The NerdHerd Reads: All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes {by Betsy St. Amant}

Title: All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes

Author: Betsy St. Amant

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Received via NetGalley

Kat inspected rows of the same old cupcakes. They seemed to blink back at her, as if they knew she was capable of so much more.
Kat Varland has had enough of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.
At twenty-six years old, Kat is still living in the shadows of her family in Bayou Bend, Louisiana. Still working shifts at her Aunt Maggie s bakery. Still wondering what to do with her passion for baking and her business degree. And still single.
But when Lucas Brannen, Kat s best friend, signs her up for a reality TV bake-off on Cupcake Combat, everything Kat ever wanted is suddenly dangled in front of her: creative license as a baker, recognition as a visionary . . . and a job at a famous bakery in New York.
As the competition heats up, Lucas realizes he might have made a huge mistake. As much as he wants the best for Kat, the only thing he wants for himself her is suddenly in danger of slipping away.
The bright lights of reality cooking wars and the chance at a successful career dazzle Kat s senses and Lucas is faced with a difficult choice: help his friend achieve her dreams . . . or sabotage her chances to keep her in Louisiana."

Anything with cupcakes, I'm in. I was originally drawn in by the super-cute cover, but the premise and promise of cupcakes sealed the deal. This was the cutest, fluffy little chick-lit, perfect for making you smile and laugh.

Kat is working in her aunt's bakery, where only three flavors are ever allowed--chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Kat has a gift for baking cupcakes and coming up with new gourmet recipes, but with no one in her family who actually believes in her abilities, it looks like she'll be stuck in her small-town forever. That is, until her life-long best friend, Lucas, signs her up to appear on a popular cupcake bake-off TV show…and she gets chosen. Lucas and Kat head off to LA, but at the same time, both are fighting feelings for each other.

There was a lot of romantic angst in this one. While I normally am not a fan, it definitely made for an interesting read. There were so many times when I just wanted to yell at Kat and Lucas to just TALK to each other. My goodness. But except for a few frustrating parts, I liked how their relationship evolved...at least until the end. At first, it wasn't too rushed or insta-lovey, but then, out of nowhere at the end, there's a ring and what? I realize that when you've known each other as long as they have, it might be different, but still. That part seemed forced and rushed and I wasn't too sure about it.

I also enjoyed the cooking show aspect of this. I feel like it was portrayed realistically and allowed us to see a glimpse inside what goes on during one of these. I would have liked a bit more for the other contestants, as only Piper had a real big part. Tonya and Tameka (??) were great in the few lines they had, and it made me want to see more from them.

As for the plot line, I really enjoyed the way this played out. I think there was enough conflict and resolution, and I was happy with the way everything was resolved.

All in all, this was a really cute, fun story. I loved it and the characters and, of course, the cupcakes. It's definitely a light, fluffy story, but something that will make you laugh and smile.

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