I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Soup Club is not just a recipe book for 80 delicious plant-based soups but is also a memoir about how this book came to be.
Caroline Wright was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2017 and her friends rallied around her ensuring she had meals to eat. They made delicious, homemade soups for her to help with her recovery. Caroline reciprocated their kindness and support by forming a soup Club and sending deliveries of these delicious soups to her friends. And how delicious they all look and sound! Honestly, my taste buds were tingling throughout this book. The recipes are plant-based and I loved that there were recipes to do in a insta-pot or over the hob in a pan too which ensures you don't have to have any expensive equipment needed. The illustrations of the soup are not photographs but illustrations which was a lovely and unique touch but I think I would have preferred it to be a mix of photographs and illustrations.

Soup Club began from the author's terminal cancer diagnosis. After the her friends delivered homemade soup to her during her illness, she decided to return the favor with a "Soup Club" delivery to her friends' porches. (And now, I not so low-key wish my friends would start a soup delivery club.)

As much a memoir as a cookbook, Soup Club details both the story of the author and her club. The recipes are healthy and plant-based, but the author does suggest some recipes might be good with ingredients such as egg or chicken added if you are so inclined. Personally, I don't use much added salt in my cooking, so I did find that the recipes as presented were a bit salty for my tastes. However, reducing or leaving the salt out all together, doesn't affect the success of the recipes at all. It's nice to see Instapot and stovetop versions of the recipes, as well as salads, breads, and a terrific cookie to accompany your soup. The illustrations of the soup, while not actual photographs, are lovely. I am a huge soup fan, and really enjoyed cooking my way through this collection. I am looking forward to getting a hard copy of this book for my cookbook collection.

I am so grateful to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Soup Club.

There are some great recipes in this book. I look forward to trying even more of them. I enjoyed that there were traditional ways of making the soups as well as instant pot variations. I did find that the recipes I made, would have benefitted from using a broth instead of water. Thanks for the opportunity to review!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I didn't find very many soup recipes that I wanted to try in this cookbook and found that to be disappointing.

Super soups! Such tasty offerings for plant-based soups and stews. Besides delicious recipes, the story of the author and the evolution of the soup club is heart warming! Recommended.

Soup Club is a recipe book that I had really high hopes for as I find the premise to be really touching and inspiring. While I love what this book set out to achieve, it isn't the most exciting book of recipes. The images included in the book are black and white photographs of various people and there is very little focus on showing the actual food. There are some healthy and diverse ideas in the collection, which I really appreciate, but there is no real "wow" factor here. That being said, I am sure that this will be a cookbook that some will appreciate and enjoy.

Soup Club by Caroline Wright
80 Cozy Recipes for Creative Plant-Based Soups and Stews to Share

Soup has been said to heal and is thought to contain properties that strengthen the body. As I read about the author of this book and how soup became a big part of her life, I began to think about not only the ingredients that are prepared, measured perfectly, and cooked according to directions but also spent some time thinking about what else might go into the pot besides the ingredients. Perhaps it is possible to add not only spice that adds flavor but also a dollop or more of positive energy some might refer to as kitchen witchery or prayer thus imbuing the final product with even more healing potential. If so, then it is my guess that the many soup gifts that arrived on this author’s doorstep were probably a great addition to the medical treatment she received as she dealt with her cancer diagnosis.

What I Liked:
* The personal touch of Caroline’s story and why soup became important to her
* The watercolor illustrations
* The photos of the author and her family
* The reason that soup became important and continues to be important to the author
* That the recipes are all plant based
* The simple precise easy to follow recipe instructions
* That the ingredients are easy to find and common around the world
* That there were also some recipes for bread, salad and a sweet
* That instapot/pressure cooker variations to recipes were provided at the end of the book
* That there were recipes to make seasoning blends used in the recipes
* That though ingredients were sometimes similar the recipes were all different and sounded tasty
* That there was more than one recipe I would like to make

What I didn’t like:
* Not having a hard copy to cook from immediately.
* That nutritional information was not provided…this is one thing that helps me decide whether or not to buy a cookbook.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I like to own this book? Yes
Would I consider buying it to give someone else? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for the ARC- This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

There is nothing better than a warm bowl of delicious soup on a chilly day. (Add a biscuit and I’m in heaven) I love all these recipes. So many new soups (& stews) to try. Plus a few other add ons that will round out a meal. Bonus there are instant pot versions at the back of the book for a quick meal.

Love Soup? Almost everybody does, and especially when cold weather comes around, nothing is better than a warming bowl of good, flavorful soup. Caroline Wright has gone the extra mile in creating amazing soups and has compiled them in her cookbook, Soup Club: 80 Cozy Recipes for Creative Plant-Based Soups and Stews to Share.

This cookbook includes soups with flavors gathered from all over the world. There are soups for everyone here, and even though the recipes are plant based – vegetarian with plenty of vegan - those of us who like meat, fish, and poultry in our soups, they can be easily added. This cookbook, however is a vegetarian’s dream, with enough variety to keep everyone happy.

The recipes are presented in the traditional manner, so they are easy to follow, and many are quick and easy to make. There is a beautiful photograph of each of the soups, which is essential for a good cookbook, as well as charming black and white photos of the author’s family and friends enjoying life. The ingredients are mostly mainstream, and while there are a few that require a trip to the health food aisle in the grocery store, most cooks have what is needed already in their refrigerator crisper or their pantry shelves. The ingredients are mostly healthy, also, so those lucky enough to sample the soups will have that bonus. Beans, pulses, pastas, and different varieties of rice all add body to these excellent soups.

Anyone who loves soup will enjoy this excellent cookbook, and most importantly, it will be used over and over. Highly recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this book and it was perfect for Fall since I love cooking soup. I will definitely be making these and I LOVE how they're Instant Pot friendly so I can use that if I want.

This was a lovely cookbook, complete with illustrations of each soup and black and white photographs of the author and her family. Some of the recipes look like they would be delicious, others have ingredients that might be slightly unfamiliar to everyone. This cookbook, while appealing because who doesn’t love soup, might not be for everyone. It is plant based and as I mentioned, some of the ingredients might not be in everyone’s pantry. It also includes a few recipes for bread and rolls, a couple of salads, a glossary of beans, and it also re-lists all of the recipes at the end in one place for easy reference.

Just in time for fall, the Soup Club cookbook is a ready companion. Beautiful illustrations, stunning black & white photos, and thoughtfully written recipes. I love the advice provided in the introduction section, and appreciate that every single soup recipe written for stovetop cooking has a fully vetted companion recipe for the Instant Pot. Holy cow, that is AMAZING and above and beyond effort, as far as I'm concerned. Well done, Ms. Wright! This is going to be a great resource as we go into soup season and try to have at least 1-2 nights a week where dinner is meatless. Really looking forward to giving these recipes a try!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for this honest review.

While the thought behind this book is hugely recommendable I wish instead of cartoonish pictures we had the actual picture. I also dislike black and white photos but most of the pictures in the book was of the soup club members.

What did I like? I like that in the times of COVID that this was an actual club and the way it helped the author was just charming. I bookmarked two soups to try, a hearty vegetable and black bean. The book is not all soups but had a few bread and cookie recipe. First half of the book is stove top but it also holds instant pot directions. I enjoyed looking through it.

Would I recommend or buy? This would be a fun club to be in. I live in the south and we don’t have many months of cold weather but I enjoy soup. I’d recommend it to people interested in vegetarian type soups.

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review!

There were some really good recipes here . The split pea soup came out great! I like that the author offers Instant Pot cooking options when possible. I only wish there were more photos of the soups. I like to know what the finished product should look like .

This is a wonderful cookbook, and I love the story behind it. I was impressed by the scope of different soup recipes. I own and browse through a lot of cookbooks, and oftentimes I see the same old soup recipes, but this one was full of creative recipes like Egyptian Chickpea and Okra Stew and Split Pea Soup with Roasted Kale. I'm looking forward to trying many of the recipes in this book.

This book is more than a book, it's a work of art, the heart, love and soul of the author, and a beautiful testimony of how life's mysteries and challenges can be turned around and focus on positive change. I will be rereading and mulling this book over, it's descriptions of each recipe, and loving touches by the author, for times to come.

This book does have great soup recipes to reflect and learn from. I love the tips the author has to personalize them and substitute when needed. I also love how she has the original recipes, and "instant pot" alternative recipes with the same basic ingredients and methods.

Please read this. You will learn about cooking and making soups, but you will also learn about tenacity, mindfulness, and maintaining one's passions in the heat of adversity and life struggles.

Thank you for putting your soul into this!

I loved this cookbook! The illustrations were lovely. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but as we are moving from autumn into winter and there are many I'm inspired to try. I use my instant pot almost exclusively, so I was excited to see that the recipes were presented with both stovetop and instant pot instructions.

WAAAAAY too many photos of the Author and her family. Book could have been shorter or included the instant pot instructions along with the original recipe without having it in a separate section. Not an easy book to thumb through and have something catch your attention. The adjustments for an instant pot, however, were a good addition.

This is a healthy and varied recipe book full of heart and health. It was so fascinating to read about how Caroline came to create the book and the recipes within it. It contains a wealth of healthy. vibrant and colourful soups to suit all dietary requirments and tastes.

Pros: It’s football season and there is a hint fall in the air, which to me means it is also soup season! My family loves to gather to watch football and eat a big pot of soup together. Living in Louisiana, we eat a lot of gumbo, so I was interested to be introduced to some new soups in this book because we do not have many plant-based soups in our rotation. I love beans and quinoa as proteins, so I’m excited to incorporate them more into soups and stews. The white bean chili and Catalan chickpea stew sound especially delicious. The bread recipes were an added bonus!

I appreciated how approachable these recipes are for cooks of all skill levels and that the ingredients can be found at any grocery store. One of my other favorite things about this book is that it incorporates flavors from around the world.

Cons: I thought the drawings of the soups/stews were lovely, but I’m wondering if a photograph might be more helpful. I love to have a photograph to compare my attempt to. I also understand that some foods just don’t photograph well, so it’s possible that the illustrations were the best way to represent the food in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book!