Release Date: April 18, 2017

Book Blurb from Goodreads.com:

There are three kinds of guys: forks, knives, and spoons. That is the final lesson that Amy York s father sends her off to college with, never suspecting just how far his daughter will take it. Clinging to the Utensil Classification System as her guide, Amy tries to convince her skeptical roommate, Veronica Warren, of its usefulness as they navigate the heartbreaks and soul mates of college and beyond.

Beginning in 1988, their freshman year at Syracuse University, Amy and Veronica meet an assortment of guys from slotted spoons and shrimp forks to butter knives and sporks all while trying to learn if the UCS holds true. On the quest to find their perfect steak knives, they learn to believe in themselves and not to settle in love or life.

My Review:

Amy York is leaving her Connecticut home to begin her freshman year at college. Her father provides her with light advice on choosing a life partner before she leaves.  One of his hopes is that she selects a boyfriend that will not distract her from the dream she has of becoming a journalist. His advice classifies men into three types of utensils: forks, knives, and spoons.  Amy takes this advice to heart, providing her with a guide to assess the male population at college and beyond.

Amy and Veronica meet at Syracuse University and quickly become best friends. Amy passes along her father’s wisdom to her friends and they all put it to use. It justifies tough breakups, why a relationship went sour, or just to size up someone at a party. The book takes us through the two friends college journeys as they delve through relationships, skepticisms, spring breaks and formals. Amy leaves school with a boyfriend she hopes to marry while Veronica is still looking for that perfect utensil.

The two move to New York City and share an apartment.  Amy continues her relationship with her boyfriend, Andrew. She begins to slowly learn that the ideal utensil from college may not be the best fit for her current needs. Veronica becomes serious about her boyfriend Joey who never finished college. Whenever she visits her parents in Rhode Island, her mother tries to set her up with young men from her social circle. Veronica struggles with introducing Joey to her parents fearing they will not approve of him based upon her upbringing. The book follows their relationships while they mature into adulthood through new apartments, weddings of friends, and jobs.

The characters in this book are very likeable and their friendship is written  realistically. The book has an easy flow and I was taken back in time to the period of being in college and embarking on a career. I enjoyed the references to the ‘80’s / ’90’s: Benetton sweaters, Denise Austin videos and Mulholland Drive Cafe owned by Patrick Swayze. I will look at my utensils very differently now!

This is a debut novel by the author.