Like I always say: I've never met a problem a proper cupcake couldn't fix.

If this were the case, I wouldn't be able to fit through the door in a matter of weeks. Nevertheless, a good cupcake is always appreciated.

I feel obliged to warn you not to read this book on an empty stomach. Even the strong-willed individuals and the ones who claim they cannot easily be tempted will dream of extra-large lemon cupcakes with light pink vanilla cream cheese icing, topped with a maraschino cherry or vanilla cupcakes with crushed chocolate cookie crumbs, topped with Baileys cream cheese frosting and a light dusting of cocoa powder and other imaginative and decadent cupcakes the heroine seems to have a special talent for making (up).

Hudson is your typical teenager whose life is turned upside down when she finds a bra that is neither hers nor her mothers, thus discovering her father is having an affair. Three years later she is hiding away in her mother's diner baking delicious cupcaces that are becoming quite a local delicacy. After she recieves a letter from a fundation in her former coaches name offering her a chance of winning a full ice skating scolarship, she decides she will win the competition, get the scolarship and leave her home town Watonka and all the people she knew behind.

This was a light and charming read. The writer pulls you into the story with her dazzling story-telling skills and does not let you go until you finish the last page. I like how the small twists and turns were thrown in to keep the story interesting.

The heroine was to my liking - yet not overly special or exciting. I loved how her relation with her little brother Bug was depicted, he is one of the secondary characters that one never gets tired of reading about. I couldn't help but giggle when I read that he named his hamster Mr. Napkins. Genious! And Bug's robot RustBob SpareParts. Priceless!
I never even imagined she will become so angsty toward the end of the book. Sheesh! She alienated her best friend, she messed things up with the boy she liked and her relationship with her mother was becoming more and more rocky. She really did not know how to handle things. However, I really liked the way Hudson handled the testosterone-fueled boys on the hockey team. Go Pink!
I will not go into the whole love triangle thing, since I start rolling my eyes at the mention of this ever so popular theme in the young adult novels these days. I don't know what's with the love triangles. Everywhere I turn (well, every book I read) there are love triangles. Damn you, love triangles! Must you still be so popular? Can't a writer create a story without the damn love triangles, am I asking too much ? As you've probably guessed, I'm not a big fan of love triangles. That's so ... mainstream! (Haha, I'd get hammered if I drank a shot of tequilla every time I wrote "love triangle". Ha! Once again! Hee.)

Josh was such a cutie pie. I know, not the proper words to describe the captain of the hockey team and one heck of a hottie. Still, he was kind of the underdog in this story and I always seem to cheer for the underdog. He was a quiet, nice, slightly mysterious boy that slowly found the way to Hudson's (and my) heart. And remained there. Aww. Young love ...

I couldn't care less for Will, he smelled fishy from the beginning. Actually he isn't even worth mentioning, so forget I said anything!

Overall, this was a fast-paced and enjoyable read with interesting characters and solid writing. I am looking forward to reading more from Sarah Ockler.