In this spectacular new novel, Barbara O’Neal delivers a generous helping of the best in life–family, food, and love–in the story of a woman’s search for the one thing worth more than anything.

At thirty-seven, Tessa Harlow is still working her way down her list of goals to “fall in love and have a family.” A self-described rolling stone, Tessa leads hiking tours for adventurous vacationers–it’s a job that’s taken her around the world but never a step closer to home. Then a freak injury during a trip already marred by tragedy forces her to begin her greatest adventure of all.

Located high in the New Mexico mountains, Las Ladronas has become a magnet for the very wealthy and very hip, but once upon a time it was the setting of a childhood trauma Tessa can only half remember. Now, as she rediscovers both her old hometown and her past, Tessa is drawn to search-and-rescue worker Vince Grasso. The handsome widower isn’t her type. No more inclined to settle down than Tessa, Vince is the father of three, including an eight-year-old girl as lost as Tessa herself. But Tessa and Vince are both drawn to the town’s most beloved eatery–100 Breakfasts–and to each other. For Tessa, the restaurant is not only the key to the mystery that has haunted her life but a chance to find the home and the family she’s never known.

Reader Reviews

Gily

(3/5)

May 02, 2024

It is not the secret of everything, but its a nice unbelievable story. What I can do without were the sex scenes (just 2) but it remind me this teen movie where the guide consular try to find synonyms for her written sex scene. Well sometime you try too hard and its shows.

Regina M

(4/5)

I love the animals in this book. Good story.

Elizabeth

This book doesn't belong in the top tier because it's not life-changing or edifying in any way, but boy does it entertain! It was the quintessential "beach book" and, if truth be told, probably a "chick book." It was just what I needed to push away the winter doldrums and get my mind off anything stressful, and I carried it with me so I could read whenever I was waiting for anything (dentist's office, meetings, etc.).Tessa Harlow is recuperating from an injury sustained when a landslide occurred...

Kimberly Kincaid

(5/5)

Another incredible offering from Barbara O'Neal, who is now an auto-buy for me, no questions asked. This book had a little bit of a different feel than both Lost Recipe and Perfect Life, but O'Neal's stunning language and insightful, poignant voice shines through from the first chapter. There's a lot of emotion in this book (as with her others), and I was drawn in on page 2, unable to stop thinking about the characters long after I'd put the book down. Tessa is so wonderfully flawed, humble yet

Mary

I am one of the lucky ones who won a copy of this here on Goodreads and can't wait to get started! I loved The Lost Recipe for Happiness by this same author.Edited to add...I just finished this book, and I was so moved by it that I had to come right to Goodreads to post my review. I spent about seven hours today, devouring this book, and I enjoyed it so much. It had everything I look for in a book...wonderful characters that I felt an instant connection to, a location that makes me want to book

Ian

After a tragic accident on a hike she was leading, Tessa returns to Las Ladronas, the town in New Mexico where she was born. Living with almost overwhelming grief she starts searching for answers to questions that have long been buried. Questions of her childhood and the hippie commune where she lived the first years of her life. While there she meets Vince, a single father who is raising his three daughters, one of whom is still grieving the devastating loss of her mother. It's hard to avoid su...

Lynne Spreen

Tessa, a hiking tour guide, is devastated by a tragic accident for which she is responsible. Shell-shocked with guilt, she goes to live with her father, a Luddite hippie-type who owns a Margarita shack on a beach, lives alone, and surfs daily. Eventually she heals enough to do research on a potential new tour destination: a gentrifying town in New Mexico, and the commune on its outskirts where she learns the heartbreaking truth about who she really is.I love O'Neal's writing. Her characters have...

Sierra

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a magical blend of love, lust, grief and secrets. A mix of magical realism, chick lit, food lit, romance and mystery all in one story.Quick synopsis: Tessa Harlow is a woman who has travelled the world but never truly found a home. A bad accident brings back long forgotten childhood memories and has her questioning herself so she travels to Las Ladronas, NM to rediscover herself by learning more about her past.I really liked Tess. I was able to connect w...

This book is so good!! I wish there was more stars to give it. The story is great, the characters are so well developed and she has such a beautiful way of kneading them gently and respectively into your experience; but in a way that you don't realize how deeply they have touched your soul. Every single one of them. Natalie is just the best child character I think I've read in a long time. She could have an entire movie, or kids show done about her. A kids show would be great. Anyway, I digress....

Elyse Walters

(2/5)

"Eating a good hearty breakfast holds the secrets to life".... Yet, I couldn't figure out why anyone would need a recipe for her 'Hearty Oatmeal' with raisins?I've been cooking it that way for at least 30 years. Also, It was the only Soluble Fiber breakfast mentioned in the towns beloved eatery of 100 Breakfasts. The other 99 choices didn't seem to be 'Heart Healthy' (so beware). ---"The Secret to Everything" (caution at your own risk)...lolOn with my review: The writing was amateurish --- Durin...

Carolyn Hill

I'd give this three and a half stars. For the most part I liked the main character, Tessa Harlow, who leads high end adventure tour hikes with diversions for nice restaurants. Sounds like a good gig to me. But after recovering from injuries in a terrible accident on a hike, she heads to the town of Los Ladrones in New Mexico to search for her past while scouting possible future tour locations. Born in a commune and raised by a former hippie surfer dude, she had nearly drowned in the river there

Audrey

Probably my favorite of her books so far. loved the different relationships and her soul searching family discovery

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The Secret of Everything

The Secret of Everything

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Reader Reviews