Thank you Gallery Books & Netgalley for the review copy.

This book was so emotionally gripping! I was constantly on edge wondering what happened in the past timeline while desperate for the couple to find a way to work in the present. This was a bit longer than I was expecting but I still inhaled it. What an incredible romance!

This was an amazing follow up to Desserts for Stressed People! I will read whatever Letitza Lorin writes!!

✨ARC Review✨

I’m so lucky to have friends like @smutfully_yours and @paola_morgan. They sent me a beautiful copy of The Wedding Menu because they are absolutely in love with it. I feel it too. Mostly for Ian who is one of the most perfect book boyfriends I’ve ever encountered. 😍

Amelie is alone at her friend’s wedding when a gorgeous stranger sits down next to her. She tells him immediately that she’s engaged which isn’t quite true, but she has been in a relationship for fifteen years. FIFTEEN years when she wants to be married. Listen. Some people don’t want to be married and being with the same person for fifteen years is lovely. BUT if you want to be married and your partner hasn’t indicated they want to be married as well, fifteen years is a long freakin’ time to wait.

Ok, so Amelie and the gorgeous stranger, Ian, have a lovely evening and engage in friendly conversation. Thus begins a friendship mostly told through text.

There are times I want to strangle Amelie for being a bit spineless, but ultimately, I get it. It’s hard to blow up your whole life even when it’s necessary.

I love how Amelie keeps Ian as a friend while she figures out her life and how Ian is genuinely there for her as a friend even when he wants more. The texting banter and “unpopular opinions “ are delightful.

I highlighted a lot of great quotes, but I want you to experience them as you read because they’re so good. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of contemporary romance.

I also received the eARC from #netgalley and @gallerybooks. All thoughts are mine alone.

#booksbooksbooks #romancebooks #romance #contemporaryromance #theweddingmenu #letizialorini #bookreview #bookrecs #bookstagram

One year ago, Amelie thought she had it all: engaged to her high school sweetheart, close with her childhood best friend, cooking at her dad's restaurant and getting her "dream" wedding. All this changed after she went to the wedding of her best friend's and met Ian. Fast forward a year later, Amelie's life turned a 180. She's unemployed, single, lost her friendships and doesn't know what to do. She still has an opportunity to attend a cooking convention at Ian's hometown and she decides to go and find him because she hasn't stopped thinking about him ever since they met. They end up meeting each other, but find out some interesting news that will give her one week to change Ian's mind and show him that she is there for him and only him.

I loved this book so much! I love the dual timeline, the silly banter between the two characters and the friendship that develops between the two. Did I mention I think Ian might be my new book boyfriend? I love how Ian was there for Amelie through thick and thin, night and day. Any self doubts she had about herself, Ian was there for her and always encouraging her that she truly deserves happiness. The author did a really good job with the chemistry between the two characters and the storyline itself. It was like they were strangers to friends to strangers to lovers? In the end, the author really made it where the reader was rooting for these two in the end.

Absolutely loved this book so much and I can see it on my re-read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Letizia Lorini for allowing me to review this ARC!

The Wedding Menu was SO GOOD!!!! I loved Amelie and Ian and their slow burn. There were times I wanted to just shake her- which is how you KNOW the slow burn was hitting. With the alternating timelines between past and present, you really get a good sense of the whole scope of Amelie and Ian’s relationship.

The pacing in this book was just excellent. I was always excited to read the next chapter, be it in the past or in the present. While the book is only from Amelie’s perspective, Ian’s openness and candor make you feel like you’ve also got his internal thoughts. I too would be a swoony mess over his thoughtful and kind nature.

This book was a clear all-around hit for me. Letizia Lorini came highly recommended to me, and I cannot recommend her more. It was sweet and steamy in all the right places- just like a good meal from Amelie’s kitchen!!

Thank you to Gallery Books for the opportunity to read and review this book! I received a free advance copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved the dual timeline in this book, as well as ALL the food!! Such a delightful, cute story of second chances, turbulent relationships, and just a beautiful story of endurance!

So I really enjoy how this author writes, I started with Riding the Sugar High and then read this. So basically reading the series in reverse. The first chapter where they meet? Chef's kiss. I was squealing. I kept going because I needed to know what happens, but as it went on it became too messy, toxic, and drama filled for me. I was so done with Frank, and yet Amelie kept trying with him. All of the miscommunication and secrets had me getting mad. I can relate to Amelie, but after a while I was ready to strangle some sense into her. I wish we got to know more about her and why she is so obsessed with needing a wedding. Ian is amazing, but he was also manipulative and it's not great that he kept trying with an engaged woman. I like flawed characters, but for me there wasn't enough resolution and talking and growth to redeem them. I think it would have helped if this was dual POV, I needed Ian's thoughts.

The book is fantastic! I've kept hearing about it from my booksta friends and I'm grateful to have a chance to read ARC beforehand!

I loved this story so much! I think now I'm a fan of Letizia and planning to read all her works.
I adore the pace of the book and the story plot. Characters are amazing and their chemistry! Oh god, it was brilliant!
Ian is such a book boyfriend, definatly the top of the list!

The banter is the separate story! It was brilliant!

I've enjoyed the two timelines, it wasn't confusing or anything.

I would recommend this book to all of my friends and for sure will add it to my physical lybrary!

This is a delightful fit for readers who adore lighthearted, humorous, and emotional romance stories with a slow burn, rival-to-lovers trope, and a dash of culinary charm, making it a perfect pick for fans of feel-good, laugh-out-loud rom-coms.

This is my first book by Letizia Lorini and I really enjoyed her writing style. The Wedding Menu is a swoony, hilarious, and entertaining romance with a lot of heart (and butter). I fell in love with Amelie and Ian in a heartbeat. The past/present timeline made their dynamic feel more real, and it was a joy watching these two go from strangers to friends to almost-lovers to enemies to lovers.

I find myself relating to Amelie's character. She’s a hot mess, but reading about her relationship with her ex-fiance, ex-best friend, and family was heartbreaking. She struggles to put herself first before everyone else, which leads to her denying her own feelings and what she wants to do, and makes her very guarded when it comes to her feelings. Ian is the literal definition of a golden retriever. His unpopular opinions, questionable eating habits, and quick-witted personality is so charming. I loved how he was consistently there for Amelie and showed such genuine care. His unwavering patience and support helped Amelie see her value and worth, making it truly satisfying to witness her confidence flourish throughout the book.

I loved every moment of this book. The characters, the plot, text messaging banter, the butter scene, and the chaos in between.

A fun, engaging read.
The story is duel timeline.
I was laughing and getting teary eyed while reading The Wedding Menu.
I do have to say I wasn’t a fan of the FMC…..she pretty much made me annoyed with her behavior.
All in all, entertaining, emotional, humorous and…..hot are my endings thoughts.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This might be one of my favourite romance books of all time! Everything was perfection - the dual timelines, the characters, the pacing. I absolutely adore this read and believe everyone should give this book a try. Definitely don’t go into this book hungry though!

My rating: 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes:
- right person, wrong time
- second chance
- friends to lovers
- he falls first
- dual timeline

The book is full of moments that I could have hated, but it made me love it. The story made me laugh and cry.

The book tells the story of Amelie, who has everything: she was almost engaged to her high school sweetheart, had a close relationship with her childhood best friend, and worked in her father's restaurant. Her life was exactly as she wanted it to be, or so she thought.

That is, until she met Ian (my new book boyfriend 🤭), and everything started to change.

In my opinion, the dedication of the book should be mentioned that it is dedicated to those who have walked a difficult path to learn how to choose themselves. And those who are in the process.

Let’s be honest: not everyone can make decisions in a second, especially those that determine their fate.

This is the first book I've read by the author, and definitely not the last.

The book will definitely appeal to fans of Romeo and Juliet, Bride Wars, Letters to Juliet, and Little Italy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book from Lorini, and I’m excited to read more of her stuff. The Wedding Menu was emotional and intimate. I liked the dual timelines matching up, and kept wondering what it was that eventually kept them apart. There’s a good amount of spice in here to please the chili pepper girlies but not too much that an average reader wouldn’t enjoy the book. Well written and well balanced.

3.5/5 ⭐️
2.5/5 🌶️ Open door explicit scenes, but nothing too crazy. See content warnings below.

Thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Letizia Lorini for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Just assume that this is a bit spoiler-y, honestly.

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Please see content warnings below because much of this book made me wildly uncomfortable. There is a HEA and the payoff makes all of the bad vibes feel worth it I guess? Maybe? I’m just not even sure how to recap this because Amelie is straight up not having a good time, dude. Like most of the book is terrible for her…even when things are supposedly going right for her it’s like…is it??

Ian really made me mad too. Like, he made me mad more than her useless fiancé did because how are you going to claim that your cheating ex traumatized you SO much that you can’t be in a real relationship and then take part in an emotional affair?? Excuse me, sir??? Very icky vibes from everyone. I also hate all the reviews blaming Amelie because the girl is surrounded by awful people, honestly. MCs had great chemistry, but I’m not sure if Ian deserved her by the end. This felt long, but was otherwise good.

Content warnings: absent parent, cheating, death of a parent (off page), emotional affair, mild exhibition kink

I received this as an arc for the republishing in 2025 from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. My honest review is…

Incredible. No notes.

I couldn’t put it down.

What a banging way to start my reading journey this year!
I’m not typically a fan of past/present timelines, but I made an exception. I devoured this book. Ate it up and left no crumbs. I am obsessed with Ian and I’m upset he doesn’t exist in real life. Gonna make my husband read it and take notes honestly.

This is without a doubt one of my absolute favorite romance books. Ian is my favorite but I love Amelie too (despite being real angsty with her at times for allowing Frank to treat her that way when she could have been with Ian). It’s sweet and spicy, funny and heartwarming. It’s my number one book recommendation and I hope everyone gets to meet Ian and Amelie someday.

Thanks to Gallery Books for my advance copy of The Wedding Menu. Holy forking shirtballs, Letizia Lorini knocked it out of the park with this dual-timeline, friends to lovers, second chance romance. I can’t even. I’m not going to give a summary because I don’t want to spoil anything, but here are my slightly unhinged thoughts.

Asfdfkjhaskjhfakjsfkasjfg. Literally, that’s my brain on this book.

The tension. The spice. The unpopular opinions. The FOOD. (And the butter. LMAO)

Amalie and Ian may have taken a winding, circuitous road to their happy ending, but the journey is what makes it so much sweeter when they finally and forever choose each other.

I was so grateful to get an ARC of this one, and I knew before I’d even finished I’d be buying a book trophy—I mean, paperback copy—because it’s JUST THAT GOOD, y’all. And I'm so excited (after having read it before it's indie pub) that it's getting a trad pub release. I can't wait for EVEN more people to fall in love with Amalie and Ian.

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the advanced copy of this book! The Wedding Menu comes out on January 21, 2025!

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I’m in the minority of people who liked this book. It has a 4.16 rating here and I’m giving it three stars. I am not reading the reviews, I’m just going to say what I need to say.

I didn’t like it.

The steam was definitely four spicy peppers. But holy frick, everything else annoyed the absolute bejesus out of me.

Let’s start at the beginning. I loved the meet-cute-ish thing that happened at the beginning. It was adorable and I was full on rooting for our main characters. You could feel their chemistry. And then we find out that Amelie is engaged. To Frank. (Whyyyyyyy the name Frank?) Anyway, Frank wants an open relationship for six months while he’s traveling for work. And Amelie agrees to it. And it is at this point where I CAN’T DEAL WITH AMELIE. Okay, so she doesn’t whole-heartedly agree to it, but just the fact that it happens and she still wants to marry him just because she wants a wedding floors me. Are there women like this out in the world? Are they okay?

Then there is the constant texting with Ian. Which is cute, of course. He’s cute and he’s reliable and he wants to listen and be there for her, but it feels so one-sided and I hate that for him. But he is also pursuing a woman who is engaged (regardless of what is happening with that relationship). There are just so many red flags everywhere. Then there is this rivalry between their parents' restaurants and a long-time bestie who is just a bitch and takes FRANK’S side! And I just want to ring everyone’s neck. Except Barb. I liked her.

There was just too much going on.

I did think, besides my feelings toward the characters and all the red flags, that the story was written well. It was entertaining, if not maddening. I think the author is talented and obviously has a great band of fans. But even with a friends-to-lovers trope, I just didn’t like it as much as I wanted to like it and I am really bummed about that.