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Thursday, September 10, 2020

Review: The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux
by Samantha Verant 

Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  French-born American chef Sophie Valroux had one dream: to be part of the 1% of female chefs running a Michelin-starred restaurant. From spending summers with her grandmother, who taught her the power of cooking and food, to attending the Culinary Institute of America, Sophie finds herself on the cusp of getting everything she's dreamed of.

Until her career goes up in flames.

Sabotaged by a fellow chef, Sophie is fired, leaving her reputation ruined and confidence shaken. To add fuel to the fire, Sophie learns that her grandmother has suffered a stroke and takes the red-eye to France. There, Sophie discovers the simple home she remembers from her childhood is now a luxurious château, complete with two restaurants and a vineyard. As Sophie tries to reestablish herself in the kitchen, she comes to understand the lengths people will go to for success and love, and how dreams can change.


Kritters Thoughts:  Sophie Valroux has been working her tail off to try to achieve a dream that seems very far off.  After she is blamed for a mishap in a restaurant, her future is more unsure and a fateful call sends her to France to rethink if she still wants to really strive for that Michelin-star dream.  

I adore books where a main character must return to a place from their past in order to move forward.  Sophie returns to France and learns the truth about her mother and her grandmother and is able to heal from a lot of trauma and maybe even rekindle a little romance!  

This was one of those feel good books that just makes you happy when you are reading it.  Sophie is a great character that has ups and downs, but nothing overtly dramatic.  And of course, the romance is predictable, but aren't they all and we, the readers, are still satisfied with the ending that we know is coming.  

From what I can tell, this is Samantha Verant's debut fiction novel and I am crossing my fingers that she has more stories to tell!


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row


Ebook 2020 Challenge: 91 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.


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