Too cliched, bad overly dramatic writing. The characters were not compelling or believable. Did not finish.

Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune is a lyrical sweeping masterpiece. Its descriptions of food will make your mouth water. Its portrayal of grief and the power of community will enchant your soul. And its portrayal of perseverance, forgiveness, grief will lift your heart. Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune is an enchanting debut which will leave you breathless.

There is magic in these pages. Whether it be the magic in Natalie's food, or the effects of watching Natalie's character growth, Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune will enchant you. It is a story of grief, a community falling apart, and lacking the power of food as connection. But it's also a story about mending these cracks, honoring our ghosts, and repairing the damage.

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This is the kind of book I absolutely love in between reading true crime stories and thrillers! Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim is so charming, fun, and merges magic with reality which worked well to make this book delightful!

Here’s what you need to know:

At the news of her mother’s death, Natalie Tan returns home. The two women hadn’t spoken since Natalie left in anger seven years ago, when her mother refused to support her chosen career as a chef. Natalie is shocked to discover the vibrant neighborhood of San Francisco’s Chinatown that she remembers from her childhood is fading, with businesses failing and families moving out. She’s even more surprised to learn she has inherited her grandmother’s restaurant.

The neighborhood seer reads the restaurant’s fortune in the leaves: Natalie must cook three recipes from her grandmother’s cookbook to aid her struggling neighbors before the restaurant will succeed. Unfortunately, Natalie has no desire to help them try to turn things around–she resents the local shopkeepers for leaving her alone to take care of her agoraphobic mother when she was growing up. But with the support of a surprising new friend and a budding romance, Natalie starts to realize that maybe her neighbors really have been there for her all along.

I love the themes of healing and food, plus the author’s beautiful writing style.

Due June 11.

I was super excited to receive an ARC of this book after finding out about it on social media and following the author. I really enjoyed Natalie’s story, but as a fan of realistic fiction, the added magical and supernatural elements were a little strange to me, because I wasn’t expecting them. I really enjoyed the aspects of travel and food that were woven in to the story, and I loved getting to know the characters, but I felt that a couple of them (like Daniel!) could have been mentioned more so we could get to know them better. While I felt that the book went on a little too long, it was the perfect beach read with great lessons about the importance of family and community. Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

Natalie Tan grew up with an agoraphobic mother in a household where her deceased grandmother and absent father were never mentioned. After an argument with her mother over Natalie's career choice - culinary school - Natalie moves out and begins to make her own way in the world. She spends the next few years traveling the world, working low-paying restaurant jobs just to learn the business. Natalie only returns home when a neighbor calls to tell her that her mother has died. A grieving, regret-filled Natalie returns to her mother's apartment in Chinatown to find that the neighborhood has been hit hard by the economic downturn....and a mystic tea shop owner says only Natalie can save it by doing what she loves most - cooking.

Lim's evocative prose pulls readers into Natalie's Chinatown neighborhood, a rundown block that reflects the characters of the stores' owners, her neighbors. Over the course of the novel Lim imparts Chinese customs and culture along with recipes as Tan struggles to bring her neighbors - now friends - the peace and harmony that will bring prosperity back to their lives. These characters are unique, well-drawn, and likable. Their problems are universal, and readers will easily relate to them despite the cultural differences. I recommend this novel to fans of light magical realism, romance, and women's fiction.

I have been fascinated by the oriental culture for many years, so when I saw this book for review I wanted to read it.

Natalie Tan left the Chinatown district of San Francisco after a fight with her mother over her ambition to be a chef, and follow in her laolao's (Grandmother) footsteps. But, when tragedy strikes Natalie is drawn back to the world she left, and finds that her mother, while keeping secrets from her, loved her and only wanted the best for her. Being agoraphobic, her mother relied heavily on the neighborhood to help her with her life, and when Natalie comes back she isn't sure how she feels about the neighbors. After settling in and going to visit some of them, memories flood back and she realizes that she blocked out some of the most meaningful parts of her life.

I loved the magical aspect of the book, along with the food and cooking aspect that it usually went along with. I can certainly relate to how much food can mean to memories and family, as I have many, many memories tied to food from my mother and grandmother, as well as other family members.

One thing that I felt was a little short was the character development. While I liked all of the characters, I felt that some of them could have been fleshed out more so I could connect to them on a much deeper level. It is still a book that I would recommend, especially if you are looking for a story that is an easy read on a lazy day.

This was a very sweet and tender book, packed with incredible recipes. I expected it to be a light romance, and was delighted by the magical realism woven throughout. Really hard to read when you're hungry, though!

I love magical realism, and I love foodie books. I thought this would be a perfect combination for me. I liked it, but I don't love it. There is no subtlety to this story. It's full-on, in your face, fairy tale magic. I prefer a little more nuance, I guess.

I really enjoyed the cooking parts of the story. I've been strategizing how to get my hands on some pan-fried dumplings for a few days now. Miranda and Laolao were thoughtfully crafted characters, and I appreciate the realistic take on mental illness. The romance was just a little too sugary for my taste.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Growing up in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Natalie Tan dreams of being a chef. Natalie lives alone with her agoraphobic mother, Miranda, on top of an abandoned restaurant. The restaurant was run by Miranda’s mother, Qiao, and was highly successful, but shuttered after Qiao’s death and before Miranda was born.

Natalie saves money for culinary school, but Miranda vehemently opposes Natalie’s career choice. Natalie leaves anyway, causing a rift between them and the two haven’t spoken in seven years. After flunking out of culinary school, Natalie travels the world, working in kitchens in pursuit of her dream. She returns home only because of her mother’s death.

Returning to Chinatown, she is shocked to see Chinatown is no longer the once-vibrant community of her youth and no longer able to sustain generations of immigrants. Businesses are failing and families are leaving. Natalie sees her inheritance of the abandoned restaurant as an opportunity to enliven the neighborhood. The local mystic tells her that that in order to succeed, Natalie must cook three recipes from her grandmother's cookbook for her neighbors. The book’s recipes contain annotations describing the embodiment of each dish, such as: Crabs are precious and have a natural armor like the warriors of old. They are the perfect ambassadors for courage.

Natalie gets busy in the kitchen, and serves up meals to her neighbors. I will say that I loved the descriptions of what happens to each as they partake of Natalie’s special meals. Natalie makes a dish of broth and noodles for her friend, Celia. While Celia is eating, Natalie envisions yarn being knit into an afghan, cocooning Celia in comfort. It created a beautiful depiction in words of just what food can mean to someone.

The story continues along these lines, and is a pleasant way to while away a few hours on a lazy afternoon. The story is predictable, without any real story line or plot and not much substance. Natalie’s insecurities and inconsistencies were irritating, so I just didn’t feel much connection to her character. Her dream was to be a chef and while she knew she made great dishes, she was constantly wringing her hands and worrying she wouldn’t live up to Qiao’s legacy. Her driving ambition is to save the community, yet she harbors bitterness for the neighbors who didn’t do more to help and her agoraphobic mother.

While the “magical” themes of the book ask you to suspend belief and reality at times, I had a hard time doing so at one point. I just couldn't understand why and how Natalie thought a restaurant with two tables and a counter would suddenly transform an entire neighborhood.

There was the obligatory romance thrown in, and it was a bit over the top and just didn’t seem to fit the story line. A lot of time was spent reading about her chopping, slicing and dicing, and my attention would wane. But this will make a great movie!

What a delightful book! Part fairy tale, part cultural experience, part coming-of-age, and even part cookbook, this has something for everyone.....even a bit of mystery thrown in. Natalie Tan returns to San Francisco's Chinatown after years traveling the world and learning to cook. She & her mother fought before she left, and now that Natalie's mother has died, she's left to pick up the pieces of her life and find some resolution to the events of her past.

Natalie is a lovely character and the author's descriptions of Chinatown, its inhabitants and the food (OH! The Food!!) pulls the reader right into the story. The magical elements incorporate Chinese myths & folklore and prevent the plot from descending into silliness. By the end of the book, you will believe in curses & magical effects of food. A sweet story of love & redemption.

Natalie, living in Montreal when she learns that her estranged mother has died, goes back to San Francisco’s Chinatown to attend to the details. Her mother suffered from agoraphobia, and Natalie learns how much the people in the community had helped her. Natalie loves to cook (and provides the reader with many recipes), but does she have the talent and the strength of her late grandmother to reopen the family restaurant which closed many years ago? This book had so many things I liked: vividly drawn characters, a likable protagonist, a bit of magic realism, and an evocative Chinatown setting. I hope that Roselle Lim will write another book about Natalie, her community, her restaurant, and her new love. Highly recommended.

Delightful, joyful, adorable, and with a touch of magic, this book just fills your heart!
Natalie has been estranged from her mother for years and returns to Chinatown in San Francisco when she dies. The neighborhood is deteriorating and Natalie feels she has to do her part to build it up again. Her grandmother was a phenomenal cook, started her own restaurant, but Natalie’s mother closed it and refused to have anything to do with it. Natalie discovers her grandmother’s recipes and decides to use those recipes to create healing in her neighborhood and to re-open the restaurant. I just loved the characters and I fell in love with Meimei, the kitten. This book has made it to my ‘best ever books’ list and would make a terrific movie!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The well-written Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune cleverly puts a literal spin on the adage that food is healing.
And as Natalie's food heals its eaters (and her cooking heals her), Lim's thoughtful words heals its readers.
Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune is set around cooking, with a bit of magic and a dash of Asian culture mixed in.
Lim addresses certain common struggles in the Asian community such as traditional versus alternative careers, where children don't "need" their parents' "permission, but want their support and blessing."
She also emphasizes the strength of her culture, nothing that "a scar would be left...a reminder of survival and hope."
Lim writes beautifully and I look forward to reading more from her.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

When Natalie hears of her mother’s death, she returns home to San Francisco’s Chinatown after leaving seven years before. When she finds out that she has inherited her grandmother’s restaurant, she also has to cook three recipes from her grandmother’s cookbook to help her neighbors before she can re-open. Fun read, great characters and writing.

How do you get past the events of the past? With food of course! This book made me hungry. And thankful for the family I have. An exploration of life in a different culture, filled with people so expertly described I feel I know them. With recipe descriptions that have me yearning. Loved this book.

This book was received as an ARC from Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I fell in love with this book immediately when I opened to the first page. From the cover, I was expecting a completely different story but, after I read this book it was definitely better than I expected. I have a passion for reading and for cooking so this book was definitely in my wheelhouse. It also reminded me of a Hallmark movie of how a hometown girl returns home after heartbreak and in this case, loosing her mother finding that in her mother's will, she was left her family restaurant after leaving so mad due to the lack of support from her mother because her passion for cooking and career path of a chef. Then, when an unexpected neighbor turned good friend turned love of her life, Natalie later realizes that whatever happened in the past did lead her down the right path after all and that she had the support all along unknowingly.

We will consider adding this title to our Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

At first glance this book had all the elements of a great book; magic realism, based around food and written by a WOC. Unfortunately all it did was make me very, very hungry. It felt as if I was reading an instruction manual of Natalie Tan's life.

A layered tale with delicious food, family, relationships that will keep you hooked. It is fast-paced to keep you reading. It will break your heart and heal you. Definitely would recommend this book.

NATALIE TAN'S BOOK OF LUCK AND FORTUNTE is a feel-good story--and a feel-hungry story, too! I loved the descriptions of rood and the magic Roselle Lim delivers from start to finish. This needs to be in everyone's beach bag this summer!