PRESS AND PRAISE



Praise for How to Make a French Family:


"Change is never easy, especially when it’s in another city or, better yet, another country. Verant (Seven Letters from Paris, 2014) managed to do it, with a few challenges along the way, and provides readers a charming and witty look at how in this memoir. The Chicago girl moves to southwestern France to be with her new husband and his children, and is enthralled by a new life in a quaint city, but it’s not everything she expected. After many struggles while trying to raise her stepchildren (and having them develop into testy teenagers), along with not always seeing eye-to-eye with her husband, and dealing with a terrible tenant, Verant’s doubts about her new life continue to grow bigger. Luckily, Verant and her husband’s love of cooking has always helped bring them together, giving them a foundation that is unbreakable. Verant’s memoir touches on universal, real-life themes, like love, loss, and family, while mixing in plenty  of delicious French flavors (and actual recipes) that make for a tasty read that’s true to the heart." — Carissa Chesanek, Booklist

"Verant combines one part second chance at romance, one part travelogue, and nearly three dozen recipes in this heartfelt account of how she reconnected with a lover 20 years after their affair and started life over in France with an instant family. When Verant was 19 and traveling through Europe, she had a brief encounter with a Frenchman named Jean-Luc. Not ready for something serious, she never responded to his ardent letters. Two decades later, divorced and in debt, Verant reached out to Jean-Luc, who had been widowed, recently divorced his second wife, and become the solo parent of his two young kids. The undeniable chemistry was still there, and a year later they married and moved outside of Toulouse. In her new environment, Verant had to navigate the laborious bureaucracy and red tape that come with being a foreigner living abroad, learn how to speak French more fluently, and understand vast behavior and cultural differences (such as the French habit of being very direct and making intense eye contact). Most critically, she had to figure out how to bond with her stepchildren, who were still dealing with grief and distrust after Jean-Luc’s ill-advised second marriage. In the end, as Verant warmly writes, food—and her cooking—gave her a sure-fire way in with the family, as they often prepared meals and dined together. (Apr.)" - Publisher's Weekly

"An honest, heartwarming-and at times-heartbreaking account of the struggles that occur when you dare to make your dreams come true." - Janice MacLeod, author of New York Times bestseller Paris Letters

"Love has no boundaries in Samantha Verant's honest and courageous memoir about leaving it all behind to marry her French husband. 
How to Make a French Family is a testament to her perseverance to adapt to a new life in Southwest France. In the tradition of Seven Letters from Paris, readers will laugh, cry, and cheer for Verant until the final page." - Susan Blumberg-Kason, author of Good Chinese Wife

"A charming and insightful memoir about what follows happily ever after. The fact that Samantha's quest to create a new family is set in France (and filled with recipes) makes it all the more delicious!" - 
Jennifer Coburn, author of We'll Always Have Paris

"How To Make A French Family shares the ups and downs, good, bad and funny moments of building a new life and family in France, never letting us forget that in the end, love saves the day." - 
Kristen Beddard, author of Bonjour Kale 

"Samantha Vérant dishes up a funny and tender memoir in 
How to Make a French Family. The setup is pure fairy tale but the tale's power is in the ever-after. Vérant's story is genuine, romantic, sometimes heartbreaking, and, in the end, as wonderfully satisfying and rich as the French cuisine detailed on its pages." - Michelle Gable, New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment and I'll See You in Paris

"Like its author, Samantha Verant's new book is sweet and sassy, told from the heart. Her story of creating a new family and becoming a different kind of mom is brave and vulnerable. A tale of what happens when we go looking for our best lives and best selves." - 
Elizabeth Bard, New York Times bestselling author of Lunch in Paris and Picnic in Provence


Praise for Seven Letters from Paris:

as Seen In... 

Seven Letters from Paris was
Woman's Day Magazine's
November Book Club Pick!

Seven Letters from Paris was
reviewed in France and
French Property Magazines!
A sweet review in Australia's
New Idea Magazine...


The weekend edition of the Today Show in Australia.


As Heard On:

ABC Radio's Life Matters Program

Radio New Zealand National


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Library Journal's VERDICT on Seven Letters from Paris:
"
This charming, conversational account of a second chance at a lost love will
delight any reader who has ever thought, “What if?”

The full review can be read here.


Booklist calls Seven Letters from Paris "a passionate, romantic, spring-in-the-step read."


"I recommend this memoir as a great read; a read with the motto 'Follow your heart' and 'Believe in your dreams', because you never know where the whirlwind of excitement may end."
~  Chick Lit Club

ChickLit Club's full review of Seven Letters from Paris can be found here.

"Seven Letters from Paris tells the beautiful story of a romance
twenty years in the making.
The best part? It’s true!" 
~ Chick Lit Central

Chick Lit Central's full review of Seven Letters from Paris can be found here.



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Praise for SEVEN LETTERS FROM PARIS...

“A charming story, and a delightful tribute to the power of a good old-fashioned love letter.” ~ Peter Mayle, bestselling author of A Year in Provence
Seven Letters from Paris is a celebration of l’amour across cultures and across decades…Samantha Vérant embraces France, and her French love, with an all-American enthusiasm that is nothing if not infectious.” ~ Hilary Reyl, author of Lessons in French
Seven Letters from Paris is a real-life fairytale. You’ll be rooting for this bubbly American heroine and her prince charmant.” ~ Elizabeth Bard, author of Lunch in Paris: A Love Story
"Fairy tales come true in Samantha Verant's utterly winning debut memoir. Effervescent, enchanting and wise, Seven Letters From Paris is a paean to second chances, the power of hope, and the risks real love requires. A romantic page-turner." ~ Christina Haag, New York Times bestselling author of Come to the Edge: A Love Story.

“Enchanting. A captivating real-life fairytale romance that will have you reading slowly so you can savor every delicious word. Castles included!” ~ Janice MacLeod, author of Paris Letters
“You’ll tear up reading this inspiring love story… Seven Letters from Paris is sweet, touching, and real.” ~ Kristin Espinasse, author of Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language from the South of France

 "A sweet and comical modern love story of one woman's wonderful happily-ever-after." ~ Wendy Lawless, author of the NY Times bestseller Chanel Bonfire
"A true story of long-lost passion found, but also a cautionary tale on the importance of small gestures and romance in everyday life." ~ Jennifer L. Scott, author of Lessons from Madame Chic

Seven Letters from Paris is the story of a sexy, passionate, whirlwind romance twenty years in the making...and worth the wait. Sam shows us all the power of second chances and following your heart.” ~ Teresa Rhyne, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Dog Lived (And So Will I)

Seven Letters from Paris is a glorious, life-affirming testament to the power of love to change everything.” ~ Jo Maeder, author of Opposites Attack and When I Married My Mother
 "In a world where love letters and romantic overtures have all but disappeared, it is reassuring to know that feelings committed to a page still have the power to bring two people together.  Samantha and Jean-Luc were clearly destined to be reunited and their story is an inspiration for anyone still searching for a soul mate." ~ Patricia Gucci, author of In the Name of Gucci
"Two star-crossed lovers must go up against the passage of time, the difficulty of distance, and many hilarious dinner-party faux pas to make their 40-something cross-cultural romance survive. Reading this book is like eating a bowl of strawberries in the sunshine. It’s a delicious and joyful story from beginning to end, one that makes you hold your breath and clutch your heart with vicarious excitement as you're carried along what must be one of the sweetest love stories that’s ever been told." ~ Torre Deroche, author of Love with a Chance of Drowning

"Inspirational and heartfelt, this book illustrates that it's never too late to change directions in life. Verant's story reveals how having the courage to follow your heart and a take a big leap when you're feeling stuck can put you on the path that you're truly meant to be."
~ Holly C. Corbett, national magazine editor and co-author of The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World.

“Wonderfully engaging and endearingly honest.”~ Samantha Brick, author of Head Over Heels in France: Falling in Love in the Lot
"Seven Letters from Paris renewed my belief in the power of true love and made me believe that miracles can happen!" ~ Jamie Cat Callan, bestselling author of French Women Don't Sleep Alone

"Watch out, Walt Disney. Samantha Verant has lived--and vividly shared--a happily ever after story complete with castles and a dark and handsome hero. But unlike the Disney princesses, Samantha's own honesty, soul-searching, brave leaps into the unknown, and willingness to laugh at her own foibles make her a role model for today's woman." ~ Candace Walsh, author of Licking the Spoon: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Identity

"Not since Dangerous Liaisons has French letter writing been this exciting." ~ Helena Frith Powell, author of Two Lipsticks and a Lover



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