Review: The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs by Dana Bate

Title: The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs Author: Dana Bate Publication Date: February 5, 2013
Synopsis:
Hannah Sugarman seems to have it all. She works for an influential think tank in Washington, D.C., lives in a swanky apartment with her high-achieving boyfriend, and is poised for an academic career just like her parents. The only problem is that Hannah doesn’t want any of it. What she wants is much simpler: to cook.

When her relationship collapses, Hannah seizes the chance to do what she’s always loved and launches an underground supper club out of her new landlord’s town house. Though her delicious dishes become the talk of the town, her secret venture is highly problematic, given that it is not, technically speaking, legal. She also conveniently forgets to tell her landlord she has been using his place while he is out of town.

On top of that, Hannah faces various romantic prospects that leave her guessing and confused, parents who don’t support cooking as a career, and her own fears of taking a risk and charting her own path. A charming romantic comedy, The Girls’ Guide to Love and Supper Clubs is a story about finding yourself, fulfilling your dreams, and falling in love along the way.

~My Thoughts~

If you think the cover of this book is enough to make you hungry, be prepared for what you will find inside. The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs is packed full of deliciousness. I don't even know what half the food in this book is but I know that I want to eat it. I also know that Hannah, our heroine, and I are destined to be best friends. She loves to cook, I love to eat. She's witty and nervous, just like me. What a fantastic relationship that could be!
I knew from the very beginning of this book that I was going to love Hannah. She isn't your typical skinny girl with a complex. She's not a size two and isn't ashamed of her body. Ok, well maybe she has a few issues with it, but doesn't everyone? She has curves, she cooks, she eats and she makes no apologies for it. But as much as she loves to cook and wants to make a career out of it, she is still being held back. Her boyfriend, his family and even her parents are constantly pressuring her into following their footsteps, which is exactly what she wants to avoid. But Hannah lacks the will power to stand up to her parents and this is constantly getting her in trouble. I could definitely understand her struggles with this. Who wants to disappoint their parents? Especially parents that are so successful themselves. She is also very accident prone, as in if something bad can go wrong, it will. This, of course, makes for some pretty hilarious moments that you can't help but cringe during and hope that Hannah will make it through will just a little bit of dignity left.
Besides Hannah's constant battle in the workforce, she also struggles in love. There are three rather important men in Hannah's life. Adam, the soon to be ex-boyfriend, was not my favorite. To be honest, he was an ass. I kept waiting for something bad to happen to him! Blake, Hannah's new landlord who is constantly making fishing jokes, and Jacob, a sexy Supper Club customer who has taken a liking to Hannah. I had mixed feelings about Jacob, I wasn't sure of his intentions and he made me nervous. On the other hand, I loved Blake. He was weird, dorky and seemed genuine. 
So I guess what I'm saying here is that you seriously need to read this book. I absolutely loved it. Besides Hannah's love life and lack of grace, there is a real story being told here about what it means to grow up and find your own way. Hannah is going through what we all have to go through, growing up and taking charge of your own life. It isn't easy, especially when everyone and everything seems to be pulling against you. 
I can't recommend this book enough. If you are a love of Chick Lit like me, or are just looking for something fun and quick-witted, you don't want to miss this. I also recommend that you be prepared and have a snack ready when you sit down, there are some seriously delicious foods going on in this story. And don't worry, if you find yourself craving one of Hannah's foods, there are recipes in the back to help you make your own.

For more about Dana Bate and The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs, visit her website here.

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*I received this book for free in exchange of my honest review. This did not influence my opinion in any way and all views and opinions expressed are 100% my own.