Member Reviews
This was a very impressive debut novel, the descriptions of everything from the food to the mental health feelings were really well presented. The story was engaging and the characters likeable. I will definitely be on the look out for new books from this author.
Not entirely sure what I expected.
Although to be fair it was pretty obvious that was was going to be about someone making curries in 5e arctic!
Maya heads north with her boyfriend Ryan to live his dream among 5e polar bears.
At the same time her widowed father moves back to the India of her birth and on a visit there she discovers her mother”s cook book.
Strangely through food back in the frozen north she is able to recapture memories of her childhood in India and although terrible it is by remembering that she is able to grow and cope with what life has to throw at her.
A great hero and a warming story.
I started back to work recently, which slowed down my ability to read, since I tend to fall asleep a lot earlier lately.
I knew I had to break that rut and The Arctic Curry Club was the perfect book to make that happen. It's a fun, easy read, with a great story behind it.
Maya decides to follow her boyfriend to the Arctic circle when he gets a job opportunity to track polar bears. At loose ends, she discovers that Arctic temperatures really aren't for her and that the frozen tundra has left her in a. funk. She turns to cooking Indian recipes from her past, and begins to unravel some long forgotten family secrets.
From the title to the cover to the plot, everything about this book just seemed to yell "Read me!" to me and it definitely did not disappoint. Watching Maya struggle and grow is so reminiscent of the early 20s for most of us, minus the polar bears and sub-zero temperatures. Can't wait to see what the author comes out with next.
A raw and fantastic adventure book that is more about self-love and healing than romance, however I absolutely loved it and found the story so captivating as Maya discovers more and more about her long forgotten childhood and the secrets that lie hidden. Infused with mouthwatering recipes and a fire that ignites both wanderlust and a desire to pursue your passions in life, this was definitely a story I won't forget in a hurry.
I wasn't a fan of this book at all. I found the main character, Maya, very irritating. Maya suffers from anxiety, naturally that was an important facet of her character. It does not however excuse the sweeping negative statements on race and gender. If this had been intentional to garner a reaction, that would have made sense, but it felt like the author had just been naive in her stereotyping.
Not for me.
What an incredibly unlikeable main character who uses a mental illness as an excuse for being a general awful human being.
Interesting story of Maya, who leaves England and goes with her boyfriend to the arctic in northern Norway. Starts out a bit slow, but picks up. Struggling with panic attacks and mental issues, it is no surprise when her boyfriend strays. She does find a job though, and begins to create a combination of Indian/Nordic foods that are a big hit. Really enjoyed this one, and liked that there were paths I figured would emerge but they didn't. Would highly recommend this book, and it will make you hungry. No recipes though, sadly.
An enjoyable read. I’d definitely like to read books by this author again. Will look out for more. Well done.
A cute, quick and easy read that i devoured quickly. It was heartwarming, uplifting and full of cosy imagery. I really enjoyed reading this book.
I was so excited to read this book and I was not disappointed. I was expecting chick lit but what I got was so much more and I couldn't put it down.
This was a totally different read to what I was expecting but I certainly wasn’t disappointed by any means. This was a brilliant debut novel from this author and what really stood out for me was the authors from
The heart portrayal of what it’s like to live with anxiety through the heart and mind of the main character Maya. I personally feel this is a topic which often gets brushed under the carpet or shied away from so hats off to the author for tackling this complex and sensitive subject head on.
This was so much more than the romance story I was expecting and dealt with lots of other issues like love loss and grief and finding yourself and pushing beyond boundaries to achieve happiness and success. The descriptions of the Arctic and the scenes of India and the delightful food all kept of the page with their colourful and life like descriptions and the yin and yang of contrasting places the deep cold chill of the Artic meets the hot sumptuous heat and colours of India all bound together in the pages of the story and in the creation of the Arctic curry club. This is a book that warms your heart but also fills you with many other sad and happy emotions along the way.
This book was sent to me by. Etgalley on Kindle for review…the story is u usual and intriguing…the characters are different…the setting is unique…however, the language is too much for me…others might not mind…some subject matter surprising in this type of story also…
I did not enjoy this. Maya was an unlikeable character for me. Very whiny and needy to everyone around her. But also very rude and condescending to anyone who tried to help her, heaven forbid. And what was with her focusing on Jobin’s “large nose”? Surely she isn’t perfect herself.
Not to mention she decided to follow a man she barely knew to the arctic. After admitting she hid everything about her personality and struggles from him until…they moved in together. How healthy.
Also she used the pressure cooker as a urination receptacle and then…cooked food in it. No thanks Maya. You can keep your peepee dal.
This was such a stunning debut!
I absolutely loved this from start to finish. I was hooked from the very first chapter and it held my attention the whole way through. I could not put this down.
Maya was a fantastic main character and one of the most interesting female characters I've read in a while. Her character development was excellent throughout. The supporting characters were just as interesting and really diverse.
Both the Arctic and India jumped off the page while I was reading and the location was so vivid and clear. The author was really descriptive with regard to the locations and food.
I'm craving an Indian takeaway now and another book by this fantastic debut author!
Maya relocates to Longyearbyen near the North Pole with her boyfriend Ryan but must contend
with more than just the move.
He cheats on her, the weather is freezing and she has to try and adapt to the totally new Arctic lifestyle..This
makes Maya even more anxious and nervous. After a trip to India, she discovers more about her mother
and Indian cooking. Maya faces many challenges in this honest, down to earth and clever tale
She has to overcome insecurities in her own way. An optimistic and uplifting cautionary tale. accompanied by
lovely food. I enjoyed it immensely.
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I really enjoyed this book.The setting drew me in the book is more then a rom com it deals with mental health and anxiety.Add in delicious food and interesting characters this is a book I will be recommending.#netgalley #avonbooksuk.
A lovely debut novel, bringing together the heat of spice with the chill of the Arctic!
Maya has accompanied her boyfriend, Ryan out to the Arctic, to help him follow his dream.
Though it's not hers, by any stretch of the imagination.
Shrouded in anxiety at every step, the story uncovers different layers of Maya's own story and the reasons for her deep-rooted anxieties, as the inky black nights of the Arctic begin to shed their darkness, revealing new layers of colour along the way.
Maya's Anglo Indian background gives her a reason to stay in a place she would never have chosen to be, once her relationship crumbles, as she picks up the reins of her own love, cooking, and slowly begins to experiment with the flavours connected to her childhood.
Her mother's handwritten recipes, in an old book, help Maya to create something the Arctic wasn't expecting, and the memories that surface, with every new mouthful of food she creates, helps Maya to discover more and more about a past she had learned to block out.
I truly enjoyed this story, with a little hint of romance, but, ultimately, a book filled with self-discovery. It was a tad slow at the start, but as revelations kept popping up, the faster my pages turned.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Artic curry club, what’s not to love about this great read.
Food, friendship,places I’ve never been.
The book gave a real insight to the Arctic and how it would be to visit and explore this idilic location. Maya has her struggles and it’s so sensitively explored and touched upon, gives people with similar struggles a real
‘it’s not only me “ feeling.
During the read I could have jumped into the pages and enjoyed the amazing food, I could almost smell the curry cooking.
I’m so happy the story concluded with Maya finding happiness in a place she felt she now belongs
Really great book that deals with family struggles and anxiety in a real bit sensation way.
Looking forward to the next read by Dani Redd 😊
Dear Readers, Aliens and Creatures, things can be tough until you find the right people that match your energy.
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It could be because I miss many random things about home. It could be my understanding of figuring out your culture among different cultures… But I loved how smooth, enjoyable and well-written this book was.
Maya is half British, half Indian. Her mother was from Delhi, but circumstances landed her in Bangalore where she meets Maya’s British dad, the rest is flowers, chocolate and romance; or so Maya has been led to believe. In truth, much like the slow change from complete darkness to the beginnings of sunlight in the Arctic, Maya goes through a journey of shocks, recovered memories and self-discovery.
In the midst of changes, loss and self-discovery she will begin a cooking club using the dishes her mother has painstakingly written and her own skills as a chef, in an attempt to survive and thrive. She will face her own fears and insecurities, polar bears and friends who come to depend on her… all as her memory begins to come back to her piece by piece.
Maya was a difficult character to read about because I share similarities and differences with her in equal measure. I was frustrated by her dependency and her unwillingness to try things, simply because she had never done it before, used as an evasive mechanism. I wish she could have seen how amazing she was earlier and that every version of her mattered.
TRIGGERS
The book touches on different types of trauma with a gentle hand. Mental health, abuse and suicide are weaved into the story, but it is well done and respectful.
real good for a debut!! it had more depth than i thought it would've and was quite a sensory trip with the descriptions of the food and the desolate and wild arctic. i also really liked the how the transition of the arctic environment from the darkness in the polar nights to finally seeing the light is parallel to maya's journey