Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto
First line: All her life, Mebel Tanadi has always had a fear of – not so much death as much as situations that eventually lead to death.
Summary: Mebel expected her life one way, the trophy wife of a rich man. This was all going to plan until one day her husband of forty years decides he is leaving her for their much younger live in chef. Mebel cannot believe what is happening but she is determined to win him back. From what she gathers, he wants someone who will cook for him, meaning she should take cooking lessons. As luck would have it, a class is starting in just a few days at an excellent cooking school. Unfortunately, it happens to be in a small village in England rather than Paris.
Upon arrival, Mebel finds the school and her classmates to be more of a challenge than she first thought. As she struggles through the first weeks, she befriends a group of students who encourage her in her lessons and the changes in her personal life. With each passing day, Mebel starts to wonder if she has found what she has been looking for in an unlikely place.
My Thoughts: Like Sutanto’s other series, Vera Wong, this book is all about found families. This is one of my favorite things about the author’s work. She has characters that need each other but do not realize it. With these strong themes of friendship, there is lots of humor too. While I was listening, I was laughing aloud at Mebel and her antics. She starts the book as a trophy wife who only cares about facials, clothes and her lavish lifestyle but she transitions to someone who wants to be her own person and take care of those she loves. I found this to be such a fun story with a great message. I would highly recommend this for your summer reading list. It will make you smile all the way through!