The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

This is a new book, but I have to sneak it in here. It’s by the author of Garden Spells, which is another book I really enjoyed.  Twenty seven year old Josey Cirrini  lives at home with a very demanding mother and a maid who thinks Josey’s name is Oldsey. Her home is filled with family secrets, such as the stash of sweets she keeps hidden in her closet. It’s a place to seek refuge to eat and read. That’s not all that’s in her closet. Local waitress Della Lee Baker has decided to actually live in the closet. She’s on the run from a bad relationship. She keeps sending Josey out to buy her sandwiches from Chloe Finley and they form a bond. Chloe has an unusual gift – books keep appearing whenever she needs them.  Even if she pushes the book away, it will come back.  It’s a magical story about Josey breaking away from her mother’s control and starting to enjoy life and experiencing romance.  Josey, Chloe and Della Lee are bound together in a way they couldn’t imagine. And there’s a big surprise about Della Lee near the end, one I didn’t see  coming. Karen