Breakfast Book Review: Julie Buxbaum with a Waffle

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

This book was straight up romantic intrigue, and even though I figured out who the mysterious modern-day, pen-pal / love-interest was from the beginning, the excellent writing kept me invested and interested in finding out how he’d be revealed.

From the Back Cover:

“Here are three things about this book: (1) It’s sweet and funny and romantic; (2) the mystery at the heart of the story will keep you turning the pages; (3) I have a feeling you’ll be really happy you read it.” – Jennifer E Smith

Me: Tell me three things about you. You know, besides your name and, well, everything else.

SN: Okay, (1) I make a killer grilled cheese. (2) if you met me even a year ago, I was a totally different person. (3)… I don’t know. may keep this one to myself.

Me: Come on. You keep everything to yourself.

SN: (3) I like you.

Me: (3) I like you too.

Three Things I loved about Tell Me Three Things

1. The Back and Forth Messaging between Jessie and SN: I loved how the characters got to know each other anonymously. From the very beginning, it’s obvious from their style of communication that they are a great fit as friends and hopefully as something more. They share the same sense of humor, wit, disdain for the ordinary and predictability of most kids at school, they have the same taste in literature and in music – the list goes on. The online conversation between them is just as captivating as the real moments they share at the end when SN’s identity is finally revealed.

2. Theo: Jessie’s reluctant step-brother is a fantastic character. He’s written very believably, walking a fine line between begrudging ass-hole and decent human being with a growing fondness for a step-sister who’s been suddenly and unexpectedly thrust into his life. I really enjoyed every scene he was in, and loved how his relationship with Jessie grew from silently tolerating each other, to acceptance, then into friendship.

3. Scar: Jessie’s best friend from back home held a mirror up for Jessie to become a better person, When Jessie visits home, Scar is upset with her because Jessie is self absorbed, this addition to the story Jessie’s character more dimension. Jessie’s self absorption didn’t make me like her any less, even though she was being narcissistic. In fact, I liked her more for reflecting on her actions and getting over herself to apologize and make amends to the friend she’d been neglecting.

And Now for Breakfast

I made vegan waffles to go with Tell Me Three Things because SN and Jessie’s favorite and favorite word is WAFFLE.

Mariah’s Vegan Waffles with Chocolate Sauce and Berries (From Nora Cooks)

This recipe makes A LOT of waffles. Make a big batch, eat some, and freeze the rest!

Flax Eggs

1/4 Cup ground flax seeds

1/2 cup water

Mix together and set aside to thicken up

Vegan Buttermilk

3 1/2 cups almond milk

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Mix and set aside to curdle

The Mix

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted vegan butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

Pre-heat your waffle iron. Mix together the dry ingredients. Whisk in the wet ingredients. Batter will be thick. Spray your waffle iron. Pour batter onto iron and cook until golden brown.

The Chocolate Drizzle

1 cup vegan chocolate chips

3 tbsp peanut butter

Melt in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Drizzle over hot waffles.

Hope you enjoy the waffles and the book!

Side Note: I chose this book because I thought it might be similar to my novel and I was looking for comparisons to mention in my query letter. It didn’t end up being similar enough to my book to share in my query. It is written for an upper YA audience, whereas my book is more for younger YA. There’s a lot of spicy, sexy bits in this book so it’s definitely geared toward the older readers in the YA genre. Nonetheless, glad I chose it, it was a fun read!

XO

Mariah

Chocolate again this week? Coop is not a happy camper. JK he got lots of waffles before I added the chocolate sauce!