Sipping Scandals and Secrets: A Book Review of Cocktails for Three

I have always liked Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic books and so last week, while browsing the chick-lit section at Eloor Library, when I came across a series of books written under her actual name – Madeleine Wickham, I just had to try one, and so picked up Cocktails for Three.

I picked it up because it sounded light, fun, and frothy. And that is exactly what it is. The story is pretty straightforward, with a very basic plot. Three friends and co-workers, each with a secret, meet monthly for cocktails. The heroines’ stories unfold after one such meeting. Maggie is due to have a baby at any moment, Candice is about to run into a ghost from her family’s sordid past, and Roxanne is in a relationship with a married man.

When Candice rekindles a friendship with a childhood buddy, a series of events are set into motion, which tries the friendship of the three girls and makes them all reconsider what is important to them.

Review: Cocktails for Three

This is superior chick-lit primarily because men have little role to play. There is romance in the novel, but it plays second-fiddle to the actual story- how these girls manage to support each other through their mistakes and bad decisions.

I also loved the characterization of the three girls. I could identify with them at all stages – even Roxanne, the girl in an affair with a married man, did not come out sordid! I especially loved Maggie – the career woman struggling as a new mother. There is a moment when she admits she is terrified of leaving the hospital after the delivery and facing taking care of the baby at home. As I was reading this passage, I was chuckling and nodding along – yeah! been there and done that. Candice is also very sweetly written. She comes across as a bit too naive, but I have also been that person once, so she resonated with me.

In short, I loved this book. It was just what I needed to read right now and I plan to check the library for more Madeleine Wickham.

I do think my love for this book might be colored a bit because I could relate it so well to my personal experiences and my relationship with my friends. This book may not suit everyone’s tastes but it suited mine just fine.