Review of The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux

 

Verant, Samantha.  The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux.  Berkley, 2020.

Sophie Valroux has worked at Cendrillon NYC for five years and is currently serving as chef de partie.  She dreams of one day being one of the few female chefs who run Michelin-starred restaurants.  Unfortunately, her dream takes a downturn when her chef ex-boyfriend, Eric, sabotages her food while a food critic is in the restaurant.  Not only is Sophie fired, but her reputation is ruined, as the news spreads throughout newspapers and the Internet.

 

Devasted and humiliated, Sophie goes through depression and loses interest in her love of cooking.  Sadly, she discovers that her beloved Grand-Mere’ Odette, who lives in France, has suffered a stroke.  Sophie flees New York and arrives in Champvert, in southwest France, where her grandmother lives.  The luxury Chateaux de Champvert, which her grandmother owns, is much larger than she remembers as a little girl.  The estate boasts two restaurants, a vineyard and winery, and a staff that is nearly all women.

 

While working at the chateaux, Sophie rediscovers her love of food and cooking.  She reconnects with a childhood friend, Remi Dupont, who becomes much more than a friend.  When her grandmother has a relapse, she tells Sophie that she wants her to run the chateaux and that it is her birthright.  Sophie must now decide if she will carry out her grandmother’s wishes or take a coveted job offered to her in New York City.

 

Samantha Verant’s debut novel is an ode to family, friendship, food, and second chances.  Because the author lives where her novel mostly takes place, she has drawn on her background to include lush descriptions of France and its culture and food.

 

The reader can see Sophie growing as the book progresses, from her downfall until she begins to love food, creativity, and cooking once again.  She becomes more and more confident in herself, both as a person and as a chef, and proves just how resilient she really is.  This plot resonates because, even today, it seems that women chefs have to work harder than men to make a name for themselves in the culinary world.

 

There are French words and phrases sprinkled throughout the novel.  As an added bonus, the author has included recipes in the back of the book for readers to try.  And there is a sequel in the works!  Sophie Valroux’s Paris Stars is slated to be published on October 19, 2021!

 

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux is a delightful foray into culinary fiction.  Hand it to readers who enjoy romance, travel novels, and watching The Food Network.  I recommend it for public libraries, and I give it four out of five fleur delis!

 

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

Review of Alienated by Melissa Landers

Landers, Melissa.  Alienated.  Disney Hyperion, 2014. 

High school senior Cara Sweeney has gotten every honor attainable—Young Leader Award, state debate champ for two years, president of the National Honor Society, and class valedictorian.   All she needs now is a good scholarship for college.

Imagine her surprise when Cara’s family is chosen to host an interplanetary exchange student from Planet L’eihr.  As payment for hosting, Cara will receive full tuition to any college she chooses.  Not only that, she will be able to post about her experiences with the alien on her blog.

When Aelyx, the L’eihr exchange student, arrives, Cara discovers that even though he is he handsome, he is rather cold and aloof.  He likes the drab colors of winter, doesn’t care for earth food, and is dreading his time with his host family.  As Cara and Aelyx grow closer, HALO—Humans Against L’eihr Occupation, begin staging protests, hoping to upset the alliance between Earth and L’eihr.  HALO’s demonstrations become increasingly violent and eventually result in another exchange student’s death.

Fearing for their lives, Aelyx and Cara flee earth.  Cara discovers that Aelyx and the other exchange students have tried to sabotage the Earth alliance by poisoning crops with a L’eihr parasitic tree.  Feeling that Aelyx has betrayed both her and Planet Earth, Cara must decide if she will accept his apology and continue with their relationship.

The plotline and world building of Planet L’eihr and its inhabitants are ingenious.  The novel is extremely character-driven, and the two main characters—Cara and Aelyx—are strong and likable.  There are some intense romance scenes between the two that will leave readers breathless.  Aelyx is very literal in his comments to others, which adds humor to the novel.  Alienated is the first book in the new series by the same name and will be released this Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Invaded, the second book in the series will debut in 2015.  I highly recommend Alienated for high school and public libraries.   I give it five out of five fleur de lis!

Review of The Program by Suzanne Young

Young, Suzanne.  The Program.  SimonPulse, 2013.

The teenage suicide rate has ballooned to 33%, making it a national epidemic.  No one knows the reason for the growth, but scientists have concluded that suicide is contagious.  Teens are constantly watched and monitored by their parents and their teachers.  They are not allowed to cry or grieve for their family and friends who have died.  Teens who show the slightest sign of being sad or depressed are “flagged” and taken away by handlers, where they are put in “The Program”, a six-week pilot program aimed at getting rid of inappropriate feelings and emotions that could lead to death.  Those teenagers come back into society as “returners”--with cleansed memories, but to their parents, they are healthy and emotionally sound. 

Sloane Barstow lost her brother, Brady, who drowned himself; her best friend, Lacey, is taken and put into The Program.  When Sloane’s childhood friend, Miller, commits suicide by drinking poison, she is terrified that she and her boyfriend, James, will be flagged.  Both of them hide their feelings and try to act like Miller’s death has not affected them.  James promises that he will keep he and Sloane safe and out of The Program, but ultimately, he is not able to do so.

The Program is beginning of a promising and engaging dystopian series.  The novel is extremely character-driven, told in first person by Sloane Barstow.  Through her eyes, readers are able to see the fear that teens feel at losing their friends, both to suicide and to The Program.  Parents are desperate to save their children at all costs.  Doctors and nurses employed by The Program display ruthlessness bordering on child abuse, using force, coercion, over-medication, and manipulation to achieve desired results.  Teens are powerless and have no rights.  It is they against adults/the government.

James is the perfect boyfriend—handsome, thoughtful, and funny.  He would go to the ends of the earth for Sloane, who is stronger than she thinks.  Even they are only teenagers, their love feels fresh and real.  Although James promises that he will keep them both safe, it is Sloane who must pretend that everything is fine.  It is heart breaking and devastating when James is taken, because Sloane knows that when he returns he won’t remember her or what they had together.

I really felt that the true theme of The Program is that love conquers all, and that some people are just destined to be together.  Readers won’t be able to resist the romance in the novel or the love triangle that occurs later in the book.  I highly recommend it for high school and public libraries.  Five out of five fleur de lis!

Reviewer’s note:  The copy of the book reviewed was a digital ARC received from Edelweiss Above the Treeline in exchange for an honest review.

Review of Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Oliver, Lauren.  Requiem.  HarperTeen, 2013.

Lena is trying to get on with her life.  As part of the resistance, she is helping fight the regulators and Delirium Free America.  Alex has nothing to say to her; he has lived through his own personal hell and just wants to forget.  Julian is trying to adjust from his life as part of the DFA to that of a resistor. 

Meanwhile, Hana is preparing for her wedding to Fred Hargrove, who has followed in his father’s footsteps as mayor of Portland.  Fred is “hardcore” when it comes to resistors, the uncured, and their sympathizers.  He will do whatever it takes, including mass murder, to bring the resistance to its knees and kill it.  Hana has resigned herself to a loveless, cruel life with Fred until she discovers that Fred is hiding secrets, some about his first wife, Cassie O’Donnell.  Hana is determined to find out what happened to her.

Told in first person from both Lena’s and Hana’s viewpoints, Requiem culminates the Delirium trilogy in a riveting conclusion.  Readers will find out what happens to Lena, Hana, Alex, and Julian, as well as Lena’s relatives who were taking care of her before she vanished into the Wilds.  Lena’s absent mother also makes an appearance as mother and daughter try to mend their broken past.  One last meeting occurs between Lena and Hana, once best friends, now separated by their opposing views on what society and their lives should bring to them.

Both Hana and Lena are strong female characters, each showing sides of their personalities contrary to what their beliefs should convey.  Lena must choose between the two men in her life—Alex, her first love, and Julian, her current one, and decide what path her life will eventually take.  Hana must make the hard choice to help Lena or turn her over to her vengeful fiancé, Fred.

Requiem  is a fabulous ending to a series that is great from book one to book three!  The series builds and builds until its conclusion and never let me down.  It will make its debut on March 5, 2013.  I highly recommend it to upper middle school, high school, and public libraries!

Reviewer’s Note:  The book reviewed was a digital edition received from Edelweiss Above the Treeline in exchange for an honest review.



Review of Reached by Ally Condie

Condie, Ally.  Reached.  Dutton, 2012.

Reached, the third installment of the Matched series, picks up right where Crossed ended.  Cassia, Xander, and Ky are all now working in different capacities for The Rising.  Cassia is a sorter within The Society, awaiting a special sorting task that could come at any moment.  Xander is masquerading as a medical official and secretly administers plague immunizations to infants.  Ky, along with Indie, are pilots.

 

When the Plague comes, it hits hard.  Xander is catapulted into the position of physic, administering cures to those within the Society who are ill and immunizations to those who are not.  Ky and Indie fly in the medical cures to the sick.  Besides being a sorter, Cassia has also become friendly with the archivists, trading for things dear to her and others.

 

When the Plague mutates, Cassia, Xander, and Ky are suspected of sabatoge by The Pilot, the leader of The Rising.  Cassia, Xander, and Oker, an elderly doctor, work to find a cure for the mutated Plague as Ky lies "still", dying from the disease. 

 

This final installment of the Matched series has some unexpected events, but, overall, it is a little bit of a letdown for me.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books, and was eagerly anticipating a satisfying conclusion to the series.  However, even though there is no solution to The Rising/The Society conflict, the ending is a fairly happy one.  In spite of the fact that there is a love triangle, Ky and Xander never argue or come to blows over Cassia.  This could be due to the fact that the characters grow and mature so much over the course of the series.

 

Ally Condie writes with rich, beautiful prose and creates a distinctive, vivid world for her characters to live in.  Readers who have invested time reading the first two books will not be disappointed!

 

I recommend Reached for middle school, high school, and public libraries.

 

 

 

 

Review of Beta by Rachel Cohn

Cohn, Rachel.  Beta.  Disney Hyperion, 2012.

The island of Demesne, created from an underground volcano, is said to be the most desirable and exclusive place on earth.  It has the purest air; the scenery has the perfect aesthetic; and the water around it has healing properties.  It is inhabited by the most rich, famous, and wealthy people in the world.

Clones on Demesne are created in order to serve residents on the island and to create an atmosphere of happiness and fine living.  The clones have been fitted with a brain chip so that they can mimic human feelings, a GPS wrist chip for tracking, and a facial brand, which designates their type of service.  They don’t need human food; their only nutrition is special strawberry shakes, which are loaded with chemical components.

Elysia is a sixteen-year-old clone—created in a lab—as a Beta, an experimental teenage model. Elysia’s “first”, her original human, had to die and her soul had to be extracted in order for Elysia to become a clone. Elysia is purchased by Mrs. Bratton, the wife of the governor of the island, to replace her rebellious teen daughter, who has gone off to college on the mainland.  She is also to serve as an athletic trainer to the Bratton’s son, Ivan, who will soon be joining the elite private army training on the mainland Base and to help care for the Bratton’s young daughter, Leisel. 

Elysia is having flashbacks about a handsome young man from her first’s past and thinks she may be defective.  However, she doesn’t want to tell anyone because she feels she has many privileges other clones do not.  What she eventually figures out is that clones are actually an oppressed society ruled and owned by the wealthy; clones can be forced to do anything and are easily disposed. 

There is growing tension on Demesne.  The privileged teenagers are secretly using ataraxia, an illegal drug that gives its users a profound feeling of dreamy happiness and contentment.  There are growing protests against using clones as servants and rumors of a group of clone “Defects” planning an insurrection so that they can gain their freedom.

Elysia’s choice about what she should do with her life is ultimately made easier by the events unfolding on the island and how she feels about her adoptive “family” and her relationship with a boy.  Although she has done some planning, some last minute decisions could end up causing her death.  I don’t want to say more than that for fear of revealing too much!

What a wonderful new dystopian series this is!  The lush world- and character-building that Rachel Cohn has created gives the reader wonderful descriptions of the luxurious Demesne, its surroundings, and its inhabitants.  I so want to visit this island; unfortunately, I could not afford it! 

Beta’s main character, Elysia, is a very strong female protagonist.  Since she doesn’t understand context, she takes everything very literally, which only adds to her likability.  Her character grows from someone who is innocent and unsure of herself into a mature, self-assured young woman.

The humans on the island take the clones for granted and think they are quite superior to them.  There is also another group, aquines, which have been genetically engineered to produce a new kind of human race.  They are peaceful, religious zealots and mate for life.  Demesne citizens also look down upon these aquines as inferiors.  It’s no wonder that there is such strife on the island!  The author is able to capture the disdain that the privileged feel toward both groups.  Readers will feel it oozing from the story.

Beta is a wonderful book, filled with a caste hierarchy, greed, wealth, control, and class warfare.  There are some real surprises thrown in—things that were extremely unexpected.  The novel slows down a little near the middle, but gradually picks up speed and ends in a cliffhanger!  Readers will not be able to put the book down!

There are three additional books planned for this series.  I recommend it for high school and public libraries.

**Reviewer’s note:  The copy reviewed was an ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review of Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Fever by Lauren DeStefano; Simon & Schuster, 2012.

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped from the Housemaster Vaughn’s mansion, hoping for a life together, and Rhine is determined to go home to her twin brother, Rowan.  However, horrors they could never imagine await them in the outside world.  First, they fall into the hands of Madame Soleski, a crazed woman who runs a brothel inside the remains of a carnival.  They get out of that situation with an added burden—Maddie, an intelligent, but mute, malformed child, only to have one roadblock after another thrown into their paths.  As an added distraction, Vaughn keeps showing up unexpectedly, and Rhine cannot figure out how he is able to find her.

If you are a fan of “The Chemical Garden” series, you will not be disappointed with Fever. In fact, in many ways, I think it is even better than Wither !  Fever begins right where Wither ends.  There is more action in this new installment, and we learn more about Rhine’s brother, Rowan, and life beyond the mansion.

In Fever, we are introduced to new characters, many of whom are extremely complex.  I am especially fond of Lilac, one of Madame Soleski’s “girls”, and Maddie, her young daughter.  Lilac helps Rhine and Gabriel cope with living in a strange brothel; she is knowledgeable and strong way beyond her nineteen years.  Maddie, though deformed, is smart and has learned how to survive in a dangerous environment, despite her handicap.  She has literally beaten the odds.  I love Grace Lottner, who owns “Grace’s Orphanage”.  She is a caring and devoted woman.  The way she dotes on her charges is both commendable and extraordinary.

Madame Soleski, the twisted, delusional owner of the “Carnival of Love”, is the epitome of evil.  Not only is she controlling, but she is also conniving, and heartless, only caring what she can get out of the girls’ short lives.  She even has an incinerator built so she can easily dispose of her dead girls’ bodies.  Then there’s Housemaster Vaughn.  If you thought he was awful in Wither, just wait!  He is even more of a monster in this second book!  The evil he exudes in the first book cannot even compare to what we learn about him in Fever !

Lauren DeStefano’s lovely prose descriptions of the carnival, Manhattan, and the orphanage are stunning!  The world beyond the mansion is dark, disturbing, and desperate.  It is hard to believe that people can actually live their lives in this crumbling, dying world.  Many of the first generations are also pro-naturalists, scornful of children and teenagers, and hold disdain for President Guiltree and his ideas to begin experimenting for a cure for the virus which claim young adults.  Setting off bombs to make a point is reminiscent of some of today’s terrorists, and that is how Rhine and Rowan’s parents were killed.

Although the book is very dark, it does the ending does leave the reader with some hope.  Fever will make its debut on February 21, 2012.  I highly recommend it to high school and public libraries!

**The copy reviewed was received from the publisher at the ALA Midwinter meeting in Dallas, 2012.

Review of Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Bumped by Megan McCafferty.  HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, 2011. 

    

The year is 2035, and teenagers are a valuable commodity. A virus has hit the world and rendered 75% of the adult population over the age of twenty sterile. Teenage girls are urged to “bump” or become pregnant in order to keep the world populated. Many of them, called Reproductive Professionals or “RePros”, become surrogates to the highest bidder before they ever become pregnant. The rest are Amateurs and either put their babies up for public auction or donate them to infertile couples. Sixteen-year-old Melody Mayflower’s adoptive parents have spent large sums of money to give her the best schooling, athletic opportunities, and musical training money can buy, grooming her to be a RePro. The Jaydens offer full college tuition, a Volkswagen Plug, a postpartum tummy trim, and a six-figure signing bonus for her to be their Surrogette, and she is waiting for her agent, Lib of UGenXX Talent Agency, to find a professional male RePro “match” for her. Appearing on Melody’s doorstep one day is her identical twin, Harmony, who lives a “church life” in Goodside. Harmony, who is betrothed to Ephraim, decides it is her goal to convert Melody and bring her back to Goodside to live. Ephraim shows up in Otherside to bring Harmony back to Goodside. However,

Melody and Zen, her best friend, discover that Harmony is missing.  Unbenownst to them, Harmony is trying to pass herself off as her sister to the extremely attractive Jondoe, who has been chosen as Melody's RePro match.

In this dystopian adventure, Megan McCafferty has written about a sensitive subject, making it both humorous and tragic, at the same time. Alternating chapters are written in the twins’ voices in their points of view.

I spent the first chapter of the book thinking that Melody, who is in a Babiez R U Store, is pregnant. However, at the end of the chapter, she takes off a “fun bump” which simulates a forty-week real set of twins in the womb, and hangs it on the wall! This blew my mind! I went back and reread the first chapter, from this perspective. Futuristic terms, like MiNet and MiChat, among others, were frequently used, and it took me half the book to figure those out! Once I became accustomed to the lingo, I was able to absorb was going on.

The two societies of Goodside and Otherside are very different, but at the same time, strangely alike. They exploit teenage girls’ sexuality through contrasting views. While both societies are trying to propagate the human race, Goodside does it in the name of religion, and Otherside does it for consumerism. I find it interesting that Melody began the book waiting and hoping to be bumped and did a three hundred, sixty degree turn in the opposite direction. On the other hand, Harmony, who was raised to believe it is a sin to have sex out of wedlock, also does a complete turnaround when she meets Jondoe!

Bumped is actually a provocative satire of the manner in which sex is portrayed in the media today! If readers can get past the futuristic computer lingo, they will have a real page turner on their hands. The copy I read was an ARC from NetGalley.com and is scheduled to be released in print on April 26, 2011. Because of the subject matter, I recommend the book for only mature high school readers and public libraries.