First published 2023
Dana Potowski writes restaurant reviews and serves on her Unitarian Universalist church board in Southern California. When the congregation needs a new minister, she joins the search committee. Dana sees an opportunity for her next book project. She decides to document the entire process as a secret memoir filled with recipes. The committee attracts an eclectic mix of congregants with strong opinions. The ministerial candidates prove equally diverse. They interview a baker, a microbrew master who preaches, and a reverend who practices witchcraft and environmental activism. Dana expects to remain detached and observational. Instead, she discovers how much this community matters to her. She develops fierce opinions about which candidate should lead them. When the committee splits over the final decision, Dana prepares to battle anyone who opposes her choice. Her resulting memoir becomes a media phenomenon.
Genres: fiction, romance, literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, religion
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: California, Southern California, Unitarian Universalist Church
Period: contemporary
400 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books