Blog Tour Book Review: Brownie Fix by Ellen Cardona

Author: Ellen Cardona
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb: (from Goodreads)

Chocolate. Love. Sex. Really, what else could a woman want in life? For Persey, the heroine of Brownie Fix, her days are fun-filled until what is normally one of life’s most fulfilling experiences, the birth of her son, leads her straight into a dark state of post-partum depression.

Wandering in her own post-partum hell, Persey meets people that are absurd, like the swinging neighbors who want a little more than a cup of sugar and a group of mothers who become whipped up in worship to a climactic furor. On top of the madness, she keeps seeing a yellow-toothed old man who acts like he wants to breastfeed from her. Or is it her imagination? Add the voices in her head that become louder and louder, and it's little wonder that Persey reaches for brownie mix to soothe her insanity.

Buckling under the pressure and lack of sleep from motherhood, Persey experiences the five stages of grief that lead her to uncover a buried secret, and gradually she begins to heal with the help of her family, friends, and, of course, brownies.

This is one of those situations where you definitely shouldn't judge a book by it's cover/blurb. When I first started reading Brownie Fix I thought I was going to learn about some funny adventures of a new mom, along with the tragic story of a postpartum depression.

What I got instead was the story of a woman struggling with a very serious problem and only very few actually funny moments. It was an uncomfortable read for me, but at the same time it kept me going, it kept me wanting to know how and if Persey gets better.

What I loved was how the chapters were tied together depending on the stages of depression. And it showed in the story too, the differences between where she was at the beginning of the story and where she was  halfway through.

The book is fast paced, but that doesn't mean it's less emotional. Trust me, I felt like I was on a roller coaster while reading it. Once I started to understand a little how Persey's mind worked, I felt all her ups and downs like I was a part of her somehow.

I think in the end Brownie Fix is a story with a happy ending. And I think that while it's not an easy read, it definitely is an interesting one and it gives you something to think about.