In the Bag by Kate Klise
Publisher: William Morrow (May 2012)
Source: Publisher
Formats Available: Paperback, Kindle
Format Read: Paperback
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 working 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
My thoughts: This is a case in which the cover made me do it. Tease me if you like, but I selected this book solely for the cover. I wanted to know what was “In the Bag” and what kind of adventure this woman was embarking on. In the Bag is a fantastic beach read. Even at 306 pages its very quick to get through.
Told from alternating perspectives you get to know Daisy, Coco, Andrew and Webb individually as they tell their tale. The premise was good, I was truly interested to see what was going to happen to these individuals. That being said, there were a couple of things about In the Bag that left me a bit befuddled.
The voices of Coco and Webb were perfect. Klise accurately portrayed the awkwardness of two teenagers muddling their way through this experience and embarking on a new relationship. The thing that I found odd and didn’t really care for is that the voice didn’t seem to shift at all when the focus was on Daisy and Andrew. Even when discussing their careers or personal histories there was a youthfulness to the dialogue. It seemed almost as if the teens were telling that side of the story as well. This could have worked if that were the case, but it wasn’t.
The second thing that I noticed was that the ending wrapped up rather quickly, especially after how long it meandered to get to the meat of the story. Again, not a huge issue when you consider why you’ve picked up this book.
That being said, I enjoyed the book for what it was, a great escape from the daily grind. This is one of those books that you don’t necessarily regret spending time with, but you aren’t likely to pick it up for a second read. If you are looking for a super light read to pass the time, In the Bag might be just what you are looking for.
© 2012, Teresa. All rights reserved.
I have heard this is a great summer read—just escapism!
I have bought several books just because of their covers (no shame in that game)
Great review, now I want to read the book too. Your reason was a good one for picking it up. I mean after all, why would they spend so much time and money on a cover, if it wasn’t meant to be appealing to the public in someway.
I often pick books by the cover. If you went by the naysayers, say about doing that, then why bother with cover art at all. lol
I like the cover too
The premise is fun, but from other reviews and now yours I think it might a little too light for me.
I’ve purchased books in the past based only on the covers. So, like you, the cover is what attracted me to this book. I recently checked it out from the library and thought it would be good summer read.