Shake Down the Stars

Abbey Ross, who runs her own bakery in Oakland, California, is known for her visually stunning wedding cakes. But lately, Abbeys own love life has become stale. According to her best friend, Bendrix, Abbeys not the spontaneous young woman she was when they were teenagers listening to the Cure and creating attention-grabbing graffiti. Of course, her failed relationship with a womanizing art forger might have something to do with that. Nevertheless, its time for Abbey to step out of the kitchen—and her comfort zone—and Bendrix has even handpicked a man for her to date.

Samuel Howard is everything Abbeys dreamed of: handsome, successful, and looking to raise a family. But a creamy icing might be needed to hide a problem or two. When Samuel complains about disrespect for the institution of marriage, Abbeys reminded of her nontraditional family, with thirteen children from various mothers. And when Samuel rails about kids having kids, Abbey thinks of her twenty-year-old sister whos recently revealed her pregnancy.

Soon Abbey is facing one disaster after another and struggling to make sense of it all. Her search for love has led her down a bitter path, but with the help of her unique family and unwavering friends, she just might find the ooh la la that makes life sweet.

READERS GUIDE INCLUDED

—Emily Giffin, New York Times bestselling author of Where We Belong

—Marisa de los Santos, New York Times bestselling author of Falling Together and Love Walked In

—Kelly Corrigan, New York Times bestselling author of The Middle Place

—Beth Harbison, New York Times bestselling author of When in Doubt, Add Butter and Thin, Rich, Pretty

—Publishers Weekly

—Library Journal

—Booklist

“Yes, I know you hear it all the time, but get ready for an absorbing story told with a unique and compelling voice. Shake Down the Stars is a treat. Renée Swindles writing is funny, sharp, heartbreaking, and quirky, and her non-stock characters wonderfully memorable….Enjoy the ride.”—Lalita Tademy, New York Times bestselling author of Cane River and Red River

“Renée Swindles Shake Down the Stars is a rich, savvy exploration of the many kinds of love, loss, and dysfunction that can unearth us or save us, bedevil us or deliver us…as complex and hilarious as it is surprising and lovely. Shake Down the Stars holds a mirror up to our best and worst selves, and Swindle writes with unflagging compassion and irresistible humor.”—ZZ Packer, author of Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

“I love, love, love Renée Swindles Shake Down the Stars! Its fresh and unfamiliar—which is quite the trick these days! I love the protagonist and the very unlikely yet charming love interest. The novel manages to be both light and heavy all at the same time. I cannot tell you how much I like it. Well, I can…I loved it. Seriously. One of my favorite reads of the past couple years.”—Nichelle D. Tramble, author of The Dying Ground and The Last King

“Renee Swindle writes about the complications of love with great humor, compassion and sass. A Pinch of Ooh La La is a pure delight!”—Ellen Sussman, New York Times bestselling author of French Lessons and A Wedding in Provence

“I dare you to read Renee Swindle's delicious new novel, A Pinch of Ooh La La, without pulling out mixing bowls and scanning your music collection for the perfect jazz-fueled accompaniment. Swindle hits all the right notes with this unique and satisfying tale of love, friendship, and family.”—Julie Kibler, bestselling author of Calling Me Home

“Touching and honest, with humor and romance in just the right measures. Swindles novel confirms the healing power of family, and her writing sparkles with endearing characters. A fully satisfying read, A Pinch of Ooh La La left me with heaping spoonfuls of hope.”—Amy Sue Nathan, author of The Glass Wives

“You might think you know where A Pinch of Ooh La La is going when you begin reading it, but you are in for a surprising and outrageous journey. I laughed, I nodded, I shook my head and said, ‘Girl… I could not put this book down, and when I finished, I felt like I was saying goodbye to now dear friends. Im still missing the likable lead and her colorful family. So worth a read.”—Ernessa T. Carter, author of 32 Candles and The Awesome Girls Guide to Dating Extraordinary Men

Newly divorced Dana Stellgarten has always been unfailingly nice- even to telemarketers-but now her temper is wearing thin. Money is tight, her kids are reeling from their dad's departure, and her Goth teenage niece has just landed on her doorstep. As she enters the slipstream of post-divorce romance and is befriended by the town queen bee, Dana finds that the tension between being true to yourself and being liked doesn't end in middle school... and that sometimes it takes a real friend to help you embrace adulthood in all its flawed complexity.

Piper Nelson is stuck. She cant quite stay away from the husband she divorced. She isnt always attentive to the high school students she teaches. And even she admits that shes been drinking too much and seeking out unsuitable men. Pipers mother, married to a celebrity evangelist, and her sister, who's immersed in plans to wed a professional football player and star in a reality TV show, are both too self-absorbed to sympathize with Pipers angst. They tell her to get a grip. But how can Piper ever really recover from the blow she suffered five years ago, when a car accident took the life of her young daughter?

When Pipers ex-husband announces that his new girlfriend is pregnant, Piper is forced to take stock. Realizing that its time for a change is one thing, but actually making it happen is quite another. And despite what she thinks, Piper cant do it alone  Lucky for her, a couple of crazy, funny new friends are ready to step in when she needs them most and show her how to live and laugh again.

CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED