The Secret Recipe for Moving on by Karen Bischer Pages: 288
Published by Swoon Reads on March 23, 2021
Genres: Young Adult, contemporary, Romance
Source: eARC from Publisher
Home economics is supposed to be an easy A for Ellie Agresti, but, much like an imperfect souffle, her plans collapse epically when she's dumped by her boyfriend, Hunter.
Now Ellie has to mend her broken heart while watching Hunter fawn all over his new girlfriend, Brynn, in class. To make matters worse, Ellie is partnered with four of the biggest misfit guys in school: Jeremy, the loudmouth with temper issues; Isaiah, the solemn, silent horse racing obsessive; Andrew, who can't take rejection; and Luke, the giant, tattooed stunt biker.
Over the course of a semester, Ellie works to overcome her feelings for Hunter, as well as deeper insecurities that have plagued her since middle school. As the weeks go by, she's surprised to find friendships in unexpected places... and sparks flying with the last guy she'd expect.
The Secret Recipe for Moving On is a young adult contemporary romance by Karen Bischer. This book was an adorable coming of age story. It is perfect for young adult readers of all ages. There are some references to under age drinking, but overall I think this book had characters that were very age appropriate, which I always like to see in young adult stories. The Secret Recipe for Moving On is equal parts emotional , funny and sweet. It is a lighthearted read about how to get past a breakup and how to put the pieces of yourself back together. I really enjoyed this coming of age tale.
In The Secret Recipe for Moving On we meet our main character Ellie as she has to deal with a public abrupt breakup at school. To make matters worse, she is now forced to not only watch her ex move on right before her eyes, but she also feels very alone because she met all of her friends through her ex. Ellie is so relatable as a character, and I loved watching her come into her own throughout the story! As she pairs up with a group of guys in her life skills class, so many adorable moments happen throughout the book. Some embarrassing ones too, but overall I really enjoyed this cute and easy read. Her partners in life skills are great. She gets teamed up with A.J., Isaiah and Luke who are dubbed the “misfits” of the class. I loved them all!
Ellie and the boys turn out to be a great team, and the class overall was great! I loved the eclectic mix of assignments they have, and I really appreciated how they pushed Ellie to grow as a young adult. As a side note, this life skills class seems like a really wonderful class to take in high school. I wish they had a class like that when I was in school. It seemed useful and fun. Bottom line: This book is a really cute read that will appeal to character driven readers of all ages. I loved watching Ellie come into her own as a young woman. She is super likeable and relatable. I wanted to see her shine, and I was so happy when I did! I really enjoyed The Secret Recipe for Moving On.
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Lisa J Page
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