A sweet story mixed with some delicious food, who can’t say no to it? Of course not me, I love disconnecting with a lovely story and some yummy food! 😉
I’ll advise you from the beginning, this is a story to fall in love easily and read with just one sitting.
The book is told between three different women, all them with a common point, a Manhattan Michelin star. With friendship and rivalry, these three women will make the restaurant the best in Manhattan, ready for it?
Even if this book is fiction, the emotions of it and the characters felt real. How Maggie, who she hopes to be the next head of the restaurant, is not being considered and someone from outside is contracted for the place. Of course, the rivalry between her and the daughter of the previous owner will not make the situation easy… She will have an unexpected ally, Nayomi, who will be her secret weapon. Of course, if you’ll mix a little bit of love in the situation it makes the story addictive and realistic. Because, let’s be honest, the plot doesn’t only seem fiction but too real, don’t you think?
Yummy and sweet, this is a book you’ll love from the first page.
Ready to discover “The Kitchen”?

Delectable read is what comes to mind while reading The Kitchen.
The Kitchen was a book I could not put down♥️ I didn’t want the story to end.
The storyline takes you into a Michelin starred restaurant which was very interesting. The descriptions of the food made me hungry!
The main characters are Maggie, Emily and Nayomi. Watching them as they overcome loss, rediscover themselves and finding peace in their life’s makes for a very emotional and beautiful read. With a bit of romance thrown in, The Kitchen makes for a very heartwarming read.
Highly recommend reading The Kitchen…..it highlights the strength we do have to overcome adversity.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Laura Carter and Canelo for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

4☆ A Compelling and Feel-good Women's Fiction.

The Kitchen is a story about Three Strong Women proving that they belong, Friendships, Dedication, Determination, Forgiveness, Rivalry and delicious food.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this Compelling and Heartwarming Story.
I love books that feature foodie delights in any context and this one more than wets your appetite.
Firstly you have two very strong women working in a Michelin-starred Restaurant which is predominantly a male environment. Then you have a foodie journalist who has the power to make or break a Restaurant. Just a brilliant combo!

Maggie has worked so hard to become a sous chef and when Jean-Sébastien’s, mentor/father figure and owner of the restaurant passes away, she becomes next in line to take over his position.
But yet again she finds herself having to prove her worth, when the restaurant owner brings in Ethan famous executive head chef to take over...leaving her future uncertain.

But that's not the only worry Maggie has...her Ex best friend Emily ( well known food critique) and daughter to Jean-Sébastien’s is bitter and jealous of her successes and the bond she had with her late father. After they all became estranged.
So it comes as no surprise the fear and dread she feels when Emily visits to critique the new Restaurant.

Finally we have Nayomi a recent widow and single Mum to two boys. Struggling to find money she takes on two jobs.
She never realised that when Maggie gave her a job as a pot washer it would not only lead to a really lovely friendship, but that she could be the one person that might be able to help Maggie save her beloved job and honour Jean-Sébastien’s memory.

See what a juicy storyline and there's so much more!
I loved all three of the main characters. They were relatable for many different reasons. But what I really loved was the sheer determination and passion they have for their jobs.

Overall The Kitchen is a heart warming, women's fiction, with strong characters, a good dose of drama, a dash of Romance, New Beginnings and plenty of delicious food to have your tummy rumbling!

I love finding authors I don't already know and Laura Carter is definitely a new one to watch for. The cover to this book made me want to know everything about the chef critic and novice...immediately, so I settled down to find out.
A story set in the world of a Michelin starred restaurant in New York with Maggie, Emily and Nayomi at the very heart of it. These three are all strong in their own individual ways and we learn of all of their stories in this book. Laura Carter has made these characters so they feel so real. I must say that out of the three, Emily took me longer to get to like as she was a bit of a prickly one, although I did get to like her along with Maggie and Nayomi.
All three come from different backgrounds and each has their own issues but as their stories converge within the busy New York restaurant we find them in we see they are all looking for the same thing; to find their place in life.
Such an easy to read book, with characters you can relate to in one way or another. I enjoyed seeing their individual stories merge together and how their friendships blossomed along the way. It was a joy to see them be able to act on their decisions and actually be the change they all wanted.

Be warned! This book includes such delicious food you will either be dribbling or running to the kitchen while you read this book! The food descriptions are to die for! The pacing of the book is perfect. Not too slow so you feel like the story is dragging but not too fast that you can't connect with the characters either.
I was so interested in how everything would work out I didn't want to put it down. Such am engaging, easy and entertaining read for me. If you prefer an easy to read book that will make you need delicious food, pick this up and dive into the world of Michelin starred restaurants.
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources, Canelo and NetGalley for the copy of the book.

🍰 Yum! A tale about three female protagonists trying to figure out how to succeed in a food world predominately ran by men.
⠀
🍰 Maggie is set to be the next head chef at Jean-Sébastien’s, however she has to compete against Ethan for it.

🍰 Nayomi is a widow and a single mom of two boys. Before she meets Maggie, she’s struggling to juggle multiple jobs to take care of her little family. Then Maggie gives her a job in the kitchen and thing go up from there.

🍰Emily is a top level food critic. In the beginning she’s seems to have it all, but nothing is as it seems. And she might actually be the worst off in my opinion because to me relationships are the making of a great and wonderful life, and she doesn’t have any strong relationships (family or otherwise) in her life.

🍰The story is told from all three women’s prospective, and I loved the interweaving of the characters and experience. But my favorite part of this book? The mouthwatering scrumptious descriptions of the food! They made me hungry and want to eat every time. I also loved the strength, tenacity, and growth the three women show throughout the book.

🍰I definitely could see this being a great hit as a November release. It’s perfect for reading around Thanksgiving even though it’s not holiday based at all.

A great Contemporary Fiction that I’m so happy to have been able to read! The 3 lead female characters were so lovely (well 2 of them were – Emily was a jerk!) that I was captivated by the story.

Nayomi was my favorite character, so timid and shy, trying to take care of her two boys after the death of her husband. I loved the arc of her character within this book and will miss her so much now that the story is over.

The restaurant setting was so fun. I had no idea about the behind the scenes events that take place in upscale restaurants. We get to take a peek of these events in the book and it seems so exciting!

Loved the story and the characters, I even came around to ‘like’ Emily at the end, sort of.

Contemporary Fiction readers should pick this one up!

The Kitchen was written so I really go to know and love each of the women in the story.
Maggie, Emily and Nayomi are all different women with different lives that that are so interesting. The author made each woman real to me. The connection between them all brings out the personality of each woman showing her strengths and weaknesses.
The setting of the story in a high-end restaurant in New York gave me insight in the world they live in. The descriptions of the food in this book will make your mouth water!
Thank you NetGalley, Laura Carter and Canelo for the copy of The Kitchen. This is my personal review.

Thank you to Laura Carter and Rachels Random Resources for gifting me a digital copy of The Kitchen in exchange for an honest review.
In the kitchen we follow three women Maggie, Nayomi and Emily; Maggie a hard working chef, Nayomi a hard working mum struggling with 2 jobs and 2 young boys and Emily a spoilt brat with her nose out of joint.
Oh I loved this book so much; I felt emotions alongside all 3 strong women. By the end I was in love with all of them including Emily who I really didn’t like at the beginning (or the middle) the character were so well written and as a reader I went on the journey with them all. When i started reading this book I thought it was another romance book (which I love) but its more that that it’s a sisterhood story and one of self love. I can’t wait to read more books by Laura Carter.

This was a lovely book following the lives of 3 very different women who are all linked by a restaurant. The chapters switch between the 3 and the author made each character jump out of the pages and brought their stories to life wonderfully. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and didn’t want to leave their lives. Really great and would definitely recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers who sent me the preview copy.

The Kitchen was a delectable (in every sense of the word) and easy read set in the world of high-end restaurants in New York. The book focuses on three women, one a chef, one a critic and one a porter and their intertwining stories. It's a story about expectations of women in what is essentially a men's world, personal growth, grief, forgiveness, and personal growth and just a sprinkling of delightful romance.

As with many books told from various POV (in this case the three characters Maggie, Emily and Nayomi), I initially appreciated one story line over the others (Nayomi's). The other characters I found a little harder to connect with, but as the book progressed, and I got to know them (and their backstories) a bit better, I did end up liking them just as much. I appreciated especially Nayomi's love for her children (her caution with Ashley) and her can-do attitude in a fate that she did not choose. I adored the love-to-hate connection between Maggie and Ethan, and, while I initially thought Emily to be a bit of a jealous monster, her bravery to face her behavior was laudable. There was a little bit of repetition in the story at times, but nothing that was overly annoying.

One point of caution, even if you have just eaten a big meal, this book will make you want to eat. The descriptions of the food are mouth-watering and scrumptious (especially, to me at least, the Sri Lankan dishes and flavor palette).

A really enjoyable read. The writer is great at narrating the three female voices and although it's a romantic book, it doesn't ever get too slushy or predictable.
The drama is played out against a backdrop of high end restaurant kitchens which makes it an interesting read too if you love food and cooking shows on TV.

A fun,easy to read story with great female characters and food described in mouthwatering detail. I loved the connection between Maggie and Nayomi - although coming from different backgrounds they hit it off completely and it was great to see both being out this confidence in eachother. Throw Emily into the mix and it added up to three strong women making their way in a very much man’s world.

Good stuff! This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it. I liked Maggie and Nayomi, two of the three female narrators we hear from. I didn't like Emily. Even though I knew she was grieving, I couldn't accept how nasty she was to the people closest to her. I also thought, the way it was written, she could have explored her romantic relationship further, but no. That aside, I loved the cooking elements, enjoyed the two romances. This book kept me engrossed and how nice to read a non-Christmas themed book in late October. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, I actually thought it was good to be different! Loved how the main characters were all women whom were strong and independent! Loved all the tales and friendships entwined and showing coming together makes this game happen! A gem of a story.

I really enjoyed this book! It's set in a Michelin starred French restaurant in NYC. When the owner/head chef passes away - things get crazy!

The story follows three strong women characters:

Maggie - sous chef in the kitchen, hopes to become the top chef - she's trained under the owner, who's more like a father figure to her, she's got fresh ideas and she gets sideswiped when the co-owner's son decides to hire another executive chef to take her place.

Emily - is the estranged daughter of the chef, and a well published food critic. She's dealing with the aftermath of losing her father after not speaking with him for years. She and Maggie were best friends, until she felt Maggie became more important to her dad when she started working in his kitchen. And her personal life is falling apart.

Nayomi. - is a widow trying to provide for two young sons. She's a seamstress but applies for the kitchen porter job. She soon learns to open up again and shares her Sri Lanka recipes with Maggie and forms a friendship with the kitchen's pastry chef.

Three strong characters and a great story line.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

A tale of ambition, creativity, rivalry, friendship and grief, ‘The Kitchen’ deftly explores all these themes within the confines of a prestigious restaurant kitchen. When Maggie’s mentor Jean-Sebastien dies unexpectedly, she has to put aside her grief if she wants to step up into the role of head chef. After all, she’s filled in for him repeatedly over the years. She knows the drill. She’s the obvious choice, isn’t she? Not if Jean-Sebastien’s estranged daughter Emily has anything to do with it. Enter Nayomi, the new kitchen porter, working two jobs and struggling to make ends meet while juggling life as a single mother. A story told in three voices, we’re taken on each woman’s journey towards self-fulfilment. A genuinely lovely, uplifting book. An easy read with engaging characters and a real insight into the restaurant world.

Delicious. The menus. The food. The characters. The plot. Simply delicious. The Kitchen, told in the voices of three very different women, centers around the “kitchen” of a 3 star Michelin restaurant.

Maggie is sous chef to Jean-Sébastien, executive and head chef of the famous restaurant named for him. When he dies suddenly, she hopes to move into his position. Instead another chef, Ethan James, is hired, cementing Maggie’s belief that men dominate the restaurant hierarchy.

Emily, Jean-Sébastien’s daughter, former chef and now New York Times restaurant critic, was Maggie’s best friend. However, Emily’s jealousy ended the friendship. Now she is deeply depressed, unhappy with her partner and unsure of her future,

Naomi is a young widow, mother of two young sons and a Sri Lankan immigrant. She works as a seamstress during the day and a porter (dishwasher) at the restaurant at night, hoping for a better life for her boys.

Amid the restaurant background, relationships begin and end, women help women succeed and there is much introspection. Maggie, Emily and Nayomi are strong characters and you quickly become involved with their stories. The restaurant itself is a major character. I loved learning how meal preparation works and how dishes are created. The Kitchen may be a 3 star restaurant but it is a 5 star book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Canelo and Laura Carter for this ARC.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story and the intricate relationships it delves into. This is a great story that keeps you caught in from start to finish

I absolutely loved this! What a fantastic plot, beautifully written, intertwining the relationships between the characters in such an ingenious and realistic way. The author has expertly written from the perspective of a number of characters without confusing or diluting the narrative.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Unexpected…
Three women, three narratives and the unexpected joy of great things. A tale of unexpected friendships, support and togetherness woven through the stories of three women and what can happen when a successful coming together occurs. A delightful read.