In this sumptuous new novel, Barbara O’Neal offers readers a celebration of food, family, and love as a woman searches for the elusive ingred...
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reviews
Jan 10, 2011
Shonda
rated it: 
I have to admit when I first skimmed the book description, I thought the plot would be: girl breaks up with current boy, relocates to new city for a fresh start, meets new boy, not sure if she should get involved with new boy, ends up getting involved with new boy and they begin new relationship. Ok, so maybe The Lost Recipe for Happiness can be summed up that way. But honestly, it’s so much more than that.
Elena Alvarez is a complicated character, but extremely likable. She’s haunted b More...
Elena Alvarez is a complicated character, but extremely likable. She’s haunted b More...
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Jan 24, 2009
This isn't "Sex in the City" chic lit--this one actually has some seriousness and some heft. Elena, the lone survivor of a horrific car wreck that killed a number of her family and her boyfriend, is a chef now, living with her damaged body and her more damaged soul in the tough, male dominated world of high end cuisine. She's offered her first executive chef position with the challenge of renovating and recreating a restaurant in Aspen. I absolutely FELL into this book. I identif
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Sep 28, 2011
Karalee
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In this food lovers' novel, Elena Alvarez is an accomplished Santa Fe-trained chef with Mexican roots and a Southwestern flair to her elegant food. When she is offered the opportunity to become the executive chef at a new restaurant in Aspen, Colorado, owned by a Hollywood director who dabbles in the restaurant business, Elena jumps at the opportunity. But the process of opening the restaurant and developing the menu turns out to be more challenging than Elena expected. She must deal with Iva
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Aug 17, 2009
Steven
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Elena Alvarez is fired in the first pages of this engaging story. The same day she's hired as executive chef of a new restaurant in Aspen, Colorado. She's a brilliant chef (which is both why she was fired and hired) with the talent, warmth, and toughness to unite her new staff and make this new restaurant world-class. Although her career is successful she's never found a love that would endure. She might now. Elena also has ghosts that haunt her--a sister and boyfriend who were both killed in th
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Apr 18, 2009
Sonja
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Finally a book I really liked and I finished! Elena is a woman who has suffered tragedy and survived. She is strong and focused on her career in a man's world of restaurant chefs. The story follows her as she has the opportunity (after being fired)to pursue her dream of being the head chef of her own restaurant.
I loved the character development, the fact that everyone was not perfect and how they each dealt with their own issues. I am not a cook, but the recipes woven through out the s More...
I loved the character development, the fact that everyone was not perfect and how they each dealt with their own issues. I am not a cook, but the recipes woven through out the s More...
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Nov 30, 2009
The Lost Recipe for Happiness, Monday, November 30th, 2009
By Ying Ying Ruan
“The lost recipe for happiness” is a book for food lovers, and also tells a great story in a wonderful manner. My response to this novel will be mostly positive, because I found it to be a unique narrative amongst the few books I had read so far. The author Barbara O’Neal has used her writing talents to combined different aspect of a woman life to present a story that is exotic and extremely interesting. Ele More...
By Ying Ying Ruan
“The lost recipe for happiness” is a book for food lovers, and also tells a great story in a wonderful manner. My response to this novel will be mostly positive, because I found it to be a unique narrative amongst the few books I had read so far. The author Barbara O’Neal has used her writing talents to combined different aspect of a woman life to present a story that is exotic and extremely interesting. Ele More...
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Mar 17, 2009
Briana
rated it: 
I was really excited about this book - I liked the premise and the story about characters overcoming tragedy and choosing to take risks. I have also been reading some other non-fiction about food, so I enjoyed the fictional tie-in with all the recipes and narrative about creating new food in the restaurant.
I was, however, put off by a few things. First of all, if an author is going to write a character who speaks Spanish, get an editor for the Spanish!! 75% of what Elena said was co More...
I was, however, put off by a few things. First of all, if an author is going to write a character who speaks Spanish, get an editor for the Spanish!! 75% of what Elena said was co More...
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Jun 29, 2011
Bird
rated it:
First, I must admit that I disagree with the reviewers who have classified this as "chick lit." Chick lit, to me, usually features a 20-something protagonist coming into her own as she begins dealing with real life (serious relationships, career, etc.). It's also usually written in first person, and has an overall peppy feel to it. Clothes are frequently discussed. Girl-talk generally ensues.
This book features none of those things. The main character is a 38 year old w More...
This book features none of those things. The main character is a 38 year old w More...
Dec 30, 2009
Sobia
rated it:
A well written story, but to be honest, I'm not sure if I liked it or not.
I did finish it, so that's a plus, and I'm relatively sure this was the author's debut novel, and as such it's pretty impressive. There were parts I liked, some more then others, and parts I like didn't, again some more then others. But having finished it, literally just a few minutes ago, I'm not sure how I feel. I sorta kinda want more, but at the same time don't know if I'd read another book by the author More...
I did finish it, so that's a plus, and I'm relatively sure this was the author's debut novel, and as such it's pretty impressive. There were parts I liked, some more then others, and parts I like didn't, again some more then others. But having finished it, literally just a few minutes ago, I'm not sure how I feel. I sorta kinda want more, but at the same time don't know if I'd read another book by the author More...
Apr 29, 2009
Gail
rated it:
This book whispers magic in sweet ghost companions and lingering pains from the past. Elena Alvarez is a gifted chef with a talent for cooking rooted in knowledge, training, and her New Mexico roots. Her body is in pain from a devastating accident in her teens and she is accompanied -- not haunted -- by the ghosts of her sister, cousin, and lover who died. With gentleness and passion, this story is told of how on the day she was fired for daring to draw attention from the executive chef and he
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Dec 10, 2008
Jackie
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This isn't "Sex in the City" chic lit--this one actually has some seriousness and some heft. Elena, the lone survivor of a horrific car wreck that killed a number of her family and her boyfriend, is a chef now, living with her damaged body and her more damaged soul in the tough, male dominated world of high end cuisine. She's offered her first executive chef position with the challenge of renovating and recreating a restaurant in Aspen. I absolutely FELL into this book. I identif
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(3 people liked it)
Apr 23, 2011
Chef Elena had a rough childhood – a father who died before her birth, a mother who abandoned her, and as a saving grace, a grandmother who loved her completely. Her childhood ended with a horrible car wreck, and Elena was the only passenger who survived, barely. So, of course, she carries a lot of emotional as well as physical damage, and certainly doesn't want anyone too close to her. Not even the ghosts of her past.
This is a sweet romance novel but not the type I would normally More...
This is a sweet romance novel but not the type I would normally More...
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Nov 06, 2009
Katherine
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Sep 09, 2011
Nicole
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I am giving this book 3 stars, instead of 4 for 2 different reasons. First, the author used the F word way too much and it was always in such a crude manner that it was disgusting every time it was used. The second reason is that most of the book was clean and told a good story...until it hit about halfway through the book when the author decided she all of a sudden needed to add disgustingly descriptive sex scenes. All I can say is thank goodness I was listening to the audio book so I could fas
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Mar 01, 2011
Denise
rated it:
The Lost Recipe for Happiness was a feel-good, light read about a female chef, Elena, who is offered the job as the executive chef of a new restaurant being opened in Aspen by a famous movie director. The book follows Elena as she tries to reconcile the ghosts of a tragic past (literally) with her new leadership position in a predominantly male world. In order to succeed in work, life and love, Elena must learn to let go of her past.
I really enjoyed the characters in this one, and thou More...
I really enjoyed the characters in this one, and thou More...
Mar 25, 2009
Jenifer
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Aug 20, 2011
Nichole
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Elena Alvarez has been haunted by an accident which claimed the lives of her family members, unborn child, and boyfriend almost 20 years ago. Now trying to fulfill a dream of running her own restaurant she's trying to defy the odds. After being fired from her job by the head chef (and her boyfriend), she is offered a chance to start over by owner Julian Liswood, a famous director and restaurant owner in Colorado. Julian and Elena quickly develop a passionate relationship, but will Elena's old g
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Apr 29, 2010
Gail
rated it:
I liked this book. It was a little more slow-paced than I like, and a little more "flowery" in the language, but overall, I enjoyed reading it. (If a section got a little hard to plow through, I just skipped ahead. I read for story...)
The heroine is a chef. She's in pretty bad physical shape, with a bad scar down her back, and she's just broken up with her chef boyfriend-boss. There's a tragedy in her past, but she doesn't like to talk about it. When the story opens, an ar More...
The heroine is a chef. She's in pretty bad physical shape, with a bad scar down her back, and she's just broken up with her chef boyfriend-boss. There's a tragedy in her past, but she doesn't like to talk about it. When the story opens, an ar More...
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Jun 22, 2011
Jennifer
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I haven't read a good Food Lit book in a while, except The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (who I revere), and this definitely fit the bill. The Lost Recipe for Happiness is the perfect combination of food, romance, and magical realism.
I loved the characters Barbara O'Neal created. They're real and vibrant. It was fabulous that Elena's decisions were her own and she doesn't fall into archetypal caveats. The character of Julian Liswood doesn't fall into the stereotypical Hollyw More...
I loved the characters Barbara O'Neal created. They're real and vibrant. It was fabulous that Elena's decisions were her own and she doesn't fall into archetypal caveats. The character of Julian Liswood doesn't fall into the stereotypical Hollyw More...
Sep 05, 2009
Nancy
rated it: 
This is an airport book, good for nothing more than a long flight. Elena wants to be executive chef of a really cool restaurant and have everybody think she's The Shit. But she is Haunted. By the ghosts of her sister and her Soul Mate. Any author that can use the words "soul mate" over and over again, without a single soupcon of irony, is not an author anyone wants to read anywhere but on a very boring flight.
And also, there is a LOT of sex in this book (spoiler alert: More...
And also, there is a LOT of sex in this book (spoiler alert: More...
Mar 12, 2009
Candice
rated it:
This was one of the books I won from Reading Group Choices. It was also perfect for reading in airports and on planes since it was a rather light chick lit read. That doesn't mean it wasn't enjoyable. The main character, Elena, was horribly injured in an auto accident that killed everyone else in the car. Twenty years later she is a chef in an upscale restaurant in Aspen. She must learn to let go of the past in order to seize the opportunities that are presented to her in the present. Betw
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Mar 24, 2011
Once you read this book, you'll never look at a restaurant the same way again.
Most of us go out to eat to relax, reward ourselves for surviving a hard week, have a respite from the drudgery of cooking. While we're enjoying the food, oh, the drama in the kitchen. Barbara O'Neal tells the story of Elena Alvarez who accepts her first executive chef position in Aspen for Julian Liswood, Hollywood director and restaurant owner. As the sole survivor of a automobile accident twenty years ago, Elen More...
Most of us go out to eat to relax, reward ourselves for surviving a hard week, have a respite from the drudgery of cooking. While we're enjoying the food, oh, the drama in the kitchen. Barbara O'Neal tells the story of Elena Alvarez who accepts her first executive chef position in Aspen for Julian Liswood, Hollywood director and restaurant owner. As the sole survivor of a automobile accident twenty years ago, Elen More...
Mar 04, 2011
Kimberly
rated it:
I would give this book a BILLION stars if I could, and it is easily on my list of Top 5 Books I'd Want if Stranded of a Desert Island. What an amazing, poignant, sensual, wonderful book! From the minute I picked it up, I was hooked- the characters are fabulous and perfectly flawed, the plot is well-thought-out and engaging, and the book moves incredibly well.
I had empathy for Elena right from the beginning, but she's anything but a poor woe-is-me character. I loved her sense of stre More...
I had empathy for Elena right from the beginning, but she's anything but a poor woe-is-me character. I loved her sense of stre More...
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Sep 29, 2011
Carissa
rated it:
another title in my hunt for good foodie fiction. This one had some excellent food descriptions, plus the excitement of watching a chef do a major makeover on a struggling restaurant (i LOVE "makeover" storylines like this!). I laughed, I cried, but I should warn you that this book also has a number of rather graphic sex scenes. Including the words "unit," "member," and "organ." DON'T listen to this one in the car with your parents or grandparents or y
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Apr 07, 2009
Cindy
rated it:
What a great book! From the very first page, I sympathized with Elena who had just been fired from a restaurant she helped to establish by the executive chef who just happened to also be her boyfriend. She was then immediately offered a position by the owner of the restaurant, Julian, to be executive chef for another restaurant he owned.
I related to Elena in so many ways. She loved her big dog Alvin, which any dog lover will be able to relate to! She suffered from pain after receiving ma More...
I related to Elena in so many ways. She loved her big dog Alvin, which any dog lover will be able to relate to! She suffered from pain after receiving ma More...
Sep 08, 2011
Rory
rated it:
Imagine coming home from a hard, yet satisfying day of work. You've done some good in your part of the world. Your family or boyfriend or girlfriend comes home not long after, and dinner is many of your favorite foods. The mail has brought the latest issue of your favorite magazine. On TV, reruns, but in particular, a rerun of your favorite episode of your favorite show. Feel that bliss, that warmth, that peace, that love? That is what a novel by Barbara O'Neal feels like. This is what "The
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Sep 12, 2011
Roberta
rated it:
If I had just read the description I would never have read this book. I flipped through it and found myself caught.
I have to admit that I love books about food. The descriptions are so amazing and they always make me want to cook, although I rarely do and certainly not at this level.
The basic story is good, the writing fine but the character development is weak. Suddenly and for no reason that the book delivers, the male lead is totally in love with the feamle lead a More...
I have to admit that I love books about food. The descriptions are so amazing and they always make me want to cook, although I rarely do and certainly not at this level.
The basic story is good, the writing fine but the character development is weak. Suddenly and for no reason that the book delivers, the male lead is totally in love with the feamle lead a More...
Jan 11, 2011
Carol
rated it:
This book was such a surprise. I grabbed it on a short trip to the library as a backup book not knowing anything about it but being intrigued by the blurp on the back. Once I started it, I was hooked. Yes, I suppose it was a romance novel in nature but it went much deeper than The descriptions and flavor were wonderful. You travel from Canada to Colorado to New Mexico. Food (one of my own favorite past times) is a feature in this book - and the way it's described is beautiful. The other hook for
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Jun 09, 2010
Rose
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Feb 25, 2009
Mary
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I enjoyed reading this story. As much as I don't like to cook, this story makes me wish I had a more open mind about a variety of food and tastes. The story tells about a woman who has severe back and leg problems due to a car accident that happened when she was younger and the loss of loved ones that happened as a result. She is a chef in a restaurant she co-owns with her boyfriend. When they have another argument, she decides that that is the last one they have, and quits. As she is walki
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