Man. Sometimes I just get through a book and think... glad that's over. I wanted to like this book, but Stella Madison, the main character, was so... annoying? Internships, cute boys, fancy clothes, good food - it all falls into her lap. And she seems so ungrateful. I couldn't imagine being excited about having Kraft mac & cheese at my birthday party. Having a celebrity chef father MAKING the Kraft mac & cheese would make me cringe even more. And then stealing bottles of booze underneath my parents' nose? And not really getting into trouble for it or (attempting) to cheat on my boyfriend? I'm veering into spoiler territory now. I don't know. Maybe I'm tired of these fluffy YA novels. I might need to go back to the dark supernatural ilk. The Sweet Life of Stella Madison makes a fun Summer read about love and cooking. Most chapters begin with a menu and the descriptions of food in the book make your mouth water. Any teen foodie will love this coming-of-age novel. In general I feel the girl characters outshine the guys. The females are well-written and have many layers. Overall I wish the plot had a bit more conflict; 3/5 stars.
Not really special, but should appeal especially to those into the Food Channel and cooking shows.
—Hello
Too topical to have lasting appeal, and the ending is abrupt and unsatisfying.
—Queenie
This is the foodie-book-for-kids I wish I had written.
—candacespice
Pretty good read, kept me laughing and interested. :)
—teamgale
Sweet summer read!
—pee
