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Review: The Secret Ingredient by Stewart Lewis

18490790Title: The Secret Ingredient

Author: Stewart Lewis

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Release Date: June 11, 2013

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Medium Read In: Paperback

Pages: 256

Rating: 4 Stars

Why I Read It: I had this sitting on my shelf for a while. I decided it was time I read it.

Synopsis: 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 birth mother 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.
   
This summer will be pivotal, the psychic warns. Please remember—all your choices are connected.
   
Olivia loves her life in Silverlake, Los Angeles, but lately, something’s been missing. And after getting this strange advice, her world begins to change. A new job leads Olivia to a gorgeous, mysterious boy named Theo. And as Olivia cooks the recipes from a vintage cookbook she stumbles upon, she begins to wonder if the mother she’s never known might be the secret ingredient she’s been lacking. 
  
 But sometimes the things we search for are the things we’ve had all along.


Review: I had no expectations when starting this book, but if I did this book blew them all away. I happen to like summery contemporary reads, so this just made the cut. I only had a problem with the insta-love between Olivia and Theo because I thought the relationship was going to fast, but other than that I loved this book. Olivia is a very relatable character to readers because she is just trying to find herself in a difficult situation. The situation in which she lives in is relatable because the recession is something readers understand and know. I love that Olivia has a good relationship with both of her dads and her brother as well as her best friend. Olivia is a smart, aspiring young woman who wants to make people happy through food. Food plays a big role in this book and I loved how well it was incorporated into the story. I loved every minute of this book and I truly enjoyed it.

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