REVIEW: The Wedding Menu by Letizia Lorini

The Wedding Menu by Letizia Lorini: Amelie has spent years crafting the perfect recipe for her future, now she has a thriving career as a chef at her father’s beloved restaurant, a long-term relationship with a man who checks all the right boxes, and the dream of her own fairy-tale wedding right within her grasp. But when a chance encounter at a wedding brings her to Ian, a man who doesn’t believe in marriage, her carefully laid plans begin to unravel. While Amelie longs for the big white dress and romantic wedding dance, Ian couldn’t think of anything worse, so to say the two of them are chalk and cheese would be an understatement, however neither of them can deny the simmering connection between them, so much so that this new feeling leads Amelie to question everything that she has ever thought about love and romance and the perfect life that she has worked so hard to build…fast forward a year and everything in her world has changed, gone are all of her carefully curated plans and almost happily ever after. But when a chance encounter once again leads Amelie to Ian, she has no choice but to decide if she wants to take a chance on something new and exciting or stick to the safe old recipe that she knows…

The Wedding Menu was so much more than I had expected, simply put I really liked this book. Lorini has done a brilliant job in blending the fast pace life of the culinary world with a beautiful love story that highlights personal growth and the journey of self discovery. This book was not only a really sweet and cute read but it was also relatable and so easy to get lost in. There was so much to love about this book and the way that we are taken a long for both Amelie and Ian’s journey that it is impossible not to get invested in their story.

I really liked both main characters and I loved getting to see them both grow and find their way to each other and their version of happily ever after. Amelie was so passionate but her uncertainty really held her back from fully being able to spread her wings and be the best version of herself. I loved getting to see try and figure out the balance between what she wanted and what was expected of her, really her journey felt very relatable and understandable. I loved seeing her passion for food coming through the pages and getting to see her realise that life isn’t always easy to lay out or plan. Now for our hero, well Ian was a sweetheart waiting to find his person. I loved his charming and sweet side, but he guarded himself fiercely for most of the book. Though once he let his walls down and we got to see the softer side to him, it really was impossible not to love his character.

These two on paper could not be more different from each other but there was just something about their chemistry that just clicked. I loved the fact that they balanced each other out and really forced each other to look at life as a whole through a fresh perspective. I loved the fact that it was largely due to Ian that Amelie found herself growing and questioning her ideas and plans, but in the same breath it was Amelie that showed Ian that love is worth the risk and to truly be happy you have to take chances.

I loved the way Lorini balanced the more deep thought provoking topics of life and our purpose and goals in life, with easy banter and humour. At the heart of this book, we get so much more than just a second chance love story, we get to see that in life we have to take risks and adventure into the unknown to find what truly matters. If you couldn’t tell by now, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend reading it!

Book Info:

Publication: January 21, 2025 | Gallery Books | Love & Other Recipes

How many weddings does it take to fall in love?

One year ago, Amelie had it all.

Almost engaged to her high school sweetheart, close to her childhood best friend, and cooking at her dad’s restaurant: her life was exactly what she’d ordered.

Until Ian, an opinionated wedding-hater, popped up out of nowhere and proved she might like something off menu.

***

One year later, Amelie has lost it all.

She’s unemployed, single, and taking a break from her friendship. As for Ian? He’s gone too.

When she visits Ian’s hometown to teach at a week-long cooking conference, she hopes for a fateful meet-cute. But their reunion is far from joyful when Amelie discovers Ian is the son of her father’s business rival.

Even bigger fiasco? He only wants friendship.

Amelie has one week to change his mind, and if the truth of why her whole life fell apart remains hidden, their love story might even end with a wedding.

The Wedding Menu is a steamy, dual-timeline, laugh out loud romcom about weddings, secrets, and French delicacies. It features two friends who should be rivals but keep choosing each other against all odds.