*Book review*
Simmer Down
Sarah Smith
Adult/Romance/Contemporary
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I requested this book purely because it’s based in Maui. Do I have Hawaii on the brain? Why yes, yes I do. I adore that place and have missed it greatly! There definitely weren’t enough descriptions to hold me over but I did love when I read them. I could even remember a few of the places.

The book started out interesting enough with a competitive streak between two food trucks. When I got to know Nikki and her mom Tiva, they were easy to love. They are Filipino and bring their recipes to the food truck with sass. Their competition are Callum and Finn, English brothers who cook English foods for their truck.

It’s a fun enemies to lovers romance that was awfully predictable. While enemies, their “chance encounters” were too convenient and too often to have been cute and endearing. However, the food sounded amazing so I will be looking for Filipino recipes.

The review with content mentions in live in my blog (link in bio)

I recommend this for those who love a cute romance with hilarious banter!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. This book comes out October 13, 2020.

First, I would like to thank Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC of Simmer Down by Sarah Smith in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing Date: October 13, 2020.

An Enemies to Lovers trope over food trucks in Hawaii?! SIGN ME UP.

I loved this book! I was in a slump prior and this book got me out of my slump.

Callum and Nikki are enemies fighting over a coveted food truck space, after many altercations/panks on each other somehow the close quarters breed attraction.

I also loved how through loss Nikki had a lot to work through so that she could let go and let love happen for her.

ALSO - the steam in this book ---- YASSSSSS.

Nikki DiMarco’s life changed drastically when she moved to Maui and began helping her mother run the family food truck after the loss of her father. Maui might seem like a dream place to live; however, with a struggling but finally successful business and medical bills to pay off, Nikki has a lot of pressure on her to succeed. When a handsome Brit named Callum James shows up in her coveted spot to rudely take away some of hard earned business, Nikki declares an all out war.

As is usual the social media infused days, their very public feud goes viral on social bringing them both more business, but escalating the rivalry to fever pitch. After a very public challenge by Nikki, they decide highest scorer of the Maui food festival will keep the contested location while the loser has to leave. Neither Callum nor Nikki are above some childish dirty tricks while they work next door to each other fanning the flames of more than just their food.

As this is an enemies to lovers trope, the tension is more than just competitiveness as Nikki’s feeling for Callum go from simmering heat to boiling over sensual. After spending time together away from the fray in Callum’s home city of London, they declare a mutual interest deciding to become friends with benefits; but, keeping their relationship on the down low because if the food festival people find out, all is lost.

After losing her father and working nonstop with her mother both of whom have no idea how to slow down, Nikki is determined to protect her heart from any more pain or loss. The more she feels for Callum, the harder she tries to keep her emotional distance. Angst is Nikki’s middle name and though this a romance with some lighter moments, Nikki is one of those characters who frustrates this reader with her lack of maturity despite being near thirty and having emotional blindness. It is rough going in places to make it to the HEA, but love does indeed triumph over all.

Honestly, I couldn't really get into this book. It was a DNF for me. I'm sure other people might like it but it wasn't for me.

This was an enjoyable read that was the right balance of romance, humour and drama. The only downside was the book made me hungry! I look forward to reading more from this author.

3/5 ⭐️

A rom-com featuring dueling food trucks in Maui, sign me up! The British truck Hungry Chaps has broken an unspoken rules and parked right next to Nikki and her mom’s truck, Tiva’s Filipino Kusina. Both trucks are warring for costumers and as the competition reaches a boiling point they decide to let the Maui Food Festival determine their fate. Winner gets to stay at the premium beach-front parking lot and the loser packs up and finds a new spot.

I really loved the first half of this book. I felt the tension between Nikki and Callum from the start. Their back and forth was tense initially, but then their conversations were vulnerable and their flirtation was sexy. The second half of the book was a dragged out in my opinion. I love a good enemies-to-lovers story, however, the non-communication was taken to another level and became frustrating. There was also the overuse of Callum's "growling." I would've liked to see less conflict in the second half of the book and more time spent on the resolution.

Overall, this novel would be a fun beach read or an escape that makes for some entertaining armchair travel! I think an audiobook with alternating narrators could also be a lot of fun!

Content warning: death of a parent

This started out adorable and I lov3 a good foodie book but by the 38% mark I was over the angst and drama.

Had to DNF this book. The premise was cute and I was really excited for the food as well as the romance. However, the characters were too immature for my taste and it was frustrating to read, so I lost interest. I liked hearing about Nikki and her family, and the food truck storyline was interesting, but the romance just didn't do it for me.

I love Faker, and it is one of the best books I read last year. That’s why when I heard Simmer Down, I immediately request and downloaded it. I’m more beyond happy when I read that the main character is Filipino, and they own a food truck.

I seldom read books that talk about food trucks, and as a person who loves eating, I enjoyed the story.

About reading one-third of the story, I told myself I’m already giving it a 5 star as I enjoyed everything. But halfway through the book, I saw that not only the characters are being problematic but also how the story is becoming.

How I adore Nikki in the beginning, I love how she loves her father and cares about her mother. I love how she sacrifices everything to fulfill her father’s dream of having a food truck. But suddenly, in the middle of the story, I found Nikki to be annoying. I’m irritated every time she saw Callum, that all she imagines and wants is to have s*x with him. That even if Callum only smiled at him, she already thinks how good would she feel when they will have sx. I hate it when a female character is depicted as a s*x maniac.

The story also had a lot of issues that could have simple solutions, but the characters especially, Nikki, made it more complicated. They could have been solved immediately, but Nikki chooses to be a drama queen.

What I love about the story is the friendship that has been found between Nikki and Penelope. It only shows that we don’t have to know a person for a long time for us to trust each other. What we should do is be us and trust everything.

I recommend Simmer Down to people who love reading about food and lovers to enemies.

This was a cute, fun romance. I enjoyed the food references, but the rest of the book was honestly kind of meh for me. It didn't feel like anything particularly special or original. As someone who is the same age as the main characters, they struck me as kind of immature. The sex scenes were super cheesy, and not my favorite. I'm giving this 2.5 stars (rounded up). I bumped it up just a little because it was fun to read and brought me out of my book slump.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!! Highly recommend!

Nikki was one of my favorite characters thus far in 2020, and her romance with Callum was SPICY (yes, all puns intended from this book featuring food)!

Suggestion: read this book with snacks nearby. You'll get hungry reading all about the amazing Filipino and English food.

As a person who loves to cook and loves a good romance I was looking forward to reading Simmer Down by Sarah Smith. The story follows the headstrong and fiercely independent Nikki as she runs a food truck with her mom, Tiva. However, the success of the food truck is threatened by the arrival of new food truck, operated by British brothers Callum and Finn. All of this is set against the backdrop of beautiful Hawaii and features an array of Filipino cooking by Nikki and Tiva.

One of my favorite movies is No Reservations, which features polar opposite chefs fighting over reign of their restaurant while nurturing a budding romance. Simmer down gave me No Reservations vibes and I was living for every moment of it - this book is the classic hate you then love you story. I appreciated how relatable and real the character of Nikki felt. Additionally, I especially liked that Simmer Down also includes female empowerment and women uplifting each other. As much as I love a good romance, I am a girl's girl so I am always happy to see strong female friendships.

As for the romance, there is one chapter of the book that had my stomach in knots, in a good way. During these chapters I could not put the book down, and I stayed up to finish it. For those in the mood for a good romance novel that will also leave you salivating and hungry I recommend Simmer Down.

Yeah.. I don't think I'm going to be able to finish this book. I was SO looking forward to this one once I saw that it'd be about a girl who owned a Filipino food truck but the story lacked a lot. I was just put off by the "enemies-to-lovers" romance because it felt incredibly childish. If this was a YA book then I would've been able to enjoy it a lot more but the fact that these characters are almost thirty acting the way they were was just.. immature. Just not for me at all.

Newly rivaled food truck owners Nikki and Callum gear up to battle head to head at the Maui Food Festival. Who will be the winner? The Chicago Brit ex-financier and his brother? Or, the spunky Filipina boss lady and her mother? Or wait... could both of their talents be used towards something else entirely?

This is an enemies-to-lovers (though the enemies portion is quite short, and heavily focused on the lovers) story that followed Nikki’s perception on love, fear of loss, and career driven mindset. It was entertaining, and I ain’t gonna lie... it made me wish I was in Hawaii AND it made me want some home-cooked Filipino food. Oh plus, Callum was pretty swoony.

If you’re in the mood for a fun (and steamy) read this fall, definitely check this one out! I recommend to fans of Kiss My Cupcake.

*Spoilers*

When I got this novel I was excited for a nice light read. It takes place in Hawaii (Maui specifically) and has a romance that revolves around food. AND the food was Filipino food. So with the backdrop of one of my favorite places with some of my favorite food it should’ve had all of the ingredients of a fast and fun read.

But I found myself way more emotional than I thought I would be. The reason Nikki moved to Maui was to help and be there for her mother because her father got sick with cancer and died right when they were going to fulfill their retirement dream of running a food truck in Maui. I wasn’t expecting that and it tore me up.

This story takes place a year and a half after his death and it hit too close to home. My own dad died of cancer a year and a half ago and I could really relate to her mindset; having to be strong for her mom and being bossy and overly cautious with her loved ones for “their own good”. It really got me feeling all kinds of emotional and I wasn’t ready for that.

So I understood Nikki’s reluctance to give into something good. Of her fear of losing something else too soon after the loss of her father. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t frustrated often with her.

The initial meeting of Nikki and Callum showed the sparks we all look for and it set up the “enemies to lovers” trope perfectly. But Nikki did get on my nerves quite a bit with her wishy-washy feelings. I could’ve used a break by the author showing us Callum’s side of the story. Callum seemed like an interesting guy and I shared in his frustrations when Nikki wasn’t paying attention to his cues.

Also, the sex scenes could’ve used a little work. I can’t speak for anyone else, but when Nikki literally “squealed” with pleasure, I couldn’t help but to roll my eyes and giggle. Especially since she does it when she’s by herself or with a partner.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the beginning more than the ending. I could’ve used less drama and miscommunications, but it was still good. And it really had me craving Filipino food. Man, I could go for some chicken adobo right now.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for releasing this ARC to me in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun Hallmark movie book. I loved the competing food trucks plot. Food trucks are a millennial's staple after all. The banter between Nikki and Callum was so fun. I love sexy banter in an enemies to lovers story. I loved Nikki's relationship with her mother. The setting of this book was my favorite part. I felt transported to Maui, and couldn't we all use a vacation to Maui right now? It was a little strange to see a British gent in Maui, but I guess that was a bit of the pleasure in him. Nikki was flawed, but written in such a way that you couldn't not root for her. Her behaviors were understandable considering the loss of her father. Not all flawed characters have to be annoying if written in this way.

Nikki is a chef who operates a Filipino food truck with her mom in Maui. Then one day, in swoops Callum James. Callum is a hot British thang who is helping his brother run a food truck. Only problem... he takes the spot right next to Nikki. Let the games for the coveted spot begin.

What Did I Like?
🍍 This book was so fun.
🍍 All the food talk made me hungry. I even googled a few of the recipes because I wasn’t sure exactly what it was.
🍍 Nikki’s relationship with her Mom.
🍍 All the talk about the beach.
🍍 The banter and steam between Nikki and Callum.

What Did I Not Like?
🍍 Well, the book reminded me a whole lot of a hallmark movie from last year (You’re Bacon Me Crazy). While the two stories were set in different places, it was just too similar for me.

Simmer Down is out October 13th!

I won this arc from Berkeley Romance. Thank you!! Two of my favorite things were in this storyline-hate to love romance and food!!! Two rival food trucks competing against each other and all that arises between them makes this a refreshing book and I adored it. Release date October 13

I wanted to love Simmer Down but instead found it extremely frustrating. Billed as a rom-com, it wasn't. Billed as enemies to lovers, it wasn't, adversaries to lovers maybe, competitors to lovers is more like it, but the first half of the book was so slow, the second half was filled with this couple unable to communicate effectively despite being late 20's -early 30's and manufactured drama. There were parts I enjoyed, but for the most part I just wanted to be done with it.
Nikki DiMarco left a town, friends, and a job she loved to move to Maui when her dad was diagnosed with cancer. On his deathbed he asked her to help keep his and her mother’s dream alive which was running a food truck. Nikki has done that, but she feels she’s drowning. They barely make enough money to live on and the stress is getting to her so when a food truck encroaches on their space she tries to explain how things work on the island and instead she ends up embroiled in a fight with Callum whose brother owns the competing truck.
I grew easily bored with the day in and day out life of a food truck owner, the best parts were the verbal and non verbal sparring between Nikki and Callum that had them agreeing to compete in an upcoming Food Festival with the “winner” getting to keep the coveted spot.
I liked these two together and felt the complemented each other well, but their lack of communication skills made me weary despite their intense chemistry.
I originally gave this book 2.5 stars, but the description of the Filipino food in this book made me seek out recipes to try and we did very much enjoy making and eating the book, so I bumped it up a ½ point for that.
I just felt like there needed to be more to the relationship between Nikki and Callum and maybe the fact that we really only Nikki’s side of things was the problem.
Overall this was just an okay book; nothing spectacular (well except for the food) and not one I’m interested in revisiting.

This book checks all kinds of rom com boxes.

✔sexy British guy
✔beautiful location
✔delicious food descriptions
✔a completion for it all comes down to
✔a shared pet

Seriously, this book was ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I needed something lighter and this was perfect for that, but wasn't as light as it seemed. Theae characters had real substance and I Ioved getting to know them.