This novel in a word: magical.

Who wouldn’t want to be transported to a chateau in the south of France, surrounded by dragonflies, amazing French food, and lavender?

Sophie, is a New York chef who wants to become the head of a Michelin starred restaurant. She’s worked hard in what is a testosterone-driven world to gain her reputation and position, and she’s on the right track. But at the start of the book, when her ex sabotages her, she loses everything: her job, her reputation and her motivation and confidence to keep cooking. With her career and life’s ambition in tatters she escapes to her grandmother’s place in Southwest France, surprised to realize that it is a much grander chateau than she remembers as a child, with an entire hospitality arm.

Reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain a few years ago gave me an appreciation for how cut-throat and non female -friendly the world of professional chefs is. Sophie has tried to win in that world, and she’s had to build up her defenses and even a little cynicism as a result, but she’s not yet hardened.

When she returns to her ancestral homeland of France, although at first resistant, the question is will she be able to re-open herself to the joy and magic of cooking? And perhaps even romance?

This book has a gorgeous whimsical element to it, taking you from New York to Southwest France and the sunflower fields, gorgeous cuisine, local markets and style of French living. There are even recipes included – because you’ll be pausing at various points to drool!

If you’re looking for a read that takes you on a magical journey, not just to France but for Sophie, a journey of self-acceptance, with a dash of romance ¬ - I couldn’t recommend this book more.

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Samantha Vérant has the recipe for the perfect book: a wealthy French grandmother, her country chateau and an ambitious young chef on the run from recent disgrace at a top-tier restaurant in New York. As one of my own favorite chefs says, you need a combination of tastes and textures to satisfy the palette: sweet, bitter, sour, salty, smooth. The chef strives to strike the right balance.

That's just what Samantha Vérant has done with this book — it's a bit sweet, a bit salty, leading off with a sense of loss and bitterness that needs to be brought back into balance. As Jacques Pépin said, "cooking is the art of adjustment." What better place for Sophie to do that than a beautiful sun-drenched town in Southwestern France?

Sophie's favorite memories were the summers she spent with her Grandmère Odette at her crumbling old chateau along the Tarn River. Sophie spent her idyllic time outdoors, chasing geese and rabbits, catching frogs, picking cherries, climbing trees and enjoying Sunday picnics with local villagers. And then, of course, there were Grandmère's mouthwatering recipes, kept in her secret notebook: from clafoutis (a Provençal cherry tart) to duck fat french fries (a standard in Southwest France) to duck à l'orange and boeuf bourguignon.

Sophie returns to her grandmother's chateau years later, emotionally shattered after a colleague's betrayal destroys her career as an up-and-coming New York chef. Sophie is surprised to see that her Grandmère has renovated the chateau and transformed it into an award-winning restaurant and inn. Grandmère's health is fading and she hopes that her granddaughter will carry on her legacy in France, but Sophie can't let go of her ambition to seek redemption in New York. Sophie and Grandmère have a lot of work to do to make up for years of misunderstanding caused by Sophie's troubled mother. But most of all, Sophie's got to get her groove back. And not just in the kitchen (wink, wink.)

This book is a delight for foodies, Francophiles and dreamy travelers alike. Try out some of the recipes in the back and picture yourself tasting some of those sweet and tart black cherries on the terrace of Grandmère's lovely chateau.

Thank you to Samantha Vérant for an advanced copy of this book. Here's hoping someday I'll make it back to Southwestern France!

Review on AmericanGirlsArtClubinParis.wordpress.com to follow in September.
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I got the opportunity to read this from netgalley. A positive review was not required. Sophie only wants to be a chef and works hard in an exclusive restaurant in New York. After a Michelin sized scandal ruins all of her dreams, she retreats first to her fake fiancé and then to her French grandmother’s chateau. As she struggles to regain her confidence and rebuild her life, she discovers so much more about her family’s past and, as a result, her own future. I also greatly enjoyed the recipes!

There was a lot to like about this book, and I particularly enjoyed following Sophie's journey and the food descriptions. But the glossing over of a character's mental illness is going to make me very reluctant to recommend this title. (It may not be too late to change this for the final version: Sophie's mentally ill mother "decided" to stop taking her meds? That's problematic.)

Enjoyable light fluff, predominantly set in a small village in the south of France. However, only about as deep as a Hallmark movie.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50358349-the-secret-french-recipes-of-sophie-valroux

Almost a fairytale, this new book uses fine French cuisine and the chefs who prepare it as the basis of her story but it is still a fun read. Actually, this upcoming new release is just the thing we stressed-out shelter-at-home people need to bring new perspective and levity into our lives. Without giving away what happens, I know of no one who would be able to accept what happened to Sophie at work without reacting badly. The fairytale ending is something that most of us could deal with, or at least thought of wishing for, at least once.

Sweet, escapist and fun. Highly recommended purchase for collections where women's fiction and romance are popular.

An enjoyable foodie family story / romance set in France that definitely was a comforting read.

One picky thing though - it's always strange to me in books like this though where there are characters who are said to not be speaking in English and then in the English dialogue, which we would assume is a translation, there are words in their language - in this case French. I think that's just to add "flavor" but it's annoying to me because it jars me out of the reading experience.

I’ve loved Samantha Verant’s memoirs, so was excited to read her first adult novel. It was all I expected and so much more. Sophie is down on her luck (can you say misogynistic overload in a NY restaurant kitchen) and races to southern France to visit her ailing grandmother, more of a mother to Sophie than her own mother had been. The setting is gorgeous, the menus Sophie creates at her grandmother’s chateau restaurants are mouth-watering, and the love story between Sophie and an old friend keep the reader turning the pages until the very end. And that is the sweetest part of all!

Sophie's star is rising, or so she thinks. Working in a successful NYC restaurant on the verge of receiving its third Michelin star, Sophie is poised to fulfill her chefly aspirations. Until it all falls apart. The restaurant loses a star and she takes the fall. She returns to France to reconnect and help care for her now frail grandmother. And discovers that maybe her dreams are possible after all.

I thoroughly enjoyed the incredible descriptions of food and cooking. It was a delight to watch Sophie untangle her past and her feelings about it and how her past shaped her present. A charming book.

This is a fun, escapist read, with lovely descriptions of France and food, and quirky and lovable characters. Sophie is torn between her grueling chef career in NY and ownership of a fabulous chateau in France, maybe not such a toss up for some of us. Delightful.

I absolutely loved this book. Such a great adventure into life in France and life as a Chef. I loved Sophie and wanted to be her . Can’t wait to share this book with family and friends.

Sophie has a dream. She wants to be a Michelin-Star Chef, a desire for which she has sacrificed much to obtain this hard-won honor – especially for a woman. Sophie deserves this honor. And yet, one must always be careful what one wishes for.

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux is a five-star delight, filled with characters intent on taking Sophie down and others who wish to give her everything she deserves.

The food made me wish I'd been transported to France so I could sit at the table of Sophie's ancestral home. The food made me wish I could live there forever. And speaking of food: there are recipes in this book!

With just the right amount of secrets and tension and mystery, this book is unputdownable.

Thank you to the publisher for an early look at this book.

After a publicly humiliating incident at the restaurant she works in, aspiring chef Sophie travels back to her birthplace in France. She returns to visit her grandmother, a renowned French chef who has transformed the family's ancestral chateaux into a restaurant. There, she gathers her strength, blossoms as a chef, and finds true love. Add the food, the recipes, and the beautiful setting of the French countryside -- and you've got a wonderful book. I really enjoyed this and look forward to recommending it.

I loved, loved, loved this title, including the recipes at the back! As a foodie, I enjoyed the descriptions of the menus and recipes and how love and emotion went into every dish. The characters were complex and I have the kitchen pictured in my mind! I do not speak French, but learned quite a few words and it was not enough to hinder the reading flow. I can't wait to add this title to our collection and recommend it to my cooking friends!

A delightful and delicious read. Women’s fiction is not one of my usual genres yet I honestly can say I have not enjoyed a book this much since Crazy Rich Asians. Ranging from the hyper masculine and competitive Michelin kitchen in New York to a glorious French Chateau the setting is not only authentic but a role player in the drama. Sophie is the victim of a malicious and ruthless former lover who not only ruins her reputation in the food world but destroys her confidence in her craft. Her wallow is interrupted by a multi-generational family drama that reveals itself throughout the book. Her journey to France is ultimately her journey to redemption in love and in the kitchen. Conniving co-workers, brooding first loves and fully fleshed out side characters are all in mix. Sophie’s Grandmother and the Chateau drive the latter half and she has her own catharsis. The book is meticulously researched from the food prep and presentation to the nuances of running a Chateau. Thank you to author Samantha Verant and her publishers for an Advance Readers Copy, I highly recommend The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux, romance and redemption are on the menu.

This was a delightful and fun book with many fully fleshed out and likeable characters. The book centers on Sophie who returns to her ill grandmother in France after a devistating job loss, which has caused her to fall into a deep funk, loose her confidence and doubt her ability to do almost anything. She continues those feelings after arriving in France (there were several times I wanted to grab her shoulders, shake her & tell her to snap out of it) but continues on the track of finding; herself and what is really important in this life. As a Francofile and Foodie, I could see, smell and almost taste the food and see the scenery that was aptly described. I can't wait to try the recipes. A few of the plot lines are obvious but knowing what will probably happen doesn't detract from the book at all. In the end, Sophie discovers the true meaning of happiness; family food & love. We can all learn from her.

This book does a unique and very persuasive deep dive into the back-world of the high-stakes NYC culinary scene, while also providing a sensory escape to the countryside of France. I honestly cannot choose between either aspect of this book, as both gave me much-needed distraction and comfort during these difficult times. But this is also a story about mothers and daughters, young love, and second chances--and, above all, forgiveness. Forgiveness of oneself, and patience and understanding of our ambitions in life, our competing desires, and our mistakes. Samantha Verant can conjure an entire magical meal in just a few lines, and break your heart in even less. Highly recommend.

I loved this story so much. Whenever I read it, my mouth watered from the description of the food. It was so life like. This novel did terrible things for my diet though. Whenever I read it, I would go straight to the fridge and devoured everything. I’ll definitely need to try some of the recipes from this book.

I enjoyed Sophie’s character. All her reactions and feelings are realistic. I really felt for her especially with her ex Eric. I wanted to throttle him on behalf of her.

She’s determined and creative. The side romance with Remi was so sweet.

The setting in France was beautiful. I felt like I was actually there!

Hands down one of the best women’s fiction books I’ve ever read. Five stars.

After she’s sabotaged by a fellow chef, Sophie leaves her life as a top chef to fly to her beloved grandmother’s bedside in France after the woman has a stroke. To her surprise the home she remembers has been turned into a resort with two restaurants and a vineyard. Here she has the chance to achieve her dream of becoming the chef of a Michelin starred restaurant, if she can find the courage and stamina. Thank heavens grandma lived in France, not Scranton. The story just wouldn’t have been the same! Seriously, I loved this story with its beautiful setting and second chances theme