Book Review: Perfect Blend by Sue Margolis

Perfect Blend

Sue Margolis

368 Pages

Published August 3rd, 2010 by Bantam

From Sue Margolis, the beloved author of Forget Me Knot and Gucci, Gucci Coo, comes a clever, capricious novel about lust, longing, and sizing up the competition.
After enduring her share of commitment-phobic boyfriends, Amy Brown trades in her high-powered PR job and designer shoes to embark on the journey of single motherhood. Now, with a rambunctious boy of six and chaotic shifts serving decadent muffins and high-octane brew at a local coffee bar, Amy could use a fix herself—preferably the sexy, smoky-eyed grande type.
No one is more shocked than Amy to discover that Sam Draper is made perfectly to order: hot, sweet, and delicious. There is just one teeny problem. He’s the architect for the neighborhood’s brand-new Bean Machine, her employer’s fiercest rival. Still, Sam is sexy, fun, and really likes Amy’s son, Charlie. Amy can’t resist the steamy passion—or the feeling that Sam is hiding a secret or two. Could there be something rotten in the beans that make up the Machine’s secret blend? Or is it something more personal? Harnessing her untapped yet formidable journalistic skills, Amy blows the lid off a story that will change her life, but will Sam stick around to share it?
Perfect Blend is as addictive as a Frappuccino—but not nearly as fattening.

A Perfect Blend is a chic-lit with plenty of romance and even some suspense and mystery thrown in. Amy is a mother in her thirties who chose to have a child through the miracle of sperm donation instead of waiting for a man, due to a family history of early menopause. This is the story of her and her six year old son's, Charlie, life. 

Characters

Amy: The main character of the book really shined for me. She was a very strong and independent woman, and a great mother to her son. She is often worried about Charlie not having a father, but I think she was doing just fine on her own. 

Her dream is to break into journalism as a freelancer and make it big so she can work from home and spend more time with her son. For most of the story she works at a coffee shop, pulling in lots of hours to support her family. 

I loved how she had a flair for interior decorating - all the neat little descriptions she rambled out really added a nice touch to the story.

Charlie: This is Amy's son. Sometimes he was a bit aggressive  but for the most part he seemed to be a well adjusted kid. Some of the things he did really cracked me up, like constantly asking for a pet snake. 

Sam: Ah, no story can be complete without the love interest. Sam and Amy's relationship gets off to a rocky start but they end up falling head over heels for each other in a short span of time. Sam seemed like a really great guy, caring and compassionate, but he did have some issues of his own to get resolved before the end of the story.

Victoria: Although she wasn't a main character, I feel like she had a major role in the story - it just wouldn't have been the same without Amy's insane sister. Victoria is a major control freak, and one of those moms who has to make everything perfect - no sugar for her child, plenty of activities, her kids can do no wrong... THAT mom. 

She's always going around town, trying to be the boss of other people, making them feel degraded. Plenty of conflict with her ensues. 

Brian and Bel: These where two of Amy's best friends, both working at the coffee shop with her, Brian owning it. They were both quirky and kept getting into relationships hat were completely wrong for them, when the entire story it was so obvious that they belonged together. 

Plot

I really enjoyed this story and am so glad I picked it up. I haven't read a chic-lit in forever, and this one looked right up my alley. 

Things I loved about this story?

1) I loved all the little tidbits about interior design, coffee, and journalism. I really felt like I walked away from this book just a little bit wiser. 

2) The suspense in this book was a welcome change. While it was like every chic-lit around with a pretty predictable, happy ending, the rest of the story kept me guessing. You just have to read it and see all the scandalous lies for yourself!

3) Speaking of the ending, I absolutely L-O-V-E-D it!! It was so sweet and left me happy inside for the rest of the afternoon. :)

Writing Style

As for writing style, again, I love it. Sue Margolis sure had me hooked right from page one. Her style is witty an conversational, and I'll definitely be checking out more of her books.