I laughed out loud. 

I got angry and frustrated in the awkward tensions. 

I appreciated the solid happy girly friendships. 

I broke my heart at the aunt-niece relationship… and how personal that was to the author… and how it gave this book its soul… 

I TASTED all the foodie food bits. 

…and I loved the ‘fantasy’ element of time travel that blends into the fusion of food and restaurants and artwork and all the overly sentimental purple prose that makes the story what it is…and the magic. 

…and of course, those two pigeons. 

What a pleasant surprise this book turned out to be.