Book: Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim

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

Publisher: Berkley
Publish Date:  June 11, 2019
Synopsis: Lush and visual, chock-full of delicious recipes, Roselle Lim’s magical debut novel is about food, heritage, and finding family in the most unexpected places.

At the news of her mother’s death, Natalie Tan returns home. The two women hadn’t spoken since Natalie left in anger seven years ago, when her mother refused to support her chosen career as a chef. Natalie is shocked to discover the vibrant neighborhood of San Francisco’s Chinatown that she remembers from her childhood is fading, with businesses failing and families moving out. She’s even more surprised to learn she has inherited her grandmother’s restaurant.

The neighborhood seer reads the restaurant’s fortune in the leaves: Natalie must cook three recipes from her grandmother’s cookbook to aid her struggling neighbors before the restaurant will succeed. Unfortunately, Natalie has no desire to help them try to turn things around—she resents the local shopkeepers for leaving her alone to take care of her agoraphobic mother when she was growing up. But with the support of a surprising new friend and a budding romance, Natalie starts to realize that maybe her neighbors really have been there for her all along.

Disclosure: ARC provided for an honest review. #partner


First, I LOVED every minute of this book.

This book went on my radar at the end of 2018. I was drawn by the cover, and mostly symbols of San Francisco. Also? Food. I’m 100% drawn to this story because of food.

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck & Fortune by Roselle Lim is about family that you were born into and the family you make. After her mother’s death, Natalie Tan returns to San Francisco’s Chinatown. She relives her past while healing in the present, and dreams of what her future may become.

Natalie is someone that I connected with on such a deep level. I loved who she started as, and where her journey took her. I really appreciated her personal growth to the point that I saw so many similarities to my own life. I loved her from the beginning, and I was so invested in how her story played out. Boy, did I really love getting to know her.

Natalie Tan’s story had the familiarity of your friend telling you a story about her life, all with the anticipation of the next page. Death in the family isn’t always easy, and Lim’s words held my hand as Natalie relived every story with her Ma-Ma. I also adored every supporting character in this book, and I feel that they contributed to how beautiful this story was written. I won’t go into details and specifics, because it can be a bit spoilery, but I loved the side characters. There is one in particular that made my heart sing.

Guys, I cried. I cried because I was able to feel the emotions jumping off the page. I laughed at the silly anecdotes. And mostly? I was invested in these characters that built up this community. I enjoyed the recipes and their descriptions. It felt familiar to me, like I was in this family. And I think when an author can place me in the middle of their world and make me feel that I’ve always been a part of it? It’s the highest praise that I can give.

Roselle Lim writes so effortlessly and lyrically, that the time I spent reading this story slipped away from me. I enjoyed my time with Natalie Tan. I cannot wait to read more from Lim. I am forever a fan.

*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*

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