A little sad for a holiday novel. The beginning of the book rips your heart out. Not my favorite book by this author, I’m sorry to say. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early read.

“The Recipe for Hope” by Fiona Valpy is the final book in a series, however this book can be read as a stand-alone. This book is being reissued, as it was originally published in 2015 under a different title. I found this book to be the weakest of the trilogy, which I found disappointing as the first two books were decent reads. Evie’s story about overcoming the stillbirth of her daughter (and break-up of her marriage) was so deep and encompassing that while “hope” might’ve been the theme for the book, the hope seemed in some places a bit Hallmark Christmas movie-like. Evie’s ex may not have been a good fit with her, but he seemed to be broadly painted as “I’m a shallow bad guy” that his character didn’t work for me - even when causing drama. I did like the Author’s Note giving more information about Doctor’s Without Borders. I found this story okay. I think it would make a good Hallmark Christmas movie, but having never actually seen one of those movies I’m making an assumption.

With grateful thanks I've read this book a few years ago excellent story .
Very dissatisfied that it's got a new name giv3s readers false hope.

I’ve just finished this wonderful novel with tears streaming down my face. Happy/sad tears, it’s such a moving story with the perfect ending and quite inspirational. I love all Fiona Valpy’s books and this certainly hasn’t disappointed, it’s the 3rd in a series but can be read as a stand alone. My only regret is that I’m reading it in the height of summer, it’s such a perfect Christmas book, definitely one to curl up with in a cold winters day…you won’t want to put it down.

Thank you to the author, publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review, it’s been a huge pleasure!

I received an ARC of, The Recipe for Hope by, Fiona Valpy. Evie has mot had an easy life, leaving her husband, and starting over, is where we find her in this book. Can she risk it, and fall in love again?

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the eARC.
Evie has had a traumatic couple of events: she lost her stillborn baby and her husband has left her. Not at all in the mood for Christmas, she escapes to a friend's cottage in France. There she can slowly find some piece and also meets a very handsome doctor. So far, so good.
There's a cheeky pig who comes into her garden to steal apples, which I thought was so sweet... until I realized the pig was going to be slaughtered and Evie was going to help with the preparation. Call me a wimp, but even though I live in the country, I became a vegetarian 30 years ago and I couldn't read any further. Sorry!

Reeling from the tragedy of a stillbirth and the resultant failing of her marriage Evie escapes Christmas to stay in rural France. There she finds kind and helpful neighbours who can help heal her grieving heart.
A lovely heartwarming quick read

Rating: 2.0/5

Firstly, I would like to draw the attention of prospective readers to the fact that this book was originally published in 2014 under the title "The French for Christmas", so please do not be under the misapprehension that this is new material from the author.

This quick read tells the story of Evie, a London-based American lady who has become estranged from her celebrity chef husband, following on from experiencing the traumatic stillbirth of their daughter. As Christmas approaches, Evie has no desire to celebrate and wants to simply escape and pretend it isn't even happening. Following a friend's suggestion, she decides to spend the period in a remote part of France. Formerly no mean operator in the kitchen herself, Evie has lost her culinary mojo, but it is about to be rekindled during her trip to the Dordogne ... and that is not the only thing that will we reawakened during her visit.

I find Fiona Valpy's work quite frustrating. Every book I have read by her to date has contained ample amounts of promise, but without that potential being fulfilled. "The Recipe for Hope" is no exception. Although there is much to appreciate in the quality of Fiona Valpy's writing, it is too often a case of style over substance that leaves me with a sense of not feeling satisfied.

The setting for this is fine and is nicely drawn by the author. The characters, too, are not without appeal, and the predicaments they find themselves faced with offer up the potential for some heartrending drama ... but it never quite gets to that point, because it is all a bit superficial. Consequently, there is also no real sense of an uplifting experience as a result of triumph in the face of adversity. Instead, it errs too much on the side of being sickly sweet and hard to swallow.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

The Recipe for Hope by Fiona Happy

Evie’s running away: from her soon-to-be ex-husband’s shiny new life, from the devastating loss of her baby last year, from a memory-filled London and, most particularly, from Christmas. A remote cottage in the South of France seems like the perfect peaceful place to soothe her sorrows.

A perfect title for a winter's evening in front of a roaring fire.

I was really rooting for Evie and hoped her new life in France was going to work out for her. Lovely story , great plot , fantastic characters.
Fiona Valpy at her best.

A heartwarming quick read …. which seems very familiar (I believe it might of been released under a different name some years ago) To escape after what can only be deceived as a truly dreadful year, Evie takes advantage of a friends offer and heads off to a cottage in the French countryside for the Christmas period. It’s a lovely book full of hope and elements of sadness too

Evie’s life has fallen in around her. The loss of her marriage and her unborn child have her searching for a new beginning. A cottage in a remote village in France seems like the perfect place to lick her wounds and lie low during Christmas, a time she used to love but now dreads. But instead of finding solitude, Evie finds a village full of noisy animals and a handsome and charming neighbor. What starts as an escape from her past becomes a pathway to a new and promising future. This is a lovely story that will give a much needed boost to those weary of inflation and pandemic woes

This is a fast, fun, holiday read. We get to hang out with old friends and find the miracle of Christmas.

Love the title. The characters are quirky and fun and come alive on the pages. The author writes a quick read. The book was sent to me by Netgalley for review. Enjoy

This is one I already read back in 2015 under the title of <i>The French For Christmas</i>. This heartwarming story introduces us to Evie Brooke, a woman carrying immense emotional pain after the stillborn birth of her daughter a year ago, the loss of her marriage and her beloved bistro. The last thing she wants is to get dragged into the revelry of the Christmas holiday. When her best friends offer Evie the use of their cottage in the French countryside, Evie accepts their offer in the hope that this will be the perfect opportunity to avoid the holiday and the reminders of all she has lost.

I loved this story. My heart broke for everything Evie has gone through and I felt a deep empathy for her continued struggle to come to terms with everything. I applauded her choice to try something new instead of burying herself in her flat and hiding from everyone. I thought agreeing to go to France was a brave decision and braver, still, was her willingness to reach out to others, her sister, about to give birth to her own child, her parents, her estranged husband, her friends and her new neighbors in France. She could have stayed hidden in the cottage and became a hermit, but she didn’t and that made this story so beautiful. She even participates in helping a mare birth her foal.

This story also had some very humorous scenes involving a pig running loose and meeting the handsome Doctor Didier for the first time. Laughter through tears is very therapeutic and I loved how these new experiences begin to bring Evie out of her shell. Add in wonderful food and the love of family and friends and a Christmas miracle is born. I highly recommend this book if you like stories of love, healing, forgiveness and new beginnings.