The Sugar Queen (2008) by Sarah Addison Allen is definitely a chick lit choice. I picked it up because I read The Garden Spell (2007) last year and enjoyed it. Both books have characters that are well rounded and have a mystical/spiritual aspect to them. The story lines are creative and a little different, so they kept my attention.
The Sugar Queen is set in a small insular mountain town, and the main character is Josie. Josie is the only daughter born late to the local rich guy with the beautiful wife. The father dies when she is young and Josie is cast in the role of caretaker for her elderly and bitter mother. Josie is secretly in love with the mailman and is secretly addicted to candy and sweet treats. She wakes up in the morning to find a strange woman hiding in her closet. Dora Lee has had a tough life and is kind of a down-on-her-luck floozie with a heart. She starts to mentor Josie and gets her involved with another woman who is dealing with man trouble. This young woman has books appear to her. Whenever she has a personal need a book dealing with that need suddenly appears and follows her around - something I wouldn't mind at all!
The ending is a little predictable but all the loose ends are tied up. I enjoy the quirky lesser characters and the written dialog is well done.