Pam

I want to thank Storey Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Cooking Class, 10th Anniversary Edition. All opinions presented here are solely mine.

I was unfamiliar with the original Cooking Class cookbook until I agreed to review the anniversary edition. While I'm not one to say kids don't belong in the kitchen, I preferred to work directly with my girls when they were younger. That said, not everyone has the skill or comfort to teach others in the kitchen. And that's where this book comes in handy.

Cooking Class is divided into seven chapters and designed to help kids (and maybe even adults) gain confidence in the kitchen.

Chapter One: Welcome to Cooking Class
Chapter one contains all of the basic cooking lessons. These lessons include reading recipes before beginning, cleaning before and after cooking, and explaining different tools and techniques. Readers will also learn the layout of the cookbook and what different graphics mean (like the difference between one spoon and three).

Chapter Two: Breakfast Cafe
Why not start at the beginning of the day? Recipes in this chapter include French Toast on a Stick, Bursting with Blueberries Muffins, and Simple Scones.

Chapter Three: Lunch Lessons
This chapter includes recipes for lunch at home or on the go, including Quiche Cupcakes and Banh Mi.

Chapter Four: Snack Attack
These recipes, such as Buttery Biscuits, are perfect for that time after lunch but before dinner.

Chapter Five: Eat Your Veggies
The recipes in this chapter are wholly focused on vegetables and how to get more of them into your day. There's a Salad Dressing Factory recipe that includes directions on how to make six different dressings using ingredients already in your house.

Chapter Six: My First Dinners
What's more impressive than when a kid makes dinner for the family? Especially when it doesn't come from a box. How does Chicken Curry sound?

Chapter Seven: Time for Dessert
The final chapter of the book is all about satisfying that sweet tooth with recipes like Apple Crisp and One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes.

I followed the recipes for the Apple Crisp and Chicken Curry. While they are easy to follow and make, the flavors were a bit lacking for me. That's not to say they weren't good; they just needed a boost in the flavor department.

Overall, I think Cooking Class is perfect for any child interested in learning how to cook. There are over 70 recipes, and several offer alternatives to personalize them to your tastes.

DNF at 66%

I love Marcellus, but that love isn't enough for me to want to finish reading the book.

I ended up DNF this book after reading the first 103 pages. Why? Mainly because I was not too fond of the fact, he didn't start having feelings, or at least acting on those feelings, until she started losing weight. What's wrong with having feelings and admitting them when she was still overweight?

I probably would have loved it if I had read this when it first came out.

I found it hard to get into the relationship between the two main characters. Stopped on page 180.

DNF at 13%

Not sure if it's me or the book. It has been a few years since spending time in this world, so I did struggle to reconnect with the characters. While Deonn does try to bring you back in, it feels like there's too much drama right off the bat.

DNF at 40%.

As someone who suffered a miscarriage, I understand Isabelle and her motivations. I also understand where Tom is coming from, but he gave up his morals for her. I'm not sure I can finish reading the book.

DNF at 8%. Is the main character supposed to be in her 20s? Because she feels more like a teenager.

DNF at 51%, not a bad book just not in the proper headspace to listen to someone else's grief.

Side note: as someone living in Canada (where the author is from), there are a few words the audiobook narrator mispronounced.

DNF at 7%. Not sure why but I just struggled to connect with the story.

DNF at 32%. Found I didn't care what happened. Was I reading for enjoyment or out of boredom?

DNF at page 183. I understand this is a retelling of A Christmas Carol, but Holly Chase was worse than Ebenezer Scrooge. I couldn't continue to see her redemption arc.

I am going to DNF this book for now. I only got about 2% of the way through but I wasn't connecting with the story. I hope to give it another try in the future.

DNF at 43%

While I understand this is a coming of age tale there is an excessive amount of drug and sex talk. There's is at least one scene describing a SA.

Sadly, it was a DNF at 14% for me. The cover is beautiful, but I struggled to connect to the story.

Stopped at 6%.

Had no desire to pick it back up.

DNF for me. Read 9%, found the story just dragging.

I only read the first chapter and found I did not care for the characters. There is so much name-dropping that it took me out of the story.

Got to page 50, just had trouble getting into the story.

DNF at page 45.

Overall, there's nothing wrong with the book. I'm just burned out on reading high-stakes historical fiction at the moment. It's unfortunate because I loved Marshall's first book adwas looking forward to reading this one. Maybe I'll give it another try in the future.

I read the first chapter, and while it was good, it contained information that I already knew as it was more about Fleming than Bond himself. I may give it another try in the future.

DNF at 32%. Too much skipping around d in time to keep the story straight.

After reading 19%, I had to stop. I'm unsure if it's the writing style or just me, but I struggled to stay focused on the story. Many of the characters feel angry and/or seriously depressed. While I don't know what happened on that bridge ten years ago, I'm not sure they do either! I may give this another go in the future, but for now, it's a DNF.

Made it to page 90 before stopping.

Just felt like there was a lot of excess frustration over something that happened 10 years prior. I felt like both main characters needed to grow up and try communication.