3.5 stars. I've been meaning to read Shipman for years, but have never seemed to have gotten to. This tells a story of a multi-generation family living in Michigan and the granddaughter Sam, who is fighting to decide if she wants more than tradition or if tradition, home, is what she's been seeking all along. I felt the characters in this story, particularly Sam, were very relatable. As a Michigander myself, I've fought the same fight that Sam has. Do you stay home, where family and love keep you safe? Or do you charter the unknown and see where it leads you? I loved the recipes included in this. I'm going to have make everyone one at some point. The only real gripe I had, it at times, I felt like I was reading a tourist's guide for Michigan. There was evident knowledge of the area, which is preferred, but at times, I feel like the landscape didn't need a name. Tell us what Sam or Willo sees. Don't say, "Oh and it was this grove', etc. It worked every once and while, but after a bit, I felt like I was being force fed a travel guide. I love Michigan, it's home, but for someone who isn't from home, the names could bog the narrative flow. With that, I will have to go back and see if I can find more of her works.

Great recipes, not over the top with romance but deeply filled with rich family history of the apple farm and how the family made it what it is along with a deep history of recipes to correspond. Loved the midwestern touch and I saved the city this mostly took place in on my Google Maps app to venture there some day.

Samantha always wanted a little bit more for herself than the family orchard that she grew up on. In The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman, Sam leaves her idyllic northern Michigan town to find her dream, but she may have been right where she needed to be all along.

When Sam heads to New York to start a new life, she finds a job as a pastry chef which she loves, but the chef she works for leaves something to be desired. She comes to the conclusion that she can no longer deal with the job and leaves, headed back to Michigan to figure out what she's going to do now. 

The family in Michigan helps Sam see what she's truly missing, connection, love and support from those who care about her the most. Eventually, Sam comes across an old recipe box that has been passed down for generations, and opening it helps her connect to her roots, which may help her find herself again.

Since I'm from Michigan, I really fell in love with the atmosphere of this book. I enjoyed reading it quite a bit, but I also felt like I wasn't fully pulled in by the story. It's been done over and over again, and it left me wanting more. I loved watching Sam grow and learn about what's truly important, but I was left seeking out more than what the story offered.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars, it was just run of the mill chick-lit type of fiction for me. Something light and airy to read. This is the second book by this author that I read, and both books were just okay to me. I don't think I'll be picking up her work in the future unless something really catches my eye.

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I would highly recommend this book to my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!!!!

Sometimes, I just need a feel good book that reminds me of the priorities in life and the bonds of family. The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman is one of those books. Since I love to cook, an added bonus is the fact that it is also a foodie book centered around a recipe box passed down from generation to generation. There are hints of seriousness, but the heart of the book is a feel good story perfect for a summer beach read.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2018/08/the-recipe-box.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

A beautiful story for foodies, romance lovers, and just those who need to reconnect with a book about family... these are the books I long for when I need something that has more substance and more story. I enjoyed the depth of the characters, the story revolving around food and the differences between small town and larger city life. Such a stunning book!!

I very much enjoyed reading "The Recipe Box," Thanks, Netgalley!
This was my first book by viola Shipman, but I don't think it will be my last!

This was another sweet read by Shipman. I love the idea of connecting to the old recipes found in the old recipe box. Sam's growth is evident throughout.

This is one of my favorite authors and they have yet to let me down. I like that recipes are included in the book and they seem to be approachable for someone of my cooking skill. The writing is well done and while the plot can seem a bit cliche it doesn't come off as such. A really enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to the next one eagerly.

This a heartfelt, sweet story about family and the ties that bind us, featuring recipes that sound scrumptious. The storyline was a bit too predictable for me, and the way the story is told with jumps back and forth in time made it somewhat difficult to get into, but it was a charming story overall. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy. This is my honest opinion.

Sam fled her small town to live and thrive in the big city of New York. But she isn't exactly thriving. She's working for a jerk, but he's a jerk who has the power to fire her, and he does.

Sam slinks home with her tail between her legs to celebrate the family orchard's anniversary. As she begins working and baking with her mother and grandmother, she finds her spirits lifting.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around why Sam would have ever felt the need to flee this perfect family in this perfect town. The best part of the book was the recipes - I want to try them all!

Current Goodreads Rating 3.9

Book of full of charm that drives home the point that family and professional ambition don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

The Recipe Box is definitely a story for foodies. With a selection of recipes handed down through Sam's family, Viola Shipman gives readers a reason to appreciate family and tradition. The recipes featured in this novel tell the history of the strong women in Sam Mullin's family in an effort to open her eyes to the sacrifices of the ones before her.

I love any story that seeks to show the strength of family bonds, or the struggle younger generations face when it comes to keeping with family tradition or breaking away to follow their own dreams. However, I just couldn't connect with this story. I didn't feel like the stories behind the recipes really bridged the gap between the choice Sam needed to make between going back to the city to be a chef or staying with her family on the orchard. She's so young and could have easily done both. Why did it have to be one or the other and be the only option? She felt trapped by her family's expectation, but didn't she just trap herself by having to have it one way or the other?

The Recipe Box wasn't the story I expected when I picked it up to read, but I appreciate the thought behind it. I'm just not sold on the execution.
*ARC provided in consideration for review*

I found this to be a wonderful story of family and also of finding one’s self. Samantha Mullins is a sous chef in New York and the person she works for is a jerk to put it nicely. After making one of her own recipes for his show he throws away her creations, yelling and screaming at her. She quits but not before getting in a few jabs of her own, and top it off the producer and others who tried her creation loved her food. Now back home in Michigan on the family’s farm she must somehow tell her family, mainly mom and grandmother that she lost her job and that she feels like she has been nothing than a failure. The story is told through the recipes in the box that she and each women were given when they turned thirteen. You are taken back in some chapters to a time when it was the depression, or the war and how the women of this family found ways to raise up and continue to build the farm, but also their own lives. Every chapter is unique and different, and when a boy from the beginning of the story comes from New Jersey to vacation in Michigan. This is scaring her what is happening to her life and what is she to do? You get to meet her mother, father and grandmother. You also see her change with the ladies who have been working and baking at their farm for decades and how she changes when talking to them. There is really nothing more than I can say without you reading this book yourself. That is what you need to do. A wonderful story with great characters and it has made me now want to go hunt for my grandmothers’ recipes that I have out in my garage and take care of them better.

Love, love, loved this book! Every family has recipes they have passed down from generation to generation and this book makes you think about the love and family you keep close to your heart! A bonus is having recipes to try at the end of every chapter!

This is a most wonderful book about finding oneself and how family can help you do it.
Sam Nelson has baking in her DNA, but she doesn’t want to stay at her Michigan family’s farm and business. She attends school in New York and eventually gets what should be a dream job, but turns out to be a nightmare.
She returns home where she is soon baking again with her mother and grandmother. Through their stories, Sam begins to realize that maybe you can go home again.
I found myself tearing up a couple of times. This could make a great Hallmark movie.

Sam (Samanatha) has had it with Chef Dimples; he uses her talents and doesn’t acknowledge her contributions. She quits in a grand fashion and goes home to her family’s apple orchard in Michigan. She always had wanted to get away and now she is back. The recipes illustrate the growth of Sam and the other women in her family. A charming gentle read. .

The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman is set in Bayview Points, Michigan. Samantha "Sam" Nelson is working at Dimples Bakery in New York when her boss, Chef Dimples goes too far and she quits. She has had enough of his attitude and taking credit for her work. Sam grew up in Bayview Points on her families' orchard, Mullins Pie Pantry and U-Pick. The orchard is having its hundredth birthday this summer and her grandmother, Willo is turning seventy-five. There will be a big party in honor of the two events. Sam heads home for the summer and works in the pie pantry alongside her mother, Deana and grandmother. When Sam was thirteen, she was given a handcrafted recipe box that matches grandmother's and her mother's. Inside are the family recipes that have been passed down from mother to daughter. While working alongside them and using the family recipes, she learns about their past, her family history, how the orchard came to be and her love for baking. She also learns that the right man that will complement her has been there all along if she just opens her heart. Join Sam on a journey through the past that will help her have a bright, happy future.

The Recipe Box is a charming novel. I thought it was well-written and had a steady pace. Ms. Shipman has a conversational writing style that has an ease to it (makes for an easy to read story that is engaging). The author provided beautiful descriptions of the area, the orchard, the people and the baked goods (recipes included). I loved the characters in the story with Willo being my favorite. I appreciated the strong, intelligent female characters. There are great interactions between the women. Life lessons are included in The Recipe Box which include know yourself and be true to yourself. It is important to live a life without regrets. The Recipe Box is a feel-good novel. There is a predictable element, but it did not hinder my enjoyment. I like a book that gives me a good, heartwarming feeling inside and leaves me with a smile on my face when I am done reading it. I look forward to this author's next book.

This book was such a lovely surprise. I really enjoyed the story-line and I cannot wait to test out some of the recipes that were included in the book. A lot of them sound too good to pass up.

Sam is struggling with finding her place in life. She loved where she was raised, but can't help but feel that she is bigger than that life. Wanting to make her own mark on the world she embarks on her own adventure away from home, leaving behind the ones she loves the most.

When an unexpected decision is made, Same returns home. Not ready to relay the news to her family she muddles through the days, slowly remembering why she loves this place she calls home so much. Those emerging feelings confuse her even more, making the upcoming decisions her hardest yet.

Through family drama and life decisions, Sam navigates this story with determination. Knowing that everything she has worked for will reveal itself in due time.

I really, really loved this story. It's such a satisfying and wholesome read - has all of the elements I desire in good women's fiction. Family relationships, a woman finding herself and lots of food. Themes of family tradition, strong women were prevalent and I just felt like I'd eaten a bowl of warm rice pudding after I read this story.

So emotional, so heartwarming but with humor and a tone that was light enough to keep the story moving. This is one of my favorite books of 2018.