This was sweet and I enjoyed the ride for what it was. Will I remember it in a few weeks time? Probably not.

This was such a lovely feel good read. Dual timelines without a third act breakup, Amelie and Ian’s romance was so heartfelt and it was a delight seeing them grow from friends to lovers. And Ian is basically a dream book boyfriend! Perfect for a cozy weekend. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

It's been one year since Amelie's life crashed and burned - she's jobless, single, and fighting with her best friend. Really the only positive about the last year was Ian, the charming, opinionated, wedding averse, man who stumbled into her life and made her question everything she thought she knew. Yet even Ian is gone now, and refusing to answer her calls, so when Amelie is offered a spot at a cooking conference near his hometown, she knows this is an opportunity she can't pass up. But when Ian is revealed to be the son of her father's rival, and even worse, no longer interested in anything more than friendship, Amelie's plans for a happy reunion go up in smoke.

I need to read everything Letizia Lorini has ever written. Immediately. The chemistry between Amelie and Ian is *chef's kiss* (no pun intended), their friendship was heartwarming, and I couldn't help but smile through all of their banter, jokes, and terrible pick up lines. I thought the time jumps between chapters kept things exciting, hinting at secrets and events that would be later revealed, and the overall pace of the story was perfect. This is one of those romances that will live in my head for a while, and I'm absolutely going to get my hands on the other books in this series as soon as I possibly can.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Wedding Menu

Letizia Lorini

2 ⭐️⭐️

I wanted to love this so much based off the reviews but it just wasn’t for me? Positives: I did adore the writing style, the texts being shown, the tweet war was funny, the chemistry between them & I mostly liked the MMC. I didn’t really love the FMC, I hated her bf/fiance/ex & her best friend like felt rage lmao. Felt lots of rage how she was a doormat half the time. Everything felt toxic? Which I guess real life is but it just didn’t feel right. I will absolutely be checking out other work from the author though because, again, I loved the writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e arc, for an honest review!

I really loved this book! The author did a fantastic job of alternating between the present and the past, revealing little by little how the relationship got so strained. It made the book un-put downloadable. While the main characters inability to advocate for herself or stand up for herself was very frustrating. Her growth and development was very satisfying and believable. This book really had everything you would want in a romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery books for the opportunity to read an eARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Amelie has get her friends, her fiancé, and her father take advantage of her good nature for far too loog. She doesn't stand up for herself, instead prioritizing the wants of others over her own needs.

Then she meets Ian. They connect and slowly, unwittingly fall in love, but she's engaged to another man, and their slow march to heartbreak is inevitable. Amelie's life is in shambles and she finds herself failing in all of her relationships and in her professional goals.

Months later, they run into each other at a work conference, and soon realize their fathers are decades-long rivals. Is there past too painful to overcome? Will their parents get in the way?

Ian was an excellent MMC, he pushes Amelie to stand up for herself and recognize her own needs and desires but he isn't overbearing or controlling, a problem I see in a lot of other contemporary romances. Amelie was relatable and I enjoyed seeing her growth throughout the story.

I really enjoyed this rivals to lovers, second chance romance and I look forward to reading more from Letizia Lorini in the future!

So I was taken in by the cover of The Wedding Menu, and I love a wedding themed romance—I have a lot of thoughts on this, but I could not put this down! Amelie had it all one year ago, and then wedding-hating Ian came around and popped her perfect bubble, and a year after their meeting, she’s lost it all, but she won’t stop—and she’s got one week to show Ian she’s changed. Okay, I was immediately intimidated by the length—Amazon says it’s 484, which for a contemporary romance felt too long going into it. But I have to say, this was the shortest almost 500 page book I’ve read. I mean I could not put it down. With all dual timeline and a strangers to friends to strangers to lovers story, there is so much going on and I was hooked. Ian is the sweetest guy. So genuine and kind and the kind of friend you want in your corner on a bad day or when you need a reality check. Amelie was more complex. Told in her POV, I struggled with figuring out if I really liked her. Her best friend Barb is so sweet and I feel like the moments with Amelie and her made Amelie come off selfish. But her growth too! Amelie goes through hell and back in this with all the changes she goes through. And she does it with resilience and she lets herself change and grow, and I respect the hell out of that. This is her story, and I was rooting for her. And the banter too! So on point, so fun, and it just felt like a very genuine romance! In the front half of this, I didn’t think I was going to really enjoy it, but it really picks up, and it has all the best elements of a romance. Very bingeable read!

3.75 stars, I wasn’t a fan of each chapter going between past and present. I did enjoy the book overall. The storyline kept my attention throughout.


*******I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.*************

Genuinely, a very fun and quick romance read. Amelie meets charming Ian at a wedding, and as their connection blossoms, her life goes downhill. A year later, when they meet again at a conference and discover that they are the children of rivals in the culinary world of French cuisine, the pieces begin to fall into place as Amelie desperately tries to fix what happened between them over the past year. An indulgent read, especially with how perfect Ian is at every turn, and I found myself really interested in what would happen next, and what happened over the past year. I wouldn't call it high quality, but it excels at what it does, and tells a quick and compelling story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the e-galley of The Wedding Menu. Overall, I enjoyed The Wedding Menu by Lorini. There was so much drama and tension. But it was hard sometimes hard to follow as one chapter was current day and then the next would be from a year ago. They went back and forth the whole book. I did like the story and think that it might be one you have to read twice to really get the full story.
I will be recommending this to adult romance readers and plan to read more by Lorini myself.

This book doesn’t just deserve five stars—it deserves a gazillion! I went in with sky-high expectations after reading Desserts for Stressed People, but even then, I wasn’t prepared for how this story would completely surpass everything I’ve ever read in the romcom genre. It didn’t just meet my hopes—it handed me the moon and stars and utterly captivated me. It was nothing short of a dream, and I couldn’t put it down.
I’m usually not a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, but this one? This one was absolute perfection. Their friendship wasn’t just a setup for romance—it was the heart of the whole story. What started with flirty text banter and playful pickup lines evolved into one of the most beautiful relationships I’ve ever read. And the dual timeline? A risky choice, but executed brilliantly. The seamless shifts between past and present created gorgeous parallels, making the story all the more rich and cohesive. Honestly, if we’d had a couple of chapters from Ian’s point of view, I would’ve been over the moon!
And let’s talk about the Heaven and Shane cameo! Seeing them pop up as the couple at the wedding, lost in each other’s eyes, with Amelie recognizing that same look in Ian? Genius! Shane’s bakery making Barb’s wedding cake, and Ian’s constant questions about Amelie’s favorite bakery? Perfection. Then, discovering a vacant restaurant spot in their building that ultimately pushes Ian and Amelie to open their own place? The author nailed it. This kind of interconnected universe blows Marvel out of the water!
Every time Ian called Amelie "beautiful," my heart flipped, then did a full-on somersault. He says it all the time, and I’m not sure how my heart survived the onslaught.
Ian Roberts will spoil you for every other fictional love interest. A golden retriever with black cat vibes, he’s everything. From the very first chapter, I was head-over-heels in love with him. He’s kind, funny, selfless—always putting Amelie first, even while scolding her for doing the same for others. His passion and thoughtfulness were so genuine. If I could pick one fictional man to spend forever with, Ian would be the one.
This book? Utter perfection.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

I adored this book! The flirting, the culinary aspects, the characters....all of it was 10/10 for me! If you're a fan of Tessa Bailey then you'll love this book. I can't wait to read more by this author!

Loved it! Excellent flirty vibe with plenty of laughs and the culinary additions. Enjoyed to rival families trope and the friends to something more angst.

I obviously read too damn much because I didn’t realize I have actually read this before! I went to review on my goodreads and a review popped up 😂 all it said was “10/10 loved” and tbh, I couldn’t have said it better again.

I absolutely love the new covers and I can’t wait to buy them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Wedding Menu was a sweet romance that was so incredibly inventive in how it was structured that I felt I was an archaeologist in Amelie’s story. Opening up to Amelie’s friend’s wedding a year ago, we see her meet cute with Ian while she informs him about how her other best friend and her are on the outs due to her friend stealing her wedding. Only issue we have here? Amelie isn’t engaged to her boyfriend of 15 years though she desperately wants to be (yes, I know, how and why was this woman in such delusion she clearly expressed her desire to marry and yet is still by this guy’s side?). Sooo her friend stole her dream wedding idea, which is the total opposite of her own style, and meanwhile Amelie is on tenterhooks waiting for a guy to propose who is instead buying cock rings for himself. Yep.

Obviously with that type of opening, and sweet Ian’s endeavor to make the night fun, I was eager to see what happened next. But we are instead fast forwarded to present day and know that nothing good has happened in the months since, and in fact some terrible things have come to pass. The back and forth between past and present is so engaging that it felt every flashback was a tantalizing morsel that was just teasing me about all the events I was dying to know about.

It all comes together, but I love when my romances introduce mysteries in untraditional ways, and The Wedding Menu masterfully did that. If you want to be hooked, read this one, but do it when you have a full day to power through, otherwise it’s all you’ll think about!