Monday, November 10, 2008

BLOG TOUR: Off the Menu by Christine Son

From the back cover:

In this exhilarating debut, three women find that sometimes the best way to nourish your dreams is with friendship... and by daring to try something that's not on the menu.

If there's one thing these three friends can agree on, it's that being a high-achieving Asian-American woman can mean a lot of pressure. Whitney Lee works at a law firm, but no one- not even her best friends- knows about her fantasies of making it as a singer. Restaurateur Hercules Huang is poised to be the next big name in the cooking world, but her strained relationship with her unassimilated father mars her accomplishments. Audrey Henley, the adopted daughter of Texas billionaires, is thrilled when her less than wealthy boyfriend proposes, but her mother worries that Audrey is repeating the mistakes Mrs. Henley made decades ago.

They're the closest of friends, who still need to learn to trust one another. But through dinners, a weekend getaway, and shared setups and letdowns, these three realize that sometimes, to live the life of your dreams, all you have to do is let go of the need to be perfect...

I loved this book! I identified with all three main characters (Whitney, Hercules, and Audrey) for all sorts of reasons. I definitely understood Whitney's fear of sharing her love of singing with her parents. I went to school for art and make a living from it now, my mother did the same thing but in her case I guess her parents had some doubts about if that was a good idea or not. I got nothing but encouragement and frankly, I have no idea what else i would have done. That's just who I am! You have to be who you are!

I was very excited about the idea of being a modern Asian-American women with families that came to America for a new life. I definitely understand what it is like to grow up in a culture that is different from your parents. It can be hard to understand where each other are coming from!

I also loved the strong bond these three women created and maintained over a long period of time. How they made time for each other in their busy schedules each month at their dinners. They were really there for each other, what a great example of friendship!

Each of the three characters had great individual stories and when they came together everything just got even better! I think my favorite character ended up being Hercules, she has such a spunk and fire, I would love to be around someone like that! I also thought all the secondary characters (the families and other friends of the women) were also really nicely developed as well.

Just like with, The Smart One and the Pretty one, my only wish was that the book had taken a bit longer to wrap up, maybe another chapter or two! Maybe a sequel? Can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!

What is your favorite book about friendship?

5/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher

Visit Christine's website here and visit her blog here!

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for asking me to be a part of my very first Blog Tour!!! :)

The rest of Christine Son’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Tuesday, November 11th: 8Asians

Wednesday, November 12th: Savvy Verse and Wit

Thursday, November 13th: In The Pages

Friday, November 14th: She is Too Fond of Books

Monday, November 17th: Planet Books

Tuesday, November 18th: B & B ex Libris

Wednesday, November 19th: DISGRASIAN

Thursday, November 20th: Booking Mama

Monday, November 24th: The Literate Housewife Review

Tuesday, November 25th: Feminist Review

Wednesday, November 26th: Diary of an Eccentric

9 comments:

  1. Wasn't this a great book? Nice review!

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  2. Anonymous11:52 AM

    Hmmmm....don't think I have a favorite. Good question though!

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  3. I don't have a favorite friendship book either, but I can't wait to have Christine Son on my blog this week along with my review.

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  4. Hey Alea!

    I'm glad quiet please got there and you are liking it. i think he did a great job on it. i flipped through a bit and really loved his comments!!!

    -lauren

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  5. Friendship books...let's see...Summer Sisters by Judy Blume, Superior Women by Alice Adams, The Safety of Secrets by Delaune Michel, to name a few.

    Great review! I'm looking forward to reading this book and welcoming Christine to my blog on the 26th.

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

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  6. Anonymous6:53 AM

    I think I would love it too :) I like your reviews :)

    but I m not sure which is my fav- i m looking for a fav :)

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  7. Ooh my favorite "friendship" book is The Red Hat Club by Haywood Smith. It's been a long time since I read it though.

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  8. Ok, when I said I didn't have a favorite friendship book...I hadn't yet finished Off the Menu...I think I have one now!

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  9. s. krishna- It was, I loved it!

    J. Kaye- Thanks, I love to use my reviews to get suggestions for other books LOL!

    serena- Yay, I'm glad you liked the book :D

    shooting stars mag- It's amazing, I'm so excited to read it! Thank you!

    anna- I've still got Superior Women on my wishlist!

    veens- Thanks! Yeah it's hard to pick a favorite!

    ladytink_534- That one sounds familiar!

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