Reviews

Forks, Knives, and Spoons by Leah DeCesare

dwan28's review

4.0

A fun book about going to college in the 1980's with quite a few references to style/culture of the times. The characters are enjoyable as they find romance, through ups and downs.

[full disclosure: the author is my cousin and I definitely learned about the utensil system before I left for college!]

laclos's review

5.0

Forks, Knives, and Spoons is the story of two young women as they navigate college (and beyond), dating, and learning to trust oneself. The story unfurls slowly over the course of many years, with a whole host of characters and a ton of nostalgic references to the 80s. One of the two main characters, Amy, sets the whole story in motion when she describes the advice her dad gave her before she left to college - separating men into three basic groups: forks, knives, and spoons. As the novel progresses, this classifications system gets hilarious new additions and more definition: soup spoons, butter knives, even chopsticks. But maybe dad's advice should be taken with a grain of salt, and as the girls have to figure out, it's possible that people have the capacity to surprise, even after many years.

hilhawk's review

4.0

Such a FUN book - when you need an easy, happy-go-lucky read, this is it! Lighthearted but still with a message, I highly recommend picking this one up.

lisaluvsliterature's review

4.0

When the author emailed me asking if I'd be interested in reading and reviewing her book, I was definitely intrigued by the synopsis. While the majority of this story takes place during their time in college, there is a part of their lives after college that is included in the story. I really did enjoy the UCS - otherwise known as the Utensil Classification System. It turned out differently than I thought just from what I'd try to determine each utensil fit as before I read it. Basically, a knife is the guy you want. All the other types of utensils have their own definitions. I liked that it was an open enough classification system that it showed a guy that was a spoon for one girl, could totally be a knife for another. I know, that's pretty confusing without having read the book, so you need to go ahead and do that.

You can read my full review at Lisa Loves Literature

kkop12's review

3.5. So it was a bit cheesy and cliche, but it was a 3.5 rather than a 3 for lots of reasons. It was set in a time that was relatable to me with college/post college. One of the characters was from Newtown and Bethel train station was even mentioned! But also it was sweet and light.

musicalpopcorn's review

1.0

This was a terrible book from top to bottom. The characters were one-dimensional and heavily stereotyped. It was predictable and lacked any depth whatsoever. The attempts at symbolism were laughable. The random sexual references and scenes were awkward...especially when the scene wasn’t remotely sexual. As much as it tried to be a coming of age story, all it gave off was a message that the most important thing you can do in becoming a woman is to be able to clearly categorize men as pieces of cutlery. The people who gave this book awards should be ashamed of themselves.

inliterarylove's review

4.0

This book was amazingly adorable. Set mostly in the 80s, it follows Amy through college, where she fits all men into the groups of forks, knives, and spoons according to the advice her father gave her before her freshman year. The book has amazing cultural references and Amy's system quickly catches on with the rest of the girls at school. Are there more utensils out there? Will they all find their steak knives? Or is it all a farce.

Delightfully fun to read, a great book for your poolside reading.

readingwithemmavic's review

3.0

I’m in two minds over this book. On the one hand it felt very YA to me, very easy to read, quite predictable. On the other hand, it was cute, enjoyable, very sweet, I liked the ending. Feels to me like the perfect type of book to read while on holiday.

abaighritz's review

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

So cute. Corny but in the best way. 

heathercumiskey's review

5.0

Leah Decesare deftly takes you on a heartfelt journey into the lives of college freshman, Amy and Veronica, as they navigate a new world and new relationships that shape them through their undergraduate years and into adulthood. Guided by a highly entertaining cutlery dating system, the two begin to question their picture of ‘happily ever after’ while facing life’s unpredictable lessons. You’ll enjoy rooting for these characters and their colorful cast of friends to the end.