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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
I enjoy how this author weaves magical realism into her stories and makes it seem natural. Books about food and cooking always make me happy, and now I want to move to the Pacific Northwest and experience the magic of island life. The delivery of some of the lessons learned by this character were a bit heavy handed at the end, but overall this was an enjoyable listen.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Long ago, her mother had told her that the four leaflets on the clover stood for faith, hope, love, and luck. ‘Those four elements are the recipe for a charmed life, Georgia May.’”
Georgia’s world is shattered when she finds out her boyfriend (and owner of the Parisian restaurant she’s a sous chef at) is cheating on her. When she receives a letter from her mom, who she hasn’t seen she was a young child, she finds it to be the perfect time to figure out what she is going to do with her broken life. What awaits her back in the Pacific Northwest is not what she expected, but maybe it’s just what her broken heart needs.
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Read if you like:
Uplifting, comfort reads
Stories centered around food
Mother/daughter relationships
Thank you Berkley and Uplit Reads for a gifted copy!
Georgia’s world is shattered when she finds out her boyfriend (and owner of the Parisian restaurant she’s a sous chef at) is cheating on her. When she receives a letter from her mom, who she hasn’t seen she was a young child, she finds it to be the perfect time to figure out what she is going to do with her broken life. What awaits her back in the Pacific Northwest is not what she expected, but maybe it’s just what her broken heart needs.
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Read if you like:
Uplifting, comfort reads
Stories centered around food
Mother/daughter relationships
Thank you Berkley and Uplit Reads for a gifted copy!
This book was just okay. It had some charming moments of family, finding yourself, and forgiveness. It was a little slow at times which is why I struggled to get through this one.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the arc in return for an honest review.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the arc in return for an honest review.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In one disastrous night, Georgia May Jackson's life turned upside down, losing her dream job in Paris, her boyfriend, her spark, and oddly enough, her sense of taste. When she receives an email from her estranged mother, Georgia figures she doesn't have much else to lose and sets off to attempt to find her spark and possibly answers to her burning questions.
Recipe for a Charmed Life is a sweet story about family and forgiveness. The characters were believable, relatable, and easy to root for. A touch of magical realism intertwined with a touch of romance added a little something extra to the story that helped move the plot along. I rated 4 stars but think it's more of a 4.5. I'm not sure what was missing that didn't give me the 5 star feels. I can say that I absolutely loved Rachel Linden's The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie (5 stars), and Charmed Life didn't match the level of enjoyment I experienced while reading Drop Pie. Maybe my expectations were set too high. But saying all that Recipe for a Charmed Life is a great read. A delightful book.
I received a complementary digital copy for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Recipe for a Charmed Life is a sweet story about family and forgiveness. The characters were believable, relatable, and easy to root for. A touch of magical realism intertwined with a touch of romance added a little something extra to the story that helped move the plot along. I rated 4 stars but think it's more of a 4.5. I'm not sure what was missing that didn't give me the 5 star feels. I can say that I absolutely loved Rachel Linden's The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie (5 stars), and Charmed Life didn't match the level of enjoyment I experienced while reading Drop Pie. Maybe my expectations were set too high. But saying all that Recipe for a Charmed Life is a great read. A delightful book.
I received a complementary digital copy for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was such a fan of The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie. I had no idea I even liked magical realism until I read this book and fell in love with it. So I jumped at the chance to read this one.
This is definitely charming and magical. You have to believe me, it is in the name. There is a running theme of Georgia finding four leaf clovers that I loved. And the food. Oh my word, it kept making me hungry. I’m always a fan of food in a book and this one was even nice enough to give us a couple of recipes at the end.
In addition to having a little romance and part taking place in Paris, I loved the deeper themes in this one. Georgia is established in her life and her childhood caused her to map out her life and follow it to a tee. Then when things fall apart, she is forced to slow down for a minute and reflect. She goes on a path to right her ship but in doing so, she works on finding her true self and reconnects with her family. I love reading about those that have already come of age and go on a journey of self-discovery. And this one really pulled me in and let me journey with Georgia.
I listened to this one and Traci Odom does a great job narrating all the voices. I loved her Julia Child voice. It seemed so like her. And she does such a good job with Georgia’s highs and lows. I felt like I was right there in the moment.
This is definitely charming and magical. You have to believe me, it is in the name. There is a running theme of Georgia finding four leaf clovers that I loved. And the food. Oh my word, it kept making me hungry. I’m always a fan of food in a book and this one was even nice enough to give us a couple of recipes at the end.
In addition to having a little romance and part taking place in Paris, I loved the deeper themes in this one. Georgia is established in her life and her childhood caused her to map out her life and follow it to a tee. Then when things fall apart, she is forced to slow down for a minute and reflect. She goes on a path to right her ship but in doing so, she works on finding her true self and reconnects with her family. I love reading about those that have already come of age and go on a journey of self-discovery. And this one really pulled me in and let me journey with Georgia.
I listened to this one and Traci Odom does a great job narrating all the voices. I loved her Julia Child voice. It seemed so like her. And she does such a good job with Georgia’s highs and lows. I felt like I was right there in the moment.
This one was nice. It was a sweet magical realism with an adult daughter reuniting with the mother who left when she was a toddler.
Georgia travels back to the Pacific Northwest to reunite with her mother and also try to find her spark in the kitchen.
I am not sure what it was about this book. Perhaps there were just a few too many stories that were happening and it didn’t all fit well.
I do enjoy a good magical realism book, that that element was nice.
Overall this was good but won’t be a favorite.
Georgia travels back to the Pacific Northwest to reunite with her mother and also try to find her spark in the kitchen.
I am not sure what it was about this book. Perhaps there were just a few too many stories that were happening and it didn’t all fit well.
I do enjoy a good magical realism book, that that element was nice.
Overall this was good but won’t be a favorite.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Georgia May Jackson is an American chef living in Paris and working her way up in the culinary world, hoping soon to be a head chef at a new restaurant. She has a very bad day topped off by discovering her boyfriend in the cooler with the pastry chef. Soon after she realizes that she has lost her ability to taste anything but bitterness. When she receives an e-mail from her mother (Star) who had abandoned Georgia when she was 5 years old, she decides to get away from Paris and visit her mother on San Juan Island outside of Seattle WA. She finds her mother living on a small farm. Georgia is puzzled by her mother’s ability to grow anything. Georgia meets Cole, the man next door who works as an oyster farmer. Star realizes that what Georgia needs is to find the joy when cooking. Georgia finds that her food provides what is needed by the person she cooks for. She is intrigued by Cole who seems to have a grudge against her. Georgia spends the rest of her visit relearning why she loved to cook in the first place and that there is more to Cole than meets the eye.
On the surface, this is a romance but there are plot elements that deal with grief and loss, the relationship between mother and daughters and that there is forgiveness for even the worse offenses. The characters are interesting and likable. The island is a remote setting and provides a perfect background for the story. The magical realism that weaves through the story was a nice touch. It was an enjoyable story. Recommend to readers of romance, magical realism, contemporary adult, women’s literature featuring food, and family.
Rachel Linden's Recipe for a Charmed Life is the sweet, warm, rom-com you need in your life! I absolutely fell in love with Georgia May, the main character. A Texas girl turned Parisian chef, Georgia May has done it all... almost. Her life changes when she needs a break from her career and just like that, her estranged mother reaches out with an invite to visit her in the San Juan Islands. Georgia May uses that visit to reconnect with herself, her mother, and even to find love (of course).
Georgia is a delight--wildly independent, full of passion and life. You just can't help but root for her as she tries to find her gifting in the kitchen and her sense of taste (which sadly vanished alongside a longterm relationship and her culinary job). I adored this book, the mouthwatering cuisine, and the great descriptions of place. The magical realism was a fun addition (though I found her constant dialogue with Julia Child to be a little weird, tbh). This book is sweet and predictable, with some glorious twists along the way.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
Georgia is a delight--wildly independent, full of passion and life. You just can't help but root for her as she tries to find her gifting in the kitchen and her sense of taste (which sadly vanished alongside a longterm relationship and her culinary job). I adored this book, the mouthwatering cuisine, and the great descriptions of place. The magical realism was a fun addition (though I found her constant dialogue with Julia Child to be a little weird, tbh). This book is sweet and predictable, with some glorious twists along the way.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I own a previous book by this author, but haven't read it yet and when the chance to read the author's latest for a book tour came up I jumped at the chance. While this was good (and there will be a lot of people who love it) my review will be more tempered because this isn't my normal type read.
The beginning was a little slow for me and I had a little trouble believing the romance happened as fast as it did, but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of topics covered and that there was good character growth. I also think the author did the right thing by making the focus of the book on Georgia May's awakening and coming into her own rather than the romance. There were plenty of opportunities where the author could have leaned more into the romance, but she kept true to the book being about Georgia May and her life and I liked and respected that.
I think the most important lesson the book has for me is that sometimes looking at things super seriously, having all these plans and lists and expectations can get in the way of LIVING your life and that is a lesson I really need to learn for my own growth. I felt it was a good time to read the book because it's the beginning of the year when you sort of evaluate how things are going and how you want to "move forward" and so I think it served me well to think about these things now.
I enjoyed the magical realism in the book (I would have been okay with more), but my one main critique is things ended up a bit too tidy for me, but that's probably me being a curmudgeon. I also didn't quite understand the few chapters from Cole's perspective? It was fine, but I don't think it was necessary. I'd either want more from his perspective or none at all, (but if we're sticking with my earlier thoughts on it being good the book was mainly about Georgia May) I think the Cole parts could have been cut out.
I chose to do the audio (and I read some of the book in between listening times) and I think both formats worked equally well. The narrator was good and I enjoyed the formatting of the book.
Thank you to UpLit Reads and Berkley Pub for the gifted printed copy and PRHAudio for the gifted audiobook.
Publication Date: 01/09/2024
Review Date: 01/10/2024
The beginning was a little slow for me and I had a little trouble believing the romance happened as fast as it did, but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of topics covered and that there was good character growth. I also think the author did the right thing by making the focus of the book on Georgia May's awakening and coming into her own rather than the romance. There were plenty of opportunities where the author could have leaned more into the romance, but she kept true to the book being about Georgia May and her life and I liked and respected that.
I think the most important lesson the book has for me is that sometimes looking at things super seriously, having all these plans and lists and expectations can get in the way of LIVING your life and that is a lesson I really need to learn for my own growth. I felt it was a good time to read the book because it's the beginning of the year when you sort of evaluate how things are going and how you want to "move forward" and so I think it served me well to think about these things now.
I enjoyed the magical realism in the book (I would have been okay with more), but my one main critique is things ended up a bit too tidy for me, but that's probably me being a curmudgeon. I also didn't quite understand the few chapters from Cole's perspective? It was fine, but I don't think it was necessary. I'd either want more from his perspective or none at all, (but if we're sticking with my earlier thoughts on it being good the book was mainly about Georgia May) I think the Cole parts could have been cut out.
I chose to do the audio (and I read some of the book in between listening times) and I think both formats worked equally well. The narrator was good and I enjoyed the formatting of the book.
Thank you to UpLit Reads and Berkley Pub for the gifted printed copy and PRHAudio for the gifted audiobook.
Publication Date: 01/09/2024
Review Date: 01/10/2024