Felt very tempted to DNF within the first chapter - how annoying could those characters be? Then glad I pushed through because those same annoying characters become background noise after a while. And it's written in present tense, which is a huge pain for me personally.
Minus the First Person POV and the hero's POV, this read a lot like the 'recent years' Sophie Kinsella books in that it centered on a flawed heroine amid a chaotic family and she's coming to grips with love. I would not categorize this as a romance, though, because there isn't much romantic in there. More the chick-lit verging on women's fiction/family vibe, and if you approach it this way, then you'll enjoy this story.
The food descriptions were definitely there, which helped, and I commend the author for trying to make Edinburgh come alive, though the descriptions felt like they were parachuted in (and could be removed with no effect on the story)
It's a nice enough read...but don't expect romance, or love, or romantic angst and the like. This is a family's story first and for all, to be honest

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

It sounded really good but fell flat for me. The characters were meh and not really interesting. They did capture me at the first few chapters but then it just got boring.

A very cute modern re-imagining of Jane Austen's Persuasion. Engaging characters, enchanting setting, entertaining story line. The focus of the story is really on the restoration of this family restaurant as well as the family dynamics. The second chance romance between Susan and Chris was sweet, but definitely not at the center of the story.

I'm a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope, add in some cooking and I am hooked. Then set it in one of my favorite counties and I couldn't put it down. Super adorable rom-com that I truly enjoyed reading. I hope there is more to come from this author.

I loved this! I stayed up super late Friday night finishing the audiobook. I had no idea that it was a modern day retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion - maybe because I’ve never read a Jane Austen novel?

Susan has moved to Edinburgh to save her grandfather’s flagship - and now only - restaurant. Her ex-boyfriend has also moved back to Edinburg to open a rival his restaurant (after spending spending time as TV host of a cooking competition). Their paths cross, and their past feelings resurface. I loved Susan and Chris’s relationship, and Susan’s family and her restaurant friends are great too.

The book is charming - the accents on the audiobook are so fun! I loved it!

Thanks to #Netgalley for making this book available to me.
*****Disclaimer*****
It took me a very long time to actually get into the flow of this book and the characters. None of the characters did it for me. Individually not interesting and collectively no chemistry. The main characters who we were supposed to be rooting for just did not deliver for me. So I do have to state that I might be overly critical of this book because I really wanted to like it and I read it multiple times hoping that I was just missing something. It was too long and certain scenes were unnecessary and did not add to the progression of the story.

Skeleton Review
Susan broke up with her boyfriend Chris after something heartbreaking went down with her family. Little did she know that he was also going through a tough time. Years later, her family's business is sinking and the once successful Napier family was bankrupt. And the last line for her family was the struggling flagship restaurant they own in Edinburgh, Elliot. Once she arrives in Edinburgh she sees her ex-now-popular-boyfriend at the airport. He pretends not to see her because he is still hurt that she left him without an excuse. Chris is an extremely popular TV show star of a cooking show or something like that. He is in Edinburgh because he is also planning to open a new restaurant. You can basically see where this is going with the upcoming rivalry and media attention!

I gave this book a 2.5 out of 5 stars. It was just in the middle for me.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I was originally turned on but the cover but that's the only thing that kept my attention. I didn't even finish this book because it was so unappealing that my mind would wander and I would have missed two chapters.

3.5/5 stars

🐻 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc!


✨It was only fine. Not that good of a novel but i wouldn't mind reading more from the author

I had recently read some heavier books, so All Stirred Up by Brianne Moore was a wonderful palate cleanser! It is a light romance with a lot of heart about two former lovers opening two new restaurants in Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. Susan and Chris had a terrible falling out in their early 20s and have ended up back in the same town about a decade later. Susan has returned to Edinburgh as her family is forced to downsize due to economic circumstances and Chris has returned home after leaving his show as a celebrity chef. Both characters are hardworking and likeable, though they do make mistakes. There were a lot of characters, so it was a little difficult to keep them straight at first, but the story was very fun and kept me interested throughout. I loved the enticing food and atmosphere descriptions. The elements were great, but I wanted more. I wanted more of the family relationships and HEA, etc. I listened to the audiobook which is delightfully narrated by Mary Jane Wells. She has a really pleasant voice and uses different accents for characters which really put me into the story. Overall, a very fun, sweet read!

Thank you Crooked Lane Books/Alcove Press/Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing this e-book and audiobook ARC.

*Spoiler Review*
TW + CW: discussion of drug use, discussion of parent's death

I would like to extend a thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an e-arc of this book to read and review.

ALL STIRRED UP is about Susan Napier who has moved to Edinburgh to be closer to Elliot's, a restaurant her late-grandfather founded, because she thinks they need a lot of revamp and work on to bring customers back in and put the restaurant back on the map. However it seems she's not the only one with the plans to open a restaurant in Edinburgh. Her ex-boyfriend and her grandfather's protégé, Chris, has come back to Edinburgh to open a restaurant of his own after leaving his cooking competition show.

The description of the book sounded promising when I requested it and the many times I've added it to my TBR. However, I feel like the description that you'd find online or on the back of the book would be slightly misleading. I felt like what was told in the description was what happened in the last half of the book while the first half was lots of introduction to characters and build up to the actual story. I didn't care much for the first half especially since I was having a difficult time being interested. There was so many characters throughout the book, I kept getting lost and losing interest. Having to navigate that amount of characters leaves little time for them all to grow or to really see that growth because you have to move onto someone else. So when the second half came around and things starting picking up quickly, it felt off. In a way, the pacing almost doubled and didn't make sense because I felt I didn't match the first half. There was a lot happening, it was just difficult to follow. The romances between the main characters and other characters was wild. None of the relationships felt right, natural, or happy.

This is a UK based book. If you're not familiar with the area, the culture, the accents, etc this book might be a difficult one to read physically. Many of the dialogue was written they way they pronounce it. It was confusing because my guess was different than I thought it would be or their jokes weren't hitting.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me, I couldn't enjoy it, and wouldn't recommend it to many unless they're a very specific person looking for something like this.

Unfortunately I am unable to find this book on my kindle, therefore, can not read and review, however it sounds and looks incredible!

I absolutely love to cook, so I thoroughly enjoyed All Stirred Up. The recipes and cooking kept me intrigued and frequently salivating. Susan's character is kind and devoted amongst a quirky and odd family. While some of her family members are quite unlovable, their characters made me enjoy and respect Susan even more. Chris is the perfect guy for Susan, although it takes them quite some time to figure that out. He is strong and resilient to the challenges he encountered throughout his younger years, and in the end, the love comes full circle.

A fun enemies to lovers contemporary romance set in Edinborough with competing chef-restaurant owners with a past. Appealing leads, and a charming story that hits all the tropes, told in dual POVs. The supporting characters--a gossip blogger, sisters of both main characters, plus additional inlaws and relatives of Susan's, kitchen staff--really came alive and felt distinct as performed by the very gifted narrator. Billed as a retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, which I kind of forgot about, but it did seem to stand well on its own. My only criticism is that I wish it moved a little faster toward the HEA.

Such a fun novel! The writing was fun and witty, and I absolutely loved the food descriptions. I haven’t read Persuasion so I can’t speak to the retelling, but I loved the story and plot anyway!

This Austen-inspired novel is primarily set in Edinburgh. Just like in Persuasion, Susan and now celebrity chef Chris do not reconnect until a few chapters into the book. Before then, readers get to know Susan, her eclectic family members, and how the loss of their mother has impacted them. Susan is also still saddened by her grandfather‘s death and now the closure of Elliot’s in London, which leads them to their last restaurant in Scotland. Susan juggles her role as the restaurant manager and pastry chef along with family issues and romance. Scandals emerge and misunderstandings develop while Susan and Chris try to figure out where they stand with each other. Intimate moments are implied rather than written on page. The dishes and desserts are described in detail, which will appeal to foodies. This romance is for those who like family drama, heroes vs. villains, and commentary on classism and fame.

I read the e-galley and listened to the audiobook of the finished book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-galley. My reviews and ratings are my own.

DNF at 60% / 2 Stars / 0 Steam Fans

The premise behind All Stirred Up was a fun save the family restaurant romantic comedy that fell so flat that it put me to sleep as I read. There was no romance at the 60% mark that it is obvious the marketing department has miscategorized this book.

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A very sweet and cute Persuasion retelling. It was mostly about Susan’s family but I liked that aspect and it seemed true to the original story.

I loved the descriptions of the food. I did get hungry at times while reading.

A very fun rom-com that will leave you hungry. A bit slow getting into the romance, but the pace picked up near the end. Wish the main romance had more to it at the start, but overall, a great light-hearted weekend read!

For the most part, All Stirred Up is a decent, romance-light retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. As other reviewers have noted, this does focus more on the familial relationships than the romance arc. That will make it a great choice for some readers, but probably not for many of the people who will be drawn to it as a contemporary romance.

This would have been a three star rating, except for the running gag about the Aryan Nation blog (it's not white supremacy, just branding, at least according to the book). I don't know if I could have forgiven that if Rufus Aryan had been a terrible person, but he's a sort of chaotic force in the book, who actually does try to help Susan out, and who refuses to publish truly harmful stories. The fact that the author has chosen to make a white supremacy joke right now and to make the character who made it a relatively good guy is not acceptable me, so the rating got knocked down. It would be a one if there weren't commentary by others in the novel about how tasteless it is.