Overview: TAKE ONE NEWLY SINGLE WOMAN: At 31, Amber is being bombarded with wedding invitations just as she's collecting her divorce papers - and her bossy best friend has gone one step further and made her chief bridesmaid. It's high time Amber regained control of her life - so she goes after the career she's always dreamed of as a top chef.
ADD A PASSIONATE AND FIERY CELEBRITY COOK: Amber's joy at landing herself a coveted role in Oscar Retford's kitchen soon fades as she discovers Oscar is as famous for his furious temper and addiction to firing people as he is for the legendary meals he creates.
TURN UP THE HEAT: Keen to keep herself out of the firing line, and to avoid thinking about why her marriage crashed and burned, Amber throws herself into her job. But as passions start to run high, and her past catches up with her, it looks like Amber's cooked up a recipe for disaster.
My Opinion: As I was reading this book, I keep having this urge to stop and give up. Not that I dont like the story... but coz... well... I dont like how the story is progressing. It was okay until I realized everything is just so predictable. Predictable in a sense that its either a cliche or something overrated. Oscar - the chef with a deadly charm but with a temper that can blow the chili out of his kitchen. Milly - the bestfriend whose rich beyond imaginable and doesn't know what to do with her money. Dom - the philandering husband who blame it all on the wife for not having enough time to be around. Lydia (Oscar's wife) - the exact definition of vogue woman. And etc.
So what made me continue?... Its because there are things intriguing enough for me - like is Oscar really sincere? What's the deal with him and the wife? Is Dom really a lying prick? And as I was looking for this answers, I came across the scene when one of Amber's friend Marsha is having her engagement party - when Marsha acknowledging her efforts, and Milly helping out in the kitchen, and then there's Dom making things a little easier for her despite the pressure. So when Amber said... "I love my friends"... at least that part, I sincerely felt. And after that, I soften up a little... that when Amber was conversing with her mom about what happened to them and why they ended up distant to each other... I actually cried. Also, I like the kitchen setting. I can honestly feel the tension - makes me hungry. Lol.
Anyway, in my opinion, I think the ending is what saved the book. Although it ain't perfect (like what the hell - Milly and Oscar?)... but its believable. Its not the ending we would all like - but its a hopeful one. Its a leap of faith, trusting in a love that we once believed upon. Being in a relationship is not easy - and it will never be perfect - but if we pick up lessons from all the mistakes (whether the ones we did or the ones done to us) - we'll be okay. And that's what this book's ending has taught me. :)
My Rating:
