REVIEW: The Slow Burn by Ali Rosen

In The Slow Burn by Ali Rosen, Workaholic Kit Roth is at a loss what to do next. Head chef at a Michelin-starred NYC restaurant, she just watched her business burn down the ground–literally–only to go home and have her long-time boyfriend break up with her. Knowing she won’t be able to sit on her laurels for long without going stir crazy, Kit’s best friend, Anita, somehow talks her into spending a few months in Manciano, Italy working at her Nonna’s restaurant. She’ll admit she wasn’t expecting to like the slow pace. Or cooking with such minimal ingredients. But Kit is charmed thoroughly by hardworking Gia, her small-town restaurant Pasta Fresca, and Manciano itself. And then there’s quiet Nico Ruspoli who nearly charms her off her feet.

“And she won’t cut you any slack,” she continues. “It wouldn’t be a break. She won’t care that you have a Beard Award, and she’ll be thrilled to work you to death.”
It’s pathetic how much that thought perks me up.

Gia thinks the world of Nico, who took over his family’s olive business and produces some of the best olive oil anywhere. Kit takes her cue from her new boss and at first hopes to talk about all things food with Nico, maybe even become friends. But as hard as they both try, Kit and Nico have an attraction that won’t quit. She’s not ready to start a new relationship. And there’s an expiration date on her time in Manciano. However, just like the Tuscan countryside she’s becoming accustomed to, Kit loves having Nico in her life on a daily basis. So, when she has to face down her options in NYC and compare them to Italy, she’s not quite sure how to keep from hurting herself and/or her loved ones while also realizing her dreams.

“I don’t think I had any other option but to fall for you, Kit.”

THE SLOW BURN was a foodie romance that should have come with a warning about the delectable sounding food and gorgeous Tuscan countryside setting because I can almost guarantee after reading Ali Rosen’s newest novel, you’ll desperately want to visit Italy…soon.

‘Nico is the opposite of everything I’ve known. He’s the slow burn.’

Knowing even just a smidge of author Ali Rosen’s culinary career, I should have expected THE SLOW BURN to feature not only the gorgeous Tuscan backdrop but also the variety and detail she put into the food references. The charming locals and the slow-building romance between NYC chef Kit and Italian olive oil producer Nico kept me turning the pages to see when they would finally admit to their feelings. I’m happy to say that when they did give in it was a sweet, passionate matchup worth the wait.

Told from Kit’s POV, I know some readers might not get her intensity or her workaholic ways. She could be almost a bit too independent at times, unwilling to ask for help or rely on family and friends. But I liked Kit’s tenacity. She was head chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant for a reason and had the skills and temperament to back it up. It was actually a good fit for working in the small Italian restaurant her best friend’s grandmother (aka: Nonna) Gia owned. They were a hoot together. Kit was used to working in busy kitchens as well as the razzing newbies had to endure–and Gia wasn’t particularly easy on her, which she respected.

I loved that the simplicity of the food they made really called to Kit. It was a collective effort, with local farmers and food producers bringing in the freshest ingredients for Gia to use at Pasta Fresca. That’s partly also where Nico came in. He had ties to Gia anyway, but it was his high-quality olive oil that brought him into town and directly in Kit’s path. Nico was a thoughtful, compassionate man who was quite different from her on the surface, but they were both food nerds who could chat for hours on end. Their romance truly was a slow burn–but I think that made it even more heartwarming by the end of the story.

QOTD: If you were in Kit’s shoes in Tuscany, would you want to try the food or go sightseeing first?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: January 27th, 2026 |  Montlake |

From the bestselling author of Unlikely Story comes a warm, witty novel about a chef whose unexpected summer in Italy turns messier and richer than any recipe she ever would’ve planned.

Between a breakup and a burned-down restaurant, there’s nothing left in New York for Kit Roth except the ashes of her success.

Needing distance and distraction, she agrees to work for her best friend’s pasta-making nonna in the Italian countryside. But instead of providing a quiet sabbatical to eat up time while her kitchen is rebuilt, the small town of Manciano keeps pulling Kit into its rituals and rhythms. And before long, it shows her everything she’s been missing. Simpler cooking, community…and Nico Ruspoli, an olive oil producer with his own scorched past. But with Kit determined to leave after three months, and Nico rooted to his grove, their growing chemistry is at odds with what they both want for their future.

Yet with each passing week, Kit finds herself measuring less and tasting more. And when it’s time to go back to her life in New York, she doesn’t know what—or who—she’s willing to leave behind.