From the publisher:
Olive Stone is about to spend four weeks in Italy with the most beautiful man she’s ever hated.
When Olive Stone and her Italian pseudo-celebrity chef father fell out fourteen years ago, annoyingly handsome Leo Ricci slipped right in as his surrogate son and sous-chef. No one is more surprised than Olive when her father wills her his beloved (and now failing) restaurant. Or that his dying wish was for Olive and Leo to complete his cookbook…together.
She’s determined to sell the restaurant. Leo is determined to convince her not to. As they embark on four weeks in Italy, traveling from Sicily to Tuscany to Liguria, they’ll test each other as often as they test recipes. But the more time Olive and Leo spend together, the more undeniable their attraction grows. Olive finds herself wondering whether selling the restaurant might be running away, and what it might be like to try Just One Taste of Leo Ricci. Because he isn’t who she expected, and this trip might reveal more about who Olive is than she’s ready for.
“Dent’s cozy, slow-burn romance is a heartfelt journey through Italian cuisine and culture. Readers will delight in the rich descriptions of food and dream of a summer holiday in Italy.” —Booklist
“In vivid prose, Dent brings the Italian countryside to life while building a simmering attraction between her leads. Hopeless romantics looking for an armchair vacation will want to check this out.” —Publishers Weekly
“Dent easily balances rom-com tropes with grief. [Just One Taste] doesn’t shy away from examining Olive’s complicated feelings while also indulging in some lighthearted fun. Leo and Olive have serious chemistry that simmers slowly on the back burner as they explore Italy, and the lush descriptions of simple foods like tomatoes, cherries, and oranges will make readers want to book a trip (or at least book a reservation at an Italian restaurant). A delightful, sexy summer read for foodies.” —Kirkus
I’m finally making my way through Lizzy Dent’s backlist. I’ve really enjoyed the books I’ve read so far, and I’ve been meaning to go back to her earlier work—so here we are.
Food critic Olive Stone has been estranged from her Italian, minor-celebrity chef father for fourteen years, ever since her parents’ divorce. He always chose his beloved restaurant, Nicky’s, over his family, a decision that ultimately fractured his marriage and reduced his relationship with Olive to little more than occasional phone calls. So Olive is shocked when, upon his death, he leaves the struggling restaurant to her.
She fully expected it to go to Leo Ricci—the restaurant’s impossibly attractive sous-chef and her father’s surrogate son. What she doesn’t expect is her father’s final request: that Olive and Leo complete his unfinished regional Italian cookbook together.
The plan requires a four-week culinary journey through Sicily, Tuscany, and Liguria (sign me up!) Olive will write the introductory essays for each region, while Leo will contribute recipes that best capture the local flavors. Once the cookbook is complete, Olive is free to sell the restaurant—something she fully intends to do. Leo, meanwhile, is hoping to convince Olive to save Nicky’s and update it with some of his ideas.
As they travel through Italy, clashing over food, memories, and unresolved feelings, the pair must also navigate Olive’s grief and her complicated past with her father. Along the way, unexpected attraction simmers, forcing Olive to reconsider not just the fate of the restaurant, but what she wants for her own life.
The food is abundant, the wine is always flowing, and Italy is vividly brought to life as Olive and Leo eat their way through each region in search of the perfect ingredient to anchor each chapter. Olive also leans on her two supportive friends, Kate and Ginny, as she tries to untangle her emotions and make sense of the choices before her.
While I appreciated the emotional depth of the story—this is less rom-com and more contemporary fiction—I struggled to fully connect with Olive and Leo’s romance. Their attraction is clearly established, but I personally didn’t feel much chemistry, tension, or heat between them. That said, Lizzy Dent does an excellent job capturing the complexity of losing a parent with whom you had a deeply complicated relationship.
I would have loved to get to know Nicky better. We only get one introductory chapter written by him and one by Olive, and I think including more of Nicky’s voice—or all three of Olive’s introductions—could have strengthened the story. With more focus here, the book might have felt just as much like a love story between father and daughter as it was a love letter to Italy.
The romance is enjoyable but definitely secondary. The descriptions of Italy and the food are vivid and immersive; I truly felt transported. I only wish we had learned more about Nicky, and I was disappointed that the book didn’t include any recipes. With all that delicious food described, a few recipes at the end would have been the perfect finishing touch.
1/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
JUST ONE TASTE by Lizzy Dent. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. (July 16, 2024). ISBN: 978-0593716038. 336p.
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