Wicked Sweet by Mar'ce Merrell

Title: Wicked Sweet
Author: Mar'ce Merrell
ISBN: 9780312607494
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Released: May 22, 2012
Series: N/A
Page #: 328
Source: ARC from the publisher

Summary:
"Chantal is a planner, and her summer-before-senior-year plan requires best friend Jillian, resume updating, and studying for AP classes. Jillian wants something different, and is afraid to leave introverted Chantal in the dust. All that changes, though, when popular classmates Parker and Will suspiciously start hanging out with the girls.

Chantal only sees one thing: Jillian ditching her for Parker - a guy who can't even be trusted! Chantal's new plan will expose Parker and will for what they truly are, and along the way, get her best friend back with the littlest lie and a lot of mouthwatering cake. After all, what are best friends for?
_________________________________________________
First Lines:

"When Jillian slips off her T-shirt, I swear I break out in hives. She must know I'm not prepared for my best friend in a string bikini. Surprises like this are for spontaneous people - not for me. Now I need more than cupcakes. I need an antihistamine."
Page 1
_________________________________________________
Review:

So, this book is called a fantastic beach read - and I must agree. Even though I didn't read it on the beach... I wish I had been. Fun, sweet, and silly teen read. What more could you ask for.

Chantal is sort of obsessive. About her friends, her life plan, her summer projects, and now... cake. Her best friend Jillian has decided to take her life in a different direction - to the dating world. And Chantal is having a hard time handling it. Not to mention that two of the most popular guys are showing interest. Too good to be true. When Chantal learns a secret about these guys, she starts baking them cakes... mystery lurv cakes.

You know, there was a lot more to this book than I was expecting. There is a whole family focus that lets you see into the lives of our four main characters. There's a little bit of the "Your Family Shapes Who You Are" stuff - which makes a few of them very interesting. One has a thousand brothers, one has an overbearing/abusive father, one has a family with high expectations... and so on. It makes them see the world in very different ways. I liked that added bonus to the hs drama stuff.

Will and Parker are very interesting - typical high school boys. But they each have their own agenda for the summer. Every year they have challenges to complete, but this year it has to do with girls. I loved being able to see the friendships change throughout the book. Things became strained for a bit, but it seemed like everyone grew up a bit. That's something you don't see in many books like this.

The only thing that kind of irritated me was the switch in perspective. You have four main characters and each chapter flips to someone new. Sometimes I felt like I didn't get enough from each of them to really understand their position. And I had to stop a couple of times to remember which person has which life. But I liked getting every side of the story. I just wished for more, I guess.

Can you resist a book with a cake on the cover? I don't think I can. This one is worth picking up. It's light hearted and a feel-good story. Probably even more so now that school has started back now. It will keep you in the summer mood for much longer. I would recommend it to anyone who loves teen romances - it fits the bill perfectly.
_________________________________________________
Other Blog Reviews:

Book Loving Mom
Frenetic Reader
Alluring Reads
A Reader's Adventure