formerbookclubpresident's review against another edition
funny
fast-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
3.0
*rupaul voice* meh
the smut was fab but miscommunication get f*cked
the smut was fab but miscommunication get f*cked
jesselyn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
joeyleigh14's review against another edition
Okay, I very rarely DNF audiobooks. But I could not stand the main character. In the first five pages, we're told that she excused one of her employees for sexual harassment. Not a likeable trait. Not chill. He harasses someone again and the head chef fires him. The restaurant owner does not apologize to the woman who was harassed, nor does she thank the head chef for firing him. She actually admonishes the chef for this. This is fucking wild. This made me so mad. And then, she just sexualizes the f*ck out of this head chef every single time they are together. Luckily, we know that the chef is into her. BUT, the restaurant owner doesn't know that. It just felt incredibly unprofessional and verging on sexual harassment. The writing itself literally felt like a "male writer parody"---things like "her nipples were hard in the walk-in" "I could see the soft curve of her breast"--EVERY single time they were together. I get it's a romance, but come the fuck on. That type of writing right next to the excusing sexual harassment was very disturbing to me. ESPECIALLY because BY HER OWN ADMISSION, she hired her because she had a crush on her. I'm sorry, hiring an attractive woman because you have a crush?? How is that not sexual harassment? Sure, I have history of being sexually harassed in a restaurant job, so maybe that plays into the intensity of my emotion, but it is a huge issue in the restaurant industry and I would have appreciated it to be handled with a little more weight and appreciation for the issue. I could not believe she didn't have a convo with the victim. Maybe there is some growth in this area later on, I sure hope so. Honestly, I didn't expect to be triggered in a sapphic romance.
AND THEN, she is just mean to the person she is supposed to be into. Like, she learns her ex is running a reality show or whatever and she says, we have to do it. Doesn't even really seem to give a shit how it affects the chef. She does realize that that was a generally bad thing to do, but it just felt like she was using the head chef. That combined with the constantly sexual descriptions of her body just left a bad taste in my mouth.
The third strike was that she is a twin who (again by her own admission) is weird about her twin brother. Not as big of a deal but it was just like, god is there anything likable about this main character?
AND THEN, she is just mean to the person she is supposed to be into. Like, she learns her ex is running a reality show or whatever and she says, we have to do it. Doesn't even really seem to give a shit how it affects the chef. She does realize that that was a generally bad thing to do, but it just felt like she was using the head chef. That combined with the constantly sexual descriptions of her body just left a bad taste in my mouth.
The third strike was that she is a twin who (again by her own admission) is weird about her twin brother. Not as big of a deal but it was just like, god is there anything likable about this main character?
rosecoloredlove's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.5
livvalentine's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
katekate_reads_'s review against another edition
3.0
Sometimes the hardest reviews to write are when everything was fine - but nothing really stands out. I enjoyed The Romance Recipe and it was a quick read. I liked the romance between Amy (the restaurant owner) and Sophie (her head chef) - especially at the beginning of the book. I think my issue is that I didn’t quite buy into the conflicts and so for me it felt like it was lacking some tension. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.
bcat0124's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.5
brittany_thereader's review against another edition
funny
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
3.25