The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux

By: Samantha Vérant

Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers

Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

A disgraced chef rediscovers her passion for food and her roots in this stunning novel rich in culture and full of delectable recipes.

French-born American chef Sophie Valroux had one dream: To be part of the 1% of female chefs running a Michelin-starred restaurant. From spending summers with her grandmother, who taught her the power of cooking and food, to attending the Culinary Institute of America, Sophie finds herself on the cusp of getting everything she's dreamed of.

Until her career goes up in flames.

Sabotaged by a fellow chef, Sophie is fired, leaving her reputation ruined and confidence shaken. To add fuel to the fire, Sophie learns that her grandmother has suffered a stroke and takes the red-eye to France. There, Sophie discovers the simple home she remembers from her childhood is now a luxurious château, complete with two restaurants and a vineyard. As Sophie tries to reestablish herself in the kitchen, she comes to understand the lengths people will go to for success and love, and how dreams can change.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Samantha Vérant (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Verant transports us to the enchanting setting of Southern France and the magic of an exquisite French kitchen. This delectable novel is pure escapism through the delicious dishes made by chef Sophie’s expert hands, the romance involving a childhood friend, and the splendor of France. Verant’s amazing recipes are included as the perfect companion to this tasty debut." (Roselle Lim, author of Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune)

"Verant’s sparkling debut novel...[and] enticing culinary tale will appeal to romance fans and foodies alike." (Publishers Weekly)

“Vérant immerses readers in the sounds, smells, and tastes of a professional kitchen, with a cast of sous-chefs, old friends, and a gruff but handsome mushroom forager along for the ride. Francophiles and fans of Mary Simses and Roselle Lim will adore Sophie's journey.” (Booklist)

The lady doth protest too much

This story was way too slow. The world is at the protagonist's feet and she still painfully hesitates and pines for something that is not even on the same level as the alternative.

Cute story, weak lead character

A young woman is given her grandmother’s chateau and the prince of her dreams but all she does is hesitate and complain. She wishes for her former terrible life in NYC. Seems hard to relate to.

Delicious and Diverting

Sophie is a driven accomplished chef his life takes an unfortunate turn when she is discredited privately and publicly by the chef for whom she is working. It’s a put up job, engineered by two fellow chefs. After wallowing in self pity for months (though it may only have been weeks— it seemed interminable) She eventually travels to France, where her grandmother is seriously ill. The Chateau is a gorgeous inn, and her grandmother a renowned chef. After Sophie finally gets over herself (truly, I wanted to slap her several times. Snap out of it!), her life and career are brilliantly changed and she finds love, a home, and a fairytale existence. Enjoyable listen once she finally gets past the self pity and self doubt.

Schmaltzy in a good way

It was a sweet read. I don’t usually listen to romances but i needed something not stressful and this fit the bill.

A convincing French accent!

As a student of the French language, I appreciate the proper accent and the inclusion of many common idioms which are seamlessly and immediately explained without interrupting the narrative flow - no small task!

Any Francophile or lover of French cuisine and cooking will be enchanted by this despite the predictable “mandatory “ romance.

If you are an enthusiastic cook/chef, the included recipes in PDF format are a significant bonus.

Everything I expected

I enjoyed this book very much. It seemed like it took a long time for her to get over her disappointment with a lot of self pity. But when she came back it was worth the wait.

J’adore!!!!

J’adore!!! What a wonderful tale and I loved all the French! Sophie was infuriatingly self sabotaging sometimes and her self doubt was ridiculous but I’m glad she got herself together. And what a name for love, Remi?! Oh, I’ll be thinking about this story for awhile. And I’ll be dusting off my French dictionary also!

loved it!

I didn't want it to end! could there possibly be a sequel in the works?

I liked the story

I liked the story but it was a bit predictable. I’m taking a trip to Paris later this year and I thought it would be fun to listen to stories based in France. It was enjoyable and I don’t have any complaints except that the story line was predictable.

Loved it!!!

I wanted to shake Sophie a few times but overall it was such a great story - I couldn’t stop listening. Loved all the French.