Love Walked In - Marisa de los Santos

This book is lovely. Just lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the lives of Cornelia, Teo, and Clare. Their characters are engaging and easy to connect with and fully fleshed out so that you feel as if you've known them for quite some time. The writing is splendid - I just loved the way in which the author described the clothing, cooking, and cafe in such terms that you could imagine each of these items so clearly. I laughed out loud at the banter between Cornelia and her best friends Teo and Linny; and I cried my heart out when I read about how much pain Clare was in without her mother. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos is one of those books that you can't help but fall in love with. Upon first glance you imagine this book to be a chick lit type of novel, and perhaps to some extent it is (Cornelia and Martin, Martin and Viviana, Teo and Ollie, Cornelia and Teo, Linny and Hayes), but there is more depth to it than a typical chick lit novel. The story itself unfolds rather simply, which is quite nice. You almost expect to know the outcome and in a way you do know what is going to happen, but you don't get the entire ending right; which I think is great. We have Cornelia Brown, manager of Cafe Dora, who hits it off with Martin Grace and finds herself soon in a lukewarm love affair. Enter Clare Grace, Martin's daughter (whom Cornelia knows nothing about), and Viviana (Clare's mother and Martin's ex-wife) into the picture. We find ourselves learning about Clare and her fear that her mother is slowly going crazy. Each chapter alternates between Clare and Cornelia's perspective of what is happening to them and around them, which I think played out quite nicely in developing the storyline along. As Martin and Cornelia's relationship progresses we learn that Cornelia is not in love with Martin; and we learn that Clare's mother has left her on the side of the road and driven off, leaving Clare to fend for herself. At work one day Cornelia turns to find Martin standing before her with Clare, who suddenly begins to cry. Cornelia rushes to Clare's side and immediately begins to care for her. And so the story moves forward with Cornelia discovering more and more that she really does not know Martin; with Clare realizing that she is not alone and has Cornelia and Teo in her corner; with Teo and Cornelia realizing that they are more than just family; and with the return of Viviana, Clare's MIA mother. I could tell you the end and all the details surrounding each character, but I don't want to reveal anything else. I want you to read this book when you get a chance. Borrow it, buy it, or mooch it - but definitely read it! And now I am off to read some Wodehouse - The Code of the Woosters! Happy reading!!