Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath, which is an emotional story about how to overcome loss and grief.

Kate, was enjoying her life, her job as a teacher and being a wife. One day something happens to her husband and she is now a widow.

After three years, she leaves her job as a teacher to begin a new life. She feels guilty and relies on her neighbours help and support.

She realises that they too are dealing with their own issues, together they begin to overcome the grief they feel.

The book made me laugh, cry and smile. The characters were lovely and the story very well written.

I highly recommend this book.

The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Kate Shaw’s life changed forever. Three years, two weeks and one day that Kate has been angry – with herself and life.

But today is different. Different because Kate has finally taken the step she’s been avoiding…back into the kitchen. Now, what begins as a (disastrous) attempt to make pancakes becomes a culinary journey that is not only a love letter to someone so important to her, but also an unexpected means of connection to a community she never knew she had…

My Opinion

I would like to start my review by pointing out that this book is full of recipes, I haven't tried any of them though. With the way that the book started I had a feeling this this was going to be quite a sad book, but I was pleasantly surprised. In fact this shows how food can help a person heal, whilst also bringing together a community.

I wouldn't recommend reading this book whilst you are hungry - it will have you reaching for snacks. This was a gentle book, that is definitely worth having a read.

Rating 4/5

Feel like I’ve had my heart wring out a bit. Not my usual genre but a really good read and sad and happy and all things in between.

My goodness, this was an emotional one – there’s certainly a good measure of grief, loss and heartbreak – but it was also one of the most joyous and uplifting books I’ve read in quite a long time. And while there’s no doubt you’ll be needing the tissues at times, it’s a beautifully told story of intergenerational friendship and support, coming to terms with the mistakes of the past, and with a little gentle romance along the way. Ah yes, and scones – I really have to mention the scones!

Three years after a devastating loss, Kate gives up her job as a teacher and wants to take her life in a different direction – but has no idea what it should be. Standing in the kitchen that had never felt like a place she belonged, and finding herself feeling particularly alone, she tries to make the pancakes that she’s always associated with comfort and love – only for her attempts to turn to disaster. Until she’s interrupted by a knock on the door – to find Charles, elderly and confused (well, perhaps…), who remembers that her home was once a tearoom and is hoping to revisit his fond memories and enjoy a cuppa and a scone.

That encounter proves to be the turning point in Kate’s life. Charles’ wife Mary can’t bake any more but can certainly show Kate how to make best use of her grandmother’s recipe book; neighbour Della loves gardening, and Kate could really do with some help with hers after the years of neglect. And then there’s Jack, newly moved in nearby – but he seems a touch arrogant and standoffish, and really gets her back up on their first unfortunate encounter. But they all have their own sad stories, slowly revealed – and as Kate grows slowly more comfortable in the kitchen, provide the kind of friendship, support and love she’s been lacking for so long in her life.

All the characters in this lovely book are just so beautifully drawn, their stories told from their own perspectives, with a smoothness to every transition that means you hardly notice and are inexorably drawn into their lives. Kate’s deep sense of loss is something you really feel, your heart filling up as she follows her emotional journey and very slowly finds her path to healing. And then there’s Charles and Mary and their enduring lifelong love affair, a source of joy for everyone – and the reasons they each have in their hearts for being grateful for the new friendships being forged. Abandoned by her husband, shared bacon butties pave the way for Della to share her secrets and find the courage to look to the future – with Clint, her wayward new puppy, helping cement her new friendships while creating chaos along the way. And Jack? He has his own reasons for being a little slower to join in, his life having rather fallen apart with the loss of his fame and career having happened so cruelly and unexpectedly.

Emotionally, I thought the whole book was absolutely perfect – yes, there are plenty of tears along the way, but that’s only because you feel so invested in and really care about these very real people, and can’t help hurting when they do. But there was plenty that made me smile too, and it really is a book overflowing with love, a sense of belonging, and real hope for the future – with a quite exceptional level of warmth, as they all face up to their different challenges, but no longer alone. There’s also the loveliest focus on the healing powers of food and people cooking together, with recipes interspersed in the narrative – which might sound strange, but it honestly works so very well. And there’s a lot around memories too – the special ones, the really good times, but also the others laced with guilt or grief as they’re slowly displaced by new ones and the possibility of future happiness.

Just gorgeous in every way – this was a book I so enjoyed, and would very much recommend to others.

(Review also copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

What a delightful novel! I thoroughly enjoyed THE SECRET INGREDIENT. I expected a sweet storyline with delicious food references and I got that for sure. What I didn't necessarily expect was a healthy dose of humor - what a nice surprise! I very rarely laugh out out loud at what I'm reading, but I found myself doing just that. Katie is a sweetheart of a character, and I love how the author crafted her storyline. The pacing is nicely done and should keep readers turning the pages. I also admired how the author treated the issue of fear, which is something we all struggle with in one way or another (fear of failure, etc.).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are 100% my own.

When you think of food what do you think of? As for myself, I think of love. It doesn't have to be a romantic love, but it could be. Preparing food for someone is an extension of love, showing how much we care about them. We prepare for people that are sick, for celebrations in happy times, funerals in sad times, a romantic date to impress, our family. All extensions of love and caring.
After an unexpected life changing event Kate Shaw is tired of life passing her by. Through food cooking, gathering recipes the community comes together. This awakening Kate has that there is life to be lived once again is beautiful. She discovers her neighbors and realizes she has an unexpected connection to them. Her association with these neighbors is as enriching for them as it is to her. Sweet memories are made, and new friendships are formed through a love of food. The book is gentle and kind and brings an awareness of wanting to move forward, indulge in a little self-care and just to be kind and do what you can to help others. Highly recommended!

Pub Date 18 Jan 2024
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

“The Secret Ingredient” is a beautifully written story about community, intergenerational friendships, love, loss, guilt and the magic of food bringing people together, where every taste holds meaning and memories.

I loved reading this book. I was completely absorbed in Kate’s story, widowed at young age, lost in feelings of guilt and sadness that she has buried through keeping busy and aloof. Meanwhile, her elderly neighbours Charles and Mary have kept an eye on her in the knowledge that her husband Eddie, would’ve wanted to see her flourish and move on. Charles had a plan, one that sees Kate learning to bake and cook to share her food and open her heart to those around her. It isn’t just Kate who is dragged into these plans nor is it just Kate who finds lasting friendships and love in the neighbourhood.

The book begins with the sudden death of Eddie and Mary herself has a terminal illness. This means that although light in parts, it very much covers aspects of life that are hard to face. I appreciated the fact that difficult subjects were not glossed over. I laughed, smiled and wept throughout.

A delightful addition to the narrative are recipes that mean things to the different characters sprinkled throughout the book - so much so that I could feel my mouth watering and almost smell them as their creation is described

I thoroughly recommend “The Secret Ingredient” but be sure to keep your tissues nearby, oven preheated and your recipe books primed to be updated with new delights.

I was pulled straight into this story and was invested from the opening pages. Kate was living the perfect life. She was confident in her life choices and loved her forever home. Until she didn’t. I must say, the life-altering incident caught me slightly off-guard and left me wondering how she would recover.
Fast forward, as the synopsis tells us, three years, two weeks and one day, Kate is still reeling from her altered situation but determined to make a change. Something as simple as a pancake starts a series of events that will change not just her life, but the fabric of the local community.
There is a compelling supporting cast that adds to the carefully crafted sense of community. A chef with no sense of taste or smell. A woman who has been dumped by her husband, a quiet unassuming single man, and a gorgeous elderly couple who are like the glue holding the whole book together.
This couple were by far my favourite characters. As their love story came out, it felt like a warm blanket being wrapped around those facing hardship. Seeing enduring love in the face of life’s challenges provides hope for a better future.
Kate is strengthened by her easy friendship with first Charles and then his wife, Mary. Her desire to master the art of cooking is supported by the entire community, but it’s Mary’s knowledge and Della’s friendship that provide some wind beneath her fledgling wings.
This story is touching and relatable in equal measure, with beautifully developed characters who each added their own secret ingredient to this delicious recipe for life.

The Secret Ingredient is just the most beautiful story filled with grace and kindness. It’s about friendship, loss and the coming together of people through companionship and recipes from their pasts. It’s about heartbreaking pain and how with the help of others even though there is darkness, you can get to the light. In more ways than one.

Kate Shaw’s life changed in the blink of an eye. Now, three years later, with the grief and guilt still overwhelming her, she decides to quit her job as a teacher and do something else. Not sure what, she just knows she as to do something to stop her life from spiraling out of control. Not very close to her mother, she carries her burdens alone. In the dark. With no comfort.

But that suddenly changes when an elderly man named Charles knocks on her door. He tells her the story of how her home use to be a bakery of sorts with tea and he and his wife Mary used to go there. He tells her his wife is ill and the one thing he thinks will help her are the scones which came from this bakery. Now, Kate not only does not cook, although her grandmother did and she still has her recipe book, but the thought of any kind of cooking breaks her heart.

But Charles convinces Kate that Mary would so much appreciate the scones that she could help her make them. In the meantime, as Kate is looking around her neighborhood, which while working she really never did, or never wanted to do, she meets another person, Della who loves to garden. Della offers to help Kate with her gardens which have been neglected. In return, Kate invites her to the tea to try the scones. Della is divorced and lonely, but her dog is everything to her. Of course, she jumps at the chance. Then there is Jack, who himself was a famous restaurant owner/chef who gave everything up. You see, Jack has lost his mojo and by mojo, his sense of taste. Without that, he has nothing. Or so he thinks.

And those my friends are the wonderfully charming characters you will learn to love and care about, even if you say you won’t. It’s about opening up about fears, pasts, guilts and losses. It’s about a group of unknowns who meet and through the love of eating, cooking and memories begin to bond and grow in strength separately and together. My friends, it’s about love.

Each person brings something to the table as they not only share meals but share themselves with the others. Every person has their own special secret ingredient in life. Sometimes if your very lucky you will find others whose ingredients will combine with yours and you will find true happiness in your life too.

Thank you #NetGalley #OneMoreChapter #SueHeath #TheSecretIngredient for the advanced copy.

This was another emotional read for me. It focuses primarily on Kate, whose husband dies unexpectedly, and how she and her neighbours, also bound by various types of grief, learn to move on again in this delightful book of recovery and recipes.

Told from each person’s point of view, we come in contact with how each of them is navigating through the missing pieces of their lives.

I love how candid and raw this was. It was a bit teary (depending on your sensitivity) as the author weaved the plot in such a way that you cannot help but feel some of the emotions and pains of the characters.

It celebrates friendship, love and food. I will be trying some of the various recipes sprinkled throughout the book, except Skip’s liver cakes.

There were interjections from minor characters and highlighting the plight of long COVID sufferers is a plus for me.

If you enjoy fiction laced with strands of romance and a dash of older protagonists then you will enjoy this.

I received an advanced copy via NetGalley and the review is mine and voluntary.

A book that requires a box of tissues by your side and a cupboard full of ingredients because it's one to make you cry and get into the kitchen to bake.
With a wonderful cast of characters with their own quirks and past, favourite bakes and meddling brings them together. This is a book about grief, community, acceptance but mainly love. I loved it from start to finish and ready to start my own recipe book.

Kate had a perfect life, working as a teacher and her husband Eddie loved to cook.
Kate has a secret that she fails to share with Eddie.
I loved the way Kate’s neighbours get involved in her life. This was about grief, secrets and memories. It was a pleasure to read.
Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for a chance to read and review this e-book.

This is a sweet (pun intended) book about found family and friendship. There are things I liked about the book and things I didn't.

It's the story of Kate, whose husband Eddie is a fantastic cook, but then tragedy strikes and three years later she is alone and at a loss in the world. She quits her teaching job and begins to rebuild her life and she finds herself connecting with her neighbors and they each provide the others with hope and friendship.

I loved everything about the cooking and baking parts of this book. It was heartwarming and fun to see how our memories and our experiences are shaped by certain foods and how sharing those can bring others inside of our circles. I appreciated Kate's struggles to feel like she could move on and her struggles with reconciling her past with her future.

What I had issues with were that some of the things were just glossed over and "solved" either off the page or with no fanfare at all. David's daughter's issues were maybe? resolved in a way that felt totally unrealistic, and with all of the dwelling Kate did about her past with her mom it all wrapped up super quickly as well. It was like the entire book was a slow lead up and then bam! everything is resolved and over in a few pages.

Just a warning, there's some mention of Covid which could be potentially a problem for some.

Overall this is a sweet book with yummy food and family, but it just fell a little short with plot development. Maybe too many characters with too many issues to resolve in such a short tale.

I was sent a copy of The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath to read and review by NetGalley. I’m afraid this novel didn’t warrant much more than three stars from me. While the writing was passable and some of the recipes throughout the book were quite enticing I felt that I knew what was going to happen every step of the way. The author did tackle some serious subjects but I felt that the story was overly romantic and rather predictable. A easy holiday read but having said that I think it could have been quite a bit shorter.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this eCopy to review

A heart warming story of how Kate learns how to live again following the death of her husband. She connects to a new community through her baking, making new friends and is able to open up her heart to love again.

Full of well developed characters and beautiful writing which was very emotional at times, and I love it when there are recipes included!

This was a new author for me and I have to say I really enjoyed this novel. It’s a heartwarming tale of love, friendship and new beginnings. There are some sadder parts but it’s all wrapped up into a wonderful book interspersed with some great recipes. This is a novel I would highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK One More Chapter and the author for the chance to review.

This took me a little longer to read. Not because it was hard to get into, but because I had to keep putting the book down to process my feelings. This book touched my heart in so many ways, through sad moments, happy baking memories and thoughts of what ifs and what’s to come. 

Mary and Charles. I automatically touch my hand to my heart when I think of their story. So much love and so much history between those two. When Charles wandered into Kate’s house with memories of his first date with Mary at the tea room- I was in tears from the get go. Although more tears were shed by the end of the book as well! The love between Charles and Mary was the backbone for this whole book.

Strong Della who built up her confidence and her gumption. I adored her friendship with Kate and I never stopped rooting for her.

Kate. A young widow who learns to restart everything- life, love, cooking, friendships. Between Eddie's cookbook, her grandmother's recipe book and every recipe that her newfound friends added, I was utterly caught up in her story of moving on without her husband and the loss of their future together. However, I was fully rooting for her budding flirtation with Jack, a tortured soul who knows about loss and a love of cooking himself.

This book was a beautiful example of how food can bring people together, as can love. I also very much appreciated the recipes and side notes every time a character made something!

Food can do more than just nourish our bodies. It brings people together, heal wounds, make us remember the past and look forward to tomorrow.
The Secret Ingredient is a book that celebrates food, relationships, friendships, ways to cope with loss and having hopes. I

The book is like a warm hug on a day that one needs it the most!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

There were things I liked about this book and some I didn’t.

It’s a book about starting over and opening up to new people and new experiences. I loved the concept of the book.

Kates new husband dies tragically and unexpectedly in an accident. She feels a lot of remorse and guilt with her grief. 3 years later she decides to quit her teaching job and start a new life. She connects with the neighborhood.

I loved the beginning of the book. I thought the characters had depth and I enjoyed getting to know them. As the book progressed I lost interest. There were a few issues I had. First the book is a little unrealistic for me. I couldn’t figure out why a 35 year old teacher would leave her steady job to do what? Nothing? She has no kids or husband. It makes no sense to me. She is living like she’s 60. I understand taking some time off to reflect and grieve but it seems she has no actual plan or purpose besides baking. Another thing is that as a teacher you would be surrounded by like minded young professionals. It seems like the perfect place to make some friends. Honestly cutting yourself off from society is a recipe for disaster and a pipe dream.

I also found it odd that Jack would just sell his restaurant because he got Covid. It felt unrealistic. Yes it’s unfortunate you have Covid and cannot taste food but you are running a successful restaurant. Hire someone to help you. The plot seems a little far fetched for me. The book is character driven but it slows down and there isn’t a lot of forward momentum. I was a little bored in the middle. If you love a slow paced sweet book that centers around cooking this might be for you.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

What a stunning cover !
What a wonderful read !

I so loved this. Possibly my favourite recent read

So recommended