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emjorgie's review against another edition
5.0
Simply lovely, the romance was very well written. The side characters are lovable. The baking show banter was top tier. A prefect cozy romance.
readingwithrae's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars.
this was... kinda a giant mess. i felt like the plot was all over the place and it was almost like all of the plot lines were fighting each other. for context, the story starts off with our protagonist as a contestant on a show called operation cake which, for all intents and purposes, is the fictionalized version of the great british baking show . slyvie, a very avantgarde cake designer, creates a flashy cake for the semifinal, but it all goes wrong when it explodes and ends up smacking dominic, the grumpy judge and future love interest, in the face. flash forward, and sylvie and dominic work at two rival cake shops on the same street. when word comes out that a princess is getting married and is looking for someone to do the cake, sylvie and dominic both enter their designs and end up in a rivalry that turns into romance.
now, if this was the main plot of the story, this easily would've been a 5 star read. dominic and sylvie are delightful, together and apart, and i adored their early scenes together where they clearly are rivals. however, on top of this plot, sylvie is invited to be a judge on the newest season of operation cake aside dominic, and there is another plot involving dominic and his estranged sister, along with sylvie reliving the grief of losing her beloved aunt. trying to balance all of these plot lines was way too much, and i kept losing track of what was happening throughout the story.
also, this is pitched as enemies to lovers, but dominic and sylvie aren't ever really enemies? they're rivals, but even then their relationship takes off super early on in the book, and then basically becomes this stable thing that rarely wavers throughout. like they become smitten with each other as soon as they start hanging out, which really takes away the aspect of rivalry i was expecting from this. also, half of their inner monologues are about wanting to bone each other which okay, we get it, you're two hot people who think the other is a greek god. i don't need to read about it every few pages.
i think if this book was better edited, i would've enjoyed it a lot more, but since it isn't, i'm sorry to say this didn't live up to my expectations.
this was... kinda a giant mess. i felt like the plot was all over the place and it was almost like all of the plot lines were fighting each other. for context, the story starts off with our protagonist as a contestant on a show called operation cake which, for all intents and purposes, is the fictionalized version of the great british baking show . slyvie, a very avantgarde cake designer, creates a flashy cake for the semifinal, but it all goes wrong when it explodes and ends up smacking dominic, the grumpy judge and future love interest, in the face. flash forward, and sylvie and dominic work at two rival cake shops on the same street. when word comes out that a princess is getting married and is looking for someone to do the cake, sylvie and dominic both enter their designs and end up in a rivalry that turns into romance.
now, if this was the main plot of the story, this easily would've been a 5 star read. dominic and sylvie are delightful, together and apart, and i adored their early scenes together where they clearly are rivals. however, on top of this plot, sylvie is invited to be a judge on the newest season of operation cake aside dominic, and there is another plot involving dominic and his estranged sister, along with sylvie reliving the grief of losing her beloved aunt. trying to balance all of these plot lines was way too much, and i kept losing track of what was happening throughout the story.
also, this is pitched as enemies to lovers, but dominic and sylvie aren't ever really enemies? they're rivals, but even then their relationship takes off super early on in the book, and then basically becomes this stable thing that rarely wavers throughout. like they become smitten with each other as soon as they start hanging out, which really takes away the aspect of rivalry i was expecting from this. also, half of their inner monologues are about wanting to bone each other which okay, we get it, you're two hot people who think the other is a greek god. i don't need to read about it every few pages.
i think if this book was better edited, i would've enjoyed it a lot more, but since it isn't, i'm sorry to say this didn't live up to my expectations.
abderiandumpling'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
laurapecora's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it, but I kind of wish it was called Operation Cake...
maggiereb17's review against another edition
4.0
Oh my goddddd this was so good. This book was hilarious, adorable, magical, the settings were incredible, the descriptions of all the food make me salivate, but more than anything else the romance was spectacularly well written. It has a bit of a slow start, admittedly, but the romance is just so healthy and romantic and sweet. The casual intimacy and love in this book is second to none. There were so many times when Sylvie and Dominic were just actually touching, subtle hand holding, or hugs, or leaning on each other, or nuzzling necks, or touching foreheads, etc. It was so heartwarming to read. Their love was so casually intimate, so effortless, it make me fall in love with them so fast.
This book in general is also incredibly well written, and the characters are all very different and interesting. I can’t wait to read about the chic bubbly Pet and the looming brutish Matthias. I just know that’s going to be exactly my cup of tea.
This book in general is also incredibly well written, and the characters are all very different and interesting. I can’t wait to read about the chic bubbly Pet and the looming brutish Matthias. I just know that’s going to be exactly my cup of tea.
nomomstayandread's review against another edition
4.0
I liked that the characters in this were in their thirties. I feel like a lot of books have folks in their twenties so it was a welcome change to hear about the gray in his hair and whatnot.
This was a grumpy/sunshine with a slice of a mystery and I think it all worked together really well. Two rival bakeries are trying to score the cake contract for a royal wedding. He’s had a love/hate thing going on since her unicorn cake blew up and hit him on the reality baking show he was judging. She thinks he’s mean but has nice forearms so clearly it’s going down whether she likes it or not.
This was a grumpy/sunshine with a slice of a mystery and I think it all worked together really well. Two rival bakeries are trying to score the cake contract for a royal wedding. He’s had a love/hate thing going on since her unicorn cake blew up and hit him on the reality baking show he was judging. She thinks he’s mean but has nice forearms so clearly it’s going down whether she likes it or not.
ellabynight's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
2.5
maureen2506's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
4.0
A very cute romantic book. I like very much, that the adult lovers act like adults and not do stupid shit like teenagers in their mid 30s. Also like the dynamic between Sylvie and Dominic - grumpy and sunshine is always very funny and endearing.
monarchsandmyths's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The cover and the title of this book do not even begin to encompass how deep and beautiful this book is. I was absolutely in awe at the depths we saw of both characters, of how natural and incredible this story and this book was, and I genuinely could not put it down. Really the only thing that works against it is that there were some moments of writing that were a little more uncomfortable to read, and the neat and tidy happily ever after was a little bit less realistic. In all honesty though I am more than happy to push those things aside because this book is just such a fun read, but there’s also so much nuance and meaning artfully worked in, I could rave for ages.
Without a doubt, the absolute best part of this book is the characters, and there are so many good ones. To start with, Sylvie Fairchild is just so incredible, not only in her resoluteness of character but in the depth of her arc. Throughout this book we see her ultimately grow even deeper into herself, not as a way of rejecting the Sugar Fair esque version of herself, but more resolutely into it. Lucy Parker does a truly incredible job of taking two characters that ultimately look very different and crafting them into a couple that only betters their individual selves. The same is true for Dominic as he learns and grows in the rearview of past traumas. Neither of them are perfect but their characters are so stunning, and they work together so well it’s incredible. I was never unaware that this book was not about blushing young adults or those newly coming into their own, but of two people who had been through life and continued to weather it, but the most obvious indicator was that despite the inherent tension of the relationship as rivals, these two work so well together. They communicate like actual adults and their love story is all the better for it. Lucy Parker never relied on needless tension between the two to ramp up the story, instead focusing on blossoming something beautiful. I could genuinely talk foever about how good and healthy of a relationship this is, but I’d be loathe to miss talking about all the other wonderful characters and moments in this story.
A mark of a truly wonderful book, and one this book possesses, is that the supporting characters are just as incredible as its main characters. And while not every character was as deeply fleshed out as Sylvie and Dominic, they still came alive on the page. Pet, as Dominic calls her, was such a lovely extension to Dominic’s story (and one I expect we’ll be seeing more of in the continuance of the Palace Insiders series), and the story overall. Her pain and love was as clear on the page as anything else, and I am genuinely so excited to see her story continue in the future, and her character become even more vivid. I have to mention Mabel, who I both fear and want to meet in person, such a resolute person in the midst of chaos. She’s not a central focus but I can picture her as clear as day. The same can be said for Mariana, or Liam, Rosie, Johnny, or Jay. This book introduces you to so many wonderful characters and all their little stories along the way, whether their love stories tragic as Patrick and Jessie, or beautiful as Rosie and Johnny’s.
This all to say, this was a great book, and I so loved reading it. There’s drama and tension in just the right amounts, but ultimately the most love is put into the essential part of this book, the romance. There are very few things about this book I would change, and none of them are in the essential story or the characters, who now hold a special place in my heart.
The cover and the title of this book do not even begin to encompass how deep and beautiful this book is. I was absolutely in awe at the depths we saw of both characters, of how natural and incredible this story and this book was, and I genuinely could not put it down. Really the only thing that works against it is that there were some moments of writing that were a little more uncomfortable to read, and the neat and tidy happily ever after was a little bit less realistic. In all honesty though I am more than happy to push those things aside because this book is just such a fun read, but there’s also so much nuance and meaning artfully worked in, I could rave for ages.
Without a doubt, the absolute best part of this book is the characters, and there are so many good ones. To start with, Sylvie Fairchild is just so incredible, not only in her resoluteness of character but in the depth of her arc. Throughout this book we see her ultimately grow even deeper into herself, not as a way of rejecting the Sugar Fair esque version of herself, but more resolutely into it. Lucy Parker does a truly incredible job of taking two characters that ultimately look very different and crafting them into a couple that only betters their individual selves. The same is true for Dominic as he learns and grows in the rearview of past traumas. Neither of them are perfect but their characters are so stunning, and they work together so well it’s incredible. I was never unaware that this book was not about blushing young adults or those newly coming into their own, but of two people who had been through life and continued to weather it, but the most obvious indicator was that despite the inherent tension of the relationship as rivals, these two work so well together. They communicate like actual adults and their love story is all the better for it. Lucy Parker never relied on needless tension between the two to ramp up the story, instead focusing on blossoming something beautiful. I could genuinely talk foever about how good and healthy of a relationship this is, but I’d be loathe to miss talking about all the other wonderful characters and moments in this story.
A mark of a truly wonderful book, and one this book possesses, is that the supporting characters are just as incredible as its main characters. And while not every character was as deeply fleshed out as Sylvie and Dominic, they still came alive on the page. Pet, as Dominic calls her, was such a lovely extension to Dominic’s story (and one I expect we’ll be seeing more of in the continuance of the Palace Insiders series), and the story overall. Her pain and love was as clear on the page as anything else, and I am genuinely so excited to see her story continue in the future, and her character become even more vivid. I have to mention Mabel, who I both fear and want to meet in person, such a resolute person in the midst of chaos. She’s not a central focus but I can picture her as clear as day. The same can be said for Mariana, or Liam, Rosie, Johnny, or Jay. This book introduces you to so many wonderful characters and all their little stories along the way, whether their love stories tragic as Patrick and Jessie, or beautiful as Rosie and Johnny’s.
This all to say, this was a great book, and I so loved reading it. There’s drama and tension in just the right amounts, but ultimately the most love is put into the essential part of this book, the romance. There are very few things about this book I would change, and none of them are in the essential story or the characters, who now hold a special place in my heart.