Honestly, I have been longing for a chef book since ‘The Bear’ and this definitely hit the spot.

First off, this book made me HUNGRY. I felt like I was in Italy and traveling along with the characters and wanted to buy a plane ticket to Italy IMMEDIATELY!

Romance wise, Olive and Leo had great chemistry. Checkmarks for slow burn, forced proximity, and one bed. The two balanced eachother out well and I never felt like one was more invested than the other in the relationship.

It’s definitely a light read, perfect for summer with one plot twist just a little too late in the story in my opinion. BUT I definitely recommend,

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC! 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lovely, sweet, romantic. Made me want to eat buckets of Italian food. ❤️
This was my first lizzy dent book and I don’t think it will be my last! I enjoyed all of the family dynamics, friendships and the love stories. As well as the cast of characters met along the way. This was just sweet and lovely and so fun

"Just One Taste" is about Olive, who just inherited her *somewhat* estranged fathers Italian Restaurant (that she has beef with because she believes it ruined her parents marriage) upon his death, and ALSO now she has to go on a month long Italy Adventure with the "hot" Sous Chef from the restaurant, in order to finish her dad's cookbook.

From start to finish, I found myself smiling on every page, even at times with tears streaming down my face. It's amazing how well Lizzy Dent tackled the complexity of losing a parent that you had a complicated relationship with, while also making me fall in love and laugh *literally* out loud.

The writing of this book is so well done, that while Olive and Leo were traveling around Italy, I felt like I was really there, drinking an Aperol spritz on a patio with fairy lights over my head.

The romance is slow-burn, but the chemistry is there from the VERYYYY BEGINNING.

Each of the relationships in this book were so special and something I will cherish!!!!!!

dnf at 47%.

i was really excited for this based on the description! Italian chef on vacation and forced proximity rivals!! gimmie!! but we’re almost halfway and all i’m seeing is lust. sure she’s starting to admire him for his personality, but mainly she’s just lusting over him and i’m not having a good time. if i ended up finishing it i would probably end up rating it 2 stars with how things are going now.


thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an early digital edition in exchange for my honest review!

(i did not rate it on goodreads and am rating it 3 on here because i do not want to give it 1 or 5 since i didn’t finish it.)

this book was actually pretty fun! the tropes were all done in a unique, fast-paced way, and i enjoyed the plot, the setting. the writing style was simple and easy to follow. i think my biggest thing with this book was the characters. i didnt really relate to them and found them to be sort of bland, and they lacked chemistry until later parts of the book. overall still a fun read!

Can’t afford a culinary trip to Italy this summer? Just One Taste is the poor person’s gastronomy journey from Sicily to Tuscany to Liguria, all from the comfort of wherever you enjoy reading, however, do not read JOT if you are hungry. I repeat, do not read if you are hungry. The food and the descriptions of the Italian regions visited are the stars of this book. Olive and Leo are just the catalyst for Italy to show off. I just wish there was a recipe or two included at the end of the book.

Olive Stone and Leo Ricci have an insta-love, not my favorite, but they work together well because they are so passionate about food and Italy. Their story is cute and their reason for being together is unique. There is no third act breakup, but there is a twist that is not all that surprising, but not wholly needed either.

Just One Taste is the perfect summer read. I encourage you to pick it up, just not on an empty stomach.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the digital ARC of Just One Taste.

I’ve been in a reading slump for the past couple of months and this book brought me out of it. The romance, the setting, all of the delicious food…I didn’t want to put it down. It made me wish I was in Italy again.

I loved all of the characters and their relationships. Olive is a little prickly (but so am I, so no judgement there) and Leo is adorable. I loved the evolution of their relationship and thought they had amazing chemistry. I also really enjoyed the family and friends they met up with in Italy. The first family felt like a warm hug and they were exactly what Olive needed.

Olive is dealing with grief after the loss of her father, so the book isn’t a completely light read, but I thought it was handled so well and the book never felt too heavy.

This is the best Lizzy Dent book I’ve read so far. 5 stars…LOVED IT!

Just One Taste is a fun, light read, and absolutely perfect for the beach! & will definitely leave you hungry for more!

Yes, chef!!!

I loved this book. Lizzy made me feel so many things with this story. We have Olive taking her late father's place in a trip to Italy to finish his cook book, as his dying wish, and trying to come to terms with the man she knew and the parts of him that she missed in the years they were estranged. Then there's Leo, Olive's father's sous chef, who is also on the trip trying to convince Olive to not sell her father's restaurant.

There's overcoming grief, reconnecting with passions, food, Italian countryside, and the hot chef - what more could you want??

I adore Lizzy's romances and this one is a definite recommend!

Just one taste by lizzy Dent review I got an advance reader copy from net galley. This book was a sweet of adventure that I loved and couldn’t but down once I started it was so enjoyable and fast paced. This book tells the story of Olive stone who is a food critic who just is dealing with her famous chef father passing who she has a falling out with 14 years ago. In his will he leaves her his most beloved restaurant on the dying wish she go to Italy 🇮🇹 with his chef Leo to compete his cook book he was writing. Olive and he has a complicated relationship she feels he was closer to her father than she was. She was to sell the restaurant but Leo is try to convince her other wise this should be a unique trip. The more time they spend on this trip and Olive learns about her past and her dad. Her feelings begin to change about the restaurant and the way she feels towards Leo. Will she be able to let go of the past and look to a better future? I love this how it deals with self discovery and complicated family dynamics and the chemistry between the two main characters is so interesting and special. I had so much fun reading couldn’t put it down. I didn’t see that twist in there either. This such heartwarming story of learning who you and a good romance. I’m going to Italy this summer this book made me more excited for it. This book comes out summer of 2024 so give a chance you will love it as much as I have . Definitely recommend a five star read .

A charming and fun read perfect for foodies. I really enjoyed this latest title from Lizzie Dent. The concept of the heroine as a food reviewer was a new one to me and I wish more time had been spent on that before the story pivoted to her exploring her inheritance and heritage of her father’s restaurant and finishing his longstanding project of an Italian cookbook. A light, fast read. I’d recommend it as a travel or beach read as easy to dip in and out of.

Actually 4.5⭐️

Lizzy Dent has done it again.

I absolutely loved Olive and Leo’s story and can’t recommend Just One Taste enough.

Dent has the ability to write characters whom I wish were real so I could be there friends and illustrates settings that when pictured transport you to their destination.

I found myself laughing, smiling, crying throughout various parts of this and will definitely be purchasing a physical copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the eARC!

Solid 3.5 stars!

If you're looking for a summer read to make you voraciously hungry and other h-words, boy, have I got a book for you. Seriously, I would not recommend reading on an empty stomach.

As usual, the Emily Henry blurb was what got me into this book. Worth the money yet again, guys. I was almost thrown off because of the annoyingly British characters but hung in there, and it ended up being worth it. I hate insta-love romance books, and this was not one of those. Not slow burn either, but slow enough to be realistic. My one gripe is that there's a major twist in the third act that I didn't find shocking as much as jarring - I get why the author would include it, but I just... wasn't into it? I don't know, I feel like it wasn't as impactful to me as is apparently was to the main character.

Highly recommend as a vacation read. Enjoy!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fun beach read with a nice ending. It has some good tropes executed well.

I felt a lack of chemistry and I didnt like the writing much. its a fine book just not a favorite for me. I would like to read later books from this author

Just One Taste by Lizzy Dent is an emotional roller coaster of a romance story with a few twists along the way. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book on #NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own, but I must say Lizzy Dent is a talented writer & I'm looking forward to reading more of her stories.
The two main characters, Olive & Leo, are wrapped up in the food world, but they're forced together on a trip to finish writing a cookbook, started my Olive's late father. The chemistry between these two is fun and sexy to read, but it is very predictable from the beginning of this book. The side characters in this story are what really makes the story fun. I'm hopeful Lizzy Dent writes a story about Olive's two best friends or Leo's Italian aunt who definitely kept my attention with their quirky personalities.

Thank you NetGalley and Lizzy Dent for the eARC of Just One Taste. It was a cute RomCom with the focus on food, which is never a bad thing. I was able to read this book while I was vacationing in Italy and the descriptions of the food and the Italian setting were absolutely perfect.
The Emily Henry endorsement was what initially hooked me.

When I saw this book was a rivals to lovers culinary journey through Italy, I was SO excited! And it lived up to all of my foodie/romance lover dreams! Olive (adorable food name) and Leo are so easy to cheer on throughout their journey. Through loss, meddling friends and family, and so much delicious food these two meet and learn about themselves and each other. They joke, taste, and explore throughout Italy in this emotionally touching read!

I highly recommend this for and romance reading foodies out there!

I believe that this book would be the perfect short vacation read. It has some strong personalities from the characters, beautiful imagery for the setting, and a new take on a traditional rom-com book. With that being said, I found myself in a lull while reading it. I was never eager to reach for it. I was trying to pinpoint what kind of trope this book would classify under... felt like enemies but maybe not enough hatred? maybe close proximity? but they were separated many times through the first half which brings me to my biggest concern. I didn't know that a book this short could be a slow burn! I'm assuming that the author didn't want to go for an insta love situation because of the shortness of the novel but the beginning felt a bit dragged because of that avoidance. With a short book I sort of want them to come together quickly so that we have more time with them in a relationship. I think that is largely the only thing that I struggled with because beyond that I enjoyed the integration of current trends which has been difficult to nail down effectively. A lot of readers go to books to escape real life so when current trends, apps, and common phrases are brought up, it tends to put some audiences off. This book brings up references that current Gen Z and millennials would get in a smooth and nuanced way that brings a sense of relatability. You feel like you're at the dinner table with them right now just having a chat. Lastly, I will give kudos to the third-act conflict/plot twist that I definitely did not see coming. I'm not sure if any crumbs of that being a possibility just blew over my head but it warranted a gasp. congrats to this author and publisher for creating a fun book and I look upward to reading more :)

Thank you @netgalley and @putnambooks for the eARC of Just One Taste by @lizzie.dent in exchange for an honest review!

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Welcome to the perfect Italian escape! Olive is still fresh in grief after her father’s recent death. She hates her job and has inherited her father’s beloved restaurant. She has no idea if she wants to keep the doors open but wonders if there is a way to have the business fund her dreams of writing her great novel. After all, her dad’s wish before he died was to write the next great cookbook. Perhaps she can jumpstart her dreams and resolve some regret surrounding their relationship by taking the booked trip to Italy and honor his memory with this lasting legacy. The trip just happens to be with Leo, her dad’s sous-chef protege, who she is not a fan of. A trip to Italy is always a good idea, but a trip to Italy with Olive and Leo is just what I needed in my life! Lizzy Dent creates a magical trip through regions of Italy, where the food is delectable and the chemistry between Olive and Leo is on fire. Just One Taste is the perfect combination of dealing with grief and using the emotions to reexamine dreams for the future, a heartwarming and wonderful read!

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be on instagram ahead of the publication date!