A Most Anticipated Book (BuzzFeed, Goodreads, Electric Lit, New York Post, LitHub, BookRiot, Library Journal)
"The service industry novel we needed...A coming of age artists' novel, the kind where a protagonist has to shed everything they thought they knew, as well as find their creative voice. Only, Samantha's art involves a cocktail shaker and simple syrup."
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Nylon "Compelling and informative, this sure-bet read-alike for Stephanie Danler's
Sweetbitter looks head-on at the physical, mental, and emotional toll of working in the hospitality industry, as it blends Sam's internal struggles with the joy she finds in mixology, in equal parts."
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Booklist "Charming...Stuffed with trivia and lore...This illuminating paean to mixology is best read at your favorite bar or with ingredients nearby."
–Kirkus Reviews "Entertaining and thoughtful."
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Library Journal "Like a finely crafted cocktail, this novel's brilliance exists in its perfect balance of sweetness, sourness, saltiness, and strength. As much a love letter to the service industry as it is a coming-of-age story, Straton's rendering of Brooklyn bars and found families will leave you yearning for your favorite local. Shake this triumphant debut with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. No garnish necessary."
–Camille Perri, author of
When Katie Met Cassidy and
The Assistants "
The Bartender's Cure is an evocative coming-of-age story and captivating glimpse into the world of bartending and cocktail lore. Wesley Straton's prose is simultaneously restrained and dazzling, and protagonist Samantha Fisher is tough yet tender, singular yet familiar. This is one book hangover I'm in no hurry to recover from."
–Margarita Montimore, author of
Oona Out of Order "A love letter to the school of life, this tender story about a dispirited San Francisco transplant looking for salvation on the Brooklyn cocktail scene is ambrosial and spiked–you'll drink the words right up."
–Courtney Maum, author of
Touch and
Costalegre "A novel that asks you to hold your drink up high and salute all your messy, past selves. The cocktail recipes are good, but the heart in these pages is even greater. A debut from a writer with a poet's eye, who renders Brooklyn neighborhoods and the people that mill through them with extraordinary tenderness."
–Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of
Pizza Girl