Book Reviews

Book Review: A Second Bite at the Apple by Dana Bate

Media Type: Ebook (ARC)

Title: A Second Bite at the Apple
Author: Dana Bate
Publisher: Kensington Books
Pages: ebook, 344
Release Date: November 25, 2014
Source: Publisher/Netgalley
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Genre: Adult Fiction/Women’s Fiction
HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart
Recommended to: Fans of second chance stories
Add it on: Goodreads / Amazon / BookLikes

Sydney Strauss is obsessed with food. Not with eating it–though she does that too–but with writing about the wonders of the gastronomic world, from obscure fruit hybrids to organic farming techniques. Since food journalism jobs are more coveted than Cronuts®, Sydney pays her bills working for one of TV’s biggest egomaniacs–until she’s left scrambling for shifts at a local farmers’ market.

Stacking muffins for the Wild Yeast Bakery isn’t going to win her any James Beard awards. But soon Sydney is writing the market’s weekly newsletter, and her quirky stories gain attention from a prominent food columnist. After years of putting her love life into deep freeze, she’s even dating again. And then Sydney gets a shot at the story, one that could either make her career or burn it to a crisp–along with her relationship and her reputation…


I’m not sure why this book didn’t grab me. Sydney is a solid character, I just wasn’t really into her story. The whole local food movement is an interesting concept and I enjoyed the balance of personalities of the supporting characters. The overbearing “saving the world” date, the tempestuous boss, the charming man she shouldn’t like and the very blunt bff. The supporting characters were interesting and helped create context for Sydney’s story. 

I have to say, the whole moral dilemma of journalism seems like it’s been done a lot in books and shows. What constitutes good reporting versus a cover up. At what point is someone legally obligated to address an issue? I think this story did a good job addressing some of those questions and dealt with the aftermath in a logical way. 
All in all is was a solid book with great character development and interesting plot points, it just didn’t resonate with me. I hope you enjoy it!


FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.