Bitsy's Bait & BBQ

First off, this story made me hungry. I even took out my BBQ cookbooks to make some favorite recipes soon. Foodie books are always win.

And so are books about second chances, the importance of family, and making something beautiful out of a negative circumstance.

This was a light, easy read. Ive always heard good things about Pamela Morsi's writing and I wasn't disappointed.

Aside from what we know from the book description, what stood out to me was the author taking a different road than protagonist vs antagonist. There was no cut and dry bad guy. Katy and Sean were married, had a child, and Sean left when the going got tough. They were soon divorced. It was obvious that Sean's mother, Gwen, was a driving wedge in Katy and Sean's show more relationship, even with a grandson in the picture.

I liked that the author didn't make one side the "bad guy" but more "The Selfish One(s) Who Changed As They Learned A Valuable Lesson About Family...Guy". I wanted to dislike Sean and his mother but overall you could see that their bad choices and reactions were wholly driven by good motives. You don't agree with how they go about things, sure. Although, as a reader, you understand the underlying reasons why.

The story spoke well to me. How we live our life is a series of learning curves but what we do when those bends and curves turn our life upside down? The important part is how we can still manage to make a positive out of any situation...out of anything, really. To stand up for ourselves. To make our best possible way in life. In marriage. In relationships. And the benefit of getting advice from an expert on how to make killer BBQ.

Light, engaging read and yes, a somewhat tidy ending - as what I expected. I will definitely read more of Morsi's stories. (and Ive only had this on my hallway bookshelf for 3 years! Go me!) show less

Bitsy's Bait and BBQ is an appealing book set in the Ozarks of Missouri. Katy Dodson uses the divorce settlement she receives from her ex-husband, Sean, to buy a B&B on Ebay, thinking that a small rural town will be a great place to raise her son. Her sister Emma comes along to get Katy and Josh settled in. The sisters are astonished when they learn that B&B stands for Bait & BBQ rather than Bed & Breakfast. Although Emma knows the best plan is to return to St. Louis, Katy is determined to stay, so the sisters roll up their sleeves and start cleaning.

If that wasn't bad enough, Katy gets a letter from Sean's divorce attorney informing her he wants to “revisit” the custody settlement. Almost immediately Sean and his controlling show more mother, Gwen, arrive in Warbler Lake and the town full of likeable characters team up with the sisters to try and make their business a success.

Bitsy's Wisdoms start each of the 31 chapters and give the reader some insight into the decisions the characters make and the consequences that follow. For example, Bitsy's Wisdom 1: You choose your bait for the fish that you want. But once you drop it in the water, you get what you get. The characters were likeable and the small rural town was charming. I don't read many chick lit books but this was a fun and easy read. show less

The beginning of each of the 31 chapters is a bit of wisdom from Bitsy, the woman who died and left her B&B to the town to sell and keep the proceeds to help Warbler Lake's citizens. Bits of wisdom like: "Use unsalted butter. You don't want somebody else deciding how much seasoning is right for you." or "Rub down your clean cooking grate with a smidgeon of oil. It will cut down on cursing when you're taking the meat off." or "Hornyhead minnows are often confused with creek chubs. Maybe you can't tell the difference, but the fish can."
I loved reading this book. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I can highly recommend this to anyone who likes a well-written, warm, and funny story. It's a soft, mellow book with soft, mellow show more good people and one or two harsh people who end up being mellower than the run-of-the-mill harsh person in other books. They are just harsh enough for the reader to dislike and hope that they get their come-uppance. The good people are wonderfully funny and sweet and you keep rooting for them.
I liked watching Emma and Katy make friends in the town and learn how to sell bait and work the BBQ pit. The town is behind them and the support is heart-warming and funny to see.
Five 'I wouldn't mind living in a town like Warbler Lake' beans...... show less

I'll admit - I cried a bit at the end, even though it was predictable, cliched book with cardboard characters and cardboard motivation.

My one big qualm with this book is the preaching - how every woman needs to be married to live a good life, how Christianity is the only way to live (Seriously, a 7 year old boy wanting to be babtised?) and how TV ruins young people.

Its a good Sunday afternoon read where you have the entire plot figured out about a third of the way in.

Bitsy's Bait and BBQ is an appealing book set in the Ozarks of Missouri. Katy Dodson uses the divorce settlement she receives from her ex-husband, Sean, to buy a B&B on Ebay, thinking that a small rural town will be a great place to raise her son. Her sister Emma comes along to get Katy and Josh settled in. The sisters are astonished when they learn that B&B stands for Bait & BBQ rather than Bed & Breakfast. Although Emma knows the best plan is to return to St. Louis, Katy is determined to stay, so the sisters roll up their sleeves and start cleaning.

If that wasn't bad enough, Katy gets a letter from Sean's divorce attorney informing her he wants to “revisit” the custody settlement. Almost immediately Sean and his controlling show more mother, Gwen, arrive in Warbler Lake and the town full of likeable characters team up with the sisters to try and make their business a success.

Bitsy's Wisdoms start each of the 31 chapters and give the reader some insight into the decisions the characters make and the consequences that follow. For example, Bitsy's Wisdom 1: You choose your bait for the fish that you want. But once you drop it in the water, you get what you get. The characters were likeable and the small rural town was charming. I don't read many chick lit books but this was a fun and easy read. show less

I was immediately drawn to this story because it was set in Missouri - always love reading about places I can recognize. The set-up is 2 sisters buy a B&B over the internet, but when they arrive at the charming little fishing village in the Ozarks, they discover B&B means "Bait & BBQ" in the Ozarks. The characters are compelling and layered, and the secondary characters are colorful enough to make the story come alive. I enjoyed this and, though it was a bit predictable, totally enjoyed it. A fun read. Would be perfect as a beach read.

A really sweet, gentle book about family and love. Katy buys a B & B online with her divorce settlement, only to find that it is a Bait and Barbecue, not a bed and breakfast. Katy, her son, and her mother hen sister try to make a go of it in this small town. Things are going well (except for the barbecue) until Katy's ex-mother in law begins to fight for custody of Katy's son.

Just beautiful. A small town filled with characters welcoming newcomers into their community. A love that just needed some maturity. Just really sweet.