Cupcake [Hardcover]

Rachel Cohn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 23, 2007

When Cyd Charisse moves from San Francisco to start a new life in New York City, she leaves behind her family -- and her true love, Shrimp.

She wants to find a cool job, the city's best caffeination and most perfect cupcake, and a hot new love. But the reality of CC's new life hits some unexpected obstacles, including a broken leg that renders her immobile; the joy and aggravation of sharing an apartment with a roommate who's also an older brother; and a tasty selection of guys -- none of whom measure up to Shrimp.

Then, just when CC starts to get her new life on track, her old love returns. Shrimp has given up on his plans to live and surf in New Zealand and arrives in NYC with nothing to do other than to be with CC. And this time CC is determined that she and Shrimp will not repeat their old mistakes.

This third book about reformed hellion Cyd Charisse is just as unforgettable as Gingerbread and Shrimp.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Irrepressible Cyd Charisse returns in a third novel that picks up right where Shrimp left off. CC is now 18 and living in New York's Greenwich Village with her half-brother, Danny, thinking about culinary school and reconsidering her "no contact" agreement with Shrimp, who is surfing and writing haiku in New Zealand. Her new life features ups and downs (she breaks her leg and drops out of culinary school, but also makes new friends and lands a job as a barista). When Shrimp arrives on her doorstep just in time for a Christmas surprise, CC must decide if she wants to continue building her own life or make one with the man she loves. This book once again covers a lot of ground, including CC's first fight with Danny, the death of a friend and a trip back to California to see her parents (and to track down Shrimp), but CC's authentic voice keeps the story grounded. Fans will appreciate that this installment features a more mature CC, who considers choices more carefully, even if she complains, "What happened to us! We were once rebels! Proudly insolent teenagers!" Readers may find it hard to believe that the book's unusual characters bond so strongly (such as CC's punk boss, Johnny Mold, and her uptight half-sister LisBETH) and they may well predict the outcome—but they will have fun watching CC's free spirit take on the Big Apple. Ages 13-up. (Feb).
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—In this final installment in the series, Cyd Charisse, high school graduate, rejects a marriage proposal from her surfer boyfriend, Shrimp, who relocates to New Zealand with his parents, and follows her own dream of a new life in Manhattan. Tossed back into the life she first sampled in Gingerbread (S & S, 2002) when she visited her father, she is determined to find her niche in the city that promises to deliver the "perfect espresso shot" she craves. Readers will once again be captivated by Cyd's hip language and sophisticated take on life. She and her New York family, including her gay, cupcake-baking half brother and ambitious, man-hunting half sister, are perfect foils for one another. She dominates the novel with her strong, effervescent personality, and readers are drawn inside the mind of this unforgettable young woman. Fans of the Cyd/Shrimp love story will not be disappointed with this thoroughly satisfying conclusion to the saga.—Caryl Soriano, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (January 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416912177
• ISBN-13: 978-1416912170
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,274,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The great wish of my adolescence was to be diagnosed with scoliosis. Then I would be like Deenie. I LOVED the book "Deenie" by Judy Blume. I wanted to look like Deenie; I wanted her disease; I even wanted to live in Deenie's town, Elizabeth, New Jersey, a short hop from my dream destination, New York City. Although now that I live in Manhattan as an adult (with a fairly normal spine, I'm told), Elizabeth, New Jersey is more known to me as the place with the long lines at IKEA instead of as the hometown of Deenie. Like Deenie, my priorities eventually shifted.
I never did get that scoliosis diagnosis, but from my favorite childhood authors such as Judy Blume, E.L. Konigsburg and Ellen Conford, I did get inspiration for another goal: to write. I can't remember a time when I wasn't trying to create stories. When I started seriously writing fiction, I didn't set out to write specifically for young adults, but as my writing matured, it became clear that when I got stuck writing in teen voices, it was a good place to be stuck. The author question I get asked most often now is how I am able to write from the perspective of a teenager, as if I were in that character's head. The honest answer is, I don't know. I try not to think about it too much, for fear of ruining it. But I do feel like I can readily channel my own teenage self and tap into those feelings, and that's something I try to convey through the written word.
When teen readers write to me now telling me how much they relate to characters I've created -- Cyd Charisse in "Gingerbread" and "Shrimp," Annabel and Lucy in "The Steps" and "Two Steps Forward," or Wonder in "Pop Princess" -- I think, I relate, too: I wanted to be Deenie!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious Cupcake, January 28, 2007

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cupcake (Hardcover)

After graduating from high school and reluctantly breaking things off with her long-term boyfriend Shrimp, spirited, sassy Cyd Charisse (call her CC) is ready to move on - or at least pretend that she is. Though she loves her family and her home in San Francisco, CC can't wait to live it up in New York with her fantastic older half-brother Danny. She just knows life in the city will be great. After all, what could be better to distract her from Shrimp-missage than the larger-than-life Big Apple?

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men . . . and women named after famous dancers. While walking down multiple flights of steps, CC breaks her leg in three places. (No one ever said she had the grace of her namesake.) Being cooped up in Danny's apartment is not exactly what she had in mind. Luckily, her leg heals more quickly than her heart.

CC knows the value of a good friend, and she stays in touch with her old buds - like Autumn, who is attending college in New York - as she makes new ones - like Max, a cranky yet lovable middle-aged neighbor, and his cat. She keeps in touch with her mother, who both aggravates and oddly inspires her, and her half-sister lisBETH, who tends to simply aggravate her. Her bio-dad is still less of a presence in her life than her stepfather, but everyone is at least making an effort to reconnect. Though she continues to wonder what Shrimp is doing in New Zealand, a chance encounter with an old fling serves as a brief distraction.

What about her career? CC gets enrolled in a cooking class, but stops going when it isn't what she thought it would be, preferring to sample Danny's latest batch of cupcakes than make her own. While on the search for the perfect cappuccino CC stumbles upon the L U _ C H _ O N E _ T E, an old-fashioned-looking dinner run by a Goth-punk boy. In a matter of minutes, she has a new job and an unexpected ally.

Just when things are starting to look up, a blast from the past tears open that hole in her heart and makes CC re-evaluate her priorities and her life.

Author Rachel Cohn has created a unique and memorable character in Cyd Charisse. The girl readers know and love from the previous books has grown up before their eyes. CC thinks she is more independent than ever, yet becomes aware of her sometimes co-dependency on Shrimp and others. It is this kind of acknowledgment that shows her maturity, yet lack thereof. Though CC is constantly searching for freedom from her family, but not quite ready to be wholly on her own. Young adults and older teens who have gone through or are currently going through that same awkward period will definitely relate to her in more ways than one.

Readers first met CC in the book Gingerbread, then reunited with her in the follow-up novel Shrimp. Cupcake is the third and final book in the Cyd Charisse cycle. Due to CC's increased introspection and consideration, it is also the best. CC is older, wiser, and sassier. She's finally become comfortable in her own skin, and Cohn has given her a delicious send-off. Cupcake is a treat which teens and adults alike should indulge in immediately!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cupcake, May 5, 2007

By 

Chelsie Lacny "Chel" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cupcake (Hardcover)

Okay, I probably liked this book better than the first two, Gingerbread and Shrimp. I liked how CC grew up a bit, and she actually appears to learn something. The ending was sad and yet perfect at the same time, and throughout the book it was just the right amount of Shrimp-ness that made the book about him, but not completely about him.

So, overall, my favorite out of the series. And now I am REALLY sad that it's over, and I'm going to miss this series more than I would have expected.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book but need Shrimp & Gingerbread, October 5, 2008

By 

Mitchell H. (Austin, Tx United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cupcake (Paperback)

(What's this?)

Cupcake is the third installment of a 3 book series....I didn't realize this until I received the book and had a little bit of a hard time reading not knowing what happened in the previous 2 books Shrimp and also Gingerbread.
Cupcake is an extremely easy and simple read, the characters are fun, spontaneous and really down to earth. You can relate with most of the characters and you have a good time while you read it.
I enjoyed this quite a bit since it doesn't take much effort to pick it up and really get into it. The main character is very sharp, strong and smart, triple threat...you'll get it. I really would like to read the other 2 books and would strongly recommend getting them before you enjoy this cupcake. Great for young adults and young at heart individuals.
Have fun and relax with this great read!