Stella Park is an associate editor at a fancy gourmet magazine. She has a passion for all things food and two fabulous best friends, one of whom is getting married. Samuel Gordon, a lawyer, is the grooms best friend and Stella’s one that got away. Stella and Sam had a whirlwind romance during college that ended very badly and they haven’t seen each other since. Although that feels like a lifetime ago Stella has not forgotten the pain of her sisters divorce and the promise she made to protect her heart at all costs. Still single - by choice! - it has been nine long years and Stella never felt that special spark again. She wouldn’t dare let anyone get close enough to even try. And then there is Sam - a guest at the wedding that she didn’t expect to see in the beautiful Italian countryside - looking more handsome than ever. Stella was terrified then and she is terrified now. Every look from Sam turns her stomach upside down. Dancing, eating and drinking their way through this romantic venue is too much to resist. Maybe she can keep trying this one particular recipe until it comes out just right. Delectable, mouthwatering cuisine and a huge Indian/Italian wedding with all the traditional trimmings is a rollercoaster of fun and laughter. Fabulous debut author who needs no introduction as she is already a well known cookbook author and TV personality. Reading and eating, sounds perfect to me!

A story that included food, celebration, and second chances! What wasn't to like?
We find our characters in the midst of a celebration for a wedding in romantic Italy, bringing everyone together again, which poses a challenge for our main character Stella. As far as her friend group knows, she and Samuel were a quick summer fling, but, they both know it was so much more.
As someone who plays it on the safe side, Stella isn't certain that she made the right call all those years ago. When wedding celebrations bring them together, she cannot help but wonder if the right decision was made. Stelle knows it's time to take charge of her life, but she will do it her own way!

I’m here for the food descriptions and recipes but not the romance. This book just didn’t do it for me. I like my fmc characters to be likable and Stella just was not. And Samuel didn’t make sense to me. Why was he so interested in her when she didn’t see him as more than a sex toy. I don’t know I just didn’t care for it.

Recipe for Second Chances by Ali Rosen is a heartwarming and engaging story that takes you on a journey of self-discovery and second chances. The story revolves around Stella Park, a recipe writer who travels to Italy to celebrate her best friend's wedding. However, the celebrations are short-lived when she runs into Samuel Gordon, her ex-boyfriend whom she hasn't seen in ten years.

As the weekend progresses, Stella and Samuel are repeatedly pushed together, and she begins to question the choices she made a decade ago. Despite her reservations, Stella starts to develop feelings for Samuel and wonders if he was the one that got away.

The story is filled with delectable food, Indian and Italian wedding traditions, and unplanned detours in gorgeous locales. Ali Rosen has done an excellent job of creating a vivid and immersive setting that transports you to Italy. The characters are well-developed, and the plot is engaging and relatable.

Recipe for Second Chances is a perfect blend of romance, self-reflection, and culinary delights. It's a must-read for anyone who loves a good love story with a twist. Ali Rosen has crafted a beautiful story that reminds us that some love stories just need more time to marinate. Overall, I found the book to be a delightful and enjoyable read that left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Thank you NetGalley, Ali Rosen, and Montlake for allowing me to read a copy of Recipe for Second Chances in exchange for an honest review.

It was not bad. It was not great. It was just okay. This book is definitely a one and done read for me. Stella is the main character and she is completely insufferable throughout the entire story. She is so hung up on her sister's divorce, which happened a freaking decade ago. The descriptions of food and the sights in Italy are really well done. The writing itself is not bad. I just wish the the main character was given a better personality. And each chapter jumping between the past and the present is not at all necessary to tell the story. The recipes in full at the end of the book are greatly appreciated though.

This book was really hard for me to get into. The start was so slow. Other than that it was an ok book from my stand point.

Super cute, fun, and light read. Stella and Samuel met in college while not in the right space for a relationship. A few years later, they meet again at a destination wedding in Italy for mutual friends. As predicted, they kept getting thrown together during the wedding events. Hilarity and mouthwatering recipes ensue. While the interior monologues of the main character got tedious at times, the overall book was a delight to read. It's a great book for a little escapism.
I am looking forward to reading other titles from this author.

A solid debut by food writer Ali Rosen! This second chance romance sees Stella travelling to Italy for her friend's wedding only to find herself reunited with her ex, Samuel - the one who got away.

Emotionally heavy, this single POV story is told through flashbacks as we see Stella and Samuel's rocky relationship and eventual break-up. Perfect for Emily Henry fans, this book had great found family/female friendships, tasty food recipes (included at the end) and EXCELLENT anxiety rep.

I will admit that at times I found Stella's inability to take a chance on love with Samuel extremely frustrating but I think that was the whole point. Samuel wanted everything from Stella and her bad experiences made her scared to take the leap, constantly pushing him away.

Overall I did enjoy this one and liked the narration by new to me narrator, Natasha Chandel. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I couldn’t put this book down. From the characters to the setting, I loved it. Such beautiful friendships that are inspiring. Sweet & funny & heartbreaking at times.

Would recommend if you love:
-Multi-timeline
-Anxiety rep!
-Romantic Italian setting
-It was always you
-He falls first, he falls harder

This was a cute story. I thought there would be more of the recipe development aspect due to that being the FMC job and pretty much her entire identity. The super strong female friendships were my favorite thing in this story! If I have a negative it is that Stella's fear of relationships, being with someone, etc got really old. Like, for entire chapters I don't think anything happened other than Stella telling us (again, and again, and again) that she didn't want to form relationships further than physical connection. This is the reason for 3 stars vs 4. I just didn't feel like anything happened until the very end.
Stella and Samuel's interactions were super swoony (from Samuel's side) but Stella resisted the entire time.

Overall a cute romance, but not all that exciting for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. The timeline is from 9 years ago to present as we learn what happened with. Stella and Samuel. She’s a commitment phobe and wants a “no-strings” relationship, but he genuinely cares about her and wants a relationship. They have no contact for 9 years and then face each other at a mutual friend’s wedding. I understand that Stella has anxiety and that the end of her sister’s “perfect” marriage has left her questioning anything truly lasting. However, I would’ve loved her to have a conversation about her anxiety 9 years before she did. 3.5 Stars

The breakdown of her sister’s relationship ten years ago shattered Stella, and she chose to make her life small to avoid similar heartbreak. Stella shied away from her burgeoning relationship with Samuel, withdrew from her friends, and focussed on her work. Ten years later, at the wedding of her friend in Italy, Stella encounters Samuel again and reflects on the impact of her decisions on her work and relationships.

Told from dual time points, I was surprised how much I loved this story. I loved the focus on friendships and family, food and traditions, and the authors love for food and culture was evident. I enjoyed learning about Stella’s work as a food editor, and found her experience of missing opportunities at work through a lack of self advocacy resonated. I liked the grounded character of Samuel, but even more so Stella’s sister and friends who were supportive but also challenging.

I switched between audiobook and ebook for this book, and I particularly enjoyed the audio experience.

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This is a cute book and I loved the food themes throughout. It lacked a bit of detail that I was hoping for, but overall it was a feel-good quick read.

How fun would book clip be with the recipes?!? Simple but fun second chance romance. Light hearted fast read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for the ARC of this book!

What a wonderful debut novel! I will definitely be looking for other books by this author in the future! I truly enjoyed every moment and devoured this in about a day!

This book is a second chance romance, which I love, and follows Stella and Samuel. It shifts back and forth between present day and 9 years previously. The present day takes place in Italy at a friend's wedding and the setting is super fun. All in all, it is about learning to take risks in love even when you are scared. I highly recommend it! Grateful to have gotten an early copy!

I struggled through this one but I wanted to finish it so I could give a fair review. Stella is incredibly unlikeable. I have an alphabet soup of mental health disorders, including anxiety, and even I wanted to shake Stella for having her head stuck so far up her butt. She was selfish and strung this guy along due to an insane fear of commitment stemming from something that didn’t even happen to her, but her sister. I would’ve rated it 2 stars but I added a star purely for Samuel. He deserved better.

Sometimes people meet and they just click. For Samuel that was the case with Stella, but Stella had the mindset that she wasn’t going to get involved with a relationship. This book goes from present day to 9 years ago. It flips back and forth so that you get pieces of the story present day, but what happened back then as well.

I enjoy this style of writing while some people don’t. Did Stella frustrate me? Absolutely. Do I think that the pull Samuel had from the beginning happens? I’m not sure.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance read.

Recipe for Second Chances by Ali Rosen was a read now on NetGalley and the cover caught my eye. I sometimes love going into a book without any idea what it's about except the cover -- I also tend to buy my wine this way, eye-catching label all the way!

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for granting me access to this title.

The years ago, Stella broke Sam's heart. A man she was reluctant to let in, but ultimately couldn't stay away from despite the long list of reasons it wouldn't work. When things imploded, Stella and Sam lost touch. Now, Stella is headed to her friend's wedding in Italy and she's hopeful to escape her life and job back home. When Sam shows up, Stella is forced to relive the moments that led them to this exact moment. Could there be another chance for Sam and Stella?

What I enjoyed was the current day and past history of Sam and Stella. It helped me understand the complexities of their relationship and why things went so awry. This is Ali Rosen's debut novel and I thought it was a solid read. I will say at times I felt my attention waning and ultimately, I thought the book could have been shorter. However, that being said, I have to say, I loved the ending. it had a bit of a French film ending (iykyk).

Thank you netgalley for this ARC!

Recipes for Second Chances was set in Italy at a friend's wedding and features a second chance romance (as the name shows!).

I love Italy so much, and the way the author described the scenery and the food was great! Unfortunately, the author didn’t extend that to the characters. This felt too “surface level” for me. I had a hard time connecting with the main character, Stella.

This was just an okay read, but the second chance aspect was executed well!


This was just an okay read, but the second chance aspect was executed well!

A romance complete flashbacks and a friends wedding. I found this book lacking - I didn't root for the relationship (and the 'big issue' was was pervasive throughout the whole book, so it was a bit frustrating). I feel like we didn't get the angst or build up or fluff, and was very much in Stella's thoughts. I also would've liked more of the friendships. A lot of scenes made my eyes glaze over, wanting to get on with it, but that's a common complaint for me. This was an easy read, although a bit repetitive/frustrating, it just didn't feature the elements I like in a romance book.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc.