Krista Reviews: Sweet by Emmy Laybourne

Solu’s luxurious celebrity-filled “Cruise to Lose” is billed as “the biggest cruise since the Titanic,” and if the new diet sweetener works as promised—dropping five percent of a person’s body weight in just days—it really could be the answer to the world’s obesity problem. But Laurel is starting to regret accepting her friend Viv’s invitation. She’s already completely embarrassed herself in front of celebrity host, Tom Forelli (otherwise known as the hottest guy ever!) and she’s too seasick to even try the sweetener. And that’s before Viv and all the other passengers start acting really strange.

*But will they die for it, too?*

Tom Forelli knows that he should be grateful for this job and the opportunity to shed his childhood “Baby Tom-Tom” image. His publicists have even set up a ‘romance’ with a sexy reality star. But as things on the ship start to get a bit wild, he finds himself drawn to a different girl. And when his celebrity hosting gig turns into an expose on the shocking side effects of Solu, it’s Laurel that he’s determined to save.

Emmy Laybourne, author of the Monument 14 trilogy, takes readers on a dream vacation that goes first comically, then tragically, then horrifyingly, wrong.

I found myself laughing through most of this story. It was very silly and shows a comedic side to Emmy Laybourne, which I really enjoyed. Even in times when it took a more serious turn, I couldn’t help but giggle.

Laurel is the hermit type who likes quiet and peace, so taking a super-hyped cruise for the rich, and  being the lucky-to-be-first to try an amazing weight loss product, soon becomes a nightmare at sea for her. Tom is a reality star who is getting to that stage in his career where he wants to drop his agent and make his own decisions. He takes the job as host on the voyage to help boost his career and maybe his love life. When he keeps seeing Laurel around the ship, he finds he is drawn to her; there is something different about her and he’s intrigued.

When the Solu products are given to the passengers, the results are immediate and overwhelmingly satisfying. The real vacation and parties begin and everybody is in high spirits, even Laurel who is shyly becoming attracted to the celebrity host, Tom. As the days go on, Solu’s results are impressive and those taking the sweetener are ecstatic with the outcomes. The more time they stay on the diet, the weirder things become. Soon Laurel’s and Viv’s friendship is taking a turn for the worse, and Tom is regretting accepting the job. People begin acting curiously as the outrageous mood swings begin.

I found Sweet to be entertaining and a bit surprising. It makes for a fantastic summertime read, and I recommend it to those who enjoy quirky comedies. Great for teens of all ages and very different from Emmy’s Monument 14 series.