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42nd out of 64 books
—
9 voters
The Secret Ingredient
For fans of Sarah Dessen and Jay Asher's 13 Reasons Why comes a journey of family, food, romance, and self-discovery as Olivia, a teen chef living in L.A., finds a vintage cookbook and begins a search for her birthmother that will change her life forever.
Olivia doesn’t believe in psychics. But the summer before her senior year of high school, she meets one in an elevator.
T...more
Olivia doesn’t believe in psychics. But the summer before her senior year of high school, she meets one in an elevator.
T...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
June 11th 2013
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
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Four stars: A simple summer read about family, love and changes.
Olivia drags down the alley behind Hank, a boisterous chocolate lab. In his quest to find a pizza box, Hank inadvertently drags Olivia to the back of a secondhand bookstore. Beside the backdoor is a cardboard box full of battered books and a sign that says $.25 each. Olivia finds a vintage cookbook from the sixties that she just can't resist. Olivia at sixteen is an aspiring chef. She cooks the weekly special at her father's restaur...more
Olivia drags down the alley behind Hank, a boisterous chocolate lab. In his quest to find a pizza box, Hank inadvertently drags Olivia to the back of a secondhand bookstore. Beside the backdoor is a cardboard box full of battered books and a sign that says $.25 each. Olivia finds a vintage cookbook from the sixties that she just can't resist. Olivia at sixteen is an aspiring chef. She cooks the weekly special at her father's restaur...more
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I liked this, but I think my expectations were too high after I read that it was compared to Sarah Dessen, Queen of Contemporary Romance. My biggest concern was that it read more of like, and then this happened, and this happened, and then this happened instead of letting us really be inside Ollie's head. While there were clever metaphors and good one-liners that compared cooking to life, there wasn't nearly enough emotional thought process for me to really connect with Ollie, and that's sad bec...more
This is a fun trip through a girl’s life in L.A. with a little bit of what we all crave from this setting: run-ins with actors (Jude Law – nice!) and a few insider peeks into movie biz, as Olivia works at a casting agency and gets to meet some, um, interesting clients. But mostly it’s a frolic through the ups and downs of family relationships, food, and budding romance all told with a great quirky voice that keeps you glued to the pages.
First line: Every day is sunny in Los Angeles, but it’s no...more
First line: Every day is sunny in Los Angeles, but it’s no...more
I'm definitely not a cook. In fact I come from a long line of non-cooks. We are a microwave kinda family. I do love food, but I don't know much about it. Still, The Secret Ingredient, while it focuses a lot on food, held my interest from page one and was one of the most enjoyable books I've read in awhile.
Olivia lives in Silverlake, with her two dads, one of whom own and runs an restaurant called FOOD, where Olivia makes the Saturday special. Times are tough for the family right now. Lots of eco...more
Olivia lives in Silverlake, with her two dads, one of whom own and runs an restaurant called FOOD, where Olivia makes the Saturday special. Times are tough for the family right now. Lots of eco...more
I fell in love with the blurb and really wanted to love the book as much. It was a good read, but left me unsatisfied somehow. Olivia is a likable enough gal, but some of the plot details were a bit hokey to me. A psychic shows up and makes predictions, but I would have liked them wrapped up a little more at the close of the book. The plotline about the boyfriend had me turning pages; the "plot twist" with him was a bummer. The explanation at the end was a little vague.
I found the part about th...more
I found the part about th...more
Adopted as an infant by a gay couple, Olivia has a supportive family in her two dads and her older brother. Ollie also developed a passion for cooking as she works in the LA restaurant owned by one of her dads; her dream is to attend culinary school in Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Yet Ollie feels something is missing. A chance meeting with a psychic in an elevator, as well as stumbling upon an old 1960s era cookbook with notes in the margins, lead Olivia on a quest to find her birth mother.
Found thi...more
Found thi...more
Review can also be found at:
http://gonepecanla.wordpress.com/2013...
Source: ARC via Random House/Delcorte
Story Breakdown:
Olivia is just a normal teen trying to make it day-to-day. Then during the summer before her senior year things hit the fan. She’s unsure of what to do to prepare for her future, still thinking about ‘What if?’ with a former potential flame, her dad’s restaurant seems to be going under, and she’s been slowing thinking more and more about her birth mother. Over the course of th...more
http://gonepecanla.wordpress.com/2013...
Source: ARC via Random House/Delcorte
Story Breakdown:
Olivia is just a normal teen trying to make it day-to-day. Then during the summer before her senior year things hit the fan. She’s unsure of what to do to prepare for her future, still thinking about ‘What if?’ with a former potential flame, her dad’s restaurant seems to be going under, and she’s been slowing thinking more and more about her birth mother. Over the course of th...more
Pretty good, but I was left wanting more. The story felt sort of disjointed, pieces didn't necessarily fit nicely together and there were times where I felt certain points didn't need to be made. Also, my interest waned a lot.
But it was a cute story and overall enjoyable. Livie is sweet, her dads are facing regular economic problems, she's got a loveable British best friend. Highly unrealistic in that everything works our perfect, but oh well. I just wish there had been recipes to go along with...more
But it was a cute story and overall enjoyable. Livie is sweet, her dads are facing regular economic problems, she's got a loveable British best friend. Highly unrealistic in that everything works our perfect, but oh well. I just wish there had been recipes to go along with...more
Review first appeared on my blog: Book Addict 24-7
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
The Secret Ingredient by Stewart Lewis is a young adult contemporary novel that features a protagonist on a quest of sorts to find not only herself, but the past that has waited for the day her curiosity becomes too much to handle. Wonderful in its portrayal of same sex parenting, first love, identity, and what makes us us, The Secret Ingredient is an interesting, but slightly disco...more
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
The Secret Ingredient by Stewart Lewis is a young adult contemporary novel that features a protagonist on a quest of sorts to find not only herself, but the past that has waited for the day her curiosity becomes too much to handle. Wonderful in its portrayal of same sex parenting, first love, identity, and what makes us us, The Secret Ingredient is an interesting, but slightly disco...more
view all 4 comments
Olivia is a proactive girl with a passion for cooking. Currently, she has several things that are not going well. She was adopted as a baby by two loving dads, but now she is curious about her birth mother. Also, the Dads' restaurant is not making enough money to cover the mortgage. She meets a psychic who tells her this summer will be pivotal. As she works and searches for her mother she learns about life.
Her best friend, Lola, and boyfriend ,Theo, are underdeveloped characters. Lola served mer...more
Her best friend, Lola, and boyfriend ,Theo, are underdeveloped characters. Lola served mer...more
4 stars
Thank you to Random House for sending me the ARC for The Secret Ingredient blog tour!
The Secret Ingredient was a lot more than I expected it to be. I was unreasonably a bit wary of it at first and totally dove in to the book and the mysteries (and the food!), devouring the book (no pun intended) in an afternoon. It was a quick and enjoyable read!
Thank you to Random House for sending me the ARC for The Secret Ingredient blog tour!
The Secret Ingredient was a lot more than I expected it to be. I was unreasonably a bit wary of it at first and totally dove in to the book and the mysteries (and the food!), devouring the book (no pun intended) in an afternoon. It was a quick and enjoyable read!
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this ARC. Loved this sweet, gentle coming of age story! Many teenagers will be drawn to this book. Similar to Sarah Dessen without the edginess. I would easily recommend this to many young adults especially those girls who are young teens.
May 08, 2013
Karen Yingling
added it
Cooking and romance. Great book, just too young adult for my middle grade readers. Such a fine line.
Cute, quick read
It wasn't great but I liked it. I think my teens would like it, but not if it's compared to Sarah Dessen and Jay Asher. I'll probably purchase it for the collection when the budget frees up.
Jun 18, 2013
Sara Bowers
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STEWART LEWIS is the author of the novels Rockstarlet and Relative Stranger. He is a singer-songwriter and radio journalist who lives in New York City and western Massachusetts.
More about Stewart Lewis...
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