Captivating tale with foodie overtones!

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

Loved this contemporary novel with a touch of magic realism set in San Francisco's Chinatown.
Am I reading the Chinese version of The Road Less Travelled or Chicken Soup for the Soul?
What we have is an expose on the healing properties of food all mixed into a fanciful story bringing life back to a neighborhood.
Natalie Tan returns home after her mother's death, to find the neighborhood run down and herself the owner of a boarded up restaurant (her grandmother's) in the downstairs of her building.
Natalie had left to follow her dream of becoming a chef. When the local seer gives her the secret for restoring the neighborhood and her dreams, she reluctantly takes up the challenge.
I loved the description of the tea lady's night garden, the help from the somewhat clairvoyant cat, and the wonderful recipes interspersed throughout the story.
Tension in the hood, romance and resolution makes this an uplifting story of community, friendship, and relationships.

 A Berkley Publishing Group ARC via NetGalley

*****

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