Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC!

Sarah Perry’s "Sweet Nothings" is a gently hedonistic delight, reveling in the pleasure and unexpected authenticity of artifice.

These are bite-sized essays, that, like the candy they exegete, are largely meant to be enjoyed and forgotten in a matter of moments. And, like the endless list of ingredients found in even the simplest candies, there’s an unexpected depth of emergent flavors throughout the collection.

Perry’s ingenuity here is that she never aspires to anything more than a loving, ekphrastic exploration of candy. Many of these essayettes simply tap into our collective nostalgia about, say, unwrapping a Snickers. It’s enough to celebrate pleasure that doesn’t “mean” anything. We read about the “raindrop percussion” of emptying out a box of Junior Mints in a movie theater, and the sensorial delight feels like enough to sustain the entire book.

That said, the author’s lack of pretense also allows for moments of rich insight and reflection that always feel earned and unadorned. When readers encounter the suggestion that candy necklaces seem erotic because of a capitalistic mindset that “body-as-consumable” is sexy, it feels right at home alongside a few disdainful sentences about how Trader Joe’s peanut butter cups are overrated. Likewise, when we read about Lemon Warheads as an antidote to the violence of American masculinity, Perry's tenderness feels resonant instead of saccharine.

If the book has an implicit thesis, it’s that confection is affection, and candy is often an avenue for expressing love, whether that is toward ourselves or others.

Who knew that processed sugar could help us process life?

I really enjoyed this collection of essays centered on candy. The essays are organized by color, which was an interesting choice since they could have also been categorized by type of candy (chocolate, fruity, sour, etc.). Many are enriched by the author's own bittersweet life experiences. Some are significantly shorter than others, while my favorites were the more extended ones. As I neared the end of the collection, I found myself savoring the remaining offerings like sweet treats. My favorite entries were "On Candy Corn," "On Ferrerro Rocher," and "On Reese's Peanut Butter Cups," which provide historical context on the candies. I'm looking forward to reading Perry's first book, After the Eclipse: A Mother's Murder, a Daughter's Search when I'm in the right headspace for it. Perry's essays remind us to embrace the sweetness of life and enjoy everything in moderation, including moderation.

A great, novel idea to introduce essays. Ms. Perry clearly knows her candy. Lol. Highly recommended.

An interesting entry in the "food as memoir" genre, but ultimately too much memoir only tangentially connected to the candy in question for my taste. The prose styling is very accomplished, but the book as a whole feels a bit pretentious and airless.

An unexpected gem in more ways than one!

I should start by saying that I’m not a candy lover. I’ve been known to eat a piece occasionally, but my primary interest in candy is in its aesthetics.

Sarah Perry, a true candy lover but also an appreciator of its aesthetics, has written this lovely book that is part memoir, part history lesson and part sensory experience. You don’t need to love candy to love this, as it’s beautifully and evocatively written, and fascinating both in terms of Perry’s personal story and in how she equates candy to history, memory, nostalgia, and emotion.

Perry’s backstory is really something, and while she touches only occasionally on things like her mother’s murder in this one (read After the Eclipse if you want more on that), she does a wonderful job of blending personal experience with the kind of cultural memory we all carry for the taste, appearance, texture, and intangibles we associate with sweets.

Sweet Nothings was an excellent read. I loved the writing and it was propulsive. Great character study. I would read more from this author.

I found this to be a very fun and fast read! It reminded me of candies I haven't heard of in ages. I liked following the author through her journey; it almost felt like I was with her while she wrote the book. I do think that it was at time repetitive or I felt like stories were included just to have another candy. It was easy to get into and I found myself wanting to pick it up.

I loved this! As a newly sober person who has developed quite the sweet tooth, I found this so charming and relatable. Somehow this was my first Sarah Perry book and it will absolutely not be my last!

Thanks to @marinerbooks for an advance copy of Sweet Nothings: Confessions of a Candy Lover by Sarah Perry, out February 4th!

Take something unserious and put it under a microscope and it reveals itself to be expansive. This is my favorite kind of narrative. Perry writes about candy — the kind you reach for in a convenience store on a road trip, and the kind long since relegated to grandmother’s purses and the fringes of memory.

About ritual and pop culture and wealth and history and nostalgia and the violence underlying our guilty pleasures, these essays are beautifully crafted: a testament to the people we were and the people we were with when we first experienced them.

I highlighted so many stunning passages in this collection, but there was one that really resonated with me in light of, well, everything:

“I underestimated the tension I would feel between my small daily pleasures and the screaming, bleeding, burning terror or the world. I would not have guessed that I would arrive here, breathlessly grateful for any small thing, determined to celebrate whatever I can, wherever I can get it.”

PS — Sarah, any chance we can get a bonus epilogue on the candy salad trend? I know you’ve got thoughts!

A delicious book of essays that intertwine bitter and sweet memories connected with everything from well-known gas station favorites, sadly discontinued candies that are all but distant memories and special occasion delights that are to be savored once or twice a year. "Sweet Nothings" will not only satisfy your sweet tooth but have you thinking fondly of your favorite indulges from past to present.

**Thank you Net Galley for a advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**

I have a sweet tooth and I loved the author's previous book, so I was excited to read this. It's a wonderful exploration of different kinds of candy mixed in with associated memories and highlighted by simple but evocative illustrations. Just a heads up that not everything in this book is lighthearted; the author talks about a chronic vaginal infection and her mother's murder, for example. I wasn't bothered, but I figured I'd mention it for those expecting a strictly sweet read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

As a memoir lover with my own sweet tooth, I was eager to read Sarah Perry's book. I expected informational essays about the histories and manufacturing processes of various candies, and was pleasantly surprised by Perry's touching anecdotes and eloquent discourse on the emotions and memories that those candies evoke for her. These essays, which are broken down by color and then by candy, masterfully combine rich and thoughtful language with interesting facts about candies we know (or didn't know, prior to reading) and love.

Perry does exactly what food sets out to do: create a rich, memorable sensory experience. Rather than taste, scents, or flavors, though, Perry does so via vivid imagery and touching ethos. This is a fantastic collection of essays and personal stories, and I highly recommend. I'd rate it 4.5 stars, rounded down.

I really enjoyed this collection of essays—the author musing about culture, politics, her childhood, her relationships, all through the lens of the candies she enjoyed throughout her life. Her vivid descriptions of candy and her ability to articulate what made them so good (the shape, the perfect size, the way it would or wouldn’t stick to your teeth, how fast it melted, “mouthfeel”, etc) really brought back memories & made me want to visit the corner store with a fistful of quarters.

I love food books anyway so this one, built entirely around candy was a joy to read. I also learned a great deal about some of my favorite candies.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I dove into this book with a lot of hope for the bittersweet nature of remembering our favorite treats. The only issue is that "Sweet Nothings" left me wanting more in a not-so-yummy way.

When I went to dive into the story, I imagined pointed stories from the author's upbringing surrounded by candy. I thought it'd be more about distinct memories that the taste of a caramel candy brought up, maybe a sour recollection from a dropped Hershey kiss. Instead, I felt like I was being thrown around through thoughts that loosely connected to a deeper feeling. The parts tied to her mother were incredibly successful, though.

Unfortunately, I just don't think this book was for me. I really thought it could have been more impactful, so I just felt a little let down in the end. Some of the stories felt repetitive, and I just wanted to get closer to the center of a Tootsie-Pop.

"Sweet Nothings" is a fun and zany essay collection about the author's obsession with candy throughout childhood, and up until present day. The only annoyance was when the author talks about her love life. I felt like these little stories added nothing to overall theme of this essay collection. When she talks about her mother (who died when she was young) is when the author's writing style really comes alive. It felt deeply personal and profound. Anyway, the real enjoyment is the deep dives into her favorite and non-favorite candies. This book really brightened my sour mood (due to the results of the presidential election) last week. "Sweet Nothings" was a welcome and sweet distraction. I am a huge candy lover, so I can definitely relate to the topic. This book is a great palette cleanser if you're looking for something breezy and nostalgic to read. What's my favorite candy? Definitely Snickers. No question about it. The cover art and illustrations are absolutely precious.

Thank you, Netgalley and Mariner Books for the digital ARC.

A little bit of candy history with a whole lot of heart and a deep dive into the author's mind. Fun and interesting.

A delightful collection of micro-essays about sweets and the feelings they unlock with us candy lovers. I found this essay collection both insightful and deliciously entertaining. I appreciate the illustrations as well, it adds to the saccharine vibe, and I mean that in a positive way!


Thank you to the author, Mariner Books, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One hundred short essays, each about candy! This should be interesting….

Perry covers a truly impressive array of candy here, everything from all the usual suspects to things like Sixlets (which I guess I’m the last to know is a gross one that only I like,) Chili Nut M&Ms (um, WTF?) and an “unnamed Scandinavian candy eaten in San Pedro, Guatemala” (“sulfurous chunk of hell’s own stalactites.”)

You’ll also learn that the flavor of candy corn is “mellowcreme.” Doesn’t that make your little spooky season heart happy and don’t you love them 38% more now?

The essays aren’t all strictly about the candy themselves; some leads to various stories, like Lifesavers and Hart Crane and queerness, Andes mints and upward mobility and Aero bars and the Salman Rushdie connection. It’s all here.

This book was great fun, well written and really made me want to read the author’s first book which is about Perry’s mother’s murder (probably not the same good time.). If this sounds good to you I can highly recommend it…some delicious cotton candy wishes to Ms. Perry.

This was such a sweet read ;)

As a fellow sweet-toothed girl, I truly enjoyed the theme of this collection of essays. Each essay also has a lovely ink drawing of the confection it focuses on. The book is divided into sections which sort the sweets into color categories. Surprisingly to me, there is actually a lot of history and factual background info provided, too! I loved this learning opportunity!

The essays were filled with lightheartedness and not without heartfelt soul searching as well. I appreciate this glimpse into a human’s reflection of life through the memories and experiences of candies. A true delight.

On Skittles in the Rainbow Brights section was my favorite; it reminded me of my own love and our appreciation of each other for all of our unique selves.