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A review by aromanticreadsromance
The Wedding Menu by Letizia Lorini
5.0
I LOVED so much about this book! From the incredible puns and playful banter to the..., this book was everything I thought it would be and more. Letizia Lorini expertly weaves us through the ebbs and flows of relationships, from strangers to friends to almost-lovers to enemies to lovers, in a dual-timeline fashion. Dual-timeline isn't my favorite, but I've read a couple fantastic ones lately, like this one and Forget Me Not by Julie Soto. I think Letizia had the perfect balance of "past" and "present." Both timelines were well-developed and fast-paced. In the past, I've skimmed the "past" chapters of books with dual timelines, but I was so intrigued by the plot and just HAD to know what would happen next that I didn't skip or skim anything! I didn't want to miss any detail! The singular POV in this book won me over. I'm not typically a fan of singular POV, but I think it added depth here not knowing what Ian was thinking or feeling. I liked the mystery of trying to figure out what happened in the past and what was happening in the present.
Amelie is gutted when her preancé of 15 years asks her to open up their relationship for the six months leading up to their wedding. In fact, he makes this a stipulation of their engagement. Since she doesn't want to lose him, she agrees. Around this time, Amelie meets Ian at her friend Barbara's wedding. They have an instant, easy connection. As they are strangers, they can open up to each other without consequence. She learns that Ian is an opinionated wedding-hater ... Before she met Ian, Amelie believes everything in her life was perfect, but Ian makes her question everything she thought she knew and wanted. He became her confidant. She blames him for her life falling apart. One year later, though, in an effort to move on from her tumultuous past, she decides to seek Ian out while at a conference in his hometown. She didn't expect to see Ian at the conference, and she definitely didn't expect to learn he's the son of her father's biggest business rival (and the man who ruined her life). She wants a relationship with him, but he can only give her friendship. Amelie is determined to change his mind before the end of the one-week conference.
You might not like this book if you don't like other man/other woman drama. These storylines didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the novel, and the OM/OW did not create unnecessary drama, aside from their very existence. The OM exists in the past timeline, and the OW exists in the present timeline. This would technically make it a love triangle (or a love square?), but I honestly felt there was no genuine competition from the OM/OW. You also have to be comfortable with quasi-emotional cheating (it's all very gray), though Amelie is in an open relationship at the time it occurs. It annoyed me at first that Amelie was playing with Ian's feelings to make her fiancé jealous (unsuccessfully), but it's clear that she actually cares about him. He shows her all the ways in which her fiancé falls short. I personally didn't understand her reasons for staying in the relationship, but I guess I can understand not wanting to lose another person in your life.
This book was angsty (but not TOO angsty) and hard to put down. Definitely one of my best and favorite reads of the year, and I can't recommend it enough. The best part? There's no third act breakup! Letizia gives the people what they want (or don't want)! The sub-plot with Ian's father provides enough drama for the climax. It made me nervous that Ian would side with his father over Amelie, but seriously, that thought shouldn't have even crossed my mind because Ian is perfect.
Thank you SO much to the author for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest, voluntary review!
Amelie is gutted when her preancé of 15 years asks her to open up their relationship for the six months leading up to their wedding. In fact, he makes this a stipulation of their engagement. Since she doesn't want to lose him, she agrees. Around this time, Amelie meets Ian at her friend Barbara's wedding. They have an instant, easy connection. As they are strangers, they can open up to each other without consequence. She learns that Ian is an opinionated wedding-hater ... Before she met Ian, Amelie believes everything in her life was perfect, but Ian makes her question everything she thought she knew and wanted. He became her confidant. She blames him for her life falling apart. One year later, though, in an effort to move on from her tumultuous past, she decides to seek Ian out while at a conference in his hometown. She didn't expect to see Ian at the conference, and she definitely didn't expect to learn he's the son of her father's biggest business rival (and the man who ruined her life). She wants a relationship with him, but he can only give her friendship. Amelie is determined to change his mind before the end of the one-week conference.
You might not like this book if you don't like other man/other woman drama. These storylines didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the novel, and the OM/OW did not create unnecessary drama, aside from their very existence. The OM exists in the past timeline, and the OW exists in the present timeline. This would technically make it a love triangle (or a love square?), but I honestly felt there was no genuine competition from the OM/OW. You also have to be comfortable with quasi-emotional cheating (it's all very gray), though Amelie is in an open relationship at the time it occurs. It annoyed me at first that Amelie was playing with Ian's feelings to make her fiancé jealous (unsuccessfully), but it's clear that she actually cares about him. He shows her all the ways in which her fiancé falls short. I personally didn't understand her reasons for staying in the relationship, but I guess I can understand not wanting to lose another person in your life.
This book was angsty (but not TOO angsty) and hard to put down. Definitely one of my best and favorite reads of the year, and I can't recommend it enough. The best part? There's no third act breakup! Letizia gives the people what they want (or don't want)! The sub-plot with Ian's father provides enough drama for the climax. It made me nervous that Ian would side with his father over Amelie, but seriously, that thought shouldn't have even crossed my mind because Ian is perfect.
Thank you SO much to the author for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest, voluntary review!