Youโve Got Mail meets How to Eat a Cupcake in this delightful novel about a talented chef and the food critic who brings down her restaurantโwhose chance meeting turns into a delectable romance of mistaken identities.
In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lou works tirelessly to build her beloved yet struggling French restaurant, Luellaโs, into a success. She cheerfully balances her demanding business and even more demanding fiancรฉโฆuntil the morning she discovers him in the buffโwith an intern.
Witty yet gruff British transplant Al is keeping himself employed and entertained by writing scathing reviews of local restaurants in the Milwaukee newspaper under a pseudonym. When an anonymous tip sends him to Luellaโs, little does he know heโs arrived on the worst day of the chefโs life. The review practically writes itself: underdone fish, scorched sauce, distracted serviceโhe unleashes his worst.
The day that Alโs mean-spirited review of Luellaโs runs, the two cross paths in a pub: Lou drowning her sorrows, and Al celebrating his latest publication. As they chat, Al playfully challenges Lou to show him the best of Milwaukee and sheโs gameโbut only if they never discuss work, which Al readily agrees to. As they explore the cityโs local delicacies and their mutual attraction, Louโs restaurant faces closure, while Alโs column gains popularity. Itโs only a matter of time before the two fall in loveโฆbut when the truth comes out, can Lou overlook the past to chase her future?
Set in the lovely, quirky heart of Wisconsin, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake is a charming love story of misunderstandings, mistaken identity, and the power of food to bring two people together.
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