I just devoured (pun fully intended) Eat Like Post by Emily Arden Wells and it was everything I wanted in a foodie romance. 🥖🍷

This book follows Cassie, a high-powered NYC lawyer whose life is completely mapped out until tragedy strikes and she loses her boyfriend James. Just when she thinks she knows everything about him, she discovers his secret identity: the mastermind behind one of New York’s hottest anonymous foodie accounts.

What starts as one reservation in his name turns into a whirlwind adventure: Michelin-starred restaurants, cozy bistros, decadent pasta in Italy, buttery croissants in Paris… honestly, I felt like I was traveling (and eating) right alongside her. Emily Arden Wells writes food so vividly that I swear I could taste every bite my stomach was growling the entire time.

But beyond the food (and trust me, there’s plenty), this book is also about grief, second chances, and rediscovering yourself when life doesn’t go according to plan. Cassie’s journey of balancing her old life as a workaholic lawyer with this new, deliciously messy world of food influencing felt both heartwarming and relatable.

If you love foodie fiction, books with big emotional journeys, or anything that will make you want to book a flight to Europe ASAP, this is one you’ll want on your TBR. Just don’t read it hungry…you’ve been warned. 😋

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review 💕

The travel and foodie parts were the highlight of this book for me! I found that this one had a slower middle which led to me almost DNFing, but I was glad that I finished it!

When Cassie’s boyfriend tragically dies in a car accident, it completely rocks her world. Until that moment, her life was all routine and very little passion. She toils endlessly at her corporate law firm with little recognition, all in the hopes of making partner by the time she’s 35. But after her boyfriend’s passing, she discovers he has been keeping a pretty massive secret from her: he is behind one of the biggest food influencer accounts, that also happens to be anonymous. When Cassie accepts an invitation to a prestigious trip to Europe for food critics on behalf of the account, without telling anyone except her good friend at home in New York, she opens the door to a lot more than just incredible food.

I really liked this book! The premise isn’t super deep, and neither are the characters, but it’s sweet and heartfelt. It is also a great reminder to not let life pass you by - it is easy to get caught up in the day to day, but it’s important to maintain passion in your life.

The only reason this didn’t get 5 stars from me was the ending. I didn’t care for the way things were left with Cassie. It felt very out of character for her to have made a huge decision and to also leave something else up in the air (no spoilers here, sorry). Overall a cute story and a solid debut. I would definitely pick up whatever this author publishes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For fans of foodie books. More contemporary fiction than romance, I’m finding it hard to rate this book as there was nothing inherently wrong with it, I just couldn’t connect with Cassie or her journey.

After Cassie’s boyfriend unexpectedly dies, she finds out he was secretly an online food critic and takes off to Europe on a food tour he was supposed to join. I was hoping for more depth, more reconciling with the grief of her boyfriend’s passing, and more introspection about her life, but this comes across as largely surface level with a lot of details about food. Cassie seems to barely mourn her boyfriend and seems to move on pretty quickly (with guys that she didn’t have chemistry with).

Unfortunately it missed the mark for me, but I do see it being a hit for someone not expecting something deep and who loves food.

This was actually really good book but just felt a little juvenile and it was a little boring in the middle, but overall pretty good!

Cassie is a lawyer in Manhattan. James, Cassie’s boyfriend, is an accountant living a secret life. After his untimely passing, Cassie gets to know James for who he really is, and uses his secret life as a restaurant critic as an escape for herself.

This book is a food lovers dream, with a splash of romance. We following along as Cassie goes on a food tour of a lifetime through Europe and finds herself along the way. Does she also find love? You’ll have to read to find out.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I really enjoyed this! Was the overall premise a little weird? Yeah. But I really enjoyed the travel aspect and the food aspect.

Eat Post Like is a deliciously funny love story about loss, food and love, all of which are important to making a very heartwarming story with a strong woman as the main character. A woman who through trauma and sadness is able to pull herself together to become not only stronger but is able to decide what she truly wants in her life. And change her life she does.

Cassie Brooks is a workaholic lawyer who loves her life, or so she thinks. Although she works long hours her boyfriend James an accountant also puts in long hours, so he is not put off. He appreciates her hard work and instead of badgering, he takes to out for dinner to try new restaurants. He truly appreciates her life and she his.

Then tragically James dies. Cassie is lost. She can't even go over to his apartment to figure out how to organize his things. When she finally does go, she discovers that James had a secret life she never knew about. How could he have kept something from her. Weren't they soulmates?

James was not an accountant. He was actually a food critic with an Instagram account called @NewYorkSecretDiner, a beloved food account with millions of followers. Why did he not tell her?

Devastated at first, she decides to post on the account. Well, that does not go over very well...until Cassie decides to do something she never imagined she could. She accepts an invitation that @NewYorkSecretDiner had received. An invitation which will take her all over Europe tasting food and drinking wine at the most fabulous restaurants and visiting incredibly beautiful places.

But be careful what you wish for! As the trip begins, she never imagined the time and effort it took to research not only the dishes and wines, but the ingredients and locations. What a mess she feels she is making of Jame's secret legacy.

So, she decides to create her own account...Eat Post Like. And well, you'll just have to see what happens to Cassie next. But know there is delicious food, handsome men, very funny characters but especially, Cassie's personal discoveries about herself, who she is and what she wants out of life. But it's also about James who may have lived a secret life but loved a wonderful woman!

Thank you #NetGalley #HarperCollins #EatPostLike #EmilyArdenWells for the advanced copy.

A lawyer, Cassie, unhappy in her job, decides to take a 2 month sabbatical, going to Europe to continue her boyfriend's, James's, blog as a food critic / writer. She doesn't tell anyone that she is impersonating his work, and begins to write her own blog. Cassie makes friends on the trip to Europe, and starts building new relationships and taking control of her life. But, because she didn't tell people how she got invited on the trip, she thinks of herself as a fraud when she is called out.
I just didn't find this story to be believable. Why wouldn't James have told her his secret? How could she so easily transform into this new identity?

Based on the synopsis, I fully expected to love this book but it was a huge disappointment, The authors writing style is very disjointed and I found the book difficult to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the early copy of Eat, Post, Like!

I went into this one completely blind, I didn’t even read the blurb! The cover totally drew me in, and I assumed it would be a lighthearted story about self-love and personal growth. But what I got was a much deeper journey through grief, healing, and figuring out how to move forward while still honoring the ones we’ve lost. We follow Cassie, a burnt-out NYC lawyer grinding for a promotion at a job she secretly hates. She’s in a relationship with James, a man she loves and sees a future with, until tragedy strikes and James passes away suddenly. Cassie is rocked to her core. As she processes her grief, she discovers James had a secret: he was a wildly popular, anonymous food critic.

In a somewhat impulsive move, Cassie decides to take over his blog, despite having no foodie background, and accepts an invite for a European food tour James had planned to attend. Through this journey, she tries to understand the version of James she never knew. While I appreciated the unique concept and the emotional arc, I didn’t fully feel the depth of love between Cassie and James. Her grief felt more like shock than heartbreak, and I struggled to connect with her motivations. I also found it a little odd that the story shifted to a new romance while she was still processing her loss, it felt a bit rushed and, honestly, slightly off-key in the context of the story. That said, the travel and foodie elements were fun, and the book does have heart. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t dislike it either, it was an okay read as long as I didn’t think too hard about the emotional pacing.

This was fine, a bit repetitive in my opinion. Definitely different from other things I have read in the past and that was cool tom read about a fellow foodie that takes pictures of what she eats. Really good. I recommend!!!

The premise of the story was interesting to me. Cassie, the main character, annoyed me. She put herself first in the relationship with James. She loved him, wanted to marry him but yet.....she was too busy to spend time with him. She was too self-centered. I had a hard time getting past this demeanor and on top of that, the writing was "heavy" and didn't flow. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary ARC. I am sorry that this book was not a match for me. This review and rating is my own opinion.

Eat Post Like is the debut novel by Emily Arden Wells. Its perfect for lovers of food, social media, and travel. It also explores some aspects of grief. Cassie was a workaholic attorney who had her life all figured out. After losing her boyfriend unexpectedly, main character Cassie learns a huge secret. James was a restaurant critic with a secret food blog. Cassie decides to take a big risk and take on the identity of a the food blogger when invited on a European vacation. While enjoying the travel and food she struggles with the new demands of being an influencer, keeping her identity a secret, and still working through grief.

Perfect Vacation Read


I finished this book a few days ago and I’m still smiling. Emily Arden Wells delivered a feel-good, foodie romcom with just enough soul to keep it grounded and just enough sparkle to make it binge-worthy. If Eat Pray Love had a snarky little sister who traded pasta in Italy for Michelin stars in Manhattan—this would be her story. And yes, it would make an excellent TV movie (preferably with a killer soundtrack and slow-mo food montages).

Cassie Brooks seems to have it all: power attorney job, luxe Manhattan apartment, golden-boy boyfriend (maybe-fiancé?) James… so why does she always feel like she’s sprinting and never breathing? Just when the cracks start to show, tragedy strikes—James dies in a car accident. And everything Cassie thought she knew crumbles.

Then comes the twist: turns out James was living a secret double life as @NewYorkSecretDiner, an anonymous food reviewer who knew where to find the city’s most magical meals. In her grief (and possibly a food-induced haze), Cassie takes over the account. What starts as a desperate attempt to feel closer to him quickly spirals into a chaotic, three-week culinary tour she’s wildly unprepared for. Gorgeous meals, new friendships, and an identity crisis all served with a side of public exposure threat? Yes please.

This book was a blast—and now I want to devour more food-and-travel books. It made me feel like I was eating my way through every stop on Cassie’s journey, from cozy city bistros to scenic countryside gems, all without leaving my couch.

The meal descriptions hit the sweet spot—lush but not over-the-top—and I loved how creative each dish felt. You could almost taste them.

A couple of bumps though: Cassie’s friendship with Ruby was a bit confusing. Ruby starts out as a casual work buddy, but suddenly she’s the confidante and ride-or-die bestie. I wanted their bond to be more established early on, especially since Ruby is one of the more charming side characters. And the ending? Great build-up, great arc… and then bam, everything wraps up a little too neatly in four quick chapters. I wanted just a bit more breathing room after all the delicious tension.

Still, I had a great time. I already bought a copy for my best friend because I know she’ll love the vibe. Easy, breezy, heartwarming, and full of food—I’ll definitely be picking up more from this author.

When Cassie’s boyfriend dies in a freak accident and leaves his apartment to her, she discovers his secret double life. He’s an undercover restaurant critic. He goes in disguise and posts anonymous reviews on Instagram. Since no one knows who he is, Cassie decides to take a leave of absence from her unfulfilling cooperate law job and take his place on a food review trip through Europe. As she learns more about the food critic job, she has to decide if this is a better fit for her life. When someone from her past threatens to expose her, she has to choose which life she wants.

I found Cassie an interesting character. She frustrated me in many ways with her refusal to choose her own happiness. Over and over she seemed to self-sabotage. I loved the side characters though. All the other reviewers were memorable and engaging.

The plot was slow but well written. I would have preferred a less ambiguous ending.

Honestly this would have been a three star read for me except for the restaurants. The detailed descriptions of decor and plating captured my imagination and I found the unique locations were fascinating. The varied restaurants kept me reading when the plot was slow and the main character was frustrating.

Read this one if you’d like to vicariously participate in the fine dining scene of Europe.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the chance to review this ARC.

This book was beautifully heartbreaking. Dealing with grief in such an interesting way, I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

This book is about food, grief, and moving on. In that order.

Getting over her boyfriend who passed by continuing on his food critique secret blog. Cassie has a lot to overcome and she hopes to find herself a new in the process.

This book was just okay for me. It was heavier than I anticipated. The food descriptions were good and they made me hungry. Lol

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

Don't read this book on an empty stomach because the descriptions of food will make you hungry. This story was unique and the writing is incredibly detailed, which at times slowed the book down for me.

A food tour of New York and Europe, I am jealous and also a little hungover from all the food descriptions. It got to be a little too much at a point. Had a good message on navigating grief and being close to burnout, would have like a bit more on that message and less food descriptions.