The Sweet Life of Stella Madison

Stella Madison is your typical teenage girl. She has a couple of really great best friends; a boyfriend named Max who is just about as sweet as you can get; and, a mother and father who turned their love for cooking into a love affair. Wait a minute...nope, that's not a typical teenage girl. Stella's perfect world does have at least a couple of difficulties. 1) Her parents have been separated for over six years, even though they've never gone ahead with a divorce. Her father is a premiere chef who everyone knows across the globe, but he likes to travel a great deal and has, for the most part, been absent from Stella's life. Her #2) problem would be the perfect boyfriend named Max. This is the boy that all mother's dream of for their daughters. He is hardworking, adorable, comes from a loving family, doesn't want to just have the "fun stuff" without actually being in love; and, is the perfect brother and son. Unfortunately, the day he tells Stella he loves her, Stella begins to panic. She's not one of those girls who intends to be the dutiful girlfriend, she wants more. More, comes in the form of Jeremy. Jeremy has been hired by Stella's mother as an intern for her restaurant, The Open Kitchen. This is a restaurant/school that offers the chance for young chefs to learn from the masters, while serving their gourmet food to very happy customers - a real, interactive dining experience. One day, when Stella walks in to see her mom, she is stopped at the door by mom's business partner, Enrique. Enrique is my absolute favorite character. He is a drama queen through and through who has a Maltese named Miss Sugar who he dresses up in costume and absolutely dotes on. This one morning, Enrique pulls Stella aside and tells her about the oh, so gorgeous intern named Jeremy, and warns her that she will not be able to take her eyes off him. Enrique is absolutely right. Stella panics even more. She's supposed to have given her heart to the young boy named Max whose mother is a gem and whose father is serving his country in Iraq. But as her heart beats solidly in her chest, she realizes that she is in terrible trouble...because Jeremy is one boy she really wants to kiss. Now, readers may call her shallow for this, but Stella needs to learn some very harsh life lessons and very quickly. Her best friends, Livvy, the strong, opinionated poet - and, Kat, a perfect 10 goddess who makes her own jewelry and loves dressing everyone in the latest couture, try to stand behind their friend in every decision she makes - even if it's the wrong one. The new boy is not the only problem however. Stella goes for an internship at the local newspaper for the summer. She really wants the job, just to be able to get away from the world of food that she seems to be smothered in. Like Melanie Griffith in Working Girl, Stella gets the job. Unfortunately, the paper wants her because of her famous chef father. In fact, they want her to write food reviews. Ste

Summary: Stella is the junk food loving daughter of two separated but not divorced foodies. Unfortunately that looks to be changing as both parents become involved in new relationships and Stella ends up torn between her super sweet boyfriend Max and the hot new intern at her mom's restaurant Jeremy. (Spoilers ahead-skip to overall for rating) I love food things. I'm not much of a foodie myself (I eat in order to sustain myself and I'm a simple, comfort food kind of girl). But for some reason I love TV, movies, and books that incorporate food. I'm sure I would like songs too although I'm afraid I don't really know any (Suggestions?) So I knew that I would like this book. And I did like it. Stella was mostly sympathetic (except for her stringing along Max). My parents are still together but I understand the wish to believe that one's parents will still get back together. I thought her relationships and feelings toward them were very realistic and well-written. I liked her friends and was glad to see that she had two such close friends-a lot of times YA novels seem to skimp on the female friendship front (Alliteration!) Personally I found Max more desirable than Jeremy but at the end, she is not officially with either and I was satisfied with this. Stella grows, forming a friendship with Jeremy, accepting the divorce, and welcoming the new people in her parents' lives. Overall: 4/5 for a sweet story with a fun protagonist and some dreamy descriptions of food.

My Thoughts: I really liked this one. And, the first thing I will say is, have some food on hand because this book will make you want to eat. I really could identify with Stella. The way on one hand she had this amazing boyfriend, Max, the one all girls want, the perfect guy, but on the other she had Jeremy, the new mysterious older guy who she couldn't stop thinking about. I liked the way Jeremy understood that she had a boyfriend but still tried to keep his feelings under-wrap. I even felt myself torn between the two guys because I really liked both of them! I liked the way she related with her parents and finally told them how she felt. It seems like a lot of people go through this with parents. This book was sweet, had more than enough laughs and its just an overall fun read. FYI: Be sure to have snacks on hand before starting this one! Overall: I really enjoyed this one. I finished it in a day because I wanted to know what happened next. Really really cute!!! Cover: Its really sweet. I'm not sure if I imagined Stella to look like this girl or not, but she fits ok. What exactly is she eating? it reminds me of pudding. (reviewed by princess bookie)

Stella's not a foodie like her separated parents - but that doesn't stop her from accepting an internship writing about food. She's saving up to buy a car so she doesn't have to bum rides off her two best friends and her current boyfriend. Stella's not known for long term relationships, but with Max it might be different. She likes spending time with him. Plus, he makes her laugh. But why does he have to say he loves her? She's not sure how she feels about him, but those words make her want to bolt - especially when she learns his parents were high school sweethearts. Plus, the new intern at her mom's restaurant catches her eye. He's older, dreamy, and flirty. She's told him about Max, but that doesn't stop her from hanging out with him and wanting to kiss him. How can she stay true to herself if she doesn't know what she wants? Stella struggles through finding herself in life and in romance. First she must deal with unresolved issues that surface while taking on a challenging summer internship and learning she knows more about food than she thinks. Zeises writes an entertaining and thoughtful novel about choices and learning how to be comfortable in your own skin. Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

The Sweet Life of Stella Madison is an exciting mix of food, friends, family, boys and summer experiences! I had a great time reading it. But seriously, this book will make you hungry! I found the foundation of food this story had rather unique. From the dinner menus at the beginning of chapters to how to order food when eating for the purpose of a review or even really tasting food for the first time. All those pieces are there. I really liked reading about Stella's summer internship at the newspaper. I only wish she had started it sooner into the story. I feel like she just really got going there and it was over. I would have liked that to be a bigger part of the story. I loved the character of Jeremy, Stella's mother's young intern. What a charmer, but he really understood Stella I felt. I felt bad for Stella's loving boyfriend, Max, who was oblivious to Stella's crush on Jeremy. I also loved Stella's parents and their jobs, definitely helped enhance the story, put her in a very interesting environment! Stella's friends were also sweet even if they were in the background most of the time. I could have used a little more from the ending but overall I found The Sweet Life of Stella Madison to be a sweet and delicious story, pun intended!