"The French Cookery School" by Caroline James is a delightful and enchanting novel that transports readers to the heart of the French countryside, where food, friendship, and love intertwine. James’ writing is warm and inviting, filled with rich descriptions that make you feel as though you can taste the delicious dishes being prepared in the story. The characters are endearing and relatable, each bringing their own charm and quirks to the narrative. The novel beautifully captures the essence of French culture and the joy of cooking, all while weaving in themes of self-discovery and new beginnings. "The French Cookery School" is a perfect escape for anyone who loves food, travel, and a heartwarming story of finding one’s passion and place in the world.

The word 'Recipe' had me and the cooking theme of this book. And what a delightful book it is. I read it in a day and I laughed, I loved and I got very hungry! Food and love work so well together and in this book they were like a marriage made in foodie heaven.

I devoured this book, it is so warm, fun and entertaining. This is a book that will make you feel good, the characters become your friends and you fall in love with them all (and all the food to of course). A wonderful read, quick, easy and oh so cosy.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

After losing the love of his life, Waltho Williams is opening the gorgeous house he and his wife created, for a week long cookery course run by a celebrity chef. Needs must after the cost of the renovation work they began and which is now finished. But even so, Waltho has doubts about his decision to open his house to the public.

La Maison du Paradis is the perfect place for romance and friendships to blossom. I enjoyed the fact the characters were older and so diverse. Larger than life Fran and her husband, Sid owned and fish and chip shop in Blackpool. Fran was hoping this course would be the start of realising his dream of an upmarket restaurant.

The rest of the cast includes identical twins, Pearl and Jeanette who were hoping to be able to host lovely dinner parties, recently divorced caterer Caroline whose life was imploding around her, Sally a food journalist and Ahmed Singh, a retired dentist.

The French Cookery School is a touching and ultimately satisfying read. I loved the eclectic mix of likeable and mature characters, although it did take a while to warm to one of the group until I learned more of her story. It was a pleasure to witness their sometimes humorous, sometimes emotional, interactions, the varying reasons for choosing to attend the course, problems surmounted, friendships cemented and blossoming relationships.

I’ve read several of Caroline James’ books but I think this is one of my favourites so far, along with Boomerville at Ballymegille. As always the characters and area are brought to life vividly and place the reader right there in the middle of the beautiful French countryside. The food descriptions are mouth watering, the house itself and places visited by the group sound wonderful. Totally delightful.

A delightful and heartwarming tale that blends romance, humor, and the joy of cooking. The characters are engaging and relatable and their interactions are both humorous and touching. I loved the themes of growth and friendship.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you’re looking for a light cozy for fun summer reading, you’ll want to pick up The French Cookery School, by Caroline James. This is the story of several guests who have signed up to learn French cookery for different reasons, and come together in unexpected ways. The protagonist, Caroline, is from the US and has just been dumped by her husband for another woman. Her self esteem is at the bottom and she doesn’t feel like she fits in. One of the guests, Fran, who makes fish and chips for a living but is there to learn and help her husband open a top-notch fancy restaurant, is loud, friendly, and determined to bring all of the guests together as friends.

James does an excellent job of telling a viable story that is both fun and interesting. The character development is excellent, as she emphasizes the strengths and weakness of each one. Most of us know people in our lives that compare with these characters, and they seem real. This is a rare cozy insomuch that it doesn’t have a murder to solve. But that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. Cozy lovers will enjoy the interaction of the characters and the changes they make in their own lives due to the influences of each other.

It is a fast read and perfect for the beach or a long summer airplane ride. There is a celebrity chef who is not very nice, and the dishes mentioned in the book are very tempting.

All told, this is definitely a feel good novel. It is well-written, and has great characters. It is suitable for all ages and very good.

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

I enjoy Caroline's books and in this one is full of delicious food that will make you hungry. It is also about mature students, friendships, multiple life missteps and so much more. Waltho and his wife purchased La Maison du Paradis and fixed it up. Sadly She died shortly after and now he needs to do something to heal his heart and maintain his beautiful home. So He opens the doors to the cookery school. His guest include Caroline, a posh and snooty caterer who is looking for a distraction from her life, Fran, a loud, brash woman who runs a fish and chip shop, but her husband wants to turn it into a fine dining place and Sally, a journalist who is going to write about the school, there is also the celebrity chef, Daniel Douglas de Beers who is leading the classes. This was a fun story,

Enjoyed the read, was light and funny! The story was fun as where the characters! Nice to also see recipes as well.

The French Cookery School is full of delicious food, mature students, friendships, missteps and more. Waltho Williams and his wife purchased La Maison du Paradis and fixed it up. She died shortly after and now he has to do something to maintain his beautiful home. He opened the doors to a cookery school, not sure what will happen when his first group arrives. It is a very mixed bag with Caroline, a posh and snooty caterer who is looking for a distraction from her life that is falling apart, Fran, a loud, brash woman who runs a fish and chip shop, but her husband wants to turn it into a fine dining place and Sally, a journalist who is going to write about the school, but is single and always ready for some romance and fun being the three main POVs in the story. Then there is the celebrity chef, Daniel Douglas de Beers who is leading the classes. He is not a happy man, gambles and needs money, until he meets Sally and falls for her. The sous chef, Tomas, is a happy, sexy man who picks people up at the airport, assists with the classes as well as cooking and serving their meals. Throw in a pair of twins, a retired dentist, a no-nonsense scouting leader, and some various locals and there is bound to be some conflict, some fun and lots of new friendships.

This was a fun story, that had my stomach growling several times. As the story began, Caroline really grated on my nerves. She thought she was better than the others, and so snooty, I couldn't understand why she even attended this type of holiday, but as we get to know her and her life, I really felt awful for her. Fran wanted to be everyone's friend. She was so outgoing and generous with her friendship, that every time she was treated badly, I wanted to smack someone. Sally was using this as a PR opportunity and hoping this would get her career going again, but she falls for Daniel hook, line, and sinker and might get her heart broken. There is a lot of fun times while cooking and eating and the guests get to know each other, with friendships developing. It isn't until a near tragedy that Caroline finally takes the stick out of her butt. I enjoyed Caroline James descriptive writing, not only of the food, but the setting and characters. With humor, the story is delivered in an entertaining way and I loved the way this ragtag group becomes a community. I would love another trip to La Maison du Paradis and meeting another group that comes together as friends while cooking and eating. A charming, uplifting story that I recommend.

This book was not for me. I usually love British authors as well as books about chefs and cooking, but I found the characters flat, the dialogue overly “tell” rather than show, the pacing slow, and I really did not like one of the sub romance plots. I will not be sharing a review on other platforms.

Didn’t have time to read it but it looks cute and promising so I’m sure I’ll get to it eventually my to be read pile is just getting to big and I’m a mood reader so these arcs are getting hit. So maybe at a later date I’ll finally read it

Set in the beautiful Perigord region of south western France, The French Cookery School brings together an eclectic mix of characters. The story is light and humerous throughout, but it is also a story to immerse yourself in. The characters are wonderful and author Caroline James has obviously had a lot of fun creating each of them. Waltho Williams, lapsed artist and owner of the beautiful Maison Du Paradis where the cookery school is located is a generous and caring host who is easy to like and empathise with. I didn’t warm to Caroline Carrington at first. She comes across as entitled and a snob, however as the story unfolds, it is clear there is much more to Caroline and her behaviour than first meets the eye. Francesca, a brash but lovable fish and chip store owner, is an absolute hoot, but she is also passionate about learning how to be a chef, no matter her mistakes along the way. Michelin-starred chef Daniel Douglas de Beer is another character that didn’t appeal to me at first, and to be honest, his transition from aloof to likeable was a bit abrupt. The story itself kept me turning the pages. It ended with a satisfying happily ever after for one couple and the possibility of something in the future for two other characters. All in all, this has been a very enjoyable read.

I was so excited to read this one as I went on a cookery course last year and absolutely loved it. Although it was only for a day and in Yorkshire, rather than in France.

This is a hug of a book. It’s probably a bit of a cliché to say it made me want to pack my bags and go on a cookery holiday in France, but it really did! There is a lot of food in this book – as you can guess from the title – and this was one reason I enjoyed it as I’m a bit of a foodie. But I also loved the French setting and the characters – they were very relatable. Waltho especially stole my heart – what a dear man. Caroline’s writing is easy to read and fun, and whilst this would be a good novel to take on holiday with you, it’s also an excellent choice on a grey and rainy day when you feel in need of a bit of escapism.

Thank you for the ARC. I was delighted to be part of the blog tour for this book.

This book had a fun cast of characters with a lot of heart, who all supported each other so much. Each person had a satisfying conclusion to their individual story lines. I would love to see a movie adaptation of this book!

Waltho Williams has no idea what he’s letting himself in for when he opens the doors to his beautiful French home, La Maison du Paradis. But with dwindling funds, a cookery school seems like the perfect business plan…

Divorcée caterer Caroline needs to be able stand on her own two feet. While warm-hearted Fran hopes to help her beloved husband fulfil his lifelong dream. And for food journalist Sally it’s a PR opportunity – until a certain celebrity chef gets under her skin…

But will the eclectic group be a recipe for success, or will the mismatched relationships sink like a souffle?

This was such a lovely and fun book. Easy to read, fast paced which transported me to La Maison du Paradis and the French countryside. This book is a great, relaxing read perfect for a summer read. It will not disappoint.

Thank youto Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Such a cute read. Loved the setting, could imagine myself being at the cookery school. The characters are very different with various reasons to be there. Enjoyed it a lot.

It really felt like I spent a week in France at a cooking school with a celebrity chef and lots of special characters. Sadly I did not feel as engaged with these characters as I had with characters in Caroline's previous books and I did not laugh as much, but I still really enjoyed the story and was moved by it.
There were moments where what was happening was so easy to picture and had me giggling, but overall it was just a gentle read about mature characters having a break from their own lives while they learn to cook with a celebrity chef and meanwhile gain new friends and do some self discovery.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'The French Cookery School' by Caroline James

Wow!! Check out this absolutely heartwarming , fun and perfect summer read!!!

I absolutely loved this absolutely fantastic feel good book! Caroline's evocative writing skills ensures the reader disappears into the storyline with the are and characters coming ito life all around you. She leaves you smelling the delicious foods, feeling the sun on your skin and leaves you with a smile on your face and feeling much lighter and happier than before you started. It is one of those books that are rammed with feel good moments, laughter fun, friendship and absolutely everything that you could ever want in an addictive must read! The storyline is realistic and down to earth and the setting is picturesque. I was absolutely sucked in from the first to the last page of this laugh out loud feel good page turner. On several occasions I had to remind myself I was actually in the house and not in France myself as I was that lost in the storyline!! It is one of those books that I just could not put down and I ended up walking around with my kindle glued to my hands. Every time I thought I will just read one more chapter and then get on with some chores it ended in a way that there was no way I could leave it there so I had to read another and then the same happened until I very sadly came to the last page and its absolutely fantastic ending. I genuinely felt like I was on holidays and I was devastated when I came to the end and realised I'd have to pack my suitcase to leave the beautiful surroundings in France. Each and every one of the characters are strong and realistic and thanks to Caroline's evocative writing skills they all came to life, jumping of the pages and sucking me deep into their lives. Whether I loved them or hated them they all came together to make a perfect story.

A stunning story of friendship, romance, second chances and being true to yourself. I absolutely love, love, LOVED it!!


The characters are all realistic, a mix of strong personalities, memorable and larger than life. They had completely different personalities but they compliment each other perfectly. Each of the characters that came on the cooking class had completely different personalities when they left it and I absolutely LOVED IT!! All of these characters and more make this an unforgettable, stunning book that will have you putting on your sun cream, grabbing yourself a cocktail and being whisked away on a fun filled French Cookery class! They all came to life before my eyes and I am really hoping we get to meet them all again!!!

Caroline congratulations on an absolutely fantastic novel and this is why you are om my top author list. Your book is a page turning laugh out loud and soul lifting success and I cannot wait to get stuck into more of your books!

Overall an absolutely gorgeous book that will whisk you off on a cruise ship and lift your heart and spirit. A page turning, addictive compelling novel that will leave you wanting more


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This ragtag group of people come together to learn cooking from a famous chef at a luxury cooking school. Add a hot chef and you have an adventure. Everyone brings their own baggage along for the ride. This was just exceptional! I was sad when it was over as I wanted to keep reading about these characters. There is laughter, joy, pain, everything you could possibly want in a story that was impossible to put down.

An absolutely delightful read, filled with interesting characters and their back stories.
For various reasons they've all enrolled in a cookery course at a French cookery school. As the days go we learn more about each character. Particularly loved Fran.
Really enjoyed this book and was sad when it finished. It was not without drama, humour and a little intrigue. Highly recommend