Published by Berkley on September 30, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction, Enchanted Realism
Rating:
Goodreads
A magical cookbook and a summer on her family’s Italian olive farm help a brokenhearted social media chef cook up a satisfying new life in this delectable novel from the bestselling author of Recipe for a Charmed Life.
Rising star Jules Costa loves re-creating vintage recipes for her popular online cooking show. But when personal and professional disaster strikes, her only chance of saving her career is to complete her new cookbook before the end of the summer. Panicked, Jules returns to her family’s beloved olive farm on the shores of Italy’s stunning Lake Garda. Seeking culinary inspiration, she's hoping to convince her spunky eighty-year-old Nonna Bruna to share her precious collection of family recipes.
Jules’ plans quickly go awry as she discovers Nonna’s cookbook has magical and unpredictable powers. It only reveals one recipe at a time, offering a cooking experience guaranteed to satisfy the chef’s palate and bring clarity to their life. Yet it remains stubbornly blank for Jules. To make matters worse, the olive farm is in deep financial trouble, and Jules soon uncovers a web of family secrets involving the cookbook and a lost recipe for orange blossom cake that holds the key to everything. And Nicolo, the boy next door who broke her young heart, is now all grown up, even more attractive, and the only person poised to help her find answers.
In a whirlwind summer beyond her imagination, Jules begins to unravel the mysteries baked into her family’s history and discovers the essential ingredients to create the future of her dreams.
Jules loved her summers in Italy until her father's accidental death. She had been hesitant to return, but when seeking inspiration for her cookbook which could save her cooking show, Jules returned to her family's olive grove. This place she associated with so much pain might just be the place that helps her heal and find herself again.
I will say it right now. I LOVE Rachel Linden's books. This is my third, and it's the third to get five stars. Why, you ask? Because her books are heartfelt, warm, charming, and uplifting with a touch of magic that give her stories that extra something special.
This time around, I met Jules who built an online presence during the pandemic with her retro inspired cooking show. She thought she was on the brink of a series deal, but the studio was looking for something different. Jules pivoted to put more energy into her upcoming cookbook as well as her online presence. The only problem was she didn't think she could give the publisher what they wanted - recipes attached to memories. In order to save her cookbook and the future of her cooking show, Jules returned to spend the summer with her Nonna and hoped to tap into her family's recipes and the many memories they held.
I am going to start by saying I loved Jules, but it was a web show. When she was faced with some major choices later in the story, I didn't quite buy into her dilemma. It was a web show. However, I loved Jules so much, and my my heart ached for her and her losses. She lost more than her father when he died. She lost her ties to her heritage, a very special place, and her dreams. It thrilled me that she made the brave choice and returned to this place that was waiting to help her heal and to give her clarity. This was her second chance in many ways. It was her second chance to build the future she wanted and to rekindle her relationship with her first love. And the magical touch employed by Linden was perfect!
There was also a very sweet storyline involving Jules and her half sister, Alex. It was lovely watching their bond develop and seeing Alex blossom while surrounded by so much love. But the story was brimming with great characters who along with Alex, helped Jules rediscover her passion and herself. Nonna was a pistol. Exactly what you expect from an Italian grandmother, and the cooking! *Chef's kiss* Everything sounded delectable.
Overall, I had an amazing time with Jules and her family. Getting to visit Lake Garda was a special treat that was elevated by a beautiful story about healing, family, love, second chances, and food. Tons of heart, emotion and warmth earned this book a solid five-star rating from me.
Published by Dell on October 14, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
A sentimental advertising creative and a blunt, no-nonsense bar owner find a second chance at love while binge-watching iconic holiday movies in this poignant and heartwarming romance, from the author of Charm City Rocks and All Together Now.
The new year barely began when Grace White and Henry Adler both lost their spouses. Now, nearly a year later, the first holiday season since their "Great and Terrible Sadnesses" approaches. Although their mothers scheme to matchmake the two surviving spouses, it’s clear that neither is ready to date again. Yet no one understands what they're going through better than each other, and a delicate friendship is born.
When Henry sees an ad for a Christmas movie marathon—once an annual tradition for him and his wife—Grace offers to watch some films with him, despite her aversion to a few of his picks. Her two young kids, Ian and Bella, also join in whenever possible—bedtimes permitting, of course.
With each movie, Grace and Henry’s shared grief eases as they start to see a life beyond the sadness. But as they draw closer, other romantic possibilities leave them both uncertain about their future together. Is their bond merely the result of loneliness and shared circumstances, or have they found something that’s worth taking a shot at . . . again?
They got Mommed! Henry and Grace had both lost their spouses in the past year, and their loved ones thought it was time for them to step back into the dating pool. So they tricked them into meeting. Neither were ready to take that step, but conceded they could use a friend to help them navigate this first holiday season without their spouses. Who better to do it with than someone who fully understood their loss. Grace and Henry had previously celebrated with holiday movie marathons. It had seemed too difficult this year, but perhaps, they could do it together.
With every book I read, my love for Norman's work grows. I think this is my favorite of his books yet! He expertly painted a portrait of two surviving spouses who were trying to adjust to their new normal, and he did it with tenderness and a good dose of humor.
My heart went out to both Grace and Henry. The situations chosen for them were very different though rooted in the same kind of loss - the loss of the person they thought they would grow old with. Henry's wife died unexpectedly, and his grief journey made sense for someone who didn't have time to prepare for the loss.
Whereas Grace's husband died after a battle with cancer. She knew it was coming. It didn't make it less painful, but she couldn't check out like Henry since she had two young children to care for. I was really grateful that she got "mommed" and met Henry. He was the person she wasn't looking for but really needed in her life. He gave her a safe space to grieve openly, and she did the same for him. The connection that blossomed between them was beautiful.
And I adored that their healing process involved holiday movies. These were films that held meaning for them and were films they had seen over and over again. They were connected to memories of their spouses and important moments in their lives, and they were comforting. I wanted nothing more than that for Henry and Grace. They were two people who were easy to root for, and it was important for me that something helped eased their pain. I was overjoyed that they found that in each other.
Funny, I am shedding tears as I write this, but this story was often funny. So many times I laughed out loud thanks to witty dialog, humorous situations, and both Grace and Henry's families as well as Grace's staff at the bar. Make no mistake, these tears are a little sad, but they are mostly happy because it filled my heart with joy to see Grace and Henry's hearts mend a bit as they moved forward together.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
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