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Cyd Charisse #3
Cupcake
After she turns down a marriage proposal from Shrimp and he moves back to New Zealand with his parents, Cyd tries to restart her life in New York City at her half-brother's apartment, but just as she begins to settle in, Shrimp returns, old feelings are reignited, and important decisions will need to be made with little time to spare. $100,000 ad/promo.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 23, 2007
52 people are currently reading
1633 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Cohn
34 books2,304 followersRachel grew up in the D.C. area and graduated from Barnard College with a B.A. in Political Science. She has written many YA novels, including three that she cowrote with her friend and colleague David Levithan. She lives and writes (when she's not reading other people's books, organizing her music library or looking for the best cappuccino) in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
September 5, 2015
The thick red cupcake letter frosting on the cover slightly grossed me out. Cyd has just never grown on me. I admire Rachel Cohn's ability to channel the thought processes she goes through while making the decisions not to go to college and whether or not to chase after her on-again/off-again maybe-true-love Shrimp, and her changing, more mature dynamic with her mom and dad and half-sister, but I think what rubs me the wrong way is actually lightly touched on in this, the third in the series: Cyd has lots of money, but never seems to consider it. She thinks of herself as cool/punk/rebel/coffee shop girl, but the books feel incomplete to me because she doesn't face any real consequences or struggle in her attempt to define herself. So when she seems to be handed opportunities to go to school, or work at a cool cupcake business, it rings bells of entitlement and inauthenticity. And, while this is addressed in the book when she gets the smack-down from a girl who works at a manicure shop, after Cyd admits she works only for spending money because her parents pay the bills, it never really goes anywhere.
February 26, 2011
Easily the best book of the series. I started out less than impressed by Rachel Cohn's writing style, not to mention Cyd Charisse's personality. But she grew on me, and then I became invested in what happened to her. I love that you get to witness her growth and I love how this last book wraps it all up in the most perfect way possible. Such great characters. I admit that I had to skip a few of the crazy internal dialogues that were a tad neurotic for me, and that didn't serve any real purpose, but other than that, I really, really love this book. I could not put it down until the very end. I wish I could continue to journey with CC and her family and see what kind of adventures they all get into.
March 31, 2015
Shrimp and Cyd broke up by two times and get back together by two times. NOW...they are not in relationship in the end of book. I think they need to get move on and find new love.
What a bored....
What a bored....
May 2, 2018
First read this book in 8th grade and it formed my entire person and future!!
May 16, 2009
Meet CC. A self-absorbed, young...well, I wouldn't say lady...but at least knows what she wants.
After breaking up with Shrimp and letting him `escape' to New Zealand with his parents, CC moves from San Francisco to New York to start a new exciting life on her own.
Except that right away things go wrong (she falls down the stairs and breaks her leg, leaving her stuck in her brother's apartment - no elevator - until her it is healed).
Her brother has better things to do than to listen to her whining. He's got a cupcake business that, after his breakup with Aaron, he's running on his own. So she grabs some binoculars and explores the neighborhood.
CC sort of promised that she would go to culinary school, but since she doesn't feel like doing so, she instead takes a job as a barista at Johnny's L U _ C H _ O N E _ T E (in a later chapter the letters get fixed) and helps her brother out with the frosting when he's making cupcakes.
She has a few one-night-stands and a fling with Luis.
But is she really over Shrimp or does she want him back? That's what she has to decide when he suddenly shows up, New Zealand tan and all.
And will the new Buddhist Shrimp be ready for what she decides? At the moment, all Shrimp seemingly wants to do is draw and surf.
Cyd is overconfident, definitely acts first and thinks later, and although she thinks differently - she is not a grown-up yet, but still quite immature. Her parents don't know what's good for her, and are merely annoying. She takes pride in getting drunk. If she doesn't feel like doing something, she just doesn't do it. The problem of having unprotected sex and not wanting another abortion is easily fixed with a morning-after pill.
She's reminiscing with her friend (one of many pregnant characters in the book) about what happened to them that made them no longer such rebels. She's on her way to maturity, but she's definitely not there yet.
This is a very fast-paced book, jumping quickly from one situation or thought to the next.
I didn't read the first two books in the series, but I think that only one important part of background information was missing. Namely why lisBETH is spelled in such an odd manner.
Besides lisBETH, there are other interesting style elements in the book as well, though at times it feels like the author is trying little too hard to be unique. (I skipped the chapter that was written almost like a movie script.)
Shrimp's Haiku (spell checked by Danny, because Shrimp is severely dyslexic) and the author `trying to be hip' (for lack of a hipper term) become a bit annoying at times, but I guess that's what teenagers will like most about it.
As someone who doesn't drink coffee, I didn't really get CC's obsession with `the search for the perfect cappuccino'. I also found the book a bit too long. I went from being quite enthusiastic about it and speeding through the chapters, to getting stuck at about three-fourth of the way through, thinking "I really have to finish this". But I'm glad I stuck with it, because it got better again in the end.
Overall this is a fun, very fast-paced, read that's perfect for summer holidays on the beach (or any other occasion where short chapters like this are a plus). You can easily pick the book up and start where you left off, even after weeks have passed.
After breaking up with Shrimp and letting him `escape' to New Zealand with his parents, CC moves from San Francisco to New York to start a new exciting life on her own.
Except that right away things go wrong (she falls down the stairs and breaks her leg, leaving her stuck in her brother's apartment - no elevator - until her it is healed).
Her brother has better things to do than to listen to her whining. He's got a cupcake business that, after his breakup with Aaron, he's running on his own. So she grabs some binoculars and explores the neighborhood.
CC sort of promised that she would go to culinary school, but since she doesn't feel like doing so, she instead takes a job as a barista at Johnny's L U _ C H _ O N E _ T E (in a later chapter the letters get fixed) and helps her brother out with the frosting when he's making cupcakes.
She has a few one-night-stands and a fling with Luis.
But is she really over Shrimp or does she want him back? That's what she has to decide when he suddenly shows up, New Zealand tan and all.
And will the new Buddhist Shrimp be ready for what she decides? At the moment, all Shrimp seemingly wants to do is draw and surf.
Cyd is overconfident, definitely acts first and thinks later, and although she thinks differently - she is not a grown-up yet, but still quite immature. Her parents don't know what's good for her, and are merely annoying. She takes pride in getting drunk. If she doesn't feel like doing something, she just doesn't do it. The problem of having unprotected sex and not wanting another abortion is easily fixed with a morning-after pill.
She's reminiscing with her friend (one of many pregnant characters in the book) about what happened to them that made them no longer such rebels. She's on her way to maturity, but she's definitely not there yet.
This is a very fast-paced book, jumping quickly from one situation or thought to the next.
I didn't read the first two books in the series, but I think that only one important part of background information was missing. Namely why lisBETH is spelled in such an odd manner.
Besides lisBETH, there are other interesting style elements in the book as well, though at times it feels like the author is trying little too hard to be unique. (I skipped the chapter that was written almost like a movie script.)
Shrimp's Haiku (spell checked by Danny, because Shrimp is severely dyslexic) and the author `trying to be hip' (for lack of a hipper term) become a bit annoying at times, but I guess that's what teenagers will like most about it.
As someone who doesn't drink coffee, I didn't really get CC's obsession with `the search for the perfect cappuccino'. I also found the book a bit too long. I went from being quite enthusiastic about it and speeding through the chapters, to getting stuck at about three-fourth of the way through, thinking "I really have to finish this". But I'm glad I stuck with it, because it got better again in the end.
Overall this is a fun, very fast-paced, read that's perfect for summer holidays on the beach (or any other occasion where short chapters like this are a plus). You can easily pick the book up and start where you left off, even after weeks have passed.
October 6, 2011
Cyd Charisse is back with us for the third installment of her life, to share the laughs and cries and to show that even though she's 18 she is still capable of raising some brows and acting like a hot headed teen. When I first got this book I had no clue that it was part 3 and after reading the back I knew I had to read Gingerbread and Shrimp first in order to appreciate this witty, cheeky and fun romp through the world of a young teenage diva.
Cyd moves back to NY to live with her half brother Danny and just when she thinks it's all gray and strange she falls in love with the city, its cafes and the guys. Unable to stay out of trouble for long she repeats the same mistakes, hopefully learns from them and welcomes back Shrimp, question is, has he changed and can they give their love a 3rd try?
This was such a blast, I read the book in two days and I am ready for more. In the past two weeks I went thought all 3 books and Cyd feels real to me, I miss her, so Rachel, don't stop writing now!
Cyd moves back to NY to live with her half brother Danny and just when she thinks it's all gray and strange she falls in love with the city, its cafes and the guys. Unable to stay out of trouble for long she repeats the same mistakes, hopefully learns from them and welcomes back Shrimp, question is, has he changed and can they give their love a 3rd try?
This was such a blast, I read the book in two days and I am ready for more. In the past two weeks I went thought all 3 books and Cyd feels real to me, I miss her, so Rachel, don't stop writing now!
June 22, 2012
Den letzten Teil der Cyd Charisse Reihe fand ich leider nicht ganz so gut. Das liegt daran, dass sich inzwischen einfach viel wiederholt. Ich habe die 3 Bücher relativ schnell hintereinander gelesen, konnte mich also an Details noch gut erinnern, die Rachel Cohn aber für die "Abstands-Leser" noch mal erklärt hat. Generell hat sie sich allein in diesem Buch öfter wiederholt und ich hatte das Gefühl Cyd Charisse selbst dreht sich ein wenig im Kreis, pendelt hin und her und weiß nicht recht, wo sie hin will. Natürlich ist das auch ein inhaltlicher Punkt der Geschichte, aber ein bisschen nervig fand ich es dennoch.
Die Charaktere - alte wie neue - sind nach wie vor sehr liebenswert und quirlig. Ich glaube ich habe nicht viel gemeinsam mit Cyd, aber ich respektiere sie für ihre Selbstsicherheit und wie selbstbewusst sie z.B. mit ihren weiblichen Reizen umgeht.
Was die ganze Reihe unheimlich originell macht, ist natürlich Cyds Liebe zum Detail im Bezug auf Kaffee. Sogar ich als nie-Kaffeetrinker war beeindruckt von ihrer Hingabe beim Mischen des perfekten Cappuccinos.
Insgesamt eine würdige Auflösung für die Reihe und es ist gut, dass jetzt Schluss ist und die Geschichte nicht bis in die Versenkung fortgesetzt wurde.
Die Charaktere - alte wie neue - sind nach wie vor sehr liebenswert und quirlig. Ich glaube ich habe nicht viel gemeinsam mit Cyd, aber ich respektiere sie für ihre Selbstsicherheit und wie selbstbewusst sie z.B. mit ihren weiblichen Reizen umgeht.
Was die ganze Reihe unheimlich originell macht, ist natürlich Cyds Liebe zum Detail im Bezug auf Kaffee. Sogar ich als nie-Kaffeetrinker war beeindruckt von ihrer Hingabe beim Mischen des perfekten Cappuccinos.
Insgesamt eine würdige Auflösung für die Reihe und es ist gut, dass jetzt Schluss ist und die Geschichte nicht bis in die Versenkung fortgesetzt wurde.
June 11, 2012
I absolutely loved this book. The post-high school themes were easily relatable for me. Cyd Charisse is one of the most interesting characters I've ever come across. As the book progresses you get to know her beyond the desperately in love 18 year old who has left San Francisco for a life in New York living with her gay half-brother and NYC family that just met her 2 years earlier. I love CC. I think every girl fresh out of high school is CC. Lost, confused, perhaps questioning the decisions that they have made and the decisions they will make in the future. This is such a page turner and a really quick read. I love love love LOVE this book. :D Definitely recommendable and worth reading ten more times! I cannot wait to read the rest of this series. (I love how the book can stand alone! Rachel Cohn is amazing for that!!!)
November 29, 2008
i have to agree that this book did not live up to expectations. still, it was fun to get back into cyd charisse's hilarious head for a while. i love max but didn't really understand what he was doing in the story, except for being...convenient? i guess i felt that way about a lot of the characters: frances alberta, baldy, johnny mold.
i'm really curious about the review that calls this book mary sue fiction. sure, (almost) everyone loves cyd charisse, but isn't it sort of refreshing to read about a teenage girl with through-the-roof self esteem for once?
anyways. worth a read if you loved the 1st two. if you just liked them, skip this.
i'm really curious about the review that calls this book mary sue fiction. sure, (almost) everyone loves cyd charisse, but isn't it sort of refreshing to read about a teenage girl with through-the-roof self esteem for once?
anyways. worth a read if you loved the 1st two. if you just liked them, skip this.
December 18, 2012
This book did not turn out like anything I expected. For instance, I thought that CC's boyfriend would come back in the beginning instead of the end. In my opinion the author dragged on some parts and CC went into flashbacks but sometimes it wasn't obvious so it got a little bit confusing. There was one thing that I liked and it was that CC grew up a bit and realized that she can't get anywhere in the real world if she continues to be rebellious and irresponsible. Overall, I didn't think this book was that great. I would recommend this book to anyone in high school because it involves boy troubles which most teenage girls can relate to.
June 17, 2021
I didn't finish this book because I just couldn't stand how descriptive it was. In my opinion the paragraphs were just too long as she described everything in unnecessary detail. I'm sure the story would have been alright as it did have potential, but I just didn't like the writing style at all.
December 1, 2008
Ahhh, the last in the trilogy of Cyd Charisse and her Shrimp.
June 18, 2013
I loved Cyd Charisse in middle school.. reading this now that I'm older is so annoying. She's one of the most self-absorbed, foolish YA protagonists I've encountered.
March 17, 2016
A satisfying conclusion to the series :)
February 23, 2020
**This is the third installment of a series. By nature, this review contains spoilers for the previous 2 books.**
First, I have to say that when I read Gingerbread for the first time in high school, I loved it. So many stories of “punk” or otherwise alternative girls paint them as cold, unfeeling and uninterested in emotion. Cohn wrote Cyd Charisse full of emotion and boy-crazy, completely susceptible to falling in love and getting in trouble. And I do love that CC has remained a weirdo AND head-over-heels in love for the entire series.
At this point, Cohn starts to deconstruct some of the characters to make them less shiny and perfect. Shrimp, Danny, and Luis all get this treatment. Unfortunately, the only one who doesn’t is Cyd. She’s still completely blind to her privilege, aside from one moment where she makes a potential new friend uncomfortable. I have waited 3 books for CC to understand that her financial fortune does set her aside from her peers and that she can’t run from it, so she might as well embrace it and use it as a power for good. We never get that and I have to admit that it was disappointing.
Otherwise, reading a CC book at 30 felt comfortable, fun and indulgent.
First, I have to say that when I read Gingerbread for the first time in high school, I loved it. So many stories of “punk” or otherwise alternative girls paint them as cold, unfeeling and uninterested in emotion. Cohn wrote Cyd Charisse full of emotion and boy-crazy, completely susceptible to falling in love and getting in trouble. And I do love that CC has remained a weirdo AND head-over-heels in love for the entire series.
At this point, Cohn starts to deconstruct some of the characters to make them less shiny and perfect. Shrimp, Danny, and Luis all get this treatment. Unfortunately, the only one who doesn’t is Cyd. She’s still completely blind to her privilege, aside from one moment where she makes a potential new friend uncomfortable. I have waited 3 books for CC to understand that her financial fortune does set her aside from her peers and that she can’t run from it, so she might as well embrace it and use it as a power for good. We never get that and I have to admit that it was disappointing.
Otherwise, reading a CC book at 30 felt comfortable, fun and indulgent.
November 30, 2023
smh
I can't with Cyd Charisse. She's so annoying. Between her wishy washyness, and continue going back to an equal wishy washy boy named Shrimp, she just irked me.
Shrimp just takes it for granted she'd do what he wants, and....she keeps claiming he's THE ONE, but is constantly fantasizing of getting in other men's pants.
And everything is HANDED to her! She was lucky to get a job because they had no one to work a machine, fine, could happen. But then this dude literally doesn't care if she goes to work on time or takes off without notice? No employer is that chill.
Apparently everyone excepts she doesn't want to further her education. I'm a firm believer that a piece of paper doesn't make a person but....then she gets handed a NYC apartment along with the OWNERSHIP of a business? All because she can make coffee?
A girl with no rich parents or a brother who already owns a business would never be able to make it that way. They'd have to work hard and def wouldn't own everything at age 18.
This only gets 2 stars for the side characters that were fun, because I was sick of Shrimp and "Ceece" lol
I can't with Cyd Charisse. She's so annoying. Between her wishy washyness, and continue going back to an equal wishy washy boy named Shrimp, she just irked me.
Shrimp just takes it for granted she'd do what he wants, and....she keeps claiming he's THE ONE, but is constantly fantasizing of getting in other men's pants.
And everything is HANDED to her! She was lucky to get a job because they had no one to work a machine, fine, could happen. But then this dude literally doesn't care if she goes to work on time or takes off without notice? No employer is that chill.
Apparently everyone excepts she doesn't want to further her education. I'm a firm believer that a piece of paper doesn't make a person but....then she gets handed a NYC apartment along with the OWNERSHIP of a business? All because she can make coffee?
A girl with no rich parents or a brother who already owns a business would never be able to make it that way. They'd have to work hard and def wouldn't own everything at age 18.
This only gets 2 stars for the side characters that were fun, because I was sick of Shrimp and "Ceece" lol
November 7, 2018
I chose to read this book because the title was Cupcake and I love cupcakes so that was a real selling point. And from the description it seemed like a good book I would really like. The main character C.C. is a very funny and relatable character. She made me laugh and since she’s a teenager and so am I, I found her really interesting. I also really liked the love story that was in the book. The love story or stories were all interesting and were all very different from each other so it kept the story going. The only problem I had with the book was the ending. I can’t spoil anything but the end didn’t go the way I wanted although it was still sweet. Overall I would rate Cupcake four out of five stars because it wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read but I think that it was definitely a good book that I enjoyed reading.
November 6, 2018
While we were in the library, I read the flap right inside of the book and it seemed interesting to me. I loved how relatable the main character Cyd Charisse, (CC), was to our type of generation. I liked the way she described her struggles of moving from San Francisco to New York, and how she adapted to her new life! The story flowed super smoothly and really connected with the “now”- so it made a lot of sense. The only one thing I didn’t love was how certain characters came into the book- seemed important, but then they left shortly after. I just didn’t see the point that the author had in that, but it was good!
Overall I would give the book a ⅘ star rating. It was a pretty average book sure, but I enjoyed reading it, and it was hard to point out any problems!
Overall I would give the book a ⅘ star rating. It was a pretty average book sure, but I enjoyed reading it, and it was hard to point out any problems!
January 1, 2018
Not my favorite part of the trilogy. At parts it seemed as if the author was trying too hard to make Cyd "cool" (whatever that means). This book lost some of its realism and the essence of some of the main characters that made the first two books so appealing.
October 20, 2024
1.5 ⭐️
I didn’t like the first book, but actually thought the second one was fun. So I got my hopes up for this one. Unfortunately it was a disappointment for me. The storyline was repetitive and boring. And I hated the incisiveness of Shrimp. 😕
I didn’t like the first book, but actually thought the second one was fun. So I got my hopes up for this one. Unfortunately it was a disappointment for me. The storyline was repetitive and boring. And I hated the incisiveness of Shrimp. 😕
April 18, 2018
It was a cute series to revisit as an adult.
July 11, 2018
I really loved this series, im not sure if i like how CC and Shrimp end up but i love how the story ties up all the lose ends of all the characters. a good read quick and cute.
December 12, 2018
Very realistic ending. I enjoyed it.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
December 20, 2020
I think I should have read the other books first. I didn’t have the investment in the characters, like others have said they did.
Read
March 26, 2024It only took me 2 years of university bathroom reading to finish this book. I need espresso, a cupcake, & a true love STAT.
September 4, 2025
why was this in the teen section??!!!
September 20, 2019
The book cupcake is a ok book... If you like books that are all over the place then this is a book for you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews