I got an early copy of CUPCAKE by Rachel Cohn and read it like -- well, like eating a cupcake. But I waited to blog about it until you, too could buy it -- and now you can.

I think this is the best of her Cyd Charisse books. Her best book, actually. It has this wonderful, wild New York City in it -- CC works at a hole in the wall cafe and at her brother's cupcake bakery, and she makes friends with an exotic and entertaining new range of characters, all while pining after Shrimp -- who is off in New Zealand and incommunicado. (But don't worry. He shows up eventually!)

Cohn really captures the heartbreak and confusion of letting go of a first love and trying to move on with life. CC is figuring out what kind of person she wants to be, and she's wonderfully flawed and sometimes selfish and enthusiastic and always compelling. The book is vivid and wild and wonderfully verbose and huge fun to read. Yummmmmmm.