Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Sarah Chamberlain
Publisher: Griffin
Release Date: September 24th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Love could be a recipe for disaster, or the best thing they ever cooked up…

Kieran O’Neill should be on top of the world. He’s just won a cooking reality TV show, he’s on track to open his own restaurant before he turns thirty, and he’s even got a high-paying cookbook deal. Still he can’t impress his stuck-up family, his ADHD makes planning ahead impossible and, worst of all, his ghostwriter is the most uptight, humourless woman he’s ever met. But to be seen as a serious chef like he’s always wanted, he needs to finish this book…

Ellie Wasserman is barely holding it together. She’s a thirty-year-old widow living with her needy in-laws, her little brother won’t adult without her help, and instead of working on her own cookbook, she’s ghostwriting one for the chaotic, impulsive Kieran O’Neill. Or would be, if he’d ever answer her emails. But to own her own home like she’s always dreamed of, she needs to finish this book…

As their deadline gets closer and the heat between them builds, can these two driven, lonely people let go of their past hurts and make something truly sweet together? Or will their fragile new love go up in smoke?

The ultimate will-they-won’t-they, enemies-to-lovers romance that readers everywhere are falling in love with!

DIDN’T HOLD UP.

I was intrigued and hopeful going in and then within an hour of listening I almost DNF. It didn’t feel romantic, I wasn’t very interested in the story but I kept going. And it did get better…for a bit.

The middle section was good and had some true developmental moments and the slow burn was working for me. I didn’t mind that it took months to move the relationship along. It felt natural and I was charmed. And I did enjoy Kieran a lot. I loved the ADHD and dyslexia rep too.

I was frustrated with Ellie more often than not. I understood the arc path she was moving on but it took a long time to get to those moments. They came so close to the end by that time I was kind of over the book and wanting to wrap things up.

Overall audience notes:

• Contemporary Romance
• Language: moderate
• Romance: 3-4 brief; low explicit open door
• Violence: low
• Content Warnings: loss of a husband (FMC is a widow), mentions of alcoholism, grief, neglectful parenting

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