At a crossroads in her life, her hopes for turning her web based vintage cooking show into a real cooking show now dimmed, Juliana is offered the chance to go back to Italy to spend the summer on her family's farm. There are a few slight catches with this offer. She needs to take her high school age younger half sister whom she barely knows with her and she hasn't been back to the farm since the summer her father drowned there nearly 15 years ago. Oh, and there is Nicolo. The boy she was madly in love with s a teen. Despite these concerns, Juliana sublets her apartment and forges ahead to Italy where she plans to use the time to create recipes for her soon to be published cookbook and that deadline is fast approaching! What began as an escape slowly turns into a soul searching, family bonding adventure for Juliana. She learns more about the critical financial state of the farm, creates tantalizing recipes for her cookbook, plunges the farm into the 21st century - Hello Tiktok! and rekindles her relationship with the very sexy and now grown up Nicolo. Be sure to have a glass of wine and a plate of Merenda (afternoon snacks) nearby when you settle in to read this cozy and delicious second chance slow burn of a romance!

For a novel that seems to start out as a light-hearted read, The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake goes deep very quickly! At times sad and nostalgic, The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake is also full of warmth and hope and healing. At the heart, this book is about finding your true self - and your true family through the tragedies and turmoil of life. I would definitely recommend this surprisingly thoughtful and hopeful book to readers who like just a dash of heat and romance. It ended up being such a lovely read with characters that I fell in love with - and it made me desperately want to travel to Lake Garda, Italy.

The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake by Rachel Linden
I binge read this book in just a couple of days. It's modern in that Jules (a 30 something cooking Instagram influencer) is trying to make her cooking show into something more sustainable. She' been to find her niche awhile now. She's a bit adrift. Enter her half-sister that she barely knows and a trip back to Italy and the olive farm her grandmother is struggling to keep going. What ensues is funny, sad, sexy, heartfelt, mysterious, romantic and might I add reflective and full of what sounds like amazing food! The descriptions of the farm and villa, the pace of life, and the importance of family are dream worthy.. It hit all the buttons for me. I highly recommend!

Jules Costa has a popular online cooking show, but the ratings weren’t good enough so she was being dropped. The one thing that might save her is if she can get her cookbook published. When her mother calls and ask her is she will watch her stepsister, Alex, for the summer, she is hesitant, but decided she will go back to Italy to visit her eighty-year-old Nonna Bruna, and take her stepsister with her.
When they arrive, Jules has lost her confidence, doesn't know what is going to happen, but she is going to stay for the summer. She discovers her childhood friend, Nicolo. She had planned to use her grandmother's cookbook to create the food, with some history and pictures. That didn't work out because the cookbook had magical powers. Only one recipe would show up, for what it was they needed. It worked for everyone but Jules. Jules finally decides she has to chance in order to get what she wants, and at that moment she didn't know what that was. As the days move forward so does she, Alex and Nicolo, they learn a lot about themselves, what is important, and when it is time to make decisions, it is intersting how they each decide. Just part of the journey.
I received an ARC from Berkley through NetGalley.

4.25 stars
Jules balances her job at Trader Joes with her social media cooking show until her long time roommate and best friend gets a better offer. She then relents to her mothers request to take her half sister, who she barely knows to Italy and visit her beloved grandmother, who she hasn't seen in fifteen years since tragedy struck.

Like some of the other Rachel Linden books I have read this one will make you hungry with the great descriptions of food, especially since this one includes a magical cookbook. The growing relationship between Jules and her half sister as well as her grandmother was heartwarming and the romance was sweet but not the center of the story. The central theme of the story was that the secret to life was in not playing it safe, but in finding something worth taking a risk for a lesson Jules needed to learn. Although I found the main character a bit slow to learn her lesson at times, I still really enjoyed this sweet story.

Thank you to net galley and Berkley publishing for the e galley of this title.

I started out being really annoyed with all the characters. I thought they were whiny, selfish, boring, etc.. By the end I had changed my mind (about most of them). There was a lot of growth throughout the story. Very sweet & touching moments. Neatly wrapped up in a bow at the end!

Overall a good read. One of the better ARCs I've read recently! Very descriptive, and I'm always a sucker for books about baking/cooking, especially books like these that include recipes. My only major comment would be that it felt to me like the 60s aspect of Julie's cooking felt a little bit out of place. While I get it's purpose thematically, it was a little disjointed in the end. Would her viewers really adapt to such a sharp change of content so abruptly? That said, I'd still definitely recommend it!

Book review: The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake by Rachel Linden
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

Reading The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake felt like taking a slow, nourishing breath after a long exhale. Rachel Linden serves up a beautiful, heart-forward story that’s part healing journey, part romantic second chance, and part culinary dream—infused with just the right amount of whimsy. If you’ve ever needed a reminder that food connects us to more than just hunger, this book will speak to you.

Jules Costa is a rising star in the vintage-recipe corner of social media. Her online cooking show has traction, her aesthetic is on brand, and she’s just landed a cookbook deal. On paper, things are working. But off-screen, life is crumbling. Her business partner bails for an L.A. deal, her finances are in shambles, and she’s paralyzed with grief from the death of her father fifteen years earlier—an event that shattered her family and left her emotionally stranded. Desperate to salvage her career and spark her creativity, she returns to her family’s olive farm on Lake Garda, Italy, with a reluctant tag-along: her fifteen-year-old half-sister, Alex.

What Jules expects is peace and recipes. What she gets is far more complicated—and magical. Her beloved Nonna Bruna still reigns over the kitchen, but the family recipe book Jules hoped to use as the backbone for her cookbook is blank. Completely blank. Until, that is, it begins to reveal one recipe at a time, only when the cook is ready to receive it. The magical realism is subtle but essential—this isn’t fantasy for the sake of novelty; it’s storytelling that uses magic to highlight emotional truths.

This book excels in quiet transformation. Jules is not perfect, and that’s the point. She’s stubborn, avoidant, and often closed off. But she grows, slowly and believably, through her reconnection with Nonna, her friendship with Alex, and the reemergence of Nicolo—the boy she loved at fifteen, now grown and maybe even more infuriatingly perfect than before. Their dynamic is charming but grounded, built on shared history and deep emotional wounds rather than cheap tropes. There’s tension, but it’s patient. There’s chemistry, but it’s layered with grief and time and missed chances. It feels real.

What really hit home for me, though, was the intergenerational story arc. Jules’s journey mirrors Nonna Bruna’s own path, and the way family history weaves through the plot is brilliant. There’s depth here about how families carry both love and trauma—how secrets passed down can harden people or, when faced, set them free. The lost recipe for orange blossom cake isn’t just about dessert. It’s a metaphor for legacy, for the way sweetness can survive even through bitterness.

One of the standout lines comes when Nonna explains the power of the titular recipe:
“The first bite will show you the happiest day of your future. But only if you’re brave enough to taste it.”
That line stayed with me. It’s not just magical—it’s a challenge. Are we brave enough to imagine the best is still ahead? Are we willing to let go of fear long enough to even taste the possibility?

This book asks those questions with gentle persistence. It doesn’t push you to transform overnight. Instead, it invites you to simmer—like a good sauce—until you’re ready to release what no longer serves you and embrace the people, places, and dreams that do.

The relationship between Jules and Alex is another unexpected highlight. It starts cold, even hostile, but as the summer unfolds, they become less half-sisters and more co-conspirators in healing. Watching them build trust, share laughter, and push each other forward felt deeply earned and emotionally satisfying.

The Italian setting is richly drawn without being overindulgent. You can almost smell the olive trees, feel the heat radiating off the cobblestones, and taste every lovingly described dish. And yes—the food descriptions are top tier. I don’t even bake, and I wanted to make that orange blossom cake. This is one of those rare novels where the food isn’t just background—it’s character, emotion, and catalyst. It brings people together. It holds memory. It stirs change.

If I had one small critique, it’s that the pacing at the beginning felt a touch uneven. The setup takes time, and some internal monologues circle around a bit too long. But once Jules arrives in Italy and the magical cookbook enters the plot, the story finds its rhythm—and it holds that balance all the way through the final bite.

In the end, The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake is more than a romance or a foodie escape (though it’s both). It’s a story about letting go of fear, embracing uncertainty, and trusting that joy can return after loss. It’s about legacy, love, and yes, a little cake magic. Rachel Linden has delivered a beautiful, transporting novel that left me full—not just of good story, but of hope.

Let me start by saying location, location, location! As soon as I started reading, I felt like I was transported to the North of Italy at Lake Garda! I won’t lie, I started shopping for trips in that region and officially made it a life project!

I am not usually into magic realism but this story provided exactly what was needed. I loved the authentic family relationships and the résilience each character showed.

I feel the prologue was a bit abrupt but it did not take away from the story.

If you are looking for Italian recipes, lemons, olive oil, summer at the lake, newfound relationships and of course; orange blossom cake, this is your book and do not hesitate! Wow!

I will surely look for the author’s other novels as this one provided a true escape and I want more!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a complimentary e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was a slow read for me. The benefits are it is cozy, thought provoking, and wrapped up with a happy bow in the end. The descriptions were well done and helped connect the reader to the characters. My only downfall was it was slow.

The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake by Rachel Linden is an absolute delight from beginning to end. I was completely swept up in Jules Costa’s journey of self-discovery, love, and reconnecting with her roots. She’s a beautifully layered character, strong yet vulnerable; and her growth throughout the story is both heartfelt and inspiring.
As she works to make a success of her online cooking show and complete her contracted cookbook, Jules must confront the pain of her past to move forward into the future she dreams of.
The relationship between Jules and her Nonna is touching and deeply nostalgic, filled with warmth, wisdom, and the kind of love that lingers long after the final page. Their shared passion for cooking and baking is both relatable and beautifully written.
And Nicolo… what a charming and grounded romantic interest! Their dynamic feels natural and endearing—who doesn’t want to rediscover a spark with their first love?
Set against a vivid and mouthwatering Italian backdrop, the story perfectly blends romance, food, and emotional healing. This book is as comforting and rich as the orange blossom cake itself. I loved every page!

Nice light romance that involves food, fun! The only drawback was it was somewhat predictable. Nice blend of magical realism and character growth. I love it when they include one or two recipes.

I really enjoyed this book, it had a quirky start and a very kind of traditional but spun premise of a girl going back to her roots when she feels lost, but adding a fun fantasy background element. I did love the themes of rediscovering family and that what you thought would lead to your individual happiness is not always the end goal, and can actually end up being something completely different. Fans of the Honey Witch would like this a lot.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

My Take: After being throughly delighted by The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie I knew I wanted to read Rachel Linden's new book The Secret of Orange
Blossom Cake.
The FMC, Jules Costa, is in a career pitfall, feeling rejected and hopeless, she turns to her family's historical olive farm in Italy to gain inspiration from her Nonna's famous cookbook. I love the evolution that Jules went through.
Initially, meek and diluted with fear she evolves into a strong, empathetic and hopeful character. At its heart, this story is about recovering from profound grief and the strength to seek a new destiny with just enough magic realism to feel whimsical. The romance element is beautifully done with a second chance at first love (the gorgeous Italian boy next door) but also with regaining the love for a culture, and homeland.
When I tell you this book made me hungry I absolutely mean it. The immersive, especially detailed descriptions of the Italian delicacies were mouthwatering. This in itself is enough reason to read this book. The author painstakingly provided ample and delicious details not only pertaining to the scrumptious food described but also the beauty and culture of Italy.
This was definitely a slow burn and took a bit to get to the juicy details of the plot but overall was heartwarming, moving, and lovely.

What do you get when you mix a complicated family history, a beautiful farm in Italy, the transformational power of food, and a dash of magical realism? The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake! Jules, a struggling instagrammer, travels to her family’s Italian olive farm for the summer. While there she discovers a secret about a beloved family cookbook, heals old wounds, and figures out who she wants to be.

I really enjoyed this story. A perfect read for contemporary fiction fans who enjoy food, travel, family, and heartwarming stories with happy endings!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me a complimentary advanced reader copy of the ebook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and based off of this draft; the final publication may be different. Expected publication date is September 30, 2025.

Arc Review !!

Tropes: second chance/childhood sweetheart, forced proximity, magical cookbook

This book was such a cute little read for the summer! Set in Italy with a journey to healing and bonding with her half-sister along with the touches of romance and magical food. I absolutely adored this book, I just wish we saw more from the romance between the fmc and mmc and tension! Overall, the idea of a magical cookbook that gives you what you need most and the recipe along with it was a very good idea and carried out perfectly. Can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you so much to Berkley and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

(Further review in the instagram arc highlight!)

3.5 stars but I’ll round up.

I love everything from Rachel Linden, and my family is Italian so this one was made for me. But it felt messy and like there was opportunity for greater depth with Juliana’s character that isn’t explored. She felt emotionally immature: blind to her cruelty to her little sister, unwilling to even try to help her family, and woefully fixated on the failings of her passion project instead of the big glaring solutions in front of her haha. I think some kind of greater tension was needed earlier in the story rather than leaning on her needless inner turmoils and a liiittle less selfish naivety for the main character would have done a lot here.

I still love Linden’s cozy magical realism and would recommend this book to anyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The beautiful cover design grabbed my attention and enticed me to read this novel that is perfect for fans of fiction by authors such as Emily Henry or the much older book/film adaptation of Under the Tuscan Sun.. The protagonist and first-person narrator of The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake is Julie Costa, a fan of 1960's lifestyle which includes jello salads, featured in her short social media videos as "The ByGone Kitchen." To pay the rent, however, Jules works at Trader Joe's. Readers will enjoy her friendship with a young man named Drew who also happens to be her platonic roommate. Author Rachel Linden does a good job of character development, allowing the reader to sense that something about Drew does not quite seem entirely honest. Readers slowly learn the backstory about Jules and her family, comprised of a shallow self-centered mother, an extremely wealthy step-father, and a half sister, Alessandra, with whom Jules has had very little interaction. When Jules's life is thrown completely off track, her paternal Italian grandmother who lives on an old olive grove farm in the beautiful Lake Garda region provides a perfect respite, combining references to tasty foods and scenic countryside for the readers.

The story arc is enjoyable, fast reading with a touch of magical realism and with a fairly predictable but satisfying outcome as Jules's cooking abilities helping to save the day for several people besides herself. I am skipping details to avoid spoilers. A couple of things gave me pause as I read. An example of this is that I felt the author led readers to have a mental picture of Jules as an extremely plain young female who wears chunky penny loafer shoes. However, once Jules arrives in Italy, it is a stereotypical ciao-bella scene with a buff local Italian guy stunned by her beauty. I also found myself thinking that it might have been nice if the undesirable sub-let roommates and initially undesirable half sister did not share the vegan/vegetarian diet that made them seem extra weird to Jules. When the book wraps up with a tasty recipe for a very special cake, readers are sure to close the covers with a smile on their faces.

4.5 ⭐️

Rachel Linden is one of my favorite magical realism authors and this was another winner. The charming Italian setting, irresistible MCs, and seeping of family connections were all winners!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I loved this book! This story felt like a cozy blanket reminding me of my Italian Nana. It has a magical cookbook that shows you the recipe to make, family secrets, and all takes place on an Italian farm. Sweet romance and a whimsical storyline made this a new favorite for me!

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for the ARC!