Coming March 11, 2025
Kate & Frida: A Novel of Friendship, Food, and Books
From the author of instant national bestseller Love & Saffron, this bright and comforting novel follows the surprising friendship between two young women in 1990s Seattle and Paris, illuminating the power of books to change our lives.
A buoyant, mouth-watering oasis of a novel, Kate & Frida is a love letter to bookshops and booksellers, to the way stories shape how we perceive ourselves, to the passion we bring to life in our twenties, and to the last precious years before the internet changed everything.
Twenty-something Frida Rodriguez comes to Paris in 1991, relishing the city’s butter-soaked cuisine and seeking her future as a war correspondent. But when she writes to a bookshop in Seattle, she receives more than just the book she requests. A friendship begins that will redefine the person she thought she wanted to become.
Seattle bookseller Kate Fair is transformed by Frida’s free spirit, spurred to kiss her handsome coworker, to believe in herself as a writer, and to find beauty even in loss. Through the most tumultuous years of their young lives—personally and globally—Kate and Frida’s friendship sustains and nourishes them as they show each other how to overcome self-doubt and the necessity of embracing joy even through our darkest hours.
Out in Paperback
Love & Saffron: A Novel of Friendship, Food, and Love
The Instant National Bestseller
& #1 Indie Next Pick
PRAISE FOR LOVE & SAFFRON
"Food is far from the only thing to provide nourishment: I absolutely loved this novel ... I wanted to go on reading it forever."
— Nigella Lawson
“Fay’s emotionally generous novel demonstrates how people’s worlds can expand when they open themselves to new possibilities. Readers will be touched by this enriching tale and inspired to embark on their own international culinary adventures.” — Booklist
“Delicious food, wonderful characters, and adventures abound in this delightful story that simmers with affection.” — Christian Science Monitor
“Warm, delicious, and absolutely satisfying - I devoured it in one enthusiastic gulp!” — Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Last Train to London
“Nearly impossible to put down…Sometimes, you just need a book that is short and sweet, and former Seattleite Kim Fay’s second novel is that and much more…By the end, I was shedding tears along with the characters, and felt as if I’d made two friends. This is an irresistible story of two women from a lost time, both determined to make the best of things.” — The Seattle Times
“Fay’s touch is deft … The story leaves the reader wanting more—more recipes, more letters, more time in the gentle, unfolding friendship of these two women. A glimpse into a friendship that doesn’t hesitate to touch on joy, sadness, love, and death.” — Kirkus Reviews
“In the footsteps of Laurie Colwin and Ruth Reichl, Love & Saffron is a beautiful, gentle, intimate exploration of food and friendship, as well as life, loss, and love.” — Susan Elia MacNeal, author of The Hollywood Spy
“Love & Saffron is a sweet, savory, and emotional pleasure. It’s like a dinner with friends you won’t want to end.” — J. Ryan Stradal, author of The Lager Queen of Minnesota
“Love & Saffron is simply a delight … Kim Fay reveals how a love of food can open doors into culture, history, homes, and love.” — Ann Hood, author of The Knitting Circle
“The power of intentional, mindful correspondence that requires one to sit, gather thoughts, and pour a piece of oneself on paper is beautifully rendered here. If like me, epistolary novels hold a fond place in your heart, or you love books like Dear Mrs. Bird, then this is for you.” — Book Riot
Illustrations by Christie Kwan