Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune

by Roselle Lim

An uplifting and magical debut about food, coming together and finding family in the most unexpected places. For fans of Jenny Colgan!

At the news of her mother’s death, Natalie Tan returns home to San Francisco – it’s time to confront some ghosts from the past.

She is shocked to discover that the vibrant Chinatown neighbourhood of her childhood is fading. And she’s even more surprised to learn she has inherited her grandmother’s restaurant. Before Natalie can continue her legacy, she must follow the path laid out by the neighbourhood seer, cooking up three recipes from her grandmother’s cookbook to bring luck, courage and love to her struggling neighbours.

Natalie has no desire to help the community that abandoned her to look after her mother all those years ago. But with the support of a surprising new friend and a budding romance, she starts to realise that maybe her neighbours have been there for her all along . . .

Readers are loving Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune:

‘Lovely, quirky, original book, lots of magic, lots of love, lots of heart, lots of fun, lots of yummy food’ Karen Whittard, Netgalley

‘I devoured this book’ Niamh Dunne, Netgalley

‘The food descriptions were so deliciously mouth-watering that I had to order take out dumplings to eat while I was reading!’ Eleanor Leese, Goodreads

‘If you're looking for a light, airy read that you'll want to finish within a day (because I did and I loved it)’ Lissanne, Netgalley

What a delightful story! This feel-good story adds in just a touch of magic, to go along with family and friends, a sprinkle of light romance, and tons of great food and recipes’ Subtle Bookish

This book is delicious…a joy’ Gem Fletcher, Netgalley

Reviewed by empressbrooke on

2 of 5 stars

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I didn't expect it from the synopsis, but this book is really, really simple. Everything from the writing style to the characters to the plot lacks depth. The sentence structure is uniformly very simple and the main character relates actions and feelings in very perfunctory statements. The plot sounds like it could be very interesting - it promises heavy topics like family estrangements and mental illness and gentrification - but every conflict is resolved smoothly and quickly. I suppose that this would work well for someone who wants something very light and easy to read, but I wanted much more to sink my teeth into. It wasn't for me but it could be for someone else.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 18 June, 2019: Finished reading
  • 18 June, 2019: Reviewed