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librarydancer's review against another edition
3.0
2 1/2 stars
Parts of this story were lovely, but a lot about the main character didn't add up. One example is how in the beginning of the book, the lead mentions how she is not a 'foodie' the way her cousin is, but then the book proceeds to spend a great deal of the rest of the story mentioning how much she revels in delicious, exclusive restaurants and meals.
I had a few issues with the book that totally took me out of the story, and lingered after I tried to continue.
The details of the food absolutely made me crave some delicious Chinese food. However, the ebook did not list recipes as some of the reviewers mentioned they had.
Parts of this story were lovely, but a lot about the main character didn't add up. One example is how in the beginning of the book, the lead mentions how she is not a 'foodie' the way her cousin is, but then the book proceeds to spend a great deal of the rest of the story mentioning how much she revels in delicious, exclusive restaurants and meals.
I had a few issues with the book that totally took me out of the story, and lingered after I tried to continue.
The details of the food absolutely made me crave some delicious Chinese food. However, the ebook did not list recipes as some of the reviewers mentioned they had.
sherwoodreads's review against another edition
Vanessa Yu can see people's futures, good and bad, in their teacups and blurts them out against her will. Some of these predictions cause hurt, which hurts her. She hates her gift, causing friction with her aunt who also inherited the family gift, only in the form of clairvoyance.
Vanessa has no love life because of this gift. Her aunt insists that’s the cost of the gift, making Vanessa even more angry . . . but at the same time, she resists her mother’s forceful attempts at matchmaking. So she goes to Paris with her aunt to learn to control the gift.
Once she arrives, she begins working at her aunt's teashop, starts lessons in controlling her predictions, and begins to learn about her aunt’s private life, as well as the sad romantic situation of her aunt’s baker friend. Meanwhile there is a very nasty plot against the success of the tea shop. Vanessa is determined to do something about those situations, especially when she meets the wonderful Marc . . .
I found this book uneven. It’s a very material book as well as sensory. We get plentiful details of her aunts’ buying extravaganzas, and Vanessa’s apartment is even qualified with its square footage, though that site is scarcely in the book. On the other hand, the descriptions of art and especially of food are absolutely scrumptious.
In fact, the food, and the appreciation for art, was the best part of the book for me. The author managed to make certain flavors that I can’t stand sound enticing. And the love for Paris casts a golden glow over a city that many find magical already.
Unfortunately, the romances don’t get anywhere near the complexity that is spent on the food. They are more perfunctory than developed, with Vanessa unconsciously emulating her mother as she bulldozes into others’ lives for their own good, even though (like Vanessa with her mother) no one wants her interference. Causing some downright cringe moments. Equally cringy was her implied triumph at refusing to learn French, or Chinese, and sticking only with English in her travels.
But it turns out there is a reason for her focus on others’ love lives, furnishing the one unexpected twist in the story.
Overall I enjoyed it, but I do wish the author crafted her characters as well as her food descriptions.
Copy provided by NetGalley
Vanessa has no love life because of this gift. Her aunt insists that’s the cost of the gift, making Vanessa even more angry . . . but at the same time, she resists her mother’s forceful attempts at matchmaking. So she goes to Paris with her aunt to learn to control the gift.
Once she arrives, she begins working at her aunt's teashop, starts lessons in controlling her predictions, and begins to learn about her aunt’s private life, as well as the sad romantic situation of her aunt’s baker friend. Meanwhile there is a very nasty plot against the success of the tea shop. Vanessa is determined to do something about those situations, especially when she meets the wonderful Marc . . .
I found this book uneven. It’s a very material book as well as sensory. We get plentiful details of her aunts’ buying extravaganzas, and Vanessa’s apartment is even qualified with its square footage, though that site is scarcely in the book. On the other hand, the descriptions of art and especially of food are absolutely scrumptious.
In fact, the food, and the appreciation for art, was the best part of the book for me. The author managed to make certain flavors that I can’t stand sound enticing. And the love for Paris casts a golden glow over a city that many find magical already.
Unfortunately, the romances don’t get anywhere near the complexity that is spent on the food. They are more perfunctory than developed, with Vanessa unconsciously emulating her mother as she bulldozes into others’ lives for their own good, even though (like Vanessa with her mother) no one wants her interference. Causing some downright cringe moments. Equally cringy was her implied triumph at refusing to learn French, or Chinese, and sticking only with English in her travels.
But it turns out there is a reason for her focus on others’ love lives, furnishing the one unexpected twist in the story.
Overall I enjoyed it, but I do wish the author crafted her characters as well as her food descriptions.
Copy provided by NetGalley
farkle's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
nht806's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a treat! A fun world of food, family, romance, and a lil magic!
There were some problems with pacing, especially toward the end, but I enjoyed it the whole time anyway.
There were some problems with pacing, especially toward the end, but I enjoyed it the whole time anyway.
mjacob24's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
1.0
funnysexyhumble's review against another edition
2.0
(2.5)
her special power changing halfway through the book because she got hit by a car was so fucking funny
her special power changing halfway through the book because she got hit by a car was so fucking funny