young-adult – Lisa's Cubby

The Kitchen Front is a heartwarming/heartbreaking story about a group of women during World War II in England who are from different classes in life. But one thing is for sure, no matter what your rank, pain, loss, abuse and trying to make ends meet will somehow unite most. Each of these women will try and make a change to their lives first by themselves but then with the help of each other.

This will happen when each of the women hear about a BBC cooking contest in which the winner will the assistant on a famous radio show called The Kitchen Front. The contest consists of participants to create dishes only using the rationing coupons given to them by the State. But to these women this could be their chance to get out of the horrible situation they each find themselves. The participants are:

Audrey, the mother of three young boys who lost the love of her life in the War. He is missing in action and presumed dead. She lives in a large decaying house she can’t afford and in order to make ends meet she sells vegetables from her garden and bakes and delivers pies to people and companies. She has a love/hate relationship with her sister, Lady Gwendoline, who loaned her money after her husband’s death but holds this over her head. Exhausted, scared and sad, she is talked into entering the contest.

Lady Gwendoline, married to Sir Strickland, a nasty man who treats her terribly, is bored. She decides to enter the contest on a whim, knowing she will win as her husband will make sure she does. She hates her sister Audrey because she is jealous of the relationship she had with their mother. Lady Gwendoline’s joy is making Audrey as miserable as possible.

Nell is the cook at Fenley Hall, the residence of Lady Gwendoline and Sir Strickland. Under the watchful eye of the head cook, the elderly Mrs. Quince who has taken her under her wing and treats her as if she was her daughter, Nell has flourished. But being an orphan at a very young age she has never been outgoing and is quite meek. But with Mrs. Quince’s help she decides to enter the contest.

And last but not least, there is Zelda. A feisty cook from London who was a rising chef but was banished to this small town. She works at Sir Strickland’s food company. Winning this contest could be her ticket back to London and make her famous as the first woman head chef. But Zelda has a secret.

So as these four women work against each other, they will be judged by a point system on a four-course meal, one course each month, with the person with the most points winning. Sounds simple right? But of course, these women not only have to prepare their courses, but live their lives. As we learn of their hardships and fall in love with each of them, how can the reader choose, let alone the judge?

But as we follow each of their stories you will discover their strengths and weaknesses and their loyalty to others but more importantly to each other. At a certain point the contest becomes the lesser problem as the women unite to encourage and help each other and form an unbreakable bond.

The Kitchen Front was an enjoyable and pleasant read with recipes at the end of each chapter from decades ago which will intrigue and delight the reader.

Emma Lord’s newest Young Adult novel, The Getaway List is a heartwarming story about teenagers, their mothers and friendships. It’s a coming of age, rite of passage plot filled with all the angst which comes with growing up. It’s about two best friends, one of which moved away and how they attempt to reconnect on the same level as when they were younger. But they soon realize, their old selves are gone, and they must try and adjust to the new people they have become. But can they? As they try to find a balance between their new freedom, adult problems and still needing their moms in their lives, can they reconnect in a different way.

The day Riley graduated from high school was the day she decided to tell her mom she needed to spread her wings. Not being able to go to college the coming year, for reasons she doesn’t want to discuss, she makes the decision to go see her best friend Tom who now lives in New York City with his famous screenwriter mother. Since they moved a few years ago they have not seen each other, and their interactions have become less and less. So, Riley wants to get them back on track. Unfortunately, her mother feels that her being with Tom will only get her in trouble and forbids her to go. But, Riley, now feeling she is an adult and doesn’t need her mother’s permission goes against her wishes and ends up in New York.

What her mother doesn’t understand is that Riley and Tom had created a Getaway List of crazy things they wanted to do together. But then Tom moved, and they never had the chance to even start the list. So now, Riley wants to complete the list with Tom over a weekend.

But, when they get together, Riley finds they have become two different people than she remembers, although she sees a bit of the old Tom, he is more serious, adult-like. She realizes they have changed. They are not the same young kids with no problems who are just able to hang out and relax. Tom now has a job and with his mother away at the moment is responsible for an actual household.

But they decide to make the most of the time they have and start the list. Along the way, they get a bit of help from a couple of kids who they would have never even given the time of day. And as they all begin the list together, they begin to trust each other and tell their own pasts and fears and parental issues realizing they really aren’t any different from each other.

What happens is this group of semi-lost young adults discover the value of true friendships, family and feelings as their lives take on different directions and they contemplate what is next for them once the list is finished…if they can even finish it!

The Getaway List is a powerful story about learning to become an adult, the heartbreak and heartache of not being understood, and the importance of true friendship and honesty with oneself and others you love.

Thank you #NetGalley #WednesdayBooks #EmmaLord #TheGetawayList for the advanced copy.