review: the sweetness of forgetting by kristin harmel

With her divorce still fresh, Hope is struggling a bit. She’s running the family bakery which has taken a hit from the economic downturn, her preteen daughter is being a bit of a brat, and her grandmother has Alzheimer’s. In a moment of clarity, Rose asks Hope to find out what happened to the family she left behind during World War II. Hope’s a bit confused though—the family has a Jewish surname which differs from Rose’s maiden name. Not to mention that Rose attended a Catholic church. Although Hope doesn’t feel she should take time away from saving the bakery, her daughter insists she must follow Rose’s wishes. That leads to Hope uncovering huge secrets about Rose’s past while also finding her own future.

The Sweetness of Forgetting’s plot is excellent and the inclusion of recipes from Hope’s bakery was fun, but the portrayal of Hope’s daughter was annoying. It’s been a while since I was Annie’s age, but I, like, didn’t say “like” each and every sentence. There’s actually an amusing moment where a retired teacher corrects Annie, but she continues to say “like” (and “whatever”) all the time.
4/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, Gallery Books.