review: the icing on the cupcake by jennifer ross

So I kind of happen to love cupcakes (actually, I love quite a few baked goods), which means a book with cupcakes at the forefront is going to be just about perfect for me. Every chapter of The Icing on the Cupcake ends with a yummy cupcake recipe appropriate for the events of the chapter. In some cases, the recipe is for the cupcakes that either Ansley or her grandmother made during the chapter. I absolutely adored the recipes and baking tips. It was also great to see how baking brought the generations together.

What I didn’t adore was that spoiled sorority girl Ansley doesn’t experience much growth; by the end she still believes she will eventually turn over the business she worked so hard for to whatever man she ends up marrying. I guess I just expected that in addition to becoming a better person (Ansley is wretched at the beginning and that’s what causes her fiancé to dump her which then causes her to flee to New York), Ansley would also realize that she has the wherewithal to make it on her own. Although she used inherited money, Ansley built her cupcake shop with little assistance while also helping her grandma sort out her IRS problems. In fact, she actually succeeded despite someone trying to sabotage her. But since Ansley was able to start caring about people other than herself and make use of some of her talents, I suppose she could grow up even more if there’s ever a sequel.
4/5
Review copy provided by the author’s publicist.