The Memory of Lemon

If you’re going to pick up The Memory of Lemon, be sure to read The Cake Therapist first. In The Memory of Lemon, readers are reintroduced to Neely, a woman who owns an upscale bakery. Neely has an almost-psychic ability to attach flavors to emotion and to use a person’s emotional state to determine what kind of cake they might like.

In this latest story, Neely takes on a free-spirited bride-to-be and her stubborn, newly rich mother to plan the rustic-chic wedding of everyone’s dreams. The bride’s memories take her back to a cabin in Augusta where spicebush grows abundantly and is baked into pies.

Meanwhile, Neely struggles with reuniting with her father, finalizing her divorce with her womanizing, pro-football-player ex-husband, and cultivating a blossoming romance with a childhood friend.

While some of the ancillary characters had a larger role in The Cake Therapist, The Memory of Lemon puts them squarely on the back burner. I would have liked to see more of Neely’s cohorts, Maggie, Jett, and Roshonda.

One of this book’s merits was its description of desserts and the baking process. Strong imagery of pastry crust, custard, sugar cookies, and, of course, cake made this book extra sweet.