Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Food For Thought
AUTHOR: Amy Lane
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 92 pages
BLURB:
Emmett Gant was planning to tell his father something really important one Sunday morning—but his father passed away first. Now, nearly three years later, Emmett can’t seem to clear up who he should be with—the girl with the apple cheeks and the awesome family, or his snarky neighbor, Keegan, who never sees his family but who makes Emmett really happy just by coming over to chat.
Emmett needs clarity.
Fortunately for Emmett, his best friend’s mom has a cookbook that promises to give Emmett insight and good food, and Emmett is intrigued. After the cookbook follows him home, Emmett and Keegan decide to make the recipe “For Clarity,” and what ensues is both very clear—and a little surprising, especially to Emmett’s girlfriend. Emmett is going to have to think hard about his past and the really important thing he forgot to tell his father if he wants to get the recipe for love just right.
REVIEW:
The second installment of The Tales of the Curious Cookbook was a bit of a disappointment for me. And that fact alone seriously blows my mind because I’m not sure that I’ve ever been disappointed in an Amy Lane book before. She is now and forever will be an auto-buy author for me, so that hasn’t changed.
There was something just off about this story. I wasn’t pulled in. I wasn’t emotionally connected, at all. I got the friendship, I got the cutesty flirting but the passionate love I usually feel between Amy Lane characters, just wasn’t there, in my opinion.
Emmett Gant has put off telling his father he’s gay, for many years. Just when he builds up enough courage, his father passes away. Due to this event, Emmett decides to go back in the closet. Going as far as dating women and becoming emotionally involved with them. After his father’s passing he also grows closer to his best friend Vinnie and his family.
Keegan is a good friend and neighbor to Emmett. He’s also a very out and proud gay man. Emmett and Keegan form a tight bond and become very close friends.
Emmett is very much attracted to Keegan, that much is very obvious. The fact that Keegan reciprocates is obvious too. I don’t think I let myself really appreciate them together because I was still so hung up on some of the other aspects of the story.
I didn’t get Emmett’s relationship with his father. They never really talked but they were close? Seems like his father really loved him but they never had a real conversation? That confused me. I also didn’t get why he went back in the closet? Seemed like he was punishing himself but I really didn’t understand it. Also, the whole Christine dynamic left me cold. We didn’t get much background on her, but apparently she really cared about Emmett, again I didn’t feel the connection.
Overall, this story just perplexed me. The writing was great, as always, it was just the connections, the feelings that I missed.
RATING: 
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