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A review by smillas_tales
The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book sounded so so good, and while it didn’t live up to my expectations, I’m still very grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I wanted so badly to love this, and at first I did! It starts out great with tons of mutual pining and a great premise, but unfortunately that’s just about where my enjoyment ended ..
I’m surprised I haven’t read any other negative reviews of this yet, cause honestly I had so many issues with it! Sloppy character work, far too much miscommunication, and a straight up unlikeable main character (yes, I’m referring to you Amy), just to name a few.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a questionable main character as much as the next person, but not in my romance books! One of the first things we learn about Amy, is that she ignored an act of workplace harassment between two employees to make life easier for herself … and throughout the book she continues to make selfish decisions again and again.
Despite the many flaws, this novel’s major downfall is the complete lack of chemistry between Amy and Sophie. They barely talk, so their entire relationship is instead built on constant sexual tension, and even that doesn’t feel truly believable.
It might be that I just prefer a bit less smut in my romance, but it just felt like an easy way out instead of building an actual connection between the two!
Long story short, I really didn’t love this, BUT, if you love sapphic smut and reality tv shows about cooking, this one might be right up your alley!
Smut level: 4/5🌶
I wanted so badly to love this, and at first I did! It starts out great with tons of mutual pining and a great premise, but unfortunately that’s just about where my enjoyment ended ..
I’m surprised I haven’t read any other negative reviews of this yet, cause honestly I had so many issues with it! Sloppy character work, far too much miscommunication, and a straight up unlikeable main character (yes, I’m referring to you Amy), just to name a few.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a questionable main character as much as the next person, but not in my romance books! One of the first things we learn about Amy, is that she ignored an act of workplace harassment between two employees to make life easier for herself … and throughout the book she continues to make selfish decisions again and again.
Despite the many flaws, this novel’s major downfall is the complete lack of chemistry between Amy and Sophie. They barely talk, so their entire relationship is instead built on constant sexual tension, and even that doesn’t feel truly believable.
It might be that I just prefer a bit less smut in my romance, but it just felt like an easy way out instead of building an actual connection between the two!
Long story short, I really didn’t love this, BUT, if you love sapphic smut and reality tv shows about cooking, this one might be right up your alley!
Smut level: 4/5🌶