something I would take to the beach or on a plane.
It's a typical story of missed opportunities to be honest that affect the characters' lives in unexpected ways
The characters were intriguing but also frustrating. Like why was Lou with Devlin to begin with? And how was a close-minded tit like Al able to so quickly evolve into a wonderful guy? The secondary characters were endearing, especially John, the style writer who hides behind his beard and wrinkled clothes.
I would look for her second book, which appears to be a food-themed story, too.

I love foodie books, and the cover and synopsis are not just a pretty promise. Lou owns Luella’s French restaurant and the dishes and desserts mentioned in this book will have you drooling.
Al Waters writes under a pseudonym for the local paper. He is a restaurant critic whose column has the town all-abuzz. They love his scathing, witty reviews. He considers himself a food snob, and this Brit sees Milwaukee as a stepping stone to more important venues.

Lou is about to have the worst day of her life when she shares a brief conversation with Al at the local farmers market. After receiving an anonymous tip Al dines at Lucella’s on that very same evening. He writes one of the most scathing reviews of his career. When the review publishes, Al again stumbles into Lou at a pub. She is drowning her sorrows and he is celebrating his latest success. Chance has them agreeing not to discuss work and a friendship begins..a beautiful friendship that slowly transforms both characters as it moves slowly toward romance. Reichert brought these characters to life, flaws and all. Their romance while low on heat still managed to sizzle as my heart did flip-fops. Theirs is the types of romances we dream about as little girls. It was awkward, adorable and genuine. She made rain beautiful, magnets enchanting and cooking so incredibly sexy-it should be illegal.

“He obliterates every restaurant he reviews. But he does it in the most entertaining way.”

Secondary characters gave this story an unexpected depth. I found myself caring for them and wanting to know more. John the awkward, delightful co-worker at the paper had me smiling and Lou’s second chef and pastry chef need their own story. This is a standalone, but Reichert has characters here worth writing about and I want to go back to Milwaukee. She made the town chic and a place I now want to visit. An older German couple who frequented the restaurant stole my heart and even made me weep. The author gave the story a small-town feel and I loved that none of her characters were cardboard.

While one could argue it was predictable, the romance and characters were not. I closed the novel with a smile. I totally recommend you pick up, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake. This is Reichert’s debut novel and her writing is magic from the flow to the characters I could find no fault.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

I hate myself for loving this book so much. Can you believe I read it in two days? It is an entirely predictable romance involving a Midwestern chef. If I am not reading books about Nazis, I am reading books with coconut cake on the cover. There may be little literary value to this novel but the simple story provides a reminder of how important it is to surround one's self with people they love.

Definitely falls under the category of chick-lit. However, I have a real fondness for books that incorporate my secret lifelong dream of baking/cooking for a living. This book hit all those sweet spots. Great for a light read or if, like me, you indulge your fantasies every so often.

It has been a while since I read a romance and this had all the normal trappings - the meet-cute, the horrible misunderstanding, the plain no make-up but naturally gorgeous heroine. Also great PR for the city of Milwaukee. A cute beach read.

A fun, easy read that's good, but not great. I'd have given it 3 1/2 stars if that were an option but I opted to round up. The storyline is predictable and the descriptions of Milwaukee get a bit tiresome. However, it's a sweet book with a feel good ending along with a tempting coconut cake recipe that ties together the whole story. Read it for a book club and think most folks would enjoy it as a summer read or just for some escapist humor.

I've written this review for Really Into This

Check out all of our reviews at https://reallyintothis.com
Happy Reading, friends!

Here's my video book review at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kZqKGUYm-s&t=8s

I was Really Into this book. I loved Lou, fell in love with Milwaukee & can’t wait to read more from Amy. Also, this book features a hell of a recipe for Coconut Cream Cake. This cake is so delicious that it deserves a full post of it’s own, so you can find more about it here.

I tried to get Jessica Really Into this book as well, but she wasn’t biting. I don’t know why! This book was sweet, fun & I (for real) cried at the end. Yes, it was somewhat predictable, but I’m totally okay with that. I like to know where I am going. Amy did throw in some nice surprises, like THE COUPLE. I Really enjoyed getting to know them & loved how much they supported Lou’s dream & they seriously had the best love story.

Next up is Luck, Love & Lemon Pie by Amy. I’m reading it in anticipation of The Simplicity of Cider which is supposed to hit shelves May of 2017. You know I love the Hannah Swenson series by Joanne Fluke, but what other book series are you Really Into?