e-ALC, 12:44:10
Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell, Auda Reluzco, & André Santana
Release Date: March 13, 2026
Published by: Simon & Schuster Audio
Read from: March 10-12, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: Libro FM (I received this ALC free from the publisher and Libro FM. This did nothing to influence my review!)
Content Warning: Chronic Illness, Drug Use, Infertility, Miscarriage
For Readers Interested In: Adult, Audio, Full Cast Audio, Historical Fiction, Sparkly Covers, Libro FM, Most Anticipated, Terminal/Chronic Conditions, Set Outside the US, Multiple POVsThis colorful, emotive historical debut whisks us to the home of Frida Kahlo, where food, art, and love weave together an unforgettable story of friendship and loyalty, with a bright Coyoacán as a vivid background.
A hidden painting. A buried past. A legacy waiting to be uncovered.
Mexico City, 1939: Young and determined Nayeli Cruz flees from her Oaxaca home to arrive in Mexico City with neither friends nor prospects. Alone and armed only with her sharp wit and extraordinary talent in the kitchen, she finds herself in front of La Caza Azul, the home of Frida Kahlo. As she begins work as the artist’s cook, Nayeli is pulled into Frida’s world of pain, passion, and defiance. But it isn’t long before amid the vibrant tapestry of flavors, scents, and colors, the two women form a deep bond—one that will shape the course of Nayeli’s life and leave behind a secret buried in art.
Buenos Aires, Present Paloma, Nayeli’s granddaughter, stumbles upon a mysterious painting depicting her grandmother as a young woman. The artist’s identity is unknown, but the artwork’s existence threatens to unravel long-held family secrets. As Paloma delves into her grandmother’s past, she uncovers a tale of passion, betrayal, and resilience that challenges everything she thought she knew about the one woman who raised her.
A lyrical and timeless portrait of the human side of one of the world’s most famous painters, Frida’s Cook celebrates the power of female friendship, art, and love.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I was nervous about this. I wasn’t sure how it was supposed to make this a super exciting read since it’s about an artist and their art. But I thought the Cook was a cute angle so I said I’d give it a try. Unfortunately it’s not that much about cooking in the book lol But I still enjoyed it nonetheless.
Ok so what I liked about this book is the fact that most of it was about the granddaughter, but there was still so much about Frida. I don’t know much about her, so I wrote a bunch of notes to look up later. I saw a bunch of the paintings that I hadn’t heard of or known that she did, I learned about her husband, and her illnesses. This is why I love historical fiction about real historical figures. The learning spree I go on after reading is always insane. And then while dropping all of these facts, the author breathes life into the facts with some fiction and it shapes into this cool ass story. With this one being about stolen art, and counterfeits and more.
Unfortunately the three plot lines were getting old. The one where she’s the granddaughter of the cook specifically. She was so nonchalant it was annoying. Like she could tell the painting was old and probably worth a lot. The very first thing I’d want to do is know what it looks like and who made it. She made a lot of nonsensical decisions that baffled me. The cook was the most intriguing with the way she cared for Frida. But she barely cooked lol I think we saw her make like 2 meals. We don’t have enough time with her since there’s so many POVs. We even get the POV of the people who have been trying to steal the paintings or forage them. That was interesting, but there was so much stealing it back and forth that it just got confusing. (I had to start a back and forth log lol)
This was honestly an interesting and informative time. I really need to find all the historical fiction books with real Black and other people of color historical figures so I can learn all I can about them. The fictional balance is what does it for me and I love it so much. I hope y’all love it too!
Overall, I give this
