Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake

 

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake- Alexis Hall

Hachette Book Group

Release Date: May 18, 2021

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Following the recipe is the key to a successful bake. Rosaline Palmer has always lived by those rules—well, except for when she dropped out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie. Now, with a paycheck as useful as greaseproof paper and a house crumbling faster than biscuits in tea, she’s teetering on the edge of financial disaster. But where there’s a whisk there’s a way . . . and Rosaline has just landed a spot on the nation’s most beloved baking show.

Winning the prize money would give her daughter the life she deserves—and Rosaline is determined to stick to the instructions. However, more than collapsing trifles stand between Rosaline and sweet, sweet victory.  Suave, well-educated, and parent-approved Alain Pope knows all the right moves to sweep her off her feet, but it’s shy electrician Harry Dobson who makes Rosaline question her long-held beliefs—about herself, her family, and her desires.

Rosaline fears falling for Harry is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Yet as the competition—and the ovens—heat up, Rosaline starts to realize the most delicious bakes come from the heart.

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Rosaline Palmer is a single mom, a baker, and has the low self-esteem of a flattened soufflé. Her rich and classy parents wanted her to go to medical school like they did and see anything less as very "less". Not even landing a spot on the nation's favorite baking show impresses them. Now on top of all the things she has to juggle every day, Rosaline has met two guys who interest her: suave Alain and shy Harry. One is parent-approved, one would be sent to the servants entrance is such things still existed. Can Rosaline sort out her home life, love life, and still make the most baketacular bakes ever?

What I loved about Rosaline from the beginning was how very "every person" she was. She isn't put together and doesn't have a great job, but instead has massive low self esteem, constantly questions her choices and decisions, and is desperately trying for some level of parental approval even while telling herself that as a grown woman she shouldn't be defined by her parent's lack of approval. Rosaline is a genuinely nice person trying to help others as well as herself, she has the support of her ex-girlfriend Lauren and her eight year old daughter Amalie and some days that's enough. Other days the stress is overwhelming and she could cry in her dulche de leche. A baking competition that bears a remarkable resemblance to The Great British Bakeoff is a great opportunity for her to meet new people and maybe get a better job.

It's hard to get into plot details in a review that won't give away some spoilers, but here's my big take away. This is a book about people. How do we judge them, how do they judge us, how do we think they are judging us, does it matter if they are, in fact, judging us? And perhaps mostly importantly: how do we judge ourselves? Rosaline's journey through the book is one of self-discovery and growth, full of snarky British humor and delicious desserts.  A sparkling and delightful British LGBTQ rom-com that should be an instant must-read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review