Reviews

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Now 18, Cyd Charisse is back in New York, living with half-brother Danny and missing her ex-boyfriend Shrimp. The cast of characters doesn't extend much beyond that of previous installments, but a broken leg leads to "hello mutant tall woman with the new bottomful bottom, who needs jeans two sizes bigger than her old ones, which isn't too terrible when you consider the upper end of her filling out." Despite slightly more serious issues arising, the implied promise that all will be fine is maintained, even though it may take a morning-after pill when good decision-making is compromised by irresponsible drinking. No hint or worries about STDs are allowed to invade this happy-go-lucky world where CC continues her clever, hip, protected life, well-financed by doting parents Nancy, Sid and Frank. Fans enamored of the nonchalant lip of the sometimes-sophisticated, sometimes-childish voice and life of CC will enjoy seeing a tiny bit of maturity appear in other aspects of Cyd besides her body, as well as learning more about what happens to her family and friends. Fun fluff, about as satisfying as most cupcakes. (Fiction. YA) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Following Gingerbread0 (2002) and Shrimp 0 (2005), the latest adventure of antihero Cyd Charisse picks up Cyd's story after she has graduated high school and moved in with her gay older brother, Danny, to help with the cupcake business he runs out of his Greenwich Village apartment. CC is supposed to be attending culinary school but is distracted by new friends and her unending search for the perfect cup of NYC espresso. Then former boyfriend Shrimp, who left after CC turned down his marriage proposal, shows up unexpectedly. Shrimp and CC are drawn back into their tug-of-war relationship, which will be sweet agony for fans who have rooted for the two from the beginning. Candid talk about love and sex and some sexual situations make this a book for older teens, but audience aside, Cohn remains at the top of her wordy, pop-culture game in what has turned out to be a stylishly hip series. --Jennifer Hubert Copyright 2007 Booklist


Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Irrepressible Cyd Charisse returns in a third novel that picks up right where Shrimp left off. CC is now 18 and living in New York's Greenwich Village with her half-brother, Danny, thinking about culinary school and reconsidering her "no contact" agreement with Shrimp, who is surfing and writing haiku in New Zealand. Her new life features ups and downs (she breaks her leg and drops out of culinary school, but also makes new friends and lands a job as a barista). When Shrimp arrives on her doorstep just in time for a Christmas surprise, CC must decide if she wants to continue building her own life or make one with the man she loves. This book once again covers a lot of ground, including CC's first fight with Danny, the death of a friend and a trip back to California to see her parents (and to track down Shrimp), but CC's authentic voice keeps the story grounded. Fans will appreciate that this installment features a more mature CC, who considers choices more carefully, even if she complains, "What happened to us! We were once rebels! Proudly insolent teenagers!" Readers may find it hard to believe that the book's unusual characters bond so strongly (such as CC's punk boss, Johnny Mold, and her uptight half-sister LisBETH) and they may well predict the outcome-but they will have fun watching CC's free spirit take on the Big Apple. Ages 13-up. (Feb). (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved


School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 9 Up-In this final installment in the series, Cyd Charisse, high school graduate, rejects a marriage proposal from her surfer boyfriend, Shrimp, who relocates to New Zealand with his parents, and follows her own dream of a new life in Manhattan. Tossed back into the life she first sampled in Gingerbread (S & S, 2002) when she visited her father, she is determined to find her niche in the city that promises to deliver the "perfect espresso shot" she craves. Readers will once again be captivated by Cyd's hip language and sophisticated take on life. She and her New York family, including her gay, cupcake-baking half brother and ambitious, man-hunting half sister, are perfect foils for one another. She dominates the novel with her strong, effervescent personality, and readers are drawn inside the mind of this unforgettable young woman. Fans of the Cyd/Shrimp love story will not be disappointed with this thoroughly satisfying conclusion to the saga.-Caryl Soriano, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In her brash, idiosyncratic teenspeak, eighteen-year-old Cyd Charisse, or ""CC"" (Gingerbread, Shrimp), narrates her attempt to adjust to her new semi-independent existence, having traded West Coast for East. CC's oversized personality doesn't leave much room for the other characters to develop. Still, fans will appreciate the romantic tension: will CC follow her man or is she a ""New York hypergrrl for sure""? (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.