Mundie Moms

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Breakfast Served Anytime by Sarah Combs, Book Review

By: Sarah Combs
Publisher: Candlewick
Release Date: April 8, 2014
Source: netgalley

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 quirky and perfect stars 

Buy: IndieBound | Barnes and Noble | amazon | Book Depository

Breakfast Served Anytime

Synopsis:  A coming-of-age debut evokes the bittersweet joys and pangs of finding independence in one unforgettable summer away at "geek camp."

When Gloria sets out to spend the summer before her senior year at a camp for gifted and talented students, she doesn’t know quite what to expect. Fresh from the heartache of losing her grandmother and missing her best friend, Gloria resolves to make the best of her new circumstances. But some things are proving to be more challenging than she expected. Like the series of mysterious clues left by a certain Professor X before he even shows up to teach his class, Secrets of the Written Word. Or the very sweet, but very conservative, roommate whose coal-industry family champions mountaintop removal. Not to mention the obnoxious Mason, who dresses like the Mad Hatter and immediately gets on Gloria’s nerves — but somehow won’t escape her thoughts.

Beautifully told by debut author Sarah Combs, this honest and touching story of growing up is imbued with the serene atmosphere of Kentucky’s natural landscape.

You guys know how I love tension in a story, well, I'm here to say that every once in a while a quiet story catches my attention. In the inner sanctum of my reader's heart, I'm a character-driven reader. I fall easily for well constructed fictional people and I fell hard for quirky Gloria. Every detail about her, from her love of To Kill a Mockingbird to her habit of adding little bits of findings and scraps to her Gloria Bishop Book of Ephemera made me love her more. The geek camp setting allows Sarah Combs to explore even more interesting characters and every, single one (and I do mean, every single one) is worthwhile meeting.

There are not many stories like this one. There are flashier titles out there. But in my summer reading so far, I haven't come across a book like this. Everyone in this story is so much deeper than they first appear to be and everyone serves a purpose in showing how, in the end (and in spite of changing circumstances), the characters remain true to themselves.

I realize I'm babbling, so let me use one of my favorite quotes from the book, and I know it will resonate with my fellow bookworms. In one of the class assignments, Gloria explains her love of To Kill a Mockingbird and how it's meaningful to her because it was her grandmother's favorite (page 245):
I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes you can love a book not so much because of what it's about or what happens in it, but because it belongs to a certain time or person in your life -- like you'll always remember where you were when you read it for the first time, or who gave it to you, or what season it was, or who you were before you read it and how you were different when it was over.
See what I mean? Sarah's writing rings true and her words simply slice through that reader-heart of mine.

When you're tired of quick beach reads, cute romances or the latest buzzy title, pick up Breakfast Served Everywhere. I guarantee you will fall in love with Sarah's characters. What a memorable debut story, and yes, now I want more stories from Sarah.

2 comments:

  1. Great review Sophie! I hadn't even heard of this book until your review. I'll be adding this one to my TBR list. Thank you for putting this book on my radar.

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    Replies
    1. You know how I love quiet stories, Katie. Hope you enjoy it.

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