The Essential Elizabeth Stone by Jennifer Banash is a highly recommended domestic drama about a Martha-Stewart-like character and her daughter.

Through her renowned parties, books, and TV show, Elizabeth Stone was a food and lifestyle icon for thirty years before her sudden death. She left her multimillion-dollar empire to her daughter, Juliet. A year later Juliet is still mourning the loss of her beloved mothers and is struggling to fill her mother's shoes. The company is in financial trouble and the idea of writing the definitive biography of her mother is set forth as a way to keep the company solvent.

While researching her mother's past with writer Noah Sharpe, he discovers that Elizabeth Stone never existed and the story she often told about her childhood in Bar Harbor, Maine, was a fabrication. The two set out together to discover who Elizabeth Stone really was. They find out she was originally Billie (Elizabeth) Abbot and did not come from a life of privilege. She worked her way up from nothing to become the entertainment brand known across the world.

The narrative alternates between chapters following Juliet's research into her mother's past and chapters set in the past as Billie struggles to make her way in the world. The alternating viewpoints works out quite well in the plot and will keep interest high in both time lines. It makes a clear point that secrets and lies are not always what they seem to be and not always devious.

With each new fact, emotional details, and surprises uncovered, Juliet's emotions are expertly captured and shared. Billie's emotions are equally well presented. Readers will come to appreciate both of these complicated women, mother and daughter, and what they encounter along the way. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

3.5 rounded up to 4.
I enjoyed this book as someone who enjoys slower lit fics focused on family history, self discovery, and complicated mother-daughter dynamics. I do think it had some flaws. Mainly that the writing was a little flowery, with every synonym possible used for colors (ochre, rose, blush, carmine, etc.) on every page and other repetitive phrases. I loved the Maine setting, the alternating timelines and the descriptions of food!

I totally get the feeling Jules was going through of being so overwhelmed by the amount of things you have to do, while overcome with grief that you feel paralyzed. It was also nice that these characters were flawed and felt human, though overall the book started to get repetitive by the last quarter of it.

Juliet discovers there was more to her mother Elizabeth than she knew in this dual time line novel. Elizabeth wanted everything to be perfect and she was an extraordinary cook.. It's hard to be raised in that sort of atmosphere but in the wake of her death,, Juliet is trying to write her biography and pick up the flag. But should she? This is poignant and thought provoking about the mother-daughter dynamic. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

A brilliant read which was a real page turner. The mother and daughter relationship was captivating, heartwarming and heartbreaking at times. The uncovering of secrets and lies was pretty shocking and definitely made for a wonderful story.

Elizabeth Stone was in every household in America, if not the world. Her cookbooks were best-sellers, her life-style brand was envied and copied by hundreds. Think: Martha Stewart minus the modeling career. When Elizabeth dies rather suddenly, her daughter, Juliet, finds that she didn't know her mother at all.

I really enjoyed The Essential Elizabeth Stone from Jennifer Banash. It was easy to relate to both Juliet and to Billie, both were set up for a certain life. Billie, one of struggle and stress, Juliet, one of luxury and the best of everything. Watching Juliet come into her own, choosing herself above all things was sweet, she had been living her life in the shadow of her mother so seeing her pick her own life was empowering.

This is a comfortable book, one that I would read again and again. Maybe it's the luxury of soft cashmere and soft leather, but the romance and friendship pull the weight of the book to a beautiful finish.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm afraid I finished this book a little disappointed. I don't really know why I think I just expected something more from it. It a dual timeline book telling the story of a mother and daughter. The daughter is searching for the truth about her mother after her death. The mother had been a famous, well loved TV cook and the daughter is trying to deal with her death by trying to become her instead of being herself. This seemed like a very jaded tale to me that's been told too many times before. The author does it very nicely but I'm afraid it was the same story once too often for me. There's also far too many descriptions of food and clothes although I loved the ones of the cities.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

The Essential Elizabeth Stone isn’t unique in its concept - a daughter learns everything about her life isn’t what it seems - but it is unique in the way Jennifer Banash lovingly tells the story and focuses on the heroine. The heroine’s story builds, ebbs, flows, rollercoasters and spins to a peaceful conclusion. While never dramatic, the tale is intense at times, exploring what was and what wasn’t, what matters and what doesn’t.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you, Lake Union Publishing, for the advance reader copy.

One thing I can tell you about this book for sure is that it never bored me. Yes, I am telling you this if you’re going to consider if the book is going to take up more time reading it when it comes out.

I feel you will surely like this book if you enjoy stories and writing by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Kristin Hannah. I like reading their books and this one gives similar vibes with their work.

It is the story of a daughter whose glamourous mother’s demise puts her in a position to succeed her legacy.

In the process of writing a biography of her famous mother (whose books used to sell like hot cakes!), she comes to know who her mother really was and the secrets she didn’t tell anyone.

Well, I was expecting these bits to be revealed in such a pace that would spread out with the entire length of the book. This is where a little bit of my disappointment comes.

The actual plot gets revealed a little late in my opinion towards the end of the book. However, I also feel that this is the charm of the book as well.

Overall, a good story. Good writing. Good character development and a good ending.

Yes, go for it.

Part of the pleasure of this book is the attention to the food and decor. This book is a feast for the mind with lavish summer meals and elegantly appointed apartments and homes. But beneath the surface not all is it seems. Switching between narratives is often challenging, but the stories of Elizabeth and her daughter are well-balanced so that one never gets tired of hearing from either one. The book explores ambition, secrets, and what it really means to be your own woman. A pleasant read with a powerful message.

I'm a sucker for parents/daughters-sons dramatic stories, so when I read the synopsis of this book I was always already dranwn to it..
Sadly, this author's writing didn't appeal to me. It actually pulled me out of the story many times. It was very slow-paced at first and the it got underwhelming. In my opinion, one main character is more well written than the other, and I kept questioning myself if it was the real author's intention.
Other readers might love this book, I'm sure of it.

When a famous home cook and lifestyle guru passes away, her daughter Juliet is left to pick up the pieces and ensure her mother’s legacy stays intact. Juliet is struggling to manage everyone’s expectations of her and when a ghostwriter hired to write her mother’s biography suggests her mother may have been lying about her identity, everything Juliet knows about herself and her mother is called into question.

The story unfolds in two timelines - the present with Juliet and 30ish years ago with Elizabeth. It took me a while to get into this story and, once I did, I was entertained. Elizabeth’s storyline was much more compelling, as was Elizabeth. We don’t really get to know Juliet all that well, which makes it a little harder to empathize with her and understand her motivations.

Thank you to Lake Union and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

This is a book that is super different from most, about a Martha Stewart-style mother. And the great thing is that the story is told from the daughter's point of view. The author told a very realistic and human story. A very relatable story about the volatility and fragility of relationships. In my opinion, this book has long descriptive paragraphs, much more than I normally like. I prefer to receive just enough to get the vibe of the big picture and then figure out the rest. It took me a few chapters to really get into this novel, because the devastating account of Jules' grief seemed to slow the story's progression. However, once I got into the story I couldn't put it down. I had never read anything by this author but she weaved this story with great elegance and I think anyone who likes contemporary fiction will love this book as much as I did!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Imagine the pain of losing a loved one and then the crushing realisation that most of what you thought you knew about their life was a lie - that's what happens to Jules, daughter of celebrity chef and lifestyle matriarch Elizabeth Stone.
"The Essential Elizabeth Stone" follows Jules' struggle to deal with her grief alongside meeting the demands of the lifestyle brand her mother left behind. Desperate to keep her mother's empire alive, Jules agrees to a ghost-written biography of her mother being commissioned. Joining disgraced ghost-writer Noah, Jules embarks on a journey to find out about her mother's past and her research uncovers secrets that may have been better left untold...
I enjoyed the dual-timeline of this novel, with the story of a young Elizabeth finding her feet in her industry despite humble beginnings being the main draw of the book for me. The impact of every new discovery on Jules and the way she navigated the loss of more than one element of her life was touching and empowering.
Food is a major part of this novels and the rich description of the dishes themselves almost enables them to become supporting characters in our protagonists' journeys. I'm not ashamed to admit I found my mouth watering at various times when reading this book!
The only character I found myself not warming to is this novel was actually Jules. Although I felt empathy for her losses, as a person I just did not find her or her interesting enough, especially when compared to her mother. However, by the end of the novel, I found myself hoping for her personal growth and change.
At times I felt like the narratives jumped between timelines too abruptly. There were also points at which I became confused as to whether or not a character was reflecting on something from the past or if it were happening in the present and I had to re-read the paragraph.
Overall, this novel reaffirmed for me the power of knowing your own identity and knowing who you can trust to allow you to truly be yourself. Note to readers - beware reading on an empty stomach!

This is a lovely fictionalized version of the complicated relationship between mother and daughter. Jules is reeling from the death of her mother, Elizabeth Stone. Stone is portrayed as a Martha Stewart-like celebrity domestic goddess. Juliette must not only mourn, but pick up the pieces of her mother’s domestic empire, her crumbling marriage and her cloudy heritage.

Jules in her confusion and sadness make her an extremely sympathetic heroine. I enjoyed the novel and the characters. I felt very comfortable with the settings. The author writes vividly, so the reader is often transported into the perfect wonderland of domestic perfection. I enjoy a book with a sense of closure, and I felt I could look into Juliette’s future.

I think readers will enjoy this novel, especially those familiar with the backstories of women such as Stewart and Garten. It is entertaining and well written.

Thank you Netgalley for this lovely and compelling novel.

This was my first book by this author and it had a little of everything I like! Female MC, family ties, beachy setting. I loved seeing how Elizabeth built herself up and felt really tied to these characters. I loved the multiple POVs and the coming of age aspects of the story.

Juliet Stone grew up in the shadow of her perfect and famous mother – someone known around the world for her entertaining, good taste, and culinary skill. When Elizabeth Stone dies, Juliet learns that nothing about her mother’s history is as it seems, just a series of stories that paint the picture that Elizabeth wanted to show the world. Unravelling the mystery of who her mother was and where she came from makes Juliet question her own origin and sense of self. Through learning the truth about her mother, Juliet also uncovers things about herself…things that prompt her to change the way she has been living so that she can claim the life she wants to have.

This story is told in dual timelines, with Elizabeth’s early life taking place on the coast of Maine. Jennifer Banash captures the beauty of this setting and I felt drawn to this part of the book because of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Entertaining and unique story about a "Martha/Ina/Julia" cooking/lifestyle maven in the 1980s-90s; there were a handful of twists that kept my interest and I was pleasantly surprised the story didn't parallel Martha Stewart's bio (as I feared after a chapter or two!). I particularly enjoyed the NYC setting and well-done mentions of locations, subway travel, and shopping locales.

The Essential Elizabeth Stone started a little slow, but once I got caught up in the story, it was hard to stop reading. I was fascinated and intrigued by Elizabeth’s journey to becoming the well-known and much-celebrated Elizabeth Stone, even in the moments when she wasn’t exactly my favorite person. In fact, while I initially thought I wouldn’t like the flashback chapters, they quickly became my favorite parts!

Jennifer Banash’s writing was beautiful. The food and scenery descriptions had me envious and desperately wishing I wasn’t eating a microwaved burrito on my lunch at my work desk. Watching Jules figure out life without her mom was honestly heart-wrenching. I can’t imagine being expected to fill the shoes of a woman like Elizabeth. Talk about overwhelming! Banash did an excellent job of portraying Jules’ fears and anxieties, combined with her deep longing to know who her mother really was. All while mourning the loss of her! Banash also did a great job of capturing the complexities that can come from a mother-daughter relationship. Not only did we get to see that reflected between Jules and Elizabeth, but we also got to see the relationship between Elizabeth and her mother and Elizabeth and Eunice.

There were a couple things that kept this from being a 5 Star book for me. It felt like, about halfway through, things started happening too fast. Specifically when Elizabeth reached New York! Backtracking just a bit, I also didn’t love parts of her romance. I won’t go into details because I don’t want to spoil it, but I just didn’t believe the love there at the beginning. By the end of the story, however, those complaints were mostly forgotten and I thought it ended perfectly.

All-in-all, this was a solid, beautifully written read that I would recommend if you like journeys of discovery, descriptive writing, and complex relationships.

This book seemed to have a little bit of everything I like. Setting by water, home comforts, first love, unique characters, coming of age and multiple POV, but not too many.

I was drawn in within the first couple chapters wanting to find out the secrets of Elizabeth and it did not disappoint.

This would make for a great film or limited series!!!!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing + NetGalley for the chance to read this before it is published on the 10th September 2024 #TheEssentialElizabethStone #NetGalley