This is a beautiful heartbreaking read. The author has written a really good book. The pacing of this book is a little bit off. This book made me feel all the emotions

mourning the lose of her daughter and the break up of her marriage, Evie‘s frineds offer their house in southern France. While there she meets an older couple and a young man, who is also mourning a loss. A good story of forgiveness and new love over Christmas. Enjoyed this one and would recommend this book.

The Recipe for Hope is the 3rd book in the Escape to France series, but it is the only one I read and I had no problem following the story. It was originally published in 2014 under the title, The French For Christmas, but was reissued in 2022 with a new cover and some additional editing. Evie and her husband are both chefs who were becoming more well known. When Evie became pregnant, she took time off, but ended up giving birth to a child who is stillborn. She fell apart, her husband began a new television cooking show with a sexy assistant. They filed for divorce and Evie went to France to spend time at a friend's cottage. She meets her neighbour, handsome doctor Didier, and they become friends. He is working on a medical device to use in poor countries and he and Evie become friends while she assists and encourages him. She also meets other neighbours in Dordogne. As she begins to heal she uses her french grandmother's cookbook to prepare meals with a few tweaks. Evie eventually realizes that this is what she wants out of life; a community, friends and a feeling of family. Will this be her new life?

This book is a combination of themes from grief, loss of a child, divorce, broken marriage, then hope, helping the poor and disadvantaged, community, found family and love. Parts of this book were heavy, but there was also a lot of hope and uplifting moments. I liked the characters, both the main ones and secondary ones. There was a welcoming and unquestioning nature about them. They had all suffered some kind of loss so were able to support one another. The Christmas scenes were wonderful and festive, but that was a small portion of the books. There is some angst, but that just added a bit of interest to the story. This was an enjoyable story, with more meat to it than I had been expecting.

I actually read this book several years ago when it was published under the title, The French for Christmas. I loved it then and enjoyed it once again. I adore the Christmas season and appreciated that this took place during that time. Though the main character, Evie, is escaping from some personal trauma, I could understand her need to isolate herself. But sometimes that’s now how we are meant to heal. So, amidst the quietness of this peaceful French village, she finds inspiration through her grandmother’s recipes. But the most poignant is that she discovers the recipe for hope. A seasonal book that has your heart aching one moment and then filling with hope the next. A good one to put on your to-be-read list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I have read this book as the third in the series and from the status of characters met for third time it definitely does not seem to be the first. That is the only drawback. This story sets the French scene beautifully, and the festive period foods, drinks, weather and celebrations make it a perfect Christmas read. The storyline is also Christmassy with loss, regret, acceptance, forgiveness and a new start as the focus of the characters' emotions. I have enjoyed revisiting some characters from the previous books as well meeting new ones, and am very sorry that I've reached the end of this series.

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

What a beautiful holiday story of healing, family, friendship, and love. This is the second Fiona Valley book that I've read and I really like her writing. She brings the scene in front of me with her descriptions and prose. I felt like I was in South-West France for the holiday! This is a book centered around Evie who is struggling with overcoming her grief after her daughter was born stillborn. It is devastating and her marriage has crumbled also. She retreats to France for the holidays to escape life for the season. There she finds solace, peace, quiet, and love. This book is just so beautiful and I really enjoyed reading it. I can't wait to read Valpy's other "French" books in this series. Highly recommend this book, perfect for curling up with on a cold winter night.

Evie is running away to France to heal. Her husband is divorcing her and she is still reeling from losing their baby. The countryside is not the quiet getaway she planned. The neighbors are all so nice and helpful she can't help becoming friends. With her grandmother's recipe book and friends to help her move forward she becomes the exciting fun woman she once was. Set in France during the Christmas season this is a good book with the characters growing and falling in love.

Such a lovely heart-warming read, would certainly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Another great, slightly shorter read from Fiona Valpy. The final part of the ‘Escape to France’ series, there were some familiar characters that I also pieced together from the beekeepers promise which I utterly loved. A great story that was moving and inspiring with a bit of festive cheer thrown in. A strong 4 stars.

I love Fiona Valpy’s books, she just has this way of captivating you. This one wasn’t my favourite of hers, but poignant none the less. It was touching in all the right places and dealt with really important topics.

I really felt for the characters throughout and enjoyed the way it all came together in the end. It felt like a real life situation, which was a refreshing change to some, that can feel a little forced towards a more gratuitous ending.

A lovely read and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

I’m starting to realise that perhaps time and the gentle, unobtrusive support of this tiny community are helping me to at least accept my loss, helping the scars begin to heal so that, while they’ll still always be there, life will go on.

3.5 ⭐

What a powerful combination of excruciatingly difficult topics and Christmassy vibes in the midst of French countryside. We follow Evie Brooke, a woman who is still trying to recover from the stillborn birth of her daughter a year ago, the divorce that followed and even her carrier as a chef suffering immensely.

I thought this might be too depressing for me. But the heavy parts were handled well and with care. And we meet Evie at a moment when things are slowly starting to turn around for her. So the book was full of hopeful tones and learning how to move on.

And the food... Oh wow, the food was such an essential part of the book. It sounded delicious and it made everything so vibrant and cozy. I loved it.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of The Recipe for Hope by Fiona Valpy in exchange for an honest review.

A Christmassy romantic book with far too many lucky coincidences to my taste. The writing is beautiful, the characters are likeable and interesting, and the plot is promising. But there are no real challenges to overcome as if the author was afraid of writing scenes of conflict and argument. Everything falls into place without any drama whatsoever.

The story puts you into the festive mood with its stunning French location and food, and it's a quick and easy read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing / Lake Union Publishing for an Advance Review Copy.

This was the third of the French series of stories by Fiona Valpy. It was set in winter, close to Christmas. The description of nature, weather, and the French countryside created the perfect atmosphere. Evie is American and has suffered much grief in her life in London, so her friend offers her their cottage in the French countryside, so she can take time to recover at her own speed. Should she return to Boston to be close to her family, should she return to London, or should she stay in France? When the snow cuts off the little hamlet as well as the electricity, Evie and her 3 neighbours pull together to help each other, ending up having a great Christmas. Some of the characters appear in the whole series of books. I liked this as it gave continuity throughout.. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for an arc of this lovely story. It was my first Christmas read of this year!

This is my first book by Fiona Valpy, I found this story short and sweet. I loved this quote about Christmas from the book " No matter how far you run, no matter how hard you try try to shut it out, it creeps up on you from behind and ambushes you with its beauty and its traditions and its pure, bloody-minded determination to remind the world about what's really important."

I know I have tried to run from Christmas and failed, so I relate to what Evie was trying to do. I loved this small French town and how they all came together. This is perfect holiday story, I think everyone can relate to.

Evie is running away to a remote cottage in the South of France, perfect place for her heal from grief. With the help of her neighbors she is starts to heal, and finally know how she wants to move forward.

This book is the perfect present for family this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for copy of this book for my honest review.

This is the third and final book in the series.
It’s shorter than the others but engaging the same way as the previous ones.
It packs up a bit more closure and so many more details about the region and description that made me find myself daydreaming about that same location and wishing I was there in reality and enjoying myself.
I loved the small tidbits that we get from the locals and how the author is adding so much research into it. I would love to live in that place.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

This was a very sweet and fast read. I have not read anything by Fiona Valpy before but I enjoyed her style of writing. I liked the characters but I do wish that there had been more of a chance to get to know them. I felt that with a little more character development I would have cared more about this story. I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed it but I was left wishing for more.

My new favourite author!

Fiona Valpy is my new favourite author! Recipe for Hope is the third in a group of novels, republished by Lake Union with editorial changes, set in a hamlet in rural France fairly near Bergerac. I love the little details known only to 'locals', what's not to love from a novel that talks about my all time favourite cheese (Trappe Echourgnac, a beautiful cheese finished with walnut liqueur....makes me long to be there just to write these words). This is not serious literature. But, with all the troubles in the world, I, for one, am reading a lot to escape, calm myself, and feel better. This novel, while the third in a set of 3 novels, shares a few characters with the previous ones in the group, but is easily read stand-alone. It has a sweet story with interesting characters with their own life challenges. It is a fairly short novel, just right for a lazy afternoon, day at the beach or settling down in your bed to read yourself to sleep. After reading the previous book in the group, I bought two of the prequels. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-constrained e-arc via netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

As someone who has miscarried, the thematic material surrounding the loss of a child resonated with me. For some people, it might be a trigger. Thankfully, it isn't always front and center in the story, but rather woven into it in such a way that the reader can see the healing process starting for Evie.

The holiday setting in a more rural area of France was lovely and provided a good backdrop for the story.

I love a Christmas themed book, and this was a particularly enjoyable. Whilst Evie’s reasons for travelling for Christmas were very sad, I loved how the author showed that there was hope for her future. The characters were well written and likeable (even her ex!) and I found the ending very satisfying.

Coming in at just under 200 pages in the printed version (although I read an eARC kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review), this is a fast read. Unfortunately the storyline wasn't that fast to start with; focusing on describing scenery which then wasn't taken any further.

Still, it's a fantastic read, bringing Christmas spirit despite a Not-Christmas-Tree and an escape to France to avoid all things festive (and baby related).

It's a story about friendships, new opportunities and letting go of grief; to becoming a better version of oneself. All nicely wrapped up in some snow and to the smells of gorgeous French food.

This book, and the previous two in the Escape to France series are all available now.