So so funny! Two food truck owners fight for the right to park in a high traffic area, but what happens when their viral fights turn into something a little (ok a lot) more steamy and private?

Alright, first and foremost, if you are looking for an escape as much as I am these days, this book is probably one you should look into. Most of the book is set in Maui, but the characters take a trip to London and there was some much needed escapism and vacations through osmosis here that I really needed.

Nikki moves to Maui to help her parents when her father is diagnosed with cancer. After he passes away, Nikki and her mom decide to fulfill his dream of opening a food truck. They are just barely managing to get by when a new food truck encroaches on their territory. Callum and his brother Finn have relocated from London, and even though they are breaking unofficial food truck etiquette, they refuse to move their truck. Thus begins a stand off between Nikki and Callum that often results in their screaming matches being live-streamed on social media. Their rivalry turns out to benefit both of them, and they make a deal to face-off at an annual food festival, winner takes prime parking spot. Nikki and Callum's heated arguments quickly turn to plain ole heat, but they run the risk of being disqualified from the food festival should their relationship be discovered, and Nikki and her mom can't afford to lose the prize. They'll each have to decide which is more important, their food truck and family, or each other.

Okay, so my favorite thing about this book was the setting. I have a special place in my heart for Maui since my husband and I honeymooned there, and reading this book was almost as good as a vacation. Or at least, the closest we can get to a vacation. I also loved the quick trip to London because it is on my to visit list and it's one of my favorite book settings. I don't think I realized how badly I miss vacations until reading this book. My second favorite thing was the food. Don't read this one on an empty stomach. I thought the whole food truck angle was really fun and I loved that both Nikki and Callum brought food from their childhood to their individual trucks. I'm always here for food in books.

The only complaint I had about this one is I wanted more sparring between Nikki and Callum. Things between them started out super heated and feisty, but they got together pretty quickly and were pretty nice to each other from that point on. I wanted them to be enemies a little longer. But the good thing about moving from enemies to friends with benefits is it meant lots of hot sex, which I can get behind.

Overall, if you are jonesing for an actual escape as much as I am, this is definitely a fun read!

With current events, I’ve been turning to rom-com books for escapism and a sense of levity. Thankfully, I’ve been on a real hot streak lately – naturally, I was very excited when I got the chance to read and review Simmer Down by Sarah Smith. Just from the blurb I could tell I was in for a treat – a rom-com between two rival food truck owners? Sign me up.

The writing in Simmer Down was incredibly lush – Sarah Smith described the Hawaiian setting with such precision that I could almost feel the warm breeze and taste the salt in the air. She kicked off the story right from the first pages, and the plot never slowed down. It hooked me so well that I read this book in just two sittings – I only put it down because it was 3am.

Simmer Down made me super hungry – after reading about Tiva’s (Nikki’s mother) lumpia, I actually ended up ordering some for dinner. Trust me, this book will make you hungry – I’d highly recommend having snacks on hand. Also, if you haven’t had Filipino food before, run (don’t walk) to your nearest socially distanced Filipino eatery and experience some of the best food of your life – it makes for a perfect eat-along for this book.

My one complaint about Simmer Down is that the side characters didn’t really reach their full potential in terms of character development. The two characters that come to mind are Finn and Penelope – both were integral to the story, but outside of them pushing the two main characters together, they really didn’t have a lot to do during the story. This book would have been darn near perfect if the side characters had experienced more character growth or if they existed for more than helping the two main characters end up together.

Nikki was a flawed character, but a very likable one. When the book starts, she’s still reeling from the death of her father, and overwhelmed with the business he left behind. Her only support system is her mother, who Nikki is afraid to upset or stress out. Her biggest learning curve / character growth through this book was learning to accept help from others and that she couldn’t do everything by herself. It was really exciting to get to see her learn and flourish by the end of the book.

Enemies to lovers is my absolute favorite trope – and Simmer Down was one of the best implementations of it that I’ve read. Nikki and Callum had a great balance of playfulness and legitimate rivalry – they definitely started off hating each other, but slowly became begrudgingly more friendly. What really made this book shine was how much chemistry Callum and Nikki had even when they were engaged in yelling matches with each other (and during that awkward first meeting). Right off the bat, I was rooting for them to end up together, and throughout the story their chemistry only grew and grew. The number of butterflies this book gave me was crazy high – which really speaks to the authors ability to make even the quietest moments romantic.

Simmer Down is a great sophomore novel from Sarah Smith – it’ll give you butterflies and make you wish that you could drop everything and fall in love with a hot British dude in Hawaii. This book will appeal to fans of the rom-com genre and fans of the Food Network. If you’re looking for further rom-com adorableness, be sure to check out The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang and The Roommate by Rosie Danan. 4/5

Enemy to Lover ✔️
Banter✔️
Hawaii✔️
Food✔️
Steam✔️
If I could transport to the location of any book it would be this one! Take me back to Hawaii 😭 (this book was based in Maui but I only have a Honolulu magnet🤷🏻‍♀️)
Anyways... this book was so fun what more could you ask for in a rom com then everything I listed above! This book also made me so hungry and I’m now on the hunt for amazing Filipino Food! Callum is everything you want in a hero brooding tall and sexy oooo and he has a sexy accent to top it off. Nikki was a take no shit heroine who I loved dearly! This book made me laugh and made me cry and the steam was hot hot hot!!

Thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This was a cute story of a girl, Nikki, and her mom that run a food truck in Hawaii., When Callum and his brother Finn show up with their truck and park too close to them, Nikki hates Callum and is bent on making him pay.

As you can guess the enemies to lovers trope is alive and well in this story. At first I was a little bored with it but there were just enough side stories to keep things interesting. Overall a light, fun read.

One of the things I am coming to learn about myself is how much I adore books with a food element! Bonus points if they are a romcom. Food trucks, competition, Hawaii, personal tragedy,a swoonworthy British accent and enemies - to - lovers, this booked checked ALL THE BOXES for me. I absolutely loved their private date night tradition of champagne and The Office because it was cute, yes, but also because of how realistic it is. I definitely recommend this one to all my fellow rom-com lovers!

Thank you Berkley Pub and Netgalley for gifting me a copy of Simmer Down by Sarah Smith in exchange for an honest review.

Nikki quits her dream job to help her mom serve Filipino dishes from a food truck in Maui. She didn’t expect the arrival of a new food truck, with a smoking hot owner, to arrive next to her parking spot to steal her customers. They decide that the best solution is to enter the Maui Food Festival, winner keeps the spot, looser pounds sand. But the longer their rivarly simmers, the more Nikki starts to see a different side of Callum. Is she brave enough to call a truce? Or will trusting him with her heart mean jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

With a great setting and mouth-watering food descriptions, this enemies to lovers romance story was fun, sweet, sexy and easy to read.
This is my first book from this author and it won’t be my last.

http://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeepleasemx

I loved this book. I could not put it down. Even now I keep wishing there was a 2nd book or a movie based off of it because I want more!

Nikki made a decision to leave her life in Portland behind when her father became ill. Following his death, she was determined to achieve his food truck dream. Though it had not been easy, they were finally finding some success, but it was threatened when a new food truck defied proper truck etiquette by parking in their area. Lots of sparks flew between these rivals as they prepared to battle for the spot, but would they be able to ignore the growing attraction between them?

When people ask me why I read, I tell them the main reason is for escape, and Smith gave me that in the form of an island paradise. She took me from beach to beach, while also providing me with ample and delicious sounding culinary delights. Lots of great scenery and food to be had!

I obviously enjoyed the sights, sounds, and flavors of Maui, but Smith also made me feel things. I laughed and smiled and swooned, which I always expect as I read a romance, but there were some tears too. When I shed tears it shows how invested I am in the outcome for these characters. I really was rooting for everyone here.

Nikki lost a lot when her father passed away, and she never quite healed from that loss. She slowly began pushing away her friends, while avoiding forming any new relationships. She was essentially living inside a bubble with her mother as a way to protect herself. Maybe I didn't agree with her behaviors, but I understood them, and I cheered for her as she attempted to move forward.

Why? Because I really liked Nikki and Callum as a couple. Once the dust settled with the rivalry, I started seeing how sweet, considerate, and big hearted Callum was. I knew he was perfect for Nikki. When Nikki wasn't fighting it and simply allowed herself to "feel", there were some fun and beautiful moments shared between these two.

Checklist of things I loved:

☑ Fantastic setting 🌴
☑Mouthwatering food
☑Hijinks
☑CATS! 🐈
☑A stupendous mom
☑The Office dates 🍾
☑Cooking together
☑Beach trips 🏊‍♂️
☑A big hearted hero
☑An A+ ending

Overall, I had a wonderful time watching these two try to make their food truck dreams come true while also falling in love.

Simmer Down tells the story of Nikki DiMarco, a 29 year old who lives in Maui with her mom. Nikki moved to Maui after her dad was suddenly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Before he passed away, Nikki promised him she would help her mother with their retirement dream of running a food truck. Things haven't been the easiest for Nikki and her mom since starting the food truck business, but things are looking up now that they've found the best spot. Well until another food truck comes and parks right next to theirs, breaking the Maui food truck etiquette. Nikki tries to politely inform the owners of the rules and is appalled when she is rudely dismissed. Commence the food truck war.

Simmer Down gave me the best of my two favorite things: food & steamy romance! The chemistry between Nikki and Callum was so steamy and I loved every bit of it! I also loved Callum's soft side which he showed when helping to take care of Lemon & helping Nikki jump her car! This was a perfect enemies to lovers and I definitely enjoyed it! Four well deserved stars!

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.

I absolutely loved this book, another one to add to my 5-star reads and automatic recommendations for a romance book. I mean wow did this book make me so hungry, I was drooling at all the delicious food descriptions.

First of all, I loved the name of this book and how it related to both the food and romance aspect of the book. But seriously though this book is hot.

Another enemy to lovers romance with a little forced proximity was SO good. I think enemies to lovers will always be my favorite so I am a little bit biased.

I loved the involvement of the food blogger and influenced culture in this book and how crazy social media can take a place in some romances!

The details in this book were so fantastic I could practically smell the food she was describing!
All of the relationships were so genuine in this book especially Nikki and her mom.

Ahh, Simmer Down... let’s just jump right into my thoughts here, shall we? A food truck war, a public fued, a competitive festival, and a budding romance? Bring it on, please! This book started off so strong for me but by about the halfway mark it unfortunately fizzled out. At the start this story was steamy (so so steamy), it was fun and humorous, the characters had me hooked, I couldn’t wait to see where things would progress to, and I couldn’t get enough of the Maui food truck scene. This book had 5 stars written all over it.

But then things changed. The story and angst between Nikki and Callum became so repetitive and the drama/misunderstandings annoying. It sort of felt like I just began reading fluff and my expectations for things to come together full circle just didn’t pan out as I’d have wished.

Overall the pacing and the writing of the characters here fell flat to me. This story had so much potential, and while I was still able to enjoy enough of my time with it, it didn’t become a recommendable book for me. Still, you may end up loving it and especially if you’re a lover of humorous enemies to lovers rom-coms, you should totally pick it up! It just wasn’t the right book for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Pub for the gifted copy.

So fun! Made me want to hop on a plane to Hawaii and open a food truck...or at least eat at a food truck in Hawaii and hope a hot Brit is nearby.

DNF- This author's voice didn't work for me which is a shame since I loved the idea of the book.
I won't be reviewing it anywhere so as to not negatively impact the book since this is more of a me issue than anything. Thank you for the chance to read the book, though!

2.8/5 ☆ = 3

<b>DISCLAIMER: Thanks to Penguin Random House Global for the e-galley in exchange for an honest review.<b>

In <i>Simmer Down</i> we follow Nikki, who works at her mother's food truck in order to support her family financially. One day, another food truck steals her food truck's spot, which commences a tension-filled feud between her and Callum (a supposedly hot British guy) which goes viral. The solution to their feud? The winner of the Maui Food Festival will keep the spot while the loser has to move. What Nikki never imagined was the growing feelings for her rival and nemesis, Callum.

I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, my expectations were too high. The book really lost me with the lack of chemistry between the main characters. They have to play a question game in order to get to know each other. The dialogue between them was quite forced and unrealistic. The enemies-to-lovers didn't really work with me, as their rivalry didn't make sense. They are supposed to be adults, yet their rivalry is so stupid heh.

Let's not forget about Callum and his British-ness. I felt like the author really tried to make us believe Callum was British by making him say stereotypical British slang like "petal" and "love" and more, but in a very forced way. Shortly said, he's written like what Americans probably thinks British people are like.

Moreover, it was incredibly cliché. The miscommunication trope? Nope it was not for me. And I know this was a rom-com, yet I did not get the rom-com vibes. This book just felt a little...empty. There was a lot of themes and messages that could have been highlighted and added to this book, which could fill that void.

To be honest, the plot was alright. I couldn't connect to any of the characters, but it was still funny reading about them. There were too many instances of telling-not-showing, which could have been prevented.

In conclusion, the book was alright. It was funny at times, but I would not re-read this book. I didn't really get the rom-com vibes in this book, which was unfortunate. I feel this book had a lot of potential to become a great book, yet it didn't take the leap. Oh well.

Over and out. -Nora<3

NetGalley ARC | Sarah Smith came for me with this Maui-based, foodie love story: there is swearing, cats, sexy abs, and pink champagne. Callum is the perfect book boyfriend, and I swooned for this multicultural romance that I finished in less than a weekend.

Of course, as a blogger and IGer, I appreciate the relevance and social media commentary. Nikki grows throughout the novel, and I adore the relationship that she has with her mother. You'll find yourself cheering for Nikki and Callum to work out, too.

See the full review here: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/october-2020-book-releases/

Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this book. The cover is beautiful and this was a light, easy read with a happy ending. I really enjoyed the story.

A cute not-quite-enemies to lovers romance. More like instant rivals as two very different food trucks vie for the same bit of land catering to tourists on Maui.

The romance often felt a bit forced, but the food descriptions sounded delicious. The best relationship for me was actually between the heroine and her mother, though I enjoyed the romance.

THIS BOOK WAS SO CUTE AND PERFECT OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!! I don't read all that many contemporary romances, but when I do, I want them to be like this. Solid chemistry and premise plus food writing, balanced plot, great sex, solid pacing-- this book has everything AND a bag of chips (and fish. Cuz food truck British food... Get it?).

Terrible puns aside I seriously don't think there's anything I *don't* like about SIMMER DOWN. It's excellently done and a fascinating read. This was marvelous.

This was a cute hate-to-love story about two folks who are battling it out for a spot in a Hawaiian food truck district.

I like how this book brought out Filipino food, which seems to be making a rise in the States right now. I really appreciated the sprinkling of culture in the book and can't wait to read what she comes up with next!