What do you think?
Rate this book
Cupcake Girl
In this LDS romance novel, seventeen-year-old Max Rogers has had a crush on his best friend, Lexie Duncan, since forever. From their childhood games as the unstoppable superheroes Strong Man and Cupcake Girl, to carefree days at the lake to the ups and downs of high school, the two are inseparable. But after Max finally finds the perfect moment to kiss Lexie, she abruptly leaves for the summer with little explanation. Heartbroken, he begins searching for meaning in his life. And when she returns, facing her own demons, everything he once thought he knew about her has changed. Will Max and Lexie realize how much they need each other, or will Max lose Cupcake Girl forever? A story of courage, hope, and new-found faith,this book is a must-read for those who believe in the power of love.
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 20, 2014
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 24, 2014
This is a book I want all the teenagers in my life to read to learn the meaning of love. True love is kind, unselfish, forgiving and hopeful. The Cupcake Girl's adorable characters demonstrate each of these qualities. I wish I could have listened to this book. Instead I devoured each page, unable to put this book down to give the other chores in my life needed attention until I finished the very last page.
September 17, 2014
Note: The author is a friend of mine and let me read an early review copy.
First, this is not really my kind of book. I usually like romance with a lot of action, and religion with a lot of philosophy and science. If LDS teen romance is your kind of book, you don't even need to read any more of this review - just go read the book! :-)
Anyway, here's what impressed me about this book:
* The POV character is a male teenager. Now, most romance books take the female POV, usually so it's easier for the (mostly female) readers to identify with the main character and self-insert, etc. So it was really fun to see the romance from the boy's point of view. And Max is a fun character to be around; even when he's unhappy, he doesn't take himself too seriously, and his life goes on.
* Funny flirtatious banter! Max's internal voice is also hilarious, so that just made the whole thing enjoyable.
* Old story, fresh ideas. If you've watched enough rom-coms, you kind of get a feeling for what's going to happen in any romance. Boy and girl like each other, one of them does something stupid, they hide it from the other, until finally they have to reveal it and they decide they love each other anyway. Well, this story has a few of those elements, but it isn't that simple. There's a lot of other things going on, like what happens when your best friend changes, or what happens when you're in that awkward stage of we-can't-just-be-friends-anymore-but-what-are-we?
First, this is not really my kind of book. I usually like romance with a lot of action, and religion with a lot of philosophy and science. If LDS teen romance is your kind of book, you don't even need to read any more of this review - just go read the book! :-)
Anyway, here's what impressed me about this book:
* The POV character is a male teenager. Now, most romance books take the female POV, usually so it's easier for the (mostly female) readers to identify with the main character and self-insert, etc. So it was really fun to see the romance from the boy's point of view. And Max is a fun character to be around; even when he's unhappy, he doesn't take himself too seriously, and his life goes on.
* Funny flirtatious banter! Max's internal voice is also hilarious, so that just made the whole thing enjoyable.
* Old story, fresh ideas. If you've watched enough rom-coms, you kind of get a feeling for what's going to happen in any romance. Boy and girl like each other, one of them does something stupid, they hide it from the other, until finally they have to reveal it and they decide they love each other anyway. Well, this story has a few of those elements, but it isn't that simple. There's a lot of other things going on, like what happens when your best friend changes, or what happens when you're in that awkward stage of we-can't-just-be-friends-anymore-but-what-are-we?
September 8, 2014
This lovely little YA novel tracks Max and Lexie’s tumultuous move from the friend zone to the dating zone, highlighting the excitement and uncertainty of first love.
Refreshingly, Catherine Doxey White tells this tale from the guy’s perspective. She has a convincing way with description and dialogue; clearly, she knows this age group and gives the reader an accurate glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of both Max and Lexie. White is adept at building tension as the story moves along. She skillfully plants hints along the way and lets the details unfold gradually.
From a moral standpoint, this story shows how pride, insecurity, and leaps to conclusions can keep you from getting what you want the most. White includes a simplistic introduction to Mormon beliefs and traditions, but not enough to confuse anyone unfamiliar with the faith. Highly recommended!
Refreshingly, Catherine Doxey White tells this tale from the guy’s perspective. She has a convincing way with description and dialogue; clearly, she knows this age group and gives the reader an accurate glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of both Max and Lexie. White is adept at building tension as the story moves along. She skillfully plants hints along the way and lets the details unfold gradually.
From a moral standpoint, this story shows how pride, insecurity, and leaps to conclusions can keep you from getting what you want the most. White includes a simplistic introduction to Mormon beliefs and traditions, but not enough to confuse anyone unfamiliar with the faith. Highly recommended!
August 30, 2014
Though this book is marketed as an "LDS romance novel," it's a good read for anyone (like myself) who is not LDS, but who just enjoys well-developed characters in a YA romance. From page one, the story's action grabs the reader. (I got hooked and read the book in one day!) The language and emotions of Max and Lexie are so true-to-life... the author really understands the teen perspective and readers will want to know what happens between Max and Lexie.
For non-LDS readers, the book offers a glimpse into the LDS world, but it's not heavy-handed. Any reader who is looking for realistic teen characters in an uplifting and hopeful story will enjoy this book.
For non-LDS readers, the book offers a glimpse into the LDS world, but it's not heavy-handed. Any reader who is looking for realistic teen characters in an uplifting and hopeful story will enjoy this book.
August 31, 2014
What a heart-warming book! My personal conversion story to the LDS Church has a few similarities with this book, so I enjoyed this sweet reminder. I'm 29 years old, but admittedly, young adult romance is my favorite genre! I finished this quick read in 2 days. And this is a CLEAN romance so there's nothing here that you'll blush to have your children read.
I liked the best friend relationship that Max and Lexie shared. And their comic book past and present was such a cute idea. Max is the narrator, and his teenage emotions feel so authentic; I remember feeling such exhilarating highs and depressing lows regarding crushes in high school. The characters make mistakes and are able to overcome them. This book also has a great twist that kept me hooked. I loved the epilogue showing how much Max and Lexie each grew during the following year. A faithful happily ever after!
This book is such a clean, inspiring story of young love and finding personal faith.
I liked the best friend relationship that Max and Lexie shared. And their comic book past and present was such a cute idea. Max is the narrator, and his teenage emotions feel so authentic; I remember feeling such exhilarating highs and depressing lows regarding crushes in high school. The characters make mistakes and are able to overcome them. This book also has a great twist that kept me hooked. I loved the epilogue showing how much Max and Lexie each grew during the following year. A faithful happily ever after!
This book is such a clean, inspiring story of young love and finding personal faith.
October 17, 2014
I like a good romance story - it's definitely one of my favorite genres. This one sucked me in and I read it in about 3 hours. The setting is familiar and it was fun to see places I know as the background for the story. It was nice to have a story written from the male perspective. The story felt real - misunderstandings among friends are common and often result in hurt feelings. Even though I'm 20+ years past high school angst, I still remember feeling completely unsure of myself and always wondering how others perceived me. I connected with Max and his seemingly dense insistence on misinterpreting everything. It is definitely difficult to truly believe in another's affection when we don't feel that sure of ourselves. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and immediately recommended it to my 14 year old daughter who also read it in a very short time.
Full disclosure: the author is a friend.
Full disclosure: the author is a friend.
September 12, 2014
This was a delightful fun read that captures the angst, excitement and emotions of adolescence so well. It is fun to watch the characters strengthen their friendship as they matured. There are many good topics for thought as well including love, friendship, religion and study.
October 4, 2015
Well. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I loved that it was on Max's head! I loved hearing his point of view. I was so annoyed withLexie for leaving him hanging like she did. I'm glad it was resolved the way it was. Great story.
January 21, 2015
The characters in this story are very believable. I felt their joys and pains throughout the story. It had a lot of heart.
January 16, 2015
A great story of realistic teens dealing with misunderstandings, illness, and relationships.
December 21, 2016
This book was a sweet little romance, but of course, that means it was a little cheesy, which I'm okay with. But hence the four-star rating and not the five. (What can I say, though, it made my mom cry, so it's got to be good, right?)
The story is narrated from Max's perspective, and I love that the guy is the narrator since that doesn't happen very often in romance books. It was really cute and I didn't even guess the big secret that Lexie had even though it should have been fairly obvious...maybe I related to the college mail a little bit too much, haha.
The one thing besides the cheesiness is that a couple of the LDS things were not explained all that well to non-LDS readers...for example, at one point in the story, Max finds out that Lexie is never at home in the mornings and is coming to school with this other group of kids, but it's never explained that she's going to early morning seminary. Otherwise, I loved the mentions of LDS aspects in the book and how it helped both of them.
It was a sweet (haha, get my pun, sweet cupcakes?) story about love and friendship and I really enjoyed it.
The story is narrated from Max's perspective, and I love that the guy is the narrator since that doesn't happen very often in romance books. It was really cute and I didn't even guess the big secret that Lexie had even though it should have been fairly obvious...maybe I related to the college mail a little bit too much, haha.
The one thing besides the cheesiness is that a couple of the LDS things were not explained all that well to non-LDS readers...for example, at one point in the story, Max finds out that Lexie is never at home in the mornings and is coming to school with this other group of kids, but it's never explained that she's going to early morning seminary. Otherwise, I loved the mentions of LDS aspects in the book and how it helped both of them.
It was a sweet (haha, get my pun, sweet cupcakes?) story about love and friendship and I really enjoyed it.
August 10, 2021
This was a beautiful YA, Christian novel and there was so much to like about it!
For me, it started a little slow. But once we get past the scenes that set up the friendship (and maybe more) between the main character Max and his friend Lexie, I couldn't stop reading. I flew through 75% of this book in about a day. It reminded me a lot of The Secret Journal of Brett Colton, because it had dealings with cancer, miscommunication, a school dance, school sports, etc. And it gave me the same warm, fuzzy feelings as reading it, too. It's always frustrating when the main problem of a book is simple miscommunication, but it's realistic (especially with teenagers). And it's frustrating in the way that you want them to solve the problem and you keep reading to see what happens.
For me, it started a little slow. But once we get past the scenes that set up the friendship (and maybe more) between the main character Max and his friend Lexie, I couldn't stop reading. I flew through 75% of this book in about a day. It reminded me a lot of The Secret Journal of Brett Colton, because it had dealings with cancer, miscommunication, a school dance, school sports, etc. And it gave me the same warm, fuzzy feelings as reading it, too. It's always frustrating when the main problem of a book is simple miscommunication, but it's realistic (especially with teenagers). And it's frustrating in the way that you want them to solve the problem and you keep reading to see what happens.
January 24, 2018
A cute love story about a girl and a boy who are best friends and finally tell each other they love each other.
April 7, 2020
Great clean story. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later- day Saints will understand some things in this story others might not.
February 5, 2017
There are some great lessons to be learned in this book about judging. 1. Don't judge the book by it's name, or it's cover. :-) 2. Don't judge other people.
I had both of my teenage daughters read this book after I read it, and they both came into my room in tears when they finished. For that reason, I gave it 5 stars.
I had both of my teenage daughters read this book after I read it, and they both came into my room in tears when they finished. For that reason, I gave it 5 stars.
September 21, 2014
I thought this book was cheesy. I am still wondering why she didn't tell him in the first place. Them being best friends and all. I admire Lexie and what she had to go through but a lot if cinfusion could have been avoided if she just said something.
October 23, 2014
This was a quick read. A little to cheesy for me. The last half of the book was better than the first half. Good book for ages 12-16 I would say.
March 13, 2015
I read it in one afternoon. Surprisingly good and had me hooked right away. I could guess at the plot, but I still really enjoyed it. Easy, entertaining afternoon read.
August 18, 2015
I loved this book! It's sweet and hard to put down.
July 20, 2016
Cute story in the end, but the case of mistaken information was quite annoying.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews