Haivng read Viola Shipman's first two books, I knew The Recipe Box was going to be an equally great book to read. As with those, this is about relationships - this time between mothers & daughters - and I wasn't disappointed. Family and love and the most important things and VS's books capture the essence of them brilliantly.

A sugary treat for a snowy afternoon. Unfortunately, this book was not as interesting as the author's previous books. More recipes than plot and the dialogue was repeated over and over again.

The Recipie Box is a heartwarming tale about a Chef in New York who makes her way home to her small Michigan home on her family's orchard farm. There she rediscovers the magic of family and recipes made together. I enjoyed that there were recipies for the things they made such as apple crisp and blueberry slab cake, it brings this story home to us. I would recommend this book to those who love family stories and those who enjoy cooking.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. The story and characters are both delightful and interesting. Each chapter revolves around a different recipe which is explained at the end of the chapter. The main characters are lovable and very endearing. Most of the story takes place in Michigan on a family farm over many generations of farmers and bakers. We learn how the orchards started and each generation that tended to them. There are many wonderful lessons and tips about life to be learned from very wise women throughout the years. I enjoyed the story and didn’t want it to end .

The plot sounded interesting but there wasnt enough information about The main character (Sam) to draw me into her story. There was more information and backstory on Michigan and her ancestors than I would have liked so I skipped through them. I wished for a better dialogue between Sam and her romantic interest (so forgettable I forgot his name!) and I also wished for a stronger, wittier, kinder main character or a more in depth characterization to draw more empathy into her angst.

A recipe box for her thirteenth birthday? Is that what Sam really wanted?

Probably not, but it made her mother and grandmother happy so Sam accepted it and made her first pie.

THE RECIPE BOX was a gift no thirteen-year-old wanted, but it was a gift that kept on giving throughout Sam's life.

We follow Sam as she leaves her loving Michigan home and goes to New York to attend culinary school. She was a hit in New York, but her boss was a fake. To her family’s delight Sam decided to come back home.

Sam comes back to the love and warmth of her family and their bakery and orchards. Was she really ready for this? Did she make the right decision by coming back home?

All of the characters were lovable, but Grandma Willo was my favorite as was the story from her youth and her life.

Grandma was simply someone you would love to have as your grandmother because of her positive attitude and attention to making sure her family was happy in everything they chose.

THE RECIPE BOX is a “sweet,” loving read that makes you want to go into the kitchen and be with grandma making the pies and other delicious desserts.

Each chapter was titled with a recipe and inside each chapter we get to join in the family fun and view the ingredients and directions for the yummy food the family makes.

THE RECIPE BOX is for anyone who loves to bake with family, who loves recipes, who loves family history, and who enjoys being in a beautiful setting.

You most likely will shed a few tears not because of sadness, but because of the warmth and love that oozes from the characters and from things they say.

THE RECIPE BOX is a book that is an uplifting, make-sure-you-make-the-right decisions in your life by following your instincts and embracing change.

THE RECIPE BOX was definitely written WITH love and for those the author loves. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review

Samatha "Sam" Mullins wanted to spread her wings and explore the world and its possibilities. Not wanting to stay in Michigan where her family has an apple orchard and pie shop she goes to culinary school in New York. We find her at the beginning of the book disappointed and frustrated with her life and her job as sous chef for a reality TV program. Finally having her fill with the egotistical TV host, she quits her job and goes home to Michigan.


This is a story of love of family, the love that only family gives you as they wrap their arms around you, offering support and caring,unconditionally. The story evolves with family history, as each generation adds their stamp to the orchard and to the pie shop. All the recipes lovingly stored in a recipe box, through the years from her great-great grandmother and through the decades. Ultimately, it is for Sam to open her heart, not only to keep the family's business in tact with new possibilities, but open her heart to love. It is up to her to give her heart and love to Angelo, the man she left behind in New York.


It is also a story of mothers and daughters, a story about finding your place in the world, a place that was always there for you, if you only allow yourself to enter it. Each generation put their stamp on the orchard, each one added to the recipe box from her great-great grandmother and through the decades.


What I found most unique was each chapter had a desert named for it and at the end of that chapter you find the recipe. These deserts were so mouthwatering you could almost taste them, you could almost smell the cinnamon, the spices, the fruit. This book was written with love that came shining through. It wrapped itself around me for a comfortable and heartwarming read. I would like to thank both NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.l

This book was wonderful! The author doesn't disappoint it is a touching story about family and finding yourself and trying to figure out what you really want. You also get the added bonus of recipes! Can't wait to try them out and it made me want to go out and buy a recipe book and create a tradition with my family.

A generation of women who have passed down a recipe box. So much love is shown through the sharing of these recipes. Sam in concerned that she be trapped in the family orchard and their pie shop. That she will be stuck and not be able to change anything. When she runs back home to figure things out she is told the stories behind the recipes. Will Sam be able to figure out what she is running from and where she wants from her future.

I highly recommend this book it is touching and emotional.

As much as I love thrillers and suspense, I also enjoy a really well-written story that captures my interest with excellent writing and a strong plot. The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman is a breath of fresh air after reading so many intense crime stories!

Growing up in northern Michigan, Samantha “Sam” Mullins felt trapped on her family’s orchard and in their pie shop, so she left with dreams of making her own mark in the world. But life as an overworked, undervalued sous chef at a reality star’s New York bakery is not what Sam dreamed.

When the chef embarrasses Sam, she quits and returns home. Unemployed, single, and defeated, she spends a summer working on her family’s orchard cooking and baking alongside the women in her life–including her mother, Deana, and grandmother, Willo. One beloved, flour-flecked, ink-smeared recipe at a time, Sam begins to learn about and understand the women in her life, her family’s history, and her passion for food through their treasured recipe box.

As Sam discovers what matters most she opens her heart to a man she left behind, but who now might be the key to her happiness.

I haven’t read this- yet- but Im going to soon. My goal is to read 90 books during 2018 and this is high on my To-Read list!

This book was simply amazing and I have told people in every book group I'm in to purchase it. I have told friends and I even want to tell strangers on the street! I pre-ordered it for my daughter.
In case you couldn't tell, I loved this book.

The recipes are mouth watering and I plan to try a few, but the way the storyline fit in and around the recipes or vice versa is wonderful. This whole book was so well thought out and put together and there's a moral, but it's gently done and not in your face.

The growth of the main character was nice to see and all the characters were so well rounded and believable. I really enjoyed all of them. I wish we could all go visit the pie restaurant that's in the book. It would be nice if such a place existed.

I've never read anything by Viola Shipman, but this was a wonderful book to start with and I'll be looking for more by her in future. Do yourself a favor and read this book!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Ms. Shipman for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

The book follows the main character as she finds herself and realizes what is important in life. Sam's internal reflections give the reader some powerful and important messages to consider. Her recipe box connects her to her love for baking and her family. The author paints a beautiful picture of an orchard and bakery on Lake Michigan. The included recipes sound yummy!

I cannot say that I enjoyed this book at all. Conversations between characters were stilted and unrealistic. To have come from such a long line of strong women, I found Sam to be wishy-washy and very unlikable. If you like shallow, feel good books with no meat at all this is the book for you.

The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman is a pretty good read. I recommend to other readers to add it to their wish list. I give it 4 stars.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is so heart warming. Sam is a pastry chef in search for her place in the world. She comes from a family in Michigan and she is determined that she wants bigger and better. Yet, she finds her heart right back on the orchard she was running from. I fell in love with this entire family. Highly recommend this book!

I enjoyed this sweet story about Sam Mullins who was raised on her family's orchard in Michigan. Generations before her have lived on the farm and baked pies for visitors. Sam longs for something different and she works at a well known bakery in New York City.
While home in Michigan for an unexpected visit, she questions herself and her place in the family business. There is also a possible romance as well.
This book is filled with descriptions of delicious desserts and includes the recipes.

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review,  so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ! ♡
This was a lovely novel, and wonderfully written. Sam Nelson is at a crossroad in her career as a pastry chef. Working for a pastry chef and TV cooking show star, Sam decides to quit. She travels to Sutton’s Bay on Lake Michigan to her home to try and make sense of it all. Back at Mullins Family Orchard and Pie Pantry, Sam is embraced by her mother and grandmother. Sam comes to understand who she is and what she really needs.
This was my first book by this author,  I absolutely enjoyed every second of it!! It was fast paced and just alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a 5 star rating!

A warm hearted story of a multi generational family. I am not a baker, but the recipes sounded delicious. A nice story for a special time of yesr

This is a warm read about family, traditions, food, and finding your path in life. It was easy to relate to the characters, place myself right inside the orchard, and smell the pies baking!

This is a simple book. An easy book to read. Deceptively simple and easy.
My grandmother baked. She baked for us weekly; our bread and noodles. She baked for holidays and family gatherings. She baked for us when we were ill. She showed me how to bake, with a pinch and a mound. I tagged every recipe in the book for ease of finding. Baking is a loving act and this book reminded why I know just who I love because I want to make cannoli for him.

I love Viola Shipman books. He writes multi-generational stories that have usually 3 women, grand mother, mother, daughter. The family connection is always pivotal to the story. Sam escaped Michigan as soon as she graduated to pursue a career as a baker in New York City. When she gets fed up with her boss and quits, she returns home to the family apple orchard and pie shop. The only thing she misses in New York is a delivery man named Angelo who loved her baking. As Sam works with her mother and grandmother she discovers some family secrets and the ties that bind. A wonderful story for all ages.