Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake

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Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall

20 reviews

bookedinsideout's review

funny 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

4.0

This book would have been more fun without Alain, but it was a meaningful arc of a story and the structure covering each weekend of the baking competition was great. (More of what I was hoping for with Love & Other Disasters.) Going in with adjusted expectations helped too… I had barely started reading it last year when I saw reviews talking about how she doesn’t get together with the hero until the end of the book and there’s a total shit of a guy that nobody should touch with a barge pole (those reading guide questions from Alexis Hall were great!) that she’s with for much of it, as well as a sexual assault. At the time I felt it wasn’t for me, but I decided to try again feeling more prepared and falling more in love with Alexis Hall’s writing and wit, which is on full display here.

With all that in mind (i.e., not expecting a light-hearted baking competition), I’m really glad I gave it another go because it was so satisfying to see Rosaline be reminded of her priorities and value, state her boundaries, and… take the cake. The sexual assault was condemned by the book and treated with care, and we got to see people believing the victim and no pressure to forgive or console the perpetrator. As much as I wanted to see more of Rosaline and Harry, it was a great story. And that last chapter sex scene with communication and running off the railroad tracks of heteronormative penetrative sex was perfection.

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eamily's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

4.75

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shaipanda's review against another edition

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funny hopeful 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

3.5

I once again have a lot of feelings about a book lol
So my main issues with this book were that it was ridiculously long for what is essentially a rom com and that the first love interest long overstays his welcome in my opinion - like I get that it’s kinda a slow burn but literally 70% of the way through the book Rosaline was still actively dating the first love interest which was kinda infuriating by the end
I did appreciate that you slowly view him as more and more unlikable as the book goes on but gddamn did he have to stay for so long as a main character?
— also I didn’t really like sex scenes in this - I know they’re not a main focus or anything but if you’re looking for a spicy book I definitely wouldn’t recommend this
However I liked the premise and the baking storyline, I loved the bisexual rep and conversations around bisexuality in this, and really enjoyed most of the sorrounding side characters like Harry Anvita Lauren and Amelie

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karolinaz's review against another edition

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funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

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malin12ccf's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I'm not the first Cannonballer to review this title, and I doubt I will be the last. Last year, I read and absolutely adored Hall's Boyfriend Material. It got me out of a reading slump and I loved both the two protagonists and all of the supporting cast around them. My rather high expectations of this book were somewhat tempered when fellow romance reviewer, Emmalita, read an ARC of the book and admitted to not being able to finish the novel. Naturally, that made me a bit wary, but the reasons she gave for not being comfortable with the contents are not things that necessarily upset me.

Nevertheless, I went into the book with lowered expectations, and that might have been good because Rosaline Palmer is a very different book from Boyfriend Material. The first one is a straight-up romantic comedy, complete with a lot of the tropes we expect from that genre. In this book, there is absolutely romance, but the heroine does spend basically the whole first half of the book with the wrong guy, so to speak and the primary plotline in the book is more about Rosaline's journey of self-discovery and self-determination than it is about her finding lasting romance.

As a huge fan of the Great British Bake Off (or Great British Baking Show, as it is known in the US), the fake baking reality show, complete with esteemed judges, snarky hosts, foul-mouthed and ill-tempered producers and all manner of baking shenanigans was absolutely an added bonus. The fact that Hall is apparently going to write more Bake Off-inspired romances delights me to no end.

One of Hall's strengths, I find, is how well he writes not only his protagonists but makes all the supporting characters feel real and essential as well. Rosaline's daughter could well have been an annoying plot moppet in less skilled hands (seriously, so many writers just don't know how to include realistic children, and should just refrain from including them in their books). Lauren, Rosaline's ex and now best friend was also great (as were the appearances of Lauren's current girlfriend when she occasionally popped up). The various other baking show contestants felt very real, and even Rosaline's demanding and occasionally overbearing parents felt very realistic.

If you don't find self-centred, narcissistic, and emotionally manipulative love interests an instant turn-off (be assured that he is not Rosaline's HEA, and she gets a lovely guy when she just wakes up and stops second-guessing herself), and are OK with this romance being a lot more slow-burn than Oliver and Luc's, this is a fun book, especially for those of us who want more GBBO.

Judging a book by its cover: Possibly in keeping with the central story of this book being Rosaline finding herself and discovering what she wants to do with her future, rather than the romance, this cover doesn't feature any male love interest, only our heroine herself, with a number of delicious baked goods and baking utensils floating in the air around her.

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threeara's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted fast-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

5.0

A fun, funny romance novel about finding your own happiness (even when others want to decide that for you). Really excited and curious to see how Hall tells other stories in this faux-GBBO universe.

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meganpbennett's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

5.0

After adoring Boyfriend Material, when I saw that this was written by the same person, well, I had to give it a try! And it was wonderful. Full of Hall's trademark wit, Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake takes the reader on a whirlwind adventure. Rosaline, a single mother, is a contestant on a BBC baking competition that is heavily based on the Great British Bake Off. On her way to the competition (which is, of course, in a town that doesn't get reliable rail service), she and another competitor end up stranded at a random rail stop. And she lies to Alvin, trying to make him think that she's more awesome than she really is. It totally backfires, of course. And then there's Harry. Who's a highly skilled laborer - electrician - and still somehow calls women "love." Rosaline lets him have it, and it sticks. Over the course of the competition, Alvin and Harry compete for the prize and for Rosaline's hand. Except.....

One of them turns out to be a right bastard and the other one a truly nice guy. Read to find out who she end up with, and how bad one shows himself to be a right bastard.

This book was laugh-out-loud funny, and kept me awake too late more than once, since I had to know how it ended.

Update: 2022-08-25: This was an excellent re-read. I noticed so much that I missed during the first read. There's a lot of discussion about class, which this American reader still doesn't quite get, but it was informative and interesting. It was also very cool to see the well-written evidence of what was going to happen between Rosaline and her two guys, as I noticed how they had completely different interactions with Rosaline and how those interactions telegraphed how their various relationships would play out.

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.0

Four for now. Might bump it up later. I need to think.

Rep: bisexual single parent female MC, one love interest has social anxiety, lesbian female side character, BIPOC side character (I think south Asian to be specific will follow up), sister of love interest is married to her wife.

CWs: Alcohol consumption, discussion of abortion and reasons why MC did not choose it, biphobia, cursing (including a child cursing), emotional abuse/parental neglect, gaslighting, mental illness (anxiety/social anxiety), past pregnancy, sexual assault, sexual content (graphic and several scenes), toxic relationship, misogyny.

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read my first book by Hall, Boyfriend Material, last year and I freaking LOVED it. I wrote a spectacularly gushing review. It was so good - the writing/dialogue especially. So, despite the fact that, to be honest, this one didn't sound quite as much up my alley (as far as set-up), I went ahead and added myself to the library waitlist for it as soon as I could. Because I can be talked into enjoying reading almost anything if the writing is solid. And let me just say, I made the right call.

Rosaline Palmer is a single-mother whose main support system(s) are her impossible-to-please parents and a spiky (in the interpersonal relationship sense) ex-girlfriend. Having dropped out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie, she's barely (as in, definitely leaning on her very financially stable parents) making ends meet with her job in a local shop. As a sort of desperate attempt to turn things around, she applies for and gets a spot on the nationally-beloved baking show Bake Expectations. Winning the prize money would be life-changing, and Rosaline does love baking. Things start out pretty rocky for her, if we're being honest, but she does (right away) meet Alain Pope, the sort of self-possessed, well-off, successful man her parents approve of. And he seems really interested in her. But as the competition progresses and Rosaline makes friends with some of the other contestants, including shy electrician Harry Dobson, she starts to realize that, although her dreams for herself look different than her parents dreams for her (and very different than Alain's dreams for her)...and that that's ok. In fact, it's better than ok, and she has the right to follow her own heart and her own plan for her own life.

Alright people, the first and primary and most passionate point I have to make here at the start of this review is OMG Hall has absolutely cemented my unwavering hype in his writing, It's perfect. It's fast and sarcastic and witty, from the descriptions to the dialogue (oh goodness the dialogue - and we all know I'm a sucked for great back-and-forth) and I basically inhaled this novel in a single 4-hour sitting because I couldn't imagine putting it down for a single second (which, for the record, also happened last year when I listened to Boyfriend Material). Like, I'm not really a baking show person and that's the entire plot (I mean, minus the romance, of course), and I was still riveted to the story. Just...GAH. Aas a small extra note there, I really loved the little epilogue/ending with the "where they are now" for the contestants on the show to close out the book. It was a spot-on little touch.

Secondarily to that, and only by a small margin, was the way he wrote Rosaline's sexuality. I have been loving the bisexual MC movement in romance (I see you, Dani Brown and RWARB), but also just in general. I feel like I'd have been able to figure myself out much earlier if this literature had existed years ago, but that's besides the point. I'm glad it's at least here now. So yea, Rosaline's bisexuality plays a major role throughout the novel, in the way others react to her when they find out. Ranging from full acceptance to denial to the (incredibly dangerous) bisexual-as-promiscusous trope and more, Hall does a phenomenal job representing the way a bi person moves through and experiences life and relationships, the good and the iffy and the horrible. There were frustrating moments (like Rosaline's early encounter with her daughter's teacher - which, btw, is an entire argument for teaching openly about LGBTQ+ in schools at an early age given and won with record time), difficult moments (like most of the ones involving Rosaline's parents), wonderful moments (like most of Harry's reactions, tbh), and the literal worst (like, real fear/trauma/sexual assault - on that note, content warning there).

As a follow-up to the content warning point, there are a few other things to beware of before reading this book as well. I have to say, I had a real love-hate reaction to a couple of the relationships in this book because they were terrible, but also, Hall wrote them flawlessly. First, Rosaline with her parents. His depiction of the way parental and societal expectations can so devastatingly mess up what you think you’re looking for and lead you to unhealthy relationships/choices as a result. Second, Rosaline and Alain. The way he showed the slide into an unhealthy relationship, the incremental-ness and nuance to it that makes it so hard to see happening in real time, is spectacularly realistically written and terrifying to read. Altogether, the amount of gaslighting Rosaline endures is heart-wrenching (and made me cheer for her success and standing up for herself - her life and goals and daughter - all the harder).

To end on a happier note, I loved the way Rosaline and her daughter were together (Amelie's quirky 8-year-old self was a highlight of the read for me) and Anvita's personality was just wonderful added fun. Also Harry's quiet humor and openness and steadiness, as well as the way he slowly showed his own vulnerabilities, was cozy and heartwarming. I also truly loved the overall message of the novel - that your everything/enough is different than everyone else's. And that's more than alright. Harry's guidance as Rosaline figures that out for herself and then follows through on it (vehemently, in the best way) had me internally cheering. Her final conversation with her mother, about the privilege of having choices means making those choices for yourself, was really profound and hit me deeply.

While I don't think I'm fan-girling this one like I did for Boyfriend Material, I still enjoyed every second of Hall's mesmerizingly smart, funny, sarcastic story-telling. This book tackles some really tough topics, but also has so much heart and humor (and mouth-watering baked goods), and you can count me in for reading the next in this reality tv baking show romance series when it comes out!

“In Rosaline’s experience this was what victory over institutional prejudice looked like: nobody actually apologizing or admitting they’d done anything wrong, but the institution in question generously offered to pretend that nothing had happened.”

“There was, Rosaline thought, something captivating in hearing somebody talk about their passions – it felt intimate, like they were giving you access to some slightly tender part of themselves.”

“No one can have everything. You’ve just got to figure out what matters. And then not let stuff what don’t matter get in the way of stuff what does.”

“Or maybe even wasn’t the point at all and you didn’t have to keep a constant record of who owed what to whom. Because most people, at least more people you wanted in your life, wouldn’t be out to use it against you anyway. It was a strange thought, but a comforting one.”

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kit_carmichael's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

More evidence of Alexis Hall's unparalleled genius. A very funny, yet very serious romance set against the backdrop of competitive baking show. AH is better than just about any writer I know at weaving his characters' psychological baggage into their romance arc. Here, his heroine, Rosaline, has been dealing with the type of family gaslighting that anyone who has endured it (or observed someone they care about endure it) will recognize immediately. I think the nuanced portrayal of how Rosaline comes to terms with that, and how that influences her romantic and career choices, is what drives this novel more than the romance per se. Which is not to say that the romance isn't lovely. Harry is the ultimate cinnamon roll. Amelie is the 8-year-old daughter/niece you wish you had. And the secondary characters are so well-drawn (I must admit I admire Jennifer Hallett's creative cursing, although she's kind of a crap person). If you want an introduction to Alexis Hall's work, this is a great place to start, although it's highly likely that you will then immediately want to inhale the rest of his back catalog (which is no hardship at all).

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