Customer Reviews

Cupcake

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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.

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!

A coming into her own story about a young woman in New York City with a San Francisco upbringing. Think Mary Tyler Moore, Sex and the City and Breakfast Club all rolled into one. There are good basic values, with a touch of rebellious bad girl and various odd relationships all add to multi-definition of cupcake. This book is entertaining, easy to read and keeps you hooked. You really want to know how her journey will unfold. The writing is witty and trendy.

My favorite line is, "Cats are so hateful and useless and entitled, like an heiress with their own reality show. Dogs are pure love, not discretionary love." She goes on to establish a relationship with a unique cat, or it might be better said the cat befriends her. They share similar characteristics. Later in the story after a relationship ends she writes, "I kinda think if I can't have pure love, I'm not feeling like discretionary love anymore. I'd rather be on my own, enjoying my sphere of people."

The story is somewhat predictable, but the journey, and her observations on life make the read worthwhile. I also loved the size and shape of the physical book itself, a little bigger than traditional paperbacks, but smaller then the oversized one. Perfect to carry around. This is the first book I have read by this author and because her writing is so descriptive and fun, I will read more.

Yes, I know this book has a very targeted demographic of tweeny girls. But I took a chance and because all my other choices on Vine were exhausted.

I really tried to like this book but I could already tell it was going to be trouble from the first chapter. The book's first person narrative left too many 'like's in sentences that whenever I passed over the word (even if it was used in a proper way), it really made me stop and grit my teeth.

I think the biggest problem was that I could never get immersed in it. I never believed any of the characters or liked any of them. They all talk exactly the same way trying to be witty, and the book features a wide array of characters (18 year old boys and girls, 20-something gay guys, old gay guy, fathers, mothers). It just made it very hard to distinguish anything.

I do commend certain vignettes the author had taken, deciding to talk about homosexuality in good ways, tackle sex and abortion issues, the fact that college might not be for everyone, and that reality doesn't necessarily have all the magical moments in movies (even though this book certainly picks and chooses which ones it wants to have). These issues were still done I think relatively immaturely and it tries a bit too much to be Sex and the City but the tween version.

All in all, not for me. I think it definitely had potential but it really sticks within the chick lit genre without much life elsewhere. I think it does good with fleshing out some issues for younger adults that might not life in more liberal areas so I'd be happy if some people were more open to homosexuality after reading this.

"Cupcake" is a really fun little book. I was concerned when I started reading it because I hadn't read the first two books in the series, but that didn't really matter, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The book is about 18-year-old Cyd Charisse (no, not THAT Cyd Charisse, but she was named for the dancer/actress) who leaves her hometown of San Francisco and moves to New York City with her half-brother, Danny, after her true love, Shrimp (no, that's not his real name) flees to New Zealand to surf and write haiku. Cyd tries to build a new life for herself in the Big Apple by engaging in some not-so-harmless casual sex and getting a job as a barista while she tries to put all her Shrimptastic memories behind her. Of course, just when Cyd's life seems to be heading in the right direction, guess who winds up on her doorstep? SHRIMP! Now Cyd must determine just how much she's willing to sacrifice for true love, and figure out if what she has with Shrimp is something worth saving.

This is a silly chick-lit book, but it was a lot of fun to read. Cyd is an immature basket case most of the time, but she's so funny that you can't help but love her. Also, the romantic lead in the book is named Shrimp, and that alone won me over right from the start. I'm anxious to read the first two Cyd books, and recommend "Cupcake" to anyone looking for a light, fluffy little read.

At the end of Rachel Cohn's last novel about independent, unconventional Cyd Charisse ("CC" for short), Cyd surprised even herself when she turned down a proposal from the perfect guy --- Shrimp, the surfer boy love of her life --- to encourage him to follow his dreams in New Zealand and allow herself to continue to find herself in New York City.

Fresh from high school graduation in San Francisco, CC heads to the Big Apple, where she plans to live with her half-brother Danny and maybe (or maybe not) enroll in culinary school. At first, CC loves her new New York life --- exploring her Greenwich Village neighborhood, making friends with even the crankiest neighbors, hanging out in Central Park with her good friend Autumn, and getting to spend lots of time with her almost-perfect brother.

It doesn't take long for there to be trouble in Paradise, though. Autumn decides to return to San Francisco, CC's new friend Chuckie is put off by her wealth, and even Danny gets fed up with CC's disrespect and irresponsibility, leading her to call him the Commandant. But when Shrimp shows up on her doorstep, CC is thoroughly confused. Should she join him on his newfound Buddhist path to enlightenment, or follow her own twisty road to self-actualization? Did she leave her heart in San Francisco, or is she close to finding it in New York?

Once again, CC surprises herself with the answer --- and a courage she didn't even know she possessed.

Rachel Cohn's series of books about Cyd Charisse just keeps getting better. For one thing, CC doesn't just find herself in new predicaments in each successive novel; she actually grows, matures and changes --- for the better --- as she encounters new challenges. From a narcissistic, immature teen in GINGERBREAD to a hopeless romantic in SHRIMP to a budding entrepreneur and, dare I say, sensible young woman in CUPCAKE, CC continues to become more complex and engaging.

Even the usually cynical and sharp-tongued CC seems surprised at how far she and her friends have come in such a short time: "WHAT HAPPENED TO US? We were once rebels! Proudly insolent teenagers!...I don't know whether to be scared or pleased." Making smart (if scary) choices, considering compromises, even finding some sympathy for family members she previously disdained, CC is emerging as a talented, winning young woman whom readers still won't want to see the last of.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

This really isn't a three-star rating -- I'm letting the consumers rate this one based upon my review. I'll just try to present the facts and it will become immediately clear to prospective buyers that some folks will savor this book while others won't want to touch it with a twenty-foot pole -- so, ultimately, most will vote either five stars or one star.

18 year-old Cyd Charisse ("CC") is quite a notable young woman and lifelong resident of San Francisco until she makes the big move to New York City. First her name isn't really Cyd Charisse but the origins of why she chose to adopt this semi-famous sobriquet remains a little murky in this entry (this book is the third in the series and I haven't read the other two). Here's a bare bones summary of CC's (ergo, "Cupcake," "Cyd Charisse", etc.) activities:

Her Number One priority is cappuccino. She's had an abortion; been through juvenile court; uses the F-word with some frequency; harbors limited perspective (she considers 30 to be "ancient"); has a surfing, high-school drop-out boyfriend ("Shrimp"); lies once in awhile (albeit, usually in a good cause); does Jell-O shots; has blue hair; considers museum art to be "boring crap"; and has a shrimp (for her boyfriend) tattoo on her arm; and, she savors the slacker life. She's also illegitimate but she can hardly help that as her married mom (a neurotic nag) once had a fling with a guy in New York). She does exhibit one particularly redeeming quality: she files her CDs in alphabetical order.

My overall assessment is that this kid has pretty much been on her own from day one with her biological dad (in New York) who hasn't been engaged at all with his daughter until she's come of age and, with a mom who had a fling with this guy (but is otherwise married to CC's "acting dad") and who attempts micro-management of CC's life, which now that CC has moved away, is not going to fly. So CC pretty much makes decisions based upon what she's garnered from peers (my observation) and by reacting to spontaneous stimuli, acts such as adopting weird blue hair, getting the shrimp tattooed on her arm, and forsaking higher education.

The actual story here is that when CC moves away from her San Francisco home to New York City, rooming with her gay half-brother, Danny, her parents back in San Fran get to foot most of the bill so she's really not "on her own". Right away, CC falls down the apartment steps and breaks her leg which throws her into a "Rear Window" (Rear Window (Universal Legacy Series)) situation but Danny nurses her through with his great cupcakes.

As I mentioned, CC was supposed to attend a culinary school but she drops it after a single class. She has recently parted (amiably) with her high-school dropout, surfer lover "Shrimp" who has gone to New Zealand to paint. CC eventually snags a job in a run-down, seedy diner (called "LU_CH_ONE_TE") where she makes friends with the youthful punk/Goth owner. CC boosts business right away because she's the only one who knows how to operate the high-end cappuccino machine.

CC dabbles around in alcohol and casual sex with an old friend, Luis, but this relationship is more lustful than loving and fizzles out pretty quickly. Then Shrimp shows up just as CC was supposed to return home for Christmas... so she remains in New York for awhile longer. CC also develops an incongruous platonic friendship with an older gay man, Max, who subsequently hits it off with Shrimp (who is not gay) as a regular friend.

Sub-plots include Danny's grief over his breakup with his lover and former cupcake business partner, Aaron, as well as CC's relationship with her bio-dad and with her elder half-sister, lisBETH (a snit). This bunch is about as dysfunctional as you'll find in any lunatic asylum. At one point CC observes: "I am Chaos. I am a hellion. I am not a Cupcake". Truer words were never spoken, but the reader will give her a couple of obligatory points there for clear thinking.

I wondered how the author was going to end this book satisfactorily, at least for me. It did not seem possible at page 300 with only 10 pages to go. Well, Cohn pulled it off okay. However, this doesn't mean that the ending will be a satisfactory one for pre-established CC fans, especially the under 18 ones. Be that as it may, overall the book made me grin some which was probably the primary objective of the author. But I do have to say that not a whole lot of earth-shattering stuff happens in this book -- it's just the day-to-day life of CC and that's about it.

I will also note that Rachel Cohn is a superb "communicator" in that she was able to accurately convey to ME, a 55 year-old retired hayseed, as to the daily goings on of a 21st-Century urban teenager. And this book will definitely hold the attention of a teen -- I just cling to the hope that CC represents an extreme of how teens actually do think and act nowadays. I must confess to having been equally abhorrent as a youth (much worse actually) as CC is but I kept it all PRIVATE ("hushed-up" was the buzzword) to the degree that this was possible. I guess they call that "hypocrisy" now.

In summary, this book is worthwhile for appropriate readers. If you like what I've told you about CC and her life and her associates then you'll probably enjoy this one.

I had high expectations for this book, the third Rachel Cohn has written about Cyd Charisse (the first two are Gingerbread and Shrimp). The previous adventures of Cyd Charisse were absolutely brilliant. This book didn't quite live up to those expectations, but perhaps they were unreasonably high. But this was still a fabulous book!

In CUPCAKE, Cyd Charisse (or CC, as she now prefers to be called) has graduated from high school and moved to Manhattan. She's staying with Danny, her half-brother, and she's thrilled to finally be independent. She's not going to think about Shrimp; the two of them agreed to a clean break after she turned down his offer of marriage and a life with Iris and Billy, his pothead parents, in New Zealand. That's what she wanted...right? She's going to fill up her time and her mind with other things...like handsome delivery guys and maybe even a fling with Luis. She's starting her new life, and Shrimp's starting his--separately.

Unfortunately, all of CC's big plans come screeching to a halt when she falls down the stairs, breaks her leg, and is immobile in Danny's fifth-floor walk-up apartment for weeks. All she can do is order food, watch movies, spy on the neighbors...and think. Thinking is exactly what she didn't want to have time to do, but now there's nothing better.

Even though she can't forget about Shrimp, there are a few distractions in New York City. CC's playing matchmaker, hanging out with Autumn, ditching culinary school, visiting her grouchy old neighbor, getting a job, and even bonding with lisBETH, her older half-sister.

No book with CC would be complete without Shrimp. I was worried he wouldn't show up at all, and CC might have been secretly hoping he would, too. And so he does. Just when Cyd Charisse is getting used to her life in New York, Shrimp shows up, and she's forced to make a really hard choice yet again: follow true love or follow her own dreams in the huge city she's calling home these days?

This is a fantastically well-written, funny, and touching novel, as is to be expected from Rachel Cohn. It's quite possible that my slight disappointment resulted only from the fact that I was missing some of my favorite characters throughout much of the book, like Helen and Shrimp. Still, though, Cyd Charisse's voice in this book is as honest, fresh, and brilliant as in the previous two, capturing my attention just as easily. CC is a fantastic character; probably one of my favorite book characters ever. CUPCAKE, along with Gingerbread and Shrimp, is a must-read!

Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

I really love this book. My mistake though was buying this first without reading the others, I thought this WAS the first book. I was about half way through when I finally realized it. Anyways Cyd is always up to something she shouldn't be and thats what kept me reading this book. I really like Shrimp though and I wish he was more in this book, but it was great anyways. I've already recommended this book to 3 people. So now I recommend it to the rest of the world. Read the others first of course;)