The Restaurant Critic's Wife

I just really, really disliked how the protagonist (the restaurant critic's wife, of course) allowed herself to be controlled, completely- she let her husband call all the shots in a super unhealthy way and I kept waiting and waiting for her to snap out of it. She never does, and then the "resolution" didn't even feel right. On the other hand, the author clearly loves Philly, loves food, and has a great handle on all the joy-sucking minutia of motherhood. I expected to enjoy this book much more than I did, but when you are rooting for the heroine to leave her husband from nearly the beginning of the book, well, it wasn't enjoyable.

The Restaurant Critic’s Wife by is an unusual novel. Lila Soto is pregnant with her second child. Lila, Sam (her husband), and Hazel (their three-year-old daughter) have just moved from New Orleans to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sam has the chance to do his dream job—be a food critic! Sam and Lila met with Lila was in New Orleans for Addison Hotels and Resorts and Sam was doing research for an article on gumbo. When Sam saw a job opening at the Philadelphia Record for a food critic, he applied. Lila had to give up her job in order to relocate with Sam. They are moving into a suburban neighborhood called Colonial Court where the mothers stay home and take care of their kids. This will be a new experience for Lila. Sam is immediately wrapped up in his new job and experiments with ways to hide his identity. He also wants Lila to make sure not to tell anyone what he does (actually he would prefer it if she stayed in the house and did not associate with anyone for fear of exposure). Will Lila be able to cope with two kids, a new home, and Sam’s wacky behavior? Lila is going on a new journey and she will have to find a way to cope (and move forward). I did not find The Restaurant Critic’s Wife to be an enjoyable novel. It was a little weird (and boring). I believe the book is supposed to be humorous but the writer did not pull it off. One thing I did not get is if Lila never wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, why did she have kids (Lila loves working and wants to continue to work)? This book was lacking (like a good plot). I got tired of hearing about Lila’s everyday life (getting up, her wardrobe, breast feeding the baby), Sam’s attempts at disguises and how he does not pull them off (that was actually the only funny part in the book), their many neighbors (I could not keep track of them), and the many food descriptions (the author described every food item they ate). I did not like any of the characters. Lila is someone who does not know what she wants (she really should have decided before having two kids) and Sam who is very childish and selfish. Sam was so obsessed with keeping his identity a secret. I wanted to know why he did not write the reviews under a pseudonym (of course, then there would not be a book). It was just an odd book. I give The Restaurant Critic’s Wife 2 out of 5 stars (I did not like it). I received a complimentary copy of The Restaurant Critic’s Wife from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Restaurant Critic's WifePublisher: Lake Union Publishing Reviewed By: Arlena DeanRating: 4Review:"The Restaurant Critic's Wife" by Elizabeth LaBanMy Thoughts...I liked the cover design very tasteful for this story that this author gives the readers. This novel gives the reader a little bit of it all from humor, to motherhood, marriage, to some restaurant reviews, wonderful culinary skills to some interesting foods. This author gives the reader a intriguing story of her life [Lila] before her marriage and after she met her husband Sam [food critic]settling down in Philadelphia with their three year old daughter, Hazel...and later with a new little one on the way. How life will change for Lila as she thinks after the baby Henry is a little older returning to work however Sam wasn't for that so how will things changed for Lila? Why was this? What had happened in Sam's life that brought on his insecurities? At times I wasn't one of Sam's fans. Sam didn't want Lila to socialize even 'with their neighbors, have friends, or have their daughter to even attend birthday parties.' What was up with all that ...just because he was a food critic? Thank God Lila did had a mind of her own...being 'smart, sassy, and driven' and not letting Sam get in her way. Yes, I do believe that in a marriage one can have difference of opinions and still be in a solid good marriage. In the end well I will stop here and say you will have to pick up this novel to see how this author brings it all out so realistically to the reader. I received this book from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book - it was funny and I thought Lila was a very realistic character for the most part. The only thing that really bothered me was the way Lila's husband Sam was written - his demands of her were crazy! I don't think a woman as smart and independent as Lila had been would put up with being told she couldn't make new friends or work just to protect Sam's identity. The whole time I was thinking why didn't he just use a pseudonym for his articles. I loved how every chapter began with a snippet from one of Sam's restaurant reviews and how it applied to what was going on in that chapter. This was a great story and will make a great book club or beach read. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

Lila and Sam Soto have moved to Philadelphia from New Orleans in order for Sam to take his dream job of restaurant critic for the Philadelphia Record. Lila was a very successful point person heading publicity and crisis management for a hotel chain, but in any event she got pregnant, so she reluctantly gave up her job. Now Lila is pregnant again, and soon has another baby, Henry, who is greatly resented by his 3-year-old big sister Hazel. Lila has her hands full. Although Lila excelled at crisis management for her career, her home life seems to be one disaster after another. Lila is constantly exhausted (Sam didn’t help as promised after Henry was born), Hazel is a spoiled brat, and Lila responds to Hazel’s whining and tantrums by shoving something sugary at her, reinforcing the bad behavior. Sam not only is insistent that Lila not work, but doesn’t even want her to have any friends, lest he somehow get outed as the new food critic. He even wears disguises (that are usually ridiculous) to area restaurants. Lila feels bored and unfulfilled on account of no longer working, and is disheartened by experiencing nothing but failure and frustration at home.Lila does eventually try to make a few friends, but picks up on Sam’s paranoia and becomes suspicious of them, which negatively affects the relationships. Sam, inconsiderate, almost pathologically self-centered, obsessive and controlling, seems borderline psycho. Frankly, I only kept reading in the hope Lila would wake up and get the heck out.In addition, the story was very repetitive; Lila nursing Henry, Lila dealing with Hazel’s tantrums, Lila dealing with Sam’s paranoia, Lila sneaking social interaction - interspersed with descriptions of restaurant meals. Repeat.Lila’s mental reasoning to reconcile herself to, and work with, her situation was disappointing, and not totally convincing for such a competent person in the workplace.Evaluation: I was disappointed with this book, which I thought had so much potential. But the story was too repetitive, the husband was too crazy, and the wife too accommodating for me to have enjoyed it.

Enraging characters and a shaky plot. There are many better ones out there.

I tried but found this one really awful and didn't finish it. Shallow unlikable characters and really one dimensional plot. Not for me!

I expected something totally different from this book. I am not sure why. It was a preconceived notion on my part. A completely incorrect preconceived notion. I expected to read a light, fluffy book about the ins and outs of being married to a restaurant critic, long and laborious descriptions of food and locales, and maybe some recipes. No way. Instead, I read a wonderfully evolving character study of a woman, wife, mother, friend, daughter. Lila is instantly likable and completely relatable. Which of us moms, at some point in our mothering, have felt that we are the only mom on the planet who does not have her proverbial act together? Who, as a wife, has not been hurt by the feeling that the husband's career is more important than yours, at least in his mind? I could go on, but the point here is that Lila is everyone of us. To read her journey from career woman to married woman to mother of one, then mother of two ... it is a journey that unfolds as naturally as a rose in June. LaBan hit the mark with me on this one, and it was a delight to read. I was truly sorry it was over, and will read more by her. Highly recommended. This book was offered to me by NetGalley.com in exchange for my honest review.

The Food Critic's Wife was a well written book where you seamlessly slip rightinto the main character's life. One day,as I have often written myself,I woke up n a strange state with a strange manand a strange baby! Yes,all those pre internet ,cell phone years ago I was home alone every day withan infant. I had married and become a mother in my mid 30's. So for the first timein my life I was all alone without my peer group for eight plus hours a day.I clearly identified on some levels(not the hot shot job part!!!) with Lila who had been a very successful crisismanager for a hotel chain. Pregnant Lila,her 3 year old daughter and her husband move to Philadelphia so he canbecome a restaurant critic for a big newspaper. Sam is extremely paranoid andover cautious about being recognized. He imposes very strict rules on whoLila can be friends with and where she can go! Lila partly rebels and seesan old friend she knew with a similarly aged child. She also runs into a nicewaiter from the best restaurant in town that she has been to with Sam.She is lonely and is happy to run into these individuals. Although there are lotsof young mothers and kids on their street Sam has instructed her not tobe friendly until she has been assured nobody is in the restaurant business!Throw in a gossip columnist from a local rag who spots Lila aroundat various times and you have some very tense times between husband and wife.There are some moments when you do want Lila to do something vengeful becauseof her husband's really selfish ways but luckily for our impulses and hers sanertimes eventually reign!This would be a good book for a reader friend who finds herself home alone as anew mom after working for years!

The story follows a young woman adjusting to motherhood, life in a new city and living with the fact-crazed, anonymity-obsessed restaurant critic.I felt bad for the wife, Lila. Thanks to her paranoid husband she wasn't able to have a normal life. I found myself hoping that she would tell her husband to get a grip.This book made me wonder about the life of a food critic and how much of their lives is like this story.I won this great book from Goodreads.

Writers are told to write what they know, and Elizabeth LaBan has taken that to heart in her novel The Restaurant Critic's Wife. Like her protagonist Lila, LaBan is married to the food critic for a large Philadelphia newspaper. (Luckily, LaBan says that the character of the critic is much crazier than her actual husband.)Lila is a high-powered executive for a large hotel chain. She specializes in crisis management and public relations, traveling the globe and solving problems with aplomb. After she breaks up with her long-time boyfriend, she finds herself in New Orleans for work when she meets Sam.Sam and Lila fall deeply in love. Lila becomes pregnant and they decide to marry. They are very happy together, and then Sam gets the opportunity he has been waiting for- a job as a restaurant critic at a Philadelphia newspaper.By now, Lila and Sam have two young children- Hazel, a toddler, and baby Henry. Sam is totally engrossed in his job, taking it very seriously. He is overly protective of his anonymity, believing that if anyone knew who he was, he could not do his job properly.This unfortunately extends to Lila and the children. He doesn't want Lila to befriend any neighbors in case they own a restaurant. Lila's high school friend Maureen lives in town and also has two young children, but her husband owns a restaurant, so they cannot be friends.He also doesn't want Lila to go back to work for the hotel, which Lila desperately wants to do. She felt in charge there, and being stuck at home and not allowed to have friends begins to frustrate her.The one friend she makes is a waiter from a fancy restaurant, Sebastian. He is kind to Lila, and helpful with the children. But Sam flips out when he discovers their friendship because he feels Sebastian may be using Lila to get information.It seems to me that Sam is too controlling and not very understanding of what he is asking of his wife. He acts like he works for the CIA, and that his identity must be protected for national security reasons.The story was really captivating, especially for anyone who is a foodie; the descriptions of restaurants and the food are mouth-watering, and I liked the snippets of Sam's reviews that open the chapters. The characters are interesting and well- developed and I really adored Lila and rooted for her. Even the kids were engaging characters, which is sometimes difficult to do.LeBan also does a wonderful job writing about marriage and parenthood, and the many compromises that must be made to make it all work. Her description of Lila's C-section and its aftermath were dead-on as well.The one thing that felt a bit odd was that Lila was in a few gossip columns, outed as the restaurant critic's wife. How boring are things in Philadelphia that the restaurant critic's wife is constant fodder for gossip columns?I recommend The Restaurant Critic's Wife to anyone who likes a good story about the compromises of marriage, as well as anyone who would like a peek into the world of restaurants.

I love to eat. Our local magazine just published the list of the 50 best restaurants in the city and I am trying to convince my husband that we need to eat our way through the list. He is mostly amenable. In our relationship, I am the food snob and he is happy with anything (unless it's eggplant--don't serve him eggplant or he will have a hissy fit). As critical as I can be of restaurant food, I am no where near the level of expert that a restaurant critic is though. And I certainly couldn't live with the need to be so circumspect in my life that I had to worry if someone close to me was connected to a restaurant and currying favor for a good review. How much harder to be the spouse of the critic and be subjected to the same vigilance, as Elizabeth LaBan so cleverly details in her foodie novel, The Restaurant Critic's Wife.Lila Soto is extremely pregnant with her second child. Having recently moved to Philadelphia, she hasn't yet made any friends. She's had to keep her neighbors at arm's length because her husband Sam is the Philadelphia Herald's restaurant critic and he is determined to stay anonymous for as long as possible. This means that Lila has to vet everyone she meets to make sure that they have no connection at all to the restaurant world in case she blows her husband's cover or causes his professional integrity to be questioned. While she wants to support her husband, she is incredibly lonely and bored. She misses the high powered job averting crises for an international hotel chain which she gave up when she got pregnant with her now three year old daughter Hazel. Lila was once a superstar at crisis management but she really struggles with being a full time stay at home mom, facing the monotony, repetition, and isolation with deep unhappiness. But Sam cannot see beyond his own obsession with his job to recognize just how lonely and miserable Lila is, chafing under the restraints he's imposed on their lives. So it's not much of a surprise that Lila not only cultivates two friendships she shouldn't, one with an old college friend, who is married to a chef, and one with Sebastian, a friendly and understanding waiter at a restaurant Sam reviewed, but after baby Henry's birth also agrees to do some contract work for her old boss, something that makes her feel alive in a way she hasn't for a long time indeed but will bring her into conflict with her husband.Told in the first person by Lila, the reader will find much in Lila's days unchanging and dull but that is because Lila also views her life this way. Sam's over the top demands keep her trapped and alone until she can find her voice and push for her own fulfillment. Each of them tugs at the other as they try to find a balance that works for them, their marriage, and their individual needs. Along the way, there is a lot of frustration. Readers will sympathize with Lila and find Sam to be ridiculously dictatorial. He all but begs the reader to spit in his food the way he treats his wife as an accessory to his job. Sam's reviews are the epigraphs for each chapter and they give even more insight into the obsessive quirks that make him up. Lila's character is written to be most colorful and alive when she is working rather than during the sameness of her days as a struggling mommy, at least until she finds her own niche in the neighborhood and in her professional life. Very much a domestic drama, there's not a lot of plot driving the novel as Lila comes to some realizations about herself, Sam, and her needs. The conceit of being married to a restaurant critic and the contortions that causes in life is interesting in its own right but this is really a novel about the compromises of marriage, friendship, community, belonging, and finding yourself and your happiness to lead the life you want to lead.

First, thank you to NetGalley (Lake Union Publishing) for the opportunity to enjoy and review this delightful e-book. Lila and Sam have just relocated to Philadelphia, Lila pregnant with their second child, and Sam deeply involved with his dream job to critique restaurants for the city newspaper. The first part of the book left me felling a bit like the story was going somewhere but it was not clear where. It flows along very well, easy to finish in a day or two of enjoyable reading. It is certainly a great “chick-lit” kind of book – humorous, with a good taste of friendship and romance. Thank you Elizabeth LeBan – look forward to more from you soon.

A special thank you to Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. What a fabulous front cover design. Depicting the upscale white tablecloth dining experience, with the child’s eating utensil. A balance of two worlds into one, similar to the overall novel's theme. Elizabeth LaBan delivers a witty and modern contemporary look at today’s domestic dual working career couples; parenting, their choice of friends, identity, and how sometimes careers can jeopardize our social, professional, and family life—life can be major collision course. The bad with the good- the balancing act. A RESTAURANT CRITIC’S WIFE is filled with delicious guilt-free literary humor, while exploring the struggles of motherhood, relationships, marriage, and some juicy restaurant reviews; culinary delights—catering to today’s most discriminating taste palettes, epicureans, and foodies.LaBan is the author-wife of real, Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan, and her tale follows a young woman adjusting to motherhood, life in a new city, and living with the fact-crazed, anonymity-obsessed restaurant critic for the Philadelphia Record.“It's really fiction, insists LaBan, whose protagonist, Lila, meets government reporter-turned-restaurant writer Sam Soto in New Orleans. They move to Philadelphia - a path that the LaBans took in 1998.”Fans of Jennifer Weiner, Sarah Pekkanen, Jane Green, and Amy Hatvany are going to fall in love with this gem! Loved the opening of each chapter with a glowing, or not--review from Sam Soto. Lila Sota, previously had a great job, a fabulous degree, and lots of travel as a corporate hotel crisis regional manager. She thrived on problems. No problem too big to solve. Her position was important and she traveled the world, a pro at crisis management. She loved the power of her suitcase—representing travel, adventure, and not being tied down. She loved her life. She even broke off an earlier relationship, when things started getting serious. She could not consider marriage or children, and being tied down. She did not want to lose her independence.However, later she met “the man”, changing her ideas about settling down. Sam, in New Orleans, while away on business. Slowly he became more important to her, and for the first time, and a baby on the way, she felt this was the “one”—she could share her life with and settle down.As the novel opens, the couple Sam and Lila are married, where they reside in a nice suburban neighborhood—Colonial Court (so funny I stay often at a boutique hotel on Florida’s west coast-same name), with their three-year-old daughter, Hazel (A diva, a riot and a handful) … hilarious! Lila has another baby on the way. They have moved from New Orleans to Philly, due to Sam’s job. He is a food critic and works for the local paper. He takes his job VERY seriously. Lila has left her power job, in order to stay home full time to take care of Hazel, and the soon to be baby. After the baby arrives (Henry), she is mounted with the demands of two children, feels cut off from neighbors and friends, living in a new neighborhood, due to her husband’s position. She has desires of going back to work, feeling important, with sense of purpose. After the second baby is a little older, she has an opportunity to return to work--her old boss, allowing her to work on a contract basis part time. Of course, Sam wants NO part of this. She often gets publicity--too risky with his job. She makes decisions to do what she feels is best, and does it. (without discussing) She wants to try it out. However, Sam has issues. His own mom left them, at an earlier age due to her unhappiness, after he was born. He wants his wife to be fulfilled. A constant struggle—with his own insecurities. Plus Lila has her own mom’s need for a professional career pushed on her. Lila’s struggle to balance the demands of husband, kids, and job—plus Sam’s job--overwhelming--her former crisis management skills are being tested. What is a more crisis-ridden position, than a mother?However, they have a big problem. Sam needs to maintain anonymity. He has to dress up in all kind of disguises, in order to drop into the restaurants, so one will recognize him. He drags Lila to all the fancy spots day and night; however, if he wants to review a certain dish, she cannot order what she really wants. Sometimes he wants her to drag the kids, which can be embarrassing when you are breast feeding and have an opinionated, temper throwing, vocal, four-year-old. Plus, for a test, sometimes Sam carries in Mac n cheese in a box and asks the restaurant to prepare it. Total buzz kill; taking away the entire pleasure of the overall dining experience. From family members, friends, and colleagues – everyone is "used" as part of this charade. However, there are some cool creative restaurants-especially the one with snow sledding. Due to the sensitivity of his job, he refused to allow Lila to socialize with her neighbors, have friends, or have their daughter attend birthday parties--she could be tasting their food. She is not even allowed to stop in for a quick bite at a restaurant she likes—a gossip columnist will document what she eats and how much---after her husband gave them a bad review!Gals, you are going to LOVE Lila!. She pushes ALL boundaries. She is smart, sassy, driven. Living proof, you can be in a marriage and have differences of opinions. You can disagree. Most marriage couples would give up –walk away, with these high pressures. Not, Lila---she is tenacious, and does not allow her husband, or obstacles to get in her way. In addition, even though Sam has his eccentricities and obsessions, he is preoccupied; you cannot fault him—he is passionate about his position as a restaurant critic—taking it to the extremes sometimes; however, in the end he loves his wife and family. Neither walk away from troubles and pressure—which is easily done in today’s society. A very good example you can have careers, a family, a marriage---it takes the drive of these two, and the love to get you through it. Stay in the fight—without giving up your dreams. “Life without love is useless.”What a fantastic book! No one is just one thing. People can have two sides. A balance. There will always be another crisis. One can only hope, the good outweighs the bad.Loved Sebastian, the gay waiter. I would like to see a continuation and a series, with more from this character. He is too good to end. A friend we all want. Plus love Lila, her job, and the funny Hazel. Enjoy the cool unique restaurants, food, and reviews. Sure there could be more stories from the Desperate Housewives--Wisteria Lane (Colonial Court) neighborhood to follow.Summary: Furthermore, the author is married in “real life” to a restaurant critic with two small children--- with the insights and expertise to further enhance the fact/fiction realistic events. I had to laugh, thinking how in the heck did LaBane manage to convince her husband to write this novel-- while at the same time, trying to manage his reputation and keep "under the radar"? Maybe she has some of Lila’s spunk. Just do it! Ask for forgiveness later… Love it. It works. 5 Swans (Stars)!