Spooning — Darri Stephens; Megan DeSales

Take one kitchen, add six friends, combine with a dash of romance, and stir.

Meet Charlotte -- a.k.a. Charlie -- Brown: a recent college grad and newly minted New Yorker, eager to begin her grown-up life. All kinds of "firsts" await her in the big city: her first real job, first loves, first heartaches, and most important, her first time living on her own. Enter Charlie's mom, who subtly suggests that her daughter might want to learn some grown-up skills -- like cooking -- to go with her fifth-floor walk-up.

Together with her friends, Charlie forms a cooking club to convene once a month, to share food and swap recipes, and to gossip about the drama of their new lives. Charlie has lots to dish about when she lands a job as an assistant to Jane Dough, the domestic diva of daytime television. As the girls begin to gain some culinary expertise, Charlie decides to use her newfound skills to ensnare the man of her dreams: a certain Mr. J. P. Morgan, a roguish investment banker who can charm Charlie with a glance but remains hopelessly aloof. Yet as Charlie becomes ever savvier in the kitchen, she grows savvier about love as well -- and begins to realize that even the most delicious-looking package can lack substance and real flavor underneath.

With a sparkling voice that bubbles along like champagne fizz, Spooning is an irresistible tale of food, friendship, and what it takes to find the perfect recipe for romance.