The Sugar Queen: A Novel (Random House Reader's Circle)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this irresistible novel, Sarah Addison Allen, author of the bestselling debut, Garden Spells, tells the tale of a young woman whose family secrets—and secret passions—are about to change her life forever.
Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter is her favorite season, she’s a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother’s house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night. . . . Until she finds her closet harboring Della Lee Baker, a local waitress who is one part nemesis—and two parts fairy godmother. With Della Lee’s tough love, Josey’s narrow existence quickly expands. She even bonds with Chloe Finley, a young woman who is hounded by books that inexplicably appear when she needs them—and who has a close connection to Josey’s longtime crush. Soon Josey is living in a world where the color red has startling powers, and passion can make eggs fry in their cartons. And that’s just for starters.
Brimming with warmth, wit, and a sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of friendship, love—and the enchanting possibilities of every new day.
Praise for The Sugar Queen
“Like the most decadently addictive bonbons, once started, Allen’s magically entrancing novel is impossible to put down.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Bewitching . . . Such a pleasurable book.”—Publishers Weekly
Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter is her favorite season, she’s a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother’s house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night. . . . Until she finds her closet harboring Della Lee Baker, a local waitress who is one part nemesis—and two parts fairy godmother. With Della Lee’s tough love, Josey’s narrow existence quickly expands. She even bonds with Chloe Finley, a young woman who is hounded by books that inexplicably appear when she needs them—and who has a close connection to Josey’s longtime crush. Soon Josey is living in a world where the color red has startling powers, and passion can make eggs fry in their cartons. And that’s just for starters.
Brimming with warmth, wit, and a sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of friendship, love—and the enchanting possibilities of every new day.
Praise for The Sugar Queen
“Like the most decadently addictive bonbons, once started, Allen’s magically entrancing novel is impossible to put down.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Bewitching . . . Such a pleasurable book.”—Publishers Weekly
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Community Reviews
On one hand I really liked this book, but I had a couple of big quibbles. One was at the end, when Helena revealed her name as Marlena. Wasn't anyone paying this woman, wouldn't they have known her name?
Also, since there was almost no backstory on Margaret and Marco, it was hard to know if he and Margaret ever had any relationship. If he could get women seemingly at will, why did he not find a Southern belle that wanted to be with him?
What saved this book and made it 4 stars is the fact that I loved Josie and was so rooting for her.
Also, since there was almost no backstory on Margaret and Marco, it was hard to know if he and Margaret ever had any relationship. If he could get women seemingly at will, why did he not find a Southern belle that wanted to be with him?
What saved this book and made it 4 stars is the fact that I loved Josie and was so rooting for her.
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