Happy Sunday,
My weekend just seemed to fly by, mostly because I had both days off and was having fun! I went to the Bookstore, did some grocery shopping and had some quality reading time.
Speaking of reading, I spent most of my Sunday caught up in a wonderful book which is actually being released tomorrow! I’m so thankful that I was lucky enough to be approved for an early copy! I would like to mention that though I received a digital ARC in exchange for a review via Edeweiss+ and the Publisher though all thoughts and ratings are completely my own.
So without further ado, I present to you one of my favorite books that I have read this year which will be available in stores this Tuesday!
Buy Links:
Barnes and Noble
My Thoughts:
This book is a wonderful combination of magical realism, hope, Chinese tradition, delicious food, surprises and the power of a community trying to take care of each other.
Natalie was raised in Chinatown in San Francisco with her agoraphobic Mother who taught her a love of cooking though found it hard to speak of Natalie’s Grandmother or Father. When she became of age, she fought with her Mother over wanting to pursue a career via culinary school and did not speak to her Mother much over the ensuing years. Natalie fails out of Culinary School so instead travels all over the world, learning a variety of different dishes and cultures.
When she receives a call that her Mother has passed away, she moves from Montreal back to San Francisco full of regrets on not staying more in contact with her Mother and also angry with the community that she saw as not being helpful. The more time Natalie spends in the area, the more she realizes that the community has been very helpful, that it is in dire need of a miracle to not fall apart and be taken over by people who won’t appreciate the area and that her views of her Mother are much more complicated.
Natalie is given a book of recipes that her Grandmother wrote, who once ran a restaurant beneath the very place that Natalie grew up and also finds a letter where her Mother gives her blessing to follow her dreams. Over the course of the following weeks, Natalie slowly starts to piece things together about her Mother, a furry cat companion named Meimei, the community, develops friendships and just may be on the road to having found the love of her life. She also seeks comfort in cooking for herself as well as several of her neighbors after reading in her Mother’s letter that by doing this, she may be able to reopen the restaurant.
It’s not quite as easy as it seems though and the road to success can often be full of many bumps. Soon Natalie will realize that sometimes the best thing to do is believe in yourself, trust your instincts, speak your mind and try to be open to the possibilities. When a fire could possibly be the end to her dreams, it will take help in unexpected places to help Natalie see that all is not so lost and that maybe the dream of reopening her Grandmother’s restaurant may not be so impossible after all.
I loved this book so much with the healthy dash of whismy, the sense of community, romance and the many recipes that had my mouth watering. I also loved the Chinese-American aspects that were interwoven with the story and the twists that I didn’t see coming until after they happened. Natalie and Meimei are such precious beans that deserve so much love, both of whom were two of my favorite characters.
I highly recommend checking out this book particularly if you have a love of reading recipes mixed in with the storyline! I can’t wait to read more by Roselle and I would love if there would be a sequel to this story some day!
Well that wraps up my bookish ramblings for the time being. I hope you have enjoyed them and may you enjoy this book as much as I have. Many of the recipes are ones that I’m curious to try out some day! I’ll be back soon with more bookworm gushing.
Happy Reading!
Slainte
~Meg
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