I enjoy Caroline's books and in this one is full of delicious food that will make you hungry. It is also about mature students, friendships, multiple life missteps and so much more. Waltho and his wife purchased La Maison du Paradis and fixed it up. Sadly She died shortly after and now he needs to do something to heal his heart and maintain his beautiful home. So He opens the doors to the cookery school. His guest include Caroline, a posh and snooty caterer who is looking for a distraction from her life, Fran, a loud, brash woman who runs a fish and chip shop, but her husband wants to turn it into a fine dining place and Sally, a journalist who is going to write about the school, there is also the celebrity chef, Daniel Douglas de Beers who is leading the classes. This was a fun story,

Enjoyed the read, was light and funny! The story was fun as where the characters! Nice to also see recipes as well.

The French Cookery School is full of delicious food, mature students, friendships, missteps and more. Waltho Williams and his wife purchased La Maison du Paradis and fixed it up. She died shortly after and now he has to do something to maintain his beautiful home. He opened the doors to a cookery school, not sure what will happen when his first group arrives. It is a very mixed bag with Caroline, a posh and snooty caterer who is looking for a distraction from her life that is falling apart, Fran, a loud, brash woman who runs a fish and chip shop, but her husband wants to turn it into a fine dining place and Sally, a journalist who is going to write about the school, but is single and always ready for some romance and fun being the three main POVs in the story. Then there is the celebrity chef, Daniel Douglas de Beers who is leading the classes. He is not a happy man, gambles and needs money, until he meets Sally and falls for her. The sous chef, Tomas, is a happy, sexy man who picks people up at the airport, assists with the classes as well as cooking and serving their meals. Throw in a pair of twins, a retired dentist, a no-nonsense scouting leader, and some various locals and there is bound to be some conflict, some fun and lots of new friendships.

This was a fun story, that had my stomach growling several times. As the story began, Caroline really grated on my nerves. She thought she was better than the others, and so snooty, I couldn't understand why she even attended this type of holiday, but as we get to know her and her life, I really felt awful for her. Fran wanted to be everyone's friend. She was so outgoing and generous with her friendship, that every time she was treated badly, I wanted to smack someone. Sally was using this as a PR opportunity and hoping this would get her career going again, but she falls for Daniel hook, line, and sinker and might get her heart broken. There is a lot of fun times while cooking and eating and the guests get to know each other, with friendships developing. It isn't until a near tragedy that Caroline finally takes the stick out of her butt. I enjoyed Caroline James descriptive writing, not only of the food, but the setting and characters. With humor, the story is delivered in an entertaining way and I loved the way this ragtag group becomes a community. I would love another trip to La Maison du Paradis and meeting another group that comes together as friends while cooking and eating. A charming, uplifting story that I recommend.

This book was not for me. I usually love British authors as well as books about chefs and cooking, but I found the characters flat, the dialogue overly “tell” rather than show, the pacing slow, and I really did not like one of the sub romance plots. I will not be sharing a review on other platforms.

Didn’t have time to read it but it looks cute and promising so I’m sure I’ll get to it eventually my to be read pile is just getting to big and I’m a mood reader so these arcs are getting hit. So maybe at a later date I’ll finally read it

Set in the beautiful Perigord region of south western France, The French Cookery School brings together an eclectic mix of characters. The story is light and humerous throughout, but it is also a story to immerse yourself in. The characters are wonderful and author Caroline James has obviously had a lot of fun creating each of them. Waltho Williams, lapsed artist and owner of the beautiful Maison Du Paradis where the cookery school is located is a generous and caring host who is easy to like and empathise with. I didn’t warm to Caroline Carrington at first. She comes across as entitled and a snob, however as the story unfolds, it is clear there is much more to Caroline and her behaviour than first meets the eye. Francesca, a brash but lovable fish and chip store owner, is an absolute hoot, but she is also passionate about learning how to be a chef, no matter her mistakes along the way. Michelin-starred chef Daniel Douglas de Beer is another character that didn’t appeal to me at first, and to be honest, his transition from aloof to likeable was a bit abrupt. The story itself kept me turning the pages. It ended with a satisfying happily ever after for one couple and the possibility of something in the future for two other characters. All in all, this has been a very enjoyable read.

I was so excited to read this one as I went on a cookery course last year and absolutely loved it. Although it was only for a day and in Yorkshire, rather than in France.

This is a hug of a book. It’s probably a bit of a cliché to say it made me want to pack my bags and go on a cookery holiday in France, but it really did! There is a lot of food in this book – as you can guess from the title – and this was one reason I enjoyed it as I’m a bit of a foodie. But I also loved the French setting and the characters – they were very relatable. Waltho especially stole my heart – what a dear man. Caroline’s writing is easy to read and fun, and whilst this would be a good novel to take on holiday with you, it’s also an excellent choice on a grey and rainy day when you feel in need of a bit of escapism.

Thank you for the ARC. I was delighted to be part of the blog tour for this book.

This book had a fun cast of characters with a lot of heart, who all supported each other so much. Each person had a satisfying conclusion to their individual story lines. I would love to see a movie adaptation of this book!

Waltho Williams has no idea what he’s letting himself in for when he opens the doors to his beautiful French home, La Maison du Paradis. But with dwindling funds, a cookery school seems like the perfect business plan…

Divorcée caterer Caroline needs to be able stand on her own two feet. While warm-hearted Fran hopes to help her beloved husband fulfil his lifelong dream. And for food journalist Sally it’s a PR opportunity – until a certain celebrity chef gets under her skin…

But will the eclectic group be a recipe for success, or will the mismatched relationships sink like a souffle?

This was such a lovely and fun book. Easy to read, fast paced which transported me to La Maison du Paradis and the French countryside. This book is a great, relaxing read perfect for a summer read. It will not disappoint.

Thank youto Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Such a cute read. Loved the setting, could imagine myself being at the cookery school. The characters are very different with various reasons to be there. Enjoyed it a lot.

It really felt like I spent a week in France at a cooking school with a celebrity chef and lots of special characters. Sadly I did not feel as engaged with these characters as I had with characters in Caroline's previous books and I did not laugh as much, but I still really enjoyed the story and was moved by it.
There were moments where what was happening was so easy to picture and had me giggling, but overall it was just a gentle read about mature characters having a break from their own lives while they learn to cook with a celebrity chef and meanwhile gain new friends and do some self discovery.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'The French Cookery School' by Caroline James

Wow!! Check out this absolutely heartwarming , fun and perfect summer read!!!

I absolutely loved this absolutely fantastic feel good book! Caroline's evocative writing skills ensures the reader disappears into the storyline with the are and characters coming ito life all around you. She leaves you smelling the delicious foods, feeling the sun on your skin and leaves you with a smile on your face and feeling much lighter and happier than before you started. It is one of those books that are rammed with feel good moments, laughter fun, friendship and absolutely everything that you could ever want in an addictive must read! The storyline is realistic and down to earth and the setting is picturesque. I was absolutely sucked in from the first to the last page of this laugh out loud feel good page turner. On several occasions I had to remind myself I was actually in the house and not in France myself as I was that lost in the storyline!! It is one of those books that I just could not put down and I ended up walking around with my kindle glued to my hands. Every time I thought I will just read one more chapter and then get on with some chores it ended in a way that there was no way I could leave it there so I had to read another and then the same happened until I very sadly came to the last page and its absolutely fantastic ending. I genuinely felt like I was on holidays and I was devastated when I came to the end and realised I'd have to pack my suitcase to leave the beautiful surroundings in France. Each and every one of the characters are strong and realistic and thanks to Caroline's evocative writing skills they all came to life, jumping of the pages and sucking me deep into their lives. Whether I loved them or hated them they all came together to make a perfect story.

A stunning story of friendship, romance, second chances and being true to yourself. I absolutely love, love, LOVED it!!


The characters are all realistic, a mix of strong personalities, memorable and larger than life. They had completely different personalities but they compliment each other perfectly. Each of the characters that came on the cooking class had completely different personalities when they left it and I absolutely LOVED IT!! All of these characters and more make this an unforgettable, stunning book that will have you putting on your sun cream, grabbing yourself a cocktail and being whisked away on a fun filled French Cookery class! They all came to life before my eyes and I am really hoping we get to meet them all again!!!

Caroline congratulations on an absolutely fantastic novel and this is why you are om my top author list. Your book is a page turning laugh out loud and soul lifting success and I cannot wait to get stuck into more of your books!

Overall an absolutely gorgeous book that will whisk you off on a cruise ship and lift your heart and spirit. A page turning, addictive compelling novel that will leave you wanting more


#TheFrenchCookerySchool #CarolineJames #OneMoreChapter #RachelsRandomResources #rararesources
@CarolineJames @OneMoreChapter @Netgalley @RachelsRandomResources @rararesources

This ragtag group of people come together to learn cooking from a famous chef at a luxury cooking school. Add a hot chef and you have an adventure. Everyone brings their own baggage along for the ride. This was just exceptional! I was sad when it was over as I wanted to keep reading about these characters. There is laughter, joy, pain, everything you could possibly want in a story that was impossible to put down.

An absolutely delightful read, filled with interesting characters and their back stories.
For various reasons they've all enrolled in a cookery course at a French cookery school. As the days go we learn more about each character. Particularly loved Fran.
Really enjoyed this book and was sad when it finished. It was not without drama, humour and a little intrigue. Highly recommend

The idea of going to France to take a cooking class is very appealing. At a lovely old estate is even more appealing. The students were all about my age so I could sympathize with the point of life & some wondering what to do next. There were characters I liked and others I didn't. The local students weren't delved into, just called expats. I saw myself in 2 of the characters, Caroline & Bridgette, especially so I was interested in their endings. Fran was too much for me & I'm not sure I could have cozied up to her like the others did. I dinged a star for the way I thought the plot plodded along & I expected more cooking. I think they spent too much time outside of the kitchen for a supposedly expensive trip.

#Netgalley #TheFrenchCookerySchool #CarolineJames #OneMoreChapter #contempary #cooking #France

A well written and engaging story, the characters and their different traits are enjoyable. With serious elements and good humour. A great weekend read.

Books involving baking and food should come with warnings to arm yourself with copious amounts of sugary snacks whilst reading.

This was such a fun read, I mean what could possibly go wrong with a bunch of people wanting to learn to cook? Poor old Waltho, he had no idea what he'd let himself in for.

It's got the whole Masterchef meets Bake Off vibe going on, with added hilarity and romance.

The characters are wonderful, the friendships made, the dialogue between them and their likability.

Thoroughly enjoyable and a delight to devour.

4.5⭐️

If you want to travel to exotic destinations without leaving your comfort zone, Caroline James is the person to take you there.

This is a very funny story with quirky characters and hilarious scenes. It is captivating from start to finish as we are drawn into the lives of students/guests at the school.

With older characters, this book takes us on a journey to France where macarons, jelly beans and even a dashing car make an appearance.

There is vivid imagery of the village in Western France alongside some of the recipes and the cooking done.

You will fall in love with quirky and relatable characters with real life personalities, issues and problems.

If you love women’s fiction with a dash of romance then you will enjoy this.

Waltho Williams lives in a beautiful home – La Maison du Paradis – in the small village of Poutaloux-Beauvoir in Western France. It is July and the opening of his French Cookery School. He has a Celebrity Chef – Daniel Douglas de Beers – from the Cotswolds to teach the classes, ably assisted by Sous chef Tomas, while Waltho himself has help from the hostess Angelique.
We soon get to know those on the week’s course, meeting some of them on the journey and others as they arrive. They are a mixed bunch and include:
Caroline Carrington, who is 61, from Kensington in London. She is getting a divorce from her husband Stanley and she owns a catering company.
Francesca (Fran) Cartwright, who is also 61, a loud and vibrant woman from Blackpool, who has been married to Sid for 40 years and owns a fish and chip shop/café.
Then we have identical twin sisters – Jeanette and Pearl - who own a gift shop in Bath.
Ahmed Singh – a slim, smartly dressed, retired dentist from Solihull.
Bridgette Haworth from Lancashire, a widow in her seventies, an expert gardener and owner of Flaxby Manor.
Sally Parker-Brown – a fifty-year-old journalist and food writer. She is single, has bright pink hair and is trying to get over splitting up from boyfriend Ross. She owns a Mercedes sports car and has a free place at the cookery school in exchange for writing some articles to get some publicity for Waltho’s new venture.
Everyone wants to get something out of the trip and it’s interesting following their journey and seeing how the week away changes them. There are a great mix of characters and I always love a book with older characters in it. I liked Fran straight away, as she is really down to earth and relatable. I found Caroline too snobby, she is hard to like at first as she turns her nose up at lovely Fran. But of course, things soon come to light and you understand why she is like this.
The story is set in France, of course and is very evocative, especially with the descriptions of the food and the pretty scenery in the area. I found it a bit too descriptive for my taste, with a lot of mention of how things looked and lots of details of flowers and sounds, but that’s just me.
There are lots of laughs in the book, many comedic moments and the reader feels a whole mixture of emotions as all the characters reveal more of themselves and their situations. It is definitely worth a read and some of the characters will stay with you a long time after you’ve read the last page.