Review: Fortune Cookie by Cathy Cassidy

Publication Date: June 4 2015
Publisher: Puffin 
Source: Gift 
Series: #6, (Book 1) (Book 2) (Book 3) (Book 4) (Book 5)

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Blurb: 

After the amazing twist at the end of Sweet Honey, the sixth and final book in Cathy Cassidy's Chocolate Box Girls series follows Jake, the Tanberry sisters' newly discovered half-brother...

As if the bombshell that he had three half-sisters wasn't enough, Jake's life in London is turning into a nightmare. He has nowhere to run - except for maybe his new family in Somerset... But Jake knows next to nothing about the Tanberrys. Will he be welcome there? And even if he is, can anyone really help him turn things around? 

I got this book as a Christmas present from my brother and sister. My sister and I have been fans of the series for years and we were sad that it was coming to an end. 

My Sister and I were lucky enough to meet Cathy Cassidy at a book festival recently. It was so wonderful to meet her, chat to her about the Chocolate Box Girls series and get our collection of books signed.

Cathy Cassidy is one of those authors that you read when you are young and just stay with you for your entire life, and any time you think of their novels you feel this warm, fuzzy positive feeling. 


Cathy Cassidy had always been one of the authors I liked to read and I enjoyed reading her novels a lot. But I never felt as strongly about any of her novels until my sister forced me to read Cherry Crush. This series has a place in my heart because of the amazing cast of characters, the sometimes difficult topics covered in her novels and her beautiful writing style. 

So when I found out that this book was about Jake Cooke, a chocolate box boy, I was curious to see how he would fit into this series about sisters. 

Jake Cooke is a fun, clumsy and trouble prone teenage boy. He loves his family and his sisters and travels to meet these new found sisters he has never known before. I loved seeing his dynamic with the Tanberry family and the chocolate box girls. The way he learned about each of them and began to fit in so well with them. 

I especially loved Jake's relationship with Cherry and Honey, two very different girls who have never seen eye to eye before, and how he could make them talk and work together by being their mutual friend. Honey and Jake worked so well together, they really read like sister and brother and I liked seeing how Honey had changed after the events of Sweet Honey. She was so much more open and friendly and kind to Jake than I think she would have been in previous novels. 

The plot of Fortune Cookie didn't grab me as much as the previous few books in the series have but I did really enjoy seeing Jake get into mess after mess and having to try and dig his way out of quite a few sticky situations. 

Overall I really enjoyed the novel. Cathy's writing is as fun, fast paced and quirky as always and the series is just wonderful. I can't recommend this series enough to children aged 11+, the series covers some serious topics and could be used as a medium to engage with your child/ younger sibling about a more serious topic. 

The Chocolate Box Girls series is an utter delight. I can't recommend it enough.