★★★★★
Sophie has carried a dream with her ever since she was first learning to cook with her French Grandma – to become a Michelin-starred chef.
She has worked tirelessly for this dream – first by learning to cook during her summers in France with her grandmother, then attending the Culinary Institute of America and finally working in an amazing starred restaurant in New York.
Her dream is so, incredibly close.
But then, the unthinkable happens.
With just a bad word from an ex-boyfriend and one of his cronies, her carefully crafted culinary career implodes.
And the bad news doesn’t stop there. Sophie’s grandmother is experiencing a serious health setback and it looks like it won’t be getting better.
Career in shambles, Sophie boards a plane to France and once there, she finds that her fond, summer memories do not match with the current real-life.
But if there’s one thing she’s learned in the kitchen, it’s grit.
So she dons her apron, rolls up her sleeves, and gets to work.
This one took me by complete surprise – and I absolutely LOVED it – 5 stars all the way.
Sophie’s character was fabulous – the way she truly felt each setback and how she picked herself up was endearing and helped me connect so well to the book.
The plot felt fresh and exciting. There were times that i was CERTAIN that I knew what was going to happen next – but then I would be completely blindsided by the direction the book took (and I loved it when that happened).
I also loved the love for food in this book. Sometimes you can tell that the author is mentioning food out of obligation but that was not the case.
It was so fun for me (admittingly not a “fancy” cook) to learn all about Sophie’s culinary expertise and how she created a menu.
All of the meals sounded SO good (even though I could barely tell what the ingredients were!). I also loved that there is a series of recipes in the back that I can try out on my own.
All in all, I couldn’t be happier with this book and I cannot WAIT to see what the author writes next!
A huge thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Interested in this one from Samantha Verant? Buy it here: Amazon
Miranda Reads 