I really enjoyed this debut novel by Ali Rosen! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

This duel timeline Rom-Com gives us Stella, a recipe writer who has closed her heart off to the idea of romantic connection for her entire life following the traumatic divorce of her older sister. Stella is traveling to Italy for the wedding of one of her best friends, where she knows she will run into her ex from 9 years ago. We follow Stella and Samuel’s story as we look back to when they met 9 years ago and see where things take them now that they are seeing each other again after so long.

Ali Rosen did a wonderful job of making me feel like I was in Italy and had me drooling with her vivid descriptions of the foods the characters ate along the way. The addition of the recipes at the end was a super fun bonus!

I loved how real Stella’s anxiety felt throughout the book. I’ve seen reviews criticizing Stella as a character, and saying that she was unlikable, but if you’ve struggled with anxiety at all, Stella’s character will resonate with you and have you rooting for her. At times I do think Stella’s anxiety was just a tiny bit over done and repetitive, but that is honestly my only gripe here.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was that it not only gave us a love story of the romantic kind, but it also gave us a love story between friends. The relationship between Stella and her besties was loving, supportive, and fun. All of the side characters really brought something to the table and added to the story.

If you are a fan of writers like Emily Henry, and want to be transported to Italy for a love story with a super fun group of friends, this book is for you! I will definitely be checking out this authors, future work!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

This was an easy to read romantic chic lit book. It was enjoyable and romantic. I did find the heroine a bit hard to relate to or like. This is what let the book down. I really wanted to love it.

Getting to escape to the Italian countryside for your best friend's wedding isn't always what it is cracked up to be when your ex shows up. While excited to get away from her job as a recipe writer by attending her best friend's wedding, Stella is not excited to see her ex-boyfriend, whom she hasn't seen in 10 years since their breakup.
Recipe for Second Chances tells the story of Stella and her ex, Samuel, through a non-linear timeline while exploring what went wrong and how the couple could possibly work now if given a second chance.
I am a sucker for vacation stories, so I loved getting to read about the excursions Stella went on while in Italy with her friends (and ex). I feel like this book is perfect for Emily Henry fans and anyone looking for a fun get away.

cute rom com, it was light, fluffy, and overall fun.

however, the fmc irritated me - i just could not relate to her 🥴

Fairly predictable rom com but it was still a good read that I enjoyed it. It was also a quick read.

Though the romance so most enticing but it was hero’ ability to see past Stella’ cover that has had my heart swooning. Their honesty towards each other added so much depth and authenticity to their romance.

At time I had a hard time to relate and rooting for the main character, but as I read through, I think I just found myself in Stella. This book has slap me hard on the reality, the importance of opening up, value friendship, and grab the happiness with both of our hands. I love the chemistry and every conversation Stella and Samuel has. This book also highlight the flaws of both main characters and how they cope through it. It's been quite a journey!

This was such a wonderful and enjoyable read!!!! I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While the story and the characters flowed well, I had a hard time getting into this book. I found Stella to be lacking as a main character, and Samuel slightly more interesting than her. I could see people loving this book, it just wasn't for me.

This was a decent romance and I enjoyed the recipe angle of the book as well as the setting, but the MMC didn’t excite me and I couldn’t understand why his relationship with the FMC didn’t work in the first place. But I do look forward to seeing more from this author!

Great storyline but FMC is horrid! What is wrong with her??? I had a VERY hard time connecting with that character

Gorgeous setting and lush, mouthwatering descriptions of food are the very best part of this book, but the tight friendships and the sweet relationship at the center round out an interesting, entertaining story.

This was a very pleasant and entertaining read by a debut author. It's a cute second chance romance between Stella, an associate editor at a food magazine, and Samuel, the guy whose heart she broke a decade ago. Stella's best friend is getting married and she is off to celebrate her wedding in the Italian countryside. What Stella doesn't know is that Samuel is her best friend's best friend and he is also there to celebrate. Throughout all the weekend events, they somehow keep getting pushed together and Stella tries to not think about the fact she may have made a mistake all those years ago saying good-bye to Samuel. She didn't want any sort of attachment, and she certainly didn't want to fall in love. But after all these years, being with him just feels right. Stella suffers from anxiety and has put up barriers, but she just might be willing to let Samuel break down the walls she put up around her heart all those years ago.
A very sweet and fun read. I had a nice time reading it. The storyline was interesting flowed nicely. I thought this was a lovely debut by a very promising author and I look forward to reading more of her work.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

loved this romance and how the journey stated and ended. loved the friends and all of the trials that they went through on the journey. loved the cast and i can't wait t read more.

Thank you @netgalley and @amazonpublishing for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
“The ones that got away reunite at a big Italian wedding.”
Ali Rosen is a cookbook author and tv host. This is her first novel and you can really see her background shine through in her debut novel, Recipe for Second Chances.
I really enjoyed this book and finished it quickly. Stella is an associate editor at a food magazine who travels to Italy to celebrate her best friend’s wedding. Stella hasn’t seen Samuel, one of the groom’s best friends, since she broke his heart nine years ago. Stella’s friends don’t even know about their history.
I usually don’t love stories about people who fight so hard about being in a relationship in general. Their reasoning usually doesn’t make sense. However, in this case, I think Ali Rosen did a good job of writing it and giving Stella reasons for being anxious about a relationship, although I think I would have liked to see a bit more of her background being explored. However, I can’t really understand how Stella could resist Samuel! I loved how honest he is about how he feels and what he wants, and I love the banter between the two of them.
I enjoyed that this book was set in both Italy and New York City. It really worked with the dual timelines – with one timeline being in each city. I absolutely love a good second chance romance. And I loved the descriptions of Italy and the food they ate while there. I also enjoyed Stella’s friendships, although we didn’t learn a lot about Cat – maybe there’s a book about her in the future?
At one point, Stella orders my favourite gelato combo – chocolate and raspberry – and I love that by including it in her book, a professional chef seems to be acknowledging that it really is the best.
I’m looking forward to Ali Rosen’s next book, Alternate Endings, coming out in May.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this book a chance but I just couldn’t get into it. It felt like it was all about dating without a lot of forward momentum in the plot. It just wasn’t for me.

Recipe for Second Chances
Ali Rosen
2023
3 Stars



Thank you NetGalley and Publisher Montlake for review. I have not received any rewards or compensation for this review and therefore all views and opinions are of my own, the reviewer.

In summary: A second chance romance between Stella and Samuel, a rekindling of a previously romance.

I found this story a little hard to follow. I understood the past dialogues to push the current story forward in an attempt to reconnect the main characters in a new relationship. I thought that the characters were probably best out of a relationship based on how the main character Stella treats the secondary main character Samuel. I get that Stella was just not ready to have a relationship and second guesses herself more than once.
I also found that the wedding between other characters took more of the spotlight than it should have.
This book took more time to finish as I felt I could not connect with the story very well and was often bored at times.

I think there's potential but the story didn't involved me and it fell flat
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I really enjoyed this story and the whole second chance. This isn't just a light fluffy read and does deal with some heavier topics but in saying this I felt it was all dealt with very well and the banter between the two characters really made it for me!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️

What a wonderful debut by author Ali Rosen!

Recipe for Second Chances is the love story of Stella and Samuel from the beginning to seeing each other again nine years later while attending a friend's wedding in Umbria, Italy.

What I liked:

* I love the banter and chemistry of the main characters, Stella and Samuel, right from the start!

* I also dig the Swift references, like getaway car, shake it off, etc. It was fun to have hidden allusions unleashed in a book.

* I don't always like when books have flashbacks to the past, but it actually works really well in this book. The past seems to weave together with the current in just the right moments to create a beautiful story. The only downfall is that my attention was lost at times with the back and forth.

* The characters are relatable. Hadley, Samuel's friend, actually became my favorite character. Everyone needs a smart, sassy, lesbian wingwoman in their life!

In regards to Samuel, as someone who has written a long letter confessing my undying love, my heart hurts for the heartache he must feel in not having his love reciprocated.

I can also emphasize with Stella because past trauma is a real MF'er. Her thoughts describe it best:
But how had we gotten here? And was I ready to have this piece of me opened up and exposed? Those were questions I really didn’t have answers to. I wasn’t sure, the way he was. I was scared. I’d watched young love get messy. I’d seen the scars it could leave.

And later on she expresses her thoughts and tells him she's not ready, “I have been exceptionally clear with you from the minute I met you, Samuel. I just cannot handle a relationship. This thing between us is great, and I love talking to you and I’m so glad you came to visit, but that doesn’t change where I am in my life.”

Thoughts:

(Excerpt from the book) When the front door slammed, I barely heard it because I was already curled up in a ball under my covers.
(9 years later)
When I walk out, I slam the door harder than I intended to. But I can’t look back.

The first time was him and the second time was her, but all I know is there's a whole lot of tension and door slammin' going on. The friction between them is heartbreaking, and for me, I couldn't pick sides because I could see both viewpoints of what they felt. Ali does an exceptional job of conveying the emotions of these characters.

Later on in the book: Maybe the real strength is risking the fear for the chance of happiness.

... Maybe this time slow and steady could win the race.

I certainly hope so after nine whole years. Get it girl. We're all rooting for you in taking a leap of faith. Because really, that's what love is.

I think this excerpt from the book says it best: We can read every book and stare at every piece of art about the pain of love, but we never know how much it hurts to be exposed until it’s real to us. It’s a feeling so foreign to our base state that it is impossible to imagine.

This does end in an HEA, and it showcases the complexities of love and how it may take some longer to make that jump, but it's worth it in the end. ❤️

Thank you to Netgalley, Montlake, and I was also somehow the lucky winner of a Goodreads giveaway so this book was definitely meant to be in my hands. I'm grateful for the opportunity to review. All opinions are my own.

#Netgalley #RecipeForSecondChances