. . . ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒ ⭒
At the risk of being too punny, this book had some of my favourite ingredients that exist in a great read for me - intergenerational friendship, chosen family, small town/community coming together, and a little bit of sweet sadness - and I think had I not been so dang busy in my own chaos that forced me to do the pick-up-put-down dance, I would have enjoyed it more. It’s not particularly long, and I think it would have served my enjoyment of it better had I been able to really settle into the read, but alas, this did result in it not hitting as hard as it could have.

Unsurprisingly, I really enjoyed the aspects/tropes that I listed above, with the book certainly delivering in these departments. The intergenerational friendships that existed here, of which there were several, were all done very well, with my favourite being between Kate and Charles.

I often avoid books that rope in the pandemic into their plot, just because I like the escapism of reading, but how it was incorporated into this story was done so perfectly - it wasn’t the star of the show, and it only brought in details that mattered to the story, and in a relatable way.

The only thing from this book that didn’t sit super well with me was surrounding a woman’s desire, or lack thereof, to have children. The three women in this book, Kate, Della, and Mary all discuss this in turn, and it bothered me a bit that given the discussion, there wasn’t space for one of them to not want children, simply because they didn’t. For each character initially it was presented that they themselves just were not interested, but then there seemed to be “reasons” added - like the characters required permission to not want to procreate. I just think it so important to acknowledge, receive, and normalize the reality that there are plenty of women who simply just do not want to have kids - there doesn’t need to be a “why” necessarily; it always seems to be the follow-up question, as if she has to ‘explain herself’, when the answer to the question is answer enough. I’ll get off my soapbox now.

I did absolutely adore all of the attention food got in this book, and especially the concept of cooking/baking as an act of love. Coming from an Italian background, the idea of “food is love” is deeply engrained within me, and how it was featured in this book brought me a lot of joy.

Overall though, this book was sweet and a little bit sad, and I do wish a had been able to read it with less distractions to better appreciate it.

~👩🏻‍🦰

A story about friendship and relationships and communicating within them . Kate is a young widow who has now decided, three years after her husband's death to leave work and come to terms with what has happened. She starts to get to know her neighbours and to learn how to bake with their help. All of the characters have their own problems, but here a problem shared becomes a problem halved.
I liked the characters, the plot was sweet, though a little predictable and the book kept my interest throughout. Advice is sensible, though perhaps in places the problems were quickly dealt with and although it would be nice if the world was like this, I`m not sure that it is. But it is a feel good read and enjoyable, I was not keen on all the recipes in the text , but do understand that food does have personal associations for people so definately get that
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

A cozy and warm read. It's a story of redemption from all other kinds of tragedies in life. The characters were well-developed and realistic in portraying their flaws as human beings. The book also taught me the redeeming and healing powers of love, not only in a romantic sense, but also in other facets and forms of love. So far my first great read from the author.

Thank you to @onemorechapterhc and @harpercollinsuk for the advanced copy of this book via @netgalley 💕

🏠You never know what is happening behind the closed doors of your neighbors. Never know what they are dealing with until… you knock and ask questions. 🚪

This lovely book describes the lives of 5 people of various generations within one neighborhood. Their lives become intertwined when one of them, a seemingly confused and “muddled” old man, knocks on the door of a young widow who is drowning in her grief. What ensues is a heartbreaking and heart warming story of friendship between neighbors and how cooking can heal broken hearts. 💔

👩🏻‍🍳 I love a book with cooking involved but this one was so beautifully written and really tugged at your heart strings. I fell in love with the sweet old Charles and Mary and the young widow, Kate’s pain was palpable. The way the author wrote about her stages of grief felt realistic and genuine. I love when an author evokes those moments of really feeling the characters heart. I think Kate was the most evolved character by the end of the story.

Since the one of the themes was cooking, I made one of the first recipes, “Mother’s recipe for Scones” with an American version of Cornish clotted cream (quicker/shortcut way). They didn’t really look like the scones that I have had before, which were more like biscuits. So maybe I messed something up? Oh well, my family enjoyed them.

This book made me laugh and cry. So emotional and thought provoking I struggled to put it down. Kate has been wrapped up in grief but after meeting neighbour Charles she starts to move on with her life. Each of the fabulous characters all have their own backstories but it is food that is the common thread. The bond between Charles and Mary is so strong and it soon becomes obvious that they are the ones that are instrumental in bringing everyone together. Della is still trying to come to terms with how her marriage ended and Jack is running away from his issues. I don’t really want to say anymore as I don’t want to give anything away! This book is essentially about love, loss, inner strength, community and being brave enough to move on. Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Perfect book for a foodie wanting to get back in the kitchen. A story of loss and regaining. Very character driven book with lots of sad moments and realistic moments of wanting to just have a nicer life.
It even has some recipes you can try yourself but I personally havent (YET).

10/10 would recommend

I liked the idea but the story didn't quite hit the mark for me. Cooking was Eddie's passion but suddenly Kate, who has never cooked at all and struggles with even the most basic recipes, is baking for all the neighbours. A street full of lonely people, people suffering various losses or coping with illness or feeling guilty, all brought together by food. A little drawn out with a lot of introspection and over explaining at times to hammer its message home. A very light easy read with a likeable main character and a fairly predictable ending.

A nice book, but a bit too sweet for me I'm afraid. Everyone seems to be separated by their individual problems initially then suddenly a grieving non baker turned super baker over night solves the streets problems by bringing everyone together over her cakes and biscuits. No I don't think so. A lovely idea and if read at the right time in one's life I'm sure it would resonate but not for me right now.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

A book of loss that will make you cry. A book of endings that will lead to new beginnings. A book of courage and hope that will inspire the reader. The cycle of life--with many tears and many smiles and much love. The book reminded me to be brave, always have hope, and to relish the beauty.
This book is the story of neighbors as they step out of their lives into the uncomfortable and find the missing ingredient in their lives as they all come together.
Cons: Some of the writing was redundant and the book could be a few pages shorter. So, 4 stars.
A shout out to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the digital ARC. This opinion is my own and I was in no way coerced.

Food and loss define this story, which is told from multiple viewpoints and shows how allowing people into your life can help you move on from grief through mutual support. It is a heartbreaking read at times, especially if you can relate to any of the characters' experiences. Still, the emotions are carefully balanced. The humour lightens but doesn't diminish the more poignant moments. I enjoyed the characters, the realistic plot and the balance of heartbreak and heartwarming emotions.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

A street in England full of special residents. Charles and Mary, Kate, Della and Jack, they all have lost something, but they also have something to gain. It is old Charles who manages to get them all together, creating a special friendship, all around cooking and baking and exchanging recipes and experiences.

What a wonderful book, both literally and figuratively. The characters are well developed. By changing perspectives you can look and think along with each of them and their feelings are clear. Everyone has to deal with their own loss that they have to learn to deal with. Feelings of guilt and shame are in every person, but the friendship that arises changes those feelings and allows them to move on.

It is a sweet story with depth. Various themes are discussed, some of which are further elaborated. Grief, illness and loss, for example, are clearly present in the book, while diversity and an eating disorder are mentioned, but remain superficial. It is written in a pleasant writing style and therefore easy to read, especially if English is not your first language.

Beautiful characters full of love and wisdom, but with room for friendship and solidarity. And in addition, the recipes for tasty things that can be found in the book make it a special novel that you close with a good feeling after reading and invite you to cook or bake something.

The secret ingredient is a wonderful novel with loving characters full of friendship, love and good foo

What a beautiful written book. So emotional! I felt it more as I am a recent widow & I felt Kate's pain so much. So many tears cried, but it made me feel hopeful, the writing was that good!
I personally didn't want the recipes in the book, I felt they weren't needed as the story was enough.
Highly recommended read.

📖: The Secret Ingredient
✍️: Sue Heath
⭐️: 2 of 5

I should have paid more attention when requesting because I have a hard time with books from the UK. It's not that I don't enjoy the stories, but I find myself having a hard time with the writing styles, tone, and overall language when reading. I find that audiobooks are much easier for me to digest and enjoy in this situation.
With that being said, I found this to be quite repetitive and slow. To be honest, as soon as Covid was mentioned, I was completely turned off. I'm sick of hearing about it in real life, and I certainly don't want to read about it.

Thank you, NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

Each person's grief is a personal journey. In THE SECRET INGREDIENT, Sue Heath has introduced us to Kate Shaw, a young widow who has allowed her grief to become her life. After 3 years of not facing the world alone, she decides to take a big step and change her routines. The first step.....she's learning to cook and her neighbors are her guinea pigs. Heath paints such a beautiful portrait of this woman as she learns that she can grieve and live at the same time. Heart warming and uplifting.

This a novel that highlights the importance of food, and having a community of people to help heal your from your scars.

Kate met the love of her life Eddie, she got to spend a few years with him, before he was taken from her too soon. Eddie loved to cook for her, and since his death 3 years ago she has avoided the kitchen. Now she is finally ready to find happiness and healing in her life. She enters the kitchen again, and along with that step she finds herself a community in her neighbours she never expected but deeply needed.

This was a deeply emotional story, that I enjoyed thoroughly. Some elements were a little off, but where this novel excelled was in presenting the truly magically power a community brings in life. The story was deeply sad in a lot of ways. It dealt with death, divorce, growing old, grief, among others, and was an emotional roller coaster. The novel had a lot of light moments, and it a satisfying but bittersweet ending. The recipes included throughout the book were a wonderful touch. Overall a fantastic book.

Wow sometimes you pick up a book and it’s just the kind of story you need to restore your faith in humanity and that was this one. This is a beautiful book about a group of people who all need people in their lives to help them navigate the road ahead. These neighbours who start with nothing in common apart from loss come together to build a friendship that warmed my heart. Don’t get me wrong this book will make you cry but also laugh out loud and very hungry. I won’t spoil this for anyone but if you want a really good feel good tearjerker about real friendship even after the worst has happened then this is the book for you and if you want a really sweet recipe for a pineapple upside down cake this is also for you (I’m going to make one next weekend). This is one of those books that doesn’t leave you even after the last page.

Let me start with the positives.
Great recipes, great heart, great warmth.
If you are looking for a light, heartwarming story wrapped up in a recipe book then you will be a very happy bunny when you read
The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath.
The characters are kind, loving and very sweet. Even the one who is meant to be a cynical, ex borderline alcoholic obsessive thaws remarkably quickly when in contact with miracle first time baker/chef Kate.
Kate's neighbour, Della, has an almost equally magic touch with her garden. Attracting almost immediately a perfect life partner the first time she breaks the soil for her new vegetable patch
Charles and Mary are, literally the real heart of the book An elderly couple whose love for one another is deep and very touching. In these two, Sue Heath really has got it right.
For the rest though, I am afraid, it was just too perfect, too sweet and, to be honest, too fast
Events hurtled in one after the other in the space of less than two months by what I can work out. Kate goes from never having set foot in a kitchen to cook to becoming a flawless baker and chef in..well in no time at all actually...apart from one mistake with the mixer when she attempts pancakes, she never makes a mistake again!
I wanted to like this book much more than I did, but the speed of relationships building up and characters getting to know one another really well made it just too implausible to feel comfortable with
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for an Earc of this title which I have reviewed honestly...as you can tell!

This is one of the best books I have read recently. It’s a book about neighbours, support, love and friendship. The story starts with characters Kate and Eddie, after a tragedy Kate is alone, after some time she meets her neighbours Della, the wonderful Mary and Charles, then along comes David and Jack.
This book did make me cry and chuckle but that just adds to the wonderful story. Highly recommend this book
My thanks as always to NetGalley and to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter for the early read.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Kate takes us on a journey of her life challenges she faces in her day to day life. A nice read.

This is such a lovely story, beautifully written and ultimately heartwarming. It is essentially about love in its many guises. Kate, who is mourning the early death of her husband three years ago, moves to a new area. There she encounters all these people with their own stories to tell. Charles and Mary, the elderly, long married couple who share an enduring lifetime of love, who stole my heart ; Justin, a top- notch chef who has to give up his vocation through no fault of his own; Della the lovely neighbour who has been desperately hurt by her husband’s abandonment of her, and several other characters, all beautifully drawn. Their stories draw the reader in, and I was captivated with how the author wove these stories of lovely people together, and how they became close, caring friends to form this delightful book. The mouthwatering recipes were an added inspiration, even though I’m not a cook myself.
I loved Sue Heath’s previous book Keeper of Stories, and this one is equally as enjoyable and engrossing. Once again, I was sorry to leave behind this varied cast of people when the book ended. Such skilful storytelling, with perfect characterisation, is just my sort of book. I enjoyed it so much.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.