{Review} Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines (Love, Lies and Lemon Pies #2) by Katy Cannon

Posted by Donna
Release Date: February 2nd, 2015
Finished Date: January 2nd, 2015

Publishers: Stripes Publishing
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eBook

Pages: 368

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Grace: This was supposed to be Grace’s starring year, until she opened the door to a family secret that changed everything. Now she’s stuck making costumes in Sewing Club and watching someone else play the lead role – unless she can find a way to win it back.

Connor: Far from home and exiled to a new school, all Connor wants is to keep a low profile and get through the year. But agreeing to help his step-dad out with the school play means he’s soon caught up in Grace’s schemes.

Grace had a plan for this year – and it didn’t involve learning to sew. But being out of the spotlight isn’t the disaster she imagined, even if Connor is convinced she’s still a diva extraordinaire. Can Grace prove she’s really changed and save the play from the sidelines, even though her family is coming apart at the seams?

The Review: Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines is a cute and fun read with a sweet romance that all readers will root for. 

This year Grace was supposed to be given the lead in the school’s new play, Much Ado about Nothing but when a family issue leaves her missing the auditions, Grace is stuck running the costume department for the play instead. Determined to get her role back, Grace knows it’s only a matter of time before the play director realises she’s the best person for the job, so in the meantime, Grace focuses on making the costumes. But what Grace didn’t count on is how much she enjoys making them and more so, it gives her time to spend with the new guy and stage manager Connor. But Grace and Connor didn’t have the best start and now it appears Connor hates her. With her family issues, the play and now Connor, this year just went from bad to worse. Can Grace turn her year around and show people she’s serious about making the play a success? 

Going into this book, I certainly had high hopes because of how much I loved Katy Cannon’s Love, Lies and Lemon Pies and I just couldn’t wait to see what she would come up with next and revisit some of my favourite characters. Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines is great follow up and although it could be read as a standalone, I’d recommend you read Love, Lies and Lemon Pies first because you can familiarise yourself with the characters. Not only that it has that added extra touch of some sewing patterns at the start of each chapter. I didn't quite connect to the sewing aspect as much as I would have liked - not as much as baking - but it was still interesting to read. 

For me, Grace’s continued growth as a character just shows how much of a great character she is and that’s something you don’t want to miss. She’s come a long way since Love, Lies and Lemon Pies and she’s really turned herself around. No longer is it all about her. She’s happy helping others and going about things the right way. Yes, she’s still very determined to reach the goals she wants but she soon realises that there is always good things from anything you do. And Connor was an interesting character as the love interest. You can see there is something between Grace and him from the moment they met but, it’s all tangled up with their own personal issues that it takes a while for either to realise they like the other. I liked Connor. I couldn’t always agree with his reasoning’s for some things but like Grace, he’s learning new things every day. 

The plot of the story was enjoyable. It had so good laugh out loud moments but it also had it’s harder times with the serious topics the characters had to deal with. And it was interesting to see Katy Cannon focus the story around sewing instead of baking. 

In all, I didn’t quite enjoy Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines as much as Love, Lies and Lemon Pies but it’s still full of friendship, romance, and of course drama and it’s a read that many will enjoy. 

3.5 flowers!

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