Elisa Lorello

The premise of this story is what drew me to pick it up in the first place. Also the fact that it was 50% off at Barnes and Noble. Meet Katie Cravens. She is the creator and CEO of the company Pasta Pronto, which makes low-carb frozen pasta meals. She is engaged to a man she believes is the man of her dreams. And to top it off, she maintains a slim size two waistline (thanks to her diet pasta meals). Katie thinks she has it all, until of course, everything comes crashing down. Within the show more span of two days, she finds her fiancé cheating on her and a quality control issue with her Pasta Pronto line sends customers to the hospital and sets the press a buzz.

After kicking her fiancé out of the house, Katie is sent to Italy in order to try and salvage the brand’s name. There she is to meet and set up partnership with the Caramelli twins, brother and sister, Luca and Luci. The partnership would be mutually beneficial as their restaurant and company could use a boost as well.

The descriptions of the food were one of the best parts of this book. I could practically taste the scones topped with berries and cream, or smell the pasta and sauces Luca made. It made me want to jump on a plane to Italy and stuff my face with as much food as possible.

It was surprisingly funny. The humor was subtle, sneaking up on you when you least expected it.
“Luca looked as if he’d rather be doing something more productive, like alligator wrestling or attending a paint-drying convention.”

I didn’t care for the drawn out love story between Katie and Luca. I don’t mind a slow-burning love story. Those are often the best in the end. But this felt unnecessarily delayed. The book in general took me a while to get into. However, I think the things Katie came to realize over the course of the book were some of the most important parts of the story.

“I’d come to realize that I never wanted him back. I just wanted him to want me back. That’s always what hurts more - them not wanting you anymore. They move on so quickly; so easily, as if you meant nothing to them. As if their memory of you was erased. It hurts more than the original wrong doing, I think, and it’s what you never really get over.”

This book was about more than just two people falling in love. Katie learns a lot about herself. Through her trials, she’s taught what matters most is loving yourself for who you are. Not what you look like, what job you have, or what others think of you. That is one of the most powerful lessons in the book. The romance is just an added bonus.

"Shortly before he died, he told me, "Marry a woman who feeds you in every way. And you must feed her too. In every way."" show less

I had such a big grin on my face thru most of this because it reminded me so much of myself back in the 80's. I even shed a few tears. I swear my heart was thumping in my chest and my face turned red along with the author's as she waited in line for the book signing at the end. I'm still "Duran Duranged" at 48, apparently. A must-read for all of us former "Mrs. John Taylor"'s out there. :) It made me dig out my old Duran Duran albums and look into completing my collection with their more show more recent albums. show less

What a great little read! This is a lovely, heartwarming and gentle story about two confused and vulnerable people and their quirky guardian angel. Although it is in many ways quite lighthearted, there is a serious thread running through it and it has something to tell the reader about relationships and life. It’s beautifully and perceptively written with realistic and likeable characters. I found it quite the page turner.

An entertaining and amusing but meaningful and insightful tale which show more I thoroughly enjoyed and can highly recommend. show less

Having been a die hard duranie back in my youth I reveled in this book. I loved the way that the events of her life were 'connected' with Duran songs. Even though Elisa is an American and I am a Brit I could relate so much to the things that happened in this book, and it was a real nostalgia fest reading it. I was even tempted to go into the loft to find my box of Duran Duran related newspaper & magazine clippings (although I have not actually got around to doing so yet. It will not doubt show more give my daughters a laugh when I finally find them. I loved it when I discovered that she has actually met John Taylor. I remember an incident when I was a fully fledged 'duranie' and my best friend was a 'Wham' fan. Her father was sailing in Cowes week ( a very big sailing event over here in the uk) and upon his return delighted in telling us that he had met and had a very interesting chat to Simon LeBon ! He did not understand why we both screamed at him "why did you not get his autograph / photo" :) I don't think I have ever quite forgiven him. show less