Forks, Knives, and Spoons
A Novel
by Leah DeCesare
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Pub Date 18 Apr 2017 | Archive Date 27 Jan 2017
SparkPress (a BookSparks imprint) | SparkPress
Description
2018 International Book Awards Winner in Fiction: General
2017 IAN Book of the Year Award for Outstanding Women’s Fiction
2017 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal for New Adult Fiction
2017 NYC Big Book Awards Winner for Women’s Fiction
2017 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Winner: Contemporary Fiction
2017 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist: Women's Fiction
2017 Independent Press Awards Distinguished Favorites: New Fiction
2017 Best Book Awards Finalist: Best New Fiction
For readers who love Adriana Trigiani, Jennifer Weiner and Liane Moriarty, Forks, Knives, and Spoons is a light-hearted, thought-provoking coming of age story that takes readers on a nostalgic journey back to the 1980s and 1990s. Romantic, witty and warm.
There are three kinds of guys: forks, knives, and spoons. That is the final lesson that Amy York’s father sends her off to college with, never suspecting just how far his daughter will take it. Clinging to the Utensil Classification System as her guide, Amy tries to convince her skeptical roommate, Veronica Warren, of its usefulness as they navigate the heartbreaks and soul mates of college and beyond.
Beginning in 1988, their freshman year at Syracuse University, Amy and Veronica meet an assortment of guys—from slotted spoons and shrimp forks to butter knives and sporks—all while trying to learn if the UCS holds true. On the quest to find their perfect steak knives, they learn to believe in themselves—and not to settle in love or life.
Advance Praise
"What a warm, wonderful read! I fell in love with Leah DeCesare's wit and her relatable, human characters who brought me back to that tender and occasionally heartbreaking time at the very cusp of adulthood."
Cristina Alger, author of This Was Not The Plan
"Leah DeCesare has a writer's voice that is remarkable for a debut novel. The characters in FORKS, KNIVES AND SPOONS are so relatable and the story makes you long for your own youth. A wonderful book about love and growth, and discovering who you are and what makes you happy."
Anita Hughes, author of Christmas in Paris
"Leah DeCesare captured me on the very first line, ‘There are three types of guys: forks, knives and spoons.’ With imagination, highly relatable characters, and witty dialogue we are taken back to our youths - reevaluating and categorizing all of our crushes. A lovely story of friendship, love, and the amazing time between childhood and adulthood."
Dawn Lerman, bestselling author of My Fat Dad: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Family with Recipes, New York Times Well Blog columnist
"Forks, Knives and Spoons is the perfect marriage of wit, romance, and, above all, heart. DeCesare's writing is simply delectable and sure to woo any woman who has ever wondered if there is such a thing as Mr. Right."
Nicole Waggoner, author of Center Ring and The Act.
"Leah DeCesare brings humor, warmth and wit to the timeless themes of female friendship, looking for love in all the wrong (and right!) places and the fine art of growing up. Any woman who has ever dated will laugh their way through Forks, Knives and Spoons!"
Emily Listfield, Co-founder, Jyst, the dating advice app on iTunes and author of Waiting to Surface
"I couldn’t help but get nostalgic as I read the charming and witty Forks, Knives, and Spoons. There is a delicious innocence and great fun in reading about young women seeking love and romance in a time before a left or right swipe had anything to do with dating. This book is full of heart and hopefulness—a joy to read."
Jessica Anya Blau, author of The Trouble with Lexie
"The sounds, cultural references and scents of the 80’s will envelop you as you read DeCesares’s debut- Forks, Knives, and Spoons. I felt like I was right back in my dorm room where the biggest decision was whether to play Squeeze or Blondie as I got ready for a dorm party. This page-turning romp through the college years and beyond follows Amy as she navigates a cutlery of cuties in search of the perfect steak knife. Makes me want to plan a reunion!"
Robin Kall, host of Reading With Robin podcast and Point Street Reading Series
"Full of 1980s nostalgia, DeCesare's ambitious young women protagonists meet campus "Forks, Knives, and Spoons" as they navigate how to ultimately place themselves firmly at the head of their own tables."
Ann Imig, Founder Listen to Your Mother
Featured Reviews
Crystal K, Reviewer
As a child of the 80s and who went to college in the early 90s, I loved how this novel took me completely back in time. Leah Decesare navigates the complexities of college relationships and the coming of age of two roommates as they move from underneath the wings of their parents and into the world of adult life. It's funny, witty and full of nostalgia. A perfect summer read to warm your heart.
Aslyn O, Reviewer
Before Amy York leaves for Syracuse College, her father gives her a guide of how to navigate men in college. He’s either a fork, a spoon, or a knife.
When Amy meets Veronica, her new roommate, they both embark together on new adventures and re-evaluating old choices while classifying every guy they meet with the ‘UCS’. Between freshman year of college and their first adult job, Amy and Veronica both face their past colliding with the present and ask themselves, “What really makes a guy a steak knife?”
If this book sounds a little quirky, it’s because it is, or was now that I’ve finished it. The premise of the book caught my attention quickly, and seeing the cover, I thought it was a book that combined food and love. Two things I love the most.
But I was wrong and I’m glad.
One of the things I loved the most about this book was that although the book covered a vast amount of years, it gave you a chapter or a few chapters of the important stuff you needed and then jumped to the next big milestone. Nothing was dragged out and beaten to death, but the jumps were seamless and didn’t leave you scratching your head going, “What the frick happened between these two points?”
The characters are fully developed and while in the beginning, it felt like a YA book written about adult topics, it lent itself to see the full progression of the characters from beginning to end.
Everybody’s going to be all like “I totally guessed the ending from a mile away, blahblahblah,” but the ending is just part of the ENDING. Ya get it? No? Okay, let’s try this. This is a book about the progression of the three (yes I said three) main characters, Amy, Veronica, AND Jenny. It’s about three girls discovering that while having a boyfriend/fiancé/ husband is sometimes great, you need to be able to stand on your own and be yourself before you let anyone fill in that space for you.
Forks,Knives, and Spoons was a fantastic read about women discovering their self-worth, staying true to themselves, and navigating men. It’s funny, it’s sometimes sad, but in the end it’s fulfilling. This is the book if you care about character journeys and the nitty gritty about finding love.
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