When Natalie's agoraphobic mother dies, Natalie returns to San Francisco's Chinatown after seven years abroad to settle her affairs. Natalie's mother didn't approve of her dream to become a chef like her mother before her, which led to their falling out years before, and their lack of social supports during her childhood left Natalie seemingly her mother's only means of help. When Natalie returns, her neighbors see her as having betrayed her mother by leaving her, but Natalie sees it another way: she feels that her neighbors betrayed her and her mother by not helping them.

In inheriting her grandmother's recipe book and restaurant, Natalie is suddenly faced with the opportunity to achieve her dreams right in the place she ran from 7 years ago. Her fortune seems to be looking up, yet as she cooks from her grandmother's book, things start to go awry...

As much as I enjoyed some of the different ingredients that made up Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune, I really struggled with others. Reading about Natalie's complicated yet loving relationship with her Ma-Ma was very poignant, but it was hard to grasp that their rift was so bad as to last 7 years -- until her death -- particularly as Natalie goes on to place blame on her neighbors for not taking care of her agoraphobic mother. It's never clear if Natalie really thinks her neighbors aren't caring for her Ma-Ma (they are, in truth), or if she thinks she has left her mother without any supports whatsoever for 7 years. She also blames the father she never met for her mother's agoraphobia because he might have "saved her."

Grief does a lot of things to a person but I didn't feel like any of this blame resolved itself very well.

Furthermore, Natalie is flighty -- she left her mother, moved around, and then left a fiance in Manila because she was afraid of commitment. Later in the novel she tries to run again when things go south for her and nearly ruins relationships because of this. I've seen this book classified as a romance and it isn't! It's magical realism! There is a romantic interest, but he's just some tech guy who owns a two-bedroom in San Francisco. She isn't even impressed by this. She calls his office "modest" and waxes poetic on how love feels while on their first date. I just wasn't impressed. Natalie shows up and meddles in her neighbors' lives. It's rude. She feels bad about it, but it's so stressful.

Overall I enjoyed the gorgeous recipes throughout and learning about Natalie's neighbors, but I really struggled to appreciate the narrator's perspective.

Thanks NetGalley for this arc, in exchange for an honest review. Fantastic! I enjoyed this peak into San Francisco’s Chinatown! You could feel the revitalization of it in her pages. This was clearly a labor of love and reminds me once again the power of words. As I tasted the recipes and heard the songs, it made me want to explore my own family through our own recipes. There were times this novel brought me to tears, I felt Natalie’s frustrations, fears, and best of all, her triumphs. The moments of joy in this novel were overwhelming. I look forward to more work by Lim, I want more of her lovable, endearing characters, her delicious recipes, her colorful imagery! Write on, Ms. Lim, write on!

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2020 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2020/01/2020-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Really brings the San Francisco setting to life. Love the combination of food and fortune telling — so charming and suspenseful. Perfect for Strong Sense of Place.

I love a bit of whimsy and magical realism...and the fact that this was also a book about food? Sign me up!

The story was sweet and the descriptions of food left me so hungry! Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with this story like I thought I would. I wish there had been a deeper dive into family - the book just felt like it lacked a little meat. While the romance was secondary to the story, it did feel a bit unnecessary and out of place.

I am intrigued enough that I would definitely pick up the author’s next book, this one was just middle of the road for me.

A story set in Chinatown featuring a passionate cook who creates and recreates delicious family recipes? Sign me up!

I thought this was an sweet story overall and enjoyed when Natalie described what cooking did to her senses. Honestly, I wish I could feel that passionately about cooking and inventing dishes for people, and it's clear how this is an intrinsic part of her soul. Through cooking she could connect with her grandmother, a renowned chef in Chinatown, who died before she was born. When she returns home after her mother's death, she learns that there's more to her mother's story that she was unaware of. Looking to make things right with Natalie, her mother's last wish was for her to inherit her grandmother's restaurant and bring it back to life. Her grandmother was a pillar of the community and her restaurant was the star. Being asked to reopen it feels like too much is being asked of her. Her first instinct is to run away which has been her tactic awhile now.But then she's persuaded to stay and as she assimilates to life in the neighbourhood she left, she learns about how much has changed, and not for the better as people are looking to gentrify her once vibrant community. With renewed purpose she hasn't had in a long time, Natalie dreams of helping to unify the community and re-energize the local businesses.

Family and cultural heritage are central to this story as was the food that made my mouth water. Natalie's love for cooking and the joy she gets from it come through the pages. Throw in the fact that her grandmother's recipes seem to have some sort of magical properties, and the dishes take on a life of their own. (Think the movie, Chocolat where Vienne's creations have such a profound impact on the villagers. It's the same idea here where Natalie's dishes seem to stir emotions and instigate action by the folks who eat them.) Interestingly, while Natalie's love of food and her grandmother's treasured recipes came through, I thought her budding romance with Daniel fell flat. As her potential love interest I didn't pick up on any chemistry between them. One drawback for me was that at times it felt as if the author was grasping too hard with the metaphors. She describes Natalie's process in relation to food so beautifully, creating such impressive pictures that I think sections outside of those could have flowed better with simpler descriptions.

Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune is a sweet coming-of-age story about laying down roots and rebuilding community. If you're a foodie, you'll enjoy the addition of the recipes and like me, wish you could reach through and taste some of the deliciousness inside. I look forward to reading more from Roselle Lim in the future!

Okay, okay, okay! The main reason this book was somewhat of a let down for me is that it was marketed as a romance, so I went in for a romance, with all the romance check boxes ready to be ticked off in my brain. Ready to not only have my heart stomped on because of the synopsis that makes this book sound heart hitting, but also to swoon because...contemporary romance, that's what the genre usually goes to you. 

But although, the first happened (my heart being stomped on), the latter was nowhere to be seen. I'll say it again and again, Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune is NOT a romance. In fact, the romance component of it is so small and so little explored that I wouldn't even call it a fiction book with a side plot of romance. Sure, there is a man Natalie falls for, but he doesn't show up until well into the novel and when he does, he's barely there. So no, not a romance. If I had gone in expecting the right genre, I think I would have liked this book better because of the things it had going for it.

I loved the cultural aspect of this and the importance that was given to food as a way to show people love, mend hearts and bring communities together. I also liked the little magical aspects that I did not expect to find there going in but that were a pleasant surprise to find down the road. The exploration of grief was also so very well done and showed all the ways in which it could be complex and messy and not always how we expect it to be. Natalie also goes through a transformation in this book in the way she perceives her old neighborhood and her relationship with it, and realizes that her perception of it was warped by her own struggles. 


Do I recommend ? 

Yes, if you're looking for a diverse adult fiction book with hints of magic. No, if you're looking to read a romance book.

I absolutely adored Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune. When Natalie finds out her mother has passed away, the estrangement between them unresolved, she returns to Chinatown and the house she grew up in. She left so that she could pursue her dreams of becoming a chef, but failed out of culinary school. Now, she must return home to give her mother the funeral she deserves, full of tradition, and surrounded by the neighbors she thought had forgotten about her and her mother. When she finds a book her mother left her, full of her grandmother's recipes, she sets out to help rejuvenate the neighborhood and the neighbors, while trying to figure out just who she should become. This book tugged at my heart so much, and I LOVED learning about the different kinds of foods.

I can't say much for the story and the main character, Natalie, was downright annoying. However, the writing was so descriptive! You could smell, taste, hear, see everything Natalie described in such a way that you felt as if you too were smelling, tasting...

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 is a lovely book but I had somehow thought going in that it was going to be a romance along the lines of The Kiss Quotient, which it is very definitely not. It’s full-on magical realism, which I wasn’t expecting! Very different and very cool. The descriptions of the food, as I’m sure all the reviews have already said, are incredibly vivid and appealing, as are the descriptions of the setting (San Francisco’s Chinatown). The romance subplot is a bit meh (there’s a guy who likes Natalie’s food, he shows up a couple times and they decide they’re in love but there’s not enough time invested in him to make it feel real) and Natalie’s conviction that she can fix things with magic instead of, idk, talking to people gets frustrating, but the writing is lovely and carries you through.

I am biased but this book is amazing and everyone should read it. Sweet, heartwarming, emotional, with gorgeous prose and food descriptions to boot? Get thee to a bookstore or library basically.

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim is a 2019 Berkley publication.

A Whimsical journey of self-discovery, finding one’s niche, and making your dreams come true!

Natalie returns to her Chinatown neighborhood after her mother dies. She hadn’t spoken to her mother in years and her sudden death causes a plethora of old feelings to resurface. Despite the problems she had with her mother, Natalie is filled with regret. She also sees how far the neighborhood has deteriorated since she’s been gone. When a realtor approaches Natalie, trying to convince her to sell her mother’s place, which includes the long -shuttered restaurant her grandmother owned and operated, Natalie balks. She soon discovers that contrary to what she’s been led to believe the restaurant is in working order. Her dream of being a chef could very well come true after all- however it will not be an easy task. With the help and support of her grandmother’s recipes and friends and neighbors, Natalie looks for just the right recipe for success- one that will give back to the community and carry on her grandmother’s legacy.

What a delightful story! This feel-good story adds in just a touch of magic, to go along with family and friends, a sprinkle of light romance, and tons of great food and recipes. I loved the characters, the family secrets, and the character development.

This is a fun story, really cute, with a few moral lessons tossed in, such as never giving up on one’s dreams no matter what adversity must be met and overcome. However, for me the most prominent theme is giving back to the community, paying it forward, and helping others, with the right intentions in your heart, and that’s a something we should do more of!

4 stars

I really enjoyed the mix of magical realism, family tradition, and FOOD. I'm greatly anticipating the next book from Roselle Lim.

Natalie Tan returns home upon the news of her mother’s death, after she left in anger 7 years ago when her mother refused to support her chosen career as a chef. Natalie is shocked to learn that she has also inherited her grandfather's restaurant and surprised to return home to a gentrifying neighborhood.

When Natalie visits the neighborhood seer, she learns of 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. However, Natalie does not like her neighbors because they abandoned her to take care of her agoraphobic mother growing up. But a new friend and romantic interest help her realize that her neighborhood might have been rooting for her all along.

Having worked in a Chinese restaurant when I was younger, the concept of this book appealed to me right away. I was instantly captivated by the characters and story and couldn't get enough of it!

Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune reminded me of Like Water for Chocolate in some ways. There was a mystical element in terms of Natalie's cooking affecting the way people thought and felt. I loved Natalie's interactions with all the characters, especially Daniel. The food sounded delicious, even though I am a picky eater. And Natalie's newly inherited kitten Meimei sounded adorable.

The magical elements didn't work for me as much, aside from Natalie's cooking having an impact on everyone's lives. Perhaps this was because it wasn't implied that Natalie had magical powers, unless I missed something. There was a lot of imagery that seemed strange as a result, like the sidewalk cracking as a result of an argument or physical cuts forming from offending words.

Overall, this was a sweet story about family and legacy, and about showing up for people no matter what. I really enjoyed it and would definitely read another novel by Roselle Lim. Thankfully, there is another one coming next spring!

Movie casting suggestions:
Natalie: Awkwafina
Celia: Lea Salonga
Daniel: Manny Jacinto
Old Wu: James Hong
Melody: Kristin Chenoweth

3.5 Stars.

Beautiful prose. A compelling lead character. A setting filled with magic, tradition, and food(!), made even more irresistible by the sparkling writing. What it lacked was a consistently engaging plot, and more depth for the romance. I do look forward to Roselle Lim's next novel, though.

A quirky, charming book about love, family, food & community. Park cook book, part magical tale...a very quick whimsical read!

Loved the characters and the pacing. We were captivated the entire way through! The last 100 pages were the best, by far. Can't wait to see what Lim writes next.

I really enjoyed this novel about life, family, and love in San Francisco’s Chinatown. It had the “magical realism” feel of Sarah Addison Allen or Alice Hoffman, along with the every day life trials and tribulations of the protagonist. It also included recipes! There are a lot of layers here, with family relationships, neighborhood characters, and romance. It would make a great bookclub discussion, along with Chinese food!

Thank you for my review copy via Net Galley!