This book should come with a million trigger warnings. I found difficult to read because of the level of anxiety emanating from the main character, obviously a testament to the writer's skills but also difficult for some people.

Maya and her boyfriend Ryan have moved to Longyearbyen, the worlds northern most city after Ryan got a fellowship monitoring polar bears. She suffers terribly from anxiety and is struggling to find her feet. Her mother died when she was young and shes troubled by the fact she cant remember her childhood.

She gets a job as a cook and is tasked to make curry. Her mother never taught her to cook Indian dishes. But she finds a recipe and gives it a go. While shes eating it she get flashbacks to her childhood. It was her mothers recipe.

She feels doesn't quite 'fit in', shes not British enough, not Indian enough. I guess most people can relate, the feeling of being judged without a person really getting to know a you and to have a snapshot decision made.

A trip to her fathers wedding in India gives her more questions than answers and more flashbacks and lots more recipes. She finally gets a chance to learn about Indian food. The contrasts between the two countries was so wide. I thought it was quite sad that her mothers mental health had been almost airbrushed out of her memories and her father didn't tell her anything.

The storyline does have some darkness and is quite sad but its also uplifting and heart-warming as Maya goes on an incredible journey.

Moving to the Arctic with her boyfriend seems just like one of those crazy life-changing things a girl should do when she’s in love.

For Maya, the 24-hour darkness, sub-zero temperatures and lack of direction, this is less of an exciting new adventure and more of a combination of crippling loneliness and anxiety.

Determined to prove to her boyfriend that she is more than her ‘dark days’, Maya accepts as job as the camp cook for End of the Road Cabins for polar survival classes and day trips in the snow.

When she’s asked to make a warm and spicy curry, Maya discovers Indian food is sparking memories of growing up in Indian – memories she lost after her mother died when Maya was seven years old.

What I liked: Redd built a cast of sweet but tough characters around Maya. While she is struggling with adapting to the Arctic, with rediscovering her love of Indian cuisine, and learning to cope with the return of strange and confusing memories, they rally around her protectively.

The way Maya processes her anxiety, the support she receives from her family and her new friends, and how she manages all the massive life changes after her move, make Maya a very strong, resilient character that audiences can relate to. Her panic and anxiety can overwhelm her but she’s found methods for coping that bring the terror down a notch so she can function.

‘For my whole life I had been looking for home. But why would that be in a place that I’d left? Perhaps I had to keep moving forward in order to find it…’

Mikkel, Adam, Rita, Jobin and Uma are new people in Maya’s life but they are incredibly kind and thoughtful people that smooth the road ahead for Maya – sometimes by pushing her when she needs to build her momentum and sometimes by offering her a place to unwind, vent or the soft landing we all crave.

What I didn’t like: Some of the descriptions of Maya felt a little unkind. She is described as a pear shaped woman, voluptuous with some weight to lose. My issue with these descriptions is they seemed to be added in arbitrarily and don’t really add to the story. The quote is a great example – Redd describes Maya’s size, but I don’t really understand what she is trying to say here. What does the size of her bum have to do with her height sitting down?

He (Ryan) extended his arm and I nestled into his shoulder. My bum’s so big that sitting down we’re similar heights, and it actually hurt my neck a little, but I was reassured by his warmth and solidity.

A lot of the crueller descriptions are narrated by Maya and seem to reflect her anxiety. As Maya comes into her herself, rediscovers her memories of India, of her mother, and develops her own style of curry for the Arctic Curry Club, a lot of those negative descriptions of her body disappear.

Conclusion: This book was so much more than I expected. It explored India, childhood trauma, mental health, relationships and courage – so much more than I expected from the blurb.

The cover and title initially drew me to this book. Reading the blurb tempted me to give it a go, and I'm pleased I did. It didn't turn out to be the book I was expecting, but it was a good read regardless.

Maya finds herself living in the Arctic, having moved there with her partner Ryan who is studying polar bears and the environment. She is a former chef, and meets local resident Mikkel who needs help with cooking at his lodge - hence the Arctic Curry Club is born. How will life in the Arctic turn out for Maya and Ryan? Will things run smoothly?

The descriptions of both the scenery and the food were stunning - I felt like I was tasting the food I was reading about, it was so vivid! The characters were believable and the anxiety that Maya experiences throughout was well handled. I wasn't expecting a story about mental health, but it was sensitively done. Overall, 3.5 stars for me.

Dani Redd is a new author for me, but I loved the beautiful cover, and the general idea, so I gave it a try.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing is really easy to read (even if some of the subject matter isn’t), it flows well. The characters are well written, I really liked Maya. I thought the portrayal of her anxiety came across well.

The setting was great, the snow, and the cabins. I liked the fact that Maya struggled with the cold and darkness, it makes a nice change from all the stories where people love it, and seems more realistic.

I loved all the descriptions of food, I could almost taste some of the dishes. And I liked the fact that, although by the end of the story, Maya was more confident, she still had anxiety.

Overall, this was a great story of self-discovery, friendship, and persisting when times are difficult and uncertain.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

TW: attempted rape of MC’s mother (in flashback), also mentions of suicide, anxiety.

Ok so don't read this book unless you have eaten or are going to eat. You will crave curry for one.
Maya follows her boyfriend to the coldest place on earth. You might think this is romantic but it soon turns out not to be and she finds the coldest seep into all areas of her life. Never mind, she has her Indian heritage to see her through and she is soon cooking up curries and spicy dishes to help her integrate.

The Arctic setting is stunning if not cold and lonely. The author has really set the scene well and I felt chilly just reading it! I enjoyed discovering the area, getting to know Maya and following her on her story. She feels a high level of anxiety and I identified with many of them which made them all the more real.

This really is a fascinating novel as it's so much more than what you initially think its going to be. Hot spicy and the cold arctic make for one fascinating mix!

This one took me a while to read, I think because of the context of the story. It talks a lot about anxiety and depression and trying to find a way out. I like reading about the culture and the recipes.

This was a surprising and lovely story that inspires a desire to follow our dreams. The deep love of family, food, friends and roots shows in every page. Recipes shown sounded mouth watering. The mental health aspect of the story was introduced with respect and kindness. I'm so happy I discovered a new favorite author. Thank you NetGalley, publisher and author for allowing me to read and review this beautiful and warm story.

3.5 big stars in the Arctic sky! (rounded to 4 stars)

Maya finds herself on a trip to the Arctic accompanying her boyfriend Ryan, uprooting herself from her old life for a new one surrounded by cute winter cabins and romantic Northern lights. What she doesn't expect is the piercing cold and the anxiety that takes over her. However, Maya finds herself using her mom's old recipes to cook up some incredible Indian dishes that earns her friends, comfort and some warmth in the otherwise subzero temperatures.
But the recipes unlock Maya's repressed memories of childhood, and Maya is left with more questions than answers as she slowly comes to terms with the past she's escaped from.

This cover is cute enough to deceive you from the heavy topics discussed within. Don't get me wrong, I am all for discussing tough topics in books, but I expected a trigger warning as this book covered quite a few triggering topics. Anxiety, depression/bipolar disorders, suicide, sexual abuse and substance abuse was discussed in this book.

The way Maya deals with her crippling anxiety is almost relatable. I find myself thinking I'd do the same when presented with new unfamiliar scenarios, and the way she starts overthinking reminds me of days when I spiral thinking up of all the worst case scenarios.

Maya was a well written character and her journey of self discovery was simply inspiring. Even though I'm a lover of romance, I'm glad Maya didn't get her HEA with another character, but instead found her HEA within herself. The way the epilogue ended was realistic as her anxiety is still seen but she has better reign over her irrational thoughts than before.

I felt myself bond with all the side characters the way she did and I found myself actually nervous about Mikkel's health and annoyed at 2 people in the Arctic that cannot be named, lest I spoil the novel. The atmosphere probably put me off from experiencing snow for a while though.

I can't believe this is the author's debut book, and I can't wait to pick up whatever she writes next. I don't mind a spin off from Rita's POV because after Maya, she was my favourite character and I'd love to see her as the main character in a book someday.

Sincerely grateful to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and Dani Redd for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Firstly, this is a great example of not judging a book by its cover! I mean, it is a stunning cover of course but it fits a specific genre idea and actually, there are some (good) hidden surprises within the storyline of this novel that tip this into writing that spans several genres.

It’s well researched, drawing upon the Authors own experiences of the Arctic and Indian Cuisine (as well as the other themes within the book), to make this very authentic. You’ll want to create some recipes after this, perhaps even some from the book (thank you Avon for sending us one to try!). You might also have a yearning for a frosty, chilly adventure to the Arctic… who knows.

I really liked the characters, flaws and all. There was a very realistic, honest and sometimes raw accountability within the pages of the book and I loved that. I also had to remind myself that it’s a debut. It’s written with a style that seems comfortable and at ease.

I would describe this book as cosy, comforting and a brilliant escape. At the same time it’s more than just those things, but you’ll have to read it to find out more…

I wanted to love this. There are so many interesting components, including cooking, mental health, bicultural alienation, but the main character is so unlikeable. I kept waiting for her to blossom, and she did eventually change, but her base level was so awful she never really arrived to becoming a person I wanted to root for. There is also a tendency to jump from scene to scene, which works well in television, but was jarring as a reader.

This is such an amazing book. The writing is great and all the character were so realistic. It dealt heavily with anxiety, depression and trauma, and so it was a bit heavy at times, but Maya is such a great main character that seeing her finally come into her own was amazing.

Maybe 3.5 stars.
I wanted to love this book, but I did not. It was okay.
It is about an Indian-British woman who follows her boyfriend to Svalbard. He is working on a doctoral research project and she was trained as a chef. Unfortunately, she also has problems with depression and memory suppression from her childhood. This woman is so bogged down with issues as to be unlikeable. I did not enjoy reading about her. She was a bummer. She did not like Svalbard and she made herself and her boyfriend miserable. She apparently accompanied him there because she lacked the self-confidence to say "no".
In Svalbard, she started to have flashbacks from her childhood. The suppressed memories and what actually happened to her mother were both so obvious, I don't know how the character could not have figured it out for herself. If she had, there would have been no story. Once she started to resolve her issues, which included making major changes in her lifestyle, some of which was forced upon her, she became a more likeable and self-reliant person. Hence, the objective of the story. This woman sorted herself out in the Arctic. I enjoyed this part of the novel.
Unfortunately, the author included what felt like a completely unnecessary disaster toward the end of the novel. Sometimes authors add too much conflict. It becomes burdensome for the reader. I was ready for a happy ending, and then everything literally caught on fire and burned to the frozen ground. It seemed to serve no purpose in the plot other than to throw some more tragedy at the characters.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Another lovely book from Netgallety, thank you. Maya is a very sensitive girl and spends a lot of her life being anxious. She feels she does not fit into Indian or British shoes and this is something she wants to get to grips with. Her mother was Indian and her father British. She came back to the UK as a child as her mother had passed away. Her father was very protective which led possibly to her anxiety. Maya follows her partner to The Arctic, he studying polar bears. She does feel that this is a good decision to be with Ryan but things do not go according to plan. She finds the permanent darkness and the freezing weather a problem and does not to out far. This causes her anxiety to heighten and she becomes quite lonely and Ryan does not understand and puts her down in his way. Ryan is not particularly supportive which becomes a problem. Her father tells Maya that he is to marry again in India and asks her to travel to the wedding which is over Christmas. She obviously goes but it opens her to flashbacks of memory which she cannot understand. She eventually finds out the manner of her mother’s death was not as she expected and this causes a rift between her father and herself. Her father’s new bride was part of the group that her mum mixed with and tries very hard to not have to tell Maya the reason for her mum’s depression. Maya arrives back to the Arctic and is confronted by something which devastates her. She moves to cabins and is asked to help with the cooking for the guests who visit to dog sled etc. She finds it very difficult and the permanent darkness is draining. Eventually she gets used to the change and as her father’s new wife gave her a handwritten recipe book which was collated by her mother she decides to start The Arctic Curry Club. Life continues with ups and downs and she settles into life including frightening off a polar bear. Rita who is helping with the cooking can shoot a gun and fires away from the bear to get it to leave. There is a fire at the camp and Maya decides to travel back to India but misses the life in the Arctic and decides to go back as a chef in the newest hotel in the town. This book treats anxiety and depression with a sensitivity and understanding. Really enjoyed the story and hope to read more from this author in the future

It was the title that attracted me to this before anything else! I mean …. you don’t really imagine the words ‘arctic’ and ‘curry’ as being comfortable bedfellows, do you? So I was intrigued to find out just what was going on here.
The story revolves around Maya, a young woman without a lot of self confidence or self-awareness. Having mixed Indian and British parentage, but being brought up mainly in England by her father after her mother passes away in India when she’s just 7 years old, Maya has never quite known where she belongs. So when her boyfriend Ryan is offered the opportunity of his dreams, monitoring polar bears in the Arctic, without much thought, she says she’ll go with him. She feels like she’s ‘someone when she’s part of a couple and isn’t sure what she’ll do if he leaves and she stays behind.

But Maya has no idea what she’s getting herself into. This is Ryan’s dream, not hers, and as much as he tries to prepare her for the Arctic, it’s impossible to know what it’s like until you’re actually there, Maya is shocked at the unrelenting darkness that prevails for the duration of winter, and absolutely nothing can shield her from the continually invasive, inescapable, icy cold. It doesn’t take long before the anxiety that Maya has lived with for most of her life starts to get the better of her and for her to start withdrawing into herself and retreating from Ryan. She’s unable to participate in the activities he seems to be enjoying, which are quite athletic and mostly outdoors-y, and he comes across as extremely selfish and self-absorbed. There were more than a few times when I was tempted to run him over with a bobsled!

During a trip to Bangalore to attend the wedding of her father to her late mother’s best friend, Maya’s anxiety remains, threatening to overwhelm her, even though she does her best not to show her father how unsettled she’s feeling. She really wants to enjoy the time she spends there with him and wants to get to know his new wife as she only has very vague memories of her from when her mother was alive. However, during her visit she becomes extremely disturbed and upset, realizing that there are most definitely some secrets that are being kept from her, many of which have to do with her mother’s death. She leaves Bangalore on bad terms with her father, anxious to return to a place that isn’t even home and feeling even more displaced than ever.

What transpires on Maya’s return is where the story truly comes alive! Don’t be fooled into thinking that this is a light, frothy read about someone who moves to a new place and enjoys cooking her mom’s recipes! This is a story of many layers, dealing with many complex, relevant issues: toxic relationships, narcissism, mental illness, anxiety, depression, self-discovery and the way that people react and behave when they feel they’re being constantly judged by others. If anything, it’s a reminder to think before making assumptions about the people we meet and to rather reserve judgement instead of instantly judging harshly and treating people unkindly based on what we don’t know, rather than what we do know!

The author’s descriptions of the arctic conditions are so vivid that the Arctic itself almost becomes like another character. I could almost feel how Maya felt: so isolated and desperate in the smothering darkness, and the relentless, glacial cold. Similarly, with her depiction of Bangalore and the food that Maya started to familarise herself with, I wanted to imagine that I could smell the aroma’s of those dishes wafting under my nose! No wonder I constantly felt hungry!

This is a highly recommended 4 star read. It’s a wonderful book – and difficult to believe it’s a debut from this talented author. I look forward to reading more from her.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. This book will be available from 9 December 2021.

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this one. It just wasn't for me, I could gel with the protagonist.

The storyline of the book was great however the main characters was so irritating and self absorbed that it really spoiled the book for me. I appreciate that she had anxiety and that this is of course very serious however she was so selfish and seemed completely happy to bulldoze other people's feelings , the chapter where she telephoned her step mother at an Ashram citing a family emergency being prime example, she seemed completely unaware of the suffering of her father and stepmother

This was a wonderful story. At first glance I thought it was going to be a nice fluffy read but although it was super cosy it addresses some hard hitting topics in a sensitive and respectable manner.

This had the cutest cover, so I was expecting a lovely fluffy story, but it actually was much deeper than I had expected.

What I enjoyed most about the book, was that inspired me to research the two places its set in. Longyearbyen and Bangalore could not be more opposite, some may say...polar opposites (see what I did there?) and that was what made the story quite unique. I knew very little about both places, so it was wonderful to learn a little through the book that is founded on Dani Redd's personal experiences. I love the idea of going off grid and discovering yourself in such a fascinating place as Longyearbyen, but know it would be FAR to cold for me.

There were some really exciting moments (polar bear in the kitchen, need I say more), as well as one very special little character who plays a very important role a bit later in the story. It also made me extremely hungry, as you can expect from the title, there is a whole lot of cooking throughout the book.

Some heavy subject matters do grace the pages, which I wasn't expecting at all. Some explicitly spelled out, and others that are a little more subtle. Certainly worth checking content warnings before reading. Overall a fairly enjoyable read, I felt as though there was something slightly lacking that I can't quite put my finger on, but for me it was a 3.5 star read.

What a lovely, cosy, snuggle-down under the blankets kind of read this was, perfect for cheering these darker, cold winter days. I loved Maya, and her anxious brain, who despite the fear and dread of doing something so utterly terrifying, follows her heart and her boyfriend to Svalbard to live; her angst, bravery, humour, and warmth just leapt off the page. The juxtaposition of her other world, when she travels to India, with all its colour and light, sparkled against the dark and ice of the Arctic, and I was transported between the two extremes. And as for the food, I don’t think I’ve ever craved curry so much in my life (maybe not the seal ribs though)! If you’re looking for some pure escapism, with a beautifully crafted tinge of reality and sadness, something festive but not Christmassy, then wrap up warm, order that spicy takeaway and join Maya in Svalbard (just watch out for the polar bears!).