I read this one after reading The Hotel Nantucket because some of the characters are in both books and I really enjoyed it.

Adrienne arrives on the island after a recent breakup with her boyfriend and with three rules written on a napkin (1. Become self-sufficient, 2. Do not lie about past and 3. Exercise good judgment about men). While on the ferry to the island, someone tells her she should get a job at the Blue Bistro and that she will make a lot of money there but that it is closing at the end of the summer. She contemplates going there but while she's worked in hotels around the world, she's never worked in a restaurant. She interviews and becomes the hostess at the Bistro.

As she learns how to navigate the restaurant and the rules from the owners, she discovers that she actually really likes working there. She becomes friends with her co-workers and struggles with following her rules - except for becoming self-sufficient, that one is easy.

I really loved reading about her struggles with her rules and embracing the restaurant life. ( )

This one has aged a bit like some of her other 2000's books but this one faired better than most. Overall it was good but not a favorite. It was cool to have some interwoven names and outlying characters from other books like [b:The Beach Club|1239882|The Beach Club|Elin Hilderbrand|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312013067l/1239882._SY75_.jpg|2493345] ( )

Adrienne lost her mother at age 12. Since then, she and her father, a dentist, have moved to various parts of the country. She went to 3 universities, ultimately getting a degree in psychology from Florida State University. After graduation, she began working for destination hotels in registration and concierge. After her boyfriend steals her money and the money of guests at a hotel in Aspen too support his drug habit, she flees to Nantucket. There she gets a job at the Blue Bistro, as the assistant manager, vowing that she will stop lying and stay away from loser men. Thatcher Smith and Fiona, the chef, have owned the restaurant for 12 years and plan for this year to be the last one. Adrienne loves her new job although it is demanding. She and Thatcher start dating, but it is complicated due to his long-standing friendship with Fiona, who is ill, but working at what she loves anyway. Cottage-mate and waiter at the Blue Bistro for 12 years is Caren who is dating Duncan, the bartender. ( )

Lightweight "love" story set around a restaurant. ( )

Adrienne's mother died when she was very young. Ever since, she's been floating from one place to another, never settling down.

After her most recent move, she finds herself in Nantucket and looking for a job. Fate leads her to The Blue Bistro. The Blue Bistro is the most amazing restaurant in the area and it has an almost magical effect on it's clients.
The descriptions of the food are detailed and I wish I could have eaten most of them. Any time I read this before a meal, it always made me hungry.

That's the lighter portion of the book. The heavier portion of the story is about Adrienne, Thatcher and Fiona. Thatcher is a co-owner of the restaurant along with Fiona. It doesn't take long for Adrienne and Thatcher to become interested in each other. But Thatcher and Fiona are so close that it could actually ruin Adrienne's relationship. Thatcher and Fiona are just friends, and only ever have been, but there's a closeness to their relationship that no one can overlook.

I found myself crying during the last few pages of this book. Then I felt it ended too suddenly. I definitely enjoyed it, but despite being fully aware of how long the book was, I still felt it snuck up on me. ( )