A delightful blend of romance and culinary adventures that will leave you wanting more. The writing is witty and engaging and brings the vivid world of food to life. The romance is heartwarming and sizzling with well crafted characters.
Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Lizzy Dent. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Food critic Olive Stone and her chef father have been estranged. So she was shocked to discover that he willed her his beloved restaurant. His dying wish was for Olive and Leo, the sous-chef at the restaurant, complete his cookbook. But Olive is determined to sell the restaurant as much as Leo is determined to convince her not to. They do agree to work on the cookbook, and begin a 4-week food tour in Italy.

I always enjoy Lizzy Dent's books and how wonderfully she writes about food along with romance! And this book will certainly have you salivating for real Italian food. But it goes deeper - Olive has to come to a better understanding of her relationship with her father and how her feelings have shaped her life and personality. A book that will have you dreaming of travel, food, and love!

Just One Taste by Lizzy Dent is a light and delightful romantic comedy with a focus on personal growth and discovering new perspectives. The story follows Birdy, a woman who's been stuck in a bit of a rut, both personally and professionally. After a series of unexpected events, she decides to step outside her comfort zone and take on a new challenge—working at a high-end restaurant. Along the way, she meets a variety of colorful characters, including a potential love interest, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery.

Lizzy Dent's writing is engaging and witty, with a perfect balance of humor and heart. Birdy is a likable protagonist who is easy to root for as she navigates the ups and downs of her new life. The romance is sweet, though it doesn’t dominate the entire plot—this book is just as much about Birdy finding her own voice and overcoming her insecurities.

The setting of the restaurant adds an interesting dynamic, and Dent weaves in some fun foodie elements, which are perfect for readers who enjoy a bit of culinary charm. That said, the pacing can feel a bit slow at times, and some parts of the plot can be a little predictable.

Overall, if you're a fan of feel-good, character-driven stories with a mix of humor, romance, and personal growth, Just One Taste is a fun pick. It’s not overly deep, but it’s heartwarming and enjoyable—a perfect beach or weekend read.

After reading - and loving - all of Lizzy Dent's earlier books, I was thrilled to receive and ARC of her latest novel, JUST ONE TASTE, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publishers, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons!

In JUST ONE TASTE, food critic Olive Stone is forced on an emotional journey through Italy with chef Leo Ricci, who took her place at her father's restaurant after their relationship became estranged. After Olive's father's death, Olive and Leo must work together to finish his work in progress: a cookbook that captures the beauty and culture of Italy, and that captures his unique spirit. I loved this story, the chemistry between the characters, the clear growth and love that develops through the pages, and as always, Dent's wit and clever writing. I highly recommend this story, especially for fans of Dent's other work.

I generally enjoy romance books that have a restaurant or foodie element. I think it is such a fun way for a story to be told and this was no exception! The love story was so sweet! I loved reading about the character's journey through Italy!

This book has been on my Netgalley for a bit and I haven’t picked it up. I will say, I did read The Sweetest Revenge and loved it! I think Lizzy Dent is a wonderful writer, I’m just not into romance right now, so I’m not the right person to review this book anymore.

I enjoy Lizzy Dents books. They're quick and fun reads. I highly recommend them as a palate cleanser as well!

I haven't read this author before, but have heard wonderful things which is what prompted me to request this one. This is a wonderful story based in Italy (love!!) and is based around a chef, which i love! This was an adorable rom com that was so feel good, i couldnt put it down.

Thanks so much for the digital copy!

Italy + travel + food + romance = the best book combination!

Loved being on the culinary adventure across Italy with Olive and Leo! Did it make me hungry? Yes. Did it make me want to buy a ticket to Italy? Yes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam & Sons for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Lighthearted, cute, and progressed at a natural pace. However, I'm not sure if it should be considered contemporary/women's fiction moreso than romance, because it straddled that fine line pretty well. I will say, though, that it made me want to go to Italy reeeeal bad. The FMC was a strong character, even when things happened around her that were a bit out of her control, and she learned to navigate these tricky obstacles in unique ways. I also liked that there was conflict involved, albeit conflict that felt contrite. Overall, though, it wasn't too bad of a book! I'd definitely read some more Lizzy Dent if it were around. Thanks for the opportunity to read!

Dnf about 25% in

I was really bored reading this one. I wasn't connecting with the characters and Olive was really grating to me.

Perfect summer read! You get to take a big Italian adventure form the comfort of your own home! Slow burn turned hot/heavy romance! It very much gave me the perfect hallmark movie type of vibes; that found sense of family. What do you do when the only connection you desperately want to have with your deceased father is his unfinished cookbook! You finish it! And travel to places he wanted to go, experience the beautiful country side in Italy and maybe a little love along the way!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This is a sweet romcom. I enjoyed the Italian vibes and it reminded me a lot of one Italian summer with the atmosphere, but even better. All the food references made me want to travel to Italy or at least cook something up while watching the movie Luca. Overall if you want a book with atmosphere I’d grab this one, but aside from that I didn’t connect with much else such as the characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed Just One Taste by Lizzy Dent. The journey of Olive and Leo, set against the rich backdrop of Italy, was both heartwarming and engaging. Their evolving relationship, intertwined with culinary adventures, made for a delightful read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Overall, I do think this was a really good book! Definitely made me feel a lot of feels and had a lovely ending! Would recommend this if you want a short summer read! I can't wait to read more by Lizzy Dent!

This one was a bit slow (I’m not a foodie) and the main characters lacked the chemistry I was looking for. Still cute though.

Lizzy Dent is my go-to for fun and sweet bingeable rom coms! JUST ONE TASTE was no exception! I read this book in under 48 hours. It was the perfect pool side read. I absolutely adored the FMC and found her so relatable! I love any stories involving food or restaurants so this one was especially up my alley. Olivia and Leo’s chemistry was palpable!!

I love both travel-together and enemies-to-lovers tropes in romances, so the combination of them here was a winner. I'm not usually one to love the food-themed romances, but it works well here since the focus is more on the cookbook and the family connections. Solid character development and good pacing for the romance.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

First of all, the cover of this novel is adorable and deserves a shoutout!

On to the story, Just One Taste is a cute romance/contemporary fiction that throws together our sort of enemies to lovers, Olive and Leo. Olive's got some obvious resentment towards Leo as he was incredibly close to her father prior to his passing, after Olive and her father fell out. Now, they're forced together to promote a cookbook on tour in the most romantic of scenery.

It's a cute, boisterous and full-bodied romance novel that will transport you to beautiful Italian locales while our unwitting protagonists fall in love and hate at the same time.