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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
This is a fun, chef centric romance with a whole lotta angst. Initially I gave it a five star rating but as I’ve stepped back from it I dropped a star. It’s really good and touches on a lot of deep and interesting topics but I feel like there are definitely aspects of the story (the competition in particular) that are kinda built up to just fizzle out as a nothing kinda plot line. Additionally, I honestly think this is one story where a happily ever after wasn’t entirely necessary. I might have even enjoyed it more if it had followed the theme of right person-wrong time…but overall, it was a fun read and I plan on checking out DeWitt’s backlist at some point.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
I liked this book a lot. It's the first book I've read by this author, and I will most definitely be picking up the next one in the series, and probably more of her work as well.
Things I loved:
Things I loved:
- I never felt like their connection was weakened in any way by how short they had known each other. Yes, they only spent one summer together but statistically, 3 months is all it takes to fall in love. Even though they met and got entangled quickly, it still felt like a slow burn.
- The setting was so beautiful, I found myself wanting to visit Spunes, Oregon just to check it out for myself. I loved that Fisher fell in love, not just with Sage but with her home as well. I loved the small town vibes, I loved that everyone in town seemed to care for and look after each other. It was beautiful!
- That one specific scene... y'all know what I'm talking about ;)
- All of the animals were so lovely... I know Sage took them in out of the goodness of her heart, but I also like to think that they helped her out just as much as she did them. Her hobby farm in general was so lovely, and now I'm desperate to move to a small town by the coast and plant sunflowers next to my cucumbers
Things I didn't love:
- Sage did feel a tiny bit manic pixie dream girl at moments. Between the nail polish, the robes, the journal... don't get me wrong, I loved her character and I definitely think she had more going on than just her quirkiness (as did Fisher), but at times it was a bit much
- All of the characters tended to be slightly, ever so slightly, flat. I think I just wanted more from them, though, and also, I think it's because it's a sequel. Either way, I'm super excited to read the next book in the series! I hope it delves more into some of the off-center characters a bit more
Yippee!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcohol
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
The sweet & pure love Sage & Fisher shared, the way they paid attention to each other, Sage noticing Fishers silent struggle & Fisher paying attention to the little things. Book started off slow, I found myself only looking forward & swooning over Fishers chapters. Sweet Fisher was just a man who learned to live for the moment & savor every second. We support a man in therapy 👏🏼👏🏼 The way Fisher doesn’t allow Sage to belittle herself all while he’s in a rut struggling in his own head & on his grief journey as he’s trying his best to raise his grieving niece. Cute small town romance. 🛶🛶🛶 Can’t wait to read Wren & Ellis’s book as everyone’s been praising it 🤍
“Life’s short, go to the library, live a million different stories”
“Life’s short, go to the library, live a million different stories”
Tenho de admitir que no início estava com as expectativas baixas, porque o início foi muito lento, mas acabei por gostar! O romance foi muito bem feito e adorei a cidade e a família.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
DNF 6% I don't like the characters, writing is ok but kinda cringe... dick jokes chapter 1.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My favorite parts were all the scenes in the library and the sunroom. As well as Anytime Fisher cooked for Sage. My biggest take away or lesson was that we hold ourselves back the most in many ways, emotionally, financially, physically, etc.
One question I had (and the reason that I tagged plot hole as one of the things for the review) was: why did the author gloss over the town hall scene? Most of the details were off stage, and it felt very anticlimactic and almost made me decide not to finish the book because I expected more given that the male main characters mission to smooth things over was portrayed as a bigger deal. I understand that local small town proceedings can be boring. If you don’t actually live there, but I feel like the author did not give enough credit to the reader because this seemed really important for this community and I think that although the ideas raised by Fisher were a good ones that we might’ve been interested to see some of the other details of how things were going to work out.
Overall, however, I felt that this felt more real than most romcoms almost like the author was aware of all the clichés and tried to make them less predictable and less far-fetched. I appreciate the slow burn and the closure that came without the end screaming happily ever after.
Placement of spicy scenes and the alternating point of views for the characters every couple of chapters was good for the pacing. The spice was just enough without being too much so you could still focus on the story while looking forward to the next scene. Also, the food ideas were great, would love these recipes if they had been included in the back of the book!
One question I had (and the reason that I tagged plot hole as one of the things for the review) was: why did the author gloss over the town hall scene? Most of the details were off stage, and it felt very anticlimactic and almost made me decide not to finish the book because I expected more given that the male main characters mission to smooth things over was portrayed as a bigger deal. I understand that local small town proceedings can be boring. If you don’t actually live there, but I feel like the author did not give enough credit to the reader because this seemed really important for this community and I think that although the ideas raised by Fisher were a good ones that we might’ve been interested to see some of the other details of how things were going to work out.
Overall, however, I felt that this felt more real than most romcoms almost like the author was aware of all the clichés and tried to make them less predictable and less far-fetched. I appreciate the slow burn and the closure that came without the end screaming happily ever after.
Placement of spicy scenes and the alternating point of views for the characters every couple of chapters was good for the pacing. The spice was just enough without being too much so you could still focus on the story while looking forward to the next scene. Also, the food ideas were great, would love these recipes if they had been included in the back of the book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Terminal illness, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
slow-paced
