Mundie Moms

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Book Review/ Blog Tour- So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti

I am so excited to have Susane Colasanti on Mundie Moms today! I have become a huge fan of hers after I met her and spent some time with her last year at the Austin Teen Book Festival. She is fabulous! Not only that, during her visit with us today she brings us virtual cupcakes! Well, she's talking about cupcakes and her inspiration for Crumbs, a fabulous little cafe which inspired a place in her book that has cupcakes!


Published by Viking/Penguin
Released on May 3rd, 2011 TODAY
Source- ARC from publisher to review/for blog tour
4 stars- I really enjoyed it

When Brooke's crush, Scott, moves from their suburban town to New York City, she decides to follow him there. Living with her formerly estranged dad and adapting to a new school are challenging, and things go from bad to worse when Brooke learns that Scott already has a girlfriend. But as she builds her new life, Brooke begins to discover a side of herself she never knew existed. And as she finds out, in the city that never sleeps, love can appear around any corner...

So Much Closer is such a fun, fast paced, delightful read. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Brooke and being reminded of that stage in life where you feel the pressure of trying to figure out what you want to be. Yep, I'm talking the end of high school where you have the pressure to get good grades, figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life, while trying to figure out who are. It's Brooke's journey in finding out who she is that I liked.

I admire the fact Brooke up and leaves the New Jersey town she grew up in to follow the guy of her dreams to New York City, though I also find it just a little weird and obsessive. Having a father her lives there, Brooke was able to do something I never would have had the guts to do, nor would I have done that for a boy while in high school, let alone for someone I barely said more than a few words to. For Brooke, she felt it was the right thing for her to do. It's through her adventures in NYC that she comes to realize a lot about herself, the choices she made and the consequences to those choices. She has a strained relationship with her Mom back in NJ and is trying to build a relationship with the dad who left her mom years before. She looses friends along the way, makes new friends, realizes how narrow minded she was at one point and really gets to grow into the person she wants to become.

I really like the character Brooke grows into. She discovers herself in a city she grows to love. She makes new friends who not only see the potential she has that she herself doesn't see, but they help her realize she can become that person. She spent so much time chasing after the guy she moved to NYC for, that she lost focused on what was going on around her. I was intrigued with the way Susane wrote Scott and John. When Scott and Brooke are together there was nothing else talked about, but them. Brooke lost her focus on everything else and wanted Scott. Then there's my favorite, John. He's that friend we all want, and he also happens to be the other love interest who Brooke tutors. He shows Brooke around NYC and he's the one who teaches her to look up and to look around her. When she's with him she notices all the little details that are happening around them, and around NYC. John opens her eyes and with Scott her eyes are half closed. I loved the contrast between Scott and John.

I enjoyed So Much Closer, and I loved feeling like I was apart of NYC though I've never been. Susane really brought the setting to life and I loved every little detail of it. When I do go to NYC, I'm totally going to Crumbs. After you read the book, you'll know why. If you're looking for a fun, light hearted romance I would recommend picking up So Much Closer.
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Greetings, friendly neighbors! I’m stoked to share some of the inspiration for my fifth book, So Much Closer.

Realistic fiction is my thing. I like incorporating details inspired by my own experiences to make my books feel as realistic as possible. So Much Closer takes place in my neighborhood, the West Village. I had lots of fun including my fave New York City places and things in this book. For my blog tour, we thought it would be fun to share some of them with you. So here we go!

2. Crumbs

If you know me, you are well aware that I’m into cupcakes. Whoever invented the cupcake is a freaking genius. Hello, a mini cake with lots of frosting and sprinkles? Sign me up! You are probably also aware that all cupcakes are not created equal. Some are severely lacking. Some are woefully dry. Some look pretty, but have no taste. There are just so many things that can go wrong. When I find a quality cupcake, I’m fiercely loyal for life.

Which brings me to Crumbs.

I did not discover Crumbs at Crumbs. I was actually at my fave café on the Upper West Side, Café Lalo, when I noticed they had some new cupcakes. The cupcakes looked delicious. They had frosting in all different colors with lots of different toppings. I immediately ordered the chocolate cupcake with caramel buttercream frosting and Snickers on top. A transcendental experience ensued. They told me the cupcakes were from Crumbs. Crumbs is now a chain that has since expanded beyond New York – a sweet success story! They don't make the Snickerdoodle anymore, but there are lots of other delicious flavors. I recommend the Coffee Toffee and the Blueberry Cobbler. And of course the Pina Colada, which is featured in So Much Closer during an extremely tense scene at Crumbs. Which, really, if life is about to smack you with an unexpected life-shattering turn, wouldn’t you want a cupcake?
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Yes, after reading So Much Closer I totally want to visit Crumbs!!

Be sure to visit Susane's site HERE and you can follow her on Twitter HERE.

You can read The Susane Colasanti Sampler (which is updated with an excerpt of SO MUCH CLOSER and a Q&A with Susane)

You can watch the trailer for So Much Closer here-

Thank you to Penguin, we are giving away a SIGNED copy of So Much Closer!! To enter, please fill out the form below:

2 comments:

  1. Great review and thanks for the giveaway! I can't wait to read So Much Closer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much sounds like a great book! Great giveaway and great review!

    ReplyDelete

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