From debut author Jennifer Gold comes a delicious novel about the sweet and sour ingredients of life and love.Elle, an accomplished baker, has a recipe for every event in her life. But when she discovers her husband’s infidelity, she doesn’t know what to make of it. Jam, maybe? Definitely jam.Fed up with the stale crumbs of her marriage, Elle revisits past recipes and the events that inspired … events that inspired them. A recipe for scones reminds her of her father’s death, cinnamon rolls signify the problematic courtship with her husband, and a batch of chocolate cookies casts Elle in a less-than-flattering light. Looking back, Elle soon realizes that some ingredients were missing all along.
After confronting her husband, Elle indulges her sweet tooth in other ways, including a rebound that just leaves her more confused. As secrets from the past collide with the conflicts of the present, Elle struggles to manage her bakery business and maintain the relationships most important to her. In piecing her life back together, will Elle learn to take the bitter with the sweet?
more
This light well written debut novel is a perfect summer read. No only do you get a great plot with interesting characters but there are also lots of fantastic recipes, too. The recipes are for everything from blackberry jam to lemon tarts and espresso seduction brownies. Even if you aren’t a baker, these recipes will make you wish that you were!
Elle owns her own bakery and has been baking for her entire life. She bakes when she’s depressed and she bakes when she’s happy – baking is her personal therapy. The book begins with Elle finding out that her husband has been cheating on her. She knew that they weren’t as close as they had been but had no idea that he was cheating on her. As she works through her emotions, she continues to put long hours in at her bakery aware that she won’t be able to expand her business. Her recipes tie in with what is going on in her life. For example in a chapter that is about her best friend, she bakes “Ginger Peach Pie with a Friend”. Will Elle be able to move on with her life without her husband – the only person that she loved more than she loved baking?
This book is told in a unique time frame. It jumps back and forth from present day to past days but not in a linear way. Chapter 1 is “six days after Elle found out’ and Chapter 2 is “Eight days before Elle found out”. It’s an interesting way of writing the story and isn’t difficult for the reader to follow all the time changes.
This is a light read full of interesting characters along with mouth watering recipes. Have a snack close at hand when you read it – you’re going to need it.
What a scrumptious book!
I never saw that ending coming! This author is a master at writing recipes. By the end of each one, I was craving that baked deliciousness. I have rarely read a book written in quite this way before. If you’ve ever been in a relationship where you were betrayed, you will recognize the feelings that she has described so accurately. Those feelings of hurt, shame, desperate sadness, and deep love! This is one of those books that I couldn’t stop reading, but didn’t want to end. You want to know, but you don’t want to turn the page! Just magical! I hope there will be more books from this author. If I could have given higher than 5 stars, I would have!
Excellent Recipe From a Debut Author. This story uses dates rather than chapter numbers, which can be a bit confusing but clearly establishes when each event is taking place. As a story, it works well to show the full cycle of a marriage and all of the messiness that goes into it.
The one quibble I have as a childfree person is that the author never allows Elle, the main character, to truly be comfortable with what she knows about herself.
The Ingredients of Us was a touching novel! Elle is devastated when she finds out that her husband Tom has been having an affair. She can’t understand what happened and is having trouble dealing with it. On her good days, she immerses herself into her baking and her bakery business. This has always been her passion. Memories of the past and the beginning with Tom come flooding back to her the way this happens when you lose someone and start remembering forgotten memories. Once upon a time Elle and Tom had a special, close relationship. Elle tries to figure out where they lost it all and who is responsible for their forgotten love. This was a powerful story about life, marriage, and love.
Elie owns a bakery and her dream was to own two bakeries. She works hard to make her bakery a success with her friend and co-owner Bonnie. This means little time for her husband Tom. Tom doesn’t want Elie to open another bakery. He wants to start a family. Their marriage falls apart from there.
The story is told of their lives before and after marriage. Her friend Bonnie and husband Charlie are important to Elie and her story. I liked all the characters. There are amazing recipes in this book. Make sure you have a plate of cookies nearby to munch while reading. I feel the ending of this was perfect and I am looking forward to the next book by this author. Thank you to NetGalley, Jennifer Gold and the publisher for an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
Divorce is such a horrible thing! People love each other for what they think is forever! What happens between the former and the latter. The characters seem so real and their reaction to things were believable. All and all a very good book!
This story was really good.. it’s about Elle, who is a baker, finds out that her husband Tom cheated on her.. she uses different recipes for whatever emotion she is feeling at the time..this story goes back and forth from before he cheated on her to after.. it’s an emotional rollercoaster.. this book also has loads of recipes that sound really good!
This was an interesting take on the typical story of a wife who discovers her husband has cheated on her. The way Elle takes recipes and describes the emotions she is experiencing while she bakes delightful creations is entertaining. You could find yourself feeling every heartache, insecurity, and anticipation.
The book goes back and forth from before and after Elle discovers her husband’s infidelity. This is handled well and does not distract you from the primary theme of the book. You will discover the background behind Elle and Tom’s relationship, their individual past histories, and the present day and what has led them to this point.
The author has done a great job of developing the characters, having you hold onto hope, and experiencing grief and anxiety as you travel through the angst of a marriage falling apart.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This book started out making me cry and I pretty much cried all the way through. As much as I truly hate cheating in a marriage I started feeling bad for Tom. I felt super bad for Elle, but I just felt like Tom got lost. There were things he wanted so bad yet could never seem to have. Family being one and the most important one for him. Elle loves Tom even more than baking. He’s the love of her life and always will be. He told a few lies along the way but I still felt for him. My heart broke for this couple actually. The recipes do sound so very good and I may even try a few of them as I love baking. But spending all of your time working can ruin a marriage in many ways. Not that I put this on Elle by any means. They both had troubles. They both were hurting in ways that only reading this book will explain so you understand.
This is the first book by this author and it gives me strong hope for even more. I was hooked from the very first. The love story and the way it jumped around made it perfect. The way she incorporated recipes to explain some things was perfect. Even the saddest parts were done to perfection.
The characters are perfect. The settings are perfect. It’s just an all around wonderful and heartbreaking story of true love. Love lost. Recipes that will make your mouth water and your tummy growl. I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down even with company from Mexico here.
Thank you so much #NetGalley and #Lake Union Publishers for this sweet story of heartache and love.
I had to give it 5 stars. I highly recommend this one.
(4.5)
A delicious debut novel from Jennifer Gold. Perfect summer read and when you are done, you will have a few yummy dessert recipes!
This book goes back and forth in time, effortlessly from Elle and Tom’s courtship till their present troubles. Anyone who has ever dealt with insecurities in your self or a relationship, will see yourself in Elle. Tom, is searching for something also.
The recipes described follow the storyline completely along with the references of food describing certain characters and feelings. Take the time to read them because they add so much to this story. Just when you think you know where the story is going, the author changes direction in subtle ways. Just as you bite into a new dessert, this book revels many surprises.
Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for this ARC, a sweet work of fiction. Opinion is mine alone. I look forward to reading this author again.
Jennifer Gold’s debut novel is literally delicious. Elle and her partner have a successful bakery and are on the verge of opening a second when she discovers that her husband Tom has been cheating on her. As she deals with the fall out and tries to figure out how they got to this point, she examines their past as she comes to terms with her present.
Told in alternating timelines, delineated by before and after she finds out about her husband’s infidelity, and interspersed with delicious recipes that fit her feelings at each point, the story is a beautiful study of life, especially the intricacies of a marriage when both are not necessarily on the same page on what they want out of the marriage.
With fully developed main and secondary characters and a well-written story, I was immersed in the story from the beginning. Watching how Elle dealt with her situation and feelings that were authentic and so real, especially for anyone who has been through anything similar. The ending was completely unexpected, but perfect.
I love to bake and I can’t wait to try some of these recipes. I also can’t wait to see what Gold comes up with as a follow-up to this debut.
#TheIngredientsofUs #JenniferGold #LakeUnionPublishing
DIAGRAM OF A MARRIAGE
THE INGREDIENTS OF US by Jennifer Gold is a diagram of the marriage between Ellie (a successful partner in a bakery) & Tom (a Professor turned online tutor). This book covers their relationship from when they met to the present. Gold writes as if she’s telling this story to her friends. For every event – good, bad & ugly – Ellie works things out through her baking. Gold includes Ellie’s Recipes in the book and reading them will make you hungry and will also make you laugh as she writes humorous little quips throughout her Recipes. Like many people, she has her Favorite Recipes that she turns to for comfort during certain times in her life, Recipes that are certain people’s favorites and Recipes that were passed down from someone. As you read the pages of this book, you will understand why Gold keenly chose the title THE INGREDIENTS OF US. I was provided an ARC of this book by Lake Union Publishers And NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.
**THIS BOOK CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE & ADULT SITUATIONS.**
Life is made of all kinds of ingredients. Sweet love, bitter betrayal, Salty messes! This book has it all and mouth watering recipes that are a story unto themselves! A delicious read for the summer!
This story was about love, friendship, achieving ones dreams, and of course BAKING! Elle (who owns a bakery) and Tom have had some trials and tribulations in their marriage. The story jumps from past and present about their relationship and how Elle gets through it all. I really enjoyed this book and all of the recipes look delicious (can’t wait to try them)!! I wish she printed all of the recipes at the end of the book too so they would be easier to find! Thank you to Jennifer and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I look forward to reading more by this author.
“Here’s something life doesn’t give you: a recipe. You have to make it up as you go along, adjusting accordingly.”
This is a story about a married couple, Elle and Tom, and their minced up marriage. The alternating time line this story is written in takes the reader back and forth from the present date and their struggles to the past in which the couple meets and events in between. There are tantalizing and life meaning recipes mixed into the story that relate to the current status of the relationship. It all blends well and brings the story together as the “ingredients” are added. Sometimes a recipe is a success and sometimes it’s not. Sometimes the “ingredients” are sweet and tasty. Other times they are sour and unsavory. That’s what life is. It’s not always a “bowl of cherries” nor is it always a “burned cookie”. A recipe comes together because all the ingredients blend well and it takes all of them to make a perfect product. That’s what the challenge is for Elle and Tom. “Each knead like an argument, each release a kiss, until something has been made out of practically nothing, a string of separate ingredients mixed together like a courtship until they make one whole, grown stronger by each trial, each compression under two palms.”
This story made me feel the struggles of a bad situation caused by Tom. But then, how culpable is Elle in the condition of their marriage? I kept hoping for the best. There are so many feelings that Elle goes through. From questioning her worth to anger to self doubt. She takes those feelings and channels them into the delectable recipes that are scattered along the way. They made me hungry for her to be happy and I wanted to have some of those treats to try myself! It was a unique and interesting structure to this book. I enjoyed the recipes and the little tidbits and hints on how to get emotions and feelings released as the recipe is prepared.
“Imagine your husband cheated on you; what do you bake? Pies are too cheerful, cookies to festive, chocolate mousse to sensual-you probably decide on jam. Something to pulverize.”
Ms. Gold wrote a combination recipe book and a fiction book that came together very well. She uses such great culinary descriptions that entices hunger to know what happens to Elle’s and Tom’s relationship and kept me turning the pages. This passage is indicative of such descriptions:
“Trace your finger along the inside of your mixing bowl; savor the way the frosting melts into nothing on your tongue, leaving behind only the memory of its presence, like a beautiful woman leaving a room.”
This is a great debut book by this author and I do look forward to reading more of her work.
I want to thank Netgalley, Lake Union and Ms. Gold for the opportunity to read this unique book.
The Ingredients of Us was a heartwarming read by Jennifer Gold. I really enjoyed the book and the recipes were a nice bonus. Elle was wonderfully written and was an amazing character to follow. I can’t wait to read more from Ms.Gold!
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review the book! I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Ingredients of Us is one of the most unique books I have ever read. The story switches back and forth from the date Elle discovers her husband, Tom, has been cheating on her….. after the date and then before the date. The story falls into place easily but the telling is so unique! Elle is a baker, and sprinkled generously throughout the book are her recipes which are also unique. Each recipe tells a story that is part of Elle’s love of baking. I enjoyed each and every recipe! I think about Ginger Peach Pie with a Friend, or Heart-Stopping Cheesecake and sigh. And I think about her husband, Tom, one of the few people she has ever loved more than baking. (Elle’s words, not mine.) I do recommend this book! It will grab you from the first page!
An excellent debut novel with a cross between a marriage on the rocks and a cookbook! The two woman running the bakery become fast friends and lean on each other in good times and in bad. A marriage on the rocks is thrown into the mix and many emotional ups and downs throughout. Add in excellent mouth watering recipes and this all makes for a wonderful page turner.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing, the author and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. The above review is my honest option of this awesome book! it
Congratulations to Jennifer Gold on this 5 star book which I strongly recommend to anyone looking for a great book! I will be looking forward to reading more books by this author in the future.
3.5 stars
I thought the book was good. It dragged a little bit during the chapters of the “before”. I enjoy books about bakeries/baking and loved the recipes throughout the book. I was not a fan of Tom or Charlie’s character for that matter. The author did a nice job on the character development and it was easy to like Elle and Bonnie and showing the relationship they had.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of the book. This review is in my own words.
I was hooked from the first chapter. The only thing that was different was how the chapters jumped back and forth. That aside I couldn’t put the book down. I loved how there are recipes included as a cookbook addict this really appealed to me. This story was about Tom and Elle but was just as much about Elle’s friend and business partner Bonnie and her husband Charlie. I look forward to reading more by this author. I was given an arc for an honest review, my honest review is the book is really really good!