Book Review: One Tough Cookie - Delise Torres

 

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, for which I thank them.

“One Tough Cookie” is a debut novel by Denise Torres.

What I liked about this book:

Tackling a difficult topic. Ms. Torres explains in the Author’s Note how this book came about and this topic was at the forefront of that beginning. I think Ms. Torres did her research well and also handled the topic well.

The inclusion of cookie recipes at the back of the book. I’ll admit, I’m always on the lookout for a good small batch cookie recipe. I’ll have to try one of the recipes one day.

The “what it takes to manufacture a cookie” background material. Yes, gearing up for an inspection was secondary to the main story, but having worked in QA/QC before there are a lot of forms (and inspections). It’s not a glamorous job, but Ms. Torres’s background in that area made those parts authentic.

The inclusion of the PR culture. I don’t speak Spanish but the little touches of PR pride and bits of the culture shone through this book.

What was meh:

Karina and Ian’s relationship - Karina’s a strong independent person. Ian is an attractive man. They meet - there are sparks. Just to be sparks. As Karina learned more about Ian, she realized things may not work out beyond a fling. As Ian learned more about Karina, he wanted to cling. Insta-love isn’t a favorite of mine and in so many ways, it felt like this couple didn’t really have a lot in common. While I’m glad that Karina was going to therapy to figure herself out, the two together probably need to ensure they’re on the same page about things.

The constant cookie tie-in - it’s cute, I admit it, but it became a bit repetitive.

The side characters - I’ll admit, I could keep a few separated, but while the main female side characters had individual quirks and personalities, I sometimes had to recall who was who and mixed a few of them up. Personally, I enjoyed Roy’s gruff manner and appreciated him admitting “yep, I was wrong, I’ll admit it” toward the end.

The not so great:

Lack of communication - Karina and Ian need to learn how to communicate in a positive manner with each other. Full stop. If you cannot say the words, write the words, sing the words, or something. It got a bit tiring after a while.

Overall, the writing of this book was very enjoyable - I read this book quickly and liked the overall flow of the book. I liked how topics were tackled. I liked how the idea of family is who you pick, not always blood - but also deciding that families of all sorts have their positives and flaws. Overall, a great first book. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.