Pasta Wars

by Elisa Lorello

Slim, successful, and soon to marry the man of her dreams, Katie Cravens is leading the life she always wanted. As the face and CEO of Pasta Pronto, a Carbs for the Calorie-Conscious line of frozen food, Katie chooses to live life like one of her Slimline Spaghetti dinners no mess, no surprises, and everything tied up in a neat little package. But when Katie s fiance runs off with another woman and a quality control fiasco sends her customers running for the hills, it s time for Katie to make a change.

Her company s salvation presents itself in the form of a partnership opportunity with the legendary Ristorante Caramelli of Rome, and Katie has no other choice but to jet off to Italy to convince gorgeous, hotheaded co-owner Luca Caramelli that she s a worthy partner. Gaining Luca s respect proves harder than Katie could have ever imagined, however, when he insists that she must learn how to cook and how to eat true Italian food before he will ever agree to their companies partnership.

Katie and Luca's tension in Italy mounts into a fierce public rivalry that erupts back in the States with a nationally televised cooking competition. As Katie tries to channel her inner Mario Batali to win the competition, she must choose between the flavorless prepackaged life that she worked so hard to maintain and the mouth-watering uncertainty of a life chock full of carbohydrates and Caramellis."

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Food, Foodie, Adult, Chick Lit

252 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2016

About the author

Elisa Lorello was born and raised on Long Island, the youngest of seven children. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and launched a career teaching rhetoric and composition. She has been teaching first-year writing to university students since 2000, but went on sabbatical in fall 2012. Elisa spent six years in North Carolina, where she split her time between teaching and writing, and returned to the northeast in October 2012.

Elisa is the author of the Kindle best-selling novels "Faking It" and "Ordinary World", "Why I Love Singlehood" (co-authored with Sarah Girrell), and "Adulation".

Some of Elisa's favorite pastimes include chocolate, reading, and walking. She is also an avid fan of Duran Duran, pop tarts, and finding the perfect shade of lipstick.

Reviews

[Jeannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 This was a really fun read! I liked it. It was chosen for my book club and I look forward to discussing it with them. We will be discussing all the fresh pasta and marinara, the raspberries and cream with scones (this book will make you hungry)! I'm pretty sure we will be talking about Luca as well, there is a romance here and it was cute. I look forward to reading more by this writer.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Deyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

I downloaded Pasta Wars on a whim, when I was craving for some chick-lit romance read. In certain ways it was what I expected of it (everyone was white, heteronormative and successful), in other it surprised in a good way but it ended up falling short on the overall aspect.

What surprised me and made me finish this read was the main character, Katie, she has a lot to overcome in this story with a lifelong problem with her body image and figuring out what to do when her perfectly plan for a perfect life goes wrong because her fiance cheated on her. I really liked her personality and the way she faced things head on, there was no challenge to big, yes she got scared and had self doubts, but this is her journey of self discovery and growing.

I also like the fact that despite her job and most of her life being focused on her body image the book took the time to show she wasn't a ditsy, dumb character, just because she focused on the external doesn't mean she didn't have a got head on her shoulders, and yay for good body image! Katie starts out completely focused on her mannequin size but that changes through the story and I think it was portrayed in a very positive way.

The romance wasn't a big swoon for me :( It's a sort of hate-to-sex-to-love sort of thing but I never was 100% on board, first because Luca was a jackass and secondly, and more important is because the secondary characters didn't had much of a personality. I feel like I got to know Katie but only her, the others didn't had that many dimensions and we don't actually have that much characters, I feel like at least Luca should have been more fleshed out.

And this is were the book felt short, I think the main fault was the writing, in time it passed through long time periods in just a few short sentences, there was also a lot of tell don't show which never works for me, and some of the dialogues were pretty constricted, it felt like the characters were reading a script of the perfect thing to say that any given moment.

I don't regret reading this one, even though I think there is better romances and chick-lit books out there but if this one picked your interested, you may have a better time with it. It has a lot of foodie stuff, a great main character and an actual pasta war (!).

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

For most of this book, I had a very hard time liking either of the main characters. I thought they were stubborn, conceited and whiny at times. They finally redeemed themselves by the time of the pasta competition and saved me from giving this less stars. The scenes during the pasta competition were very realistic to cooking competitions that are on television. It really made me think about how much reality tv is staged for the shock factor and dramatic effect.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are two kinds of people in this world those who love easy to read, fun books about wildly sexy Italian men and huge portions of carbohydrates and those who don't. I am the kind that does. Well done Elisa another great read.

[Samantha March · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewer: Samantha

I am such a fan of foodie fiction, so when I saw this cover I knew I had to read it! Katie’s character was so engaging to read about. She truly thinks she has it all … until she starts to realize her perfect life might not be just that. I loved her trip to Italy (a place on the top of my bucket list) and her instant chemistry with the formidable Luca. And the reality show bit on top was a lot of fun and made me feel like I was in the kitchen with them. There was a little too much back and forth with the romance for my liking, but still overall a truly enjoyable read that left my mouth watering for pasta.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable story that includes travel, cooking and romance... What's not to love?

[Mom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving this book two stars because I liked the writing style of this author, but she lost me with constantly repeating funny phrases with different wording and the constant stream of sexual thoughts. I associate these kinds of thoughts with how men think of women and how they refer to sex, not a professional businesswoman. This is a personal opinion of my own.

Usually I choose books that are based around food because they are fun, but this one made me want to eat constantly. I think I put on 30 pounds just reading about it.

[Megha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read.. especially for someone with an appetite for unadulterated Italian food and love for the art of cooking.

Sensuous on part both for the characters and the food involved.. couldn't keep this one down

[Sue Gerth (The Bookalicious Babe) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, light romance that made me very hungry for pasta!

A perfect vacation read. Here's my review on my blog:

http://bookaliciousbabe.blogspot.com/...

[Danielle Pavliv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving this book so far! if you love food, cooking, languages, culture and of course love this book is so good!

[Camille Maio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book about what can happen when business, competition, food, and love are on the menu!

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. When I was a teenager, like most girls I loved teen romances. Sweet Dreams, Wildfire, First Love from Silhouette and countless others. Yet I can not stand most adult romances. I always think that I wish they made books for adults that were similar, but they always fall flat. Why? This was the question I had while I was reading this. I wanted to like it. It had a few funny moments. But, the protagonist was so annoying and unrelatable. I hate how modern books center on weight so much, as if being thin is impossible without starving yourself. Female protagonists are always losers, but somehow they manage to get drop dead gorgeous men who secretly are dying for a fat chick. 🙄 And yes, I get that Katie is never really "fat", but weight is so central to the plot that it was irritating. Katie was also so immature and clueless throughout this book, yet I am supposed to believe she runs a company? She came across like a total twit. Her company isn't believable. And we are supposed to believe this seriously hot guy had no romantic entanglements? This is not believable. Don't even get me started on the whole "you feed me" thing. I would be embarrassed to pass this book to a friend. I would be embarrassed to know someone like Katie in real life.

[Amanda Trimble · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely fast read! Cute love story… but wouldn’t be my first recommendation to a friend.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devoured this book. Was a quick read and had me hooked. Not the most revolutionary book but was fun. Wish Luca could cook for me❤️

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! I am a sucker for romance, this reminds me of a Hallmark movie❤️❤️

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this story is what drew me to pick it up in the first place. Also the fact that it was 50% off at Barnes and Noble. Meet Katie Cravens. She is the creator and CEO of the company Pasta Pronto, which makes low-carb frozen pasta meals. She is engaged to a man she believes is the man of her dreams. And to top it off, she maintains a slim size two waistline (thanks to her diet pasta meals). Katie thinks she has it all, until of course, everything comes crashing down. Within the span of two days, she finds her fiancé cheating on her and a quality control issue with her Pasta Pronto line sends customers to the hospital and sets the press a buzz.

After kicking her fiancé out of the house, Katie is sent to Italy in order to try and salvage the brand’s name. There she is to meet and set up partnership with the Caramelli twins, brother and sister, Luca and Luci. The partnership would be mutually beneficial as their restaurant and company could use a boost as well.

The descriptions of the food were one of the best parts of this book. I could practically taste the scones topped with berries and cream, or smell the pasta and sauces Luca made. It made me want to jump on a plane to Italy and stuff my face with as much food as possible.

It was surprisingly funny. The humor was subtle, sneaking up on you when you least expected it.
“Luca looked as if he’d rather be doing something more productive, like alligator wrestling or attending a paint-drying convention.”

I didn’t care for the drawn out love story between Katie and Luca. I don’t mind a slow-burning love story. Those are often the best in the end. But this felt unnecessarily delayed. The book in general took me a while to get into. However, I think the things Katie came to realize over the course of the book were some of the most important parts of the story.

“I’d come to realize that I never wanted him back. I just wanted him to want me back. That’s always what hurts more - them not wanting you anymore. They move on so quickly; so easily, as if you meant nothing to them. As if their memory of you was erased. It hurts more than the original wrong doing, I think, and it’s what you never really get over.”

This book was about more than just two people falling in love. Katie learns a lot about herself. Through her trials, she’s taught what matters most is loving yourself for who you are. Not what you look like, what job you have, or what others think of you. That is one of the most powerful lessons in the book. The romance is just an added bonus.

"Shortly before he died, he told me, "Marry a woman who feeds you in every way. And you must feed her too. In every way.""

[Vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a relaxing read for me. The book was overall humorous and I actually did laugh out loud several times. It was, however, hard for me to relate to the personalities or empathize with either of the main 2 characters, for much of the book. In terms of personality, they both seemed childish and self-centered / spoilt, to me. Towards the end of the book, I felt a lot more empathy and respect for them. There were parts of the book that I liked and thought they were touching.

I loved the advice Luca gives to Katie, that she should ,"...live life on your terms.... fall in love... with food. With life. With...yourself". She later learns to see food "as a relationship...I was learning what I liked and didn't like about certain foods and how they made me feel. I was learning what my body liked and didn't like. And I hadn't counted a single calorie or color-charted even a grape." Later she mentions she felt nourished in several ways, "My body had never been good enough. Didn't matter what size I fit into....These last few months, despite the extra pounds I'd added, Id also added shape and definition and tone.... I added nourishment....I added vitality and pleasure to my life."

I feel that her eating plan could definitely use some tweaking - healthier and still be super delicious, but still... she did learn what was important about life and to treasure herself.

This book allowed me to take a mini-vacation in my home, laugh, and read about food, life, and love.

[Linda C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katie Cravens, CEO of Pasta Pronto, a company specializing in low-carb frozen pasta entrees, returns from a conference to find her fiance cheating on her and her company in the thralls of a major recall. After kicking out the fiance and plugging the dike at her company, she needs to find a way to return respect to the company. A partnership creating a new line of pasta entrees featuring the creations of the Caramelli's would be a big help. Katie heads to Genoa, IT to get the reluctant half of the twin entrepreneurs to sign on. What follows is a fun romp through food creation culminating in a pasta challenge and a large dose of romance. What a fun read!

Reread Review: Still as great as first reading. Picked up some things I didn't remember from the first reading which makes me think this is a book that should be reread periodically to offset stress and give a nod to how to boost self-esteem. So many 'You Go, Girl' moments, realistic or not, that make you feel good.

[Beholderess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining for all the wrong reasons.

Not particularly well-written - the food comparisons sometimes run away from the author in weird directions. But amusing nonetheless

[Allie Singer]

p/r

[Kristen Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and salty!

[Maeve Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so I picked this book up expecting utter crap. This was just going to be an awful fun read, which I so rarely come across, and boy did it deliver.

Cliche, some awful quotes, pretty much a Hallmark movie premise, and honestly just so enjoyable because of it since I knew what I was getting into.

That being said, there were actually, um, some good points in this book??? I really appreciated the body positivity in this because it really does capture the overwhelming diet culture in America and the desire to be thin by constantly being restrictive and eating low calorie meals and so forth. I like how the main character finally learns to give her body the proper nutrients it needs and embraces her more filled out figure because honestly we are constantly slammed with the idea to be thinner and this book celebrated mindful eating and being healthy, so like kudos to that because I wasn't expecting it.

I guess Luca went through some character development too like I actually kind of admired their relationship at the end??? Again I'm so confused rn I was expecting utter trash. I mean, it's a forced and quick relationship but it seems like they'd make a good couple.

So yeah, kind of the trash you'd expect but also some actual relatable messages as well, so decent surprise. It's not five stars or anything but I was stunned enough to give it three

[Danielle Zimmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m conflicted. Not reading or absorbing the synopsis as much as I should’ve is definitely on me. I didn’t realize that the main plot of this novel wasn’t realllllly going to be about pasta; it’s about body perception and disordered eating, really. As someone who doesn’t have the healthiest relationship with food, this read is a little rough. It’s very much focused on quantifying good and relating that to body image. The main character even calls herself “fatty” at a couple of points. It ebbs and flows, but the theme is always there.

That and this is a super closed door romance, which makes it even harder to get a feel for the main couple’s relationship. For two people who don’t speak openly and honestly to each other, body language and interactions are key. But this book strips those away so I feel like I never truly understand why the couple was worth rooting for.

All that being said, the depiction of Italy here is perfect, and it absolutely made me want to make my own pasta. That and it was an enjoyable enough way to pass the time (at least once I got past the first few chapters and powered through the last 20% of the book).

[Jo Richner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally wanted to pick this up but didn't once I read the synopsis. I have a love/hate relationship with the guy makes successful women relax troupe. I liked that this woman stood up for her self instead of being weak. My daughter has never been able to gain weight, has always been underweight since birth and is really self-conscious when people tell her she's too skinny. I feed her pasta 7 days a week and it's not happening. So I now cringe when people use two thin for too controlling, maybe that's how she is or how she's happy. neither the cases here, which let me enjoy the book a lot more.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. There are some very “Hallmark” aspects to it, but it’s also more spicy. It usually takes me months to read a book because i get distracted easily, but i read this in like 2 weeks, which says a lot for me. i didn’t wanna put it down. there are some ED themes, but it isn’t encouraging or romanticizing it. spoiler alert: she eventually realizes how to be healthy and how to properly take care of her body, inside and out. i loved the romantic aspect of this book as well. the love interest isn’t too sweet or too mean. he’s just right 😌 i, for some reason, chose to picture Andrew DeLuca for Luca. 😅 anyways, do with that what you will.

[Sandlynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elisa Lorello's Pasta Wars, published in 2016, is an enjoyable read, with a fun finish for those of you who love the Food Network and TV cooking competitions. We are mostly in, the heroine, Katie’s head, so we have less of an understanding of, our male protagonist, Luca’s issues. I would’ve liked a bit more of a 50/50 split there. The food aspect of the book was instructive and a lot of fun. I think I could make fresh pasta now! The ending is an happily ever after, but I actually would’ve enjoyed a bit of an epilogue. I’d give this book a B/B+.

[Ritika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short and sweet love story kind a book.
Since starting you can predict what is the book all about. The writer has portrayed the characters really well.
Although I did not find the vocabulary that fascinating as the other books do.
In some chapters the story has been lingered on quite a bit with all the recipes and the methods of making pasta.
In spite of elaborating it in the chapters, it would be much better to put them in the last of the book as a recipe section.
In a nutshell the novel is good to read while short travels and fun😊

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly haven't read a book that has me teary-eyed in a coffee shop, in quite some time. Elisa Lorello, thank you. I just had my first fight with my boyfriend yesterday... and I realized that he is someone I want to fight for, even more so after finishing this novel. Love is precious, but finding someone who you consider your best friend and partner in the kitchen is something very rare.

This book was an uplifting delight, and complete page-turner in my opinion! Thank you.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. This was a total cover buy and I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised!

The humor, wit, and lessons in self-love and acceptance were unexpected but appreciated.

I loved the descriptions of food, Italy, and the side characters. Luca is a whole lot of YUM!

A short, flufy, fun read that was worth the price paid. Not one I see myself re-reading, but cute none-the-less.