A Review for Love, Lies and Lemon Pies by Katy Cannon

Posted by Donna
Release Date: May 5th, 2014

Finished Date: March 25th, 2014
Publishers: Stripes Publishing
Genre: YA, Contemporary Romance

Source: For Review
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Love, Lies and Lemon Pies, the debut YA novel from Katy Cannon, is the perfect summer read for fans of Sarah Dessen and Louise Rennison. With a Bake Club recipe at the start of each chapter, this book perfectly captures the current appetite for all things baking! Lottie, our narrator, captures the experience of a young teenage girl navigating the world of school cliques, difficult teachers and new romance, creating a world that young readers are sure to recognize. Since her dad died, life hasn't been the same for Lottie - it was easier to push her friends away than cope with their awkwardness. But when the school suggest she joins Bake Club to get her back on track, Lottie reluctantly agrees. But Lottie's uncertainty about Bake Club melts away as she rekindles her love of baking and gets caught up with Mac, the school rebel and another unwilling Bake Club member. Both Lottie and Mac have secrets to keep, and as Bake Club progresses towards an end-of-year competition, the tension rises between the Bake Club members. Can Lottie keep up the facade of her perfect life without the others finding out what's really going on at home? Can Mac keep his demanding, heavy-handed father off his back - not to mention the school counsellor who's written him off as a no-hoper? And can their bubbling romance survive the pressure?

The Review: Thoroughly entertaining and filled with many heart-warming moments Love, Lies and Lemon Pies delivers in every way!  

After the death of her father, Lottie’s life hasn’t been the same. Her mother has become a hoarder and rather than trying to deal with her mother’s issues, Lottie finds it easier to push everyone around her away including her friends, so she doesn’t have to deal with the embarrassment that her life has become. When her school principal tells her to start involving herself in more school activities, Lottie has no choice but to join the only club that has any appeal to her – the school bake club. She loved baking with her father so surely this can’t be any different? What Lottie isn’t prepared for are the other people who have also joined the club, suddenly Lottie has people around her that care about her – especially the school bad boy Mac. But with Lottie telling more lies than she can count to try and keep her home life private, she finding it’s harder and harder to keep up the act when the people around her are trying there hardest to get close to her. 

This was such a super cute read that left a great impression. If you know me, then you know I love baking. I love being able to make cupcakes or cakes for people to eat, and of course I love reading too. Combine both reading and baking and honestly, this was a perfect read for me. What made it so unique were the recipes at the start of each chapter. I found it very inspiring especially for anyone who wants to start baking, or even if you already know how to bake. The recipes are simply mouth-watering and sound so delicious. I came away from this book knowing I definitely need to try one of the recipes from the book, and also feeling inspired to try something new myself. I also loved that this book is based around a British school. Being British myself, I found the school experience very relatable. I’m so used to reading about characters based around American schools, so this was very refreshing for me. 

The story was absolutely fantastic. It’s fun and made me smile a lot, but then it also deals with some serious issues – like the loss of a parent, teenage struggles like expectations from parents or an ill family member. I really felt for a lot of the characters, not just Lottie because there is more than one character suffering with their own issues. It made it all the more realistic to believe that a lot of teenagers nowadays are struggling with everyday life and hopefully, they have help at hand. 

Lottie is a great main character. She wasn’t perfect but I liked that she had some flaws. She’s dealing with a lot and suddenly, her only outlet is Bake Club. She loves baking. She’s made new friends – even though she didn’t want too. She’s opening up again. Bake Club did wonders for her character. Then there is Mac. He’s Lottie's love interest. Local bad boy who is always getting himself in trouble, but deep down, he’s just a misunderstood teenager. I loved that he wasn’t what he seems and I really enjoyed how his and Lottie’s relationship developed. And of course this story wouldn’t be the same without the secondary characters, and who else is excited Grace will get her own story in Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines. The release seriously can’t come quick enough. 

In all, Love, Lies and Lemon Pies is an inspiring YA contemporary romance story that hits all the right spots and I cannot wait for more from Katy Cannon. 

Favourite Quote:He leaned forward and kissed me again, long and sweet. “You know that I want to be with you too.” 
And I did. He’d shown me, through cake, through every moment we spent together and every lie he never told me – even when he told them to everyone else. Will Macintyre wanted to be with me – just me. And I felt like the luckiest girl in the world."

Thank you to Stripe Publishing for giving me the opportunity to review this book, in exchange for an honest review.