The Secret Recipe for Moving On

Written by Karen Bischer

Narrated by Amanda Friday

Ellie Agresti's not sure anything could be worse than being dumped by her boyfriend, Hunter, the first day of senior year.



But sharing a "life skills" class with him and his new girlfriend, Brynn? AND getting partnered with a "family" of misfits (A.J., the loudmouth; Isaiah, the horse-racing obsessive; and Luke, the tattooed stunt-biker)?



It's a recipe for certain disaster . . . until an in-class competition allows Ellie to channel her angst into beating Hunter and Brynn's team, and she unexpectedly bonds with her own group—especially Luke—in the process.



But as Ellie soon discovers, it will take more than classroom triumphs to heal her broken heart—and find herself again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jul 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666135565

Karen Bischer

Karen Bischer is a writer and New Jersey resident who loves watching sports, especially baseball. When she’s not cheering on her beloved New York Yankees, you can find her playing with (or being bossed around by) her cat, Clarence, and dog, Brandy.

Reviews for The Secret Recipe for Moving On

[theeclecticreview · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When a young woman is public humiliated and dumped by her jerk of a boyfriend and a so-called two-faced friend, she makes new friends in unexpected places.

Ellie's life has just gone bad to worse. Her boyfriend, Hunter, has dumped her publicly for his long-time friend, Brynn. Her so-called friends she has at the new school are apparently all Hunter's friends. And she's sharing her home economics class with her ex-friends. But it so happens she doesn't have to share a table with the new lovers anymore, and, instead, reluctantly chooses the table with a juvenile delinquent, a silent shy guy, and a hot tattooed goliath.

As Ellie starts building her confidence again and making bolder choices, she finds a camaraderie with her newfound home ec misfit guys including the sweet and funny Luke who only has Ellie's best interests at heart. Speaking of which, if only those two would have talked sooner, there wouldn't have been the angst and frustration throughout a lot of the book. Nevertheless, the misunderstanding is cleared up, Hunter and Brynn get what's coming to them, and Ellie and her misfit boys steal the show!

I recommend this cute, clean, coming-of-age YA rom-com filled with heart, angst, laughter, and life-long friendships.

Thank you to Ms. Bischer for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

[sennebec · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Many contemporary YA stories are similar to recipes. Familiar ingredients (characters, plot elements, settings, etc.), but what sets good ones apart is how those ingredients are blended, prepared and served. In this book, all three are well above average. I particularly liked the competition among the home ec teams once they began to form bonds. All in all, a very satisfying read.