What do you think?
Rate this book
Heartbake: A Bittersweet Memoir
Reminiscent of Michelle Zauner's Crying in H Mart and Dolly Alderton's Everything I Know About Love, Charlotte Ree's Heartbake is part memoir, part recipe book, and part joyous battle cry for those who find themselves lonely at any age, hungry for so much more from life.
'The discovery of cooking for others again ignited something in me—it gave me meaning, and in some ways it brought me back to life.'
In this heartfelt memoir of food, love and self-discovery, Charlotte Ree takes us along her journey of learning to cook in the wake of a divorce that left her feeling unsure of who she was and what she wanted at a time when the whole world was turned upside down.
With each meal that she masters—a boiled egg, grilled cheese, lasagne, ricotta and pesto ravioli in a brown butter and sage sauce—we follow the story of Charlotte's search for love—in friendship, in family, in romance, and love in herself as she begins to heal from the narratives she'd been telling herself for years.
Deeply personal and rich with emotion, her prose heart-wrenching, hilarious and hunger-inducing in equal measure, Charlotte explores the complexities of her familial relationships, reflects on how the models she observed affected the love she chose to accept and felt she deserved, recalls both disastrous and delightful dates, and revels in the joy of sharing good food with strangers and significant others alike.
'The discovery of cooking for others again ignited something in me—it gave me meaning, and in some ways it brought me back to life.'
In this heartfelt memoir of food, love and self-discovery, Charlotte Ree takes us along her journey of learning to cook in the wake of a divorce that left her feeling unsure of who she was and what she wanted at a time when the whole world was turned upside down.
With each meal that she masters—a boiled egg, grilled cheese, lasagne, ricotta and pesto ravioli in a brown butter and sage sauce—we follow the story of Charlotte's search for love—in friendship, in family, in romance, and love in herself as she begins to heal from the narratives she'd been telling herself for years.
Deeply personal and rich with emotion, her prose heart-wrenching, hilarious and hunger-inducing in equal measure, Charlotte explores the complexities of her familial relationships, reflects on how the models she observed affected the love she chose to accept and felt she deserved, recalls both disastrous and delightful dates, and revels in the joy of sharing good food with strangers and significant others alike.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 2, 2023
33 people are currently reading
1004 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Ree
3 books18 followersCHARLOTTE REE is an obsessive food lover and avid home cook and recipe developer. When she isn’t in the kitchen, you can find Charlotte working with some of Australia’s biggest authors as part of her day job as Head of Marketing for a book publisher. Her memoir, HEARTBAKE, will be published in May 2023.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
Read
February 3, 2023I read this in a single sitting and it’s fair to say that I ate it up. Ree is vulnerable and raw as she tells of her loves and losses as she transforms into the truest version of herself after losing herself in her marriage and work (and youth). Her voice has an authenticity and sincerity to it that made this all the more powerful. From her mother’s mental illness, to a dear friendship ending, to her ex-husband’s financial control, to her romantic encounters, she puts it all on the page with grace. She delightfully weaves food, specific dishes such as her nan’s jam drops and her mama’s spinach pie, into her telling of becoming which I of course particularly loved. The actual book will contain the recipes and I’m eager to recreate them to taste the food Ree has set into this narrative.
April 4, 2023
This is more than a biography about love, heartache and self discovery. Through her reflections, Charlotte explores the importance of self love and the power of nourishment to feed your body as well as your soul. Heartbake is very readable and is a book which will resonate with many people. The inclusion of her recipes gives another dimension of the book and makes it feel like she is giving all of us, including herself, a great big tasty hug.
May 29, 2023
Lovely recipes and a compelling, deeply personal story. I do feel a little that the memoir would have benefited if more time had elapsed between when the events happened and when the book was published - it all felt very raw, and while the honesty is part of the book's appeal, it felt like some of the later bits were unprocessed and possibly rushed to meet a deadline.
September 9, 2024
Ahh I loved this book! A story of heartbreak and healing and the most decadent descriptions of food, this memoir was made for me. It was gifted to me two days ago and I’ve already finished it. My favourite new addition to my bookshelf.
January 5, 2023
One of the books I’m most excited to read this year!!
May 18, 2023
What an utterly beautiful story to read, with an added bonus of some excellent recipes to cook.
February 19, 2024
Woman who likes food has fairly typical twenties life experiences, goes to therapy, thinks it’s all more profound than it is and that she should write a book about it.
September 24, 2023
It was love at first sight when I spotted
Heartbake
by Charlotte Ree at my bookshop. The yellow cloth cover, the delightful-to-hold unconventional size (a bit smaller than A5), and the subtitle - 'a bittersweet memoir'. If that wasn't enough to convince me (it was), I opened the book to find a section containing recipes and lush food photography. All so lovely.
The book focuses on the period after Ree's divorce - she learns to cook and at the same time, slowly begins putting her life back together.
Unfortunately, while the recipes were enticing, and I enjoyed her deliberate inclusions of what she ate at particular events or moments, Heartbake fell short.
The first part of the memoir - about her family and her marriage - was engaging and insightful. It felt like Ree had processed her experiences. The second part, after her marriage broke down, felt rushed and lacked depth. Any reflection done in this part didn't feel personal - rather, it was more like something you might read in a self-help book or on those pinterest boards devoted to affirmations.
I was hardly surprised to discover that Ree had written a feature article for Vogue, and Heartbake was an extrapolation of that article. It explained a lot about the contrast in writing.
Must admit, there were parts of Ree's story that made me feel so old. She discusses her experiences on dating apps - I don't know if it's similar for others, but the whole scene seemed impulsive and fast. Do people regularly organise a first Tinder date as 'come over to my flat and I'll cook you dinner'? On more than one occasion, it seems Ree is far more invested than the person she is dating -
There’s one story about a date that goes wrong with someone who is seriously mentally unwell – it’s disturbing and I questioned the purpose of including the level of detail used (trigger warnings here: suicide, stalking).
Timelines also feel wonky. A lot happens - marriage breakdown, dating, a few short relationships, a 'break-up' with her best friend, Sydney COVID lockdowns, Ree struggling with alcohol... and then there's mention that this all took place within the space of two years. I have no doubt that it all happened but I do doubt that anyone can comprehensively draw on and have deep insight after such a whirlwind.
I will try some of the recipes, particularly the chocolate olive oil cake but overall, Heartbake lacked a vital ingredient - a turning point or a hard-won revelation.
2.5/5
The book focuses on the period after Ree's divorce - she learns to cook and at the same time, slowly begins putting her life back together.
Unfortunately, while the recipes were enticing, and I enjoyed her deliberate inclusions of what she ate at particular events or moments, Heartbake fell short.
The first part of the memoir - about her family and her marriage - was engaging and insightful. It felt like Ree had processed her experiences. The second part, after her marriage broke down, felt rushed and lacked depth. Any reflection done in this part didn't feel personal - rather, it was more like something you might read in a self-help book or on those pinterest boards devoted to affirmations.
Because with every ending comes a beginning. The opportunity to re-evaluate, realign and re-centre yourself. To rediscover your standards. Your worth. Your beliefs. Your intentions. Your needs. Your desires. Your strength. Your grit. Your determination.
I was hardly surprised to discover that Ree had written a feature article for Vogue, and Heartbake was an extrapolation of that article. It explained a lot about the contrast in writing.
Must admit, there were parts of Ree's story that made me feel so old. She discusses her experiences on dating apps - I don't know if it's similar for others, but the whole scene seemed impulsive and fast. Do people regularly organise a first Tinder date as 'come over to my flat and I'll cook you dinner'? On more than one occasion, it seems Ree is far more invested than the person she is dating -
He was telling me he loved my food, but I felt as though he was saying he was falling in love with me.
There’s one story about a date that goes wrong with someone who is seriously mentally unwell – it’s disturbing and I questioned the purpose of including the level of detail used (trigger warnings here: suicide, stalking).
Timelines also feel wonky. A lot happens - marriage breakdown, dating, a few short relationships, a 'break-up' with her best friend, Sydney COVID lockdowns, Ree struggling with alcohol... and then there's mention that this all took place within the space of two years. I have no doubt that it all happened but I do doubt that anyone can comprehensively draw on and have deep insight after such a whirlwind.
I will try some of the recipes, particularly the chocolate olive oil cake but overall, Heartbake lacked a vital ingredient - a turning point or a hard-won revelation.
2.5/5
November 17, 2023
What an absolute gem.
If you know me in real life (or have been following my on Goodsreads for a while) you will know how much I love memories and biographies. I love immersing myself in someone else's stories, learning from them experiences and experience different lives from all walks of life.
However, something I have learned from over the 70 I've read is that an interesting person doesn't always make for an interesting book. This is multiplied by a million when we are taking about audiobooks.
Charlotte Ree's Heartbake is just the memoir jackpot. Engaging, honest, insightful and rich but without being too earnest or taking itself too seriously. I highly recommend this.
If you know me in real life (or have been following my on Goodsreads for a while) you will know how much I love memories and biographies. I love immersing myself in someone else's stories, learning from them experiences and experience different lives from all walks of life.
However, something I have learned from over the 70 I've read is that an interesting person doesn't always make for an interesting book. This is multiplied by a million when we are taking about audiobooks.
Charlotte Ree's Heartbake is just the memoir jackpot. Engaging, honest, insightful and rich but without being too earnest or taking itself too seriously. I highly recommend this.
November 8, 2023
Like nothing I’ve ever read before! Like a heartfelt chat with an old comfortable friend. But also I did feel like 15 years older than the friend..through lots I just wanted to take her aside and hug her!! Your early 30s are hard!!
June 6, 2023
I’ve followed Charlotte Ree on instagram for a long time – she works in publishing and also posts a lot of desserts, probably the content I was looking for. I have been aware of this one for a while, as she’s spoken about the process of it on social media and so I knew I wanted to read it because I really love memoirs that are also about food.
Just 24 hours before Sydney entered its first lockdown in 2020, Charlotte Ree left her husband when they’d been married a very short time. This is the story of her processing that separation, her foray back into the dating world and all its ups and downs and throughout all of that, the role that food played in her emotional recovery. At times, in the dark days after just separating, Ree couldn’t muster the effort to cook much and so she ate boiled eggs – perfectly hard boiled eggs, which is why there’s one on the cover here. From there, as she felt like she could do more, she moved to soft boiled eggs with toast soldiers and then, more complex foods. But originally, those boiled eggs she says, nourished her when she wasn’t able to nourish herself.
I love food but I have a complex relationship with it. I have multiple health issues which means my digestive system is temperamental and unpredictable, severely limiting what I can safely eat at times. I don’t enjoy cooking myself but I love watching cooking and having other people cook for me. My husband’s love language is feeding people, much like I feel Charlotte Ree’s might be and this book has vivid descriptions of the meals she has cooked for people. There are also multiple recipes included at the end of the book as well, for some of the meals that get a mention more than once (such as her perfect hard-boiled egg, her Pa’s pesto, and a few other favourites).
This is a no holds barred memoir – the author is definitely not afraid to explore everything at the deepest level. It’s a frank look at the relationship that led to her marriage, how she came to the decision to leave that marriage and everything that came after that as well. It is at times, not a particularly easy book to read as the author navigates the struggle of having had her marriage not work out and dealing with the grief of that loss and also the complexity of dipping a toe back into the dating pool. I quite often say that I could never deal with dating apps, if I were to ever end up single again. I’m deeply introverted and anxious about meeting new people and the idea of it just….I can’t. I’d live alone with like, cats or something. So I admire people who navigate this world, putting themselves out there, often for scenarios that are misleading or disappointing. Because sometimes you can find something special. When dating, Ree often has her dates over to her apartment so she can cook for them, it seems to be her preferred sort of date. But she also details the meals she eats out and on the occasions someone else cooks for her, she describes that too. I love the way she writes about food, the reverence that pours from the words, how important it is to her. This book also details an experience she has with the uglier side of dating, something that was quite harrowing and probably a significant and realistic fear of a lot of women who step into this world. It can put you in a vulnerable place and the result of this if you encounter the wrong person, someone who will take advantage of that, is detailed here.
The parts of this book that I enjoyed the most were of course the parts detailing food but also about family. The various family members that had shaped her life and the meals and foods she associated with them. I think everyone has foods that are comfort foods or ones that have been prepared for them by a certain person more than anyone else, foods that we associate with certain people. For me, I know so many of my core family memories and connections were formed around food: my Nan’s homemade cupcakes and lamingtons and her pork roast with everything, my husband’s bolognese sauce, my mother-in-law’s chicken schnitzel. They are foods I associate with those people and always will. This book really made me think about that, the sorts of foods that I would group together, the foods that have defined parts of my life. So many descriptions and comments in this book encouraged me to think about similar things I’d experienced or similar connections I’d made. My taste in food is definitely a lot plainer but I think probably so many people could be inspired by some of these vivid descriptions about what food can mean, as well as how it tastes.
This is raw, very vulnerable, filled with beautiful moments but also a lot of heartbreak, self reflection, picking yourself up and starting again (and again). It was a really deep and meaningful memoir, something I enjoyed reading. And I love the idea of the recipes at the back. I’m going to start with the boiled egg.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
Just 24 hours before Sydney entered its first lockdown in 2020, Charlotte Ree left her husband when they’d been married a very short time. This is the story of her processing that separation, her foray back into the dating world and all its ups and downs and throughout all of that, the role that food played in her emotional recovery. At times, in the dark days after just separating, Ree couldn’t muster the effort to cook much and so she ate boiled eggs – perfectly hard boiled eggs, which is why there’s one on the cover here. From there, as she felt like she could do more, she moved to soft boiled eggs with toast soldiers and then, more complex foods. But originally, those boiled eggs she says, nourished her when she wasn’t able to nourish herself.
I love food but I have a complex relationship with it. I have multiple health issues which means my digestive system is temperamental and unpredictable, severely limiting what I can safely eat at times. I don’t enjoy cooking myself but I love watching cooking and having other people cook for me. My husband’s love language is feeding people, much like I feel Charlotte Ree’s might be and this book has vivid descriptions of the meals she has cooked for people. There are also multiple recipes included at the end of the book as well, for some of the meals that get a mention more than once (such as her perfect hard-boiled egg, her Pa’s pesto, and a few other favourites).
This is a no holds barred memoir – the author is definitely not afraid to explore everything at the deepest level. It’s a frank look at the relationship that led to her marriage, how she came to the decision to leave that marriage and everything that came after that as well. It is at times, not a particularly easy book to read as the author navigates the struggle of having had her marriage not work out and dealing with the grief of that loss and also the complexity of dipping a toe back into the dating pool. I quite often say that I could never deal with dating apps, if I were to ever end up single again. I’m deeply introverted and anxious about meeting new people and the idea of it just….I can’t. I’d live alone with like, cats or something. So I admire people who navigate this world, putting themselves out there, often for scenarios that are misleading or disappointing. Because sometimes you can find something special. When dating, Ree often has her dates over to her apartment so she can cook for them, it seems to be her preferred sort of date. But she also details the meals she eats out and on the occasions someone else cooks for her, she describes that too. I love the way she writes about food, the reverence that pours from the words, how important it is to her. This book also details an experience she has with the uglier side of dating, something that was quite harrowing and probably a significant and realistic fear of a lot of women who step into this world. It can put you in a vulnerable place and the result of this if you encounter the wrong person, someone who will take advantage of that, is detailed here.
The parts of this book that I enjoyed the most were of course the parts detailing food but also about family. The various family members that had shaped her life and the meals and foods she associated with them. I think everyone has foods that are comfort foods or ones that have been prepared for them by a certain person more than anyone else, foods that we associate with certain people. For me, I know so many of my core family memories and connections were formed around food: my Nan’s homemade cupcakes and lamingtons and her pork roast with everything, my husband’s bolognese sauce, my mother-in-law’s chicken schnitzel. They are foods I associate with those people and always will. This book really made me think about that, the sorts of foods that I would group together, the foods that have defined parts of my life. So many descriptions and comments in this book encouraged me to think about similar things I’d experienced or similar connections I’d made. My taste in food is definitely a lot plainer but I think probably so many people could be inspired by some of these vivid descriptions about what food can mean, as well as how it tastes.
This is raw, very vulnerable, filled with beautiful moments but also a lot of heartbreak, self reflection, picking yourself up and starting again (and again). It was a really deep and meaningful memoir, something I enjoyed reading. And I love the idea of the recipes at the back. I’m going to start with the boiled egg.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
May 16, 2023
One of the books I bought at Brisbane Writers Festival was ‘Heartbake’ by Charlotte Ree. I got along to one of her sessions after seeing so many people I trust, hyping this book since its release a few weeks ago: and I’ve gotta say … I *get it* now.
Here’s the blurb;
‘In this heartfelt memoir of food, love and self-discovery, Charlotte Ree takes us along her journey of learning to cook in the wake of a divorce that left her feeling unsure of who she was and what she wanted at a time when the whole world was turned upside down.
With each meal that she masters—a boiled egg, grilled cheese, lasagne, ricotta and pesto ravioli in a brown butter and sage sauce—we follow the story of Charlotte's search for love—in friendship, in family, in romance, and love in herself as she begins to heal from the narratives she'd been telling herself for years.’
When I tell you that Charlotte Ree was a total superstar on her panel at Brisbane - so warm, hilarious and honest - I just had to snap this book up for my mum (but I snuck in a little read on the plane ride home too … and then like a too-good feast, I couldn’t stop!)
I think the design of this book is so clever too (even though I’d previously been working on the assumption that it was a straight-up cookbook) I understand now why it has this … weight and texture to it. You literally want to hug it to your chest, especially after reading those first few pages. Phew!
I’m gonna say this book has the heartbreak and hilarity of Nora Ephron, wrapped up in a Nancy Meyers aesthetic kitchen. Maybe with some Elizabeth Gilbert gastronomic honesty.
Trust me, give it a read!
Here’s the blurb;
‘In this heartfelt memoir of food, love and self-discovery, Charlotte Ree takes us along her journey of learning to cook in the wake of a divorce that left her feeling unsure of who she was and what she wanted at a time when the whole world was turned upside down.
With each meal that she masters—a boiled egg, grilled cheese, lasagne, ricotta and pesto ravioli in a brown butter and sage sauce—we follow the story of Charlotte's search for love—in friendship, in family, in romance, and love in herself as she begins to heal from the narratives she'd been telling herself for years.’
When I tell you that Charlotte Ree was a total superstar on her panel at Brisbane - so warm, hilarious and honest - I just had to snap this book up for my mum (but I snuck in a little read on the plane ride home too … and then like a too-good feast, I couldn’t stop!)
I think the design of this book is so clever too (even though I’d previously been working on the assumption that it was a straight-up cookbook) I understand now why it has this … weight and texture to it. You literally want to hug it to your chest, especially after reading those first few pages. Phew!
I’m gonna say this book has the heartbreak and hilarity of Nora Ephron, wrapped up in a Nancy Meyers aesthetic kitchen. Maybe with some Elizabeth Gilbert gastronomic honesty.
Trust me, give it a read!
January 8, 2024
4.25/5 🌟
I was so surprised how obsessed I became with this memoir????
The reason why it's not 5 stars is because I don't really understand what I am meant to get from this book. I know that books don't need to tell a morale per se, but i feel this memoir did set out to have a morale but it just did not land. I feel perhaps a memoir spanning a longer period of time or the author waiting more time to let their reflections become more nuanced (the book mostly looks at the time 2020-2022) would have made this better. I can definitely see that the author is very good with words (I listened to the audiobook and it was great too!) so I am keen to potentially read their future books!
Edit (and a *spoiler*): after some stalking of the author's instagram I found out she's back together with the Ginger.... this should have been the ending to the book!!!!
I was so surprised how obsessed I became with this memoir????
The reason why it's not 5 stars is because I don't really understand what I am meant to get from this book. I know that books don't need to tell a morale per se, but i feel this memoir did set out to have a morale but it just did not land. I feel perhaps a memoir spanning a longer period of time or the author waiting more time to let their reflections become more nuanced (the book mostly looks at the time 2020-2022) would have made this better. I can definitely see that the author is very good with words (I listened to the audiobook and it was great too!) so I am keen to potentially read their future books!
Edit (and a *spoiler*): after some stalking of the author's instagram I found out she's back together with the Ginger.... this should have been the ending to the book!!!!
December 8, 2025
“A bittersweet memoir” perfectly captures the contents of this book, which was emotional and personal and heartwarming at its conclusion. I felt nourished by Ree’s story and message and am sure to feel nourished by her recipes too, a wonderful idea for a memoir that traverses the pain and pressure of serving others when we really must start by serving ourselves.
3.5/5 stars
3.5/5 stars
May 13, 2023
A lovely little memoir that had me hooked from the outset. It’s about love, loss, family and food.
The bolognese is on the stove as I type and it smells so lovely… her lasagna will be the main attraction of Mother’s Day lunch this year. What a beautiful gift to share food with the ones we love.
The bolognese is on the stove as I type and it smells so lovely… her lasagna will be the main attraction of Mother’s Day lunch this year. What a beautiful gift to share food with the ones we love.
November 3, 2025
Very biased because I know and love Charlotte, but I loved this.
May 11, 2023
3/5 plus 1 for the recipes
March 6, 2024
Easy read with delicious recipes, sadly the kindle didn’t do the photos of the food justice.
May 17, 2023
This is a combination/mismatch of Eat Pray Love & Spare (not that I have read but peoples thoughts etc r plastered everywhere of that book).
Going against the popular view of 5 stars I was going to give 3 stars but it’s only a 2 star from me
The plus of this book is the yellow hardback cover & its size & quality of paper the text is printed on
The story is of a woman talking about her personal life of heartache.
I found it poorly written where as editing could of directed this book to a better stance.
Going against the popular view of 5 stars I was going to give 3 stars but it’s only a 2 star from me
The plus of this book is the yellow hardback cover & its size & quality of paper the text is printed on
The story is of a woman talking about her personal life of heartache.
I found it poorly written where as editing could of directed this book to a better stance.
January 8, 2026
I bought this book when it first came out but it sat there not quite ready to be picked up. Call it divine timing but this filled my cup to the brim when I needed a refill desperately
June 16, 2023
3.5 stars. The book is much smaller than I expected - it is cute and beautifully bound though and shorter than I thought it would be. Also mainly memoir rather than cookbook - I thought it would be like Molly Weizenberg’s A home made Life which is the benchmark by which I judge memoirs with recipes and it isn’t quite. Her memoir is a bit about her childhood especially her mother and her mental illness and a lot about her first marriage which broke up before the first Covid lockdown in Sydney. There’s a brutally honest section about her dating adventures after her divorce which made me wince a bit - not just that I may be more prudish than she is but because it felt unresolved like I wasn’t sure what the point of the recounting was apart from to share the gory details? Another reviewer said it felt unfinished and I think that is it - a memoir maybe should be written much further down the road when you have the benefit of hindsight and greater wisdom - not 2-3 years after it has happened. Otherwise it seems just like a voyeuristic perve into someone’s sexual (mis) adventures. Part of why I feel this way is her lack of understanding or perception as to why her relationships failed, especially the last one where the Ginger seemed to know from the start that it was not going to last, a fact borne out by the last chapter, but she didn’t see it coming at all. The recipes are very simple ones - food she ate and shared and I will probably try making some of them.
January 13, 2023
The words pulled me in, their deep and raw emotional paragraphs had me feeling as if I had stumbled upon someone’s diary. In which case I essentially had.
Life is messy, it is complicated, it is full of pathways that rise and fall, divert and send us in directions that we perhaps never imagined. However, it is in these moments where lessons are learned. Namely about ourselves.
Charlotte’s honesty is captivating. The way her words open up throughout the book made me feel as if she was sitting there, right next to me. My eyes welled up with both tears of sorrow and of happiness as I savored every last word. By the time I had finished reading the book in its entirety, the clock read 1:15am and I had a hankering for a boiled egg and butter laden toast soldiers.
It’s full of beauty, love, loss, hunger, grief, happiness. But above all it is the honesty that exudes from the very being of the authors words, of what it takes to find courage amidst the challenges, how to Ignite the love within and the healing qualities of food that nourishes the soul even in the depths of self-despair.
Life is messy, it is complicated, it is full of pathways that rise and fall, divert and send us in directions that we perhaps never imagined. However, it is in these moments where lessons are learned. Namely about ourselves.
Charlotte’s honesty is captivating. The way her words open up throughout the book made me feel as if she was sitting there, right next to me. My eyes welled up with both tears of sorrow and of happiness as I savored every last word. By the time I had finished reading the book in its entirety, the clock read 1:15am and I had a hankering for a boiled egg and butter laden toast soldiers.
It’s full of beauty, love, loss, hunger, grief, happiness. But above all it is the honesty that exudes from the very being of the authors words, of what it takes to find courage amidst the challenges, how to Ignite the love within and the healing qualities of food that nourishes the soul even in the depths of self-despair.
March 31, 2024
This book was a real delight. It was gifted to me and may not have been something that I would pick up off my own accord as it looks more cookbooky than my usual preference for memoir. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how relatable and delicious this book ended up to be.
I loved reading about places where Charlotte has shared special meals and thinking about the meals that I have also had at some of the spots. I loved that this book so perfectly captured the ebbs and flow of a lifetime whilst expertly identifying that there is still so much of her lifetime left to live.
I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to one day treating myself to the recipes that Charlotte shares in its final pages.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved reading about places where Charlotte has shared special meals and thinking about the meals that I have also had at some of the spots. I loved that this book so perfectly captured the ebbs and flow of a lifetime whilst expertly identifying that there is still so much of her lifetime left to live.
I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to one day treating myself to the recipes that Charlotte shares in its final pages.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
July 22, 2024
Ree's memoir chronicles her search for love amidst dating app chaos, following a painful divorce. Intertwining her love of cuisine with the meditative qualities of food selection and preparation, she demonstrates how cooking and baking can act as an antidote to pain.
What a treat to find a compilation of the mouthwatering recipes, mentioned throughout, included at the back of the book. She writes them prose-style (like Nigella does) so that this it almost feels like a continuation of the narrative.
Recommended as a comfort book for those going through breakups or alternatively can be read to remind of the healing power of baking and cooking, for oneself, and (sometimes) for others, as a form of self-care.
What a treat to find a compilation of the mouthwatering recipes, mentioned throughout, included at the back of the book. She writes them prose-style (like Nigella does) so that this it almost feels like a continuation of the narrative.
Recommended as a comfort book for those going through breakups or alternatively can be read to remind of the healing power of baking and cooking, for oneself, and (sometimes) for others, as a form of self-care.
August 23, 2023
I listened to this as an audiobook and I just adored my time hearing Charlotte tell her story. There’s something special about a book being set in places you know. And all the mentions of restaurants, bars and spots in the Inner West that I know so well, combined with Ree’s way of storytelling made this feel like a story by a close friend.
The motif of food and baking as a means of staying grounded during stormy periods worked so well and was very relatable to me - food and cooking are often the places I seek solace when everything else is crumbling in my life.
Ree made me feel nostalgic for meals I’ve never even tasted, something I didn’t know possible.
The motif of food and baking as a means of staying grounded during stormy periods worked so well and was very relatable to me - food and cooking are often the places I seek solace when everything else is crumbling in my life.
Ree made me feel nostalgic for meals I’ve never even tasted, something I didn’t know possible.
August 23, 2023
I loved charlotte’s story, she is really authentic in a bare all memoir. I deeply enjoyed the earlier sections on her childhood. She lived and loved as a young girl with such an awareness, her relationships and stories with her mama, grandparents and extended family were so full of a sincere love. My gran uses food as a language to show me love, from pork roasts, jelly crusted sponge cakes and devilled eggs, I could resonate to her younger stories, I could feel her love and it reminded me of mine.
July 21, 2023
I loved this. It left me feeling warm and fuzzy. It captured the toils of internet dating, particularly in lockdown perfectly. It also reminded me of the small and simple joys in lockdown such as Melbourne friends posting you baked goods, because why not??
I loved how real it felt the whole way through and the beauty of finding the awe in the everyday.
I loved how real it felt the whole way through and the beauty of finding the awe in the everyday.
July 12, 2023
Wonderful. Is it a cookbook? A memoir? A diary? It's a bit of everything. Such a unique concept for a memoir and while it is bittersweet, it is beautiful in its raw, honest vulnerability.
And Charlotte - I don't know if you read your Goodreads reviews, but I think we may just be the same person! XD I really related to your story.
And Charlotte - I don't know if you read your Goodreads reviews, but I think we may just be the same person! XD I really related to your story.
July 29, 2023
I feel as though I’ve read a dozen similar becoming-an-adult-through-discovering-food memoirs and this one didn’t quite do it for me; possibly because I didn’t connect with Ree’s impulsive, overwrought personality, or the overuse of adjectives. Pasta doesn’t always need to be silky or broth fragrant. Beautiful quality of book; size, cover, paper thickness, typesetting.
January 27, 2024
Angsty, foody memoirs are my thing. This goes on a shelf with Heartburn and Crying in HMart, although the focus here is more angst, less food. Ree writes introspectively about her marriage and it's messy breakdown, just hours before the first Covid lockdown, her dating and eventual self discovery during the pandemic. Her food and love for food shine, as does her mental health journey.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews