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emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A single father struggling to raise his daughter stumbles upon a cam girl (on a site suggested by his boss, hehe) named Cherry, someone 14 years younger than him. The hilarious twist? He ends up becoming the private chef for Charlotte’s family. Cherry is a model by day and moonlights as a sexy cam girl. Boy, Aaron was smitten, even though he knew it was forbidden. 🤭
Now, I’m literally not a fan of age gap romances but there are a few authors I’ll gladly make exceptions for and Letizia is one of them. Plus, the entire book is written solely from the MMC’s POV which was a first for me and it grabbed my attention instantly! Aaron is a total saint when it comes to handling Sadie because honestly, I’d lose my shit, one of many reasons I love being childfree. Josie was such a terrible mother; Charlotte, despite being over a decade younger, cared for Sadie better than Josie ever did. I honestly got the feeling Josie kept the baby and married Aaron only because of pressure from her family.
The spice in this book was fluffy but the story itself was heartwarming. It was lovely seeing Logan, Prim, and their twins again too. And the epilogue? Omg, that was definitely the cherry on top.
This is my honest opinion of the ARC I received. Thank you, Letizia, for the opportunity!
Now, I’m literally not a fan of age gap romances but there are a few authors I’ll gladly make exceptions for and Letizia is one of them. Plus, the entire book is written solely from the MMC’s POV which was a first for me and it grabbed my attention instantly! Aaron is a total saint when it comes to handling Sadie because honestly, I’d lose my shit, one of many reasons I love being childfree. Josie was such a terrible mother; Charlotte, despite being over a decade younger, cared for Sadie better than Josie ever did. I honestly got the feeling Josie kept the baby and married Aaron only because of pressure from her family.
The spice in this book was fluffy but the story itself was heartwarming. It was lovely seeing Logan, Prim, and their twins again too. And the epilogue? Omg, that was definitely the cherry on top.
This is my honest opinion of the ARC I received. Thank you, Letizia, for the opportunity!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ARC review
"With a Cherry on Top" by Letizia Lorini is part of the "Love & Other Recipes" series.
This could be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading the other books first (especially Riding the Sugar High)
I received an advance review copy from the author.
Opinions from this review are completely my own.
What you can expect:
- single dad
- age gap (14 years)
- personal chef / model (and cam girl)
- single POV (Aaron's)
- forbidden romance
- spice
- found family
This is the first book with only the male POV and it was an interesting experience.
Aaron was a character that I did not like in "Riding the Sugar High" and this is his redemption arc.
On the surface this is a cute, funny and sexy book about a forbidden relationship between a chef and the daughter of his boss.
But after you start reading you discover a complex story that treats heavier topics such as disordered eating and parental neglect.
(Please check the full list of trigger warnings on the author's site.)
I loved all the books that Letizia wrote and she managed to make me like Aaron.
Reading this was emotional, but also fun.
It was great to have the main characters from the other 3 books make appearances, especially Ian and Amelie.
I like the friendship between Aaron and Amelie and Ian's protective side.
Charlotte's story broke my heart and made me cry a lot.
But I liked her personality and the way she got close to Sadie, Aaron's daughter.
The romance part was full of tension and chemistry.
I liked that they communicated a lot and that the age gap did not mean a power imbalance.
The ending and the epilogue were so sweet and made me happy for them.
I'm looking forward to finding out who is the next book about.
"With a Cherry on Top" by Letizia Lorini is part of the "Love & Other Recipes" series.
This could be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading the other books first (especially Riding the Sugar High)
I received an advance review copy from the author.
Opinions from this review are completely my own.
What you can expect:
- single dad
- age gap (14 years)
- personal chef / model (and cam girl)
- single POV (Aaron's)
- forbidden romance
- spice
- found family
This is the first book with only the male POV and it was an interesting experience.
Aaron was a character that I did not like in "Riding the Sugar High" and this is his redemption arc.
On the surface this is a cute, funny and sexy book about a forbidden relationship between a chef and the daughter of his boss.
But after you start reading you discover a complex story that treats heavier topics such as disordered eating and parental neglect.
(Please check the full list of trigger warnings on the author's site.)
I loved all the books that Letizia wrote and she managed to make me like Aaron.
Reading this was emotional, but also fun.
It was great to have the main characters from the other 3 books make appearances, especially Ian and Amelie.
I like the friendship between Aaron and Amelie and Ian's protective side.
Charlotte's story broke my heart and made me cry a lot.
But I liked her personality and the way she got close to Sadie, Aaron's daughter.
The romance part was full of tension and chemistry.
I liked that they communicated a lot and that the age gap did not mean a power imbalance.
The ending and the epilogue were so sweet and made me happy for them.
I'm looking forward to finding out who is the next book about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A surprising amount of depth for a concept that seems like it would only be superficially spicy. However, our protagonist (which, can I get a round of applause of an all MMC POV?) has more going on than just a career change and a divorce. His new career as a private chef is actually the one thing that seems to be going well for him…until…
My only true criticism (based on my history with an ago gap romance) is I wish there was a little more conversation on what it means to enter a new relationship with a kid. It’s not easy to navigate and there’s a lot that Charlotte needed to consider before diving in that I feel wasn’t really addressed. With everything else rooting against them, this seemed a little too easy.
The love story was sweet, the spice was spicy, and those weren’t the only things happening in the story. All in all, an enjoyable romantic read for the summer!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse
Moderate: Fatphobia, Abandonment
Minor: Grief, Death of parent