Customer Reviews

Sweet Misfortune: A Novel

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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.

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.

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.

Sofie is a glass half-empty person. She's not really sad, but she isn't happy either. When the man who broke her heart returns to her life and wants to try and set right his wrong, she gives him a task she doesn't believe he'll ever complete. He needs to put an ad in the local paper looking for happiness and get 100 viable responses before she will even listen to his explanation.

This is a story about how a single event can be a pivotal moment is not just one life, but many. The perspective that is taken is what makes it different for each person. Each perspective tells a small part of the story, but put them together to get the whole. This story is about heartbreak, romance, love, redemption, and most of all finding happiness even when we think there is none.

I think this is one of the best books I have read in a while. It had the option of being corny and a unbelievable, but it was woven together so well, that it was neither. It really was heartwarming. It is inspirational without being preachy or religious. It speaks of providence and the idea of God, but never goes into too much detail of faith. All those ideas can be interpreted by the reader however you like. Sofie's snarkiness from the beginning had me thinking I wouldn't like her as a character, but she is given depth and growth throughout the book that I found myself seeing much of myself in her.

Overall, just a wonderful read that puts this one on my keeper shelf.

Sweet Misfortune was a sweet read. It was soo sweet it made me an hour late for work, because I refused to stop reading...good thing I work for myself!

This book makes you stop and think about the precious moments in our lives, taking a second to remember and give thanks. It also reminds us that we all have 'misfortune' in our lives. It hit homes at the end that it is our choice to decide how we move forward and live the rest of our lives. Sophie chose to give living with fleeting moments of happiness a chance instead of living every day in the dark.

The plot twists kept coming, obviously Kevin A. Milne knows his craft because he kept surprising even me. He went places that I hadn't even thought about. Great job!

I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy this entire book from the first chapter or two, and I was right. There was never a dull moment, and as soon as I could make time to read the entire book, I breezed straight through. Sophie is a woman who had a hard childhood. Her parents were involved in a car accident that left her thinking it was her fault. In and out of foster care, she wasn't the most stable person when it came to relationships and assumed all good things must come to an end. So when Garrett shows up, falls in love with her (and her with him), she's really hurt to find out about him canceling the wedding. But his reason and her entire attitude connect in ways that neither ever expected. I thought this was an interesting look at why people become pessimistic and the work involved in going from a pessimist to a realist to an optimist.

This wasn't a main point in the book, but I genuinely appreciated the author for having so much diversity in his characters, be it through disabilities to race to religion without turning everybody into one big stereotype. He did an excellent job in keeping all characters fair but being realistic about their backgrounds, too. I'd certainly recommend this book to anyone who is a "hopeful" romantic and for all those who are pessimistic about love and relationships. This book has a healthy balance of both.

Are you familiar with the movie, White Christmas? There is a scene where Emma, the housekeeper of the Columbia Inn (played by Mary Wickes), is overwhelmed with emotion - and speaks of the big `schmaltz' of the coming production. As I read Sweet Misfortune, I found it to be a big schmaltz...lots of bits and pieces inserted to tug upon my heart strings.
Kevin Alan Milne, the author, gives us a beautiful woman chocolatier with a tragic past. She has a grim view on life that distances her from others. Milne adds a handsome podiatrist (yes, that went a bit beyond formulaic) who is attracted to her, and sets the story in rainy Seattle. There are mistakes and misunderstandings, secondary characters who have overcome adversity with poignancy and grace, and an advert in the local paper to find true voices that define what happiness is.
Sophia Jones is the beautiful woman with a chocolate shop. She lost her parents in a car accident in the Seattle rains when she was nine years old. For twenty years she has blamed herself for the accident and lived in constant anticipation of disappointment. When her foster mom sets her up on a blind date with a podiatrist, Garrett - she resists and denies and then slowly succumbs to love.
Love, which of course ends in disappointment when Garrett cancels the wedding with no explanation.
Jump ahead about a year and Sophie is writing clever misfortunes and placing them in her misfortune cookies, an inedible cookie made with the bitterest of chocolate. The idea for these cookies was inspired by her luckless relationship. The cookies become a big hit with her customers; their messages were kind of the [...] of cookies. This was the premise of the book that had appealed to me; the ability to influence others with a bit of baked in magical realism.
Sophie never developed into a character that I cared about though. Her cookies and their audience were only lightly touched upon and I found her to be cold and off-putting with her constant negativity. The premise that the author used to justify her guilt over the accident also seemed forced and very incongruent with her career choice.
The story moves along predictably with the fiancé attempting to return and explain, and Sophie avoiding and being sour. It then turns out that not only was the car accident twenty years ago Sophie's fault, there are a whole slew of people who also feel guilty about it and finally come clean, as though being washed clean by the Seattle rains.
And that was just a bit too much schmaltz for me.
(Initially written for the Luxury Reading website.)

Sweet Misfortune (Kevin Alan Milne)

Sophie Jones had a tragic past, one that bleeds into the present and is obstructing her future. She feels she is not meant to be happy, that true Happiness does not exist. Her bit of happiness comes from the candy shop she owns and operates, stemming from her childhood love of chocolate.

One day she meets Garrett Black, a handsome young doctor. Her life seems to be changing as she allows herself to fall in love, against her better judgment. Then it happens, he breaks it off with her, she is shattered and heartbroken. As she tries to numb the pain she puts her energies into her shop. She creates a unique cookie, with a "misfortune" inside. Soon these cookies become a hit, people are coming just for her cookies.

In walks Garrett after almost a year. He wants a chance to explain to Sophie why he left her, but she refuses. He pleads with her to give him one date, one chance to explain. She then comes up with a crazy idea. She tells him if he will put an ad in the local paper simply stating "Wanted: Happiness", and if she gets 100 good replies, she will honor his wish and grant him one last date. Sophie knows that there is no such thing as true happiness and does not expect this to work. What happens amazes Sophie.

Fast paced emotional thriller, this is more than just a love story filled with secrets and surprises. The back story blends perfectly with the current, leaving you to wonder what is the true meaning of happiness. A page turning all night read.

*won on GOOD-READ'S give-a-ways

There certainly is a lot to love about "Sweet Misfortune." It's one of those delightfully sappy and feel-good sort of novels and in my opinion there is nothing wrong with that.

The real problems arises when all the sweetness becomes a substitute for a realistic story and characters.

The characters of this novel? Nice enough people and even impressive on the surface, but try scraping away to see who lies beneath the angst and heartache required by the story. One finds that this is merely all the characters exist for: making the story itself exist. They seem to have no purpose outside moving along this cute little plot.

The author thinks "Oh, I would like to read a semi-tragic yet ultimately heartwarming story. Who can I get to degrade themselves to exist only for it?"

And when we get around to the plot, it's just a little too convenient. Now don't get me wrong: I like stories where fate plays a role. I truly do like getting to the end and seeing "Oh, it all comes together! I understand!" It's fun and neat and enjoyable, but only when the characters refrain from rolling in it.

But if you can get beyond the eye-rolling and too-convenient situations, there really is an enjoyable story to be had here. The idea is a lot of fun and the author did seem to enjoy the writing process. And heck if there weren't a lot of "aww" moments.

It's a fun, enjoyable, and a nice quick little read. You just might have to suspend belief.

I so liked this book - I stayed up very, very late to finish it because the author scripted a well developed plot and I had to see how it ended. We the reader know a bit more than the main characters, so it was a race for me to see if I could guess how it would end before Sophie figured it out herself.

Though the book deals with loss and trauma, it is done very tastefully. I also like how the reader is introduced to the tragedy early in the story and then is given proper background in an early chapter as well. The stage is set and though there is some foreshadowing, it is not so blatant that the reader gets bored or annoyed.

There are also side stories that get their own full plot and closure, which is another positive aspect of the book. Definitely strong women's fiction but not superficial in any way. I will be passing it along to my girlfriends and can't to hear if they liked it as much as me.
UPDATE: passed it along and everyone is finishing it in about 2 days and just loves it. A really good purchase, possibly for a book club too.