Review by Booklist Review
In the third and final book of Hall's Winner Bake All series, Audrey Lane has just broken up with her girlfriend and leaves London to write for a newspaper in Shropshire while baking in her spare time. In a tipsy moment of weakness, she applies for Bake Expectations and finds herself on it, along with Doris, at 90 the oldest contestant, who tells Audrey all about her years at Patchley House, where the show is being filmed. Audrey wants to write about Doris' experience as a wartime evacuee and her relationship with Emily, the daughter of the house, but her contract forbids it. And her efforts to convince Jennifer Hallet, the hot, fierce, foul-mouthed producer of the show, that Doris and Emily's forbidden love story is worth telling don't go as planned. Jennifer initially seems as toxic as Audrey's ex, but as the characters develop, their relationship bakes up nicely. The weekly competition scenes are interspersed with Doris' story, providing readers with a touching love story and a compelling behind-the-scenes look at a reality television show.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Hall's dramatic third and final installment of his Winner Bakes All series (after Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble) juxtaposes two toxic yet still endearing lesbian romances. Struggling small-town reporter Audrey Lane impulsively applied to the reality show competition Bake Expectations partly to prove herself to her judgmental ex-girlfriend. Now that she's on set, she can't turn off her reporter's curiosity, and solicits a melancholy story from elderly fellow contestant Doris, who lived at the estate where the show is filmed as service staff in the 1940s and '50s and became the friend and romantic plaything of the young mistress of the house. Meanwhile, Audrey locks horns over the story, and everything else, with Jennifer Hallet, the show's bristly producer--until their crackling antagonistic energy pivots into fast, no-strings-attached hookups. Though the food descriptions are mouthwatering, readers looking for the romantic tweeness that is a staple of baking romances won't find it here, and, unfortunately, Audrey and Jennifer's angry sex doesn't have quite the spark it needs to convince. Still, Hall's characters are full of sharp humor and over-the-top charisma, and the plot skips some of the expected beats to offer surprises right through to the end. It may not be a high note for the series, but fans will still be satisfied. (Dec.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Audrey used to be an investigative journalist at a major outlet but now is reduced to reporting on rising parking fees and stolen grocery trolleys for her hometown newspaper in Shropshire. One drunken night, she applies for the televised baking competition Bake Expectations and is chosen to be on the show. Despite the stress of Bake Expectations, Audrey comes to enjoy the time she's spending with the other contestants. One of the contestants has a story that Audrey thinks is worth sharing more widely, but Bake Expectations producer Jennifer disagrees. Audrey doesn't back down and feels more alive arguing with Jennifer than she has in years. She doesn't want to examine that feeling too closely, but soon she's desperate to spend as much time as possible with the sexy, foul-mouthed Jennifer. Hall (Paris Daillencourt Is About To Crumble) tells the story entirely from the perspective of Audrey, whose neuroses readers get to know well. VERDICT Hall skillfully brings the protagonists to life in a book readers won't want to put it down.--Heather Miller Cover
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
It's a new season of a famous British baking show, and among the contestants are an inquisitive journalist and an elderly woman with a personal history related to the grounds where the show is filmed. Working for Shropshire's second largest regional newspaper isn't exactly exciting for Audrey Lane--and for sure wouldn't impress her ex-girlfriend--but her life becomes more interesting when her drunken application to appear onBake Expectations is accepted. Soon she's spending her weekends at Patchley House, where the baking challenges are far more complicated than the "back to basics" theme of the season would suggest, and the hot-headed, foul-mouthed producer, Jennifer Hallet, quickly gets under Audrey's skin. It's not all bad, though, as Audrey connects with her fellow contestants, including 96-year-old Doris Rice. Always fascinated by people's stories, Audrey learns Doris was a World War II evacuee who lived at Patchley House as a child and later returned to work as a housemaid. During that time, she had a secret romantic relationship with the daughter of the house. Audrey wants to publish Doris' story, but that means getting permission from prickly Jennifer. Despite how much Audrey and Jennifer exasperate each other, there's clear sexual tension between them, and they begin to see just how well they complement each other. Curvy, crafty Audrey is a delightful lead. While at first it can be hard to comprehend why she's attracted to Jennifer, as their romance develops it becomes clear she's good for Audrey, especially compared to Audrey's controlling ex. The plot flows steadily through the weeks of the show, interspersed with snippets of Doris' past, and Jennifer's role lends itself to a compelling behind-the-scenes look at the competition. The importance of stories as a touchstone for human connection is adroitly emphasized. Two charming romances in one humorous and earnest tale. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
