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Book 19 - Effie Olsen's Summer Special by Rochelle Bilow

Effie flames out running a high-pressure kitchen and returns to her Maine-island home with plans to regroup for the summer. She finds work in the kitchen of a two-Michelin-starred restaurant called Brown Butter, which boast using local ingredients. The kitchen is run by a womanizing jerk, and Effie suspects he’s cutting corners (Costco-to-table instead of Farm-to-table). Outing him would put her co-workers’ jobs in jeopardy, and is it really worth getting involved if she’s just there for the summer? But on the island she also reconnects with her former best friend, Ernie, and feels torn between her love for him and her desire to live anywhere but the suffocating island of her youth.

The writing is solid and Effie is rootable. Ernie is a bit cardboard perfect. There was a lot I liked about the book, but I didn’t feel a deep connection for some reason. It was an enjoyable read. (7.75)

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