Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews is a book I read for Book Club Girls Blog Talk Radio show which took place on March 25. I found it to be a really fun, light book and I enjoyed it quite a bit. A big part of the reason probably being that I love cooking shows and the Cooking Channel, not to mention some good old chick lit in the Southern style never hurts either.
The story centers around Gina Foxton who has her own cooking show on a local channel called Fresh Start with Regina Foxton. Her show focuses on making healthy food using the freshest of ingredients. Gina is a really likeable character and I laughed at her antics throughout the book several times. Her sister Lisa is hilarious and although not a main character of the book, she turned out to be one of my favorites. Gina is the good sister and Lisa the bad and the two of the together turn out to be a quite funny pair. Gina telling her sister how she has to shape up or how she can’t leave the house looking like a tramp made me laugh more than once. Turns out in the end though that Lisa isn’t quite as wild and crazy as she likes to make out. Their mother Birdelle deserves mention too, because again, she doesn’t play a big role but the role she plays gives you a giggle or two.
The other main character is Tate Moody and his dog Moonpie. Tate has his own show on a southern cooking channel called Vittles. As Tate is definitely a man’s man, his show is an outdoor hunting and fishing type show~living off the land kind of thing. I liked Tate too; he’s a laid back kind of guy, not into the celebrity type life. His dog Moonpie though, steals the show. Now granted I’m a dog lover but still, I just adored Moonpie and I really felt he played a big role in bringing Gina and Tate together. In a few parts where she describes him just not listening and engaging in doggie antics, I cracked up laughing. Any pet lover can relate.
So, Gina is in fear of losing her job because her ex-boyfriend Scott decided to sleep with the producer’s wife. Obviously, without question, he’s a jerk. So, an offer is made of a highly publicized competition between Gina and Tate out on Eutaw Island~a place out in the middle of nowhere really. It will take place over 3 days with Gina and Tate having to cook with ingredients from the land. Whoever wins the best out of 3 will be the winner of the competition and get a big cooking show on the Cooking Channel. For Gina, this is huge. Without it, she’ll lose her home and who knows what else, not to mention her mother will be mortified. The unfolding of the story during the competition is funny and good and it also brings about more of the romancey aspect between Gina and Tate.
I really enjoyed reading about the behind the scenes of a cooking channel show. It’s fun to read about how things really are behind the cameras. I enjoyed the little romance of the novel and I was rooting for Gina and Tate all the way. I would definitely read another of her novels when I’m looking for a light and fun read~something that takes me away from real life for a while. Ultimately, while I do think this is a chick lit novel, it also shows women in a good light. Gina is a strong woman who knows what she wants for her life and future and goes about getting it full tilt.
Chick lit and cooking? Sounds like a great combination to me!
this sounds like a fun read.
I like it when a book can make me laugh.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
I’ve learned that I can’t read your blog when I’m hungry!! Sounds like a really touching and fun book. I love cooking shows as well–do you have any favorites? I always really liked Paula Dean.
I second berrmudaonion’s comment…chick lit and cooking…sounds like a great combination!! I liked your review Dar!! made me wish that I would’ve grown up in the south. For some reason I think those southern women have the market cornered on cooking, charm, and hospitality!!
Kathy, it was a good combo!
Naida, me too. Laughter is the best medicine right. That’s why I love books like this.
Trish, lol. Too funny. Favorite cooking shows-wow, there’s many. The Barefoot Contessa, Tyler’s Ultimate, anything with Jamie, Giada, Rachel Ray, Nigella…you get the idea~the list goes on.
Staci, no kidding. I love reading Southern books. They just have a certain charm about them.
This sounds like a lot of fun; plan to check it out soon.
Tate’s show sounds like something my husband would watch. I really like the sound of this book. Great review Dar.
i JUST received this book in the mail yesterday. It has been moved to my TBR pile promptly. I hope to get to it soon! will come back once I am done and let you know my thoughts! I am glad you enjoyed it:)
I really loved this book’s humor and the backstage stuff of cooking shows is fantastic. I adore those cooking shows…ok Emeril is my favorite, but the others are good too.
I hope these characters make an appearance in another of her novels…I really liked both of their strong personalities.
Sadako, it was fun. I should be having a giveaway on it sometime in the near future.
Viv, thanks so much. It would be a show men would like I imagine although my dad doesn’t seem to mind watching the pretty girls on the cooking shows. lol.
Ramya, I look forward to your thoughts. It was a nice break to read this one.
Serena, me too. It made me laugh so many times and I love that. I used to watch Emeril and I loved him but he’s not on here anymore. I agree, I’d love to see all of these characters back again.
I read this recently, too, and really enjoyed it. I don’t read much that would be called “chick lit” but I’ll read more of this author!
I’m glad that you liked this one Dar. It didn’t work for me, I am not a big fan of Chick Lit so that may have been it. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the author discussion with Mary Kay Andrews on blog talk radio.
I love Mary Kaye Andrews…such fun Southern reads. Her latest, The Fixer Upper, comes out this summer!
Gwendolyn, I don’t read a lot of chick lit either but this one I enjoyed. I’d definitely read another by her too.
Bonnie, everybody’s different in what they like about something and what they don’t. I don’t like to read only chick lit but I do like it sometimes just for something different and light. I wish you had gotten more from this one though.
Jill, I noticed Fixer Upper the other day and it sounds pretty good. If I can, I may try to give it a read.
Chick lit and cooking sounds good to me, too! I enjoyed her book Savannah Blues several years ago.
I enjoyed this book as well. Nice review!
I adore Mary Kay Andrews so I got this when it first came out. Finally got around to reading it last month and it was just as good as I hoped it would be!
JoAnn, chick lit and cooking do go together pretty good. I’m going to eventually check out some of her other books.
Swapna, thanks 🙂
Jen, I’m glad you liked it so much. I enjoyed it. It was a nice break from everything else.
I love cooking shows, too. When I go upstairs to bed with my book, I always put the Food Network on. When I saw that this was about a cooking show and competition, I knew I had to read it. It’s such a fun book, and you reviewed it so well.
–Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
lol Anna. I do the same. The Food Network is kind of like background music for me.