Bake Believe by Cori Cooper (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

 

Bake Believe

by 

Cori Cooper

 

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GENRE: Teen/YA

 

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BLURB:

 

Cat Anderson doesn't want much out of life. Give her a circle of friends to giggle with, a few boys to flirt with, a cute outfit, and she is good to go! She especially could care less about food.

 

But food, it turns out, is a very big deal.

 

In Cat's family there is a secret too fantastic to be real. Something happens when Cat bakes.

 

Something amazing.

 

Something impossible.

 

Can it be true? Or is it Bake Believe?

 

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EXCERPT

 

 

Excerpt

 

“Hey, Pen.” I step into the room and shut the door softly behind me.

 

“Hey.” She doesn’t turn away from the mirror. Her face is all scrunched up in concentration.

 

“You look good, you don’t even wobble when you hold that pose anymore.”

 

Penny grunts instead of responding with words. I know this is not the best time to bother her, but I also know she will feel much better if she eats one of these cookies.

 

“I made something for you.”

 

I hold up the plate of cookies with a huge grin, but she just sniffs. “Cookies? I can’t eat those before an audition. I will barf all over the floor.”

 

My smile drops. What will I do if she won’t try one? I chew my bottom lip, “Um, these are special cookies.” I wiggle the plate around while I use my best mystical, magical voice, like Robyn did.

 

Penny raises her eyebrows. “Do you think I’m four?”

 

I slump forward in defeat, “Come on Penny, just eat one. I’ll give you a dollar.”

 

“What?” She steps back, away from me, “You want to pay me? Why? What did you do to them?”

 

“Nothing,” I say, but the word comes out too stretched and kind of uncertain.

 

Penny crosses her arms and stares.

 

“Okay, fine, here’s the thing.” I jump off the bed, leaving the cookies behind, and proceed to tell Penny the entire story about our family legacy. She doesn’t say anything, just taps her toes like I am keeping her from her warmup.

 

Which, I am, actually.

 

“This isn’t a joke, Pen. It’s for reals.”

 

After a long pause Penny unfolds her arms to move them to her hips. “Really? That’s the truth? It sounds like make believe.”

 

“That’s what I thought too,” I place my hand flat on my heart, “But, it’s the total, honest truth.”

 

 

Amazon

Immortal Works Press

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

 

Since I was six years old I wanted to be a published Author. I still have all my early manuscripts, but don't ask to see them - my spelling was atrocious!

 

I'm a mama of four witty, movie quoting, awesome sauce kids - three teens and one preteen. Yes, they end up in my novels! Don't worry, names are changed to protect the innocent and everything is always GREATLY exaggerated! That's my super power.

 

I'm also wife to the cutest guy in the whole world. It's true! I'm not bias at all, really. We met in Middle School and got married after he served a mission for our Church. It's been a wild ride, but I wouldn't miss it for a plate full of Cinnamon Rolls.

 

Or anything else, actually!

 

I hope you have as much fun reading my stuff as I have writing it. The creative process is so fantastic, I just love every part of it!

 

 

Website

 

Facebook

 

Twitter

 

Instagram

 

Goodreads

 

 

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GIVEAWAY

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

The tour dates can be found here

 

 

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4 out of 5 stars

 

Bake Believe by Cori Cooper tells the story of Cat, a young eighth grader who discovers the joys…and perils…of baking. She and her cousin Robyn learn family secrets that may not only change their relationships with their respective mothers but may have profound effects on their peers as well.

 

This charming young-adult fantasy story provides a new twist on the challenges of being a young teen. Although Cat has a close-knit family, she discovers that there’s a sobering reason for her mother’s eccentricities and that an amazing ability comes with significant consequences.

 

When I started reading, I was a little concerned by the sheer enthusiasm bubbling over as Cat faced the last day of summer, worried about looking good at the pool, and met a new boy. The wacky commentary she provides reminded me that it had been a very long time since I was her age, and I wondered if I could stand to continue to read the story, but I became drawn in as the events progressed. I had to laugh at the dramatics of worrying about the tardy bell and the fear of having to enter a classroom late, and the frantic search for a class that didn’t exist.

 

I love the family connections and closeness, and the descriptions of the various desserts that Cat prepares. Each chapter is titled with a different dish and the recipes make me think that even I can prepare these items, lol. There are cute tips in the recipes that make them fun to read even as they encourage anyone to try them, although they do assume that everyone has a stand mixer. The story gets more and more wacky, and although some things are resolved, there are definite indications that a sequel should be in the works.

 

I think this is a fun story for young adults and for budding cooks and I’m definitely in the mood for dessert!

 

 

A copy of this title was provided for review