The Recipe Box
In Food Network personality Lee’s literary debut, Grace Holm-D’Angelo struggles to juggle her role as a single mother to a rebellious teenage daughter, Emma, and her career as a stylist for a popular television show. After her best friend succumbs to breast cancer, Grace returns to her Wisconsin hometown, where she must confront the demons of her past in order to mend her relationship with her own mother, and rediscovers her passion for cooking. Meanwhile, Grace hesitantly begins dating for the first time since her divorce. Lee’s writing is more tell than show and heavy-handed with moral messages, but her straightforward style and humorous dialogue allow the plot to move along at a pleasantly zippy pace. Emma’s transformation from partying class-skipper to straitlaced, A+ student happens far too easily, but interactions between her and Grace feel genuine. Lee’s original recipes, scattered throughout, enhance the narrative and allow the reader to form a visceral connection to this foodcentric narrative. Undoubtedly, Lee’s well-established fan base will flock to this novel. --Emily Roth