I solemnly swear that I will stop requesting books that are centered around food as their main plot point, because they never ever hit for me. Flowery passages about food just do nothing for me, and the entire time I'm left wishing for exposition on the characters and less about the sensation of eating a dish. THAT BEING SAID, I also found the both main characters to be annoying in their own ways and I wasn't really feeling their chemistry, either. The friendship between the FMC and her girlfriends felt more authentic to me than the romantic relationship that was happening.

I don't think the writing in this book was bad, and I'm certain that some people will love it.

If you are looking for a delectable romance, look no further than Lizzy Dent's 'Just One Taste'! Every page offered up a blend of romance, humor, and, of course, mouthwatering Italian cuisine. As Olive and Leo journey through Italy, their chemistry sizzles hotter and hotter, and I found it impossible to put down. Whether you're a foodie or simply craving a heartwarming romance, 'Just One Taste' is sure to satisfy you. Thank to to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

firstly, thank you to PENGUIN GROUP putnam for approving me for this eARC and to lizzy dent for writing it.

aside from books, the second biggest hobby in my life is food and cooking. i am by no means a gourmet level chef but i have a huge appreciation for the craft and really love learning about it. when i read the description for this book, i knew it was right up my alley!

“just one taste” follows food critic olive stone on a journey of italy, courtesy of her deceased father’s last wishes to finish a cookbook he was in the process of. hopefully, she can do it as fast as possible and be done with his legacy. the catch? she has to spend the trip with his restaurant’s sous chef, leo ricci, helping her. as they travel, they try foods, reconnect with old friends, learn about ingredients…and even about each other. it has her thinking maybe saving a legacy with someone by your side wouldn’t be too bad…

having lost a parent, especially one i was estranged from just like olive, i related a lot to her process of grief and i really appreciated that coming through in the writing style. and though i’ve never been to italy, the descriptions were so beautiful, and my mouth was watering pretty much the whole way through this book. (some of that could have been about leo, though! whew.) and olive’s struggle with wanting to sell the restaurant or take a leap and run it with leo felt really fleshed out - it was a decision she couldn’t make lightly and i felt that. also, Y’ALL. the last 20% of this book?! god. that bombshell was something i definitely wasn’t expecting. but i’m really glad for the ending and how it all tied up as nicely as possible.

this book comes out in july, be sure to add it to your tbr so you can pretend you’re going to an italian riviera with a hot guy who will just cook you food and compliment you the whole time. buona lettura!

This is a delightfully engaging, romantic and flirty, deeply heart-warming book perfect for summer reading! Or when you need a taste of an Italian summer, which if you’re like me, is at least once a month.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s wonderfully immersive, Lizzy Dent brings you along to every restaurant, every location through Italy that Olive and Leo visit, and makes sure you experience every bite and every glass of wine.

Olive goes on quite the journey of self-discovery after the passing of her father to finish his cookbook, and must bring along with her the sous chef from her father’s restaurant, (very flirty, very hot, very swoon-worthy) Leo. I just loved the chemistry between these two, and I giggled along with them as they cooked with banter across Italy. We meet so many colorful characters in the book, dialogue swirled with a few lines of Italian, honestly this book almost tricked me into believing I did in fact travel Europe!!

If you’re looking for a fun, charming, romantic book to add to your summer reading plans, definitely add this one, you won’t regret it!

This is my first Lizzy Dent, and I plan to read more. I will be recommending this to everyone for the summer, and be rereading it myself!!

— Thank you the NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam Publishing for this ARC.

"Just One Taste" offers an enticing premise that evokes nostalgia for Italy, skillfully capturing the essence of its diverse regions. The blend of romance and culinary delights, set against a backdrop of family drama, adds depth to the narrative. However, the repetitive use of descriptive language becomes noticeable, detracting from the overall experience. Despite the slow pace of the romance between Leo and Olive, the book still holds appeal for those fond of Italian culture and cuisine, making it a suitable read for leisurely moments, such as beach vacations.

I felt like I went on a trip to Italy in this one. The description of the food and landscapes definitely make a romantic setting for a food critic and “hot chef”. I enjoyed this one! It’s out in July!

Lizzy Dent's writing is one of my favorites when it comes to romantic comedies. Her characters are always fun and easy to follow. This one got me craving a trip to Italy and a dream of opening my own modern Italian restaurant. I loved the plot, the family aspect, the food, the steamy build up of a romance and the closure that came from this read. It truly shows, from end to beginning, all the time, family, and want it takes to grow as a person to a place of happiness and forgiveness.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing company for allowing to me to read and review!

I loved this book. It’s the perfect story about falling in love with food, remembering a loved one and hopefully finding yourself along the backroads of Italy

Just One Taste is the story of Olive, who is finishing up her recently deceased father’s final project (a cookbook about Italy) with the will-they won’t-they romantic interest (her dad’s sous chef from the family restaurant). If Emily Henry ever wrote a book about a food critic, it would read something like this. It covered grief, guilt, love, and food. There were lots of flirty comments and obvious longing - which was enjoyable but did become somewhat repetitive. I think that there was a lot of talking around the past, which meant that the book felt as though it jumped right into the middle of a story. I liked this book, even though every time I put it down I craved pasta.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

I think this may be my favorite book from this author, especially after ;last year's The Sweetest Revenge. Our FMC, Olive, is a notoriously stern food critic in London who has a rule to never give a 5 star review because there is always room for improvement.. She has recently inherited the failing restaurant from her father who recently passed away. She had an estranged relationship with him and the restaurant symbolizes the demise of her parents marriage. The other catch is her father wants her to finish his cookbook that spans various regions of Italy with the restaurant's sous chef, Leo. I guess this would be considered slightly enemies to lovers as Olive has made it clear that she wants to sell the restaurant, but Leo sees great possibilities in it.

The author did a wonderful job describing the various regions of Italy, and the food and wine descriptions were top notch and delicious. It's always great to see an author just get better and better in their craft.

Thank you Netgalley and G.P. Putnam’s for the ARC for my honest review.

This is a beautifully emotional tale of love, family, friendship, and culture that left me crying, heart-wrenched, and feeling everything under the sun.

Tropes:
🩵One-bed
🩵Slow Burn
🩵Forced Proximity
🩵Enemies to Lovers

Overall Thoughts: (including why it received it’s rating)
5/5 stars- We start with our main character, Olive, who has been gifted her father’s restaurant through her inheritance from his death. She finds herself stuck with a difficult choice: sell the restaurant or keep it, all amongst dealing with the grief of her father’s passing. Traveling to Italy with her father’s sous chef, Leo, Olive must finish the cookbook that her father was working on during his passing.

This book took me through the travels of all possible emotions. It is rare that I give a book a solid 5/5, but I felt so intensely connected to this story, and it’s ability to evoke every emotional side of me left me speechless when the book ended.

What I liked:
Culture. I grew up in a Sicilian American family, and this book felt like a direct connection to my culture. It’s not often that I see Sicily represented so accurately in a piece of literature. It is often the mainland of Italy that is focused on. The vivid imagery of the food an landscape transported me to the location of the novel. I have to say, I couldn’t pick up the book without getting hungry! It’s clear there was an immense amount of research and effort that went into the production of this novel, and as a proud Sicilian, I cannot express how incredible it was to be immersed in the experience.
Friendship. The bonds that are expressed through Olive’s friendship with Kate and Ginny pulled on every string in my heart. “The best of friends. An abundance of patience. Not a stifled yawn or a change of subject between them,” (Chapter 33). Every single person deserves to experienced friendship as such, and this book was a wonderful reminder of the importance of the bond in friendship.
Love. The growth of love in every scenario- friendship, relationship, family, culture- was a beautiful development. Through a fight with grief, as emotions are heightened, it is then we can find the most beautiful connections and the important people in our life. This book did a wonderful job at displaying various types of bonds and relationships that develop through our lives.


Overall Summary:
Thank you @netgalley, @PutnamBooks and @lizzydent for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for a review. I am honored to have been provided the opportunity to review this book.

Grief, love, friendship, and culture are guiding factors in our life. AFter evoking every possible emotion from my body, this book left me feeling whole. Through an exploration of Sicilian and Italian culture, food, family, and life, Dent created an atmosphere in which any reader would be lucky to enter. Get your food and wine ready as you dive into this novel, because you will not be disappointed!

Overall a decent enemies to lovers trope and I enjoyed the depiction of grief and how that molded the story. However I couldn’t find myself to LOVE the characters.

My favorite Lizzy Dent so far! This book dealt with grief beautifully, while still creating a sweet and believable romance against the stunning Italian backdrop. My one qualm was the big reveal at the 75% mark that seemingly came out of nowhere. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book made me hungry. Her descriptions are top notch lol. And the romance was adorable. Loved it

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Just One Taste! I’m officially hungry and needing a trip to Italy after this one! Are we calling this an enemies to lovers trope?! Were Leo and Olive ever TRULY enemies? I think it was love from the start. My only complaint is the twist at the end was perhaps a bit rushed? But it did make for an even more emotional ending, so all is well!

This is going to be a great summer read, preferably paired with a cold glass of rosé or some blood orange granita. Put this on your TBR!

This book was so good! Yes it was a romance novel at its core, but there was so much more to the story! This book was a story of grief and acceptance, and the twist at the end was so beautifully done. Usually I don’t like major plot twists, but this one felt so natural and added so much to the story.

I was surprised by how much I liked this one. For me, the best parts were the descriptions of food and Italy. I could’ve read those descriptions for ages.

This book gave me all the feels! I laughed, cried and also made me hungry. Such a fun read and makes me really want to visit the places the author talks about. I really related with the main character Olive and her struggles with her father. I did not expect the twist towards the end, but felt that just gave the book more depth. I also really enjoyed Leo’s character and the slow burn with him and Olive. This book ended so perfectly and did not want it to end. Thank you Netgalley, G.P. Putnam’s Sons publishing for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wish they would have half stars because I would have given this one a 3.5! I absolutely loved the journey through Italy and the descriptions of each city and it's unique food offerings. The idea of completing Olive's fathers cookbook with his sous chef and the almost pre-destined set-up by her father was sweet. The one thing I didn't like about the relationship is that it went from 0-60 in a matter of 5-6 days. It felt like the author was trying to make the relationship realistic but with that timeline, it was a stretch for me. I think the shining star of this book was the work on the cookbook and the food journey through Italy. When she finds out the additional information about her father (not going to mention what that is because it would be a major spoiler,) I think that was underdeveloped and rushed as far as Olive's response and then ending of the book. Overall, good book, but could have been more detailed and connected portions of the book more effectively.

4 stars! Cute read but the ending dragged. Absolutely loved the setting! I think this will be a great summer read!