This is a sweet (pun intended) book about found family and friendship. There are things I liked about the book and things I didn't.

It's the story of Kate, whose husband Eddie is a fantastic cook, but then tragedy strikes and three years later she is alone and at a loss in the world. She quits her teaching job and begins to rebuild her life and she finds herself connecting with her neighbors and they each provide the others with hope and friendship.

I loved everything about the cooking and baking parts of this book. It was heartwarming and fun to see how our memories and our experiences are shaped by certain foods and how sharing those can bring others inside of our circles. I appreciated Kate's struggles to feel like she could move on and her struggles with reconciling her past with her future.

What I had issues with were that some of the things were just glossed over and "solved" either off the page or with no fanfare at all. David's daughter's issues were maybe? resolved in a way that felt totally unrealistic, and with all of the dwelling Kate did about her past with her mom it all wrapped up super quickly as well. It was like the entire book was a slow lead up and then bam! everything is resolved and over in a few pages.

Just a warning, there's some mention of Covid which could be potentially a problem for some.

Overall this is a sweet book with yummy food and family, but it just fell a little short with plot development. Maybe too many characters with too many issues to resolve in such a short tale.

I was sent a copy of The Secret Ingredient by Sue Heath to read and review by NetGalley. I’m afraid this novel didn’t warrant much more than three stars from me. While the writing was passable and some of the recipes throughout the book were quite enticing I felt that I knew what was going to happen every step of the way. The author did tackle some serious subjects but I felt that the story was overly romantic and rather predictable. A easy holiday read but having said that I think it could have been quite a bit shorter.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this eCopy to review

A heart warming story of how Kate learns how to live again following the death of her husband. She connects to a new community through her baking, making new friends and is able to open up her heart to love again.

Full of well developed characters and beautiful writing which was very emotional at times, and I love it when there are recipes included!

This was a new author for me and I have to say I really enjoyed this novel. It’s a heartwarming tale of love, friendship and new beginnings. There are some sadder parts but it’s all wrapped up into a wonderful book interspersed with some great recipes. This is a novel I would highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK One More Chapter and the author for the chance to review.

This took me a little longer to read. Not because it was hard to get into, but because I had to keep putting the book down to process my feelings. This book touched my heart in so many ways, through sad moments, happy baking memories and thoughts of what ifs and what’s to come. 

Mary and Charles. I automatically touch my hand to my heart when I think of their story. So much love and so much history between those two. When Charles wandered into Kate’s house with memories of his first date with Mary at the tea room- I was in tears from the get go. Although more tears were shed by the end of the book as well! The love between Charles and Mary was the backbone for this whole book.

Strong Della who built up her confidence and her gumption. I adored her friendship with Kate and I never stopped rooting for her.

Kate. A young widow who learns to restart everything- life, love, cooking, friendships. Between Eddie's cookbook, her grandmother's recipe book and every recipe that her newfound friends added, I was utterly caught up in her story of moving on without her husband and the loss of their future together. However, I was fully rooting for her budding flirtation with Jack, a tortured soul who knows about loss and a love of cooking himself.

This book was a beautiful example of how food can bring people together, as can love. I also very much appreciated the recipes and side notes every time a character made something!

Food can do more than just nourish our bodies. It brings people together, heal wounds, make us remember the past and look forward to tomorrow.
The Secret Ingredient is a book that celebrates food, relationships, friendships, ways to cope with loss and having hopes. I

The book is like a warm hug on a day that one needs it the most!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

There were things I liked about this book and some I didn’t.

It’s a book about starting over and opening up to new people and new experiences. I loved the concept of the book.

Kates new husband dies tragically and unexpectedly in an accident. She feels a lot of remorse and guilt with her grief. 3 years later she decides to quit her teaching job and start a new life. She connects with the neighborhood.

I loved the beginning of the book. I thought the characters had depth and I enjoyed getting to know them. As the book progressed I lost interest. There were a few issues I had. First the book is a little unrealistic for me. I couldn’t figure out why a 35 year old teacher would leave her steady job to do what? Nothing? She has no kids or husband. It makes no sense to me. She is living like she’s 60. I understand taking some time off to reflect and grieve but it seems she has no actual plan or purpose besides baking. Another thing is that as a teacher you would be surrounded by like minded young professionals. It seems like the perfect place to make some friends. Honestly cutting yourself off from society is a recipe for disaster and a pipe dream.

I also found it odd that Jack would just sell his restaurant because he got Covid. It felt unrealistic. Yes it’s unfortunate you have Covid and cannot taste food but you are running a successful restaurant. Hire someone to help you. The plot seems a little far fetched for me. The book is character driven but it slows down and there isn’t a lot of forward momentum. I was a little bored in the middle. If you love a slow paced sweet book that centers around cooking this might be for you.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

What a stunning cover !
What a wonderful read !

I so loved this. Possibly my favourite recent read

So recommended

. . . ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒ ⭒
At the risk of being too punny, this book had some of my favourite ingredients that exist in a great read for me - intergenerational friendship, chosen family, small town/community coming together, and a little bit of sweet sadness - and I think had I not been so dang busy in my own chaos that forced me to do the pick-up-put-down dance, I would have enjoyed it more. It’s not particularly long, and I think it would have served my enjoyment of it better had I been able to really settle into the read, but alas, this did result in it not hitting as hard as it could have.

Unsurprisingly, I really enjoyed the aspects/tropes that I listed above, with the book certainly delivering in these departments. The intergenerational friendships that existed here, of which there were several, were all done very well, with my favourite being between Kate and Charles.

I often avoid books that rope in the pandemic into their plot, just because I like the escapism of reading, but how it was incorporated into this story was done so perfectly - it wasn’t the star of the show, and it only brought in details that mattered to the story, and in a relatable way.

The only thing from this book that didn’t sit super well with me was surrounding a woman’s desire, or lack thereof, to have children. The three women in this book, Kate, Della, and Mary all discuss this in turn, and it bothered me a bit that given the discussion, there wasn’t space for one of them to not want children, simply because they didn’t. For each character initially it was presented that they themselves just were not interested, but then there seemed to be “reasons” added - like the characters required permission to not want to procreate. I just think it so important to acknowledge, receive, and normalize the reality that there are plenty of women who simply just do not want to have kids - there doesn’t need to be a “why” necessarily; it always seems to be the follow-up question, as if she has to ‘explain herself’, when the answer to the question is answer enough. I’ll get off my soapbox now.

I did absolutely adore all of the attention food got in this book, and especially the concept of cooking/baking as an act of love. Coming from an Italian background, the idea of “food is love” is deeply engrained within me, and how it was featured in this book brought me a lot of joy.

Overall though, this book was sweet and a little bit sad, and I do wish a had been able to read it with less distractions to better appreciate it.

~👩🏻‍🦰

A story about friendship and relationships and communicating within them . Kate is a young widow who has now decided, three years after her husband's death to leave work and come to terms with what has happened. She starts to get to know her neighbours and to learn how to bake with their help. All of the characters have their own problems, but here a problem shared becomes a problem halved.
I liked the characters, the plot was sweet, though a little predictable and the book kept my interest throughout. Advice is sensible, though perhaps in places the problems were quickly dealt with and although it would be nice if the world was like this, I`m not sure that it is. But it is a feel good read and enjoyable, I was not keen on all the recipes in the text , but do understand that food does have personal associations for people so definately get that
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

A cozy and warm read. It's a story of redemption from all other kinds of tragedies in life. The characters were well-developed and realistic in portraying their flaws as human beings. The book also taught me the redeeming and healing powers of love, not only in a romantic sense, but also in other facets and forms of love. So far my first great read from the author.

Thank you to @onemorechapterhc and @harpercollinsuk for the advanced copy of this book via @netgalley 💕

🏠You never know what is happening behind the closed doors of your neighbors. Never know what they are dealing with until… you knock and ask questions. 🚪

This lovely book describes the lives of 5 people of various generations within one neighborhood. Their lives become intertwined when one of them, a seemingly confused and “muddled” old man, knocks on the door of a young widow who is drowning in her grief. What ensues is a heartbreaking and heart warming story of friendship between neighbors and how cooking can heal broken hearts. 💔

👩🏻‍🍳 I love a book with cooking involved but this one was so beautifully written and really tugged at your heart strings. I fell in love with the sweet old Charles and Mary and the young widow, Kate’s pain was palpable. The way the author wrote about her stages of grief felt realistic and genuine. I love when an author evokes those moments of really feeling the characters heart. I think Kate was the most evolved character by the end of the story.

Since the one of the themes was cooking, I made one of the first recipes, “Mother’s recipe for Scones” with an American version of Cornish clotted cream (quicker/shortcut way). They didn’t really look like the scones that I have had before, which were more like biscuits. So maybe I messed something up? Oh well, my family enjoyed them.

This book made me laugh and cry. So emotional and thought provoking I struggled to put it down. Kate has been wrapped up in grief but after meeting neighbour Charles she starts to move on with her life. Each of the fabulous characters all have their own backstories but it is food that is the common thread. The bond between Charles and Mary is so strong and it soon becomes obvious that they are the ones that are instrumental in bringing everyone together. Della is still trying to come to terms with how her marriage ended and Jack is running away from his issues. I don’t really want to say anymore as I don’t want to give anything away! This book is essentially about love, loss, inner strength, community and being brave enough to move on. Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Perfect book for a foodie wanting to get back in the kitchen. A story of loss and regaining. Very character driven book with lots of sad moments and realistic moments of wanting to just have a nicer life.
It even has some recipes you can try yourself but I personally havent (YET).

10/10 would recommend

I liked the idea but the story didn't quite hit the mark for me. Cooking was Eddie's passion but suddenly Kate, who has never cooked at all and struggles with even the most basic recipes, is baking for all the neighbours. A street full of lonely people, people suffering various losses or coping with illness or feeling guilty, all brought together by food. A little drawn out with a lot of introspection and over explaining at times to hammer its message home. A very light easy read with a likeable main character and a fairly predictable ending.

A nice book, but a bit too sweet for me I'm afraid. Everyone seems to be separated by their individual problems initially then suddenly a grieving non baker turned super baker over night solves the streets problems by bringing everyone together over her cakes and biscuits. No I don't think so. A lovely idea and if read at the right time in one's life I'm sure it would resonate but not for me right now.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

A book of loss that will make you cry. A book of endings that will lead to new beginnings. A book of courage and hope that will inspire the reader. The cycle of life--with many tears and many smiles and much love. The book reminded me to be brave, always have hope, and to relish the beauty.
This book is the story of neighbors as they step out of their lives into the uncomfortable and find the missing ingredient in their lives as they all come together.
Cons: Some of the writing was redundant and the book could be a few pages shorter. So, 4 stars.
A shout out to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the digital ARC. This opinion is my own and I was in no way coerced.

Food and loss define this story, which is told from multiple viewpoints and shows how allowing people into your life can help you move on from grief through mutual support. It is a heartbreaking read at times, especially if you can relate to any of the characters' experiences. Still, the emotions are carefully balanced. The humour lightens but doesn't diminish the more poignant moments. I enjoyed the characters, the realistic plot and the balance of heartbreak and heartwarming emotions.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

A street in England full of special residents. Charles and Mary, Kate, Della and Jack, they all have lost something, but they also have something to gain. It is old Charles who manages to get them all together, creating a special friendship, all around cooking and baking and exchanging recipes and experiences.

What a wonderful book, both literally and figuratively. The characters are well developed. By changing perspectives you can look and think along with each of them and their feelings are clear. Everyone has to deal with their own loss that they have to learn to deal with. Feelings of guilt and shame are in every person, but the friendship that arises changes those feelings and allows them to move on.

It is a sweet story with depth. Various themes are discussed, some of which are further elaborated. Grief, illness and loss, for example, are clearly present in the book, while diversity and an eating disorder are mentioned, but remain superficial. It is written in a pleasant writing style and therefore easy to read, especially if English is not your first language.

Beautiful characters full of love and wisdom, but with room for friendship and solidarity. And in addition, the recipes for tasty things that can be found in the book make it a special novel that you close with a good feeling after reading and invite you to cook or bake something.

The secret ingredient is a wonderful novel with loving characters full of friendship, love and good foo

What a beautiful written book. So emotional! I felt it more as I am a recent widow & I felt Kate's pain so much. So many tears cried, but it made me feel hopeful, the writing was that good!
I personally didn't want the recipes in the book, I felt they weren't needed as the story was enough.
Highly recommended read.