This review was first posted on http://www.rubysreads.com. 
 My high hopes for this book were mixed with the low hopes I had after reading The Booksmugglers' review of Sisters Red. In their joint review, Ana and Thea completely convinced me not to read Sisters Red, but that didn't mean that I wasn't willing to give Jackson Pearce a try. In fact, it only made me more curious about this Hansel and Gretel rewrite, so I snapped up the chance to review Sweetly. 
 I also want to say that I really like fairytale retellings. And I especially like it when a somewhat neglected fairytale gets the modernization treatment. Hansel and Gretel isn't exactly a neglected fairytale, though I would say that it is in the world of YA fiction. YA fairytale retellings tend to be focused on the Prince Charming stories--Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White. Which I totally love--I confess a Cinderella story gets me almost every time--but I was really intrigued to see how Pearce would recreate Hansel and Gretel, as it seemed to be rife with possibilities. 
 Sweetly tells the story of Gretchen and her older brother Ansel. As children, Ansel and Gretchen went into the forest with their sister--and only the two of them came back out again. Their lives were ever after haunted by the loss of their sister. Ansel because he felt responsible and Gretchen because the missing sister was her twin. In the present, Ansel and Gretchen have been kicked out of their home by their stepmother because Gretchen has finally turned eighteen. Their cross-country road trip reaches an abrupt halt outside the dying Southern town of Live Oak, where they're taken in by a young woman running a chocolatier. 
 Pearce's retelling of Hansel and Gretel messes a little bit too much with the fairytale that it's supposed to be retelling. She transforms the villain of the piece from the "witch" of the traditional story into a pack of slavering werewolves. The switch comes out of left field and made me scrunch up my face and go: "Huh-what?" I still didn't understand the where they came in, even when I closed the last page of the book. It occurs to me now that I might know if I'd read Sisters Red. Oh, well, too late for that! 
 The primary conflict of the novel is the fact that eighteen-year-old girls keep disappearing from the town of Live Oak. Not entirely coincidentally, their disappearance happens after the girls go to a party held by Sophie the chocolatier. For me, this was the sticking point. I didn't get why every single one of the girls in the town is completely without reservation about Sophie's party. If girls are disappearing after they attend it, I don't buy that they would all be clueless enough not to connect the two events. Gretchen's denial makes more sense--she'd rather stick her head in the sand about Sophie than look a gift horse in the mouth. We've all had these moments, but this facet of her personality doesn't exactly make her a kick-butt heroine. 
 Add to all of this that I was uninspired by the romance. Either one, frankly. And you know how important the romance is to my enjoyment of any book. I didn't, however, hate it. My reaction wasn't the vehement dislike of The Booksmugglers, but it wasn't strong in the other direction, either. Depending on the fairytale Pearce decides to take on next, I'd be willing to give her another try. In the meantime, I'd appreciate any suggestions for this theme? 
 3 Points: I would have coffee with this book.