Chocolate Beach by Julie Carobini

Dude-ettes, you gotta get this book.

I happened upon Julie's blog nigh upon a year ago...back when we could shamelessly promote our blog on the ACFW loop and she wanted comments on a dead email Friday. She cracked me up and I kept visiting.

So, I heard about Chocolate Beach back when February 2007 seemed like an eon away and I looked forward to its release. I got to see its cover in the planning stages (I think I voted that the title should be in bolder print). I celebrated when the promotional web stuff began to come out.

And then I began to fret.

What if I hated it?

It is her first novel, ya know.

Because by this time I'd been reviewing for a while. And there is nothing like reading a bunch of mediocre books to make a person a little cynical about another book, by another author.

After I had been reviewing books for a while I noticed a trend beginning. I'd look forward to a book with great anticipation only to begin it and grow in disappointment as I read.

I found that I wasn't too fond of the mom-lit genre in general. Too whiny.

NOT THAT CHOCOLATE BEACH IS MOM-LIT, BECAUSE IT IS NOT.

It is sassy women's fiction. The genre I thought I created right up until I found Julie's web site. And sassy women's fiction is ever so much better than mom-lit.

So anyway, I started Chocolate Beach a little wary. First because I wanted so badly to like a fellow blogger's book and second because I was afraid that I wouldn't.

But I loved it from page one. And I read all 334 pages in no time flat. Something less than a day, I believe. And she had me cracking up. Really and truly laugh-out-loud funny. And it takes a lot to get that out of me anymore.

So, I could give you back cover copy about Bri Stone and her awesome beach life that she worries her husband is so over...but you know what? That copy doesn't do it justice, so you're just gonna have to trust me, K?

If you are a chocolate lover, the cover should be enough to make you lick your lips and buy it.
If you aren't, know that you don't have to love chocolate to love the book.

You just have to be able to tolerate a brownie batter fight...and chocolate chili.