Title: Secrets, Spells, and ChocolatePages: 400
Publication Date: Dec. 9, 2025
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Wizards & Witches
Synopsis:
The culinary world is full of secrets. For one, recipes can become powerful spells. Of course, fourteen-year-old Sylvie Jones knows this. Sylvie has been dreaming of attending her mom’s alma mater, Brindille School of Culinary Arts and Magic, since she was old enough to reach the stove. Unfortunately, the last name Jones has a horrible stain on it—something that could destroy her dream. So, when Sylvie is given the opportunity to prove that she’s got the skills to be a great chef and put an end to the rumors that her famous chef mother cheated her way to victory at the world’s greatest magical cooking competition, The Golden Whisk, she takes it.
But the opportunity she’s been given may not be all that it’s cracked up to be. If Sylvie truly wants to make her own mark and earn a place at Brindille, she needs to uncover the truth about what happened all those years ago. But some will go to great lengths to ensure Sylvie fails, and she soon finds herself tangled in a web of deceit.
With the unlikely help of frenemy Georgia Shaw and rising-star-student Flora Jackson, Sylvie must find a way to get to The Golden Whisk All-Star competition and uncover the past before time runs out. Will she be able to redeem her family’s name and save her future, or will it all end in burned butter and broken dreams?
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Secrets, Spells, and Chocolate is an adorable, cozy fantasy with a really fun magical twist on cooking and baking. I loved the creativity of the culinary magic with recipes that turn into spells, enchanted sweets, and magical classrooms that make Brindille School feel charming and unique.
Sylvie is an easy protagonist to root for. Her determination to follow her dream and clear her mother’s name adds an intriguing mystery to the story, and it’s interesting to see how Sylvie deals with all the challenges she’s faced with. She’s earnest, hardworking, and full of heart, and even when she doubts herself, she keeps pushing forward. I think she grows a lot, both as a young chef and as a person.
I also enjoyed watching Sylvie build new friendships, especially with Georgia and Flora. Their dynamic adds so much warmth to the story, and I loved how each girl brings something different to Sylvie’s life, like support, encouragement, and even a little healthy rivalry. The friend group gives the book lovely found-family vibes, and seeing Sylvie learn to trust and lean on others was great. The magical cooking challenges were another highlight for me. So fun!
The whole story has a light, whimsical tone, making it perfect for readers who want something cozy rather than intense or high-stakes. It was refreshing to read after a particularly heavy book, and I can definitely see MG or younger YA readers enjoying it. It’s a sweet, imaginative story that’s easy to sink your teeth into.
Special thanks to Marisa Churchill for sending me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
- found family
- magical competition
- school setting
- frenemies to friends
- coming of age
The kitchen has always been a magical place for me. As a little girl I loved to watch my yiayia (Greek for grandmother) cure olives and make homemade bread. I still remember the first time she gave me my own little ball of dough and let me shape it into a loaf. It was so much better than Play-Doh! When the aroma of freshly baked bread filled the kitchen, I instantly fell in love.
In 1999 I decided to turn a life-long passion for cooking into a career. I moved to San Francisco, and graduated from the California Culinary Academy, later furthering my education in advanced pastry skills and savory cooking, at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Over the years I have worked at such notable restaurants as Rubicon, The Slanted Door, Ame, LuLu and Yoshi’s, where I was named “one of the cities top pastry chefs” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s head food critic Michael Bauer.
My culinary adventures have taken me to places I never imagined: competing on Top Chef, building cities out of Rice Krispies and chocolate on Food Network, and across the globe to Greece, where I had my own cooking show.
I’ve also written for a variety of publications including Eater, Huffington Post, and Chowhound.
When I’m not in the kitchen I can usually be found dreaming up big new story plots. After all, food only lasts a few days. A good book has no expiration date!
Great review! This definitely sounds like my kind of book!