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I talk about cupcake books a lot. When I ask people for recommendations, I often realize they have no clue what I mean. Seems that I should get specific and, since everyone loves a love story, talk about why I love them so much. And, I’ll give you a few recommendations that are favorites from the past couple of years.
What is a Cupcake Book?
Regardless of what people try to recommend to me on Facebook when I ask for cupcake books, I don’t really mean books about cupcakes. I mean, sure, sometimes cupcakes and other baked goods make appearances, but not all of the time. (Because who doesn’t love a story about a young woman with a passion for baking that dreams of opening her own cupcake shop and then falls in love with her handsome but snarky customer?)
When I think about cupcake books, I want books that are the equivalent of yellow cake with pink buttercream and sprinkles. Light romance, preferably funny, always with a perfect HEA. A book that I may not remember every detail of when I am done, but I feel satisfied and happy. Books that put a smile on my face.
Cupcake Books: My Love Story with the Sweetest Genre
When I was considering law school, I was in touch with my brother’s high school girlfriend, who was a lawyer. I remember asking her what she liked to read. She said, oh, I spend so much time during the day with heavy contracts that I prefer to read lighter fare. And then she went on to describe cozy mysteries. Little did I know how much this statement would later resonate with me. Because, at the time, I still liked to read more serious books.
During law school, I didn’t read for pleasure much. Instead, most of the time, I was stuck with casebooks. I remember giving myself occasional fiction treats with the Stefanie Plum novels. After graduation, I was immersed in the world of litigation and private practice and my brain was just tired at the end of the day. Instead of reading, I watched a lot of TV.
I think a lot of people like reality TV because it gives them a chance to shut off their brain and just zone out. It’s silly and feels like junk food for your brain. And I definitely had my share of reality TV when I was in this period.
Eventually, I started reading more and more. My reading habits really picked up when I got an ereader (first a Nook, now a Kindle), because it made getting library books so much easier. Then, I started tracking the books that I read. I have a rather impressive spreadsheet that has 2013 until present tracked in different tabs.
Even though I wanted to consider myself a “serious” reader, the spreadsheet doesn’t lie. I like light. I like romance. I like to laugh. I always want the happily-ever-after. Yes, I will read other kinds of books, but if you put two books in front of me and one looks serious and the other has a bride on the cover, I’ll pick the bride book 90% of the time.
These days, I’ve embraced my love of literary desserts. Cupcake books make me happy. They help me feel a little less stressed. It’s my reality TV. They are my very favorite genre.
Some of my favorite Cupcake Books
Here are a few of my favorite Cupcake Books.
The Girls Series by Rachel Hollis (Party Girl, Sweet Girl, Smart Girl)
Honeymoon Hotel by Hester Browne (See my review here)
Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy Reichert
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