Review: For What It's Worth by Karey White

Title:		For What It's Worth
Author:		Karey White
Publisher:		Cedar Fort
Pub. Date:		12/2012
ISBN:		10:1462110 (ISBN13: 9781462110667)
Pages:		240

Twenty-four year-old, Abby Benson has dreams of owning her own wedding cake shop. An inheritance from her aunt gives her the ability to make those dreams come true. She hires Dane, a handsome contractor, to help her get the bakery up and running and soon they’re moving toward their own happy ending. 

 Unsure what to charge for her cakes, Abby has a crazy idea to let the customers decide what they think their cake is worth. This plan has its ups and downs, but the novelty of the idea makes her a local celebrity. When she is interviewed on television about the unusual idea, business booms and Abby has cake adventures she never dreamed possible. But as her fame grows, Abby is swept up in a whirlwind that threatens everything she values. With the challenges that face her, will she be able to determine what is worth the most?

(Summary and cover via Goodreads)
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When Abby Benson comes into a unique inheritance, it's her chance to live her dream. Abby has a talent for cake decorating, and she's always wanted to run her own business. Given the means to do it, Abby reluctantly starts her new business. She hires a handsome contractor, and things progress quickly with both the store and the contractor Dane. Abby soon decides on a unique pricing scheme for her cakes. She will allow the customer to pay what they think the cake is worth. Abby's business quickly grows into something far more than she ever imagined, but at what price will it come in her personal life? Abby will truly have to determine what matters most to her if she's going to make everything work.

I found this book to be utterly charming. Honestly, I was expecting a bit of the usual romance formula, but this book managed to resist that some. It definitely drew me in immediately. It was fun to get to watch Abby chase her dreams, even if she wasn't certain she wanted to. It was also very interesting to see her forced to have to truly decide where her priorities were. No one should be expected to give up on what they want from life, but we all have to prioritize and some point. Dane was a very interesting person as well. You can see why Abby falls for him. The one thing that did bother me though was their lack of communication. I realize some of that is just a way to get the plot to move forward, but I just wanted to shake them and tell them to talk to each other. That would have solved a lot of problems.

I loved Abby's unique cake pricing structure. That is something that probably made her customers really reflect on what they were getting. The emphasis throughout the book on the value of things helped to really drive home the message of the book. Are the things we choose to fill our time with truly the most valuable things in our life? That's something a lot of us could stand to think about. This book never gets preachy though. It's all wrapped up in a fun story with great characters. I really enjoyed this book, and I think a lot of other people will too.


Book provided for review.