Ten years after high school, Annie Quintana and Julia St. Claire’s paths are about to cross again. Annie was the daughter of the St. Claire’s maid, cook and nanny and had forged a friendship with Julia until something happened at the prep school the two attended that Annie blames as the trigger for her mother Lucia’s untimely death. Now Annie is making cupcakes for Lolly St. Claire’s fundraiser and crosses paths with Julia who has inexplicably left her high powered Wall Street job and returned home to California to prepare for her wedding. After tasting Annie’s cupcakes, and perhaps hoping to make amends for what occurred in high school and the intervening ten years, Julia proposes to be an investor in a cupcake shop that will revert to Annie once it is on its feet and making money. Annie is weary and suspicious of Julia, but ultimately agrees. Vandalism just prior to and after the grand opening make Annie think that getting involved once again with Julia was a big mistake, but little by little, the two forge tentative bonds and learn who each has become and what each has had to overcome since they last saw each other. At first, the plot seems a little trite, unhappy rich girl befriends and helps poor, talented friend, but then Annie and Julia’s personalities take over...and who can resist cupcakes? Each character is carefully written to avoid stereotyping; the chapters alternate between the two women, allowing how each felt about past events and how each reacts to current events to define each character. Their voices are distinctive and change throughout the story as each grows to learn more about the other and about herself. A bit of mystery, both past and present adds more depth to the plot as do characters such as Julia’s high school boyfriend Jake and the militant organic farmer from whom Annie gets her pears and in whom she may find true love.
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