Customer Reviews

Truffles by the Sea

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gabby Flores watched her apartment building burn down, discovered her delivery guy has taken off with most of her business, and she has the knack of dating Mr. Wrong. The only way to go is up, right?

From the suggestion of her friend she moves to a waterfront loft and works to rebuild her life. But just when she thinks things can not go wrong she finds her self in the middle of a lawsuit, dealing with a nosey neighbor that gets in everyone's business, and a Don Juan of landlords. Where is the Lord when everything seems to be going so wrong? And is she destined to be single for the rest of her life. Maybe "happily-ever-after" is not for her.

Truffles By The Sea was so delightful to read. It is a perfect, "take to the beach" kind of book, or just reading it you feel like you are escaping to the beach. I usually don't care for chick-lit kind of books, but this Julie Carobini has made me a fan of hers. I will be looking for more books to come.

My only complaint while reading this book is I read it while trying to diet and I was constantly hungry for brownies and truffles!!

I'm a type A personality causing me to hate red lights. Yesterday when I had this book in my car, I was mad when the lights turned green and when the train blocking my path was only a short passenger train. It was frustrating to read half a page and then have to close this delicious book. I expected a nice love story out of this chick-lit story, but I never anticipated the beautiful and unique phraseology that I encountered. Julie did a wonderful job with this novel, packing at least one laugh into almost every page. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves chick-lit. However, I would caution you that if you read at red lights, you'd better have a navigator to tell you when the lights turn green.
Donald James Parker

"Truffles By The Sea" is a charmingly-written tale of life, love, and rebirth from the ashes of betrayal and tragedy. Julie Carobini tells a beautiful story full of humor and poignant moments. Gaby is in a pivotal season of life: her apartment burned down, her employee has stolen much of her business and inventory, what's left of her business is failing. The good news is: she's got a wonderful loft apartment, and she just started dating one of her good friends.

This touching story is punctuated by so many moments: Gaby befriending "Sweet Girl", her relationship with Agnes, who prays over her on page 169 (it nearly made me cry). Max's character seemed a bit unstable at times - he seemed to get body-snatched in chapter 30. And the last 20 pages...melt me! Just like a truffle at the beach. Bravo, Julie! I can't wait to read more by this author!

This book is not "just another read." Though I expected to read a chapter or two every night before bed, I found that once I started Truffles by the Sea, I couldn't put it down. There I was, reading at the kitchen counter while my dishes rotted in the sink and staying up long after I should have been asleep, to finish.

This book is the perfect "break" read. Spring, Summer, Vacation, Winter. It might make you want to grab a few truffles to nosh on, but really, who doesn't want to do that every now and then?

Mmmm...even the title makes me hungry. Not only did this book make me crave a little chocolate, it made me long for the beach. Julie Carobini did a wonderful job combining a beach setting and an interesting story. The heroine dealt with serious problems without coming across as angsty. I really enjoyed the way the romance played out, and didn't guess what would happen until the end.

This book was really fun to read and it is not necessary to read book one first in order to enjoy Truffles By The Sea. I had fun following Gaby through her attempts to maintain her life after a series of bad luck tries to derail her. You would enjoy a trip to the beach with Gaby!

If the beach and chocolate are a few of your favorite things, this book is for you. Readers of Chocolate Beach will delight in reading about Gaby's story as she tries to start a new chapter in her life. I liked reading about her adventures in the flower shop, dealing with her landlord, dating new guys, and meeting all her new neighbors. I loved all the colorful characters that were in Gaby's neighborhood. From the nosy Iris, the goth Kit, the older Agnes, and the reformed alcoholic Adam, they all added spice to Gaby's story. And it was great to see Bri and her husband in the story again. Her relationship with Gaby shows how close they are and gives a good definition of what all friendships should be like. I totally did not expect Gaby to end up with who she did. It was a nice surprise and a fun way of how they got together. The only thing that bothered me with this book is that it just jumps right into the story. The reader doesn't really learn much about what happened to Gaby before she moved into her new place. Bits and pieces are told along the way, but the full story was never told. I felt kinda lost in the beginning and went back to reread chapters to see if I had missed something. I also thought it would have been more fun to read more of the disgruntled bride's lawsuit but that's just the sadistic side it me. This was a really fun book to read. Like it's predecessor it's a great book to read out on the beach with a box of chocolate truffles by your side. Just be sure to watch out for the seagulls! Looking forward to reading more from this beach-lit author.

Talk about unpredictable. Woo Wee! TRUFFLES BY THE SEA, is definitely it.
What fun, unique characters. And poor Gaby. Why do I say poor Gaby? Well read the book to find out. And just how did Gaby's getting a low rent studio apartment in such a ritzy area come about? Certainly not the way I had expected, that's for sure. Also, is there more to Gaby's nosy neighbor than meets the eye? And who rescues Gaby from a near death experience? How does Gaby get out of the ginormous mess she finds herself in? Well if you want to know, you have to buy the book to find out. Did I mention that this story is unpredictable? *smiling*
And boy, howdy, was I pleasantly shocked at the surprise turn of events near the end.
Listen, if you like stories with a bit of sass, unforgettable, zany characters, a hint of mystery, and laughter, well Julie Carobini's, TRUFFLES BY THE SEA, is the book for you.

I loved it! Fanatastic story, Julie!

This is the sequel/companion to Chocolate Beach. In Truffles by the Sea we read about Gabrielle's story. Everything seems to be falling apart in Gaby's life. Her employee robbed her business, her apartment burned down. She has miraculously been offered a loft apartment to live in. It is in a more upscale part of town, but the rent is amazingly low. From the day she moves in though her nosy neighbor Iris plants in her head that her landlord is a philandering Lotherio that she needs to steer clear of.

Problems continue to assail Gaby. With all of her overhead stolen from her she has very little money to keep her in her floral business. Top that off with being sued by a disgruntled bride, her best friend Bri being too busy to sit on the beach and eat brownies, and two men vying for her attention and Gaby's world seems to be falling apart.

At first Gaby feels attracted to Max. After all he owns property, he's established, and he's extremely attractive. Gaby's new landlord Jake on the other hand confuses her with his kindness. She is wary of him because of Iris's warning, yet there is an attraction between the two.

Gaby has never given up, but she doesn't know where to turn when her life seems to be falling apart. While out driving to find perspective and clear her head she happens upon a group of women having a Bible Study at the foot of a cross. Gaby is reminded of the Lord in her life and determines to live for Him from here on.

I thought this was a fun read. In Chocolate Beach I loved Bri's sarcasm and Gaby's feisty-ness. I missed Gaby's personality at the beginning of Truffles by the Sea, but was happy to see it back once she found her confidence in who she was in the Lord.

Gaby's life is falling apart. Her only employee robbed her flower shop, a lying landlord caused her apartment and possessions to go up in flames, and to top it off she's behind on the rent for her storefront and days away from getting an eviction notice. Now, I know this may not sound like the beginnings for a very fun book, but it IS a fun story, and there's much more to it than what you might see at first glance....

After all her misfortune, Gaby moves into a tiny loft, which is oddly low-priced. Immediately she runs into the neighborhood busybody, Iris, who knows all the gossip (true or not) on everyone. As Gaby deals with her failing business, a ridiculous lawsuit, and her pitiful bank account, she gets the scoop (whether she wants it or not) on all her neighbors from Iris in pieces here and there. According to Iris: the next door neighbor is crazy, Gaby's landlord is a womanizer (look out!) and his best friend is a drug addict.

I don't want to say much more for fear of giving away too much, but as Gaby gets to know some of her neighbors a bit more, she discovers that often Iris only tells part of the story. But are her stories of anyone true? And just how long can Gaby continue to operate her failing business? And why is it that Gaby's best friend says she "just doesn't see it" between Gaby and her new boyfriend, Max? You'll have to read Truffles by the Sea to find the answers to these and many other questions!!

I really enjoyed this book, it was a great way to escape into someone else's life! I enjoyed how Gabi made friends with the sea-lion, that was fun! And the mystery of the sea-shells was also intriguing. This is the first book by Julie Carobini that I've read, and I think I'll be looking for more of her books!