Thank you for the early copy of this audiobook. First, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book, the cover and the title really drew me in (I know~ don’t judge a book by its cover) and the description somewhat peeked my interest. Yet the start of this novel had me feel all type of emotions. I was mad and sad for Tempesta. As her story started to reveal itself you became enamored in her story. The dynamic and lack of family ties she had in New York set the arc for her to seek a new start. How her mother’s past led her to create her future and at a place that gives her a sense belonging. It’s not a coming of age story but more of regrowth and new start. As Tempesta finally starts to find a place of her own, she is forming new bonds which also leads her to mend some old ones. I was engulfed in the ending of this story and how life can take unexpected happy turns.

Get ready for a magical, dreamy escape into a sleepy French town in "The Memory of Lavender and Sage".

Tempesta Luddington has always felt like the black sheep of her family with everything chosen for her. When her mother passes away at the age of 13, she feels truly alone amongst her workaholic father and all-too-obedient brother. Fast forward 15 years when Tempesta's father also dies, and she is left with a small nest egg from her mother. Feeling like she finally has some options, she travels to the small Provencal town where her mother grew up, Sainte-Colombe.

Tempesta finds more than she imagined in Sainte-Colombe, and it is not all the things of fairytales. She stubbornly buys a run-down manor house and vows to make it on her own. With push-back from the town's mayor, less-than-warm welcomes from the villagers, and more work than she bargained for Tempesta fights her way through the fog and finds herself through her mother's sordid yet wonderful history in this town.

Hints of magical realism sprinkle this beautiful novel with warmth and sunshine. I felt enthralled from the first page. Smells do hold memory, and I could feel the lavender clearly through the words.

A desire for belonging is a universal human trait. Tempesta has not felt like she has belonged anywhere since her mother died fifteen years ago. Now, as she deals with the death of her estranged father, Tempesta feels the need to make a change. She packs up all her worldly possessions and moves into a run-down house in Sainte-Colombe, a small town in Provence where her mother spent the first 19 years of her life. Once there, she learns about her family history, her talent for gardening, and what it is that will truly bring her a sense of purpose. Along the way, she makes a few good friends and even more good French food.

The Memory of Lavender and Sage brings the reader along for the ride as Tempesta builds confidence in herself and figures out what makes her happy. I especially enjoyed how she builds relationships with some of the members of the town over the course of the book. The passage of time is handled well here, grounding some of the accomplishments the characters make in some level of realism.

I’m glad I was able to get a copy of the e-audiobook version of The Memory of Lavender and Sage; listening to the book really enhances the experience. Narrator Caroline Hewitt does a lovely job navigating the pronunciations of names, places, and foods that would have been butchered in my head as a non-French speaker.

This is Aimie K. Runyan’s first foray into contemporary fiction and, while enjoyable, is not without its flaws. I felt like parts of the book were cursed with more “tell” than “show”. Especially in the beginning, it would have been enough to see how out of place Tempesta felt within her own family in the ways the characters interacted with each other - through conversations or through their actions within the scenes. It did not seem necessary for Tempesta to also describe other times she was treated the same way; it felt redundant. I also did not enjoy how the grandmother was written. I can tell that the author tried to give her some nuance, but over the course of a book that explained all the ways Tempesta’s grandmother emotionally abused her, it does not feel earned when we’re expected to give her grace.

Criticisms aside, as a whole, The Memory of Lavender and Sage feels like a love letter to Provence and to sharing meals and memories with your loved ones. It is cozy and sweet, a lovely escape for anyone who feels caught up in the chaos of daily life.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Aimie K. Runyan, and Harper Muse for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

I enjoyed this audiobook. I listened to it alongside the book. I thought it was a good story about starting over and finding yourself.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this audiobook.

A story told as a young woman discovers her own mother’s past. Losing the influence of a mother at a young age is hard. When she finally starts to learn her mothers true past she discovers just how much her mother had lived

Without any doubt, this book is fully deserving of a 5 star rating. The reader (or listener) journeys with Tempesta as she finds her community and gains a real sense of ‘belonging’ - and this journey makes for a truly heartwarming story. I would love to read a sequel and encounter more of this wonderful community.

This is the second book by Aimie K. Runyan that I have read and I highly recommend it. Her writing is beautifully descriptive - particularly in relation to the idyllic French village of Saint-Colombe, the smells and tastes of the herbs, food and drink.

The audiobook is superbly narrated by Caroline Hewitt. The pace is perfect, allowing the story to flow and be understood by the listener. She beautifully brings every character to life with accents, tone and expression.

Thank you to the audio publisher, HarperCollins Focus for an audio copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Memory of Lavender and Sage is a story that focuses around its main character, Tempesta and her conquest to find a place and a family where she belongs.

Her journey takes her from the big city life of New York City to her late mother’s birthplace in a small village in France. There she learns a lot about her mother and herself. As time goes by she finally realizes that she has found a place where she belongs… a place to call home.

This novel is a heartwarming read that is full of fresh starts, new life-long relationships, community and fellowship. Just a wonderful, feel-good story that took me to a place where I have never been before.

Thank you Net Galley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for giving me the opportunity to listen to the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Great story, character driven book with a beautiful story ❤️

Family. Love. A found home. A little bit of magic And community. Great woman’s fiction

Highly recommend for a nice clean read beautifully narrated thank you NetGalley for this opportunity!

“The Memory of Lavender and Sage” by Aimie K. Runyan and skillfully narrated by Caroline Hewitt is a sweet story about a young woman who discovers who she really is and what is important in life. Tempesta’s French mother died when she was 13, and her grandmother who moved in to take care of her, her brother, and her father never treated her properly. When Tempesta’s father died, she discovered he had left her nothing from his family’s fortune. Instead, he left her all the money her mother had left when she died. Tempesta moves to her mother’s village, Sainte-Colombe, in France and learns about her roots.

For the most part, I enjoyed this story, especially the first three quarters. But toward the end I got bored when the story turned into mainly “telling” rather than “showing.” I was also a little irritated by Tempesta’s role as the American savior to bring back economic prosperity to the dying village—as if the villagers had no idea of how to help themselves. Nonetheless, it is a sweet story and I am sure a lot of readers will love the charming optimism of the book.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel. My opinion is my own.

This book is a treasure. It was a joy to read. While the story was in New York City, there was a lot of family drama and tension. The minute the story moved to France, the story was about wonderful characters, awesome food, beautiful countryside, special memories, ghosts, witches, and so much more.

This book starts off with a death in the family. Death of a loved one can sometimes change the trajectory of our life. Tempesta, the main character in this story, is not very satisfied with her life. So Tempesta goes on a journey to see where her mother was born. And she finds a place where she belongs and people that become her family. She takes a rundown house and makes a home. She also learns so much about her dear mother and her family history in this village.

I love the description of her relationship with her cat and the herbs she grows in her greenhouse. Get ready to use your senses as you read this book - you will smell, hear, taste and see as your read. This makes you feel like you made the trip to France with Tempesta.

This is my second Aimee Runyan book. After this one, I plan to read them all..

I just loved this book. This is a five star story from the title and cover to the end.

The Memory of Lavender and Sage is a lovely escape to a part of the world few get to see. Sainte-Colombe is geographically not all that far from Nice, Cannes, Monaco, or even Paris, but in Tempèsta Luddington’s eyes, it is like stepping back in time to a place and experience stolen from her by her mother’s early death and her American family’s odd aloofness. She comes to Sainte-Colombe in sadness, feeling lost and alone, and the history and personal connections she finds over her stay are as strong and vital as the piquant scents of lavender and sage. While I hate to repeat words, lovely is truly the only appropriate way to describe this gentle but engaging book. My only complaint: As someone who loves a love story, I found the quiet build-up of a personal relationship between Tempèsta and a young man she grows to care for to be a bit too tepid, since even an herbal tea (or tisane, as it is called in Provence) is best served warm and not room temperature.

Tempesta lost her mother at 13 and moving to the French village her mother is from is a chance to learn more about her and connect with the community who knew her. I love stories about starting over in a new place, especially a new country, and this one was lovely. With some surprises and turns and a dash of magical realism.

Ratings
Quality of Writing 4/5
Pacing 4/5
Plot Development 4/5
Character Development 5/5
Overall Enjoyability 4/5

I love the smell of lavender. Are you with me?

And I love a good second chance, finding yourself, finding your people, finding your place in the world. Phew this book is really all that. With just a smidge of magic (and I do mean a smidge if it isn’t your usual thing) and a beautiful French village.

I really felt for Tempesta losing her mother at such a young age and never really fitting in after that. That made her redemption story all the more sweet.

The read was immersive and I could smell the lavender around her property and the other herbs in the greenhouse. It almost made me want to garden. Until I remembered I have the opposite of a green thumb. 😂

And if the story wasn’t enough, I listened to part of it and Caroline Hewitt was the perfect voice of Tempesta. Bringing that magic to life.

All the stars from me. I was enchanted from start to finish.

This book was such a wonderful love letter to Provence and small villages. I savoured every word and slow unfolding of the story. The light touch of magical realism made the story all that more special. Refrain if you don't like magical realism, but otherwise recommended to all those looking for a lovely book about traditional French food and a community pulling together.

If you love found family in a contemporary French setting, where family expectations are baulked at and magical realism reveals family secrets long hidden then The Memory of Lavender and Sage are for you. I really enjoyed the narrator, Caroline Hewitt, and the charm she brought to the village and the Temp. Highly recommend!

Oh how I loved listening to this book. It's simply a plain sweet story, but with enough intrigue to make me want to continue to listen to it. I'd recommend it to everyone.

If you are looking for a sense of charm and joy within a contemporary time period, then this is the book for you. A NY food critic moves to France and buys a rundown house. Familiar territory for sure, but the beautiful atmospheric descriptions of France, the rich characters and the amazing food had me hooked. This is a soft read, if you are looking for a deep, life changing book then this is not the book for you but if you enjoy a gentle, uplifting read, then this is for you.

Runyan crafts a captivating tale of past mistakes and new beginnings. Her lovely descriptions of the French countryside, cuisine, and village life were endearing. It was a delight to meet all the characters as cultures met and new relationships forged. I was also pleasantly surprised at how clean this book was...it did not need language or spice to muddy a well-told story. This is my first of Runyan's but won't be my last. The Memory of Lavender and Sage is begging for a sequel to learn more about the village and its people.

This read will have you swooning to book a plane ticket to France. Family secrets that start a journey of getting a little lost so you can get found. Loveable characters that you will be thinking about months from now.

Excellent audio narration with the accents.
Thank you for the opportunity to review.

Chances are, you've read this book before: woman escapes trauma/heartache/family pressures, buys a rundown house in Italy/France/Greece, and falls in love with the local handyman. There's nothing inherently wrong with this trope. In fact, it can be a fun escape. Unfortunately, there is nothing new to see here.

"The Memory of Lavender and Sage" reads like it's been written by someone who's never lived in New York, never lived in the south of France, never met a food critic, etc. Tempesta's family back home are broad, sweeping caricatures of the Evil Rich, and the characterizations of the Provenciale and the New Yorkers are stereotypes at the most surface level. I didn't even realize that the love interest was meant to be a mean, gruff, hard-nut-to-crack guy who is won over by Tempesta's charm until she flat-out told me, because he's genuinely the kindest person to her from the start.

I am very grateful to the publishers and to NetGalley for this ARC, but this book was not for me.