Review: When in Doubt, Add Butter
Things haven’t gone too well in the romance department for Gemma, so she’ll just stick to her friends and her job as a private chef, thank you very much. Her closest friend is her happily married cousin Penny. Penny is expecting her second child and seeing her pregnant does give Gemma a few little twinges. Still, Gemma thinks she’ll stick with her cooking – it’s predictable and won’t let you down.
Gemma has quite the variety of clients - a woman who claims to be allergic to just about everything, a woman who needs to lose weight, a family who seem to have ties to the Russian mafia, and a man she’s never seen just to name a few. Things seem to be going pretty well on the job front until a few clients cancel on Gemma all of a sudden. As she’s trying to get to the bottom of things a problem pops up in her personal life as well. Gemma realizes she will persevere “because sometimes in life, all you need is a little hope, a lot of courage, and – oh yes – butter.”
I thought When In Doubt, Add Butter, by Beth Harbison, was delightful from the outside in. That gorgeous cover made me hungry and drew me in and the book kept me thoroughly entertained from the very start. Gemma is an average young woman with an unusual job. Since things haven’t worked out in the romance department for her, she’s decided to move on and concentrate on her friends and career.
Of course, things don’t always go the way you plan and an impetuous decision and the loss of a few jobs has Gemma rethinking things. She has some tough decisions to make and faces them head on. As she tries to work things out, Gemma finds herself in some humorous (at least to the reader) situations. Add to that the descriptions of the meals Gemma prepares and you have a book that’s sure to please anyone who enjoys chick lit. I hesitated to use the term chick lit in describing this book because it seems to have gotten a bum rap lately, but this book makes me think of the classic chick lit that’s so much fun.
I listened to the audio version of When In Doubt, Add Butter. It’s read by Orlagh Cassidy and she does a wonderful job! She’s good with voices and kept me engaged the whole time. The book is on 7 CDs and lasts approximately 8 hours. There’s an interview with the author at the end of the audio book that was fun to listen to as well. You can listen to a sample of the book here.
Sounds splendid!
I know what you mean about chick lit. And saying “women’s fiction” doesn’t sound much better! There must be a better word!
I usually don’t do well with the genre no matter what it’s called, but this sounds fun.
I read another book by this author that I really enjoyed and knowning Orlagh narrates this one definitely gets my attention.
Sounds like a book I would enjoy. I’m not a fan of the term chick lit, though women’s fiction makes me think of more serious subject matter. We need to think of a new term!
This sounds like a good book to read listen to at the gym. Thanks for the review.
I enjoyed this as well – a fun read!
This sounds like a fun book and I really like Orlagh Cassidy as a narrator. I’ll have to give it a try even though I don’t read a lot of chick lit.
I go back and forth on whether I want to read this one, but you may have convinced me. Thanks for the review!
This one sounds so delightful! I haven’t read this author yet, but now I’m eager to do so.
This book sounds like the perfect read for those mornings in traffic on my commute to work. It would be very entertaining like you said. Just the thing to get in a good mood before work.
So glad to see your review of this. I listened to her book Always Something There to Remind Me and thought it was a lot of fun. I’ve been wanting to try another of her books; When In Doubt…sounds like a good choice!
I like the sound of this one Kathy! The cover draws me in too…
This was a cute one. Sometimes sweet and predictable stories are just what I need.
It sounds like a nice fun light read, and what a cute title!
It sounds like the perfect book to fall into on a Sunday afternoon when football is on!
It is hard not to agree with the title!! More butter please!
That sounds like fun. The profession of personal chef fascinates me — this might be an excellent way to learn more about it.
This sounds like fun. I think I’m going to try to find a copy, for those times when I need something to just take me away from it all and have a good time. Thanks!
I hate the title chick lit too because it sounds demeaning, when it should just be a fun story
I have been intrigued by this book since first seeing it. It sounds like it might be a great read for one of those days when I am feeling over-stressed. Chick-lit has gotten a bad rap lately, but this one sounds like it would be something fun and absorbing, and since I love foodie books, I will be on the lookout for this one!
Always looking for good audio books! Thanks for the recommendation!
I like the sound of this one so may have to give it a try!
Orlagh Cassidy is one of my favorite narrators – I am listening to The Shoemaker’s Wife with her now!
Oooo I got this one from Macmillon too, now I’m anxious to get to it. It sounds fantastic!
Oh my! another one to add to my list of buys!! I loved this one just from your review
Oh, this is an audio book? I thought you overheard me say that the other day. I add butter to everything. LOL.
Glad you enjoyed this one. I just love the title!