Recipe for a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden – Audio
ARC from PRH audio and Berkley for an honest review
Book Blurb:
American chef Georgia May Jackson has one goal—to run her own restaurant in Paris. After a grueling decade working in Parisian kitchens, she is on the cusp of success. But in one disastrous night, Georgia loses her sous-chef position, her French boyfriend, and her sense of taste! Renowned for her refined palate and daring use of bold flavors to create remarkable dishes, Georgia is devastated to discover her culinary gift has simply…vanished.
When she receives a surprising invitation from her estranged mother, Georgia flees to a small island near Seattle hoping the visit will help her regain her spark in the kitchen. There she tentatively reconnects with her mom, a free-spirited hippie eager to make up for her past mistakes. But there’s something about the enigmatic island Georgia just can’t piece together. Good luck charms keep appearing in the oddest places. Her neighbor is a puzzlingly antagonist (and annoyingly handsome) oyster farmer. And her mom keeps hinting at a mysterious family legacy.
My Review: 3 stars
Recipe for a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden was a sweet, sour, and salty story about finding yourself in the most unlikely of places with the most surprising set of people.
This book is definitely fit for foodies as the MC, Georgia May, is a renowned chef in Paris. Georgia May begins to lose her sense of taste and instead, tastes only bitterness. She knows she’s in trouble as it’s pretty darn hard to cook without tasting. She’s also under consideration for her dream job of head chef; the timing is all wrong.
When an email comes from her long time estranged mother, she decides to visit her in the San Juan islands of Seattle. With extreme doubt about this reunion and plans to stay no more than a week, she is surprised by the magic of the island. The magic in the plot has been done before, over and over again, so I didn’t think it was really necessary. Maybe for readers that haven’t read books with hints of magical realism, this would have seemed fresh, but for me, not so much.
If you’re looking for an easy and quick listen, this would be a good pick. I think I would’ve preferred to read this one instead of listen to it as the narrator’s voice drove me bananas. That, of course is at no fault of the author as they have very little say in the matter.
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