Everybody wants a piece of grand chef Sophie Valroux. When she’s invited to cook at an exclusive event her culinary idol is attending, she thinks this could be the thing to catapult her to greater heights, maybe even bring her one step closer to her one and only dream of achieving the stars—Michelin stars. But fate has other plans for Sophie, after a fall, she loses her senses of smell and taste… In this delectable novel, a chef on the rise fuels her passion for cooking, while enduring the hardest challenges she’s ever faced after a debilitating injury.
Review of Sophie Valroux’s Paris Stars
All snuggled up in bed feeling sorry for myself with a rotten cold, I picked up Sophie Valroux’s Paris Stars and didn’t put it down. Romance, drama, friendships and grudges, plus fantastic cuisine described so beautifully I could almost taste it. It all makes for the perfect recipe for a great book – pardon the pun!
Throughout the book I was rooting for Sophie to spread her wings and be free, push past her worries and be happy and with each task she is faced with. Nothing phases her and she deals with each challenge and shows how strong she is despite problems in her working and personal life.
Emotions run high throughout the book and brings it to life with realism and passion. Samantha’s writing skills are superb, bringing it all together. Her descriptions place you in the chateau kitchen cooking with Sophie, dancing under the peach trees with stepdaughter Lola and trying on beautiful dresses with friends. She takes you there with her words.
Past acquaintances pop up, threatening to derail her mission to get a Michelin Star. But there are plenty more relationships that bloom along the way and each one is just as special as the other. It pulls the story into a positive, feel good book. Just right for curling up and escaping from every day life.
Having lots of characters in a book can often lead you to lose track of who’s who, but Sophie’s extended family all play a part in her journey, her story and it wouldn’t have been the same with less. I have to admit Gustave would have been who I followed round like a lost puppy waiting for him to drop one of his delicious deserts in the kitchen and to my utter delight his strawberry crepe recipe is included at the end of the book. Having found it I’m off to the kitchen to create my own and dream of a chateau life like Sophie’s.
5 Stars from French Bookworm, an avid reader who lives in London and adores France and French food.
Available from Amazon, online stores and bookshops.
