Hi all!

Here we are in August and heading towards school and FALL. Bring on the cooler temperatures and all things pumpkin!

Today I am here to share my review of The French Kitchen by Kristy Cambron. I have been reading Kristy’s books for years and always love her beautiful writing and compelling stories. This story has dual timelines set during WWII and in 1950’s Paris. Julia Child plays a part in the story as well which is a fun treat!

I received an ARC from the author/publisher through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
This book releases August 5th 2025!

Book Summary: “As Paris rebuilds in the aftermath of World War II, one ex-pat uses the skills she learned in French kitchens during the war to bring long-held secrets to light.

Paris, 1952 — An ex-pat wife living in Paris signs up for a cookery class taught by an American chef with an indomitable wit and decidedly French airs–an instructor by name of Julia Child. Amongst classes of the L’Ecole des Trois Gourmandes, with pots and pans and prim Paris wives learning to sauté in the French way, Kat Fontaine learns much more than she bargained for.

Still haunted by the years she spent serving in the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII, Kat soon finds a simple cookery class unearths the tangle of gut-wrenching memories of war and questions about the high-ranking society husband whose past is as murky as her own. But when the puzzle pieces start to come together–and her carefully crafted Paris world begins to fall apart–Kat must confront her own secrets against the mounting suspicions of the husband she thought she knew . . .

Rue, 1943 — Deep in the heart of Nazi-controlled northern France, Manon Altier shifts between working for the enemy by day–as a French chef at the famous Château du Broutel, where names like Himmler, Rommel, and Goebbels frequent the guest list–and running with underground networks against the Vichy regime at night. Working undercover to filter information to agents within the burgeoning OSS, Manon digs deep into the glitz and glamour of a Nazi stronghold that has her teetering on the edge of being discovered at any turn. But when an intriguing stranger appears at the chateau claiming to work with the French Resistance, Manon must lean on her instincts to judge whether to run and hide or stand firm–even as a terrifying discovery tests her resolve to continue the fight.

From the heights of culinary cuisine in 1950s Paris society to the underbelly of a WWII spy network embedded deep within Nazi-controlled Vichy France–and the spy backstory of the world’s most famous would-be French chef, Julia Child–The French Kitchen turns up the heat on the pasts of women whose worlds collide, and forces each to question what she thought she’d planned for a perfect future.“

Every time I get to experience a Kristy Cambron book, I am impressed by her astute attention to detail and the beautiful ways she tells unique stories. I have read many WWII novels but this offers a new layer to the complexities of war in 1940’s Paris and in the years after the war. As always, I admired Kristy’s beautiful writing, stunning characterization, and poignant storytelling.

I am continually drawn to Kristy’s novels because of her beautiful writing. I love the way she crafts her novels including this one. The details are plentiful and create a beautiful backdrop for her story. I always feel transported into Kristy’s stories and experience these time periods in new ways. 

The dual timelines of this novel are engaging and intricate. I was intrigued by how Kat gets from her experiences in the war to her complicated marriage in the 1950s. And I wondered along with her what happened to her brother. There are a lot of moving pieces in this story which can be somewhat difficult to keep track of. But the journey of discovery, betrayal, and healing was beautiful.

My favorite character is easily Kat, and I was fascinated by her journey through this novel. Her experiences in the war were both stark and intense. And the difficulty of not knowing what happened to her brother was a heavy emotional burden. Adding Julia Child into this story was a treat! I love the movie Julie and Julia so seeing Julia’s experiences before she became a cooking icon was so fun. She felt real and human in this story. Kat is certainly the central character in this novel and I was rooting for her from the first pages.

Another engaging novel from Kristy Cambron! There were definitely elements of historical thriller in this story especially with the reveal of what really happened in the mission that went wrong. But the beauty and power of Kristy’s story shines through as it always does.

What are some of your favorite historical novels?
Which WWII set novels have stuck with you?

KRISTY CAMBRON is a vintage-inspired storyteller writing from the space where beauty, art, and history intersect. She’s a Christy Award-winning author of historical fiction, including her bestselling novels, THE BUTTERFLY AND THE VIOLIN and THE PARIS DRESSMAKER, as well as nonfiction titles. She also serves as Vice President and literary agent with Gardner Literary.

Her work has been named to Cosmopolitan Best Historical Fiction Novels, Publishers Weekly Religion & Spirituality TOP 10, Library Journal’s Best Books, and she received a Christy Award for her novel THE PAINTED CASTLE. Her work has been featured at Once Upon a Book Club Box, Frolic, Book Club Girl, BookBub, Country Woman magazine, and (in)Courage.

Kristy lives in Indiana with her husband and three basketball-loving sons, where she can probably be bribed with a peppermint mocha latte and a good read.

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