Thank you NetGalley! I enjoyed the beginning of this novel, however I struggled. It took me a lot longer to read this than most novels. I didn't connect with the characters and their relationship was off. The enemies to lovers could have been better. This wasn't the book for me.

I adored this rom com and devoured it in less than two days. Who can resist a little enemies to lovers action? The story was heartfelt, the characters were great, but the part I loved best of all? The delicious descriptions of Italian dishes. Talk about mouthwatering! I need some citrus cake and pistachio pesto pasta, pronto!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my ARC copy!

Olive is a stone cold food critic who finds out that she has inherited her father’s Italian restaurant. Only issue is, she has no interest in keeping it — and has to team up with the restaurant’s very hot chef (Leo) to complete her dad’s cookbook as they travel across Italy.

This book felt like an Italian vacation + perfect meal. I left hungry, so might recommend you have solid snacks (aka bread) while reading; the food descriptions are simply beautiful and definitely mouthwatering. The setting is stunning and instantly transports you to the various Italian cities.

The romance was enjoyable and I liked that the conflict mainly came from Olive’s own personal journey (instead of a contrived last minute lovers’ spat like you usually see).


Delicious and delightful!

A charming sunny read! The male lead was someone to swoon over and although it seemed a little bare bones in the beginning it really picks up and hits you with emotion halfway through. Such a fun read, I would’ve loved more of an initial connection between the two leads and a little more disdain between the two but ultimately it was a satisfactory romance read.

Food critic Olive and sous chef Leo, and the backdrop of Italy makes for a cute romance set-up. The romance at times felt like it took a back-seat to Olive's relationship to food and her father as her inheritance of his restaurant and finishing the cookbook always felt like the plot driver.
The description of the food make me hungry and while I am not a foodie, it sounded authentic to me. I felt as though I could travel to Italy and have the same experiences as Olive.
I would have loved to have more 'tells' for Leo's feelings for her as we do not have his POV in the story.
Overall I enjoyed this story and especially recommended it for anyone who likes to ready about chefs, food, and travel.

Three 1/2 stars
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Lizzy Dent! Every book hooks you from the beginning and they are all so well written! This is definitely a love letter to Italy and it'll make you want to dust off your passport ASAP! The story is definitely cute, but I didn't feel the chemistry like I have in previous books. Certainly worth reading, but it isn't my favorite LD book.

The premise of, “Just One Taste” immediately drew me in, making me nostalgic for my own time in Italy which was strengthened by the accuracy of how the author depicts the different regions. And writing a cookbook in one of the most romantic countries with a hot chef, how could you not melt with a plot like that? The complexity of death and estranged family gave depth to the book, and the author did a nice job of capturing the Italian family experience.

I did find the choice of descriptive words repetitive enough to take notice every time Olive’s skin fizzled, or someone was smug. About 80% through the book I caught myself waiting for it to be over. By that point I felt like I was just reading the same sentiments over and over without any new developments and was a bit bored.

Leo and Olive’s build up was excruciatingly slow despite the overt flirting and her painfully obvious lust toward him. The steamy scene I’d been waiting most of the book for was over as suddenly as it began which was also a bit of a bummer.

All-in-all it’s a fine book for any lover of Italy and Italian food, and would be nice to read on the beach or on vacation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

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