Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the DRC of The Slowest Burn. All opinions in this review are my own.
I could not believe the amount of information I learned about these two characters in such a short amount of time. I was already hesitant when I found out that the FMC's husband passed suddenly a few years ago and she lives with his parents who are still actively greiving him because I wasn't in the mood for such an emotionally heavy romance. I like the concept that she is a ghostwriter for cookbooks and the MMC just won a cooking competition so I wanted to keep reading, but I felt overwhelmed by the amount of information we learn about the MMC. He is short, has red hair, ADHD (which may or may not affect his reading ability since he needs everything read aloud for him), and he is mostly ignored by parents. I felt like the author leaned a little too hard into the opposites attract trope and was trying too hard to make it clear that the MMC is the "wrong" choice for the FMC, which unfortunately stopped me from really connecting with either character. Maybe it gets better but I also am trying to get better about recognizing when books aren't for me and DNFing them.
emotional
hopeful
medium-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
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
Rating: 5/5, possibly one of my favorite books
Spice: 2.5/5
Recommended for: foodie hopeless romantics, Enneagram Type 1s and 2s, fans of Carley Fortune and Emily Henry
Emotional Investment: I kept crying, not because it was sad, but because I could relate deeply to both characters and it made me feel super single
Book Hangover: I wasn't running to return this to the library. I wanted to reread certain chapters and just feel all the feels again. I'll be thinking about Kieran O'Neill for a while - crowning him book fiancé for now.
How did I learn about this book?: Randomly caught my eye in a small bookstore in Solvang :), desperately wished I bought it now.
The Slowest Burn is probably one of my favorite reads of all time because Sarah Chamberlain masterfully created the best, most relatable main characters I have ever read, set in some of my favorite places, in a storyline I have no critiques about! (<- that sentence is a hot mess, but my mind is racing from how much I loved this book). FMC Ellie Wasserman is a 30-year-old widowed cookbook ghostwriter, who is plus-sized and lives in her late husband's parents' guest cottage with her FIV+ cat in Berkeley, CA. She is assigned to be the ghostwriter for 27-year-old newly famous chef MMC Kieran O'Neill (aka the current love of my life), who is our reformed bad boy, golden retriever, short king who has ADHD and dyslexia. As their lives collide, they mix business with pleasure, exploring each others' messy families and reflecting on love and life, while creating delicious recipes.
Tropes I Can Identify: grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, one bed, he falls first and harder... (I don't think this was a slow burn, more like an adequate burn).
Shoutouts:
The FMC's best friend is Nicole Salazar, a queer Filipino woman with a mom who makes yummy lechon, kare kare (my favorite food), and arroz caldo. Nice to see my culture represented! And then as Tiktok commenters would write: "Ho, is you my diary?" because you might as well replace Ellie's name with my name because we have the same personality and love language. Maybe because we're both Earth signs?
MY Best Book Boyfriend Competition is BACK:
Spice: 2.5/5
Recommended for: foodie hopeless romantics, Enneagram Type 1s and 2s, fans of Carley Fortune and Emily Henry
Emotional Investment: I kept crying, not because it was sad, but because I could relate deeply to both characters and it made me feel super single
Book Hangover: I wasn't running to return this to the library. I wanted to reread certain chapters and just feel all the feels again. I'll be thinking about Kieran O'Neill for a while - crowning him book fiancé for now.
How did I learn about this book?: Randomly caught my eye in a small bookstore in Solvang :), desperately wished I bought it now.
The Slowest Burn is probably one of my favorite reads of all time because Sarah Chamberlain masterfully created the best, most relatable main characters I have ever read, set in some of my favorite places, in a storyline I have no critiques about! (<- that sentence is a hot mess, but my mind is racing from how much I loved this book). FMC Ellie Wasserman is a 30-year-old widowed cookbook ghostwriter, who is plus-sized and lives in her late husband's parents' guest cottage with her FIV+ cat in Berkeley, CA. She is assigned to be the ghostwriter for 27-year-old newly famous chef MMC Kieran O'Neill (aka the current love of my life), who is our reformed bad boy, golden retriever, short king who has ADHD and dyslexia. As their lives collide, they mix business with pleasure, exploring each others' messy families and reflecting on love and life, while creating delicious recipes.
Tropes I Can Identify: grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, one bed, he falls first and harder... (I don't think this was a slow burn, more like an adequate burn).
Shoutouts:
The FMC's best friend is Nicole Salazar, a queer Filipino woman with a mom who makes yummy lechon, kare kare (my favorite food), and arroz caldo. Nice to see my culture represented! And then as Tiktok commenters would write: "Ho, is you my diary?" because you might as well replace Ellie's name with my name because we have the same personality and love language. Maybe because we're both Earth signs?
MY Best Book Boyfriend Competition is BACK:
What Ellie wants comes first. Always (Ch. 23) / That means my job is making sure [Ellie] [has] everything [she] want[s] (Ch. 30)
I fell in love with Kieran pretty early into reading the book. Muscular redhead who can cook and is sober and loves cats- say less. This man WORSHIPS Ellie. One of my favorite scenes is of Kieran springing to action after Ellie cuts herself and faints. He also notices when she needs help WITHOUT HER ASKING - cooking, washing dishes, buying her groceries after she forgot to get something. He remembered her favorite bakery. I also love his openness and courage. He's always pushing her to seek out what she wants. I was perpetually awing at him while reading. May this love find me, omg.
Memorable Quotes:
But making other people happy isn't the same as being happy (Ch. 19)
You can be bad with me (Ch. 19)
... that's why you look at her like she's the answer to every question you've ever had (Ch. 22)
For these dark, quiet hours, we could just be (Ch. 23)
Love was never about freedom for me. It's always been about taking care of other people. Being what they need (Ch. 27)
Sad/failed academics. Too much talk about professor life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
reflective
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:
No
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
Things I liked:
-the main characters are not stereotypical romcom leads. MMC is short with red hair and ADHD. FMC is plus sized.
-we got to watch the growth of the main characters
-the food descriptions were great
Things I didn’t like:
-the male narrator wasn’t my favorite. He lacked expression and it just felt like some guy was reading out loud rather than immersing me in the story.
-It felt completely unnecessary for Ellie to quit right as the book was almost finished and give all the money back. Why?! Let the dude fire you if he wants but don’t refuse to be paid.
-I hate it when the breakup is extended unnecessarily while waiting to do a grand gesture. You both feel bad and love each other. Just pick up the phone or go over there already.
-the main characters are not stereotypical romcom leads. MMC is short with red hair and ADHD. FMC is plus sized.
-we got to watch the growth of the main characters
-the food descriptions were great
Things I didn’t like:
-the male narrator wasn’t my favorite. He lacked expression and it just felt like some guy was reading out loud rather than immersing me in the story.
-
-I hate it when the breakup is extended unnecessarily while waiting to do a grand gesture. You both feel bad and love each other. Just pick up the phone or go over there already.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes