I came late to this novel, despite it lingering in my shelf for some time, which I regret - because it's an excellent and nuanced story of a family touched by food, and loss, and longing, and searching, and finding, and did I mention food?

As a midwesterner and a food lover, this book was right up my alley! I expected it to be a really light-hearted read, and there was quite a bit more sadness throughout the story than I anticipated, but that only helped to make the story more meaningful and realistic for me. I loved Eva as a character, and enjoyed watching her grow into her culinary passion, maintaining that connection to her father throughout the book. I found Cynthia to be a realistically flawed (and occasionally frustrating) character, but appreciated her journey as well.

The different relationships that come and go for these main characters added a lot of depth to the book, and made the main story arcs that much more complex and satisfying by the end of the book. I would definitely recommend this novel.

This is more than a story about a chef, although, it is a top notch culinary story. It made me think about the importance of family and community as well as the role food plays in our lives.

This one languished on my shelf for too long, and now since reading it, my review of it has been suffering the same fate. This charming novel, starring the once in a generation palate of Eva Thorvald, is a punchy, satisfying story of family in all its messy forms. It’s hard to say more than that, but Eva’s culinary adventures with her unique family will stick with me for a long time. It was an unexpected delight and I highly recommend it.

One of my favorite books last year. I recommend this book all the time. I read it and several months later listened to the book. I was disappointed in the readers that they did not use a Midwestern accent or one that I could hear anyway.

Thank you for the opportunity read and review this title! I didn't enjoy it as much as I"d hoped, and rather than post a negative review, I chose to not feature it on my blog. I look forward to seeing what new releases you have in store!