"Sweet Seasons" Series by Debbie Viguié

I struggled with this series a bit.  I love the idea of a teenage girl getting her first job at a (really cool) theme park and how she conveniently ends up working a candy cart (her name is Candace, now called Candy for short).  It's cute.  Sometimes I need a series that is just a fun read.  Now don't get me wrong.  Debbie Viguié's Sweet Seasons series is a fun, easy to read series.  However I often found it a little unbelievable.  For instance, I felt that some problems were solved a little too easily and  on too grand of a scale.

In need of some extra cash, Candace get her first summer job at the local theme park, The Zone.  Now let's diverge from the book review for a moment.  I really wish the The Zone was a real place!  It sounds like my kind of theme park.  All aspects of the park related in some way to sports (in a similar fashion to Disneyland, visitors are called players, costume characters are mascots, etc.) but includes areas that are based off of history.  Holidays are over the top and the park closes early several times a year for staff parties.  Come on, who wouldn't want to work here?  Ok, back to the book.  The Zone is a little too good to be true.  I don't think any business could stay in business if they were constantly closing for staff parties the way The Zone does.  The characters are also a little too over the top.  Becca, a staff member at the Muffin Mansion has a bizarre sugar allergy (that's pretty much how the book puts it) that causes her to go insane if she consumes any amount of sugar.  I don't know much about actual sugar allergies, but I couldn't believe how this character was presented (or how often she was allowed to eat sugar filled foods when it was convenient to the plot).  I could be wrong, but it just felt like an easy way out.

Now, I didn't dislike these books.  They were quite sweet (ba-dum-ch) and as the series goes along, the characters do learn useful life lessons and become better people for it.  Despite the fact that I had a hard time believing some of the situations, these are feel-good books that one can enjoy in an afternoon.

Check out the whole series!
The Summer of Cotton Candy
The Fall of Candy Corn
The Winter of Candy Canes
The Spring of Candy Apples

Happy Reading!
-Melly