Sweet Misfortune: A Novel [Paperback]

Kevin Alan Milne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2010

Sophie owns a chocolate shop where she sells Misfortune Cookies-dipped in bitter chocolate they contain messages she handwrites each day such as "Your car seems fine now, but just wait...it will eventually be a source of frustration and unexpected delay." What starts as a gimmick, turns into a surprise hit with customers. But when her ex-fiancée moves back to their small Washington town, he is surprised at how bitter and unhappy Sophie has become. He proposes a bet--she must place an ad in the paper that simply states "Wanted: Happiness." If at least 100 people respond, proving happiness isn't a myth, she agrees to a date with him. If not, he'll leave her alone forever. Sophie is convinced she'll win, but fate has other ideas when a reporter at the paper is intrigued by the ad as a story and posts it in newspapers across the country.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Milne (The Nine Lessons) slightly dials down his trademark oversentimentality in this serviceable novel of uplift. Chocolatier Sophie Jones carries around much guilt about her parents' accidental death when she was nine, so when her fiancé, Garrett Black, dumps her, she gets to feeling very, very sad. But in a lemons/lemonade moment, she channels her disappointment into a signature cookie: the Misfortune Cookie, which becomes a hit with her customers. She's eventually somewhat content, but then Garrett begs her to take him back, and she presents him with a challenge: prove that true happiness exists. The challenge, while silly, predictably leads them down a path they never expected. While this packs all the warm fuzzies Milne's readers would expect, a flood of too-serendipitous developments strain credibility, even for a cute, disposable confection. For readers willing to do some serious suspending of disbelief, there'll be some smiles. (June)
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From Booklist

For someone who owns a chocolate shop, Sophie Jones is not very sweet. Her life is full of tragedy, starting with her parents’ death in a car crash on her ninth birthday, up to her fiancé Garrett mysteriously breaking up with her and moving away mere days before their wedding. Always a realist and a cynic, Sophie knows that nothing lasts forever and disappointment is always around the corner, and is dismayed when Garrett comes back into her life. Garrett has had a change of heart and wants another chance to make her happy. She says that true happiness is fleeting, while Garrett contends that there is no limit. They make an agreement: Garrett will put an ad in the local paper seeking long-term happiness, and if he gets 100 responses that meet Sophie’s exacting standards, she will go out on one last date and hear why he left her. Fans of Nicholas Sparks will enjoy this uplifting novel about second chances, circumstance, coincidence, and, of course, happiness. --Hilary Hatton

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Center Street; 1 edition (June 10, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599952971
• ISBN-13: 978-1599952970
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,139,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Very Satisfying - Funny and Tragic and Filled With Misconceptions., April 4, 2010

By 

Dianne E. Socci-Tetro "Books & Chat" (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sweet Misfortune: A Novel (Paperback)

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Sweet Misfortune - by Kevin Alan Milne

Misconceptions. I think that sums up exactly what this book is about. Misconceptions and the power of divine providence and, oh yes...love. On Sophia Jones ninth birthday, she looses her family in a very tragic car accident. But little did we know that 20 years later the consequences of that accident on that very stormy night would still be affecting so many people. Sophia has grown up with a foster mother and a foster sister, and even made her way in life as a chocolatier with her own shop, but she is still lacking something. Until her mother fixes her up on a blind date, Sophia has gone about her life alone, although that's not always a bad thing and it is important that through divine providence Sophia and Garret Black meet...and fall in love. And break up!

This story shows how a persons understanding of an incident can be, if not exactly selfish, but skewed to the point that it can change ones life. This book proves that there are always three sides to every story -your side, how everyone else saw it and the truth. And this book prove that there are three truths.

I loved this book. This may be a short and rather quick read, but it is not one that you don't want to savor just like the fine chocolates that Sophia makes. I think that this book is a keeper and one that you may want to read more than one time. This novel allowed me to have a lot of laughter, tears, curiosity, frustration and joy. If it wasn't for the wonderful characters and compelling story I may have finally given in to my curiosity to read the ending first to see what it was that Garret needed a whole `date' to explain to Sophia why he had broken their engagement. While some may try to stick this into the chick lit genre, that would be cruel and inhumane treatment of Mr. Milne's most excellent and heartfelt novel.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Diabetics beware ..., May 1, 2010

By 

Roberta Karchner (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sweet Misfortune: A Novel (Paperback)

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Length:: 1:19 Mins

The movie is a paraphrase of the defining scene in this book. Will Sophie discover that happiness is lasting? Or will she be stuck forever in the past? Only 100 letters from readers will tell, and even then, Sophie has high standards for what constitutes "real happiness."

Diabetics beware ... not only is Sophie Jones a chocolatier with her own candy store, some of the characters and themes in this book are sticky sweet enough to require some extra insulin.

Sophie herself has been made cynical by the tragedies in her life. Her parents death on her ninth birthday in a car accident was the worst tragedy, but having her dreams of a "forever after" life destroyed only a week before her wedding left her bitter and without hope.

It was in the first moments of bitterness that Sophie came up with the idea of misfortune cookies. Coated in bitter cooking chocolate, these cookies were a reminder to Sophie and all who bought them that life is seldom fair. They became a regular staple in her store, and she personally wrote the misfortunes to insert in each and every one.

And so, on her 29th birthday, when Garret, the man who destroyed her dreams walks back into her life, Sophie is neither amused nor happy to see him. After repeatedly refusing to hear his story of why he walked away from their engagement, she finally issues a challenge. She will hear him out only if he puts an ad in the paper that generates 100 letters of people who know the meaning of real happiness.

Little does Sophie realize that this challenge will generate letters from unexpected sources that will touch her life in new ways. To offset Sophie's bitterness, there are people who take the time to reach out and show Sophie that life has some "sweet" in it along with the bitter.

While you could say that some of the incidences in the novel are a bit too coincidental or too trite, they work, and I really enjoyed this romance. It's a warm, fuzzy read for those who are looking for one. Best of all, this romance is "G-rated," and safe for all readers.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fortune cookie say... use caution behind the wheel, March 11, 2010

By 

J. Green (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sweet Misfortune: A Novel (Paperback)

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Sophie Jones was dumped by her fiancée without explanation only weeks before their wedding. She takes it as proof that true happiness lies beyond her reach (her parents were killed in a car crash on her 9th birthday), and channels her hurt into a new creation in her specialty chocolate store: misfortune cookies. Dipped in bitter chocolate and containing a cynical "misfortune" they turn out to be a hit. But when her ex-fiancée, Garrett, returns a year later she's not interested in hearing his excuse. Garrett refuses to give up so easily, however, and agrees to a bet: if he can get at least 100 legitimate responses to a classified ad saying "Wanted: Happiness," Sophie will go out on one more date with him.

I ordered this book for my wife but thought the idea sounded interesting and decided to read it, too. It's not the kind of book I usually read but it didn't take long to get sucked in and before I knew it I couldn't put it down. My wife couldn't stop reading either, and had to finish it just so she "could get back to her life." It's definitely a bit on the "girly" side according to my wife, and I found the romance a little sappy, but overall a nice, clean, and enjoyable story. If you like Nicholas Sparks books, you'll probably love this one.