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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Extra star for the thoughtful nonbinary rep. All in all I was bored out of my mind. Paper thin characters, zero stakes, so so so so so much telling and reporting of the story events from a distance. I'm in the heads of two characters so why do I care about nothing and no one? Because things are just happening with no struggle or conflict, despite the backgrounds of the MCs suggesting there could be so much emotion to mine. Throw in literally all the sex scenarios I could possibly not want to read about and I've found maybe my biggest disappointment of the year?
I was immediately intrigued by the premise of this book. An f/nb grumpy/sunshine romance taking place on a cooking show? Sign me up!
London and Dahlia were both such lovable characters in their own rites and I loved seeing how they came together as a couple. I thought the nonbinary rep for London was handled so well, from thoughtfully depicting their dad's poor treatment of them to the elegant reveal of the gender London was assigned at birth. Dahlia was also such a treat and I loved her chaotic energy and the way it played off London's calmer demeanor. This book was also considerably more steamy that I was expecting, but it was a nice surprise and I thought their physical chemistry was great. (Well, okay, maybe except for that one bit with the toe sucking. Consider yourself warned if you are not into feet, I guess?)
I will say that I wanted some more interiority from the characters, especially Dahlia. I really loved her backstory — married her high school boyfriend young, never been with anyone else, trying to figure out her identity without a partner, etc. — but I feel like her past didn't impact her feelings and behavior in the present as much as I would have expected it to.
I also expected the cooking show to play a more central role. After the very beginning most of the critical interactions between Dahlia and London took place in their off hours at the hotels or in various other locations, not on the show set. I might not have noticed it if I hadn't just read another cooking/baking show romcom where the show DID play a super critical role in many of the scenes. But I had just read such a book, and I couldn't unsee it. Still a great read though, and one that I definitely recommend!
London and Dahlia were both such lovable characters in their own rites and I loved seeing how they came together as a couple. I thought the nonbinary rep for London was handled so well, from thoughtfully depicting their dad's poor treatment of them to the elegant reveal of the gender London was assigned at birth. Dahlia was also such a treat and I loved her chaotic energy and the way it played off London's calmer demeanor. This book was also considerably more steamy that I was expecting, but it was a nice surprise and I thought their physical chemistry was great. (Well, okay, maybe except for that one bit with the toe sucking. Consider yourself warned if you are not into feet, I guess?)
I will say that I wanted some more interiority from the characters, especially Dahlia. I really loved her backstory — married her high school boyfriend young, never been with anyone else, trying to figure out her identity without a partner, etc. — but I feel like her past didn't impact her feelings and behavior in the present as much as I would have expected it to.
I also expected the cooking show to play a more central role. After the very beginning most of the critical interactions between Dahlia and London took place in their off hours at the hotels or in various other locations, not on the show set. I might not have noticed it if I hadn't just read another cooking/baking show romcom where the show DID play a super critical role in many of the scenes. But I had just read such a book, and I couldn't unsee it. Still a great read though, and one that I definitely recommend!
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was pleasant, but the central relationship between London & Dahlia felt a bit superficial. Heads up to anyone looking for an escapist read that misgendering/transphobia aimed at the nonbinary main character (London) is a major plot point.
I do also feel a bit bamboozled by the series being called "Nashville Love" but the book being set entirely in LA (until the epilogue).
I do also feel a bit bamboozled by the series being called "Nashville Love" but the book being set entirely in LA (until the epilogue).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia
It was soooo sweet!! It got me out of my reading slump. It was perfect and wonderful and I loved it a lot!!
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:
No
2.5/5 stars rounded down.
I really liked the concept and the cover art is really cute, but it just didn't come together for me. The insta-love was so weird, and the both of them have decided they're completely and utterly in love with each other despite them knowing each other for less than a month and barely dating for a week or so. I found it really weird whenever they immediately recognized when the other was out of sorts, like you just met this person and you already know what's out of character for them? I would have been slightly more forgiving if Dahlia and London had chemistry, but a lot of their conversations were awkward and driven more by physical attraction than any romantic one.
The writing didn't really help, either. It was kinda clunky and felt so disconnected. I cannot put my finger on exactly why, but even the sex scenes felt so bland to me that I was spacing out
Additionally, I wish the cooking competition was more of a focus. The main couple literally are so horny for each other that they completely ignore what the hell was happening during the competition. I don't really want tv, anymore, much less reality tv, but I wanted to see more of the cooking competition and the relationships between all the contestants.
But I wouldn't call this a bad book. I'm not nonbinary, whatsoever, but I could tell that Kelly put a lot of thought and care into representing it in London's character. Other than that, this is a fine book, but just not something I enjoyed too much.
I really liked the concept and the cover art is really cute, but it just didn't come together for me. The insta-love was so weird, and the both of them have decided they're completely and utterly in love with each other despite them knowing each other for less than a month and barely dating for a week or so. I found it really weird whenever they immediately recognized when the other was out of sorts, like you just met this person and you already know what's out of character for them? I would have been slightly more forgiving if Dahlia and London had chemistry, but a lot of their conversations were awkward and driven more by physical attraction than any romantic one.
The writing didn't really help, either. It was kinda clunky and felt so disconnected. I cannot put my finger on exactly why, but even the sex scenes felt so bland to me that I was spacing out
Spoiler
(But I don't really think I'm into food sex, anyway, so . . .)Additionally, I wish the cooking competition was more of a focus. The main couple literally are so horny for each other that they completely ignore what the hell was happening during the competition. I don't really want tv, anymore, much less reality tv, but I wanted to see more of the cooking competition and the relationships between all the contestants.
But I wouldn't call this a bad book. I'm not nonbinary, whatsoever, but I could tell that Kelly put a lot of thought and care into representing it in London's character. Other than that, this is a fine book, but just not something I enjoyed too much.
lighthearted
fast-paced
I had a really fun time reading this book. I found both main characters interestingly flawed and extremely lovable. I found that the book lost a little bit of oomph/momentum once the characters got together but overall a well don’t highly enjoyable romp