The Sugar Queen: A Novel (Random House Reader's Circle)

The Sugar Queen is romantic and magical tale as sweet as a handful of caramels with their delicious stickiness that hangs around your hands and mouth long after you finish chewing. This is a novel that, at its gooey core, is about the impact secrets, either hidden or disclosed, have on the lives of the characters in the story.Author Sarah Addison Allen introduces Josey Cirrini, the sweet, obedient, 27-year-old daughter, who loves all forms of sweet treats and romance novels, dedicated to her widowed mother, Margaret. One day Josey arrives home in the imaginative mountain town of Bald Slope in North Carolina, where she still lives with her mother, to find something very interesting, informative, yet frustrating in her closet that goes by the name of Della Lee Baker. But Josey has a closet full of secrets all ready. The biggest secret she is hiding involves her mailman, Adam Boswell, who has chosen to hide in Bald Slope. Another key character is Chloe Finley, a young woman who befriends Josey, who is dealing with the aftermath of a secret revealed by her boyfriend Jake. She is obsessed with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in its entirety will satisfy her, even though she has a few mysterious secrets of her own. The biggest secrets of all have been kept from Josey, and started with her parents. But will the truth set Josey free?This is a novel that I consumed as fast as most kids do candy at Halloween. The Sugar Queen will not only make you crave sweets, but will also cause cravings for more writings from author Sarah Addison Allen. It will melt your heart like chocolate on a hot engine and make you believe in magic and books.

Sometimes I feel like if I only read Sarah Addison Allen's books, my moods would be so much lighter, brighter. Because even if bad things do happen in her books, you know it's not for keeps. There's an unspoken belief of the world actually being better than it looks, of powers secretly out there to help you or save you. And there's always that magical thing or two that just colors the story with glittery sprinkles. It's a world in which books with things you need to read at that moment simply appear out of nowhere and follow you around. It's a world where water boils in kettles when a man you love walks up to you, even if you're not together. It's also a world where well meaning, even if lost souls appear in the weirdest of places to nudge your life in the direction you know you need to get nudged in.And it was just so with this book. I could call it a clean romance, but it wasn't all romance. It's what I'd call a woman's book though. It encompasses so much more than just romance - it's about finding forgiveness, sisterhood, your place in life and what you want to make of it. It's about so many things you'll be able to relate to, even if you haven't actually been in one of those situations yourself.The Sugar Queen is built on unreliable narrators and clueless people, or perhaps lost people, and it's written so that you're always a step ahead of the characters - even if you're a gullible reader (like me!) It makes you worry about them all the more. It makes you want to lecture them over the page, cause maybe they'll hear you if you're loud enough!Then there's another thing about this book. It's the amount of curly haired characters and them not being shamed for being naturally curly. I will never stop appreciating that in a book. Ever.This was a great, comforting read. Very recommended.

I read all the reviews about this story getting off to a slow start and concluded that this seemed to be my experience as well. I just couldn’t wrap my head around Della Lee setting up residence in Josey’s closet. All through the story, something about her being there … in the closet … gave me some angst and yet … I kept reading.And if you know Sarah Addison Allen well enough from all of her other stories, you’ll stick with this one and I invite you to do so because at some point, the entire story comes together … like some kind of knitted sweater that seems to be coming together in pieces and then all of a sudden, the arms are attached to the bodice and perhaps the hem is knit in place and the collar is set to embrace the chest which demands a piece of artistic jewelry to complement the entire garment.Oh, my, goodness … this story is delicious! Every character … every conversation and every place and moment is knit together in the story so perfectly than when the story gets wrapped in its beautiful package, the reader feels like they have received the most precious gift … one that they will cherish forever!I loved this story! I loved it soooo much more than I thought I would and that my friend, was the precious, unexpected and delightful gift I received from finishing this book. I invite you, the potential reader, to take a risk and begin the journey to a place of no return and when you’re done … when you’re finished, you'll place the book in a sacred place … a place that will beckon you time and time again to pick it up and take another emotional journey to a place of peace, delight and refuge.Go ahead … you deserve it!

Allen gives us an entertaining little mystery romance, with a very interesting ghost. The protagonist is well-defined, and her addiction to sweets is handled with subtlety and awareness. What I really liked about this book is that the story prevails, and we are not beaten over the head with the tropes… overeating and its causes, guess who is a ghost, why ghosts haunt the living. These are all present, supporting the story with an undercurrent of depth, without taking over and becoming a high-school English essay. Based on these aspects, I would have given 4 stars, but the plot dragged on a little too long for pure reading pleasure, and the confusion over who was the protagonist’s ideal partner was very transparent.

Josey is a 27 year old woman who lives in the shadows of a beautiful mother, the legacy of an inspiring father, and the nasty brattish history of her childhood, which has somewhat tainted how people see her, and how she sees herself too. Having retreated into a shell - a closet that is hidden from everyone in her bedroom where she stashes comfort food and romance novels, she escapes here when she can - that is when her mother isn't busy demanding she drive her places of fetch or cook for her. Her highlight in the day is the delivery of the post - as Josie harbours a huge crush on her postman, although he himself has been oblivious to it for the last three years.This all changes when Della Lee - a waitress with a troubled background sneaks into Joseys room and hides in her beloved closet - seeming to be on the run. Josey allows her to stay but Della seems to push her life in an existence outside of her closet - towards Chloe - someone Josey doesn't even know and towards Adam.This is a magical read, and there is a realSouthern charm to this book. I love the main characters in this, and I love the underlying theme of magic in this book. This story shows how Josey slowly comes out of her shell, and how Chloe, Josey, and even Joseys mothers all face their demons. I personally feel this is Sarah Addison Allens best book, because this one resonates on a personal level to me. I can really relate to a lot of the characters and I know I will be rereading this again at some point.Those of you who loved this, will also like 'If you could see me now' by Cecelia Ahern and 'Twenties Girl' by Sophie Kinsella.

I bought this book on a whim, looking for a new author to spark my interest, and I'm so glad I did. I have to say I fell in love with this book from page one. The characters are likable and their story entangled me. This boon is about people leaning to live and to love who they really are. The majical undertones reminded me if "like water for chocolate" and the warm characters and the books humour are reminiscent of "welcome to temptation" by Jennifer crusie.If you want a book to make you think this is not for you, but if you want one that makes you feel then I can't recommend this book highly enough. fer crusies

This was the second Sarah Addison Allen book I have read. Whilst I did not enjoy it as much as Garden Spells, it was still, a very charming read.The story centres around twenty seven year old Josey; she loves winter as layers of clothing allow her to cover up her body, she loves Adam the mailman from afar and has a secret stash of sweet things and paperback romances hidden in her bedroom closet, then one day she finds something else in her closet too ... a local waitress called Della Lee.Whilst Josey's story and her blossoming relationship with Adam is sweet enough, it is the story of another character, Chloe, that really appealed to me. Chlose has split up from her boyfriend Jake after he had a one night stand but it is Chloe's relationship with books that is so interesting. Books have a way of appearing in Chloe's life and she has many. Since she was 12 years old she would walk into a room to find books waiting for her, wanting her to read them - she finds them in work, in her car or on a table at a restaurant, always trying to tell her something ... one time she even finds a book trying to get in to her bathroom and she has to warn the book that it won't like it there because it will get wet - a truly magical idea.

I've just finished reading this book and found myself disappointed when I turned the final page and realised I'd got to the end. Although the magical aspect of this book feels a little more forced than in Sarah Addison Allen's other novel 'Garden Spells' by the end of the book it finds it's place and adds to the happily-ever-after feel that the whole work aims for. When I was trying to explain it to a friend this is what I said:"I'm reading a girly book and the lead character is a dark haired curvy beauty who is descovering how wonderful she is by falling in love for the first time. Soppy, lovely and very pro 'real women'!"And that's what I stand by. This is not high literature but it's a charming read that is exactly what you'd expect from the glittery front cover. If you enjoyed 'Garden Spells' or read Cecilia Ahern this will be a good choice for you.

Just come to know of this author and have binged on several of her books in the last week. Romance, quirkiness and a little magic is, as always, still to be found. However I felt this time it was long winded but, with some careful editing, would have worked better as a much shorter story.