A dream vacation turns hilariously — and then seriously — dangerous when a miraculous weight-loss supplement turns out to possess deadly side effects in Sweet by Emmy Laybourne.
*People would kill to be thin.*
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.
Laybourne’s story takes some interesting turns. It starts out as a fun cruise ship adventure, with two teen girls rubbing elbows with famous celebrities — and even a blossoming romance. But then, things take a scary, but humorous turn, when the weight-loss drug turns out to have some … interesting … side effects.
But what starts out comical soon turns dark and deadly, and Laybourne’s story turns from sweet and humorous, to intensely action-packed and horrifying.
Sweet is a captivating story from start to finish — but what is really engaging is the frightening realistic aspect of the book. The idea that some people — a lot of people, perhaps — will go to extreme lengths to be thin. And quietly protesting the desire to be skinny, skinnier, and skinniest, Laybourne gives both her main characters a decidedly healthy, body-positive attitude. (Thank goodness!)
Sweet is unlike anything on store shelves now: humor, horror, and social commentary rolled into one, with a dash of romance. Look for it in stores now.
Novel Novice 
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