The One That Got Away is no exception, I absolutely adored it (and think it make an awesome chick flick). In a nutshell, Abbey is a wife (to Jimmy) and mother of two who also works a full-time job. Tired, less than stylish, a few extra pounds, never enough money...you know...life. One day she and her best friend are eating lunch when she a feature on Alex Van Holt, the rich, handsome guy who once asked her out years ago, and she said no. Of course she wonders what her life would be like if she'd said yes.
Fast forward to a scary fall and a bump on her head, waking up in the hospital to a different life. In this life she is married to Alex Van Holt, her stomach is flat and her chest is not, and her bank account is big.
As you can imagine, Abbey discovers that the grass is not always greener on the other side. She learns a lot about herself and about her real-but-not-at-the-moment husband. It's a fun reminder to cherish what we have, to take a step back and take stock, to not take things for granted.
We crossed over to the coffee shop and plopped into opposite sides of a booth. I laid pastries I had just bought on the crinkly brown bag, a little buffet of breakfast delights I hoped would sweeten her expression. But she didn't touch them, just watched as I took a large bite of cinnamon scone, raining crumbs on the table.
If you love chick lit, you won't want to miss The One That Got Away!
The One That Got Away
author: Leigh Himespublisher: Hachette Books; Reprint edition (June 13, 2017)
genre: Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Contemporary Women
paperback: 384 pages
"foodie" read: Not really, but there is plenty of food inspiration to be found on the pages.
opening sentence: Fuck you, Marc Jacobs.
teaser:
Meet Abbey Lahey . . .
Overworked mom. Underappreciated publicist. Frazzled wife of an out-of-work landscaper. A woman desperately in need of a vacation from life–and who is about to get one, thanks to an unexpected tumble down a Nordstrom escalator.
Meet Abbey van Holt . . .
The woman whose life Abbey suddenly finds herself inhabiting when she wakes up. Married to handsome congressional candidate Alex van Holt. Living in a lavish penthouse. Wearing ball gowns and being feted by the crème of Philadelphia society. Luxuriating in the kind of fourteen-karat lifestyle she’s only read about in the pages of Town & Country.
The woman Abbey might have been . . . if she had said yes to a date with Alex van Holt all those years ago.
In the tradition of the romantic comedy Sliding Doors and Lionel Shriver’s The Post-Birthday World, Leigh Himes’s irresistible debut novel tells the funny and touching story of an ordinary woman offered an extraordinary opportunity to reboot her life, explore the road not taken, and ultimately, find her true self–whoever that may be.
about the author: Leigh Himes has spent fourteen years working in the public relations field. Born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, she now lives just outside of Philadelphia with her husband and their two children. This is her first book.
connect with the author: website | facebook | twitter | instagram
recipe inspired by the book: Cinnamon Scones
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Yield: serves 6
Cinnamon Scones
prep time: 10 MINScook time: 12 MINStotal time: 22 mins
Tender, crumbly cinnamon-laced scones.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) cold salted butter, cut into smallish cubes
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream + more to brush
- 1 large egg
- cinnamon-sugar, to sprinkle
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour mixture, squeezing and pinching until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with chunks no bigger than the size of a pea. Add sugar; whisk to combine.
- Pour the heavy cream and egg in a small dish and beat with a fork. Pour this into the flour mixture and combine gently. The dough will look pretty dry and shaggy. Turn out onto work surface and quickly pull the dough together into a rough mass. Press and knead until it just comes together. To keep the scones tender, try to do this in as few kneads as possible...preferably no more than 12. Don't worry about the excess flour, not all of it will be absorbed.
- Pat into a rough circle, ~1" thick. At this point, you can cut into 6 wedges (or use a cutter to cut rounds/squares). Place on a lined baking sheet.
- Pour a splash of heavy cream in a bowl and lightly brush the top of the scones, then sprinkle them liberally with cinnamon-sugar. Slide into preheated oven and bake for 12-14 minutes, until pale golden.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before enjoying.
©All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
Created using The Recipes Generator
