Cirrus@Austlit

Reminiscent of Michelle Zauner's Crying in H Mart and Dolly Alderton's Everything I Know About Love, Charlotte Ree's Heartbake is part memoir, part recipe book, and part joyous battle cry for those who find themselves lonely at any age, hungry for so much more from life.

'The discovery of cooking for others again ignited something in me—it gave me meaning, and in some ways it brought me back to life.'

'In this heartfelt memoir of food, love and self-discovery, Charlotte Ree takes us along her journey of learning to cook in the wake of a divorce that left her feeling unsure of who she was and what she wanted at a time when the whole world was turned upside down.

'With each meal that she masters—a boiled egg, grilled cheese, lasagne, ricotta and pesto ravioli in a brown butter and sage sauce—we follow the story of Charlotte's search for love—in friendship, in family, in romance, and love in herself as she begins to heal from the narratives she'd been telling herself for years.

'Deeply personal and rich with emotion, her prose heart-wrenching, hilarious and hunger-inducing in equal measure, Charlotte explores the complexities of her familial relationships, reflects on how the models she observed affected the love she chose to accept and felt she deserved, recalls both disastrous and delightful dates, and revels in the joy of sharing good food with strangers and significant others alike.' (Publication summary)