Sweet Revenge: Passive-Aggressive Desserts for Your Exes & Enemies

by Heather Kim

Librarian Note: This is advanced reader copy cover edition.
For published cover edition see here

50+ killer cakes, cookies, and candies for your exes and enemies. Dumped by your beefcake boyfriend? BFF steal your one-and-only? Lab partner a more-than-periodic no-show? Don't take these battles online. (Seriously, don't do that, okay?). Get out your heaviest rolling pins, sharpest cleavers, and most blistering torches, and kill your enemies and exes . . . with kindness. That's right - bake that loser ex a pan of Go Fudge Yourself. Gift your former friend a You're the Devil Cake. And give that annoying admirer a Donut Call Me Again. Let them taste your over-them happiness and see what comes next . . . Pastry chef and tattoo artist Heather Kim serves up sinfully delicious recipes and bittersweet advice.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, Humor, Food, Foodie, Food and Drink

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Heather Kim is Korean-American, born and raised in Chicago. She is a pastry chef, tattoo artist, and painter, and considers Hola Arepa Restaurant and MPLS Tattoo Shop her homes. You can find her in Minneapolis, happily chasing her husband, Scott, & her schnauzers, Maximus & Nietzsche, around the couch.

Reviews

[Dash fan · Rating 5 out of 5]

5☆ Scumptious Delights, Such a Fresh and Fun Cook Book! A Must Read!

Sweet revenge is the best cookbook name I've come across in ages!
It's Fun, Bright, Gorgeous Illustrations, it's an angry but light hearted cookbook.
Which amused me so much.
 It's more than just a cookbook it's a Fresh & innovative!

For instance the first few pages of a cook book normally show you equipment, conversions or some sort of guide.
Sweet revenge shows you....
Quirky 100% essential tools & pictures... hmm... A blow torch...A butcher knife....a Mallet & A frying pan... it has me in fits of laughter!
It's certainly a play on the imagination!

Then instead of a skill rating.... there is a burns guide with some pretty colourful flames, ranking from - mild (easy), 1st degree, 2nd degree then epic burns (very difficult)!

Every little illustration can be a play on a double entendre!
So so clever, and completely keeping in Character with the book subject!

Ok so now to the Scrumptious part!
Each little section and recipie has a fitting slogan/ phrase/ word to represent anger & revenge. A play on words!

For example - the first chapter -
Go Ahead and 'Bite Me ' sized treats (Bite Me being the play on words)

1st recipe - You're a Total 'Monster' Cookies
2nd recipe - 'Kiss My' Molasses (ginger snaps with Lemon Curd)

Each recipe is easy to follow, it is however in Cup measurements.
But not to worry if you don't have cup measures, as a conversion guide has been included.
Each recipe has a burn factor  (skill level) & cooking time & how many it makes. Some include illustrations to help aid the more tricky parts of the method. Each recipe has a beautiful photograph of the finished delights so you can see what your at least aiming for!

Not only do you get mouthwatering recipes you also get lots of fun information regarding ingredients, etc..
For example... 'How to Spot a Nut'... there are pictures of all kinds of nuts... walnuts, Cashew, pecan.

So here is just a few recipes I can't wait to try, although i like all of them lol

- You've Lowered the Bar (chocolate-hazelnut peanut butter bars)
- You're such a Flake (Butterfinger Flake bars)
- I'm not your buttercup ( Pretzel - peanut butter cups)
- Everyday I regret you S'more (S'more Brownies)
- You're the Devil Food Cake
- I'm not your Honey Buns ( cinnamon buns & honey glaze)
- TBH You're a Total D-Bagel (chocolate Bagel pudding with cream cheese ice cream)
- DONUT call me again (Mochi Doughnuts with Lemon & nutmeg glaze)
- Worlds greatest POS (piece of Strudel)
- I ain't Pudding up with you  (butterscotch pudding pots)
- You're a Hot Mess (Eton mess)
- FYI I'm not Fondue of You ( hot chocolate fondue)

So as you can see there is alot of tummy rumbling delights just waiting to be made!

Sweet Revenge is Definetly a Fun foodie Must Have.
It's easy to follow, eye catching, funny, highly entertaining and that's just the recipe names!
It has something for everyone.
The perfect present!

 At first I thought it would be best suited to younger bakers/cooks but I'm 36 and I loved it!
I showed it to my mum and she wants a copy she thought it was great.
So I guess it's really is suited to everyone!

Happy Baking!!

I received this book from Netgalley in which I voluntarily reviewed.

My Review is also on my blog website:
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2017/1...

[Selena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Bookish First for my free copy of Sweet Revenge, A Passive, Aggressive Desserts For your Exes and Enemies by Heather Kim for my honest review. A Beautifully bold, delicious Desserts. Absolutely loved this cookbook. Such bright, beautiful and bold pictures of the recipes. Delicious and yummy recipes written with enjoyment and humor. I absolutely love the names of each of the recipes. You can see how much time, effort and passion that Heather Kim put into this top notch recipe book. I love all the assortments of desserts, such as sweet, salty, spicy, sour, etc. I think all levels of bakers will enjoy this cook book and have no problem with it's easy to follow instructions and pictures. A must read and must own cookbook. Also a great and funny gift idea for a friend for the holidays or a birthday present.

[☆Dani☆ ☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this awesome cookbook 5 out of 5 Fantastic Stars! This book was effin’ hilarious. I loved how this wasn’t your average self help book. Nope, this was passive aggressive awesomeness! I mean this author was hilarious!

Her metaphors and how in the first chapter she mentions Jedi mind tricks was just hands down the best cookbook one can own.

Unfortunatley I got this title via NetGalley which I am thankful as hell but I can’t wait until it comes out on New Year’s day so I can buy it or convince someone to buy it for me. Mwhahaha. Anywho, the photography gives you instant muchies and is simply amazing.

This book constantly made me smile. I loved how the author even put together these awesome charts and tables detailing this descriptivaly hilarious. There is even lists of tools needed, conversions, and charts that are perfect for the beginner passive aggressive baker like me! If you are looking for a good dose of shits and giggles and want some easy and delicious recipes, you must read this book! Highly recommended and Dani-approved!
To see more of this review and others please visit touchmyspinebookreviews.com

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Revenge: Passive-Aggressive Desserts for Your Exes & Enemies by Heather Kim is a mouthwatering cookbook full of delicious deserts with the twist of being given creative names such as Go Fudge Yourself or Donut Call Me Again with the idea of giving them to an ex. But even with the hilarious theme of the book the desserts certainly can be enjoyed by anyone for any occasion.

My first impression of this cookbook was opening up the pages to see some really outstanding photography. The images just jump from the pages even looking like there were actual crumbs spilled all over the book.

After getting passed the stunning photography I began to check out the deserts and the authors rather humorous blurbs along side. What she has done is take your ordinary dessert cookbook and give it a funny twist to make even browsing along to find what you’d like to make also entertaining.

As for the recipes included in the book they do seem very easy to follow. There are anything from ordinary desserts that anyone has tried on some occasion with new creative names to some that have some rather weird ingredients (Doritos in a dessert?) for those with a daring palate.

I received a free advance copy of this book from the publisher via Bookish First.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[Yodamom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best after breakup book I've ever read. Fun, hilarious, tasty, healing and yet fill the wounded heart with satisfaction. I tried 6 different recipes all were very good, easy and well written out. This is the book I'm buying my broken hearted friends, it's perfect. Passive aggressive delightful comments and recipes. Winner 6 stars
What a healthy way to recover from that broken heart. Bake it out, no cry it out. I think laughter is the most healing power we have, and this book is filled with so many funny moments and lines. Beautiful pictures, colorful with fantasticly named recipes. I tried many, all came out tasty and even if I had no revenge to serve I enjoyed each. Every baker should have a copy of this on his or her emergency shelf.

[The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review on The Candid Cover

You have most likely guessed from the title of this book alone that it is a fun way to take your heartbreak into the kitchen and work out some of your frustrations by making treats. Kim’s approach is one that is not a self-help book per se, but a book that can be used to get a little bit of “sweet revenge.” The act of mixing and baking has never had such a unique twist!

Sweet Revenge is a collection of recipes with some hilarious treats to make for that ex of yours (or yourself). There are cookies, bars, cakes and candies of all sorts to create. So many of the recipes are simple and have lots of interesting additions such as Doritos and Butterfingers. The images and the titles are so well thought out that they will make you laugh out loud, which is really the best therapy there is in my opinion. How can you keep a straight face while making a coffee cake entitled, You’re the Crumb of the Earth?

I gave the You’ve Lowered the Bar (aka: Chocolate-Hazlenut Peanut Butter Bars) a try and they were so fast and easy to make. Personally, I wouldn’t give anything so yummy away to an enemy or an ex, so I enjoyed it with my friends instead. There is something about chocolate and peanut butter mixed together that can be quite satisfying.

This is one unique type of cookbook that has some fun and original ideas to help heal anyone’s heart. The images are whimsical and the recipes are perfect for anyone in need of a little revenge.

[InformationSuperhero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this in a hour (yes, pun intended).

I don’t say this often with cookbooks but Sweet Revenge was a fun read. Attention grabbing recipe names like Don't Try to Butter Me up, Shut your stupid Cake Hole and Stop Texting me you Crepe really nail the sweet revenge intention of this book. Bake. Don’t text your ex. Don’t flame on social media. Keep yourself busy, exact sweet revenge bakery style and chuckle at the fun break up anecdotes.

"Relationships are like candy bars...sweet, nutty and full of regret."
“Like sweet and salty, opposites attract...except when they don’t.”

Aside from hilarious author quips the recipes look amazing. Sweet Revenge includes all your tasty baking standards as well as a few unconventional creations. Some recipes contain unusual ingredients such as Cool Ranch Doritos Sugar, Chicken Skin Candy, Hot Cheetos Ganache and Butterscotch Funyuns. I’m not sure if I will ever make these items but they do make this book memorable.

The photography in the book is drool worthy. If there is such a thing, the photos should have their own showing in a culinary art gallery. Full page photos plus added fonts and illustrations made Sweet Revenge the most visually appealing cookbook I’ve ever seen. Artsy, fun and true to the recipes and direction of the author.

I’d suggest Sweet Revenge to experimental foodies, avid bakeaholics and anyone wishing to keep themselves busy post break up.

I received a ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

~I won this in a giveaway from BookishFirst.com! Thanks so much for sending me over a copy, but it doesn't change my review!~

Me and cookbooks don't really go together too well. I glance through them quickly and they're basically never looked at again until I need to find my classic lemon bar recipe and I can't remember which book it's in. However, I've been trying to amp up my baking game in the past few years, and I love me some delicious cookie recipes. With holiday cookie time coming around, I spotted this book and thought it would be the perfect book to give me some inspiration to find some new cookies to fill my Christmas tins. What I didn't think was how much fun it was going to be. I thought this was an absolutely delightful read!

First and foremost, the recipes! To be honest, I'm super picky about my cookies and my desserts. If it's too hard, I'm out. If it doesn't sound like I'm going to like it, I'm out - which is a lot since I'm a picky eater. To tell the truth, I probably wouldn't make a lot of the recipes in this book, but that's just because I'm ridiculously picky. However, Kim gives so many unique, quirky, and flavorful recipes that I see so many people enjoying and trying. She came up with things that I would never dream of creating, but I'm also super intrigued by.

There were 4 desserts that really stood out to me. You're a Total Monster (Cap'n Crunch cookies), You're Such a Flake (Butterfinger flake bar), I Cannoli Be Happy When You're Dead (cannoli waffles), and I'm Not Your Buttercup (Peanut Butter Pretzel Cups). 100% will I be trying out the I'm Not Your Buttercups very, very soon because not only do they sound delicious, look delicious, but they also look super easy and fun. Totally right for the holiday season! (I will update with any results with them).

What I also loved was the information that Kim added in as well. She gave so many little tips to creating a perfect dessert, and I loved it. I had never heard of taking the cookie off the sheet and flipping it upside. I've been struggling to find a way to keep my cookie settled after taking it off the sheet for a long time now, and I'm definitely going to have to try this out now!

I also loved the humor infused within this book. Kim thought about it so much, and she made this book witty, exciting, and so unique. All of the titles were clever, and when I showed the book to two other people of widely different ages, they loved it, too. While I think this book would fall in a younger millennial demographic, I think it's great for all ages. It really reinvented the idea of a traditional cookbook, and I looked forward to all of her little additions.

The other thing I loved was the pictures! They were amazing. I'm a girl that needs to have pictures in her cookbooks, and these were wonderful. They totally made all the foods look appetizing and appealing.

I thought this was a wonderful cookbook that was fresh, new, and super entertaining. While a good deal of the recipes weren't for me, it was due to my own pickiness, and I think a lot of people would enjoy them. She creates unique recipes like hot flamin' cheetos sandwiches, white chocolate ramen noodle fudge, and mochi donuts but there are some classic recipes in here with some cool twists. I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking to have some fun with baking and some younger adults looking to jump into the baking world. 4 crowns and an Ariel rating!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I confess: the idea of spending my time and money baking any one of these scrumptious desserts for an ex is completely absurd. But as the author puts forth in the introduction, you can also just say forget it and bake these treats for yourself. With everything else going on in your life, don't you think it's time to treat yourself?

It can be a little tricky to get past all the puns and gimicky phrasing both in the setups and the actual recipes. That said, once you do most of these recipes are just incredible, as is the photography.

The very final recipe is for "Fruck Off," which is peanut corn chip candy. An appealing mix of Fritos and peanuty goodness literally made my mouth water!

I received an ARC from the publisher via BookishFirst for review consideration.

[Lisa Ks Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun, creative, angry cookbook! Author Heather Kim had me laughing, licking my lips over the yummy recipes, and honestly, just a little bit scared. ;-)

SWEET REVENGE PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE DESSERTS FOR YOUR EXES AND ENEMIES. Quite the title. How could I pass it up? I couldn’t! From the title, to the cover, to the description, I knew this was not going to be my average recipe book. Any it wasn’t.

Despite the title, author Kim has created a way to safely blow off steam by creating mouthwatering, amazing desserts with names that allow you to get the hurt out of your heart, and kindness into your soul. Super fun chapters like . . . Go Ahead and Bite-Me Sized Treats, and I Never Kneaded You Anyway, you can get an idea of the recipes titles. A few are . . . You’re a Total Monster, Kiss My Molasses, I Cannoli Be Happy When You’re Dead, Stop Texting Me You Crepe, You’re a Piece of Sheet Cake, Suck it Up and Grow a Pear, Donut Call Me Again, I Ain’t Pudding Up With You, and so many more, you’ll have no problem finding a recipe to fit your mood, to give to that not so special someone in your life.

Along with the cleverly titled recipes, you’ll find pages full of colorful photos, fun illustrations, great tips, sugar profiles (who knew there were so many types?), nut identification, and more, SWEET REVENGE is as informative as it is fun.

I had a really great time with this one of a kind cookbook. You can tell the author has a great sense of humor. And I love that the sting of betrayal can start your healing by making wonderful desserts that taste good, and make you laugh.

If you know someone who has been burned by a significant other, or friend, treat them to this funny and vengeful cookbook. Have a SWEET REVENGE sweets party. By the time you’re done baking, laughing, and eating, you’ll forget all about the jerks in your life!

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A big thanks to Bookish First and the publisher for my colorful paperback copy of this dessert cookbook. Like they always say, "Life is too short. Eat dessert first." This creative and clever book is chock full of delicious and unusual combinations like funyuns with butterscotch and flamin' hot cheetos with ice cream. The pictures make your mouth water and all the tips and tricks make every recipe very doable. I can't decide which one to try first!

Kim writes in a voice that evokes snorts and giggles whether she is giving a chapter a title, naming a dessert or just giving instruction. Also love the inserts to help new cooks differentiate between sugars, flours and baking tools. The pictures alone are worth the price of admission.

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

Pastry chef and tattoo artist Heather Kim serves up sinfully delicious recipes and bittersweet advice for those going through breakups or having troubles with people in their life! What better way to say you are sooooo over a person than baking a dessert that will blow their minds!?

I'm no chef even though I do enjoy baking, especially if I have someone who is willing to help out in the kitchen with me... The holiday season is also a great time to pull out the cookie recipes and do something a little more complex than your typical stir and bake. So I was super looking forward to this cookbook! And I wanted to see which of the recipes I would be comfortable baking and which I would back out of... my eyes being more willing than my hands!

The first thing I need with a cookbook are full color photographs of each recipe. There doesn't have to be step by step pictures but at least the finished product!! And this cookbook has those!! They will draw you in and make you salivate!! Really 5 STAR when it comes to the pictures... I really dislike when a recipe or 10 are slipped in without a finished product to look at... but Heather doesn't do that to us!! Especially with a dessert the presentation is soooo important and now I know what it should look like!

The next thing I need with a cookbook are tips! I don't need every little thing explained but let me know what specialty tools I'll need... Explain any ingredients that it isn't common knowledge to know about... And if you do something special then explain what each rating means! This cookbook has ALL of that! I knew right away there were recipes I wouldn't be able to do because I don't have a rolling pin (NOOOOO I really wanted to make the Figgy Cookies but I didn't really want to buy a rolling pin and it was pretty essential!) I knew that I was taking on a couple of pretty intense recipes because the burn factor rating told me so!

A couple of my favorite specialty pages were the sugar explanation, the nut guide and the flour breakdown. Super cute and very handy to find when I can't quite remember what turbinado sugar or pastry flour is! (And now I can send the BF to the store to get hazelnuts and won't get almonds instead!) There are also handy hacks spread through the book, right in the margins where they are super handy... (For example, I knew I was supposed to get 15 crepes and not 5! #oops )

The last thing that I need with a cookbook are simple but complete steps, for recipes that I would make regularly where MY end product is close to the original. This step necessitates someone TESTING the recipe. SO I DID THAT FOR YOU! I LOVED how clear the steps were for each recipe. The size bowl was mentioned. When you should butter the pan. Plus even if you need to turn the pan when baking! Very nice! Plus the extras like the frosting and edible garnish are separate recipes so if I want to go easy and buy those things for time's sake I can and I don't have to figure out what belongs to the main recipe and what doesn't.

There are some crazy garnish ingredients especially the raman on fudge and chicken skin candy but if those aren't you're thing they are easy to skip or when you're ready, take the leap and go crazy... whichever you chose!!

The recipes were pretty simple to follow even the higher rated ones I chose to make! And while the end product didn't totally turn out on one of my recipes I think that was because it was an epic level skill that needs practicing! The important part THE TASTE was excellent and the final products were gorgeous (even if a little different from Heather's)!! If you'd like to read about the cooking experiments part of my review then please click through to my blog!

There are still recipes I NEED to make... the Figgy Cookies (need rolling pin), the Cinco Leches Cake and the Coconut Mochi Cake with Coconut Sesame Pecan Icing! YUM! I actually can see these becoming favorites of mine (no chocolate cake for me...)!

As a cookbook this is a winner! I think if you are a beginner you will be adding some skills to your repertoire and yet nothing is so hard you can't muddle through. As a poke at your ex or crappy friend its witty and fun plus it makes baking and desserts fresh and super entertaining!

BOTTOM LINE: If you pick up this cookbook you are in for many delightful treats...

Thanks to Bookish First and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This has not influenced my opinion.

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my special perspective at the bottom of my reviews under the typewriter...

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the interest of full disclosure, I feel that I should tell you two things before you read this review. 1. I received a free electronic version of this cookbook for review, it will be released in January, 2018; and 2. I have not yet tried any of these recipes yet. But please don't let the fact that I don't even have an egg or a teaspoon of flour in my kitchen make you think I don't know a good cookbook when I see one. I can already think of two people I'd like to buy this for after it is released. Here's why...

It's a pretty unique little cookbook. Don't let the revenge stuff fool you, these are legit recipes, written with an attitude, and they're pretty funny. It's a real cookbook, only not as boring as your typical book of recipes for grown-ups. Your grandma probably wouldn't see the humor in it. Unless she's one of those real badass grandmas who knows how to use the internet and doesn't sign her name at the end of every text message and social media post. Otherwise, she's amazing but probably on the wrong side of the generation gap to truly embrace this book.

The photos are amazing! I had concerns reading this because I do not have a waterproof device and I wanted to lick the pictures of the desserts in this book. In fact, if you really want to get revenge on someone, you should show them the photos but remove the recipes so they'll have no way of ever knowing how to make them irl.

I love dessert and this book makes me smile. The only thing that makes it not-quite-perfect is that some of the recipes with Frito-Lay products are a bit out there for me. Some of the recipes are a little intimidating for an inexperienced baker like me, but the random ingredients in the PepsiCo product family puzzles me more. Since I read an advance version of this cookbook, there may be some sponsorship that I am not aware of that may be acknowledged in the final version. But any dessert with Cheetos, Fritos, or Funyuns, is going to be a pass for me. Maybe I am on the wrong side of the generation gap for that.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy for review.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

SWEET REVENGE is sweet and deliciously vengeful that I wanted to gobble up all of the recipes. It's full of passive-aggressive desserts for your exes and enemies that look yummy. Instead of giving the desserts away, I prefer to keep them for myself.

SWEET REVENGE was created to take out the pain of an ex-boyfriend or the betrayal of a friend and turn it into a scrumptious dessert that you can stuff your face with. Cooking is a healthy way to handle stress, better than taking the fight online.

I loved the conversions in the front and that the recipes had a difficulty level. I enjoyed the overall theme of the book and that the recipes were cleverly named for it. For example, "I'm Not Your Buttercup" and "You're as Nutty as a Fruitcake". I also loved that the recipes also had little notes of advice.


Final Verdict: I loved the concept of this cookbook and that it's a good way to take out anger. Plus, you also get something delicious from it. I made the "Stop Texting Me You Crepe" and it was so yummy. I would recommend this to all teens because they will all face these problems at one point. What's better than desserts after a hard time? I just would keep the desserts for myself and not give them to that annoying ex.

[Mainon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I haven't actually baked anything from this book yet, AND I'm in a happy, healthy relationship of many years. Seems like this book isn't really for me, right?

BUT I LOVED IT. It's chock(olate)-full of wit, food puns ("it takes a latte balls..."), bright scribble-notes and illustrations, and gorgeous full-color photos of delicious-looking indulgences.

The book is organized thusly:
1. "Go Ahead and BITE ME-size Treats" -- cookies, bars, and balls
2. "Forgetting you was a PIECE OF CAKE" -- cakes, obviously, and cupcakes
3. "I Never KNEADED You Anyway" -- breads & pastries
4. "Buh-bye, SWEET STUFF" -- candies, creams, etc.

A couple of the recipes that caught my eye are gingersnaps dipped in homemade lemon curd, and cannoli waffles. Looking forward to trying these out!

Also, this could make a great gift for someone who's had a rough breakup. The author chattily, and hilariously, talks about taking out your aggression through baking, which is a pretty positive channeling of bad relationship juju! I really think it might be a fun way to work through relationship issues, and even if you don't end up baking, it's still a humorous read that somehow seems like it could cheer you up while it's sympathizing with you.

Hats off for a vibrant, creative, FUN cookbook!

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book for all those book lovers and sweet junkies out there that not only love to read, but enjoy creating fabulously fun food. I jumped right in and tried some of the intriguing recipes and shared the results with friends and family. Not only were the recipes easy to follow, each one I tried turned out well and tasted fabulous. One of the recipes I tried was the Pear Cheesecake with Ginger Gastrique, I a well put together cheesecake is pure heaven to me and the only thing that can make it better is to add fruit. If your like me and love this combo, this is a must try recipe. Another one that I can't not mention is the Five-Spice Donut Muffins, what a wonderful combination. It includes a Coconut Dip, can you tell I love fruit, and makes for a fun dish to take to any get together or you can simply make it for brunch. It's definitely the kind of book that you can literally take a bite right out of it!!! I look forward to making my way through all the recipes and expect I will have some new favorites in the near future.

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it. Heather Kim is brilliant. Have a good cackle while reading a cookbook (who knew such a thing was possible?)

[angeleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Sweet Revenge: Passive-Aggressive Desserts for Your Exes & Enemies" is a well-done cookbook. It has a consistent theme throughout and beautiful photos of all of the recipes. The instructions are clear and the ingredients are items that can easily be purchased at grocery stores throughout the U.S. I only made note of seven recipes I am interested enough in to bake myself. Some of the recipes are unappetizing mixtures of ingredients like Cool Ranch Doritos mixed with sugar on carrot cake truffles, fudge with uncooked ramen noodles on top, and Flamin' Hot Cheetos in an ice cream sandwich. The theme, while thoroughly executed, is bizarre and, frankly, pretty lame. Why would anybody bake for their enemies? The names of the recipes are often ridiculous and childish. I get that she is going for an edgy theme but it feels forced and commercial instead of genuine.

[Chris Torretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s short and easy to read but I was also hoping to create some of the recipes, which sadly I never did. But the book itself had me cracking up! There are recipes in this such as:

Stop Texting Me, You Crepe
Nutty as a Fruit Cake
Bite Me, Scum Muffin
Go FUDGE Yourself

I mean, how could I not absolutely love this?! The recipes are divided into four different categories, Cookies, Cakes, Breads, and Candies and I wanted to make everything! Which is really saying something because I do NOT enjoy baking. At all. As a matter of fact, the hubby normally helps, and by help I mean does all the work and I do the icing, when I want a cake or brownies. I just don’t like baking. Unlike cooking, it’s not soothing for me. But this book would make anyone want to read and then bake everything!

Heather Kim goes into the reasoning behind creating this type of cookbook, which really is a cookbook. She stresses this multiple times, but the fact is, many of these types of books are about the therapeutic ways of getting over your ex. This is about getting elbows deep into a messy situation that will not hurt your heart. And she says:

You can’t hate-tweet your ex when you’re knuckles deep in molasses.

I mean, think about it, baking is the perfect outlet for all that pent-up, stood up in a McDonald’s parking lot on prom night in an overpriced backless dress RAAAAAGE.

The entire idea of this is extraordinary. The desserts look amazing, although like I said above, since this was on .PDF I never got around to actually creating any of these fabulous sounding recipes, and the sarcastic way she attacks these desserts, while also bashing the ex, is the perfect formula for a great evening in front of the oven cooking your heart out, instead of crying into a pint of ice cream!

I definitely recommend this, even if you’re happily in a committed relationship, because we all have those moments when our spouses or loved ones drive us nuts, we can bake for them instead of cursing them out!

[Ley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A weird lil tidbit about me: I actually went to school to be a pastry chef before I went to grad school to be a librarian. I dropped out after my first year, because good lord, the food scene is I N T E N S E in Western North Carolina! But, I did learn just enough to hold my own in a kitchen, and a whole heckin' lot about flavor. After a particularly bad breakup, I read about Heather Kim's Sweet Revenge, a book full of badass pastries pretty much designed for my situation. And holy crap, y'all. These recipes are DOPE.

I'm talkin' carrot cake, fudge, a BUTTERFINGER CAKE(!!!!), and Flamin' Hot Cheeto meringues. That's right. Flamin'. Hot. Cheetos.

Seeing as my holidays have been batshit for a full month, I've yet to actually make anything out of this book, but the Butterfinger cake is enough to sell me on this.

And if you're absolutely terrified of turning an oven on, fear not! Kim talks you through every step with sass, but not in a condescending manner. You'll giggle while learning how to make some amazing brownies, and not be scared of taking the next step with your kitchen.

Thanks to BookishFirst for the awesome copy for review!!

[Lee-ann Dunton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from BookishFirst, and I squealed as soon as I opened the mailer. The book is absolutely gorgeous, from the cover, to the great food photography, to the random doodles inside.

I absolutely love the irony throughout the recipes. While you're provided with a great book filled with delicious recipes, you can laugh along with the snark provided alongside. Definitely my type of book. But honestly? These recipes are too tasty to share with anyone I wanted to get revenge on... I'll be keeping those for myself.

I think what drew me to this book most was the unusual style of combining recipes with art AND commentary. Often we see books that are filled with photographs of food, along side a long narrative piece about why this recipe is *soooo* good, but this book takes the seriousness out of it all & provides plenty of laughs alongside the baking experience.

This is definitely a 5/5 star book. And seriously, what a great "cheer-up" present this could be for newly-single friends! Revenge is definitely *NOT* best served cold. Hahaha. (Oh I couldn't wait to say that.)

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love every aspect of this cookbook!  The recipes range from traditional to quirky (Cool Ranch Doritos, bacon, and day-old bagels are just some of the odder ingredients for dessert recipes).  There are colorful pictures for each recipe which is vital for someone like me who bakes only once a year, if that.  The directions are written clearly and sometimes have written notes included that tell you when to really pound the ex, I mean dough.  I love the fonts and colors throughout the book and just looking at this book can brighten someone's day.  

Honestly, I would read this book over and over again without baking anything.  The sarcasm and puns in this book can help anyone who is getting over someone who wronged them and even get out some aggression throughout the baking process.  I cannot wait for this to go on sale!  I am buying multiple copies because we have all been wronged by someone in our lives.  This is a funny (and delicious) way to deal with those less than stellar situations. 

[Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Revenge is a laugh out loud, clever, and tasty morsel of a cookbook. I read this all the way through in about an hour and enjoyed every second of it. I love how unique the concept is! Also the theme is relatable. Sweet Revenge provides those who have been hurt or betrayed with a constructive outlet and I absolutely adore that. While some of the recipes had me questioning the ingredients I think this was a well executed and overall fun read! I've already attempted a couple of recipes but am leaving the more ambitious ones for another time. They are simple enough and easy to follow. Plus you get bonus pictures of the food! Even if you don't try baking the dishes you'll love the witty remarks and dessert names alone!!!

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review!

[Katra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for making an advance copy of this title available for an unbiased review . . .

. . . But now I don't know how I'm going to wait until January to get this title on my library shelf and on my kitchen shelf. (Multiple copies will have to be purchased.) This is a great book on so many levels. It offers great recipes. It gives a method of healing. It gives useful knowledge of things like different sugars and flours that I haven't see elsewhere. -An it offers a good dose of humor with "tasteful" puns such as Everyday I Regret You Smores, Stop Texting Me You Crepe, I Wish You Were Bread, When I Think of You Ice Cream, You're a Piece of Sheet Cake, etc. Every page is a visual, culinary, and mirthful delight!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious AND snarky. My kind of cookbook.

I'm all about the baking and not so much the cooking so this was perfect for me. I loved the awesome pictures and the snarky descriptions (Go Fudge Yourself fudge or You're A Total D-Bagel--aka chocolate bagel budding with cream cheese ice cream). Everything looked so yummy. Um hello, Butterscotch candied bacon! And I can't believe how easy some of the recipe's looked. I can't wait to incorporate these delicious looking recipes in my holiday baking. And in a few years I imaged my daughters will have a blast in the kitchen with this book.
Afterall, revenge is a dish best served baked.

***Advanced copy obtained from Capstone Publishing via BookishFirst****

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Bookish First for the book to review!
While I am not the target audience for the theme of this cookbook, I think it's cute and original. I haven't had time to try any of the recipes yet, but I cannot wait to. Hopefully soon! I have recently found that I really enjoy baking, and with some of it, I am relatively new to it so the extra information has already been helpful.
Reading the recipes, there are some unique ones, things that I may not end up making together as suggesting, but I am curious to use the cakes and icings separate. It definitely isn't a traditional cookbook with the flavorings, but that works for me as I enjoy trying new things.
I can see people being put off by the design and layout of the book, but beneath it, it has some great recipes and information.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I've had more fun paging through a cookbook. So many recipes I want to attempt with so many fun names! (You've Lowered the Bar - Chocolate Hazelnut Peanut Butter Bars, I Cannoli Be Happy When You're Dead - Cannoli waffles, You're the Devil Food Cake, Stop Texting Me You Crepe - Oreo crepe cake, and You're the Crumb of the Earth - Crumby coffee cake). For sure coming back to this one.

[Coffee with Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun cookbook! The recipes were all really easy to follow and the ingredients and tools were things I already had in my kitchen or easy to find at my local grocery store. The images were gorgeous! I loved all of the scribbles, drawings, and comments made by the author. I was having fun just reading the cookbook while I was looking for some recipes to try out. The chocolate-hazelnut-peanut butter bar called "You've Lowered the Bar" was my favorite recipe! Overall, this cookbook is fun, edgy, gorgeous, and full of great recipes!

***We received an e-ARC of this book through NetGalley

[Candy Borjas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never had this much fun reading a cookbook. I can’t wait to. It the ingredients to make all the delicious desserts.
This book is vividly colored and extremely witty.
I enjoyed the list of tools and measurements in the beginning of the book. It gives you the burn factor which means skill level and the book also contains a “How to a Spot A Nut” segment. Perfect!
The pictures that go along with each of the recipe along with witty lines here and there are brialliant.
Ugh, I can’t wait to make You’re the Devil Food Cake. Delicious.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! This was a fun to read cookbook from the first to the last page! Oh my gosh, the names of these recipes were awesome and they sound so good, I can't wait to make all of them. She used unique ingredients-candied chicken skin and ranch Doritos in her recipes and all the fun inserts and quips make this a laugh out loud, that is so true, I know just what she means kinda cookbook. Great to have and I am thinking even better to give!