Review & Giveaway: A Catered Affair by Sue Margolis

Paperback, 369 pages

Published August 2nd 2011 by NAL Trade

ISBN: 0451233352 (ISBN13: 9780451233356)

At age 34, Tallulah, or Tally as she prefers, thinks she has it all; a job she loves as a London human rights lawyer and having the most perfect fiancé she could imagine. Josh finally proposed to Tally after they had been dating for quite a while. Tally knows he has somewhat of a commitment phobia but is sure he is past all that. Josh is a prospective spouse even her father would approve of, a pediatric cancer specialist. Her mother, Shelley, on the other hand, is less than thrilled. You'd think any Jewish mother would be tickled pink her daughter is marrying a doctor but not Shelley.

Yep, she thinks Josh  is a tad boring. Maybe that's because "Mom" still has a  bit of  the rebellious hippie in her. Tally's late father was the staid, conservative parent; the one Tally looked up to and took his ideals to heart. Her mother at one point after moving to the suburbs said her husband "condemned her to spiritual death by garden sprinkler." Tally's mom is still a bit of a character . . .  a bit over the top, a bit pushy, a bit irreverent and definitely a bit opinionated and eccentric.

Just a month before the big event, opinions on the details are starting to clash. Tally and Josh would be happy to have a small event but Tally's Nana Ida thinks otherwise. She wants a big, fat Jewish wedding while insisting she doesn't want to interfere . . But, . . . . well, you know how that goes. I loved Nana Ida and thought she was one of the stars in the book. She proved her worth when the whole thing fell apart. You got it; Josh doesn't show up and Tally is devastated. No sense wasting a reception, Nana Ida tells her. Tally makes a total fool of herself getting drunk and propositioning everyone including the caterer.

Life has to go on and Nana Ida goes into full matchmaker mode but to no avail. Tally finally comes to the conclusion that she needs to be true to her own ideals not those of her father or anyone else. Untimately, Tally discovers to her benefit that maybe Josh's no-show act was a good thing after all.

This was my first experience reading Sue Margolis and it sure won't be the last. I liked the subtle British humor and the quirkiness of some of the characters. Before A Catered Affair, Sue has nine other books to her credit. You can read more about the author at her website.

For fans of British chick-lit/romantic comedy à la Wendy Holden or Jill Mansell, this is a recommended read. Lots of fun in these pages!

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Nal Trade/Penguin in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to the publisher's generosity I have one copy to giveaway.

Giveaway details: Open to US only and deadline to enter is August 27th  at 5 PM.  Please be sure to leave an e mail address in your comment. Bonus entries available for this contest are as follows:

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+3 for blogging (sidebar is fine) or tweeting about the giveaway. Leave me a link, please.  Good
luck!