Lara M. ZeisesRecensioni

Like "Two Way Street" by Lauren Barnholdt the story is written switching from Seattle & Critter's, the two main characters, pov; I really like this style and I think it really suited the book!

*not very spoilerish but still...WARNING* The not quite love story between the Sea & Critter was very sweet and since they're not blood brothers it's all right to ship madly for those two...which I do!!! Wondeful story!

For fans of Maureen Johnson, a fast, funny summer romp. Pair with the Espressologist.

Good story about a girl who idolizes her big brother, only to find out he is as flawed as anyone. Issues of pregnancy, first love, sex and friendships. 8th grade and older.

Her father is a great French chef, but Stella doesn't loke gourmet food. She is a fast foodaholic. When she gets the chance to write food reviews for the local newspaper, she jumps on it (because then she will be able to buy a car before her senior year). Her long-separated parents seem to be really drifting apart, her current boyfriend has just said the "l" word, and she has found another guy who does things to her heart.

This is a great summer, but a real one for changes.

Great food talk, good characters, realistic relationships and a Lara Zeises book set in Delaware. What more could you ask for?

Out in paperback in the fall.

This book is as sweet as the title plays off. I’m a food junkie who thinks that a marathon of Food Network Challenges is heaven. So of course when you give me a book about food it’s like a perfect match!

This food for thought can be a double-edged sword. Readers who are not familiar with certain foods and food terms will most likely be lost in the little details. Although Stella’s palette aims toward fast food and street food, the heavy menus from restaurants will be mind-boggling. Viewers of Bravo’s Top Chef, however, will feel right at home. The author does aid the readers with a small scene on how to properly consume (excuse me, I mean taste) food and the preparations of the perfect gnocchi.

Stella Madison is a teen that describes herself as a rubber ball bouncing in any direction; she has no sense of what she wants, she rolls with what’s given to her. So when she meets Jeremy, Max is suddenly out of her mind only to reappear when the guilt comes crawling back. Some might find Stella fickle with her whine, whine, whine about what she got herself into—Jeremy or Max? For some odd reason I did not find this true at all. I’m blaming on the writing. There’s a fine line where I felt that the author stayed within the realistic and coming-of-age story. This is Stella growing up and trying to tackle that rubber ball effect.

The whole book had a sense of cuteness, humor, and compassion. It deals with heartbreak, divorce, and a sexy European intern.

Overall: Food lovers and book lovers, pick up a copy of this book!

Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

Stella's not a foodie like her separated parents - but that doesn't stop her from accepting an internship writing about food. She's saving up to buy a car so she doesn't have to bum rides off her two best friends and her current boyfriend.

Stella's not known for long term relationships, but with Max it might be different. She likes spending time with him. Plus, he makes her laugh.

But why does he have to say he loves her? She's not sure how she feels about him, but those words make her want to bolt - especially when she learns his parents were high school sweethearts.

Plus, the new intern at her mom's restaurant catches her eye. He's older, dreamy, and flirty. She's told him about Max, but that doesn't stop her from hanging out with him and wanting to kiss him.

How can she stay true to herself if she doesn't know what she wants?

Stella struggles through finding herself in life and in romance. First she must deal with unresolved issues that surface while taking on a challenging summer internship and learning she knows more about food than she thinks.

Zeises writes an entertaining and thoughtful novel about choices and learning how to be comfortable in your own skin.

The Sweet Life of Stella Madison is an exciting mix of food, friends, family, boys and summer experiences! I had a great time reading it. But seriously, this book will make you hungry! I found the foundation of food this story had rather unique. From the dinner menus at the beginning of chapters to how to order food when eating for the purpose of a review or even really tasting food for the first time. All those pieces are there.

I really liked reading about Stella's summer internship at the newspaper. I only wish she had started it sooner into the story. I feel like she just really got going there and it was over. I would have liked that to be a bigger part of the story.

I loved the character of Jeremy, Stella's mother's young intern. What a charmer, but he really understood Stella I felt. I felt bad for Stella's loving boyfriend, Max, who was oblivious to Stella's crush on Jeremy. I also loved Stella's parents and their jobs, definitely helped enhance the story, put her in a very interesting environment! Stella's friends were also sweet even if they were in the background most of the time.

I could have used a little more from the ending but overall I found The Sweet Life of Stella Madison to be a sweet and delicious story, pun intended!

Seattle's dad ran off years ago, leaving her with his girlfriend and her 2 boys. But this summer, things begin to get more complicated as Seattle and her "brother" Critter begin to explore their possible feelings for each other.½

I loved this book and was so sad to see it end, maybe because I suffer from depression and could really relate to Bridget. Or maybe it was just a really good book. Or perhaps both. It was very well written and although I thought this book was much more engaging than "Contents Under Pressure," I enjoyed the connection between the two books.

This book had it's moments but overall, I could take it or leave it. I was very bored for the first five or so chapters but thankfully it picked up after that. I was close to giving up at one point but I'm glad I stuck it out. One thing that bugged me was the way Lucy's brother, Jack, and his situation became the most important thing in Lucy's life/the book. I understand that they were close and he was a big part of her life. And yes, his situation was interesting and deserving of atteion, but I wish Zeises had focused as much, if not more on developing Lucy's relationship with Tobin, as well as her other friends and classmates. THAT was what I was interested in and by the time the end of the book came, I felt sort of cheated. I wonder if she's planning to write a sequel.

Another thing that bugged me was the way sex was handled in this book. After a while it felt like something out of an after school special on teens and sex or a "How to Talk to Your Teen About Sex" brochure for parents, kind of rehearsed and unrealistic. A little too perfect. However, this is really the first YA book I've read (And I haven't read a ton of YA fiction in which teens are having sex or are curious about it) that advocated waiting in the manner it did and to the degree it did. And that's not a bad thing. In the books I've read so far, the girls have sex first, and then have these revelations about it after the fact. It was also nice to see a girl in a setting where she wasn't left alone to figure this stuff out via trial and error.

P.S. I'm now reading "Bringing Up the Bones" by the same author and it's very good! It's also kind of cool how the two books are connected in a small (so far) way. I wasn't expecting that.

I wasn't ready for the book to end - there should be another book about these characters!

For a novel that begins as another "never been kissed" story, it develops into a series of revelations. Lucy Doyle manages to get her first kiss (and even a little bit more) but along the way has to deal with disillusionment of her older brother's character, estrangement from her best friend, and acceptance of her brother's pregnant girlfriend. There is also an interesting shadow of an understanding of her parent's relationship from a more mature view than is usually afforded to a 14 year-old.

Losing someone you love is never easy, but when you throw in the added question - Did he love me as much as I loved him? - to the equation, things get sticky. Bridget's life has essentially shattered around her with the death of her boyfriend, and she still manages to make sense of the madness and rise from the rubble.
I love the questions this novel raises: Is it love if only one person feels it? Are forgivable acts really unforgivable, or are they sometimes understandable? Does a relationship stand a chance if it starts out too physical? Is one way of dealing with grief better than another?

This novel explores the inevitable weirdness that comes from that first time in a platonic best friendship when the guy and the girl suddenly realize they're the opposite sex. The interesting twist is that they're stepbrother and stepsister. No, Zeises doesn't go anywhere illegal or creepy with that, but it's interesting to watch Critter and Seattle dance around that as they try to navigate their friendships, relationships, and crazy family life. As always, Zeises leaves readers ruminating about the characters and their choices. There's a lot of focus on family in this book, which I love, because families really are microcosms of society, so the way people exist within their family structures definitely spills out into the world. There's also quite a bit about the huge spectrum that exists between "buddies" and "boyfriend-girlfriend."½

The moment comes in every young girl's life when her whole world changes and all her relationships are different. Lucy, a freshman, discovers that all her friends are hooking up and dating upperclassmen while she's never even been kissed. Her brother, once her closest friend, brings his girlfriend home from college to live with them, and Lucy feels like the ultimate third wheel. Then everything is turned upside down when a cute older boy falls for Lucy and she discovers why her brother & his girlfriend have come home. This book is sweet and perfect for freshman girls. The exhiliration of that first real boyfriend is described perfectly. Although this isn't my favorite Zeises book, it is nonetheless a good read.