A lovely book about family, love and food. It's a very comforting, cozy read, and easy to fall into. I felt like the writing was a bit forced at times (lots of similes and metaphors), but the sentiment was evident in the storytelling.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. While I normally love Viola Shipman's books, this one was just ok for me. I had a hard time connecting with Sam and as the main character of the book, that makes it hard to get invested in the story. At times I found her to be overly annoying especially when she repeatedly ignores the wisdom and advice of her family. I did also feel like there was a feeling of trying too hard to convey sentimentality, it didn't flow naturally and felt forced.
Overall it was a nice book that got bogged down by an unlikeable main character and the forced feel of the story. Not one of my favorites.

The Recipe Box is a heartwarming story of Sam Mullins, the women in her life and the value of a recipe box filled with treasured family recipes.  The description of Sams hometown in Michigan and the stories with the recipes included in the book really made the book even more enjoyable.  

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers of this book for a copy for my honest review. 4 out of 5 stars!!

This was a beautiful, cozy novel about family. The story takes place over many years of a family’s different generations from 1939 on. The story is about the family’s orchard in Michigan. It’s about the importance of family traditions over the years. It’s about the women in the family and their stories. Part of the story is about Sam and her struggle with her love towards her family and her wish to get away and keep living and working in New York.

This was a lovely book, well crafted, and full of delightful surprises. I would definitely read more from this author. I especially loved her use of dialogue to distinguish characters.

It's been awhile since I had a book I couldn't put down.  For me, this is one of those rare occasions when I couldn't stop reading.  The Recipe Box is one of those books that you begin to feel in your soul as you read.  Its a heartwarming tale of a multi-generational family and their pursuit for finding love, family, and peace with the lives they choose.

The storyline primarily stems around Sam Mullins, who finds herself at an impasse when her celebrity boss pushes her too far and she quits her bakery position in New York City.  Sam is a strong willed and independent woman who desperately struggles between her love for her family and their family-run business, and her desire to find her own way... away from Michigan.  As Sam returns home, she's faced with her memories of her childhood and growing up on her family's orchard and learns about the lives of the women in her family.  Sam finds that she has to stop living in fear, if she ever hopes to discover what her heart truly desires.

I found this to be a touching story about the bond between the women in a family and their shared love for baking.  It brought back memories of spending time at my great grandmother's farm.  At times, I was left feeling a sense of loss for the lack of quality time and effort I made to get to know her before she passed a few years ago.  This novel brought me to tears and it made me ache for the connection that so many of us no longer have with our families.  The author also featured several special recipes from her family and friends, and I admit that I'm curious to try out a few of them. Perhaps as a way to teach my son how to enjoy baking and spending quality time with his mother.

This is wonderfully written and touching tale, but I caution that you will definitely need some tissues handy if you are a sentimental fool, like me. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories that span generations. Perhaps it's not too late to reclaim the love and traditions families use to share.

This book was just boring... It took me so long to get through... It has been a little while since I read it, but I have no recollection of what went on in the book, or the names of any of the characters. It wasn't that the book was bad, it was just not memorable.

Sam Nelson looses her job and New York and goes back home to her family's farm.  She has to question where her happiness belongs.  We see glimpses into women in the past and their place on the farm.  
An enjoyable romance.

Thanks for requesting that book...I will read it someday, I have so many books to read this year...

Have a great summer and take care!

A really nice story about love, family bond, traditions and strong women. And the book contains some delicious recipes!

This was a sweet read, but just an okay book for me.  Sam returns to the orchard where she grew up to try and heal from disappointment.  I am always a sucker for books that involve multiple generations and cooking/baking.  This book had all those things, but it fell flat for me.  I just didn't seem to connect with the characters, they lacked depth.  It was an easy, quick read and I loved the background of an orchard in Michigan.  I was so hoping this book would help me capture some nostalgia, but it just didn't quite hit the mark.  
    
          * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of The Recipe Box. Viola Shipman is one of my favorite authors. She has written another winner!!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read & review The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman. The honest truth is I had a difficult time connecting with this story. I tried to pick it up on two occasions, but unfortunately, the story did not hold my interest either time. This is a DNF for me. Thank you again for the chance to read this title.

2.5 stars.  Unfortunately, I wanted more out of this book.  I did like the adjoining recipes (I'm a food blogger) and the stories behind them, but it was all very surface level.  I really wanted the love story to develop more between Sam and Angelo.  I also would have loved the story to move along a bit quicker - maybe seeing Sam jump into the family business before the last page of the book?  A great concept for a nice read - just wasn't enough for me.

The Mullins family own a farm in Michigan. The recipe box is full of family history, traditions and recipes. It has been passed down through the women of the family for years. The family has been kept alive along with the history through this precious family heirloom! 
I highly recommend this book to all those that enjoy a story about close family connections!

This story is a happy one of a family that runs an orchard. The granddaughter cannot decide who or what she wants to be. There are recipes scattered throughout the story. The orchard ties the whole family together. This was a fun read that made me want to take a trip to Michigan and eat lots of desserts.

3.5 stars. I've been meaning to read Shipman for years, but have never seemed to have gotten to. This tells a story of a multi-generation family living in Michigan and the granddaughter Sam, who is fighting to decide if she wants more than tradition or if tradition, home, is what she's been seeking all along. I felt the characters in this story, particularly Sam, were very relatable. As a Michigander myself, I've fought the same fight that Sam has. Do you stay home, where family and love keep you safe? Or do you charter the unknown and see where it leads you? I loved the recipes included in this. I'm going to have make everyone one at some point. The only real gripe I had, it at times, I felt like I was reading a tourist's guide for Michigan. There was evident knowledge of the area, which is preferred, but at times, I feel like the landscape didn't need a name. Tell us what Sam or Willo sees. Don't say, "Oh and it was this grove', etc. It worked every once and while, but after a bit, I felt like I was being force fed a travel guide. I love Michigan, it's home, but for someone who isn't from home, the names could bog the narrative flow. With that, I will have to go back and see if I can find more of her works.

Great recipes, not over the top with romance but deeply filled with rich family history of the apple farm and how the family made it what it is along with a deep history of recipes to correspond. Loved the midwestern touch and I saved the city this mostly took place in on my Google Maps app to venture there some day.

Samantha always wanted a little bit more for herself than the family orchard that she grew up on. In The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman, Sam leaves her idyllic northern Michigan town to find her dream, but she may have been right where she needed to be all along.

When Sam heads to New York to start a new life, she finds a job as a pastry chef which she loves, but the chef she works for leaves something to be desired. She comes to the conclusion that she can no longer deal with the job and leaves, headed back to Michigan to figure out what she's going to do now. 

The family in Michigan helps Sam see what she's truly missing, connection, love and support from those who care about her the most. Eventually, Sam comes across an old recipe box that has been passed down for generations, and opening it helps her connect to her roots, which may help her find herself again.

Since I'm from Michigan, I really fell in love with the atmosphere of this book. I enjoyed reading it quite a bit, but I also felt like I wasn't fully pulled in by the story. It's been done over and over again, and it left me wanting more. I loved watching Sam grow and learn about what's truly important, but I was left seeking out more than what the story offered.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars, it was just run of the mill chick-lit type of fiction for me. Something light and airy to read. This is the second book by this author that I read, and both books were just okay to me. I don't think I'll be picking up her work in the future unless something really catches my eye.

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I would highly recommend this book to my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!!!!