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Whole Latte Life [Kindle Edition]

Joanne DeMaio
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (83 customer reviews)

Digital List Price: $4.99 What's this?
Print List Price: $14.95
Kindle Price: $4.99 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
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Book Description

Pull up an Adirondack chair, listen to the lapping waves, and linger beneath the summer sky in this story of friendship and second chances ...

Sara Beth and Rachel have been wishing on stars for as long as they've been friends. Sara Beth dreams of her own antique shop, with lace curtains hanging in the windows. For Rachel, a little beach cottage will do, where sea breezes and salt water might inspire her sketches. From sharing wishes to cups of coffee at a cherished cafe, they've stitched pieces of their lives together like a patchwork quilt - a soft quilt of friendship they thought they'd hold close forever.

But while celebrating their birthdays in Manhattan, one makes a decision that will alter the course of their friendship. At a midtown lunch, Sara Beth excuses herself to use the Ladies' Room, and never returns. Instead she slips the waiter a note to pass along to her dear friend, asking Rachel to cover for her disappearance.

Sara Beth's escape begins a summer of change, one that eventually brings her antique shop to life, with a price. Though her decision pulls at her marriage and children, the strongest effect is on Rachel. For her, Sara Beth's disappearance brings a solitary Mounted Police Officer into her life, one who gladly shows Rachel that it isn't always stars that deliver wishes.

Winding from the hidden gems of Manhattan, to a weathered cottage at Anchor Beach, to an opulent New England carriage house, Whole Latte Life promises that redemption is a tender road worth taking, that secrets and ice cream are worth sharing, that true friendship has the same sweet magic as stardust.


Editorial Reviews

Review

Awarded First Place in Fiction in the 2012 Discovery Awards.

Honored in the 2012 Beach Book Festival.

"A thoughtful story that surprises with its insight and emotional impact."
-- Kirkus Reviews, Critics' Pick

"Like a delicious latte, readers will want to savor this polished debut novel ... The prose is fluid, the characters are fully developed and there's plenty to keep readers guessing until the very last pages. DeMaio has penned a heartfelt portrait of two friends at the crossroads of their lives."
-- USA Today, IndieReader

"Stirs up the emotions."
-- The Hartford Courant

About the Author

Joanne DeMaio is the award-winning author of the bestselling novels Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans and Whole Latte Life, which won First Place in the 2012 Discovery Awards and was named a Kirkus Reviews Critics' Pick. Her books have been featured in USA Today, The Huffington Post and other outlets. Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut and is currently at work on her next novel.

Product Details

  • File Size: 587 KB
  • Print Length: 325 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1466427507
  • Publisher: Joanne DeMaio (March 7, 2012)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B007IIC4Z6
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Enabled
  • Lending: Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,101 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Whole Latte Life is the poignant story about the bonds of friendship, love and self-discovery. Jersey Girl Book Reviews / Jersey Girl Sizzling Book Reviews  |  24 reviewers made a similar statement
I really felt like Rachel and Sara Beth were my friends also and I cared about what happened to them. Susan R Schleicher  |  9 reviewers made a similar statement
As well, I easily kept each character's lives separate, this is only due to great writing. Kristin Durham  |  12 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story of loyalty and friends March 26, 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
"Wishes are a mystery to me. It's like putting your hope out there, opening a part of your heart to the constellations."

Friends since childhood, Sara Beth Riley and Rachel DeMartino meet regularly over coffee in their picturesque Connecticut hometown. They plan a Girls Weekend in New York City to spend their fortieth birthdays together. When Sara Beth walks out of a restaurant leaving behind only a note, the perplexed and overwrought Rachel searches Manhattan for her missing friend.

Sara Beth seeks a few days of freedom. She tries to cope with an unplanned child, the unexpected death of her mother and the indefinite postponement of her antique shop dreams. Struggling to reclaim her sense of self in a seemingly idyllic life, she runs away. She loses grip on her marriage, her three kids, and her best friend in a desperate attempt to regain balance and clarity.

Rachel also hopes the weekend will heal old wounds. The outing replaces the birthday trip her husband planned before his death two years ago. Widowed and her daughter away at college, her friend's desertion leaves Rachel worried, confused and alone. When a mounted officer offers her company in the city, she faces more uncharted territory.

Rachel and Sara Beth are highly relatable and complex women facing unforeseen and life-altering challenges. Told from the perspective of four characters, their stories wind through their small town, Manhattan, and a seaside retreat on Long Island.

DeMaio's lyrical language, combined with her exploration of the lingering power of our expectations and our choices, create an inspiring novel of love and loyalty--loyalty to mothers, to spouses, to traditions, and to friends.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Emotional Ride April 6, 2012
Format:Paperback
Would you leave everything behind to know who you are?

That's exactly what Sara Beth Riley does, she leaves her friend alone in New York while she goes off to find herself. Her best friend Rachel plans a Girl's Weekend to celebrate their 40th birthdays and Sara Beth is there one minute and gone the next. Sara Beth's journey to find who she really is or change into the person she thinks she needs to be leaves a lot of collateral damage touching both her best friend and her own family. It sets off a summer from Manhattan to a cottage by the sea, a carriage house to a dream house. How much will her decision cost Sara Beth? Her best friend, her husband, her dreams....plus can she come to grips with what is already gone?

Dollycas's Thoughts
This story took this reader on quite an emotional roller coaster and I have to be very careful with this review not to give the story away.

I went from thinking Sara Beth was quite selfish to come to a bit of an understanding of what she was going through. I felt so sorry for Rachel being left in New York wondering if her friend was dead or alive. I wanted to strangle Sara Beth for putting her through that. But Rachel meets someone wonderful as she is surviving the mess Sara Beth made and turns lemons into lemonade.

It is extremely easy to identify with both Sara Beth and Rachel. They are both complex characters dealing with monumental issues, each handling them very differently. Sara Beth's way was much more extreme, wavering between mid-life crisis and scary mental breakdown.

The story was a true test of love for both characters, the choice to move on or run away. Self love, mother's love, second chance at love, true love.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Blend April 11, 2012
Format:Paperback
Whole Latte Life

By Joanne DeMaio

Joanne DeMaio is a notable author having penned music essays. This is her debut novel, combining her passion for both friendship and coffee. She is also an active blogger.

"Whole Latte Life" tells the story of Sara Beth Riley and her summer of self- discovery. With the help and wisdom of her best friend Rachel, Sara Beth re-evaluates everything about herself and her life.

As they meet for lunch to celebrate their 40th birthdays, they suddenly find themselves on a life-changing adventure. Friendship leads them from city to small town, in a search of both who and what they are meant to be. They challenge each other, themselves, and everything they thought they knew about life, grief, and love.

Grief often causes one to look at life with a different perception. Losing a loved one reminds us that life is short, and how we spend our time is our own choice.

Rachel helps Sara, as friends do, to look at her life, sort it out, and to live the life that she is truly meant to live, the one that will make her happy.

"Whole Latte Life" is a beautiful novel of becoming one's true self, of lifelong friendship, life, love, and discovering that it is never too late to find the perfect blend.
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26 of 31 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Whine, whine, whine.... June 21, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I don't understand the high star ratings for this book, bought it based on reviews, and it's very disappointing.
It starts with 2 friends spending a birthday weekend in NYC. Then one takes off in the middle of lunch, leaving a wishy-washy note for her 'best friend' and disappears for 3 days.
Sara Beth is self-absorbed, unreasonable and clearly unbalanced woman, can't handle her daily life and family, yet won't leave per husband's request. Who also writes and emails her dead mother to whom she has an unhealthy attachment.
The other friend is a widow, also seemingly able to organize a fun and expensive weekend getaway, but unable to go and visit her daughter 3 hours away at school. And more in this vein.
I found this book convoluted, but not complicated, and not much of a story, nor main characters I could relate to. Don't let the high ratings sway you!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars Whole Latte Boring
The brief review of this book would be to tell you that the title is the best part of the book. The title and the short book description, coupled with the near 5 star rating made... Read more
Published 3 days ago by Loves Books
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful relaxing, loved it.
Loved it all, will recommend it to my book club and my friends.
Five stars because it kept me going from beginning to the end.
Published 4 days ago by Betty Rowe
4.0 out of 5 stars good reading
This book started out very slow,but I really enjoyed it halfway thru,and cried at the end,because I was so happy for both of them
Published 10 days ago by France's Thomsen
4.0 out of 5 stars Whole Latte Life
A book about two best friends, real life issues and love. I really enjoyed the journey and found myself not wanting to put this book down until I found out what happened.
Published 10 days ago by Judy Vinals
1.0 out of 5 stars Superficial
I found it predictable, repetitive and boring. She turns some nice phrases but there's no meat to the story. No complexity to the characters.
Published 13 days ago by Suzie
4.0 out of 5 stars Latte love
What a great book! This was very well written. A great read. The story is fresh and moved along very well. Such a sweet and sad story. Read more
Published 20 days ago by V. Robertson
5.0 out of 5 stars Whole Latte Life
This book was great. It starts with two friends having lunch and then one friend disappears and from there it goes deeper and deeper as the friend that was left is searching,... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Jewell Faye Hicks
5.0 out of 5 stars Whole Latte Life
I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next one already on my Kindle. I have recommended it to my friends.
Published 25 days ago by Gwen Bennett
4.0 out of 5 stars Whole Latte Life
This is Joanne Demaio's debut novel. I had read her second book, Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans first. While there is some overlap of characters and places in the two novels, it is... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gail Rodgers
3.0 out of 5 stars nice light reading
Book is generally well written - nice prose with a few thought provoking statements/relections. However, the characters and their struggles are somewhat difficult to identify... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mom of 2
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More About the Author

Joanne DeMaio is the award-winning author of the bestselling novels BLUE JEANS AND COFFEE BEANS and WHOLE LATTE LIFE, which won First Place in the 2012 Discovery Awards and was named a Kirkus Reviews Critics' Pick. Her books have been featured in USA Today, The Huffington Post and other outlets. BLUE JEANS AND COFFEE BEANS is her second novel. Both stories explore the intricate relationships between mothers and daughters, sisters and friends. In addition, her music essays have appeared in literary journals, celebrating her passion for song. Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut and is currently at work on her next book.

To learn more, visit Joannedemaio.com. She also enjoys hearing from readers at Facebook.com/JoanneDeMaioAuthor.

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