This book was so much fun. Olive and Leo’s story was special-for so many reasons. As a family touched by adoption I cannot thank you enough for how you told Olive’s story and for the respect you have shown to the topic. Families are defined in so many different ways but I find that adoption is usually treated as a “last resort” in books and on TV. For many it is an act of love and often that story is never told!

The whole book was a great journey through Italy and was incredibly emotional and special. I would recommend Just One Taste- most definitely.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! I loved that it wasn’t solely about the romance, it had hints here and there. I feel like with what was happening with the story, this book didn’t need a lot of steam, so there’s the perfect amount! I love how the characters are introduced, and that they each had a view of each other, and that it was completely wrong. The story was just perfect. Traveling through Italy and writing a cookbook, with a hot chef?! Who doesn’t want to read about that? It was lovely written and the characters fit so well! I feel like the end was a little rushed, but overall perfect fun read!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Just One Taste! The cover of this book and the Emily Henry endorsement drew me to this book immediately, but the story ended up being pretty sweet too. In this classic enemies to lovers, we see Olive and Leo forced on a trip to Italy together to finish Olive's late father's cookbook. I loved slowly watching Olive, a cynical food critic, fall in love with food and Italy again with the guidance of Leo, the Italian chef from her father's restaurant. The focus on food in this book really paired well with the romance aspect as you see Olive and Leo fall in love. The side characters you meet in all the regions of Italy Olive and Leo visit feel like a warm hug. Taking off one star because the twist about 85% of the way through felt a little rushed to me. I think the author meant for the twist to explain some of the Olive's family turmoil that is woven throughout the book, but it doesn't feel like the tidy solution the author though it was. Anyone who wants a romp in the Italian sun, read this. Anyone with a complicated relationship with their father, maybe don't.

This was my first time reading a Lizzy Dent book and I didn't know what to expect. Her writing was incredible. She makes the reader feel as if they are exploring Italy along with the characters with her detailed imagery and descriptions of the various foods they sample. While I did enjoy the trip throughout Italy, I personally just didn't connect with our main characters. I did like seeing how Olive's journey with grief and her relationship with her father. This part of the story was beautifully explained in how a person deals with the loss of a parent. Leo gives golden-retriever energy and was such a sweetheart. But the relationship between Olive and Leo didn't work for me. I think there should have been more of a build-up to their relationship, and more details on their feelings together.

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in an exchange for my honest review!

Did I request this book specifically because it had Pasta on the cover? YES.
Did I have high expectations? No
Did I LOVE it? Yes yes yes!!

I have literally google searched ‘romance books + pasta’ before and never found what I was looking for until this book came along.

Olive’s father passes away and leaves her the family Italian restaurant but also tasks her to finish his cookbook by traveling to Italy with the restaurants head chef.

I love that the author wrote about smaller known Italian cities and highlighted their food specialities. The descriptions of the locations and dishes had me drooling for an Italian vacation.

Olive was pretty unlikeable at first, but since the book is covering the grief of losing her dad I could understand her being a little salty. She turns around and I enjoyed their connection with food. There was a perfect amount of steamy scenes without it going overboard (Yes Chef 😏) This was truly a love letter to Italy and Food.

This was my first Lizzy Dent novel but certainly not my last. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam Publishing for this ARC. Loved!

The focus on food in this book is what drew me in to begin with, and I think this was executed well. I love romances with a food focus, and even more so if they're in Italy! What kept me from loving this book is that I just didn't feel any real tension, banter, or believable build-up between the romance interests. I feel like the main female character thought he was attractive, and that was it, and nothing else really came across for me. So I wasn't rooting for them like I hope to in a romance. That said, this book will certainly work for others and the cover is great!

Lizzy Dent did such a great job. This is only my second book from this author and I will be a forever fan. It was funny, sad, heart warming, and relatable. This book made me want to travel to Italy so badly. I can't wait to read all of her other books.

Just One Taste makes you crave the summer time and want your own Italian adventure. Lizzy Dent does a wonderful job building the world surround Leo and Olive’s cookbook adventure. I found myself laughing out loud at some points and wanting to cook the dishes they were describing. The last fifty pages introduced an additional plot elemental that was a bit weak and I deemed unnecessary overall but I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

3.5 stars! This is such great summer, and beach vacation read!

I really enjoyed the journey and depths of Olive’s relationship and grief with her father. The estranged relationship hit home for me, personally, and I resonated with those feelings.

Olive and Leo were cute together, but I didn’t fall in love with them. I felt like they were missing that banter and tension before the finally got together. It’s mostly a personal preference of mine, but I think people who like insta-love/lust would enjoy this more!

Overall, I thought this was a super unique premise and I will continue reading this author!

I absolutely loved this book. Lizzy did such a wonderful job making you feel like you were traipsing around Italy along with Leo & Olive, tasting incredible dishes and bantering over key ingredients & modernized italian food. The tension between Leo & Olive was chef’s kiss (no pun intended), and their chemistry was palpable. I love that they were able to bond through their equal love and understanding of food and their own relationships with Nicky.

Speaking of, Lizzy did a beautiful job of portraying the grief of losing a parent and the complex relationship of a child of divorce and her parents. I cried right alongside Olive, and felt her heart breaking and mending throughout the book.

Overall, I rate this book an easy 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC!!

A perfect summer read. This book will make you want to call your parents, romanticize a perfect meal, cook pasta, book a trip to Italy, eat cherries in the pool, fall in love. I loved the dynamic between Leo and Olive, although at times it did seem a little rushed. There was a twist I was not at all expecting, coupled with a no-third-act-breakup, and I ate it up. Dent pretty much perfectly encapsulates the messiness that can be associated with grief, especially with that of losing a parent. I love food and to read about food, and the dishes featured in this book were more than just what you might associate with Italian cuisine which was a really nice touch. 4 stars from meeeee


Thank you so much to Netgalley and Putnam for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Just One Taste” by Lizzy Dent was just as much of a love story to Italy as it was a love story between the two protagonists. I loved the beautiful descriptions of Italy and the food descriptions that I could almost taste!

The romance between Olive and Leo was okay. I could understand why Olive fell for Leo, but I didn’t think that Olive had as much going for her and she wasn’t the most lovable character. There was so much back and forth between her keeping or selling the restaurant that felt a little dragged on and repetitive. I also think that the written parts of the cookbook could have played a bigger and more emotional role in the story than the did which seems like a missed opportunity.

Overall, I did really enjoy this story and would recommend this book to romance lovers!

5 stars for Lizzy Dent's latest novel, "Just One Taste"! Olive and Leo are the couple worth routing for! Italy is the sneaky 3rd wheel in the relationship that is so dreamy! I loved everything about their relationship and all the twists and turns in the story. With every turn of the page, the story serves up a delightful blend of romance and self-realization. "Just One Taste" is a five-star treat for those craving a compelling tale of love, forgiveness, and the magic of good food

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Just One Taste is a sweet and heartfelt romance about a woman coming to terms with her father's untimely passing while also exploring love and Italian food. This book gave me all the feels - I laughed, I cried, I almost booked my own trip to Italy (the descriptions of food and taste were beautiful). The romance was definitely more of a slow-burn/sub-plot but I loved how Lizzy handled the explorations of grief and the what-ifs.

Lizzy Dent does it again! I love reading books centered around food, and it was so cool to have a main character as a food journalist. Olive was adorable. And Leo, a hot chef! Yes please! We love a man who cooks. I loved reading about Olives grief journey as well. It was very relatable. I loved reading about the behind the scenes life of running a restaurant, it was fascinating! And that epilogue! Way to make me sob. Such a beautiful story. I love that her dad had such a hand in their love story.

I'm torn on this one. On one hand, I loved the idea of eating my way through Italy with a hot guy. The descriptions of the food and areas they were visiting made me want to book a trip to Italy ASAP. On the other hand, it got kind of repetitive and I just wanted Olive to make a decision about the restaurant already (I mean, we all know how that's going to play out but the constant back and forth got to be exhausting). Also, her friends were merely props for supporting Olive. Even their jobs are geared towards making sure Olive has the resources she needs. Overall I liked it but I feel like with a few tweaks it would have been even better.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cozy read! Like traveling to Italy yourself with the writing, Lizzy used such great imagery to transport you there. And the food descriptions, my gosh! Excellent read, highly recommend for a vacation.

Wow wow wow! I’m gonna be honest I didn’t know anything about this book going in, I just thought it had a cute cover and I’ve been in my The Bear era searching for my Jeremy Allen White 🤭. This book was everything I could ask for, name a trope, it has it: rivals to lovers, slow burn, forced proximity, one bed, Lizzy Dent KNOWS what the book girlies want.

This story follows Olive, a food critic living in London who inherits her estranged father of 15 years restaurant after he passes away. Olive’s father’s last wish is for her to finish the cookbook he is writing with his sous chef, Leo on a non-refundable summer trip they had booked together to Italy.

The romance was there, the tension *chefs kiss* (I had to throw it in there). Both Olive and Leo were so entertaining and funny. The banter was fantastic. The setting giving White Lotus season 2, simply iconic.

I was completely caught off guard by how much Olive’s unraveling of her relationship with her dad hit me. The last 10% I was crying ugly tears #im a child of divorce. This is the first time a romance book has ever made me cry and thus my first romance book review earning 5 stars. This book is going to be a STAR Lizzy mark my words.

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam & Net Galley for this ARC! All opinions are my own, I truly just loved this story 🫶.

Another 5 star review for a Lizzy Dent book! Thank you to NetGalley, Lizzy Dent and Penguin Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons for this advanced reader copy! I fell in love with both Leo and Olive and of the gorgeous food described in this book! The supporting characters were well written and contributed a lot to the story, especially Olive’s deceased father, who was also another main character. The romance between Leo and Olive felt real and her concerns about the will and her relationship were valid. I will read any and all Lizzy Dent books because they are always very funny, deep, and well written.

I enjoyed it! Was a sweet story. Gives Emily Henry vibes a bit. Olive’s dad died and left her his restaurant and left her to finish writing his cookbook he started with his sous chef Leo. The two need to travel to Italy to finish the book. The book is the story of Olive and Leo. It had a bit of a slow start, but the last 2/3 of the book was sweet! A twist I wasn’t expecting at the end! Worth a read!