I'm going to be the outlier here because this book seems to be getting stellar reviews. While I did enjoy this thriller, it was mediocre for me. Entertaining but I wasn't really connected to the characters and didn't really care what happened to them. I thought it was an ok read. Ymmv.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had such promise but I’m sorry that for me it didn’t work. The characters were two dimensional and if this was a screenplay, then I would say they overacted. Maybe more suited to the American audience in that there were no subtleties ie ‘she screamed’ ‘she cried’ were overused. The storyline develops at an unbelievable pace - friendships and trusts made within days! Really! The two main characters, Julia and Erica were caricatures whose employer/employee relationship was totally unrealistic.

The author cooked us a delicious dish with some interesting ingredients.

When you mix revenge, lies and deceit, sprinkle them with jealousy and greed you end up with a big dish of victims. Don't forget to use a few people to spice it all up a bit, to be sure you get what you want and tata,  you win the big prize you have always been after. 

This story started in the slow cooker, but once the heat was turned up, it became an erupting volcano. 

If you don't know who to trust, picking the person you have not caught red handed, might be the best choice...

A very enjoyable read with great characters and premise. I love it when the 'good ones' can live their dreams in the end, but they have had to suffer a lot too before they got there. 4 stars

Thank you

Wow, what a ride this book was. Julia is a chef who gets hired to cook for a family. Erica and David, lets just say they're not the perfect employers. Soon Julia gets a hint there's something going on.
A twisty slow burn. Just when I believed I had it figured out, the next turn arrived and I stered all over again - and the end, wow that end I didn't see coming. A pageturner that had me ihn suspense till the last chapter.

This is a good read! It is a domestic thriller filled with lies, secrets, deceit, and all that craziness. If you like cooking or tv cooking shows you will like this, it is just as entertaining. It kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me wanting to know more, and see how it ends!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

****Publishing October 17, 2024****

Julia Fouquet, a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef from France, was hired by Erica and David Drake, a celebrity couple in LA, to be their private chef. Julia’s dream is to open a chain of French bakeries in SoCal. So to get her foot in the door in LA, she took the job as a private chef. Julia quickly learns that it is not what it seems. Erica feels, since she is paying and compensating Julia well, that Julia will do as she says despite what she is contracted to do. With Erica being demanding and David flirting and making Julia feel uncomfortable, will Julia be able to meet expectations and navigate their lives of lies and deception? Or will it catch up to her?

A slow-burn domestic thriller with wealthy, misbehaving characters, that quickly becomes a page-turner! The lies, the deceit, the secrets will keep you entertained and turning the pages. Just when you think you have figured it out, something else is revealed. I love how this author keeps you guessing until she shocks you with the truth! A must-read for those who enjoy a domestic thriller!

Thanks to Storm Publishing, I was provided an ARC of The Private Chef by Samantha Vérant via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a "chef's kiss" of a novel, it had everything you could expect of a psychological thriller. Unreliable characters, secrets and feelings of distrust and plenty of red herrings throughout. I found myself tied up in knots trying to work out who was telling the truth and who was lying. I loved it I could definitely imagine it as a mini series on TV
Many thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this advanced copy, my opinions are my own and not expected

This was a great psychological thriller novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall concept. It uses the chef element perfectly and enjoyed the overall feel worked. The characters were what I was hoping for and glad it was tense and worked overall. Samantha Vérant has a great writing style and can’t wait for more.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Private Chef by Samantha Verant due to be published October 17, 2024.
When Julia Fouquet lands a job as a private cook for a wealthy family in Malibu, she thinks she’s living the dream. Her employer, Erica Drake, is far from glamorous – she has horrible mood swings. Julia is trying to get close to Erica and her husband, David, but hopes they don’t find out her secrets before she reveals theirs.
The Private Chef was a wild ride from beginning to end. Just when you thought you had one of the characters figured out – something is exposed to change out who they really are. No one is who they seem to be. Everyone is under suspicion, and no one can be trusted. Who you think is bad is not, and vice versa. The ending had me speechless!
#NetGalley #SamanthaVerant #StormPublishing #ThePrivateChef