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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
More of a 3.5.
After a beloved teacher dies, 39-year-old personal chef Eloise reconnects with her two high school best friends, Lynne and Teresa, whom she hasn't talked to in 20 years. They decide challenge each other and themselves to improve their lives by their 40th birthdays.
I loved the growth of Eloise, how she looked at herself and figured out ways to grow--but also to realize that the life she was leading wasn't as sad as she sometimes thought it was. Her relationships and insecurities and dreams and fears all rang true. She and her friends* and family were all fun to get to know and spend time with. I appreciate that, though it was late in the book, she was neglecting some of her challenges and worked to correct that; it seemed true to life.
I can't really think about how easy parts of her life are; she's a personal chef to an insanely wealthy family, so there's zero concern about money because they just keep giving her things and paying her well. She was an Olympic-bound athlete in high school who pivoted to cooking after an injury and naturally got into one of the most demanding culinary programs in the world. Her struggles are entirely internal--which is TOTALLY VALID, look, I get it, but it felt like the story needed more conflict.
It certainly didn't come from Shawn, whom she meets early in the book and falls in love with. The two are perfect together and there's just zero conflict. When (external) conflict DOES come up, they talk about it completely rationally and maturely and they both get along fabulously with each other's families, etc., etc. It's what you want in life, but less what you want in a book.
*With the exception of Lynne, who provides most of the conflict in the book. There's a theme in the book that you shouldn't cut off someone who you were once close to but Ballis doesn't really give us a reason to like Lynne. Or, at least, a reason to think Eloise and Lynne should remain friends as adults. Admittedly, this hits a bit close to home after things that have happened in my own life with close friends and I kind of think the book itself doesn't totally support this.
And as I noted in my review for [b:Wedding Girl|26067937|Wedding Girl|Stacey Ballis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453059563l/26067937._SY75_.jpg|46003673], the writing and dialogue is somewhat stilted. Ballis has an odd aversion to using contractions, which makes dialogue sound off. I also can't handle the use of the word "lover" as an endearment, but thankfully that only happened once.
I hate reviews like this, because it seems like I didn't enjoy the book. I absolutely did! I want to go out and pick up more Ballis titles immediately.
After a beloved teacher dies, 39-year-old personal chef Eloise reconnects with her two high school best friends, Lynne and Teresa, whom she hasn't talked to in 20 years. They decide challenge each other and themselves to improve their lives by their 40th birthdays.
I loved the growth of Eloise, how she looked at herself and figured out ways to grow--but also to realize that the life she was leading wasn't as sad as she sometimes thought it was. Her relationships and insecurities and dreams and fears all rang true. She and her friends* and family were all fun to get to know and spend time with. I appreciate that, though it was late in the book, she was neglecting some of her challenges and worked to correct that; it seemed true to life.
I can't really think about how easy parts of her life are; she's a personal chef to an insanely wealthy family, so there's zero concern about money because they just keep giving her things and paying her well. She was an Olympic-bound athlete in high school who pivoted to cooking after an injury and naturally got into one of the most demanding culinary programs in the world. Her struggles are entirely internal--which is TOTALLY VALID, look, I get it, but it felt like the story needed more conflict.
It certainly didn't come from Shawn, whom she meets early in the book and falls in love with. The two are perfect together and there's just zero conflict. When (external) conflict DOES come up, they talk about it completely rationally and maturely and they both get along fabulously with each other's families, etc., etc. It's what you want in life, but less what you want in a book.
*With the exception of Lynne, who provides most of the conflict in the book. There's a theme in the book that you shouldn't cut off someone who you were once close to but Ballis doesn't really give us a reason to like Lynne. Or, at least, a reason to think Eloise and Lynne should remain friends as adults. Admittedly, this hits a bit close to home after things that have happened in my own life with close friends and I kind of think the book itself doesn't totally support this.
Spoiler
Lynne moves back to LA and she and Eloise aren't really friends anymore; not close ones, anyway. Eloise continues to judge Lynne and doesn't seem to particularly respect her life and her choices. Why not just let them agree after their fight that they're different people now and that drifting apart is OK?And as I noted in my review for [b:Wedding Girl|26067937|Wedding Girl|Stacey Ballis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453059563l/26067937._SY75_.jpg|46003673], the writing and dialogue is somewhat stilted. Ballis has an odd aversion to using contractions, which makes dialogue sound off. I also can't handle the use of the word "lover" as an endearment, but thankfully that only happened once.
I hate reviews like this, because it seems like I didn't enjoy the book. I absolutely did! I want to go out and pick up more Ballis titles immediately.
So I swore through this whole damn book. Seriously.
I have really enjoyed Stacey Ballis's past works. She can describe food and how to cook certain dishes in such a way that you will have to go and get something to snack on while reading. Also hopefully you have some wine to sip as you go. But I really wanted to take her by the hands and ask her some questions about how she portrayed some of the key African American characters in this book. I don't think it was intentional, but I was over it. And I think the main plot such as it was, was not a bit realistic at all. And some of the same dialogue used by the male hero in this one, was used by the same character in her book "Off the Menu." I even went and checked a few things back and forth between that book and this one and said oh well I guess it's nice she's reusing RJ's commentary.
The main character is Eloise. She is a private chef to a very wealthy family and has another long time client as well. She has not dated in years since her last break-up broke her heart. When she finds out her favorite teacher has passed away, Eloise reconnects with her two high school friends, Teresa and Lynne. The three friends have grown out of touch, though Teresa and Lynne have kept in sporadic contact. When Eloise finds a list she made about what she wanted to accomplish by the age of 40, her three other friends agree that they want to knock some things off their list before their birthdays in May. This leads Eloise to finding and dating a guy who is too perfect by far (and yeah, he is) and leads to some conflict with Lynne.
I will say that there was too much going on in this book. We have Eloise doing her bet with the friends, finding and dating a guy, teaching one of the kids that she cooks for privately how to train for a celebrity cooking show, reading about her attempts to stay active, draw, write, etc., I just didn't care after a while. But really, what got me is that this book started to read a bit too self help for me to enjoy.
Eloise really sticks her nose in the air about what Lynne is doing and I hated how Ballis portrayed her in this book. There was no nuance at all to be had. Eloise is right, Lynne is wrong. There is some bullshit let's say everything we hate about each other crap that Teresa pulls and I got so mad. You don't do that type of shit to people and than somehow everyone loves each other again. I wish that the book had been more honest that the people you are friends with in high school are not the friends you would choose as an adult.
I also didn't even get why people kept telling Eloise to keep Lynne in her life. Lynne was terrible (based on the little we see of her) and there is no point in keeping someone you haven't spoken to in 20 years in your life. The way that Ballis tries to have her cake and eat it too (hey your long time friends are to be put up with even when they are acting like assholes, but also want more things than money and status) drove me up the wall.
And here is where I want to ask Ballis some questions. Did she think it was stereotypical how she portrayed Lynne? Lynne is shown as some light skinned black woman who was all about money/status and didn't really give a crap about love. That Lynne sounded like a woman who wanted to forget her past and deny her black self and Eloise and the author via her give her shit for that.
I don't know enough about Lynne for why she is the way she is, but I hated how one of the few black characters we get in this book is shown in a terrible light when I actually sympathized with her a lot. For many black woman if we are not married, we prove ourselves over and beyond at work. Lynne seems to kick ass at her job, but Ballis shows her as too obsessed with doing well at her job. She gets a bit cartoony after a while and I just got over it. Black women are always being portrayed as either highly emotional or cold. Articulate (read white) or way too black. I could go on and on about things that I was like, oh lord about and just struggled to move on from.
The other African American character, a love interest of Eloise is named Shawn and I rolled my damn eyes at the guy. First of all, I like that Ballis didn't have him speaking "ghetto" but he also sure didn't have what I would call an authentic voice to me. I say this because I said above, some of the phrases and things he does sounds like a previous character in her works. And Ballis breezes past the interracial relationship aspect real quick. Just asks one white character how did they deal with this when they were dating/married and it was all just be honest with each other.
Man. There's honesty and reality. And interracial relationships are hard. There are things you won't get and vice versa. All you need is love is great in concept, and hard in reality. I know a ton of interracial couples and they have to deal with the everyday mess they get from total strangers and family members.
There is also another aspect that would be spoiling things about Shawn that I was 100 percent done with when revealed in the book. Sorry.
The writing was typical Ballis and I have to say that all of the recipes sounded awesome. But if not for the food descriptions I would have DNFed this book.
I think the book should have been edited further down past what we got since most of the book started to just be repetitive after a while with Eloise's conflicts with Lynne.
The ending didn't move me at all and I can say that I will not be re-reading this in the future.
I have really enjoyed Stacey Ballis's past works. She can describe food and how to cook certain dishes in such a way that you will have to go and get something to snack on while reading. Also hopefully you have some wine to sip as you go. But I really wanted to take her by the hands and ask her some questions about how she portrayed some of the key African American characters in this book. I don't think it was intentional, but I was over it. And I think the main plot such as it was, was not a bit realistic at all. And some of the same dialogue used by the male hero in this one, was used by the same character in her book "Off the Menu." I even went and checked a few things back and forth between that book and this one and said oh well I guess it's nice she's reusing RJ's commentary.
The main character is Eloise. She is a private chef to a very wealthy family and has another long time client as well. She has not dated in years since her last break-up broke her heart. When she finds out her favorite teacher has passed away, Eloise reconnects with her two high school friends, Teresa and Lynne. The three friends have grown out of touch, though Teresa and Lynne have kept in sporadic contact. When Eloise finds a list she made about what she wanted to accomplish by the age of 40, her three other friends agree that they want to knock some things off their list before their birthdays in May. This leads Eloise to finding and dating a guy who is too perfect by far (and yeah, he is) and leads to some conflict with Lynne.
I will say that there was too much going on in this book. We have Eloise doing her bet with the friends, finding and dating a guy, teaching one of the kids that she cooks for privately how to train for a celebrity cooking show, reading about her attempts to stay active, draw, write, etc., I just didn't care after a while. But really, what got me is that this book started to read a bit too self help for me to enjoy.
Eloise really sticks her nose in the air about what Lynne is doing and I hated how Ballis portrayed her in this book. There was no nuance at all to be had. Eloise is right, Lynne is wrong. There is some bullshit let's say everything we hate about each other crap that Teresa pulls and I got so mad. You don't do that type of shit to people and than somehow everyone loves each other again. I wish that the book had been more honest that the people you are friends with in high school are not the friends you would choose as an adult.
I also didn't even get why people kept telling Eloise to keep Lynne in her life. Lynne was terrible (based on the little we see of her) and there is no point in keeping someone you haven't spoken to in 20 years in your life. The way that Ballis tries to have her cake and eat it too (hey your long time friends are to be put up with even when they are acting like assholes, but also want more things than money and status) drove me up the wall.
And here is where I want to ask Ballis some questions. Did she think it was stereotypical how she portrayed Lynne? Lynne is shown as some light skinned black woman who was all about money/status and didn't really give a crap about love. That Lynne sounded like a woman who wanted to forget her past and deny her black self and Eloise and the author via her give her shit for that.
I don't know enough about Lynne for why she is the way she is, but I hated how one of the few black characters we get in this book is shown in a terrible light when I actually sympathized with her a lot. For many black woman if we are not married, we prove ourselves over and beyond at work. Lynne seems to kick ass at her job, but Ballis shows her as too obsessed with doing well at her job. She gets a bit cartoony after a while and I just got over it. Black women are always being portrayed as either highly emotional or cold. Articulate (read white) or way too black. I could go on and on about things that I was like, oh lord about and just struggled to move on from.
The other African American character, a love interest of Eloise is named Shawn and I rolled my damn eyes at the guy. First of all, I like that Ballis didn't have him speaking "ghetto" but he also sure didn't have what I would call an authentic voice to me. I say this because I said above, some of the phrases and things he does sounds like a previous character in her works. And Ballis breezes past the interracial relationship aspect real quick. Just asks one white character how did they deal with this when they were dating/married and it was all just be honest with each other.
Man. There's honesty and reality. And interracial relationships are hard. There are things you won't get and vice versa. All you need is love is great in concept, and hard in reality. I know a ton of interracial couples and they have to deal with the everyday mess they get from total strangers and family members.
There is also another aspect that would be spoiling things about Shawn that I was 100 percent done with when revealed in the book. Sorry.
The writing was typical Ballis and I have to say that all of the recipes sounded awesome. But if not for the food descriptions I would have DNFed this book.
I think the book should have been edited further down past what we got since most of the book started to just be repetitive after a while with Eloise's conflicts with Lynne.
The ending didn't move me at all and I can say that I will not be re-reading this in the future.
Fun read, as always. This one hit a little close to home as the main character tries to make changes and expand her life before she turns 40. Fluffy little romance with excellent recipes. Made the lemon chicken pasta immediately and it was delicious. Will make an excellent gift for late 30-somethings :)
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Three long lost high school friends reconnect after a wake when they are 39 and decide to do a bet that ends on their 40th birthday. There are some revaluations and a lot of tension. I felt that the main character was a bit judgemental. I would not read this book again. One time was enough.
This is a charming read. Right from the beginning I connected with Eloise. She is warm and everyone seems drawn to her. However, you can't talk about Eloise without mentioning her friends, Lynne, and Teresa. They are some good friends. Each woman seemed to embrace the bucket list idea with gusto. In fact, if it had not been for the bucket list, I think that the women would have been fine but not great. The list forced them to open up more; especially Eloise. I need to step back a moment and talk about the love interest, Shawn. He was a sweet guy. He and Eloise were good together. The romance was not in the extreme heat zone but it was like a mild chili pepper zone.
While, I did enjoy this book, after about half way if maybe not a little before I did find my excitement to waver and go down some. I did continue reading on some more but it was fine. Nothing that put me over the top. Yet, I would read another book by this author.
While, I did enjoy this book, after about half way if maybe not a little before I did find my excitement to waver and go down some. I did continue reading on some more but it was fine. Nothing that put me over the top. Yet, I would read another book by this author.
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Eloise is basically happy in life and things are just smooth sailing along when two of her high school friends come back into her life and she has to question the goals and dreams she had for herself back then and how her life measures up now.
What a great book to make you think about the milestones you had for yourself and to take a moment and reconnect and figure out where you want to go so you can make a plan to head that way. I loved that nothing was wrong in Eloise's life things were fine, but with a few pushes in a few spots she could elevate fine to great.
Eloise is basically happy in life and things are just smooth sailing along when two of her high school friends come back into her life and she has to question the goals and dreams she had for herself back then and how her life measures up now.
What a great book to make you think about the milestones you had for yourself and to take a moment and reconnect and figure out where you want to go so you can make a plan to head that way. I loved that nothing was wrong in Eloise's life things were fine, but with a few pushes in a few spots she could elevate fine to great.
“How to Change a Life” is a good, quick read. This being the first Stacey Ballis book I’ve read, and not knowing the subject matter she likes to write about, I surprisingly enjoyed reading it. This is isn’t the type of book I would choose for myself to read (my book club’s first pick of the new year) but I would now choose to read another of her novels.
The story had momentum, it had a bit of drama, a little romance, great relationships, and the main character was extremely relatable, even though I’m no chef and I’m not a private cook for rich people. I’m genuinely curious on what happens with Shawn and Eloise. I’d like to see more of their story (and Eloise’s mom and Glenn’s) in the next book.
The story had momentum, it had a bit of drama, a little romance, great relationships, and the main character was extremely relatable, even though I’m no chef and I’m not a private cook for rich people. I’m genuinely curious on what happens with Shawn and Eloise. I’d like to see more of their story (and Eloise’s mom and Glenn’s) in the next book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes