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Smitten
Piece of Cake
On the morning that Lola is due to fly to London, her dad's in an accident. There's no time to whinge about ruined plans - Lola has to just unpack her bags and act like an adult by taking over her dad's cafe.
Finding a new chef and working seven days a week is not the gap year Lola had in mind. But then she meets Sam, a hot backpacker and cook extraordinaire with a tragic secret past.
In a whirl of perfect pastries and delicate cupcakes, Lola and Sam start to realise that it's not just the kitchen warming up. But can their romance handle the heat?
Finding a new chef and working seven days a week is not the gap year Lola had in mind. But then she meets Sam, a hot backpacker and cook extraordinaire with a tragic secret past.
In a whirl of perfect pastries and delicate cupcakes, Lola and Sam start to realise that it's not just the kitchen warming up. But can their romance handle the heat?
236 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
5 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 13, 2019
This was so trashy I could feel myself losing brain cells as I read it
100% fluff, there were maybe 2 points of plot in the whole book
That being said, those are normally some of my favourite books, but this one just didn't do it for me...
I don't know what it was, but it just didn't feel that cute. It just felt forced to me.
Sam is a babe, but idk, I just never got that into it...
And the ending was sooooooo predictable, there was not one thing that happened in this book I couldn't have guessed from the first chapter.
Anyways, hoping I'll enjoy my next contemporary more!!
100% fluff, there were maybe 2 points of plot in the whole book
That being said, those are normally some of my favourite books, but this one just didn't do it for me...
I don't know what it was, but it just didn't feel that cute. It just felt forced to me.
Sam is a babe, but idk, I just never got that into it...
And the ending was sooooooo predictable, there was not one thing that happened in this book I couldn't have guessed from the first chapter.
Anyways, hoping I'll enjoy my next contemporary more!!
October 10, 2020
What I thought: This was my favourite Smitten novel so far, because it felt so much more realistic and not as drama-filled as the others. The romance between Lola and Sam was relatively easy and straight-forward and there wasn't much holding them back. They didn't have several break-ups and make-ups, like in all the other novels. Don't get me wrong, I loved all the other Smitten stories, but this one was a nice change, and that's why I've given this one 5-stars, because I believe this is the first one to have deserved it. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that half the novel involved food and chocolate... Nothing at all *shifty eyes*
Lola is a wonderful MC, bringing us into her little cafe world. Lola was ready to travel to London on a big, soul-searching adventure but all that changes when her dad ends up in hospital. Sam is the new chef she hires in replacement of her dad, while he recovers. The chemistry they have it obvious from the start, but it was nice to see it all play out the way it did. There was one little twist that I wasn't expecting and that made me love this story even more. There were no hidden secrets coming out towards the end, everything was laid out on the table quite fast, which made me wonder how Kate Forster was going to play the story without some climatic drama, but she pulled it off beautifully.
For lovers of sweet romances, contemporary or the Smitten series, grab this one now! It's worth it, I promise!
The Good: This was the only Smitten novel that wasn't drowned in drama. It was a refreshing change!
The Bad: I just wanted more of Lola and Sam!
Rating: 5 bookstacks
Lola is a wonderful MC, bringing us into her little cafe world. Lola was ready to travel to London on a big, soul-searching adventure but all that changes when her dad ends up in hospital. Sam is the new chef she hires in replacement of her dad, while he recovers. The chemistry they have it obvious from the start, but it was nice to see it all play out the way it did. There was one little twist that I wasn't expecting and that made me love this story even more. There were no hidden secrets coming out towards the end, everything was laid out on the table quite fast, which made me wonder how Kate Forster was going to play the story without some climatic drama, but she pulled it off beautifully.
For lovers of sweet romances, contemporary or the Smitten series, grab this one now! It's worth it, I promise!
The Good: This was the only Smitten novel that wasn't drowned in drama. It was a refreshing change!
The Bad: I just wanted more of Lola and Sam!
Rating: 5 bookstacks
August 22, 2013
Lola loves nothing more than dancing the night away and creating gorgeous cupcakes. But when her father is involved in a car accident she has to step up and take responsibility for her father's business. Cafe Ambrosia is losing business to the new coffee stop up the road and Lola need help. Luckily one of the waitresses knows a brilliant English chef named Sam, who is currently backpacking his way around Australia and can drop everything to work in Lola's father's kitchen.
Things are changing everywhere and Lola isn't sure if it's all a good thing. With bills needing to be paid, secrets which have been buried for eighteen years finally coming to light and feelings for a boy she can't have, Lola has to grow up - and quickly.
This is such a sweet story - and not just because of the sugar filled delicacies gracing the cover. Lola is fun and creative. Whilst she may not be passionate about working in the cafe, she's brave and would do anything she could for her dad. I loved that she wasn't afraid to ask for help when she needed it and isn't too proud to take advice from others. Her passion for baking is infectious and had me craving some of her pavlova inspired desserts.
Sam is a gorgeous character too - body and soul. He's hurting and come from London to Australia to grieve and try to find himself. I loved how he interacted with Lola and the other characters in this book as well as his well-meaning intentions - he's not afraid to take the hard road when it's necessary. His chemistry with Lola was a delight to read. The progression of their relationship - from meeting, to friends to possibly something more was paced beautifully. I liked seeing how things would develop and looked forward to reading their shared scenes.
Babcia, David, Jane and the other supporting characters do a great job of keeping the plot flowing and adding a sense of realism to Lola's story. These are fun characters who have a life outside of the main character and it was great to see them embrace their lives and living each day to the fullest.
I was impressed with how the plot evolved over the novel. This is not a book with any crazy plot twists and unrealistic drama. Rather - its strength lies in the authenticity of the characters and their down-to-earth problems. Kate Foster does a great job at writing a beautiful story that feels like it's happening to friends - rather than fictional characters.
Piece of Cake is a fun and sweet novel about a young woman finding her place in the world and perhaps a chance at love too. I've not read any other of the Smitten series but after enjoying Piece of Cake so much I know that I'll be reading more of this series.
Things are changing everywhere and Lola isn't sure if it's all a good thing. With bills needing to be paid, secrets which have been buried for eighteen years finally coming to light and feelings for a boy she can't have, Lola has to grow up - and quickly.
This is such a sweet story - and not just because of the sugar filled delicacies gracing the cover. Lola is fun and creative. Whilst she may not be passionate about working in the cafe, she's brave and would do anything she could for her dad. I loved that she wasn't afraid to ask for help when she needed it and isn't too proud to take advice from others. Her passion for baking is infectious and had me craving some of her pavlova inspired desserts.
Sam is a gorgeous character too - body and soul. He's hurting and come from London to Australia to grieve and try to find himself. I loved how he interacted with Lola and the other characters in this book as well as his well-meaning intentions - he's not afraid to take the hard road when it's necessary. His chemistry with Lola was a delight to read. The progression of their relationship - from meeting, to friends to possibly something more was paced beautifully. I liked seeing how things would develop and looked forward to reading their shared scenes.
Babcia, David, Jane and the other supporting characters do a great job of keeping the plot flowing and adding a sense of realism to Lola's story. These are fun characters who have a life outside of the main character and it was great to see them embrace their lives and living each day to the fullest.
I was impressed with how the plot evolved over the novel. This is not a book with any crazy plot twists and unrealistic drama. Rather - its strength lies in the authenticity of the characters and their down-to-earth problems. Kate Foster does a great job at writing a beautiful story that feels like it's happening to friends - rather than fictional characters.
Piece of Cake is a fun and sweet novel about a young woman finding her place in the world and perhaps a chance at love too. I've not read any other of the Smitten series but after enjoying Piece of Cake so much I know that I'll be reading more of this series.
June 17, 2014
This book!! This book is amazing!
To start with. A little hint. Babcia is pronounced "BAHP- cha"...it makes reading the novel wayy smoother to know that!!
When I first picked this book up at the store the cover drew me in, the pictures are so cute and the title is adorable. Plus who doesn't love a book about food? Even though I had resigned myself to only buying the one book I already had picked out I read the summary on the back cover, instantly sealing my fate that I would read this book. Oh well, who complains about going home with 2 books instead of 1, am I right?
Unlike some other novels I have read, this one wasn't hard to get into at all. It starts off quickly with a light hearted feeling. You can tell 3 things quickly within the first page alone, the main character Lola is going to be super fun, her dad is a ham, and their bond is amazing. The author did a great job of making sure there were no introductions without explanation, and though there were plenty of things she left as cliff hangers that she slowly filled in bits and pieces I never felt like I was being left out of some knowledge. Though it's a 3rd person POV ,which I prefer usually, you feel like you're being told the story AS it's happening rather than the narrative jumping ahead holding information from you. It makes the story an easier read to know you're being filled in just as quickly as the characters.
Lola at first comes across as a shallow character but quickly it becomes clear she has a lot of depth. She's a very fun, free spirit who doesn't let what people think stop her from living life her own way. Lola's only downfall is the shadow of her mother tormenting her to feel as though she's not as good as she really is. It's good to see her grow.
Sam is a total sweetheart. If he were real I would probably be insanely in love with him, as any woman probably would. He's funny, confident without being cocky, sensitive, smart and best of all he's a good cook!
Some of my favorite things about this story are:
- it's a light hearted read, it has serious and very heavy issues without ever making you feel the weight of a heavy story.
- it's very realistic. No point in the book do you think "yea right that's so far fetched"
- it isn't dramatic!! That has got to be by far the best part, most romance stories follow a distinct pattern. "Boy meets girl, girl and boy fall in love despite possibly being otherwise awful for each other or possibly hating each other, or simply just not wanting to, boy and girl have something go wrong that keeps them apart, boy and girl make it work. " I really like how issues were handled in this book despite finding love in the midsts of tragedy.
Being an American reader of an Australian book there were definitely some idiomatic expressions that i either did not understand or it took me a minute to comprehend. But for the most part I think any English speaking person could read it and get through just fine, it isn't FULL of idioms!
All in all I loved this book. The characters were all wonderful and it was nice to read a feel good story. It will totally make you cry! Fair warning! But as someone who generally refuses to read potentially tear inducing books I would read it again and again, they were all happy tears or "aww how sweet" tears!!
What are you waiting for! Read it!
To start with. A little hint. Babcia is pronounced "BAHP- cha"...it makes reading the novel wayy smoother to know that!!
When I first picked this book up at the store the cover drew me in, the pictures are so cute and the title is adorable. Plus who doesn't love a book about food? Even though I had resigned myself to only buying the one book I already had picked out I read the summary on the back cover, instantly sealing my fate that I would read this book. Oh well, who complains about going home with 2 books instead of 1, am I right?
Unlike some other novels I have read, this one wasn't hard to get into at all. It starts off quickly with a light hearted feeling. You can tell 3 things quickly within the first page alone, the main character Lola is going to be super fun, her dad is a ham, and their bond is amazing. The author did a great job of making sure there were no introductions without explanation, and though there were plenty of things she left as cliff hangers that she slowly filled in bits and pieces I never felt like I was being left out of some knowledge. Though it's a 3rd person POV ,which I prefer usually, you feel like you're being told the story AS it's happening rather than the narrative jumping ahead holding information from you. It makes the story an easier read to know you're being filled in just as quickly as the characters.
Lola at first comes across as a shallow character but quickly it becomes clear she has a lot of depth. She's a very fun, free spirit who doesn't let what people think stop her from living life her own way. Lola's only downfall is the shadow of her mother tormenting her to feel as though she's not as good as she really is. It's good to see her grow.
Sam is a total sweetheart. If he were real I would probably be insanely in love with him, as any woman probably would. He's funny, confident without being cocky, sensitive, smart and best of all he's a good cook!
Some of my favorite things about this story are:
- it's a light hearted read, it has serious and very heavy issues without ever making you feel the weight of a heavy story.
- it's very realistic. No point in the book do you think "yea right that's so far fetched"
- it isn't dramatic!! That has got to be by far the best part, most romance stories follow a distinct pattern. "Boy meets girl, girl and boy fall in love despite possibly being otherwise awful for each other or possibly hating each other, or simply just not wanting to, boy and girl have something go wrong that keeps them apart, boy and girl make it work. " I really like how issues were handled in this book despite finding love in the midsts of tragedy.
Being an American reader of an Australian book there were definitely some idiomatic expressions that i either did not understand or it took me a minute to comprehend. But for the most part I think any English speaking person could read it and get through just fine, it isn't FULL of idioms!
All in all I loved this book. The characters were all wonderful and it was nice to read a feel good story. It will totally make you cry! Fair warning! But as someone who generally refuses to read potentially tear inducing books I would read it again and again, they were all happy tears or "aww how sweet" tears!!
What are you waiting for! Read it!
July 7, 2014
First of all I borrowed this book from a friend (who hasn't steered me wrong on a book yet) so I didn't even bother to read the back cover summary. I was 100 percent shocked when her dad got into an accident... I'm talking-- reading at work bawling my face off hoping that a customer doesn't walk in-- kind of shocked. Needless to say after I could breathe normally and see through the tears again I fell in loooooove with this book. One huge problem though, I have wanted really good desserts, specifically chocolate cake, since I started this book and still have not brushed the craving off.... Anyway. At first it seems like Lola is a party girl who has no ambitions or cares about anything other than traveling, but after her fathers accident you realize just how wrong that is. Then all of the other characters (not just sexy-pants-McGee Sam) are just awesome (except her main best friends, they kind of annoyed me.... Who wouldn't volunteer to help? Jerks.) with how they all pitch in and even Jane (ahhh dorky jane with her goofy clothes) who barely knows them pitches in to help with the books. It was just so sweet and how the world really should be. Humans helping each other when they're in need and not just always looking out for number one. This book was fantastic and you should read it nowwww!
Now I need to go find cake....
Now I need to go find cake....
November 17, 2013
Really cute story. The pace was good, no unnecessary waffle or room to grow bored. Feel-good story with just a sprinkle of drama but not enough to turn it into a heavy story.
I particularly loved this :
"I'm sick of trying to make my mum proud of me. I want to be proud of my myself."
"You know you're amazing, don't you."
That resonated with me personally, love it!
I particularly loved this :
"I'm sick of trying to make my mum proud of me. I want to be proud of my myself."
"You know you're amazing, don't you."
That resonated with me personally, love it!
January 20, 2014
I was searching for new authors, and a friend recommended I try Kate Forster. I'm glad I did! Piece of Cake is a lovely, lively, tale of love spanning three generations that left me feeling wonderfully warm and fuzzy inside. If you're looking for a light read that has realistic, likable characters, then this is the book for you.
October 31, 2013
Favorite Smitten book so far!
April 26, 2023
Lola is leaving for London to find her mother. She wants to know why she had been left behind when her mother left to become an actress. But on the day she was to leave Melbourne, her fathers meets with an accident which debilitates him. Lola is forced to run his cafe, and she copes menus, suppliers and paying bills with the support of the fabulous cafe staff, chef Sam and new book keeper. But till she finds her mother, she will never know how to live her life her way. So, what is the way forward?
September 24, 2017
"Piece of Cake" was a very entertaining, sweet, and relatable teens fiction. I was hooked from the beginning right through to the end. I definitely recommend it to any teen!
September 9, 2024
The perfect feel good story
August 25, 2014
This was nice. Lola and Sam were interesting enough characters, and I really enjoyed seeing how they both dealt with their different issues. However, I never really got a proper sense of their connection. It was a bit too much like insta-love for me in the way that they met and were instantly (and kind of ridiculously) attracted to each other. But that's just a me thing - I've always tended to prefer the slow build romances, myself.
Still, this was nice. And a quick read!
Still, this was nice. And a quick read!
July 21, 2014
This book, by far, was absolutely adorable and my favourite smitten novel! I loved this book to death and will be willing to recommend this to anyone interested in romance novels. 5/5 stars for me! Can't wait to read the other smitten novels
July 14, 2015
I just Loved the book.... It is one of my favourite by Kate Forster... I wanted to know more and what happens after Lola and Sam get married but can be greedy.... Would love to read more book by the author.
October 21, 2014
Amazing story.
November 17, 2014
This was such a cute story! It was heartbreaking but I still kept turning those pages! So romantic and it made me hungry for cupcakes... You'll love it!
June 29, 2015
4.5 stars. This was a cute, fun, fast book to read. perfect for summer, I loved it.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews