The Paris Cooking School is the first novel by award-winning Australian author Sophie Masson writing as Sophie Beaumont. Perhaps their love of cooking is a secondary reason for Gabi Picabea and Kate Evans to commit to four weeks at Sylvie Morel’s Paris Cooking School, but the way she and her team teach is a wonderful distraction from an unfaithful husband and artist’s block.

Not that Sylvie’s life is running smoothly either: harassment in the form of negative online reviews, damaging social media gossip, complaints to the health department, and other incidents threaten her business, while her unsympathetic lover seems to have commitment issues. Luckily, she has a friendly, reliable neighbour who offers sound advice and support.

Interspersed with the preparation of luscious food, as everyone enjoys Paris in the spring, there are meet-cutes leading to sweet romances, a few dramatic exchanges, a bit of intrigue and the eventual resolution of each protagonist’s challenges.

Any predictability in the plot is more than compensated for by mouth-watering dishes the reader can almost taste, gorgeous descriptions of Paris, appealing characters, love and laughter: the only thing missing from this delicious read is the recipes!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Better Reading Preview and Ultimo Press.