Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink

There's Cake in My Future #2

by Kim Gruenenfelder

In Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink , Kim Gruenenfelder's delicious follow-up to There's Cake in My Future , Seema, Nic and Mel are back, adjusting to their new lives as a bride-to-be, a mother-to-be, and a recently single girl looking for love

It's been almost a year since Mel, Nic and Seema pulled their magical charms out of the cake at Nic's bridal shower and most of their happily-ever-afters seemingly came true. Seema is about to marry Scott in an elaborate three-day affair. Nic is glowingly pregnant. And Mel... well, Mel feels as if she accidentally veered off the rails of her life at some point and isn't sure how to get back on. She recently became single again, she's been threatened with a layoff from her teaching job, and she has to find her own place now that Scott is moving in with her roommate, Seema.

Nic thinks Mel just needs a new cake charm to bring her good luck. . . and decides to rig the cake pull at Seema's bridal shower. Desperate for travel, Mel asks for the passport charm. But, once again, the cake proves to have a mind of its own, and she pulls a charm she doesn't want, and can not use. Rather than be bound by the charm's prophecy, Mel realizes she, and she alone, is responsible for her destiny. A spur of the moment decision takes her to Paris and then Maui, where she finds herself on an adventure that she never could have imagined, experiencing the trials and tribulations of a life suddenly and perfectly unplanned. And, along the way, she begins to learn that, however nonsensical it may seem, the cake is never wrong...

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Contemporary, Humor, Adult

384 pages, Paperback

First published December 24, 2013

About the author

Kim Gruenenfelder grew up in and around Los Angeles and began her career in TV at the age of nineteen. In addition to her books A Total Waste of Makeup, Misery Loves Cabernet and There's Cake in My Future, she has written feature films, episodic teleplays and two stage plays. She lives in Los Angeles, California. She loves her fans and can be reached through her website and on Facebook.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/kimgru...

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not the worst book I read, but definitely not as enjoyable as her other books. The main character was irritating. The author didn't seem to know what she wanted to do here--the beginning "action" was largely irrelevant and took us back in time (for many pages), only to cover the same ground again, ending at a lacking-in-interest reveal.

Only after all is this did the depressed, whiny, immature main character start looking for herself. And the book was half-way over.

The main character has a third best friend, whom I don't remember from the previous book. (Kindle search: he was barely a mention!) Either way, their friendship seems fake as this character seems way too settled and mature to want to hang out with her. Not to mention: why wouldn't he have existed before this?

This is not the good light read that I thought it would be.

[Love Fool · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink, Kim Gruenenfelder's delicious follow-up to There's Cake in My Future, Seema, Nic and Mel are back, adjusting to their new lives as a bride-to-be, a mother-to-be, and a recently single girl looking for love

Kim Gruenenfelder's sequel to one of my favorites "There's Cake in My Future" is brillant, funny, and a good feeling book. You can't but not love Mel and want her to succeed in life. I really wish I was the Samantha to this trio (Sex and the City reference). I gave it four stars because I wish the book focused on all of the women's lives and not just Mel's like the first book did.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best friends, Mel, Nic and Seema know that they will always be there for one another. But as Nic and Seema settle down and start having families of their own, Mel begins to question her future. Recently single and on the verge of potentially being laid off, Mel wants what her friends have. Nic is married with a new baby, Seema is a newlywed and Mel … well, she’s having sex with Seema’s brother, Jay. Not quite sure what to think about that situation, Mel figures that she’ll just go with the flow and see where it takes her. After all, she has had a crush on Jay for practically half of her life.

But when Mel decides to fly halfway across the world to be with Jay in Paris, she starts to wonder if she’s making the right decision. It seems everywhere they go, they bump into a woman from Jay’s past. Some happy to see Jay and some … well, not so much! Mel starts to think that she’ll end up being just another number on Jay’s speed dial. More confused than ever, Mel knows that she needs to get out of Paris but isn’t quite sure if she wants to go back home yet. Take a trip with Mel as she tries to figure out what she wants out of life and possibly find someone to share it with.

The thing I love the most about reading Kim Gruenenfelder’s books is that they never disappoint in the area of humor. My favorite type of book is one that has me laughing out loud and keeps my interest from the first page to the last. This book did just that. The author has a way of taking a fun story and brilliantly swirling in humor in just the right spots. She also has a way of making the characters feel so real. Mel, Nic and Seema have such a bond, that you wish you could be the fourth best friend in their group. I can’t praise the author enough for her amazing writing style and her ability to draw me in and keep my attention throughout the book. Once again, the author writes a book worthy of five stars and one that I would definitely recommend to others!

[Amy Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute read...very fun!

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally love Kim Gruenenfelder's books as well as books where the main character travels the world. So, it was a disappointment to me how much I disliked this book and how I had to struggle to finish it. The first part of the book drags on about a wedding and has little to do with the second half where the desperate main character, Mel, travels to find herself, which really means to find a husband. If this is classified as chick lit, why are the female characters so awful (Seema is selfish and annoying, Mel is immature, desperate, and clueless about other cultures, and the 2 bartenders in Hawaii can only talk about dudes) while the male characters, except one, are normal and likable (Jeff, Ben, and both friends' husbands)? The dialogue is forced to squeeze in information about Indian culture, France, and Hawaii and continues to show how awful Mel is. Mel likes to talk about math and science theories and calls her first boyfriend a "bon vivant" but also talks immaturely, calling her second boyfriend a "f***head." The way she talks is not believable.
I plan to read more books by this author despite this flop. However, she needs to take note of the main character's attempt to take herself out of her comfort zone. The mixed up cake charms have been done in two of her books now. Try something new! I am hoping her next book is not about Mel's baby shower where surprise, the cake charms are mixed up!

[Allison Junkans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book to bring on vacation - fast read, shallow, and entertaining. I have enjoyed all this author's books. This book I did not enjoy quite as much as her others. I still found it to be funny and I really enjoyed reading about the main character's travels. However, I found it kind of unrealistic. The main character was also very desperate for a husband. The title had absolutely nothing to do with the book.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other authors, please take note: This is what a "chick lit" novel should be! I loved this book. I loved the friendships, the conversations, the travel, and the fun. Highly recommended, whether or not you read the first book in the series. (But why wouldn't you read the first book? That one was really good too!)

[Quinn Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Kim is a friend and there is NO WAY I can be unbiased. Having said that, KEEP CALM is funny, delightful, sexy and buoyant. Like the writer herself, it's smart and excellent company. I happily galloped through it and closed the book grinning. GET THIS ONE.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great fun summer read! I flew through it!

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable. I recognized my friends in these women. I loved the ending it wrapped the whole book up just adorably. I finished it in a day it was that fun to read!

[Vår Ane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect summer read.

[Ro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Third and last book of the Nic/Seema/Mel "saga". This one is all about Mel and finding herself...and a husband. The first half of the book was kind of boring and me saying, "Oh Mel, don't do that!" and cringing a bit when she did it. It's what kept me from taking the time to read it in a few days rather than the almost 3 weeks it took me. What can I say; I got bored!

Mel's little fling with Seema's brother Jay wasn't going anywhere and everyone reading it knows it, especially since he's just like her ex (Fred); too many women on the side. The second half was better; knowing she was brave enough to tour other countries on her own and ending up in Maui with her gay ex-boyfriend Jeff. It was great that she bumps into "airport guy" and ends up with him in the end. Of course he's a doctor. But the last few chapters left me wanting a little bit more. It just sort of abruptly ended with a small chapter a year later when they marry in a quiet ceremony in Hawaii. I kind of wanted just a little bit more.

[Carolyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's rare to find a book that actually can make me smile or even chuckle when it comes to humor. Once I find a book like that, I grasp onto it and never let it go. It becomes a permanent fixture on my bookshelf. It's with a pretty heavy heart that I have to give this book one star because I did find it quite funny. Unfortunately, the book was too filled with gender stereotypes and it felt like the author was continually telling the reader "Did you know men are like this? This is how men are." "Did you know women are like this? This is how women are." I tried to get past it, essentially trying to convince myself it was a satire, but couple the gender stereotypes with disliking the characters and I just couldn't. Not to mention that there were so many names and I couldn't keep everyone straight because no one had enough of a personality to latch onto. The book also just continued to drag on and on. Sadly, I couldn't continue reading this book.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sequel to : There's cake in my future. Loved the 1st book, I was not a fan of the sequel. One of the things that I enjoyed in this first book was the friendship that Seema, Nic and Mel shared with each other. It seemed like there was no close friendship in this book. Granted I know when people get married and have children, friendships change but it felt like there was no closeness at all with them. I also don't remember Mel being annoying, she sure was in this book. I did enjoy her friendship with Jeff, her gay ex- boyfriend who is now one of her best friends. Why couldn't we get more of him in the 1st one?! I really wanted to love this one as much as the 1st one and was so excited to get since I had to know what happened with Seema, Nic and Mel. Now I wish I had just let them live their lives without me knowing.

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book of two. I rated the first one, There's Cake in My Future, 5 stars as well. The primary reason for my review is essentially for not only the plot line of the book but for the authors witty banter between the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I have to admit, I was a little underwhelmed with the beginning of this book and then as I progressed it shifted to outstanding. The beginning was a little slow with the main character, Mel, going through somewhat of a slump and a mild depression. As she started to make decisions and follow her heart the book really took shape and became a five star read. I really enjoyed the message in the book as well... that life can be monotonous and seem old after a while and that dreams and paths are subject to change. Don't be stuck in a rut but do something that makes you happy even if it isn't what you originally had planned or THINK you should do! Proof in point is when Mel's best friend tells her at one point, when she realizes what big change she wants to make that will make her happy, that he would "like having someone around who is excited to go to the dry cleaner's." That quote alone shows that Mel finds herself and has made her life new again, that her journey to self discovery had led her to happiness. This was a fun book and I look forward to reading other books by this author. Side note: Now I really want to visit Hawaii!!! :P

[Bridget Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in a two book series. It follows up where it left off with the three girls. It's a typical chick lit book but with actual real language and situations. Sometimes chick lit hypes things up or puts unrealistic situations into a book to make it better and this one does not. I really really enjoy this author's style of writing and the colorful language she uses. It's a cute book, somewhat predictable but utterly enjoyable!

[Bambi Baughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of cute. Waaaay too much detail about France and Hawaii - all the description contributed nothing to a pretty simple plot. The weird thing for me was the epilogue. If they got married one year after they met, how could Nic’s baby (just born before Mel starts her journey) and Seema’s twins (she was pregnant at the same time) be the ring bear and flower girls at Mel’s wedding?

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It made me laugh in all the right places. When the book was over, I was left with the best sense of whimsy and hope. It is everything you could want from this sort of girl-hates-her-life-figures-out-she-doesn't-need-a-man-but-finds-the-perfect-one-anyway sort of book, and I loved every second of it.

[Tracey Fredrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute, fast, chick-lit read. I actually got through the first 30ish pages and found out this was the second book of a series, so I stopped reading and got the first one. Unfortunately, that meant some stuff in the first book was spoiled, but I think I would have figured it out anyway.
The reading was easy and the story was cute, even if maybe a little predictable.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars-I didn’t hate it, but as a middle school English teacher, I felt like I needed to remind the author of the rule “show not tell”. It was light and easy to read, but there were way too many pieces of this story that made me feel like she just got tired of the plot line and pivoted to something else.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously love the dynamics between the women. They can confide in each other through thick and think, say whatever they want from serious to goofy. Makes you really want to grab your girls and have fun!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure, delightful mind candy...interspersed with some really soulful and spot-on descriptions of what a woman feels about social norms, not always fitting in with these social norms, and giving oneself permission to explore and design one's own life plan on one's own timetable.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great beach read for those who like their beach reads to include a beach and romance. I found the characters to be interesting even if the situations were not totally believable. It is fun sometimes to enjoy a dream world.

[Bridget Kohlnhofer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book from start to finish!!!

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, light summer read.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very pleasant surprise to read this.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://jenninsf.wordpress.com/2019/0...

[Elle Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story and it was honestly not why I expected but in a good way. An interesting take on how life can throw curve balls at you.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish. Gave it my 3 chapter try and just couldn't get into it... Especially after Seema gets left at the altar in the beginning.

[Kyla Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me laugh out loud many times. It's like having a night out with girlfriends. Didn't want it to end :)