Title: The Saturday Night Supper Club
Author: Carla Laureano
Print Publisher: Tyndale House
Audio Publisher: Oasis Audio
Narrator: Teri Shnaubelt
Published: February 2018
Series: Supper Club, Book 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christian Fiction
Length: 9 hours, 56 minutes. Unabridged.
About the Book: (from the publisher’s Web site)
Denver chef Rachel Bishop has accomplished everything she’s dreamed and some things she never dared hope, like winning a James Beard Award and heading up her own fine-dining restaurant. But when a targeted smear campaign causes her to be pushed out of the business by her partners, she vows to do whatever it takes to get her life back . . . even if that means joining forces with the man who inadvertently set the disaster in motion.
Essayist Alex Kanin never imagined his pointed editorial would go viral. Ironically, his attempt to highlight the pitfalls of online criticism has the opposite effect: it revives his own flagging career by destroying that of a perfect stranger. Plagued by guilt-fueled writer’s block, Alex vows to do whatever he can to repair the damage. He just doesn’t expect his interest in the beautiful chef to turn personal.
Alex agrees to help rebuild Rachel’s tarnished image by offering his connections and his home to host an exclusive pop-up dinner party targeted to Denver’s most influential citizens: the Saturday Night Supper Club. As they work together to make the project a success, Rachel begins to realize Alex is not the unfeeling opportunist she once thought he was, and that perhaps there’s life—and love—outside the pressure-cooker of her chosen career. But can she give up her lifelong goals without losing her identity as well?
My Thoughts on the Book:
This book was yummy. I didn’t literally eat the book, of course. But I would’ve gladly joined the supper club for a fabulous meal, if I could’ve wrangled one of those coveted invites! Rachel and Alex’s story is a sweet and spicy contemporary Christian romance with substance, and a very enjoyable read. The story’s set up and the thematic look at how social media can inadvertently impact someone’s life drew me in, and the growing relationship between the story’s leads kept me intrigued, right up to the satisfying, if not entirely unexpected ending. Both Rachel and Alex have interesting backgrounds, and their character development over the course of the story is realistically portrayed. I think I can guess who might be featured in future installments of this series, and I hope I’m right. I’m definitely looking forward to more from the supper club.
Specific to the Audio Edition:
The narrator, Teri Shnaubelt, presents both male and female voices well, though I have to say I liked the heroine’s voice better than the voices of her girlfriends, which tended a bit more toward wheedling at times than I would have preferred. That said, pacing and enunciation were great, and emotion was well portrayed throughout the story. I will be seeking out the audio edition again, when future books in the series release.
I borrowed this audiobook from my local library via Hoopla. I was not expected to write a review, but wanted to share how much I enjoyed the book.
Quick Links: About the Book | About the Series | Audio Sample | Author’s Site | Narrator’s Site