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marets's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
fiction_fever's review against another edition
DNF’d at 44%
Perhaps in the future I’ll give it a second chance. I’m not sure if my issues with the book are just because I’ve been having a bit of a reading slump the month of April, or if I’m really not enjoying myself. I don’t really feel the chemistry between the characters and honestly both come across as very childish to me.
Perhaps in the future I’ll give it a second chance. I’m not sure if my issues with the book are just because I’ve been having a bit of a reading slump the month of April, or if I’m really not enjoying myself. I don’t really feel the chemistry between the characters and honestly both come across as very childish to me.
rachelhelmer's review against another edition
2.0
I was SO excited to read this one when I first saw it in Barnes and Noble. I grew up in Maui and was really excited for all the references to the places that are so familiar to me. While it definitely had some nostalgic references, I still wasn't a fan of this book.
Nikki is an incredibly hard working and devoted to taking care of her mother after the recent death of her father. Then comes Callum. The two have a stupid rivalry but they both are really obviously just wanting to sleep together the whole time. Don't get me wrong, I love a good "enemies to lovers" trope but this was a cringe worthy, dramatic version of this... Nikki is ALYWAYS thinking about sleeping with Callum to the point where she had little to no personality outside of that. She was instantly obsessed with this dude even when he also has very little personality. It was very "insta-love" to me and it really bugged me. Not to mention after the first time they slept together she was already thinking about how if they were to break up it would be as painful as the death of her dad... Like seriously?? That's really messed up. Not gonna lie, that line was what really ruined this book for me.
Overall there are so many better romanced to pick from that I would stay away from this one.
Nikki is an incredibly hard working and devoted to taking care of her mother after the recent death of her father. Then comes Callum. The two have a stupid rivalry but they both are really obviously just wanting to sleep together the whole time. Don't get me wrong, I love a good "enemies to lovers" trope but this was a cringe worthy, dramatic version of this... Nikki is ALYWAYS thinking about sleeping with Callum to the point where she had little to no personality outside of that. She was instantly obsessed with this dude even when he also has very little personality. It was very "insta-love" to me and it really bugged me. Not to mention after the first time they slept together she was already thinking about how if they were to break up it would be as painful as the death of her dad... Like seriously?? That's really messed up. Not gonna lie, that line was what really ruined this book for me.
Overall there are so many better romanced to pick from that I would stay away from this one.
jillybeans's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
thephdivabooks's review against another edition
3.0
The heat in this book comes from more than just the cooking! Simmer Down by Sarah Smith is a enemies-to-lovers romance set around rival food trucks in Hawaii. A fun beach read but a bit too melodramatic at times for my taste.
This was a fun second act to Sarah Smith’s previous book Faker. Though the characters were new and it is a different story, there was a lot similar—enemies-to-lovers story featuring a Filipino-American leading lady who is feuding with a British white boy in a work-related conflict.
Nikki has relocated to Maui to help her parents with their dream to retire with a Filipino food truck right next to the beach. But when her father dies, Nikki and her mother are left with a stack of bills and even more grieving. When a rival food truck specializing in fish and chips sets up next to her beachside parking spot, Nikki doesn’t care how handsome the owner Callum is. She cares that he is stealing her customers with his British flare.
Soon the two end up in a rivalry that is only complicated by how attracted they are to one another. The chemistry between these frenemies with benefits is definitely heating up, but so is their feud. Until, of course, Nikki starts to see Callum’s sweeter side and begins to fall for him.
I liked the setting and the food truck scene. This was a fun theme for a romance book. And of course I love to hear about all of the food, particularly the Filipino food which all sounded absolutely incredible (hard to imagine fish and chips putting up the same competition!).
Nikki was a complicated character to like. I loved how she dropped her life to support her mother. However, I found Nikki herself (particularly in her interactions with Callum) to be annoying. She tends to jump to conclusions, complain, and not want to do anything to improve her circumstances.
Read this book for the steamy love story and the fantastic setting. A fun beach read!
This was a fun second act to Sarah Smith’s previous book Faker. Though the characters were new and it is a different story, there was a lot similar—enemies-to-lovers story featuring a Filipino-American leading lady who is feuding with a British white boy in a work-related conflict.
Nikki has relocated to Maui to help her parents with their dream to retire with a Filipino food truck right next to the beach. But when her father dies, Nikki and her mother are left with a stack of bills and even more grieving. When a rival food truck specializing in fish and chips sets up next to her beachside parking spot, Nikki doesn’t care how handsome the owner Callum is. She cares that he is stealing her customers with his British flare.
Soon the two end up in a rivalry that is only complicated by how attracted they are to one another. The chemistry between these frenemies with benefits is definitely heating up, but so is their feud. Until, of course, Nikki starts to see Callum’s sweeter side and begins to fall for him.
I liked the setting and the food truck scene. This was a fun theme for a romance book. And of course I love to hear about all of the food, particularly the Filipino food which all sounded absolutely incredible (hard to imagine fish and chips putting up the same competition!).
Nikki was a complicated character to like. I loved how she dropped her life to support her mother. However, I found Nikki herself (particularly in her interactions with Callum) to be annoying. She tends to jump to conclusions, complain, and not want to do anything to improve her circumstances.
Read this book for the steamy love story and the fantastic setting. A fun beach read!
theeuphoriczat's review against another edition
5.0
After the death of her father, Nikki had to quit her job and go back home to help her mom. Fulfilling her father's dream by opening a food truck business along with her mother. While things weren't exactly going well with their business, especially with declining sales and bills piling up, she believed she could pull through. Then comes Callum James. He and his brother just happen to park their van beside Nikki's which would further drive down their business, and also it is an unspoken rule that Tiva's Filipina Kusina was taking that spot. But since Callum is an ass, he rudely refused to leave and this was the start of their social media famous squabbles that indirectly led to increasing sales.
An unexpected journey to London led to them spending the whole ride together and something about airplanes makes them horny, I guess. Anyways, they decide to give dating a try, and soon they cannot get their hands off each other. They continue their fierce competition during the day but at night they give in to each other (that is so cheesy).
There is a lot more that happened in this book but I am trying not to spoil it. While this book might just be slightly over 300 pages, it sure packs a lot.
An unexpected journey to London led to them spending the whole ride together and something about airplanes makes them horny, I guess. Anyways, they decide to give dating a try, and soon they cannot get their hands off each other. They continue their fierce competition during the day but at night they give in to each other (that is so cheesy).
There is a lot more that happened in this book but I am trying not to spoil it. While this book might just be slightly over 300 pages, it sure packs a lot.
jlperidot's review against another edition
5.0
Simmer Down is a delicious enemies-to-lovers romance, peppered with hilarious and gorgeous memorable moments. Like any decent food truck cuisine, this is book is a feast from the first bite to the last. Easily my favourite Sarah Smith release to date.
rainsailler's review against another edition
2.0
You can see my reading struggles by how much time I spent on finishing this novel. I want to skip some scenes because they were so uh, weird?? I don't know how to explain it, but some scenarios (especially the last few chapters) are cringy :(( The story has so much potential, and I tried hanging up with that idea, it's just that, the writing style wasn't for me. There are a lot of tropes in here (rivalry, fuck buddies, miscommunication, and forbidden love), but none of those can save this book. The character voice is not distinct, without the dialogue tags, I can't recognize who's speaking because both main leads have similar language patterns (except for some British phrases that the male lead use). I didn't like the transition from being enemies to friends with benefits in a span of 24 hours, it's just not realistic and a bit out of the bubble (ofc this is fiction, duh). Anyway, maybe it is a 'me' problem. So if you want to read this, just go and give it a try.