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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
I read this all in one day - it was sweet and special, with enough humor to keep me going. Nearly shed tears on the regular, and I'm a robot who doesn't cry for books. There were a couple 'over-explaining' bits toward the end, but didn't take away from the experience.
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed this read. The main characters were lovable, relatable, and their chemistry was excellent. Sometimes, cuisine-focused novels feel excessively focused on the sensation of food, and this novel did a great job balancing the romanticism of cuisine with character development - it didn't rely on food descriptions to carry the sensuality and emotion of the story. Will be watching for more from this author!
I really enjoyed this read. The main characters were lovable, relatable, and their chemistry was excellent. Sometimes, cuisine-focused novels feel excessively focused on the sensation of food, and this novel did a great job balancing the romanticism of cuisine with character development - it didn't rely on food descriptions to carry the sensuality and emotion of the story. Will be watching for more from this author!
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
✨MINI ARC REVIEW✨
Firstly I want to say thank you to @netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.
This book was such a palette cleanser and it’s a sweet and touching story. This romcom is filled with forced proximity, humor, tension and spice. A ghostwriter forced to work with a reality cooking show winner to write a cookbook, despite their differences. She is strict and likes order while he flies by the seat of his pants.
This story has depth as both sides of our couple have their own tragic backstories, one side filled with abandonment and the other with loss of a loved one. Watching the development of each of our characters and how they overcome their own hurdles separately and together was an amazing sight.
I will admit it was a bit slow to get into and our FMC does come off a bit … harsh at first, but as you get deeper into the book and start peeling back those layers, I didn’t want to put it down.
Neither of them wanted to be in a relationship, but as they were forced to get to know each other, they realized the other is exactly what they needed. Despite their rocky start, the couple brought out the best in each other.
Firstly I want to say thank you to @netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.
This book was such a palette cleanser and it’s a sweet and touching story. This romcom is filled with forced proximity, humor, tension and spice. A ghostwriter forced to work with a reality cooking show winner to write a cookbook, despite their differences. She is strict and likes order while he flies by the seat of his pants.
This story has depth as both sides of our couple have their own tragic backstories, one side filled with abandonment and the other with loss of a loved one. Watching the development of each of our characters and how they overcome their own hurdles separately and together was an amazing sight.
I will admit it was a bit slow to get into and our FMC does come off a bit … harsh at first, but as you get deeper into the book and start peeling back those layers, I didn’t want to put it down.
Neither of them wanted to be in a relationship, but as they were forced to get to know each other, they realized the other is exactly what they needed. Despite their rocky start, the couple brought out the best in each other.
This book is aptly named as this burn is definitely slow. It took me a bit to get into this book and while I did like it I didn't love it. It is a cute rom-com that many readers will enjoy and all of the descriptions of food were amazing. I had a hard time connecting with our two main characters, Kieran and Ellie and there was a lot of internal dialogue. The cover of this book is stunning and the description drew me in right away but the book as a whole left me feeling a bit underwhelmed.
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and Sarah Chamberlain for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and Sarah Chamberlain for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
— 3.5 stars ★
thoughts Ꮺ
— this debut novel was a delight to read! i wish we could do half stars on goodreads because while it wasn't a four star read for me, it was close. i wasn't expecting the amount of depth from the lead characters but was pleasantly surprised. the backgrounds from which the characters came from and how it shaped them in the present day felt natural and realistic. the themes used were complex but were explored in a careful manor that still made the book fun!
the lead characters were very cute. i loved that while ellie is a plus size woman, her arc doesn't involve her hating her body. as a fellow plus size girly, it was super refreshing to see that! throughout the book, she gains the confident to stand her ground and go after what she really wants. it's not a "spur of the moment" decision that we see some leads in novels make. this story progresses things along smoothly and in the end, reactions and actions make total sense!
sometimes, i felt like tropes were thrown in just to not be explored any further. at some point, fake dating was involved and i expected it to go on for a bit longer, thinking the media might have caught ahold of the situation. it wasn't entirely a bad thing, i just liked the fake dating dynamic and had fun when they finally indulged in their wants! along with that, i think the random time skips threw me around too much. sometimes we'd skip a few days here and there and then we'd skip three months. time skips are good to help reduce repetitiveness, but i would have maybe thought a quicker deadline would be fitting to help pace things along!
overall Ꮺ
— i'll definitely keep an eye out for future books by Sarah Chamberlain! this book was a super easy read and if you're a foodie - this is perfect for you.
thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book! all opinions are my own.
thoughts Ꮺ
— this debut novel was a delight to read! i wish we could do half stars on goodreads because while it wasn't a four star read for me, it was close. i wasn't expecting the amount of depth from the lead characters but was pleasantly surprised. the backgrounds from which the characters came from and how it shaped them in the present day felt natural and realistic. the themes used were complex but were explored in a careful manor that still made the book fun!
the lead characters were very cute. i loved that while ellie is a plus size woman, her arc doesn't involve her hating her body. as a fellow plus size girly, it was super refreshing to see that! throughout the book, she gains the confident to stand her ground and go after what she really wants. it's not a "spur of the moment" decision that we see some leads in novels make. this story progresses things along smoothly and in the end, reactions and actions make total sense!
sometimes, i felt like tropes were thrown in just to not be explored any further. at some point, fake dating was involved and i expected it to go on for a bit longer, thinking the media might have caught ahold of the situation. it wasn't entirely a bad thing, i just liked the fake dating dynamic and had fun when they finally indulged in their wants! along with that, i think the random time skips threw me around too much. sometimes we'd skip a few days here and there and then we'd skip three months. time skips are good to help reduce repetitiveness, but i would have maybe thought a quicker deadline would be fitting to help pace things along!
overall Ꮺ
— i'll definitely keep an eye out for future books by Sarah Chamberlain! this book was a super easy read and if you're a foodie - this is perfect for you.
thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book! all opinions are my own.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When it says slow burn it means it lol
Although , it does take a bit for the couple to get acquainted. it is very worth it. When a chef and writer get together sparks fly …but not in the best way lol opposites attract, slow-burn, and I felt one sided hate to love . I personally felt like he falls first ❤️ and definitely gives golden retriever/black cat vibes.
Overall a cute love story and I can’t wait to see what this writer has for the future.
Thank you NetGalley , the publishers and Sarah chamberlain for the amazing opportunity to read this ARC.
Although , it does take a bit for the couple to get acquainted. it is very worth it. When a chef and writer get together sparks fly …but not in the best way lol opposites attract, slow-burn, and I felt one sided hate to love . I personally felt like he falls first ❤️ and definitely gives golden retriever/black cat vibes.
Overall a cute love story and I can’t wait to see what this writer has for the future.
Thank you NetGalley , the publishers and Sarah chamberlain for the amazing opportunity to read this ARC.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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:
Complicated