Title: The Sugar Queen

Author: Sarah Addison Allen

Publisher: Bantam 2009

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 294

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Genre -- Fairy Tale; What's in a Name -- Kitchen Find; TBR Pile; Dusty Bookshelf

How I Got It: I own it!

Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter is her favorite season, she’s a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother’s house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night…. Until she finds her closet harboring Della Lee Baker, a local waitress who is one part nemesis—and two parts fairy godmother. With Della Lee’s tough love, Josey’s narrow existence quickly expands. She even bonds with Chloe Finley, a young woman who is hounded by books that inexplicably appear when she needs them—and who has a close connection to Josey’s longtime crush. Soon Josey is living in a world where the color red has startling powers, and passion can make eggs fry in their cartons. And that’s just for starters.

Another entertaining Allen book. I caught on to the twist early on, but still really enjoyed seeing the plot unfold. I immediately rooted for Josey and loved Della Lee. Amazing characters! And the addition of Chloe was nice. As the story progressed, you couldn't help but root for Josey and Chloe to get their own lives apart from moms and boyfriends. It's always nice to see female characters assert themselves for identity. By the last chapter I was completely in tears, not from sadness, but from happiness at the character growth. I can't wait to see how the other book club members felt about the book and get Allen's newest book.