The Reunion Recipe

by Mara Moody

Is there anything sweeter than a second chance at first love?

Former best friends and teen pop duo partners, Marlo Sage and Jude Beckett, broke up at the height of their glittering prime, shocking fans who suspected their onstage chemistry reflected an offstage romance.

Marlo hungered for fortune and fame while Jude longed to return to small-town life. An impasse that led Marlo to continue performing solo, toppling charts in the wake of her broken heart. Meanwhile Jude nursed his heartache back home, turning sadness into sweetness by pursuing his dream to become a pastry chef.

Over a decade later, Marlo unexpectedly runs into Jude at a dive karaoke bar only to discover everything except her feelings for Jude has changed. Jude’s star is rising in the realm of celebrity chefs as her pop star days seem numbered.

Given recent tabloid stumbles, conflicts with her label, and a suspected quarter-life crisis, Marlo reluctantly agrees to retreat from the public eye. She can afford to go anywhere she wants, but this time she decides to go home.

Can she prove to everyone, including herself, that revisiting past hurts and haunts won’t prove a recipe for disaster?

Genres: Romance

342 pages, Paperback

Published October 10, 2024

About the author

Mara Moody is a California-based romance reader and writer. She loves books featuring captivating heroines, swoony love interests, and quick-witted banter. Mara crafts entertaining tales that invite readers on an emotional journey filled with laughter, tears, and heartwarming moments.

As a dedicated fan of the genre, Mara's goal is to bring joy to readers who crave love stories and happily-ever-afters.

Reviews

[Rah Ma · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️
I read this book as an ARC and it is too good to be true !! The author is so sweet and her book is sweeter :)
72% into it and i can’t wait anymore to give my review lol
It is such a summer/vacation read, childhood friends,second chance at first love ..
Marlo is a singer 🎤 and Jude is a baker 🧑‍🍳
I felt like reading a song’s lyrics, poetry..not reading a book .. it is so Taylor swift coded and it has kind of forced proximity, the best recipe isn’t it ?
The only bad thing in this book is the chapters, they are a bit on the longer side. That’s it, I hope your support Mara’s debut even though it doesn’t feel like a debut at all !!! 🤍

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reunion Recipe incorporates so much of what I love about contemporary romance—second chance romance, two protagonists who just can’t quit each other, sweet banter with a heaping spoonful of spice, a fantastic cast of secondary characters that makes the world feel lived in, and a HEA that feels earned. I absolutely adored Marlo and her journey from a lonely pop star with stunted growth to a fierce, authentic, “grown-up” singer-songwriter who isn’t afraid to embrace her whole self and culture. Jude was the perfect love interest with a hard exterior and a marshmallow gooey center. I absolutely adored the intricate recipes that Jude would come up with and how he baked to better understand and heal from his past, just like Marlo would do the same with her songs. And OF COURSE I loved all of the Swiftie Easter eggs ;).

Mara Moody’s love for the romance genre truly shines in these pages and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us. This is just the beginning!

[Suzanne Glidewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute second chance romance about a pop starlet facing the many stresses of fame as she pursues a life long career that’s not only creatively fulfilling but also true to her artistic integrity — off course there’s a former secret ex-boyfriend turned celebrity pastry chef to add a little complication and swoony tension to the mix.
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You don’t have to be a certified Swiftie to enjoy this book, just a fan of romance where a happily ever after is guaranteed.