This was a sweet story with likable characters. I enjoyed how the whole story and the characters came together at the end to wrap it up.

This was a really good audio book. I thought Caroline Hewitt did a really good job telling this story. This was the first book I have read by Aimie K . Runyan and it won't be the last. This was a well done book, I loved the small town village where this took place and made you want to be there to enjoy this experience. This is a slow build, teasing us with a little more in each chapter. The characters were written and felt realistic. I would definitely recommend this beautiful story!!


Thank You NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus, Harper Muse for allowing me to listen to this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

In this book, a girl left afloat after the death of her father travels back to where her mother grew up to try to find something to ground her. There she found a home full of family and possibility, where she blossomed.

If you are looking for a thrilling read full of twists and turns, this book isn't for you. But the author managed to make an appealing story that made my heart ache for the slow things in life and truly made me want to drop everything to go live in a remote French village. Runyan created a character who everyone can relate to in some way; whether you are estranged from your family or trying to mend relations, or feeling lost or stuck in your career, or grieving, or feeling without a home, or searching for your meaning in life, we can all find a little bit of ourselves in Tempésta.

The language in this book was beautiful yet not overdone and you couldn't help but fall in love with each character, even the grumpy mayor. Each character had nuance, and each character was developed in a beautiful way.

Five stars for this book for making me slow down and fall in love with life a little bit more.

Thank you to Harper Muse Audiobooks, Netgalley, and Runyan for giving me the Audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I wish Runyan the best in her publication of this book.

Aimie K. Runyan has quickly become a must read author for me. I thoroughly enjoyed all of her historical fiction novels and devoured her first contemporary fiction book. I loved the nod to The Bakery in Paris! The narrator was fantastic and she did a wonderful job of bringing Tempesta’s story to life. Although Sainte-Colombe was fictional, I could clearly picture the beloved village and appreciated the author’s note about villages left to age out in France, Italy, Spain and other countries. Tempesta’s story of belonging, acceptance and found family really touched my heart and I enjoyed the other unique characters of Saints-Colombe as well. The recipes were an added bonus and I look forward to making some of them.

This contemporary women's fiction novel is about family and community and follows the journey of a struggling American food critic who takes refuge in her late mother's French countryside hometown following the death of her father.

I listened to the audiobook, and I absolutely loved the warm voice of the narrator, not to mention the story and characters. This book is like a comforting hug, and I felt as if I made new friends while I listened.

A beautifully written story that takes the readers through grief, hope, and rebirth. The characters are engaging and you go through all the emotions they do. The narrator was perfect for the story. I loved it.

This book is for all of us who have dreamed of running away to a little French village to start again. After her father's death and his leaving her out of the will, Tempesta decides to go find her mother's village. What she finds instead is so much better than just that.
Tempesta buys a manor house in the village of Sainte-Colombe and sets about learning about her mother and her family history. Even though her welcome isn't the smoothest, she continues forward and finds herself.
A lovely and gentle story. Full of characters you will fall in love with. It made me want to go find this little village and feel welcomed in. I love books that are how families are not just blood, but those that love you for you and help you become a better person because of it.
Enjoy sometime in France and breath in the fragrance of Lavender and Sage.

The Memory of Lavender and Sage is a good fit for readers seeking a heartwarming story about self-discovery, cultural exploration, and the power of community and memories in healing grief.

It took me a bit to get into this story at the beginning but I quickly became invested in the journey of self-discovery, family secrets, and charming small Provincale French villagers who band together to help revive their community. Full of heart, romance, a touch of magic and lots of found family this was great on audio and an entertaining feel-good read I definitely recommend especially for fans of books like Under the Tuscan sun. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

This audiobook really entertained me while also letting me virtually live out my long held dream of buying a home in a village in France and growing herbs. (Seriously). I was going to just take a short listen and I got involved, then, when I did have to stop, couldn’t wait to find out what happened.

T’empesta Luddington has had more than her fair share of hardship. So when her father passes away and she learns she has the opportunity to take some time off—she smartly runs off to her late mother’s village in France! And there the magic begins. There’s so much heart, soul, smell, taste, and just pure Provence magic in this book. It’s a bumpy road—or, should I say, it’s a dusty, creaky road. But someone must do it, and I couldn’t help but hope that Tempesta was our woman. In a world that needs more gentle books, this is a page-turning charmer. Also, the audio hits all the right accents; it is equally well done.

"In the space of a gap of a hummingbirds wing"...

If an author can transport me straight to the French Provençal Countryside, complete with all the sights, sounds, scents, and yes, savory tastes, without ever having to leave my couch or favorite reading nook... it is worthy of 5 stars for me. The reason for the quote? It is one of many beautiful quotes that resonated with me as I listened (I was fortunate to be granted the audiobook opportunity) to this wonderful contemporary fictional novel of a woman searching her roots in Provençal France. I truly cannot wait to try the recipes when I get my hands on a physical copy!

I loved this book and I've never wanted to buy a fixer-upper in the Italian countryside with a cute little green house more than right now.
Tempesta is a food critic in New York. Her mother passed when she was 13. Once she passed, Tempesta grew up feeling like an outsider by her father or grandmother. Fifteen years later her workaholic father passes away and she realizes that she wants to see where her mother is from, a small village in Italy. She takes her small inherences she received from her mother to buy a house in Sainte-Colombe. The house is a fixer upper and she received a very not-so-warm welcome from the Mayor. She finds what her heart has been missing to be truly happy in life. The message of this book was so beautifully written.

I received the audiobook version. The narrator, Harper Muse, was perfect for this story and I was very impressed with the ease they moved between English and French.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Focus for the audio version of this book!

I loved this book. It was a detour from the books I normally listen to or read, and I'm so glad I took the time to listen.

Tempèsta lost her mother as a young girl and is now grieving the loss of her father while navigating difficult relationships and expectations of her brother and grandmother. She leaves her family and life in NYC for a new start in the small town where her mother grew up in Provence, France. Tempèsta begins to find her passion and a sense of family and belonging in France. She develops such sweet relationships, some of which are with people who knew her mother and more of the story of her past.

I adored this book. Aimie Runyan's story telling was captivating - full of beautiful descriptions and details without being fluffy. Caroline Hewitt nailed the accents and pronunciations of all of the French names and words and was pleasant to listen to.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Focus, and Aimie K. Runyan for an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story is every bit as lovely as lavender and sage. I’m pretty sure it cast a spell on me, because I listened to the audiobook with rapt attention, finishing in a day because I couldn’t put it down. Witnessing Tempèsta coming into her own, experiencing life in a small French town, learning more of her family history, was just wonderfully enchanting.

Caroline Hewitt did a fantastic job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Aimie K. Runyan, HarperCollins Focus, Harper Muse, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this book. Each and every moment of it. Wonderful story with truly fabulous narration. Tempesta lost her mother at 13 and her life as she knew it was over. She loved her mother with every fiber of her being and once she was gone her life changed dramatically. Henceforth, she lived a life of at best being ignored and left out and at worst and what became the norm emotionally abused, alienated from family life, not invited to visit on school holidays and was verbally abused by her horrific snotty, stuck up, despicable grandmother and her father and brother followed along and not only allowed it to continue, but jumped right on the bandwagon. Sure, she was fed and housed, but the abuse and neglect happened. She was in their words, never good enough and didn’t deserve anything from them. She didn’t even have a bed to sleep in the are times he went home from college. When she would see her grandmother, father and brother living great lives on social media she finally realized she was done, not was them and not her and left to live her own life in the way she wanted. When her father passed away everything, and I mean everything went to her brother, but for the few boxes of her mothers possessions in the basement and some money that her mother had left of her own that she willed to her. She missed her mother so went to France to see where she was from and maybe, just maybe learn about her. It was once she she finally found about her heritage, who she was, who she wanted to be and the life she wanted to live that not only did she find her happy, but she brought it to everyone around her as well. A truly wonderful listen.

Slow paced, and very cozy, this book feels like a hot cup of herbal tea on a Sunday morning in early spring, when the sun is warm but the air is still cool. Not every story needs romance, but since this book is tagged as such, I would have loved to have seen more chemistry and banter between Tempesta and her love interest. Overall a lovely, quiet read that reminded me of Studio Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service.

This is one of those audiobooks that is perfect to listen to if you need a calming and positive narrative that’s just the right mix of plot and description, but mostly you’re there for the vibe. It’s slowly paced, and the descriptions are beautiful. I literally had to go out and buy bread, herbs, and oil one day because of the way it was described in one of the chapters. The main character is a woman named Tempesta who leaves her New York life to live in provincial France and find her heritage and herself. There is also a fun element of magical realism woven into her family history, and a sweet romance that blossoms slowly. The narrator did a great job going between French and English accents, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the book. My only complaint was that it seemed rush at the end, like some details were just summed up or skipped over, which felt like a big change from the other 90% of the book. Overall it was still a beautiful listen, and an easy 4 star audiobook. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Magical! I didn’t want The Memory of Lavender and Sage to end. The charming cover draws you in to a beautiful story of family, friends and community. Aimie K Runyan does an amazing job of transporting us to the charming French village of Saint Colombe. Excellently narrated by Caroline Hewitt. She captures the French voice perfectly.

Thank you Harper Collins Focus and Net Galley for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

A lovely combination of women’s fiction and magical realism, I think my favorite part of this novel is its strong sense of place. I felt like I was in France smelling lavender and basil and eating wonderful food. The final version will have an enhancement pdf available with recipes, a welcome addition to the mouth-watering descriptions. I enjoy home renovation, so restoring the old home was also appealing. This also spurred me to read about the Occitan language. I appreciated the narrator’s fluency with French and Occitan as well as the way she voiced the different characters. The narration added to the warmth of this story. This is a warm, feel good read. Recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an audio review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was not what I expected at all. The setting was beautiful and charming. The kind of place I hope to visit some day. I did find that this book kind of dragged for me. It was beautifully written. It felt like it drifted a lot of the time. When I was relaxed, it was a good read.