by Elisa Lorello
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Release date: January 17, 2017
Publisher: Adaptive Books
Genre: Humor, Romance, Food, Italy
Paperback: 256 pages
Rating: 4
First sentence(s):
There are two kinds of people in this world; those who love coconut and those who hate coconut.
Slim, successful, and soon to marry the man of her dreams, Katie Cravens is leading the life she always wanted. As the face and CEO of Pasta Pronto, a “Carbs for the Calorie-Conscious” line of frozen food, Katie chooses to live life like one of her Slimline Spaghetti dinners―no mess, no surprises, and everything tied up in a neat little package. But when Katie’s fiancé runs off with another woman and a quality control fiasco sends her customers running for the hills, it’s time for Katie to make a change.
Her company’s salvation presents itself in the form of a partnership opportunity with the legendary Ristorante Caramelli of Rome, and Katie has no other choice but to jet off to Italy to convince gorgeous, hotheaded co-owner Luca Caramelli that she’s a worthy partner. Gaining Luca’s respect proves harder than Katie could have ever imagined, however, when he insists that she must learn how to cook―and how to eat―true Italian food before he will ever agree to their companies’ partnership.
Katie and Luca's tension in Italy mounts into a fierce public rivalry that erupts back in the States with a nationally televised cooking competition. As Katie tries to channel her inner Mario Batali to win the competition, she must choose between the flavorless prepackaged life that she worked so hard to maintain and the mouth-watering uncertainty of a life chock full of carbohydrates and Caramellis.
My two-bits:
There is some arm chair traveling to Italy with this delightful sort-of coming of age romantic read. At first, I found the main character, Katie, to be a bit annoying. But as the story progressed, her character developed into a more likable and better person.
The topics of food and cooking brought about thoughts on eating healthy and cooking from scratch.
I especially loved the descriptions of preparing and cooking pasta. Made me want to make pasta despite not having recipes provided.
Issues of diet and self-image also are touched upon in this story.
Got a sense of what it is like working for a small company in the food industry.
About the author:
Elisa is the author of the Kindle best-selling novels "Faking It" and "Ordinary World", "Why I Love Singlehood" (co-authored with Sarah Girrell), and "Adulation".
Some of Elisa's favorite pastimes include chocolate, reading, and walking. She is also an avid fan of Duran Duran, pop tarts, and finding the perfect shade of lipstick.
* review copy courtesy of publisher
