Book Review: In the Bag by Kate Klise

In the Bag

By Kate Klise

Release Date: May 1, 2012

Source: Publisher

Summary: A successful chef and single mother, Daisy Sprinkle, is on vacation with her teenage daughter, Coco, who picks up the wrong duffle bag at the airport. That situation is not improved by the note Daisy finds tucked into her carry-on, apparently from the man in 13-C. Daisy is in no mood for secret admirer notes or dinner dates. Or even men, for that matter.

Andrew doesn’t know what possessed him to do something like that. Hitting on strange women on airplanes is definitely not his typical style. But there was something about the woman in 6-B that could not be ignored. Of course, now he has no time to think about her, since his son Webb seems to have made off with a budding fashionista’s luggage.

Determined to make the best of a bad situation, Daisy cooks up a plan to calm her daughter’s panic over the lost bag with a week of fabulous food, shopping, and museum hopping. Andrew is busy woking on his latest project and hoping Webb finds enough to entertain himself. Little do they know the teens are making their own plan. . . one that will ultimately reunite Ms. 6-B and Mr. 13-C.

Review: The main reason I wanted to read this book was the cover. I feel like I'm always saying this, but it's so true! If a book looks good, I'm bound to pick it up, often without even reading the back cover. But once I read the back cover, I knew I was going to love this book! So I sent a request to the publisher and was ecstatic to get a review copy! 

This book is about a father and son who travel to Spain and a mother and daughter who travel to France. They're on the same flight when the son and daughter's bags get switched. Their bags, however, are more than they have in common. Both families have strained relationships and everyone feels as if they'll never find the one in their lives. Many emails and phone calls later, they all end up meeting at some point or anther. 

First off, I was so jealous of their adventures. I would love to be able to travel all over Europe like these characters, so this was just perfect for a summer read! Then, as you all know I'm a sucker for a romance, so the relationships that develop in here are so gosh darn cute! Webb and Coco (the kids) connect through email while the parents slowly grow closer (though they have no idea anyone knows each other). There's A TON of miscommunication and misinterpreting feelings that it is so true to life. Nothing is perfect in that they instantly fall in love and can't keep their hands off each other. These relationships develop, go through a lot of hesitation and doubt, and are far from perfect. But I think that's what made them so lovable! 

The writing style of this book really made it a great read too. Each chapter switched from the four characters, either focusing on Webb and Coco's relationship or on the parents' relationship. It was fun to see how everyone thought about what took place and how the parents were completely misinterpreting how their kids were feeling. And the ending was great! I loved what happened, but I'll just leave it at that so you guys can read and see for yourselves! 

So if you're looking for a light, summer read that's bound to put you in a good mood, pick In the Bag up! It'll have you hopping on the next flight to Europe to see if you can find your very own unexpected romance :)