I liked this novel a lot. I never wanted to put this book down, it was very engaging. The characters always felt like real, complex people, which I appreciated. The focus on food and cooking was very fun and I loved it. There were a couple of times this book seemed to drag on a little bit, however. I did still overall really enjoy this book.

Lighthearted and enjoyable read! This book will have you wandering into your kitchen to try out every single, mouth-watering recipe detailed throughout the story, and, thankfully, provided for readers at the end.

The dramatic coup de grace suffered by Sophie due to her treacherous colleagues was delicious. She thought her life had ended, but thank God for happy endings! I enjoyed the vibrant descriptions of food and locations, along with some highly entertaining characters. This was a well written story with plenty of action, suspense and romance--but one can never forget the food.

This is a fun, light story for foodies, chefs, and restaurateurs interested in French cooking, family drama, and love stories. Chef Sophie is wrongly blamed for the loss of a revered Michelin star while working in a NYC restaurant kitchen. Sophie returns to her childhood home in France to both take care of her ailing grandmother and to be cared for by her. Sophie finds that her grandmother has built up her chateau into a hugely successful thriving business, but due to her illness needs Sophie to step in and take charge of the kitchen, and she is not sure she is up to the task. This was an enjoyable story and anything to do with cooking always gets me!

I had really high expectations for this book but unfortunately it just didn't do it for me. I love the setting of the storyline and I loved the cover but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

The relationships between many of the characters felt contrived, and overly infused with drama and distrust.

A simply delicious read. There is nothing more I love than a great story filled with great food. Verant delivers pure delight with this book.

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux was a fantastic read. Relationship fiction with a focus on food is one of my favorites!

3.5 This was definitely a light/beach read type of book.

Chef Sophie leaves New York City in disgrace and flees to France to see her estranged grandmother. While there she attempts to put her life back together and figure out if the Michelin stars she’s been dreaming of is her true dream.

This was a light, enjoyable read even with the eye rolling I found myself doing from time to time.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Travel and food are the perfect addition to this novel. The voice and style of the author is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. I appreciate the author’s sweet personality as she helped several of us readers in a Goodreads group gain access to the NetGalley copy of her book for review. She went above and beyond and was very kind through every portion of the discussion.

The cover of this book is gorgeous. I love the light and airy quality of it as well as the “journey” aspect. The color scheme is spot-on, and I love that the cover team captured a whimsical, romantic essence.

After reading the back-cover copy, I was fully prepared to adore this story. Unfortunately, I discovered by chapter three that this was not my style of book after all. I was unaware when I requested it that it featured homosexual characters as the leading lady’s best friends. While some readers may enjoy this book for that very reason, it is not one I desire to read any longer, as it’s not to my taste.

The author’s voice in the first three chapters was quite engaging, and I did feel pulled in to Sophie’s struggles in her job and her yearning to make a name for herself in the food industry, while honoring her grandmother with her own style of cooking.

Content: homosexual characters, expletives, profanity, alcohol, tobacco

Sophie Valroux has worked at Cendrillon NYC for five years and is currently serving as chef de partie. She dreams of one day being one of the few female chefs who run Michelin-starred restaurants. Unfortunately, her dream takes a downturn when her chef ex-boyfriend, Eric, sabotages her food while a food critic is in the restaurant. Not only is Sophie fired, but her reputation is ruined, as the news spreads throughout newspapers and the Internet.

Devasted and humiliated, Sophie goes through depression and loses interest in her love of cooking. Sadly, she discovers that her beloved Grand-Mere’ Odette, who lives in France, has suffered a stroke. Sophie flees New York and arrives in Champvert, in southwest France, where her grandmother lives. The luxury Chateaux de Champvert, which her grandmother owns, is much larger than she remembers as a little girl. The estate boasts two restaurants, a vineyard and winery, and a staff that is nearly all women.

While working at the chateaux, Sophie rediscovers her love of food and cooking. She reconnects with a childhood friend, Remi Dupont, who becomes much more than a friend. When her grandmother has a relapse, she tells Sophie that she wants her to run the chateaux and that it is her birthright. Sophie must now decide if she will carry out her grandmother’s wishes or take a coveted job offered to her in New York City.

Samantha Verant’s debut novel is an ode to family, friendship, food, and second chances. Because the author lives where her novel mostly takes place, she has drawn on her background to include lush descriptions of France and its culture and food.

The reader can see Sophie growing as the book progresses, from her downfall until she begins to love food, creativity, and cooking once again. She becomes more and more confident in herself, both as a person and as a chef, and proves just how resilient she really is. This plot resonates because, even today, it seems that women chefs have to work harder than men to make a name for themselves in the culinary world.

There are French words and phrases sprinkled throughout the novel. As an added bonus, the author has included recipes in the back of the book for readers to try. And there is a sequel in the works! Sophie Valroux’s Paris Stars is slated to be published on October 19, 2021!

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux is a delightful foray into culinary fiction. Hand it to readers who enjoy romance, travel novels, and watching The Food Network. I recommend it for public libraries, and I give it four out of five stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book is solidly in the women's fiction genre, and I am not complaining about that. What I mean is, it is a story about a woman struggling to find herself and her path through a bunch of difficult circumstances. Romance is entirely optional and secondary to that story. I absolutely love romance, don't get me wrong. But it was refreshing to read a story where that was secondary to the story of our central female character.

I thought Sophie's character was really well-written. I found her kind of annoying at first, but I think that is on purpose. After a while though, I really grew to love her. She was so fiercely loyal to her grandmother, and she made such honest and real mistakes, it was hard not to see a bit of myself in her. And her growth throughout the book is incredible (while still believable). I always like the imperfect characters so much more in the end, and that was definitely the case here.

I loved the romance too. It was just what we needed to pull the story along, give Sophie a reason to stay despite some of the things that were hard. I really enjoyed it, and as I said above, I also loved that it wasn't the main driver of the plot.

And the setting, oh the setting. I mean, what's not to love about a chateau and the tiny town surrounding it in the French countryside? I felt like I was *there* and it was just the escape from pandemic/quarantine reality I needed. I'd like to go back right now, please and thank you.

Overall, if you like books in breathtaking settings with likeable heroines, this book is for you!

I loved the main character’s voice— that alone was enough to carry me to the end, but add in the food descriptions and the travel and you end up with a novel that is chef’s-kiss-perfect for someone who needs a pick-me-up read.

I’m a sucker for beautiful covers and this makes me miss traveling so much! Throughout the book, all of Sophie’s adventures reminded me of the feeling of seeking adventure in new places and being inspired by what’s around you.

This book starts off with a few unfortunate events that lead Sophie to ultimately have an experience through France, realizing her true dream. How familiar does this sound? I feel like the more I talk to friends about their life experiences, it took one unfortunate event to find something they truly love. This story also depicts the picture of Sophie’s struggle of “making it” in a man’s world. As you follow her journey, you read about her experience as a female in the culinary world. Her family Chateaux and all the strong, dominant female personalities, if that doesn’t bring a proud smile to your face!

From all the salivating descriptions of French dishes to the beautiful scenes in France, I WANT TO GO BACK TO FRANCE! If you’re looking for a book to transport you to Europe, this was a light-hearted read with a good balance of family secrets, delicious dishes, and the journey of finding yourself. I think we could all use a little sprinkle of happiness in these “trapped” times.

Well, this is just a magical and amazing novel about the healing and transformational power of food & family. Top tier foodie fiction!

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux
By Samantha Verant

Do you love French Cuisine? fine dining? Have you eaten at a Michelin rated restaurant?

When I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. I was so fascinated by the main character, Sophie Valroux a French born American who dreams of being a Michelin-Star rated female chef. Sophie's life is circling down the drain very quickly from losing her job and her confidence, then learning that her French grandmother suffered a stroke. With nothing left for her in NYC she sets off to France in hopes of a fresh start and reinvigorate her passion for food.

This is a beautifully written novel about second chances, family, career and most of all about how food brings us together. I really enjoyed this amazing mouthwatering read.

This book was a delight! Although I am not a any kind of a cook, the menus that were concocted by Sophie sounded delicious and the story was like a fairy tale. The plot did progress exactly like one would expect, but yet seemed fresh and new. Sophie was such a human character--the author described her grief and sadness perfectly, but on the other end her happiness could be felt by the reader. And Grandmere Odette was the mentor that anyone would like.. While the food in the book was a feast for the palate, this book is a feast for the heart.

Sophie Valroux is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. She’s got the chops to work in a Michelin-starred restaurant. When this story opens, the New York restaurant where, Cendrillon, is waiting to hear that they have been awarded a third Michelin star.

Tensions are running high in the kitchen. Eric, the chef de cuisine, and Sophie’s former lover, are not exactly having a lover’s spat, but Eric is hard on her, making her re-season the Executive Chef Dan O’Shea’s recipe for roasted potimarron, a chestnut-flavored squash, soup.

When the call comes, it isn’t the one they are expecting. Not only was Cendrillon not awarded a third start, but one was taken away. Imagine the disappointment in that kitchen.

Eric accuses Sophie of sabotaging the restaurant; O’Shea has no choice but to let her go. Sophie is crushed. It has been her dream to be part of the one percent of female chefs running a Michelin-starred restaurant. Word spreads through the city’s restaurants. Sophie has no chance of ever working in New York again…unless of course, she takes Eric up on going to work for him in the new restaurant he is planning to open. Sophie would rather be homeless than that.

Sophie licks her wounds by returning to France where her grandmother lives. The grandmother she was exceptionally close to whom she has hardly talked to, much less visited in thirteen years. Grand-mere has suffered a stroke.

Sophie learns that Grand-mere has been busy in Sophie’s absence---opening two restaurants in “the simple family home…is now luxurious chateau.” Two highly regarded and highly successful restaurants. Although Sophie’s confidence has been shaken to her core, she learns that while life isn’t fair, good can come of every betrayal and disappointment.

I fell in love with the opening paragraph…so beautifully written that I read it three times to savor the imagery. This novel is about family secret, learning to dream again and family is this people that can always be depended upon, even when there is disagreement. There is also a secondary plot line of romance. Between food (complete with recipes) and romance, this is the perfect escape novel and a way to see France without leaving your favorite chair.

I was disappointed that author Verant used so many French words that I could not put into context, but they added authenticity to the story that I would experience if I was in France.

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

This was a nice light read. I enjoyed reading the character's growth as a person and I liked that the whole story was about the hospitality industry. I would definitely recommend this

This book was everything I wanted it to be and so much more! First and foremost, the love of food in this book was fantastic. The book was realistic and through every setback our Sophie went through, I was rooting for her. I loved the characters and setting and am having a difficult time saying anything I would do differently or improve upon.