The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux by Samantha Vérant (Early Review)

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux by Samantha Vérant (Early Review)

I was so excited to find out that Samantha Vérant was coming out with a first-to-me fiction book. I loved her memoirs, Seven Letters From Paris and How to Make a French Family, and knew that a novel by her about cooking and France would be great.

Sophie is a chef in NYC until her life falls apart: she loses her job at a Michelin-starred restaurant and just weeks later her grandmother in France has a stroke. She jumps on the next flight out to be by her side and ends up taking over the château her grandmother owns while she is in the hospital. While trying to keep the château running smoothly, Sophie also struggles with old and new relationships in France, the direction she wants her life and career to take, and trying to repair her reputation in the restaurant world back in the U.S. in the hopes of resuming her life there.

The main distraction for me while reading this book were Sophie’s actions and emotions. I liked her as a character and share a love of cooking with her, but I often didn’t understand why she was feeling and acting the way she was during any given crisis. Usually her behavior was explained towards the end of Sophie working through it herself, but it would have been helpful to me as a reader to see Sophie working through her emotions earlier on to better understand her. Otherwise, I think this is an enjoyable, light “chick lit” read. If you’re looking for a quick escape with a happy ending then this book is for you.

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux comes out on September 8th, 2020.

I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 Stars