Book Review for One Last Bite by Leah Cupps

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form.

One Last Bite, by Leah Cupps, is a psychological thriller about the dangers of confusing passion and ambition with success. The book is separated into three parts. Part I: Sadie introduces the aforementioned Sadie, an aspiring chef trying to escape her past. She gets accepted, albeit as a dishwasher, to Thistle, an up-and-coming restaurant muddled with financial issues. Part II: Namoi details the background behind Thistle and how Devon’s ego had gotten in the way of Norah’s health and sanity. Finally, Part III: Present unveils what Sadie and Namoi are to do with Devon’s ambition and how to free themselves from his mistakes. 

Sadie is not perfect. She’s got a past, living out of her car, and if push comes to shove, will take advantage of anything to get ahead. But she’s also resourceful, and she was able to get Namoi and herself out of a situation she didn’t ask to be in. You could say she did the same thing for Norah, even though she’s never met the woman. So many people want the protagonist to be this goody-two-shoes who ended up in a bad situation, and if they did some shady shit in the past, for them to have a redemption arc. But a lot of times, when someone’s about to screw you over, you can’t afford to “kill them with kindness.” No one’s the hero here, and that’s completely fine. I also like how much of an asshat Devon is. Cupps pulled out all the stops to try and make Devon as charismatic as she could, without the charisma. The man cannot handle the pressure. He wants to be the next Anthony Bello, but if he has to bully and abuse women to get where he is now, I’m not sure if he’ll ever make it. 

I want to point out how common Sadie’s situation is, especially for people recently released from prison. She doesn’t have much of a support system – aside from Sally – and I would even argue that she’s more fortunate than most; she’s got a car and a job, even if it’s not the most stable. There’s a reason why she tries to blackmail Naomi into getting her stuff on the menu; after all, when you have next to nothing, you’d do whatever it takes to feel safe. Devon was able to take advantage of her desperation, but I’ll admit, if I was in her shoes, I’d do the same thing.

I enjoyed this book. While I wish there were more tense moments between Devon and Sadie, and Naomi’s perspective was more fleshed out, I like the plot progression and how meaningful Sadie’s actions are. As such, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.