This is a great cookbook for those who love to cook, as I do, or those who are not sure if they can cook. The author is honest and open about her life, the good and the bad. She advises her readers to make healthy, good tasting food most of the time but to be okay with not being perfect.

I look forward to purchasing this book for my library's collection and to suggest it to readers.

There are a lot of recipes from this book that I hope to create in the future. I love the narrative part of her book very much.

I love how this author tied mental health and food together. This wasn't a cookbook with a ton of recipes but it had delightful insights into mental health and the daily struggle that made it worthwhile. I thought it was really clever how that author had a leftover section that explicitly stated what recipes make good leftovers and how to spruce up the leftovers so they can be eaten. That was great and I wish more cookbooks did that. I already have a few recipes that I really want to try and I am looking forward to making them.

In the same spirit as "comfort food" and all the sensations that come with it, this cookbook offers comfort. Brown writes from her experiences with event-drop and depression after publishing her previous cookbook. The results are gentle, caring, and kind. She offers such facilitating sections as "Sometimes Self-care Just Means Chores" and "How to Love Salad." Nourishment is so crucial to wellbeing and so difficult during depression. It seems like this book could help, even if one merely reads it over yet another bowl of cereal.

If you want a self-help book mixed with a cookbook this is the book for you. The author jumps between small essays and what seems to be quite tasty recipes. Almost every recipe has an introductory paragraph. While I think this is enjoyable for some people I don't think everyone will care for it. Definitely for those who actually enjoy reading the food blog and not just the recipe. I myself am one who likes to scroll down to just the recipe. That what I came for not the entire preamble beforehand. While this cookbook will not be one of my top ones I reach for again it was enjoyable.


I will post my review to Goodreads and any retailer sites closer to the publication date.

Being a spoonie myself this book was an immediate read for me, I liked getting the thoughts and feelings behind knowing it is okay to not be okay all the time.

I loved the author’s honesty about what she went thru after her first book. The insights were nice and yet again reassuring that it is ok to sometimes just have a snack plate for meals because that’s all you could handle. Although I do feel some of these recipes require some questionable time and ingredients as far as getting them put together. There are times I know at least for me as well as many others spoonies where even making a sandwich is just too much work.

Luckily I was able to make a few of the recipes all ready and have added some to general rotation. I am thankful that mental health is being brought more into the mainstream and showing how much it can affect every part of your life. I can’t wait to check out more of her cookbooks and hope she never stops being open about how real life isn’t always like a cooking show!

Thanks to NetGalley & Workman Publishing Company for sharing this digital copy ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I understand the concept behind this supposed cookbook, good enough is sometimes the best we can muster. As a working mom with bouts of depression, trust me, I get the concept, but these recipes are just just like every other easy, boring recipes you can find on the internet. Show me recipes that require minimal effort and thought but still look and taste amazing, and I'd be sold. The pictures also leave something to be desired. They're "good enough" and it shows. The only thing I really did like about this cookbook was the tl:dr under the recipe titles.

This book feels more like a guidebook / self help book than a cookbook. It wasnt for me but I understand how other people could enjoy it.

Such a refreshing look at self-care and feeding oneself self and family. Leanne Brown does a beautiful job of uplifting the imperfect and giving the reader permission to embrace their tired, overwhelmed selves. She outlines wonderful ways to relook at cooking and self-care. And the recipes are amazing. It's the perfect cookbook for all overwhelmed individuals that feel guilty about how they eat.

"This book about the joys of imperfections"

Such a humble quote that says it all with this read and reference. Overall, I appreciate this read and have learned a lot. My bottom line take away which I love is the focus of mindfulness, cooking and being present, even when things don't work out and cooking is a continuous learning experience.

I'm a bit confused at times as I work through this read. First organization seems confusing. It's not in the typical breakfast, lunch and dinner organization of most cookbooks, which is fine, however, I don't follow the author's flow well. It is odd to me that there are times when recipes earlier in the book reference recipes later in the book to be added upon. There's nothing wrong with this, I've just never seen this flow before.

I'm also a little bit bewildered at times as this read seems half journal and externalization of the author's feelings, and half recipe / cookbook. I love the concept of this, but feel lost at certain points. Perhaps I don't completely understand the flow and the connection between certain anecdotes and recipes.

I suspect that means I'm not the right audience for this book. Overall I think the author has done a great job of sharing her personality and story with cooking basics and recipes. I recommend all considering giving it a shot! You will definitely learn something!

More guidebook than cookbook in my opinion. The recipes aren’t my speed but I loved the message of this book. I love how it empowers people to know good enough is good enough. There will be days when you can’t handle everything and that’s ok.

Loved the pantry/freezer/fridge prep list in the beginning. Not a bunch of fancy ingredients you won’t use or expire while you are looking at them.

Tis is not just a cookbook but a book of stories and recipes, a book of fun with food and a book to be enjoyed and devoured. It is just Great! It makes cooking more assessable to everyone with great information and it really does get the 'Cooking doesn't have to be perfect' message across.

The recipes are simple and use ingredients we all know and love. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, weekends, weekdays and salads, desserts. There is something for everyone here.

Love it.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting cook book!

There actually aren't that many recipes in this book. I prefer my recipes to have pictures and not every recipe has a picture in this book, but there's so much more than recipes included! Brown gives advice on life, cooking, and self care. Her words are thoughtful and uplifting. I appreciate that she talks about the cycle of getting leftovers and then not eating them and offers ways to dress them up so they're more appealing. Brown also talks about how taking care of yourself the best way you can is the best way to go and what that can look like.

Some of the recipes are time intensive and there is a surprising amount of meat. Overall an interesting look at how food helps us take care of ourselves and each other.

Pros: Loved the recipes and photography! I'm a huge fan of authors putting pictures of the actual recipes. I literally can't wait to try some of these, especially the creamy-hands off scrambled eggs on TOAST!

Cons: the format made it hard to read

I read this author's other cookbook Good and Cheap: Eat Well On $4/Day and I really did enjoy it.
This one? Not so much. I understand that Ms. Brown under went depression after her last book and my heart goes out to her for that. Depression sucks. Big old monkey balls sucks.
But this is about this book. I just didn't like it. It is supposed to be recipes that you can just cook on those days where you do not want to get out of bed. However, these recipes seem like wayyy too much work for that. I know I'm going to get trolled by some asshole that says you should eat healthy when depression rears it's ugly head. I KNOW that. I just know FOR myself it ain't happening. I want chips and dip, frozen pizza and maybe a grilled cheese.
There is one recipe that I will try in this one though.



Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

The author Leeanne Brown emphasizes "take care of yourself". Even if you're the only one in the house, pamper yourself. The cooking for you doesn't have to be perfect, but you can eat better than simple peanut butter on crackers.
She offers a variety of ways to fix smoothies (she mentions Jamie Stetler who I follow on Instagram), salads, cheese sandwiches and toppings for yogurt. Some pages give a list of things to remember, such as gratitude practices and Make Your Own Happy Hour. Take yourself on a date by setting out a cheese platter.
With many recipes, she includes TL;DR: which stands for "too long; didn't read." This is a perfect summary of the general flow of the steps in cooking the recipe.
The photos1 Yummy photos.
Thanks to Netgalley and Workman Publishing for giving me a preview of this cookbook.