A review by lyssworm27
The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

I wanted to enjoy this book more, but it wasn't my cup of tea. It was kind of hard for me to stick through it and read because it was just kind of repetitive to me. 

One thing that I've noticed with a lot of the romance books I've read is that the meaner or grumpier character always has a dead parent. It's so cliche for me at this point. I want to see therapy normalized in these romance novels because it's not fair to project trauma onto others period. Second, I didn't like the Hollywood name that Amy had for Sophie; it just contributes to the whole cringe factor. I also didn't like how Amy let her dad walk all over her - yes she eventually talked to him but still. Amy has unresolved trauma with her parents and that's why she doesn't treat Sophie the best. Lastly, I didn't like Amy and Sophie's dynamic. There was a lot of "let me take care of you" and "i want to put her together." I feel like it could have been done a little bit better. I honestly was expecting a different dynamic because it is a queer romance, but it was kinda like het romance novels where the guy wants to take care of the girl and the girl wants to "fix" him.

Overall, the book was not terrible, but it wasn't memorable for me. The cooking and food aspect is cool, but like I said in my spoiler section, I just was not vibing with the relationship dynamic of the main couple.