Initially, I was really into this story. But after a while the story began to drag and it was hard to keep interest. The pace moved far too slow for me. Still would encourage others to check it out but it wasn’t for me.


Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

I liked the idea of the book, I really liked the food information, especially everything about Umbria, Italy. I liked the closeness of the good friends over the years. I really appreciated Samuel and Handley. I really worked to like Stella, but barely managed tolerating her until the end.

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more by this author. Loved the writing style! Thank you for the ARC!

I love love love this book!! I seriously want to reread it now and I just finished it. I can't get Stella and Sam out of my head!! Italy, food, a wedding and keep getting thrust together with your ex who you broke his heart. Yes, yes, yes! You need this romance in your life!
I just reviewed Recipe for Second Chances by Ali Rosen. #RecipeforSecondChances #NetGalley
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I really tried to get into this book, but romances are really hard to get into when I am not sold on the character and the writing style.

Fast-paced and enjoyable romantic read! Samuel's character was a breath of fresh air. Great debut novel!

Enjoyable fast-paced read! I thoroughly enjoyed Samuel's character. I like Stella's character once she grew up a bit and realized what she really wanted in life and decided to go for it.

I was unimpressed and underwhelmed with this book.

I will say, Ali Rosen is, for the most part, a word artist. Her ability to describe scenery and food almost made me feel as though I was sitting at the table with Stella and her friends. I did say, “for the most part,” though. One line that caught my attention early on was:
“He was wearing the squarest outfit I could imagine…”
I’m sorry, “square”? Did we fall back to the 1960s? Ali is the same age as I am, roughly, and that word was no longer in style when we were kids. Who says “square” in that context?
Additionally, some words were thrown into the mix in what felt like an attempt for her to flex her vocabulary.

Now, as for the story itself: as I said, I wasn’t impressed. It took me almost a week to finish a 230-page ebook. I kept losing interest in both the characters and the story layout. One chapter will be set in “Present Day,” and the next chapter is “Nine Years Ago.” We continue to flip-flop in this manner throughout the entire book.
The most unimpressive part of the book, unfortunately, is Stella herself. As someone who lives with anxiety, Stella drove me up a wall. She talks throughout the entire book about her anxiety, and how external forces have influenced her choices (not even her direct personal experiences), and yet she didn’t seek therapy? None of her friends tried to gently talk to her about how clearly unhappy she was, despite her constant insistence she was “fine”? I found all of that incredibly frustrating. Stella is an anxiety-ridden coward. I was very tempted to DNF this book, but my need to see how things resolved usually trumps that temptation. That being said, I definitely would NOT recommend this book to a friend.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

For a debut, this was a well described and well paced second chance romance. There were alternating timelines (it reminded me of Forget me Not) which I enjoyed. Overall I’m not a huge fan of second chance but I think this was done well for a debut and I enjoyed it.

Sweet story told in alternating timelines as Stella Park attends her friend's destination wedding in Italy and runs into Samuel, a sorta-ex from nine years ago. As the story plays out, Stella remembers their summer together counter pointed with Samuel and his date for this wedding. A quick but very enjoyable read. Stella may be a little difficult to comprehend, but Samuel is definitely swoon worthy. Don't miss his letter to her as she left to go to Scotland so many years ago.

Recipe for Second Chances by Ali Rosen was hard to get into. The description sounded great and from the get-go I liked the voice, but I couldn’t embrace Stella. Even though she was well fleshed out, she was also a mess and hard to like.

Romantic setting with vivid descriptions. Bell pepper level spice but not quite closed door romance. Quick read with a big, fat happy ending.

I really enjoyed this book. The only thing that I found to be an issue was that it was a bit wordy. I will definitely recommend this book.

The cover and description made me want to read this book. However I was a bit disappointed. I didn't really care for Stella and didn't believe the chemistry and love between her and Samuel. The time jumps were confusing and just overall meh.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

RECIPE FOR SECOND CHANCES was a sweet, fast read that was easy to get through - what's not to love about enemies-to-lovers romance set in Italy?!? Rosen is a cookbook author by trade, and you could see her love of food shine through here, which in turn made me extremely hungry and desperate to pack my bags and go to Italy myself. I do wish the two main characters were a bit more fleshed out - I found them lacking substance, and wanted *more.* Still a good read for those lazy days.

Recipe for Second Chances by Ali Rosen is a heart-warming debut.
Read it in one day because I just could not put it down.
This delicious second-chance romance is set mainly set in Italy and New York City which is just perfect.
The story of Stella and Samuel was beautifully written, and I ripped through each page dying to find out what happened between them.
A very enjoyable book to read. Loved every page of it!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

This was definitely not an enjoyable read. Every character was abysmal. The lead character was mean, rude, and just plain terrible. I’m not sure why anyone would want to be friends with these people let alone date them. The whole thing was uncomfortable.

Recipes for Second Chances is a heart-warming story set mainly set in Italy and New York City. The book follows Stella and Samuel who meet during their college years in New York City. After a brief love affair, they part ways when on wants to commit and the other (through life circumstances) wants to wait essentially because of fear. After years of separation, a trip Italy to attend a wedding of mutual friends brings Stella and Samuel together. Throughout the book, you are rooting for Stella and Samuel as they work through their struggles. Ali Rosen has created a wonderful world of a group of mutual friends - hopefully a couple of sequels are in the works because Hadley, Elena, Cat and Sophie need their own stories to be told.

If you want a feel good romance (with a little angst) with a wonderful Italian backdrop, then Recipes for a Second Chance is the book for you.

I loved the descriptions of food and lush Italian countryside.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy or believe the chemistry between Stella and Samuel (in the past or present). This would have been more successful for me with more focus on Stella's career and professional growth and without the romance.

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Recipe for Second Chances by debut author A. Rosen, published by Montlake is a beautiful second chances story.
Stella Park is in Italy attending the wedding of a friend. And there she meets Samuel Gordon again.
10 years ago she broke his heart, but it's never too late. Being pushed together by friends and family. Could he be worth the risk?
A wonderful slow burn that gives all the feels.