Syosset Public Library TeenSpace Blog

The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler
Book review by Hailey Geltman
In this adorable new novel we meet Penny, a girl many of us can relate to. Penny’s parents are possibly splitting up and it only makes matters worse when her mother decided to move to New York City to open up a cupcake shop. Just like most girls in high school, Penny is not happy about this. She has to start all over; make new friends, navigate through a new school, and live in a totally different environment then she is used to, and all without her dad. For any girl this would be heartbreaking, but as you may have suspected, it is not as bad as she thought. She makes a new best friend named Tally, who is extremely fun and different from anyone Penny has ever known. Every girl needs a crush though, and Penny’s is named Marcus. They become friends and he likes her and she likes him, so it all works out, right? You’ll have to read the novel to find out!
The novel is filled with insight into the world of Penny and we really want her to be happy. When she starts to finally settle down into her new life in Manhattan, though, it is one twist after another. She wants to go back home, but she also wants to stay, but most importantly she wants her family to stick together. This book makes you want all that Penny wants to come true. It is impossible not to like this book especially if you like coming of age stories against a backdrop of New York City!
Thanks for the review, Hailey!
Sharon Long
Teen Services Librarian