July 1, 2015
Debut novelist Reichert writes a delightful foodie tribute to You've Got Mail. Opening her own French restaurant, Luella's, is Lou's dream come true. The worst day of her life, on which she tries to surprise her fiance with a coconut cake for his birthday only to find that the surprise is on her, ends with a terrible night in the kitchen and a scathing review from an anonymous critic. Lou sets out to drown her sorrows at a local pub, where she runs into British transplant Al Waters. Lou drunkenly offers to show him the very best of Milwaukee, and he accepts. Lou and Al agree not to talk about anything work related when they meet. Their friendship slowly becomes more, but what chance do they have when Al realizes that he is responsible for the review that brought about the downfall of Lou's restaurant? Well-developed secondary characters and detailed descriptions of the Milwaukee food scene will leave readers hungry for more. Fans of Stacey Ballis and Erica Bauermeister will find lots to love.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)