Book Review: The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert

Title: The Coincidence of Coconut Cake
Author: Amy E. Reichert
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Gallery
Publication Date: July 21, 2015

Author's Website: http://amyereichert.com/

 Lou is a chef who is living her dreams. She has her own  restaurant Louella's. She is engaged to a handsome up and coming attorney named Devlin. She loves her job, her restaurant is slowly becoming successful and profitable, She loves Devlin. But why has her life slowly started to feel stifled? As Devlin pushes her to move in with him, to close her restaurant, and set a date for the wedding she feel less in control of her life. Until she walks in on Devlin in his boxer shorts with a blond intern on his birthday. Suddenly her life is mangled, much like the coconut cake that she dropped on the floor in surprise.

Al Waters, is a British transplant. A recent arrival to Milwaukee, WI he looks at his stay as a short term one. He is writing for a local paper as a food critic under a pseudo name. His reviews are pithy and usually negative. He receives an anonymous tip to visit Louella's. His visit turns into a terrible review. This review starts the slow decline of the restaurant's business.  

Al meets Lou at a bar. They begin talking, and Lou offers to show him the real Milwaukee. This turns into a series of excursions to local museums, breweries, restaurants and festivals. While on their adventures through the city together they have a no work rule. Lou knows Al as a freelance write, while Al misconstrues something Lou says about work and assumes she works in an office job. The two become friends and both start to have romantic feelings about the other. But when Al finds out the Lou owns Louella's  and the effect of his unprofessional review he starts to wonder if they can keep this young love together when she finally discovers who he really is.

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake is a sweet story. It has the best sort of romance in my opinion, that of friendship that slowly becomes more. I really enjoyed exploring Milwaukee from Lou and Al's perspective. This was a very engrossing and quick read for me. Perfect for a summers day.