Recipe lovers you're going to enjoy this one as each chapter starts off with a recipe and they sound absolutely delicious. Sam grew up in northern Michigan and her families orchard is all she knows. Looking to broaden her horizons while she adds a little excitement to her life she strikes out and lands a job as a chef in NYC. It's her dream job but when her boss turns out to not be who they portray themself as being she feels like a failure as she returns back home to the orchard. Surrounded by family, mother, grandmother I really enjoyed reading interactions between all these strong women.
Pub Date 20 Mar 2018
I received a complimentary copy from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley .. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is such a outstanding book that I found myself not wanting it to end. It truly resonates with all of us that have shared cooking within our families . It is a lovely testament to the women that come before us and the bonds we share through recipes through generations. i found it immensely touching and comforting.
I highly recommend this book . My review opinions re my own. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the review copy of this wonderful book.
This book tells the story of a family of women from Alice -the first woman in this family mentioned in 1939. Her husband is Leo . He gives her a handmade recipe box with a lock on it that he tells her she should fill with all of her recipes for all their women relatives to come. Alice is connected to baking and loves the idea of passing on recipes. She begins a tradition in the family where each generation of women take over the baking and earns her own Recipe box at the age of thirteen. This was so endearing and such a testament to this strong family core.
At the heart of this story is Sam who is the one to make her own way. When she is 13 she too is given her own recipe box and gets her key which she wears around her neck just like her great great grandma and her grandmother Willo. As she grows up she leaves to work as a pastry chef in New York then returns to the family to return to baking with recipes from the recipe box.
After she returns to the family baking business, she realizes this is where she belongs and finds herself enjoying being a part of the history of baking of her family .
I loved the recipes, the references to cooking and the close family. This is a endearing sweet book that deserves to be made into a movie. Its one of the nicest stories I have read this year.

4.5 Delicious Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

This was such a charming read... filled with love, family, and food... each chapter starts off with a recipe... a recipe that sounds absolutely delicious... that is why my mom is getting a copy of this book for Mother’s Day, she needs to try out these recipes... she is a stellar Baker (just in case she’s reading this I want to butter her up)

Sam grew up in northern Michigan on her family‘s orchard, always longing for the big city.... there are so many books with this theme... and as somebody who grew up in the “big city“ I think it would be quite lovely to live in one of these charming places I so often read about... I guess the grass is always greener and all that.... so Sam realizes her dream and gets a job as a chef in NYC... but when it turns out her boss is a fraud, she returns home, feeling like a failure.... but will she finally see the magic in the family orchard?

Sam was a lovely character and she was surrounded by her mother and grandmother, both very strong and delightful women.... and I have to say Grandma Willow was my absolute favorite.... she just had so much heart and spirit, a grandma everyone would want.... I just loved the interaction between these women and the other family members, you could just feel the love between all of them.... I think that is what I found so enjoyable about this book, there was just so much love... Love for family... love for their orchard... love for food... and there was even some romance in this book... and I have to say Angelo was pretty delicious as well...

Something I want to mention that I found terribly interesting... is that this book was written by a man.... using the pen name of Viola Shipman... I would have never guessed in a million years, major props to you for that... always impressed when an author writes from the opposite sexes point of view and does it well as in this case....

Absolutely recommend to people who enjoy a lovely read filled with fun, food, and family...

*** thank you so much to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this lovely book, and shame on me for taking so darn long to get to it ***

Simply loved the concept, the author's notes, and the stories behind the recipes. In today's hustle and bustle world, and the fragmenting of families, this book shines as a testament to the bond between not just families, but the women that are the glue that holds precious lives together.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would when I first started reading it. It's sort of an old-fashioned read that takes the reader from the past to the present. Sam Shipman is a chef, and her family owns an apple orchard and has for generations. The orchard and the recipes from it have been passed down, but Sam isn't sure how she fits into the Michigan orchard lifestyle.

I was totally hooked by the end and I highly recommend this book. Thanks to Thomas Dunne Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When starting this book, I was pretty sure it was going to be one of those that was just a vehicle for the recipes. It started off a little cheesy and clichéd, and I didn’t like the main character, Sam, that much, and thought, “well, at least there will be some amazing recipes.”

But it really grew on me as I read it, between Sam’s growth as a person, the development of the romance, and determining where you belong in the world between the city and home (a dilemma I’ve returned to at several points in my life.) I also liked the exploration of the various generations of the family, and remember the recipes my mom passed down and what her well-used cookbooks looked like.

If you didn’t grow up in a family that baked, maybe this won’t hit you in the feels, but for me, reading this was a very sweet experience. There might have even been a tear or two by the end.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.

The Recipe Box tells of a family of strong women who for generations held the family farm together through hard work and daring ideas. It is filled with delicious recipes, with each recipe telling part of the family history.

Thank you NetGalley for ARC. This is sweet and light, as well as a love letter to Northern Michigan. Story was simple..

Soulful, nostalgic, searching, hopeful. These are some of the adjectives that went through my mind as I read The Recipe Box. I laughed out loud at parts and was touched and thoughtful in others. This story is full of heritage and family. Although I indicated the time period to be “Contemporary”, it spans many generations. It is not a saga, but is full of snippets from the lives of the matriarchs of Sam’s family.

I loved the way the author wove the history into the present day. She managed to go into the past and back to the present without making the story feel disjointed, giving enough detail to draw you in and get you invested. There were recipes included as well, and each one played a part in the narrative.

My dear friend, Chris, is from Michigan, and I hear her talk about it all the time. After reading The Recipe Box, I really get it. Author Viola Shipman has caused me to fall in love with a place and a lifestyle I have never experienced.

The characters in the story were wonderful. The women had rich wisdom to share. The men were strong and steady. Angelo was charming and delightful. Conner was unexpectedly sweet. Chef Dimples was … Well, let’s just say that he was and let you find out what he was.

Though there were many parts of the book that I loved, I think my favorites were the parts where Sam’s dad talked about the day he decided to not leave Michigan to be an engineer and the ending. I won’t give anything away here, but do want to say that the way the author tied everything up here was masterful.

This review was originally posted on AmongTheReads.net

I would like to thank Netgalley for giving me this item. My opinion and review were not influenced by this gift.

As someone who cherishes family recipes, this book was a journey I absolutely loved venturing on. It reminds you that family is the most important thing in life, and all the glitz and glamour of big cities and fame don't hold water to spending quality time with those who love us the most.

Samantha "Sam" Mullins gets sick of life on her family's orchard and bakery so she leaves home and works for a celebrity chef in NYC. But after a big incident at work, she quits and has no where to go except back to the home she was so eager to leave. Here, she learns that the place she was so willing to put behind her, is actually the best part of her life. Sam's heart is healed in ways she doesn't even realize she needs by spending time in the kitchen with her mom and grandmother, working her way through her family's beloved recipe box.

I was first drawn to this book, The Recipe Box, by the beautiful cover! Beautiful covers with bold colors get me every time. I'm so glad the cover drew me to this book, because the story inside was equally as beautiful and full of life. Great read.

Sam Nelson has just quit her job as a pastry chef in New York City due to being humiliated by her overbearing, narcissistic boss. She decides to go home to her family's orchard in Michigan to sort out her life and figure out her next steps. What follows is a history of Sam's family, their home, and their recipes that will help shape Sam's ultimate decision. Will she follow her heart, or her head? The narrative spans five generations, includes recipes described in the story, and explains how decisions and strong family ties impact people in the present and the future.
I enjoyed this bittersweet family story very much. I loved the fact that there were recipes included for every major dessert mentioned in the story, and I am definitely going to try them out soon. I liked how the story came full circle from the beginning to the end in parallel ways, and I was very satisfied with the ending. The characters are memorable, and the storyline is sad, yet sweet at the same time. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys generational stories and women's fiction.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sam loves her family, but all she ever wanted to do was get out and make her mark. When her professional career hits a snag, she heads home to figure out the next steps in her professional career. She feels her return home means she is a failure, despite the success of her family’s business.
This was a sweet and heart-warming story of family, women, and tradition. I really enjoyed the role of women in this story. They were strong and dedicated to the family and the continuing the family’s legacy. Tradition is very important, and part of this is passing down recipes with a recipe box. Each woman in this story has left their mark on the family business, and Sam needs the chance to look at her family’s past, and the women involved with new eyes, and realize that honoring tradition doesn’t mean there is no room for change.
I loved the peek into to the recipe box each chapter brought and I can’t wait to try some of the recipes. I recommend a print copy so you can bake with ease.
#NetGalley #TheRecipeBox

This is a beautiful story about connecting with our history and the women who made it possible.

Thomas Dunne Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Recipe Box. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Dreaming of a world outside of her family's orchard and pie pantry, Samantha "Sam" Mullins embarks on a journey of self discovery as a pastry chef. Coming to certain realizations, Sam uses the family recipes and traditions contained within her special recipe box to fulfill her destiny.

Although The Recipe Box does not have the most unique plot or the most memorable main character, the emotions the author was able to invoke propelled this book into the four star category. The author added a special touch, with recipes of a personal nature weaved into the story.
My family's treasured recipes have also been handed down through multiple generations, although the user often has to go to the original source to see the food stained pages. Special notes and adaptations have been painstakingly added to the recipes, which have been preserved and distributed via a computer. The Recipe Box made me think of my mother, as she was the keeper and recorder of the treasured recipes in our family. Other readers will be able to make their own connections, so I would definitely recommend The Recipe Box to those who like stories about showing love through food.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The concept behind this story is just darling! I loved the idea of a recipe box passed down from generation to generation. It hits home in a lovely way. I also appreciated that the characters all had different relationships to the recipes, that the box and its tradition saw them through different times.

Viola Shipman has a knack for description. I felt like I was there in Michigan with Sam. I could almost smell the apple crisp and the fall weather. And having the recipes included at the end of each part was a special treat! I can't wait to try making some of them (I'm partial to the apple ones).

While this was a great idea for a story, it did fall short in the execution in some parts. The conflicts in the story felt like they were resolved too easily. We were barely introduced to a difficult moment or decision before it had been resolved and we were moving on. Parts of it felt like it lacked depth and that made it come off a little cliched or heavy-handed. And some of the dialogue didn't seem natural to me. It was stilted at points and I ended up skimming those sections.

On the whole, I enjoyed this read. It was a wonderful escape, a great way to relax.

I would recommend this to anyone who:
- needs a good beach book/palate-cleanser
- is from the country and is feeling a bit homesick
- wants some delicious-sounding dessert recipes

A recipe box for your thirteenth birthday is probably not what most teenagers would request as a birthday present. But this recipe box helps Sammantha "Sam" Mullins understand the choices that her mother, Deana, and grandmother, Willo, faced. Each recipe reveals family history and choices that Deana and Willo made. I really enjoy Viola Shipman's stories, it's great to have a feel good story to enjoy on gray days. The Recipe Box focuses on food, family and the special bond between grandmother and grandchild. Fans of Viola Shipman will want to read this latest story. Each recipe that was featured is included at the back of the book and they all sound delicious! Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Really loved this one!
Five Stars: A delightful and delicious book that is all about love, family, roots and wings.

Sam trudges to work. It is early in the morning, but New York City is awake and buzzing. Why does she feel this knot of dread in her stomach every day when she arrives at what is supposedly her dream job? Today is different. The cute little bakery is dark and quiet. A note from the head pastry chef alerting their ridiculous boss that she is quitting is the way Sam starts her day. Things go from bad to worse when Chef Dimples acts like the pompous fake he is, leaving Sam no choice but to quit. Tail between her legs, Sam slinks home to her family’s orchard and pie shop. While Sam is home, she reconnects with her family, her roots and her heritage all courtesy of her family recipe box. Each recipe is a tried and true and each one has a story. Will Sam find her way?
What I Liked:
*The Recipe Box is a charming, sweet treat that I absolutely adored. I was enchanted by the recipe box and the familial stories that were tied into each of the recipes. This is a story about life, love, family and baking. The best part is that the book is packed with mouth watering, scrumptious recipes.
*I loved that this novel was all about family and roots. The book is filled with small stories about the women in Sam’s family, from her great great grandmother, Alice, her great grandmother, Madge, her beloved grandmother, Willo, and her own mother. Each woman was instrumental in making sure the family orchard survived for the next generation, and each woman added her own recipes and stories to the treasured recipe box. It was a joy to uncover each recipe and to learn the story behind each recipe card in the box.
*This story is a loose collection of familial stories woven around the main story arc that follows Sam as she battles with her personal choices. Will she continue to seek out the world and reach for big city dreams, or will she find love and return to her roots? I think everyone goes through a point in their life when they struggle to find their place and their path. I enjoyed following Sam’s journey.
*I loved the strong female characters in this book. Each of the women in the book somehow found a way to save the family orchard during hard times such as the depression and war time, bad weather, illness and death, and the ever changing economy of agriculture. The women made the orchard run, and they did it with luck, love and sheer determination as well as a few sweet treats and recipe boxes.
*I was enchanted by the concept of the recipe box. The women believed that baking was an act of love, and they treasured the recipes passed down from woman to woman in the family. I recall watching my own grandmothers bake as a girl, and I am sad that many of my paternal grandmother’s recipes are lost as she mainly cooked and baked from memory. What a treasure it would be to have a recipe box loaded with recipes from my female ancestors.
*One of the best parts of this book for me was the delicious recipes. There were some yummy recipes in this book, and I am more than anxious to try them. I loved that at the end of the book, the author shared the true story behind each and every recipe. Make sure you read the author’s notes.
*The ending is nostalgic and wonderful. It was perfect.
And The Not So Much:
*I loved the women in this book, but I have to admit, I struggled with Sam, the main character. She is constantly pushing away people in her life, especially those who care the most about her, whether it be her family, a man who adores her or her childhood boyfriend. I wish she had been warmer and more endearing.
*I was drawn in by so many of the stories about the women who came before, and there were numerous times after a story completed, that I was left wanting more. I especially wanted more of Grandma Willo’s stories. I couldn’t get enough.
*The romance was a bit of a miss for me, and I think because it lacked spark because one of the participants is closed off and unwilling to open up and take a chance. The other put themselves out there over and over only to be shut down. That drove me nuts!

The Recipe Box was the perfect pick me up, feel good read that I have been craving. This book has so much heart and soul. It is all about family, roots, heart, home and recipes. If you want a book with scrumptious recipes and a wonderful story, this is one to grab. This will be a favorite on my shelf.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

My Rating: 4 stars

This is the second book I’ve read by Viola Shipman and so far, this is definitely my favorite out of the two. Last year, I had the opportunity to read this author’s second novel The Hope Chest and while it was an enjoyable read for me, it didn’t capture my heart like this third book The Recipe Box did. At the heart of this book was a wonderful story about family, love, relationships, identity, and one of my favorite topics : FOOD -- not just any food though – pies, cakes, tarts, cookies, and all manner of delicious baked goods! The story centers around Sam, a young sous-chef for a fancy bakery in New York who ends up quitting her job and returns home to Michigan, where her family owns an orchard and pie shop. Having grown up on the orchard surrounded by a loving family as well as the two women who inspired her love of baking – her mother Deana and her grandmother Willo – Sam returns to her childhood home to “lick her wounds,” sort out the mess she made of her life, and hopefully gain some clarity on the next steps for her future. Sam is welcomed back with open arms and quickly falls back in step with working at the orchard alongside the women in her life who had always meant so much to her – together, as they work through the recipes in the family’s recipe box, Sam not only develops a deeper understanding of her family’s treasured history and legacy, she also embarks on a journey of self-discovery that reignites her passion for baking as well as opens her heart to love.

I enjoyed this gem of a story that was filled with characters I adored from the start! I love stories about strong, smart, independent-minded women and this story had plenty of them – from Sam to Deana to Willo, also the generations that came before them with Madge and Alice, even though not mentioned as much but yet still so important to the story, I loved all these women! With well-written and descriptive prose, the story was incredibly atmospheric, to the point that I felt as though I was transported to the Mullins family orchard right from the very first page. In fact, I would say that the setting of the orchard (and pie pantry) became actual “characters” for me, coming vividly alive as the story unfolded and we learned more and more about Sam and her family with each chapter. I felt that the story itself was lovely and heartwarming, though yes it was a bit predictable and perhaps a little too saccharine and sweet, but that’s fine because it was the perfect escape for me after a series of heavier reads and also me dealing with a few rough patches in my own life. From the moment I started reading, I was expecting a light-hearted, feel good story with a plot that wasn’t too complicated and also characters I could possibly relate to – I ended up getting that and much, much more! Included at the end of each chapter was the recipe – ingredients and step-by-step instructions – for making each of the desserts featured in the story, which was a lovely surprise and an aspect of this book that I loved! In addition, I also enjoyed reading about the origin of each recipe as well as explanation of the real-life significance behind each dessert in the author’s note at the end of the book. Even though I most likely won’t attempt to make these desserts myself due to the fact that I’m a lousy cook and an even worse baker, I am also blessed to have wonderful women in my family who are fantastic when it comes to turning food into delectable creations so I know for sure they will enjoy trying these recipes out!

I recently found out that Viola Shipman is actually the pen name for Wade Rouse, a male author who writes under his grandmother’s name to honor her. Just like with his two previous novels The Charm Bracelet and The Hope Chest, this book The Recipe Box was also inspired by one of his grandmother’s heirlooms that was passed down to him. As he writes in his author’s note, this book “is a tribute to our elders, especially the women in our lives whose voices were often overlooked in their lifetimes.” What a wonderful way to honor his grandmother and also remind us as readers to treasure the elders in our lives and continue to pass along their love, lessons, family stories, and heirlooms to those we love as well! Wonderful book and definitely a highly recommended read!

Received ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

Viola Shipman does such an incredible job of weaving together a tale of family history and love cultivated in the kitchen. I have always believed that the kitchen is the heart of a home and thought my experience of passed down cookbooks and secret ingredients was unique to me and my family but I loved reading about another family that generations over have cherished the same flavors.
Everyone has a moment where they understand why their parents made the choices they did, and Sam Mullins gets a chance to understand and admire the choices the women in her family have made for years and years. She learns that her hardships and struggles to find purpose are the same as theirs. And while the times have changed, the heart of their family values gives great direction and comfort to her while cultivating a closer relationship with her loved ones.