This book captures grief so perfectly that I often caught myself crying, deeply sympathizing with Cassie as I reflected on my own experiences with loss. While the beginning—when she takes over James’ account—felt a bit slow, the story truly picks up once she embarks on her journey.

I wish there had been more dialogue, as it kept me wanting to dig deeper into the characters. Some parts felt a bit repetitive, and I think the story might have been even more engaging if it had been written in first person.

I found it poetic that Cassie created her Instagram account and structured her reviews as letters to James, mirroring how he once wrote notes about her in his journals. James and Cassie clearly loved each other, but her relationship with her job ultimately strained their bond. They loved deeply in their own ways, but their relationship had grown monotonous. For someone like James—organized and structured—monotony felt stifling. He wanted to live fully with Cassie, to explore and experience life together.

Her relationship with Eamon, on the other hand, felt refreshing. It highlighted what she had been missing with James: praise and adoration. That doesn’t mean James didn’t love her; she just didn’t realize what she truly needed until she experienced it with Eamon.

Rebecca was my favorite character by far, and I loved every scene she was in!

As for the ending, it was a bit underwhelming. It’s open to interpretation, which works for some, but I would have preferred more closure.

Thank you, NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager, for the ARC!

EatPostLike presents an engaging premise, delving into the intersections of food, social media, and self-discovery. The author’s passion for food is evident in her vivid and mouthwatering descriptions, which bring a delightful richness to the narrative.

Unfortunately, the character development doesn’t quite measure up. Ben, an intriguing figure during the Paris chapters, quickly fades into a mere lobby acquaintance. Both Cassie and Eamon’s backstories lack depth, and the stakes never feel particularly high—much like Cassie’s fleeting encounter with the Danish chef. The tension with David, built up through his suspicions and their dramatic fallout, fizzles out in a hasty text-message resolution that feels anticlimactic and left me scratching my head. Cassie’s relatable struggles with burnout and career reinvention are muddied by a chaotic storyline—her decision to manage James’ account while starting her own during a group blogger trip feels disjointed and oddly overlooked by those around her.

While the book skillfully highlights the allure of food and the nuances of online curation, it falls short in crafting well-rounded characters or a more cohesive, satisfying story.

I like the premise of this book but it focused too much on food and not enough on the story. I kept skipping over all the food details for every single dish and bite.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. Cassie takes a significant loss an turns it in to an experience through which she meet a unique set of people that are there for her through her journey. This book is for foodies.


******I received an ACR for my honest feedback from NetGalley.*****************

Oh this book. It pulled the heartstrings big time and satisfied my foodie soul.
Love, loss, grief, and navigating it all through beautifully depicted descriptions were fun to read and felt like you were right there with her tasting the food and seeing the sights in Europe.

If you are a foodie, I definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC

Do NOT read this book while hungry, lol! I absolutely loved this book; the cities, the food and more importantly, the story itself. While there is a romantic storyline in the book, it was secondary. I felt the MCs journey & self-discovery was the star, along with the food explored. A nice merging of an Emily Henry type story with a travel/food book woven in. If this is Wells' first book, I can't wait to see what else she writes.

If I view this book through the lens of a romance, I find it lacking. Cassie was not an ideal partner to James, which makes it difficult to root for what they had in their relationship. However, I can appreciate her personal growth throughout the story. She gained confidence in herself and developed a clearer understanding of what she wants out of life.

That said, I admire this book as a work of fiction and as an honest portrayal of grief. Cassie was merely existing rather than truly living, and it’s unfortunate that it took James’s death for her to realize how much she was missing out on. While she cannot reclaim the time she had with him, the ending suggests she is determined to make the most of her life moving forward and finally start truly living.

This was a DNF for me at about 15% of the book. I received Eat, Post, Like as an eARC from NetGalley and while the premise of the book was fantastic, the application of it left something for me.

I think the biggest thing is that I just don’t like the way the author writes her sentences. It feels very “Cassie did ______” and “James did __________”. Like clunky and weird to read. I found myself overthinking each sentence questioning why it was written that was that was just so distracting.

I think if you didn’t mind the clunkiness of the writing or even liked that very measured and almost repetitive writing style, you may actually like the book but for me, it was a pass.

This was a fun read. Lots and lots and lots of beautiful descriptions of food, most of which made me very hungry. I did think that some of the food description was a little much - I get it, it's Europe, the food is amazing - but it was all very much in service to the overall plot. So, if being a food voyeur isn't your thing, this might not be for you. But if you do enjoy that, and also a slow-ish pace, and character introspection, this might be the romantic (NOT romance!) read for you. At the end of the day, there wasn't a lot here that was new or surprising, but the story was fun. My main quibble is that the author never developed anything of the B/C plot, other than to use it as a plot device to force the main character to confront her issues - I would have liked a little something more there, relating to the friend. But, overall, a good time! Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked that this plot wasn't so focused on a driven woman who didn't realize what she wanted out of life til the end of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon / Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this debut novel is great. I love the play on 'Eat, Pray, Love' and the rediscovering of self that the FMC went on. Overall, it was a good story. I didn't feel connected to the characters, however. Maybe if there was more development of the FMC's relationship prior to its unfortunate ending I would have felt more connected.
The food descriptions were a bit excessive and could have been dialed back. Unless, you are a foodie you may be a little lost with some descriptions.
Again, overall, this a good debut novel.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

What a great book!! It had me hooked from page one! I couldn’t put this down. I finished it in one sitting. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. This was a first for me by this author but it will not be my last!!

Cassie got my attention from the beginning. While she doesn't show much emotion with the grief of losing her boyfriend, her "try something new" attitude had me picking up this book often.
I wouldn't classify this book as a romance, but more of a contemporary fiction.

Pros:
Easy read
Light hearted
Great MCs
Fun food facts

Cons:
Detailed food talk (I had to look up most of the dishes)
Meh ending...
Not enough romance between Cassie and foodie friend, Eamon

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.
#eatpostlike #netgalley

What a beautiful story. I think I was expecting more surface level food influencer and what I got was a deeply moving story about real life for so many. I loved the premise of the story and while I wished to get more of the character James , I loved how Cassie was able to know him from a different side. This has a theme of lose of a loved one, but speaks to the resilience and remberance of those hear and lost.

What a novel idea! The storyline was thrilling and captivating. I devoured the book quickly and was left wanting more because of its flawless pacing. The characters weren't too corny and were likeable. I would love to be friends with Cassie in real life because she was such a wonderful character!

Cassie and her boyfriend James have been together 2 years; she is a lawyer and he is an accountant. She loves him and thinks she will marry him, he gives her grief because she really works too much. Then he does in a car accident. She finds some disguises and journals and realizes he was a successful New York culinary food blogger on instagram. She then takes ivermectin his account and starts writing reviews. He was invited to a 4 week travel trip in Europe and she goes on the trip and meets some new friends.

I feel a bit like I got catfished with this book. I was expecting a journey through grief book and instead it became a travel and food book. I like eating as much as the next guy; but lengthy descriptions of luxury food just aren’t that interesting to me. If you really like travel and food books you may like this.

Also; then it bothered me that James best friend is horrible to her for “stealing” his identity and his “life’s work.” What? This is an anonymous instagram account. He never got any credit to begin with and apparently he liked it that way. He’s dead, he can’t maintain the following anyway! This seemed like a wonderful way to keep him alive, to continue his legacy. David acted like she did something horrible- what? Like she stole his money or house? It was so self righteous and bizarre that she felt guilty about it. She leaves in the middle of the trip, only to return.

Cassie should have been heartbroken, I didn’t feel like the narrative even really touched on her grief at all? And when she ended up with Ben at the end, an acquaintance from the trip, I totally thought he was gay for some reason so that caught me off guard. It seemed out of left field.

Also she was supposed to be a “food critic” but really she was a food blogger, she literally never said one critical thing about any part of any meal she had.

This one was just not for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC. Book to be released June 3, 2025.

Eat Post Like is the kind of novel that sweeps you up, heart and soul, with every page. The way food becomes Cassie’s gateway to self-discovery is nothing short of transformative. This book is as much about finding yourself as it is about savoring life; its joys, losses, and new beginnings. It's a heartwarming tribute to resilience and reminds you that sometimes, losing one dream leads to discovering another you didn’t even know you needed. A true gem for anyone looking to be uplifted, inspired, and maybe a little bit hungry haha.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

This was such a sweet read (no food pun intended)! I really enjoyed the lighthearted feel of this book and the overall premise. Cassie was a loveable FMC, and her emotional journey was a very relatable and compelling one. It was lovely to see her heal and grow throughout this book and fall in love with life all over again. I quickly realized, though, that I could NOT read this book while hungry because those food descriptions were just divine and drool-worthy (so kudos to the author for the incredible descriptions and menu items!).

Thank you to NetGalley and Emily Arden Wells for the chance to read this book. It was such a fun read and I am excited for the world to get to discover it soon, too!

Wow I loved it SO MUCH. I felt so seen as a working mom, a corporate business employee, a foodie, a food IG/TT/Youtuber on the side, and person in her 40s re-prioritizing life. I cried so much with Cassie's regrets, wishing she had re-prioritized soon, wishing she had been able to live this life with James, and the way she finally chose herself. I was actually surprised by the ending, but really appreciated that she chose herself not a relationship at this time until she could figure out her own path. It's not always about the romantic HEA!

We made some big life changes as a family to prioritize each other so it just hit home in so many ways, thank you for putting this out into the world!!