A really good heart-warming book that is perfect for reading! Nothing complicated just a nice storyline with some great characters.

Veronica Henry at her very best. I've always loved Veronica Henry books but this has got to be one of her best to date.
Laura has spent her life looking after her 2 daughters who are now both flying the nest. Laura has an impending sense of doom as she prepares for the inevitable empty next syndrome. An unexpected turn of events leave Laura in an even worse situation than she can have ever imagined. Not to be defeated Laura picks herself up and does her best to get her life back on track, renting out rooms on Airbnb and putting to use old family recipes to make a business.
Running alongside this story is the story of Laura's maternal grandmother, Jilly. Jilly's story starts back in 1942 during the war and follows up to today.

I’ve noticed a trend in the books I’m picking up recently towards central female characters that are, shall we say, not in the first flush of youth. I’m not sure if this is because more books are being written and published with older women as the focal point or that my tastes are changing and I am drawn more to novels featuring characters I can relate to as my age increases, possibly it is a combination of the two. Either way, I think it is a positive change and something to be celebrated.

I spent yesterday, my forty-sixth birthday, indulging myself in a my favourite pastime (reading, of course!) and the the book I chose was Veronica Henry’s latest novel A Family Recipe. The main character of this book is Laura, a forty-something woman who is faced with finding herself again after her children flying the nest and a shocking family revelation combine to knock her life off the track it had been trundling along for twenty years. As a woman with rapidly maturing children, relationship upheaval and a major career change behind me, there was a huge amount in this book to which I could personally relate and, as a result, I was drawn into Laura’s story immediately.

I suspect any woman of a similar age reading this is going to find herself able to sympathise with a least one aspect of Laura’s life and this is the skill in Veronica’s writing. Her stories, in this and her previous novels, are built on the personal experiences and domestic dramas of ordinary people and, as a result, her characters and their travails are easy for her readers to relate to. We recognise them and, consequently, care about them – an essential ingredient for a really successful novel.

There are actually two timelines running through this book, and two main characters. We have Laura in the modern day, – trying to find her feet during a rocky time in her life and falling back on the comfort of her family’s traditional recipes to ground her – and Jilly, one of Laura’s ancestors – living at the time of the Blitz in Bath and using the same recipes to comfort herself through the fear and grief of that terrible time.

Veronica weaves the two threads together beautifully to demonstrate the influence of our family on us and the importance of those ties of blood and love to hold us together in times of need. Veronica was inspired to write the novel by her own box of family recipes and the personal connection to the story is palpable in the pages. This novel feels so authentic, so full of passion and love, it is impossible not to get drawn in. I was totally enmeshed in the lives of the characters to the point of tearfulness on more than one occasion and I have been left with a feeling of warmth and tenderness at the end. I love Veronica’s work, and I think this might be my favourite yet.

The beauty of this book is helped along by setting it in the gorgeous city of Bath and Veronica manages to bring that gracious city to life with her deft descriptions. I know this is another aspect of the book that is very personal to the author and her love of the city shines throughout.

All in all, this is a perfectly crafted book, one to treasure and return to whenever you are looking for an uplifting story of family, friendship and food.

They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And that’s (almost) precisely what Laura does when her beloved girls leave home for uni and a secret threatens to tear her marriage apart. Armed with a collection of her beloved grandmother’s wartime recipes, she rolls her sleeves up and ploughs ahead with her newfound reality, making friends and facing new challenges head-on. A Family Recipe really is a wonderful story, despite the sadness of Laura’s marriage problems. It’s interspersed with flashes back to her grandmother’s life during The Blitz, which adds a little something extra to the story. Definitely one to lose yourself in for a few hours. LOVED it!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about the house at 11 Lark Hill and the two women who lived there, Laura and her grandmother Kanga.

Kanga survived the Blitz together with her friend Ivy, and the two of them have gotten through the intervening 75 years as well, with their friendship as strong as ever. Kanga is now living in a cottage in the garden of No. 11, close to her granddaughter Laura and her husband Dom, but maintaining her own space and giving Laura and her family theirs.

Laura is happy in her marriage with Dom but then suddenly something happens to change everything for them. She also has their second child going off to University and her house feels kind of empty all of a sudden. Laura takes inspiration from her grandmother and starts to carve a different path for herself.

This was a different story to what I thought I was going to be reading about, nevertheless I really loved reading about these two different women and their stories, and I was cheering them on and commiserating with them along the way.

4.5 stars from me :)

Thank you to NetGalley, THE Book Club and Orion for the read. All opinions in this review are my own.

Veronica has long been one of my most favourite authors, and I always anticipate her next book with excitement.

I was particularly looking forward to ‘A Family Recipe’ because it is based in Bath, which is not far from where I live. I love books based around places I know, as I find it easier to imagine the characters.

Laura and Dom appear to be happily married; their eldest daughter is already at university and their younger daughter is just about to start. On their way home from dropping her off, a secret is revealed in the cruellest of ways, and Laura’s life changes from that moment on.

We meet Jilly, Laura’s elderly but very sprightly grandmother, and she brings a story of the past to Laura’s story of the present. I struggle with stories set in two eras, but not with this one; the flashbacks to Jilly and the Second World War were interwoven really well, and I was able to read the book seamlessly.

A beautiful book that I didn’t want to put down, and was left wanting more when it finished. Absolutely loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

What a lovely book! Very honest and true-to-life, and so very enjoyable.

Laura lives in a lovely family house in the beautiful city of Bath. The house has been in her family for several generations and although it is quite grand to outsiders, to the family it's just home. But with her older daughter at university and her youngest daughter about to leave home for her fresher year, Laura is facing empty nest syndrome.

With both girls happy settled for the first term, Laura will have a lot of extra time on her hands and is considering doing something constructive with it but before she can come to any firm decision a crisis overtakes her life, leaving her with a whole different problem.

This is a dual-aspect novel - not only about the family, but also about the house and the generations who have dwelt there. The storylines go in several directions, resulting in a very interesting and readable novel. The characters are well-rounded, the writing is smooth, flowing and it's very entertaining. It is a book to lift your spirits and definitely leave you with a feel-good vibe. Highly recommended.

My grateful thanks to Orion Publishing for approving my request via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

This is another strong, well written novel from Veronica Henry. The story flicks between Jilly in 1942 and Laura in the present day and tells the lives of the strong, independent women in the house no.11 Lark Hill. Laura's life is changing with her youngest daughter going to university but that is not the only changes she has to adapt to. It is easy to connect with all the characters and is told with the warmth and beautiful use of language I have come to expect from this author. She makes me want to visit Bath and explore the places described here.

Laura is living in her family home- her grandmother sold them her house and she lives in the grounds. 11 Lark Hill sounds a wonderful house and we hear about the history as we follow a dual narrative. Kanga, her grandmother lived there through the war years. She started a recipe box which is now one of Laura's favourite possessions.
Laura is a busy mum, who has had to nurse her youngest through several severe asthma attacks and now she's due to leave for university, Laura is facing an empty nest. Secrets unravel her perfect happy home and we follow her as she makes her way through a new chapter. She is planning to open up the house to air b&b and I loved the plans she has. I could imagine booking a couple of nights stay.
We also follow Kanga and her friend Ivy during the war years with the huge difficulties that they all faced. Ivy is that dependable, loyal friend who retains a spark of mischieviousness but will always have your back.
I loved the whole book which drew me deep within it's pages and made me reluctant to put it down. The characters are so warmly drawn that you soon grow to love them. The recipes add to the overall warm and cosy feeling and it reminded me of the recipe journal that we compiled for my nieces 21st. Everyone wrote their favourite recipe in their own handwriting.
I always love Veronica Henry's books and I was delighted to receive an Arc of this book from Orion.

When Laura packs her youngest off to University she is looking forward to a new chapter in her life, however a chance encounter with a stranger in a motorway service station leaves her whole world rocked to it foundations. Discovering a family recipe box gives Laura the chance to rebuild her world - on her own terms. I love the way this book is set in both World War 2 and the present time with both parts keeping you gripped. Excellent

Beautiful. A brilliantly told story about 2 generations of the one family. Jilly and her granddaughters stories really seem real. I laughed and I cried and I got totally caught up in their lives. The description drew me to this book. I am an empty nester and I thought the description of how Laura felt summed it all up really well. This is a really well written book which I really enjoyed reading and would definitely recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The home is the heart of many families, and it is no different for number 11 Lark Hill in historic Bath. Laura's family home has been in the family since her great-grandparents day, it's always been a lively, warm place but now her daughters' are leaving for University, and she has to find something else to give her life meaning.

When Laura discovers her husband is not the man she thinks he is, her life threatens to fall apart, but she's tenacious and determined to keep her family together and her life worth living. With timeslips back to Blitz-torn Bath in 1942, the time when her beloved Grandmother Jilly(Kanga) faced a devastating loss, like Jilly, Laura rebuilds her life and finds out exactly who she is.

The characters are real and likeable, they laugh, cry and argue but realise the importance of their flawed but enviable family life. The family recipe book is a beautiful analogy of Laura's family past and present and provides her with a means to start a new life chapter.

The fast-paced, enthralling plot takes Laura and her grandmother on an emotional journey with laughter, sadness and ultimately self-realisation. Elements of Laura's family life are instantly recognisable, and it's easy to empathise with her as she works her way towards happiness again.

A delightful read about family, friendship and overcoming life's many hardships.

I received a copy of this book from Orion Publishing Group via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Laura Griffin cares for her family using her treasured family recipes, which connect back to when her grandmother had to struggle through the trauma of WWII. However, she is starting to feel as if her life is fragmenting as her daughters leave to start their adventures at Uni and things start to change. She has to reach inside of herself to find the strength she didn’t think she had. An atmospheric read from Veronica Henry, which winds between strands of their family history giving context and depth to Laura’s story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Like a warming hug this book has everything from heartbreak to triumph, there is a reason why I look forward to a new Veronica Henry book. The setting of Bath takes centre stage with its beautiful buildings and market. Laura and Dom and Jilly and Ivy are great characters I particularly liked the wartime story as Jilly and Ivy held each other together. A really lovely read

This is a good family saga, and I romped through it. There are two interlinked stories, Laura in the present day, and her great grandmother, Jilly, during the Second World War. Both stories are set in Bath, with vivid descriptions that made me long to visit the city again. The descriptions of food and family occasions are very strong. I have only given four stars not five as some characters were introduced and the seemed to disappear, like Laura's friend Sadie. Both Laura and Jilly are empathetic women.

I really enjoyed this book-it was a real feel-good read about modern family life,with all its highs and lows.It was set in the present and during the war,and moved between the two to tell the story of Laura and her grandmother Jilly.The characters were well drawn and likeable,and the setting of Bath was well described.
A lovely book,and I'll be looking out for more titles by Veronica Henry now.

This book is set in Bath between the current day and during the Second World War. It has two women's stories at the heart. First of all there is Jilly, a doctor's daughter who unfortunately loses both her parents during the Blitz. Luckily she has a great friend in Ivy. After the destruction that the Blitz enacts on the city, Jilly takes in a woman and her three children.

Fast forward to the present day and Laura is the focus of the book. Laura is suffering from empty nest syndrome since her second daughter Willow has just started university and she wonders what she is going to do. But she is about to receive some news that will have her reeling.

I love Veronica Henry books and this one certainly didn't disappoint. Utterly worth reading.

A feel good story spread between today and the second world war telling the story of Jilly and her granddaughter Laura. A real page turner, as good as her other books.

This is the first book that I have read by Veronica Henry so a big thank you to Net Galley for introducing me to this author and providing me with a free review copy. I will certainly be reading more books by this author and I have already recommended that friends read it when it becomes available.
It is refreshing that the story provides insights into several generations of the same family and provides insights into how a stable family life can collapse overnight at different times in history and allows the reader to share how the different generations help each other to cope with their problems and support them in finding resolutions. It stretches from 1942 wartime blitz in Bath to the present day and features several generations who have lived in the same family home. What is outstanding is the quality of research that has obviously gone into the preparations for this book and provides the reader with an opportunity to reflect on the problems that each generation has to face and to question how they would cope in similar situations.
I highly recommend that you read it for yourself!

A very enjoyable read - 4 1/2 stars (I do wish we could award half marks!)
It is a feel-good book and to many intents it is a chick lit light read - but with an added string to it, that lifts it to the next level. The dual narrative that includes chapters set in 1942 during the blitz in Bath brings a whole different feel to the novel and a much deeper understanding of the characters and in particular the deep friendship of Jilly and Ivy - now 93 who lived through the war as young women.

I don't actually believe I have read a Veronica Henry before but I will definitely look out for more. Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.