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frantically's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Pretty mixed bag at times but still tasty in the end 🧁 I struggled a bit to get into this but I'm glad I continued listening! The relationship between Sylvie and Dom definitely takes the cake here (not sorry for the pun) – it is pretty slow burn but it is soo worth it 🥹 Perfect grumpy x sunshine. The plot itself isn't particularly bad, it is just...a lot, especially for a typical length romance novel. There's loads of external conflict, internal conflict, conflict for the side couples, conflict for everyone. Like I said, it did take me some time to get into it, but in the end the cast of characters convinced me to go with it and I had a good time! Have already started the second one ☺
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Medical content, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
5.0
Ahh this book was really good. It has a lot of feeling and a fair bit of spice and multiple side plots that were ALSO love stories.
I accidentally read the sequel standalone (Codename Charming) a while back, not realizing it was the 2nd in a series. So it was fun to meet the same characters in a different context (and for Pet to get her bear I DIED).
I appreciated the struggles that the MCs had to deal with in their personal journeys. And their connection to each other felt genuine. There was always something *happening* in this book, just a lot of things with side characters or the MCs, and not much down time. So it felt like the book went by super fast. It was an easy read, it was exciting at times, funny at others, had some spicy scenes, and made me weep like a baby a couple of times. So basically this was a perfect book lol
🌶️ 3.5/5 for a few steamy scenes.
I accidentally read the sequel standalone (Codename Charming) a while back, not realizing it was the 2nd in a series. So it was fun to meet the same characters in a different context (and for Pet to get her bear I DIED).
I appreciated the struggles that the MCs had to deal with in their personal journeys. And their connection to each other felt genuine. There was always something *happening* in this book, just a lot of things with side characters or the MCs, and not much down time. So it felt like the book went by super fast. It was an easy read, it was exciting at times, funny at others, had some spicy scenes, and made me weep like a baby a couple of times. So basically this was a perfect book lol
🌶️ 3.5/5 for a few steamy scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Abandonment
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
adlane22's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
theladydetective's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ROYAL WEDDING RIVALS TO LOVERS
With grumpy/sunshine and British Bake Off vibes.
More sad and emotional than the cover and premise led me to expect.
Lot's of swoony scenes revolving around touch, which made it feel Period Drama like.
With grumpy/sunshine and British Bake Off vibes.
More sad and emotional than the cover and premise led me to expect.
Lot's of swoony scenes revolving around touch, which made it feel Period Drama like.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse and Car accident
livelypsyche's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
4.0
The perfect book for lovers of romance and baking! Parker takes the concept of The Great British Bake Off (and where it is heading) and tweaks it a bit for a cute love story between the Grumpy Expert Judge and a bubbly former contestant. The romance isn’t predictable but the mystery of the mole at Sugar Fair is. Still, it was a lovely read and I’m looking forward to the sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Stalking, and Car accident
kylieqrada'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I dont have the words for the pure unadulterated MAGIC that was this book, y'all. Grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, casual inclusivity, CAKE?!?!? I just. I died.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Vomit, and Car accident
divine529's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I had such a good time with this book. It's full of a lot of tropes I love, had fun and interesting characters and was just a good time.
This book follows our two main protagonists Sylvie and Dominic, who met previously in a show called Operation Cake (kind of like GBBO) where Sylvie was a contestant and ended up leaving the show due to an epic disaster involving a cake and Dominic's face (he's a judge). Now four years later, Sylvie is a new judge on the show and her and Dominic have to come face to face again despite having competing bakeries across the street from each other. Throw a competition to win a bid to make a royal wedding cake, explorations of trauma and grief and complicated relationships of all kinds and you have the basic idea of what this book is.
This book both hooked me from the beginning and took me some time to settle into. Baking in books is one of my favorite things and adding royalty into the mix is a recipe for a book I will most likely love and on those fronts it didn't disappoint.
Sylvie and Dominic are both interesting characters with lots of trauma and grief and different ways of coping and managing that and exploring all of that through their relationship with intimacy (everything from glances and gentle touches to sexual intimacy) was so heartbreakingly beautiful to watch and the relationship between Rosie and Johnny was lovely to see alongside the mystery and treasure hunt plotline of figuring out what happened to one of Rosie's relatives and his life (it's complicated). The relationship with Dominic and Pet was so good and I love them both. And even though I had issues with it at times, I really liked Sylvie and Jay's relationship too (though it utilized one of my least favorite tropes in books, I thought it was handled decently for a change).
Overall, I have a lot of feelings about everything in the book and it's hard to encompass all of them here, but I really enjoyed this and I can't wait to read the second installment.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and I look forward to revisiting this in the future.
This book follows our two main protagonists Sylvie and Dominic, who met previously in a show called Operation Cake (kind of like GBBO) where Sylvie was a contestant and ended up leaving the show due to an epic disaster involving a cake and Dominic's face (he's a judge). Now four years later, Sylvie is a new judge on the show and her and Dominic have to come face to face again despite having competing bakeries across the street from each other. Throw a competition to win a bid to make a royal wedding cake, explorations of trauma and grief and complicated relationships of all kinds and you have the basic idea of what this book is.
This book both hooked me from the beginning and took me some time to settle into. Baking in books is one of my favorite things and adding royalty into the mix is a recipe for a book I will most likely love and on those fronts it didn't disappoint.
Sylvie and Dominic are both interesting characters with lots of trauma and grief and different ways of coping and managing that and exploring all of that through their relationship with intimacy (everything from glances and gentle touches to sexual intimacy) was so heartbreakingly beautiful to watch and the relationship between Rosie and Johnny was lovely to see alongside the mystery and treasure hunt plotline of figuring out what happened to one of Rosie's relatives and his life (it's complicated). The relationship with Dominic and Pet was so good and I love them both. And even though I had issues with it at times, I really liked Sylvie and Jay's relationship too (though it utilized one of my least favorite tropes in books, I thought it was handled decently for a change).
Overall, I have a lot of feelings about everything in the book and it's hard to encompass all of them here, but I really enjoyed this and I can't wait to read the second installment.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and I look forward to revisiting this in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Vomit, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Blood, Medical content, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Car accident, and Death of parent
jackiepreston's review
emotional
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
3.5
I might have enjoyed this book more if I hadn't pictured Paul Hollywood in my head the whole time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
coacklebee's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? It's complicated
5.0
God, this book made me so happy. Believable enemies to lovers, no miscommunications or lying, some of the funniest one-liners I've read in years, and a whole slew of characters I want to read whole series about.
There were some confusing moments where I had to go back a couple of paragraphs to figure out what I had missed, but man, I loved the characters and I laughed so hard. This book is a freakin' delight!
There were some confusing moments where I had to go back a couple of paragraphs to figure out what I had missed, but man, I loved the characters and I laughed so hard. This book is a freakin' delight!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
caseythereader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
4.0
- BATTLE ROYAL is totally precious. Grumpy/sunshine bakers, with a GBBO-type show, and some royal wedding intrigue, too!
- This is a romance novel that really digs into feelings, both past and present. I love a book where you get to watch the leads learn how to care for and support each other.
- To be honest, I didn't really feel any heat between Sylvie and Dominic, but their relationship was so tender that I was mostly okay with it. I'll still keep reading this series; I for sure want to get stories for Pet and Mabel!
- This is a romance novel that really digs into feelings, both past and present. I love a book where you get to watch the leads learn how to care for and support each other.
- To be honest, I didn't really feel any heat between Sylvie and Dominic, but their relationship was so tender that I was mostly okay with it. I'll still keep reading this series; I for sure want to get stories for Pet and Mabel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Vomit, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail