Just One Taste is a quick fun read. After Olive’s chef father dies she must go to Italy with his sous chef Leo to finish her father’s cookbook. It’s a journey about working through your grief, finding your purpose, and maybe finding love.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. This story had me mentally living in Italy and I was HERE for that. I loved our FMC’s desire to keep her head on her shoulders with her life decisions while her romantic life loomed. She was in a messy spot throughout this book and it felt real! The conflict was a bit too contrived (I OFTEN don’t enjoy the fabricated conflict that tends to arise before the 3rd act) but the support from and relationships with her people that we got to explore through it added depth to our FMC’s story.

All in all, a sweet and good summer read!

I wanted to love this one more than I did. The premise is so fun. The settings were absolutely lovely. The food descriptions throughout had me drooling. But unfortunately there were too many moments when the dialogue took me out of the story. I’d be loving the banter, then it would get choppy/ confusing. I found myself needing to reread sections often just to figure out who was talking and how a subject change had come about. This may have been a formatting issue that will be resolved in the final copy (because the ARC copy formatting was the worst I’ve seen in a long time), but it seemed more than that to me. The ‘twist’ at the end felt really out of place and weird and then it was instantly like HEA, all is well and made the ending feel weird.

4 I’m hungry for Italian food stars

This author does an amazing job writing about the hospitality industry. This time she’s taking us to Italy to finish a cookbook. There are some wonderful descriptions of the geography, people, and food and left me ready to hit my local Italian restaurant.

Olive Stone’s parents ran an Italian restaurant until he became obsessed with it and prioritized it over his family. Olive’s mom left the marriage and the restaurant, taking Olive with her.

Fourteen years later, her father Nicky dies, surprisingly leaving the restaurant and a nearly finished cookbook to Olive. Nicky’s last wishes were for Olive and the hot chef, Leo Ricci, to head to the final regions of Italy for a month to finish the cookbook. It’s too bad that Olive can’t stand Leo.

As you might predict, the forced proximity brings the pair closer, and they have to fight their attraction. As Olive reconnects with old family friends in Italy, she feels closer to her Dad. She even starts to have second thoughts about selling the restaurant.

I would have liked more excerpts from the cookbook sprinkled in and more from Nicky’s point of view. This was an enjoyable trip to Italy though!

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance -not ROM COM

Food Critic Olive Stone and her Italian pseudo-celebrity chef father fell out fourteen years ago, after her parents divorced, so nobody is more surprised than she is, when he leaves her his beloved restaurant “Nicky’s” upon his death.

She expected it to be willed to his sous-chef and “surrogate” son, the impossibly good looking Leo Ricci, who would be the obvious heir apparent.

She also didn’t expect that her father’s dying wish would be for Olive and Leo to complete his regional cookbook-TOGETHER, during a four week tour.

Olive would pen the introductions to each of the remaining three regions-which had been Nicky’s contribution in the earlier chapters and Leo would continue to provide three recipes which would best represent the local flavor of each of those regions.

Sicily-Tuscany and Liguria.

The food is bountiful and the is liquor is always flowing as the pair taste their way through an Italy filled with old memories in a quest to choose an ingredient to feature in each of the remaining chapters. (There is a LOT of eating !)

Olive would be free to sell the restaurant once the cookbook was completed but as she confronts the past she begins to question her decision.

Perhaps Nicky’s trattoria (and its hot chef ) could be just the recipe she needs for her own life? Fortunately she has two supportive friends in Kate and Ginny to help her sort things out.

We were only privy to one introductory chapter from the cookbook penned by Nicky, and one penned by Olive.

I would’ve loved to get to know Nicky better perhaps by reading a few more paragraphs introducing a region or two from Nicky and all three of the introductions written by Olive. More focus here could have made this just as much of a love story from father to daughter and daughter to father as it was to Italy.

This aspect of the story was stronger for me than the romance.

I found myself a bit teary eyed by the BITTERSWEET ending.

3.75 ⭐️ rounded ⬆️

Expected Publication date: July 16, 2024

Thank You to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the gifted copy provided by NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Just One Taste is a book full of my favorite things- Italy, food, and romance. Follow Olive’s story as she copes with the death of her father and makes a huge decision about her shocking inheritance while falling for a guy she despises and navigating some newly uncovered family drama. A perfect beach read! Lizzie Dent’s writing is so descriptive and transported me right to all of the wonderful Italian cities where this story takes place. Can’t wait to read more of her work!

Grab your copy on July 16th! Special thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

Lizzy Dent's "Just One Taste" is a fast-paced, quick read that will leave you yearning to travel to Italy. It's not entirely lighthearted, but rather a balance of light and darker topics (involving death, grief, family, purpose, etc). Olive's dad has recently passed away. To her surprise, he left his fledgling restaurant to her as an inheritance. It's a surprise because she and her dad were estranged for several years because he always prioritized the restaurant over his family. Olive wants to sell the place as soon as possible. She is a successful food critic and doesn't want to take on running the business. Leo, the restaurant's sous chef and "son" to Olive's dad, wants Olive to keep it open, but modernize and update the dishes, decor, and vibe, because he thinks it will be a thriving, winning business. And thus, the enemies-to-lovers story is born!!! Olive's dad's dying wish was for his in-progress cookbook to be finished upon his death. Olive and Leo embark upon a journey to finish the cookbook as they learn about life, love, regrets, grief, and food along the way. This is the kind of book you can feel, smell, and taste in your bones. Dent's descriptions are expert! You can truly taste the food, visualize the scenery, feel the joy of eating and the happiness of discovery, browse the lush landscapes as if you were there, feel the fizzing drinks on your lips and tongue. The chemistry between Olive and Leo isn't exactly there at first, but as they spend more time with one another, and come to understand each other, a mutual attraction forms, especially on Olive's end. To me, it felt clear that Leo always liked/loved Olive, but the attraction on her end feels more lusty than long-term. Maybe that's why I didn't feel entirely invested in their pairing. I *liked* them together, but I didn't *love* them together. They have some good banter and feel like they could have been better friends than lovers. I will say that it feels like the prose is pretty repetitive. This book could have easily been shorter. It feels like certain conversations and specific instances happen multiple times. Be aware that the theme of grief is heavy in this book, and surprisingly so at times. I think the end "twist" felt a little out of place, but Dent recovered it well at the end. All in all, this is a good book, though I have enjoyed Dent's other works better.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lizzy Dent, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Lizzy Dent does it again! Just One Taste is funny, romantic and a bit heartbreaking. I loved touring through Italy with Olive and Luca. One tip thought, don't read it while you're hungry. The descriptions of food are mouthwatering!

A love letter to Italy, Italian food and complicated relationships.
Olive is semi-estranged from her father when he passes away and she’s left with his failing restaurant. She wants to sell, but first has to carry out his dying wish of finishing a cookbook.
Leo is the sous chef who has big ideas how to bring the restaurant back.
The two of them go to Italy to write the last 3 sections of the book.
The food & place descriptions are what make this shine, there’s slow burn too of course and forced proximity.
The twist at the end wasn’t predictable and the epilogue was perfect. I was in all my feels.

5 stars!

I for real need to stop reading books where the main character has lost a close family member bc they all have me in tears 😭😭😭

This book was such a fun adventure through Italy, I loved reading about all the food and the history behind the different regions of Italy Olive and Leo traveled. I LOVED reading Olive's journey with herself, her career, and her respective relationship to each of her parents. However, her relationship with Leo felt mostly physical and I struggled to see deep love or romance between them. This was a great summer read and perfect for those days when you're dreaming of being on vacation.

"The depth of the ache is physical. It hits me like a punch to the stomach and I cry out in agony at the pain of it. The pain is so hollow I find myself desperate for breathe. There is nothing there. No way to tell him I love him. No way to thank him. He's gone. My love has nowhere to go, and my regret can never be atoned for." 💔

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publishers who sent me this ARC to read & review! <3

Just One Taste is a deliciously heartwarming and emotional romance that is just all about finding your dreams and what family really means. Olive Stone has unexpectedly inherited her estranged father’s restaurant and finds out is her last wish is she finishes his cookbook through Italy with her late father’s sous chef Leo, and the more she sees Italy through her father’s eyes, the more she’s wondering what to do with the restaurant. This is a really heartfelt read. Olive’s journey with her late father is really beautiful and emotional. There’s so much depth and I love the way she handles it. Olive is so relatable and her friendships are so good and strong. I love seeing a strong female friendship like in this book. I also really enjoyed Leo, I think the romance was missing a little something, but I loved the banter of Leo and Olive and how they challenged each other. Their adventures eating through Italy too made me want to just jump on a plane. This is a lovely book.

I enjoyed the beginning and the end of Lizzy Dent’s latest book, Just One Taste, but I must admit the middle was a bit repetitive and hum-drum. One thing is certain, however, you will walk away from reading this book craving delicious Italian cuisine and daydreaming of an exotic Sicilian vacation of your own. .

The promise of Italy, food, and romance - I was hooked in by the cover and the description. But I only made it 25% in and couldn't keep going. I was in no mood to read another romance about grief. I've heard great things about the author's first book and will try that one intead.

I have tried to read this 4 different times. I cannot get past the first chapter. I love silly little romances but the writing in this is just not tolerable for me.

DNF

Fun and lively, but the romance at the heart of the story was missing something -- not enough build-up, perhaps? It was good, but not great. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

One of my favorite subgenres of romance is one that involves food; food trucks, rival chefs, or a beautiful country with decadent meals. Just One Taste fit the bill, feeding my foodie quota. However, the romance missed the mark. I felt like I connected with the food more than I did with Leo and Olive's romance. There was more heat in the Italian food than there was in their interactions.

When food critic Olive Stone’s dad dies, he leaves her two things: the restaurant that tore her family apart and an unfinished manuscript for his cookbook. Both come with one unwelcome condition: his sous chef Leo that has a lot of ideas about both.

Olive and Leo set off on a tour of Italy to finish the cookbook, but what happens after? Olive was dead set on selling the restaurant, but can she really leave it behind? And what will that mean for the slowly growing attraction between her and Leo?

This book was a fabulous love letter to Italy and the food that came from their wonderful country. The imagery was vivid and beautiful. It really made me want to go there to experience it all. Top notes for that! I just wish I felt a little bit more chemistry between Olive and Leo. I personally felt like it wasn’t built up as well as I’m used to with Lizzy Dent’s other books so I was a bit disappointed.

Despite that it was still a good read! I’ll still be recommending it 😊

Enemies to lovers set in Italy. If both of those work for you, you’ll like this book.

Grieving her father, Olive is tasked with finishing his cookbook with the help of his protégé who she doesn’t like. Really she DOESNT like him.

This book was cute. The setting. The real relationships. The passage of grief. It was really well done.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUINE Putnam Group for the ARC.

Just One Taste was wonderful! I loved Olive and Leo and their chemistry. Dent does an amazing job at setting the scene and I felt like I was right there in Italy with them. Olive storyline brought so much depth to the story making this more than just your basic romance. Perfect summer/beach read! Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

(4.5 stars)

i. am. OBSESSED. this was such a beautiful story filled with love, self-discovery and growth, grief, the meaning of family, traveling and most importantly, FOOD. Dent was so descriptive with all the food scenes it felt like i was in the kitchen/restaurants with them. i really loved the slow burn between Olive and Leo and how it grew through their mutual passion for food in Italy (and a little forced proximity 😉). i also think the different POVs of grief over the same loved one really created a sense of connection between all characters & made for one cohesive story. i was completely taken aback by the twist & but was happy to see my anticipated ending still came to fruition.

overall, im fully entering my food romance era, and this book is at the top of the list! 😍