Queen of the Cookbooks Book Review

I went through and put a ton of books on reserve and this must have been one of them.  Queen of the Cookbooks (A Cherry Cola Book Club Novel) by Ashton Lee was before the book that I read before in the same series, Book Club Babies.  It was interesting to read it but still took awhile to get into the book.  I am not sure what holds me back from getting into them at the beginning but it is a slow start every time!!

In the quirky Southern town of Cherico, Mississippi, a new library means an exciting new chapter for librarian Maura Beth McShay—and for the friends and book lovers known as the Cherry Cola Book Club…The construction of Cherico’s cutting-edge library has been an epic struggle worthy of War and Peace. But the Grand Opening Ceremony is scheduled at last—for the Fourth of July no less—featuring lakeside fireworks and a concert by country singer Waddell Mack. Maura Beth has even devised a cooking contest among area chefs and aspiring Julia Childs to crown the Queen of the Cookbooks. Yet even Maura Beth’s careful plotting can’t prevent some glitches…

Between a furniture fiasco that requires some creative problem-solving, and front-desk clerk Renette’s major crush on Waddell Mack, there’s equal parts drama and comic relief. Once the ribbon has been cut and the delicious recipes are judged, the Queen of the Cookbooks will take her crown, and the Cherry Cola Book Club, along with Maura Beth and her staff, will have the library of their dreams. But it’ll take luck, loyal friendships, and the shared love of a powerful story to make this a truly happy beginning…

Although it was off to slow start, this book was a nice addition to the book that I already read which was the book that comes after this book in the series.  I like the characters and the small town so I wanted to see what I missed from the previous book which I was a little confused on because it referred back to a lot of things from this book.  It all made so much more sense when I read this one.  It was about the building the library and the changes in the small town to accept the new library including the construction process, opening ceremonies, and protests outside the new library.  It was interesting to get to know the characters more in depth then I did in the last book.  I hope that you check out this book before the other book that I read last month!!  I hope that you enjoy them both!