I enjoyed the narrator to this audiobook although she talks a bit faster than most I have heard. The story line is interesting as it jumps between two different characters point of view. I love cooking so I really like the cooking parts of the story. It was a good listen as I love historical fiction.

This book started out slow and I struggled with the timeline jumping. However, about 40% through the book it really took off and I began to absolutely love it! The ending was beautiful and had a twist that I did not see coming. A great historical fiction read with Kristin Hannah vibes!

While some aspects of this novel, set partially in WWII France, are typical, the way in which these events connect to the post-war world are unusual and fascinating. American Kat manages to survive the war, working for the OSS and in the kitchen of a restaurant in occupied France. Her cooking skills are brought into the story again when she becomes friends with Julia Child in 1953 Paris, while attempting to resolve lingering wartime problems. The two timelines come together well in the end, and I really loved the story on audiobook. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide an honest review.

The French Kitchen by Kristy Cambron was a great book to read while traveling. I enjoy Cambron’s writing and have read many of her books. This one is narrated by Saaskia Maarleveld who always does an amazing job! She is one of my favorite narrators.
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This book was partly about events that took place in the Resistance of WW2, but really about the people more than the war, but much of the story was in the 1950s and what happened to the people who were involved in the war. Also Julia Child was brought in as related to her OSS service, and that was interesting. I was really invested in the people! I really enjoy these books that bring up unique angles from WW2 and especially those that tell things that happened in the 1950s! The author brought this story to life with great dialogue and descriptions that have stayed with me.
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The story was told in multiple timelines, which worked well enough. Truthfully, I’m tired of that method of telling stories. It was hard to follow on the audio, so having the physical book was helpful.
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I recommend this to Historical Fiction lovers!
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Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the ARC & ALC given in exchange for my honest opinion.

The French Kitchen by Kristy Cameron
The French Kitchen audiobook was a little hard for me to follow honestly. It was a thoughtfully written story with lots of twists and turns. I loved that Julia Child was in the story! I think it would have been easier to follow as and actual book and not audio. I was entertained by the story though. The narration was really good! I would recommend the book, but pay close attention!

This audio book is wonderful, I read the book and then proceeded to revisit some parts through the audio. Gosh, I loved this!

My thoughts of the story: Be patient with this one. It is layered and complex but SO worth it. At first, I worried I could not keep up with the dual timelines, undercover identities, and multiple points of view. But once it clicked? Wow. This story is UNFORGETTABLE. I am going to keep this review short so I do not give anything away. There are so many secrets in the one book, I want to make sure I give you room to unpack and delve into this story.

Kat is searching for her missing brother and enters a marriage of convenience to get help, but no one is who they seem. (she and her husband included) Meanwhile, Manon works undercover in a French kitchen that is secretly helping the resistance. The stakes are high, the risks are real, and the emotional weight is powerful! Be prepared for a roller coaster of emotions.

This book blends historical fiction, mystery, and romance (yes, two love stories) in such a gripping way. The romance declarations... swoony! I highlighted so much , tabbed so many pages, and reread certain portions multiple times. I definitely plan to reread it now that I know how all the pieces connect. This is a story that will live in my mind rent-free for quite some time.

I received a complimentary copy. This is my honest opinion. Highly recommend.

This was a case of my mood not matching up with the book. I love historical fiction but it does take more concentration than other genres and I think I just wasn’t in the mood for thinking as much 😅

That said, this book was very well written and fascinating. What is super interesting to me is how certain themes or topics seem to be written about in chunks. In this example, Julia Child plays an important role in the story and earlier this year there was another book called The Secret War of Julia Child. I just love when we can get different perspectives on the same topics.

Warning - this book will have you craving French cuisine!

Rating:
I liked it

What you’ll find:
Dual timelines
French setting
Julia Child appearances
Food writing

Rue 1943 and Paris 1952

I'm a huge Kristy Cambron fan and fully expected to love this novel. The intrigue and search for a missing brother plus famous Julia Childs as a character were great elements of the novel. However, I had difficulty following the switch between timelines and characters. I've listened to other time slip novels by Kristy Cambron and followed along (fully absorbed even) without difficulty. However, this reader was challenged to keep up with the storyline of The French Kitchen.

The cover is lovely. The voice of narrator Saskia Maarleveld is a good one.

Thank you @uplitreads @thomasnelson for my free copy and @netgalley for the free alc💖.

✨What it is about:
In post-WWII Paris, a cooking class with Julia Child stirs up dark secrets from an ex-spy’s past. As her story intertwines with a wartime French chef risking everything behind enemy lines, hidden truths begin to surface.✨

💭My thoughts:
This is a story of two women linked by war, food, and espionage. It involves multiple timelines and characters, which at first felt a bit challenging to keep up with, but soon enough, you get into the groove of things. WWII is a time period I enjoy reading about, and this story was nicely packed with secrets, and twists and turns, stirring up plenty of emotions. I also LOVE reading about food and cooking in books, and this one delivered in that aspect as well. I liked the genre mash up: historical, mystery-thriller, with a dash of romance 💖.

🎧 I read the physical book while listening to the audio (which has become my favorite way to read), and it was an interesting experience. The audiobook is 10 hours and 42 minutes long and narrated by Saskia Maarleveld.
Even though the narration was fantastic, on its own, the audio might be a bit hard to follow at times due to the quick timeline shifts. However, using both the book and the audio together was great. It definitely elevated the experience, so I highly recommend you get both. Maarleveld masterfully performed all the characters, beautifully capturing distinct voices, and she did an especially stellar job replicating Julia Child’s unique tone and voice (there was not a lot of that though—I wanted more Julia Child in the book). Her narration was consistently clear, captivating, and full of emotional depth.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
⏲️1940s -1950s France setting
⏲️WWII historical fiction
⏲️Spy drama
⏲️French cuisine/ Julia Child
⏲️Dual timelines
⏲️Multiple POVs

⚠️CW: War, death, death of a sibling, graphic injury, grief.

I very much enjoyed hearing this book. It runs the story of individuals in parallel stories, both during WW!! and also in the decade later. It tells the stories of those involved in the Resistance against the Nazis in France, and the social tensions that were part of a society trying to heal and recover the narrative of culture and hope.It's also a love story, and one that navigates human vulnerabilities without sentimentality. Being part of the resistance was complicated and the risks were not just with the Nazis, as the locals do not tolerate those who seek to engage with the Germans. Engage to spy, or to curry favour?? But how could anyone know what motive it was, and both deadly. .This is a riveting story with a heroine who is feisty and naive and talented and courageous. And in the later story, so many of the characters after the war, are trying to make a normal life with all the experiences of war, damaged, grieving and confused, All of this is wrapped in the frame of French cuisine, an integral part of French identity, of human connection, of nourishment and delight, for privilege and poverty. The pace is fast and the narrative engaging, with beautiful sensual descriptions. I enjoyed it very much.

THE FRENCH KITCHEN by Kristy Cambron
🍋🍋🍋🍋‍🟩

While historical fiction is not usually my cup of tea, the premise of this WWII Parisian story sparked my interest. Add in a side story with Julia Child, and I was sold.

Set between two timelines (1943 in Nazi-occupied France and post-war 1952,) two strong and incredibly brave women’s stories weave together and unravel amongst the chaotic and intense world that was occupied Paris.

Like most stories set in this timeframe, THE FRENCH KITCHEN deals with themes of loss, uncertainty, and the constant fear of the unknown. What I truly enjoyed about this story was learning more about the incredibly courageous women whom served in the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

I knew Julia Child’s husband, Paul, played an important government role, but it was fascinating to read about Julia’s time in the OSS and how her interpretations may have been the very reason certain families reunited and gained intelligence on loved ones after the war.

The constant back-and-forth between timelines did somewhat take me out of the story at times, but overall I thought this was a really well-done historical read.

Are you interested in picking this one up? Let me know what you think!
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A must read for anyone that enjoys historical fiction set during World War II. This book combines excitement and mystery that is most enjoyable!

I loved the narration of this book! The story however was a bit confusing with the two timelines, and I think it would have been better for me to read this instead of listening to it.

DNF.

I really tried with this audiobook but I just couldn't get into it. I liked the idea of a story inspired by Julia Child and her dual career as a chef and a spy, but it turns out that I'm just kind of burnt out on World War II stuff. I kept trying to push ahead but I started finding my attention was drawn to other books and this one fell further and further down the list of priorities until I finally admitted to myself that I was not going to finish it. Giving four stars because it seems like other readers really liked it, and what I read was good, but it's just not for me right now.

There is so much to like about this book. The setting of France during and years after WWII is immersive. Reading of how women played such a pivotal role during the war was captivating. The multiple POVs and timelines did cause confusion for the first few chapters, and the volume of characters with multiple names could be confusing. However, that ending! It brought all the questions full circle and left me gasping and smiling.
Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars! What a whirlwind story! This book was set during WWII and afterwards, with dual timelines, and was filled with romance, mystery, spies, and even the iconic Julia Childs (my fav part)! And the audiobook narration was phenomenal but made a great read as well, the narrator did a great job with the accents! It was so cool to see how these different perspectives and timelines all tied together to create quite a roller coaster of a ride! Definitely some tragic parts, but overall I really enjoyed the ending! I'd love to check out Kristy Cambron's other books!

Thank you so much Netgalley for gifting me the ARC of this book, however, all thoughts are my own!

This was a really engaging read with excellent narration that made the story easy to sink into. The characters and the mix of food, espionage, and post-war Paris were fascinating and kept me hooked.

That said, the constant timeline shifts between the 1940s and 1950s were sometimes confusing and pulled me out of the flow. I often had to pause and remind myself where and when the story was. Still, the strong writing and great performance made it worth it overall—I’d definitely recommend it to historical fiction fans.

Kristy Cambron has a beautiful gift for time split historical fiction! As usual I was gripped and couldn’t stop reading (listening). I loved all of the characters in the book and how everything all came together. I loved the inclusion of Julia Child and learning a little bit of her real life war work.

As always, I’m so thankful for authors like Cambron who take real history and give us fictionalized characters to make the history more real and relatable.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

The French Kitchen takes readers into both postwar Paris and occupied France, weaving together two women’s journeys of determination, sacrifice, and discovery. Kristy Cambron creates a narrative that is as emotionally resonant as it is historically rich. Kat Fontaine’s relentless search for truth and Manon Altier’s bravery in the face of danger create two compelling perspectives that are tied together with care and depth.

The audiobook is wonderfully narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, who gives each character a distinct voice and emotional presence. Her performance elevates the story, making it even more engaging and memorable.

This is a powerful listen for anyone who enjoys historical fiction with strong heroines and a balance of heart and suspense.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audio ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this story with the romance, mystery, and suspense aspects! The look into the France during WWII and after was an interesting take through a kitchen and what the workers in the kitchen were doing. I liked the background on Julia Child and the alternating timelines the book had. At times the alternating timelines made it hard to follow but I was able to get the hang of it.