Between the living and the lost, one woman delivers the truth.
Josie Gray has always believed Miss Sylvie's Bistrot could be a sanctuary for the living... and the dead, with whom she can communicate. As the restaurant struggles to survive in Greenwich Village, the challenges of running a kitchen collide with the demands of her gift, and Josie finds herself stretched thinner than ever.
Her partner, Derek, is becoming distant, unable to reconcile Josie's insistence on setting the ghost table each night with the practical realities of their business. The tension between them grows, threatening the dream they once shared. Meanwhile, the staff begins to unravel, caught in the schemes of a manipulative new manager and a mysterious sous chef, and the spirits Josie communicates with grow increasingly restless.
Pulled into the unfinished stories of the living and the dead, Josie is tasked with delivering long-buried truths and messages that could alter lives. Each encounter forces her to confront what she owes to others and to herself, and to question whether she can remain anchored in a world that rarely believes in the things she sees.
In the second installment of The Ghost Table trilogy, Josie discovers that every haunting begins with a longing to be heard. Amid the clatter of the kitchen and the whispers of the departed, she must learn how to nourish not just the living, but her own restless heart.
About the Author :
Laura Buchwald is a New York City native who travels when she can, finding creative inspiration at home and away. Her first novel, The Coat Check Girl, was published in October 2024. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and dog, both of whom are very supportive of her work.
Review :
"The Book of Reservations sweeps us back into the haunting world of Josie Gray as she navigates her gift of extrasensory powers amidst the higher stakes of a deepening romance and the sometimes-controlled chaos of restaurant ownership. Buchwald's genuine, breezy and eerie prose serves up a devourable sequel to The Coat Check Girl." -Elena Perez, author of The Art of Disappearing
"Buchwald's writing always pulls me in, and this book is no different. The author handles the supernatural elements beautifully, and the characters are vivid and realistic. This book is a haunting and compassionate story about found family and forgiving the past, set in a world you wish you could live in." -Leslie A. Rasmussen, award-winning author of When People Leave
"If you enjoy richly drawn characters, smart dialogue, and rare insight into the human heart, you'll want to follow Josie as she problem solves her way through an emotional gauntlet of grief, loss, love, and ultimately, self-discovery, in this world and the next." -Norman Woolworth, author of The Lafitte Affair and The Bolden Cylinder
"Go on and treat yourself to this delicious page turner, revolving around a New York City restaurant with a supernatural component. Buchwald is a natural born storyteller and her characters hum with life, even when they're returning from the dead." -Richard Grant, New York Times best-selling author of A Race to the Bottom of Crazy
"A cross between Ghosts, and The Bear, this novel is set in a busy NYC restaurant that's a hub for people on both sides of the veil. A lovable, eclectic cast of characters, and a protagonist who can talk to the dead, makes The Book of Reservations a moving and lively tale. Satisfying, page-turning and other-worldly." -Carlene O'Connor, USA Today Bestselling Author
"Bravo, Laura, for once again delivering lush prose, a richly textured setting, and characters as complex as they are deeply human. In this compelling sequel, we're drawn even closer to Josie, Derek, and the beloved crew of Miss Sylvie's as they navigate the challenges of genuine emotional connection. With heart and honesty, they support each other in processing past trauma and discovering the quiet strength in embracing life's tender and beautiful vulnerabilities." -Claudia Zuluaga, author of Fort Starlight
