Dreaming In Chocolate - Susan Bishop Crispell
My Review - 3 Stars
There was so much I enjoyed about this novel: the town of Malarkey, NC, the magical apothecary table, Kismet hot chocolate that tells you who your true love is, Noah. I loved how the author explored the concepts of fate and free will. I loved watching Penelope figure out whether she could give Noah a second chance, whether he was worth the risk.
It was an easy book to read and I think many people will enjoy reading it. There was just one problem.
As a reminder, a 3 star review means I liked it. I really did. The reason I didn't rate it higher falls under the "it's me, not you" category. Here's what it boils down to: Penelope's 8 year old daughter Ella has an inoperable brain tumor.
I used to be a pediatric oncology/hematology social worker specializing in brain tumors. You can see where this is headed.
We're not told the specific kind of brain tumor but we are told Ella has a prognosis of six months or less.
Due to the prognosis, they've stopped treatment. However, there's no palliative care or hospice involvement. Before I worked at the Children's Hospital, I was a hospice social worker so I have big feelings about a terminal prognosis that does not involve hospice.
On good days, we're told Ella has nausea and migraines that send her home from school. On bad days, she has seizures and prolonged hospital stays. However, while Penelope expresses concern about Ella declining, we don't see the decline. Ella goes to school almost every day. There is one instance where she gets sick but it's a 24 hour or less deal and does not involve hospitalization.
It's not an accurate depiction of a child with a terminal brain tumor. And it really bothered me and messed with my ability to enjoy the story more.
Now part of the story involves magic and so I kept wondering whether the magic had healed Ella and that's why we didn't see her acting like a child with a brain tumor. But one of the major parts of the plot is the town believing Ella is healed because they all wished that Ella would be healed at the last Festival Of Fate, whereas Penelope has decided not to tell everyone Ella is dying. Then once people find out Ella wasn't healed, they still believe they can change her fate at the next Festival.
It's compelling stuff- of course we wish there was magical hot chocolate that could heal our loved ones- but it also made me uncomfortable due to medical reality. I couldn't suspend disbelief, which rarely happens when I read books involving magic.
Truly a case of me, not you.
I really enjoyed watching Penelope and Noah circle around each other and figure out whether and how to give each other another chance and I think most people will be able to lose themselves in their story.
I adored Crispell's first novel The Secret Ingredient Of Wishes (read my review) and while this one didn't quite land with me, I look forward to seeing what comes next from her.
Synopsis
A story of love, hot chocolate, and one little girl's wish for her mother that will make your heart swell.
At twenty-seven, Penelope Dalton is quickly ticking off items on a bucket list. Only the list isn’t hers. After her eight year-old daughter Ella is given just six months to live thanks to an inoperable brain tumor, Penelope is determined to fill Ella’s remaining days with as many new experiences as she can.
With an endless supply of magical gifts and recipes from the hot chocolate café Penelope runs alongside her mother in a small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, she is able to give her daughter almost everything she wants. The one sticking point is Ella’s latest addition to her list: get a dad. And not just any dad. Ella has her sights set on Noah Gregory, her biological father and the only person Penelope knows to have proved her true love hot chocolate wrong.
Now Noah’s back in town for a few months—and as charming as ever—and the part of her that dreamed he was her fate in the first place wonders if she made the right decision to keep the truth of their daughter from him. The other, more practical part, is determined to keep him from breaking Ella’s heart too.
But as Ella’s health declines, Penelope must give in to her fate or face a future of regrets.
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Disclosure: I received an advance copy from St. Martin's Griffin in exchange for an honest review. Affiliate links included in this post.
