There's Cake in My Future

The first chapter starts out with a scene that could be in any "Bridezilla" TV reality show. You know like the ones on TLC you say you won't watch and somehow get sucked into. But the premise of the book is that each woman in a group of over-30 friends, pulls the "wrong" cake charm and their fortunes start coming true, so I knew that the bride/wedding had to be a related scene in the story. I see Bridezilla on TV way too much already.Chapter 2, and then the fun begins. We get to learn each woman's situation--Nic,Seema and Mel--and how she sees her friends' lives, too. It's true to life. After all, don't we ladies think we know what's really going on in other people's lives (and what they should do)? Of course, we do! And that attitude is what messes up the plan of pre-picked cake charms and fortunes for the ladies.I prefer not be redundant by writing the storyline in my reviews, so I'll leave that to other reviewers. When I got to the part when the ladies pull out the cake charms, the results made me laugh out loud. It's also shows that Gruenenfelder comes from a screenwriter's background, with twists and turns and surprise scenes that we've come to expect in a movie or modern TV show or situation comedy.The author wrote chapters from each characters POV in the first person "I." The reader's POV switches from seeing someone through another friend's eye, to hearing what she's thinking and interpreting about her life and her friend's lives in another chapter.It's a fascinating perspective as a reader to get in and out of all the characters' head as the story unfolds. I commend Kim Gruenenfelder on her talent and ability to make this work so perfectly in this book. It's not awkward or confusing, and I found the change in POV made the story more interesting as it unfolded."There's a Cake in My Future" itself is poignant, funny, and authentic to 30-something women at different stages of NEW in their lives. I feel like I got to know each lady, her hopes and frustrations and temptations. The men in the book aren't really like men I've known in relationships (even at the early stages)except for one...I would hope ladies are lucky to have men like Jason, Scott and Daniel at some point in their lives. If someone is looking for a Mr. Right, then maybe fiction can lend itself to real life on some level.I've never read this author before and I tend to read more memoir/biography, quirky books and non-fiction titles, over what could potentially be "fluffy" chicklit. I had no need to worry...After being tired from all the holiday rush and needing a fun book to relax, "There's Cake in My Future" didn't "bomb" and turned out to be a sweet, unexpected treat!NOTE: I read the Kindle version.I saw this book in Target while Christmas Shopping (there's something about the cover in person that attracts you). I read the back cover in the store....and almost bought it at $14.99. But I thought, "Hey I can buy this on my Kindle for less!" (The marvelous thing about having a Kindle--it pays for itself over and over) And at $9.99 for the Kindle book, it's more than I normally pay. But once I got to the last 2 pages in the Kindle sample the, "What's going to happen next" got me (good cliffhanger!), and I didn't resist the Buy button.

I actually downloaded an excerpt of this book on my Kindle a long time ago. After reading the excerpt, I decided not to buy it because I didn't think I was in the right mood to appreciate it. But I kept it on my to read list and in the back of my mind.Here were my life circumstances at the end of March:(1) I had just spent the month of March working nights and weekends on the proposal for my project team's follow-on contract. We had just turned the proposal in, so I finally had a little more free time to read and I was definitely in the mood for something light-hearted with simple sentence structures.(2) I was gearing up to be a bridesmaid in two weddings, one on April 4 and one on April 26.I'm pretty sure that I picked the absolutely perfect moment in my life to read this novel. I'm glad I did so. This book is one that had me nodding my head, because I could recognize either myself or one of my friends in almost all the situations in this book. Almost anyone can relate to the dismay of being friends with someone who flirts with you incessantly but won't make the moves on you, or an ex who treated you like s*** but is now enraged that you would be moving on with your life. We've all got the artist friend who doesn't wake up before noon, the friend who will ruin her bridesmaid dress trying to bust down the door with a fire extinguisher, and the jerk who's taking advantage of your best friend.Justin and I read a few sections of this book aloud to each other, and Justin actually enjoyed this a lot, which really surprised me because this is not AT ALL the sort of book he reads (right now he's reading a book called On Combat -- that's the sort of stuff he typically reads). When I finished the book (by reading silently to myself), he wanted to know what happened to all of the characters. We also had several conversations where we likened the characters to our friends in real life. He would say "You know who she reminds me of?" and I could usually guess who he was thinking of on my first guess.If there's one thing I want to emphasize, it's that you should really make sure you're in the proper mood to enjoy this book when you read it. It's not heart-wrenching, it doesn't speak to the human condition or profoundly change your view of the world. It's light-hearted. But if you're looking for a light-hearted book, this is one of the best that I've come across.

Pretty standard chic lit book

This was a lighthearted read with some good laughs. Some parts are cheesy for sure, but I liked reading from the different first person perspectives as three girlfriends navigated their friendships, the dating scene, relationships and marriage. The story is a bit fluffy, but Gruenenfelder's writing style is enjoyable and it was an entertaining read. This light and funny book seems geared for a younger audience, so I would recommend it as a good beach read for twenty-somethings.

Peor que el primero de la tilogía, pero quizás mejor que el tercero. En cualquier caso, las risas están aseguradas y los personajes se hacen querer. Está bien