Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary arc in exchange for an honest review.

Simmer Down by Sarah Smith is a fun enemies to lovers romance. Niki DiMarco runs a food truck in Maui with her mom. One day she finds their favorite parking spot invaded by a new truck run by Callum James. And wooo, do the sparks ever fly.

I loved that this book is set in Maui and involves food trucks. Fun fact about me - my cousin actually owns a food truck on Maui! Needless to say this was a book I had to read. It was fun to get a behind the scenes look at the food truck business and touching on topics such as parking etiquette and how the food is prepped.

I also loved the characters in this book. Niki and Callum are both giant forces of nature. Niki is a Filipina who has moved to Maui to help her mom start up her food truck. (Let the craving for Filipino food begin!). Callum is English and helping his brother start his food truck focus on English pub food. The focus they both had on family really resonated with me. I also enjoyed their antics and the tricks they would play on each other. And boy do the sparks fly once these two connect!

If I have a criticism of the book it is that I feel like the conflict in the book was prolonged. I just wanted to see these two together and moving on with their lives already.

I highly recommend this book to foodies or people wanting a little dash of Hawaii in their lives. The book has some steam so I wouldn't recommend it to those who enjoy fade to black romances.

This book left me sooooo hungry! An enemy to lovers book with a foodie twist set on the backdrop of Maui, this book has all the qualities of a beachy read. Started super strong but a little boring and predictable at the end.

Simmer Down sounded delightful the moment I read the synopsis! Upon finishing however, I feel like I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would despite it being an entertaining ride. I was initially excited about Simmer Down because I found out that it’s an adult rom-com novel featuring Filipino cuisine and the rivals-to-lovers trope, which are two things that I would have loved to see in a book! But what I thought was going to be an exciting and ultimately romantic read, lacked a couple of factors that would have made this a spectacular read.

Simmer Down follows Nikki DiMarco as she confronts the owner of a food truck who absentmindedly parked on her and her mother’s regular spot. She tries to be nice, but Callum shows her that he’s nothing but an asshole. What happens next though is a cat-and-mouse rivalry that goes viral, a food truck war, unprecedented sexual tension, the start of a casual relationship, the influence of social media, and more.

The writing was light and funny, and I liked that it offered a personal touch to Nikki’s perspective, especially when it comes to a few somber and emotional scenes. On the other hand, there was some dialogue that I thought were awkward, plus the overuse or “growl” and “howl” also felt perplexing for me. As a result, instead of the scene feeling romantic or sexy, I was only left cringing.

The characterisation also felt a little insufficient for me, especially when it comes to the two main characters. It’s as if I couldn’t get a better sense of their personality. Because of this, I also found their chemistry and romance quite off, so I wasn’t really rooting for them. Yes, their whole ordeal was entertaining, but I didn’t feel for them and I didn’t get invested in them. For me, this was such a shame because I love tropes like this. Rivals who learn to tolerate each other and then fall in love? I’m in! However, with Nikki and Callum, it just fell flat and I didn’t find their relationship much interesting.

On the other hand, I love the food truck life and the overall food scene in this book. As I read the story, I was reminded of the movie Chef (2014), which was such a great movie that I loved! All the chaos and satisfaction of being a food truck owner/chef? It was great to see!

Of course, I also loved that I got to see some well-loved Filipino dishes featured in the pages of this book, which had me craving them! I wish there was more of it though, and there were some parts that baffled me, such as the part where Nikki served deconstructed lumpia. For reference, lumpia is a traditional Filipino-style spring roll that’s usually deep fried. It’s a finger food that’s loved by all Filipinos. But the idea of a “deconstructed” version? It’s a no for me.

When it comes to the plot, it felt a lot like classic romcoms with those melodramatic scenes and grand gestures of love. I feel like some parts were predictable though, and the miscommunication trope was overdone. I kept thinking the main characters could have resolved a number of their conflicts by talking to each other and clarifying things, but clearly that wasn’t going to happen in the book. So instead, there were some misguided angst and foolish mistakes as the story moved towards the finale.

Overall, I feel like this was a decent read. It’s not entirely mind blowing, yes, but I think this will be a great choice for those who are looking for a fun, amusing, and romantic read.

Initial thoughts:

📌 Any Filipino can tell that this book was written by a Fil-Am author because, among all the amazing Filipino dishes in our culture, lumpia is somehow portrayed as the pinnacle of our cuisine. No shade but. 👀
📌 Simmer Down doesn't know the significant differences between enemies-to-lovers and rivals-to-lovers, and it really shows in the story. Moreover, the root of their "rivalry" is so dumb, especially since the characters are in their late twenties.
📌 You know that the chemistry between two characters is nonexistent when they have to resort to a "game" of asking each other questions to "get to know one another better" and to learn how to tolerate each other. I'm so sick and tired of this trope.
📌 The dialogue was really awkward and forced. Especially the conversations that would lead to sex.
📌 I'm personally offended that the unseasoned cuisine of colonizers could possibly hold up against Filipino food. Fish and chips over adobo? Imagine the lack of taste.
📌 Speaking of, I am not a fan of italicizing "foreign" (aka non-English) words in stories. If you're going to use Filipino or Tagalog words, write them with your whole chest.
📌 Deconstructed lumpia??? Sacrilegious.
📌 Getting turned on at the sight of a man cuddling a cat to the point of masturbating about it??? I'm too sober for this, ma'am.
📌 Terrible sex scenes. Callum growls everything he says, while Nikki always responds with a howl.
📌 Maybe it's just me, but I feel like the author tries really hard to give her main character a "funny and quirky" voice that her writing comes off as really uncomfortable.
📌 My favorite scene is when Tate and Emmie make a five-minute appearance. Marvel Cinematic Universe is shaking.
📌 The miscommunication trope is very strong in this one. Even more so than in Faker.

TL;DR:
Milky glow > light honey glow.

Not recommended
* I received a digital galley of Simmer Down from PRH in exchange for an honest review.

Fun, sexy, and sweet. Lots of smiles with a nicely tied up ending.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have to say this book got me in my emotions a few times while I was reading it. But it also had many areas that annoyed me too.

I absolutely love the premise of the story and the characters were beautifully matched. This is a sexy spicy little story that really ramps up the passion for not only food but for the delicious Callum.

If you were a foodie, then you’re going to understand the passion these characters feel for their craft and for each other.... as friends with bennies.

But sometimes I disliked how Nikki always made it about her. Her problem, her dropping everything for her parents, especially her mother. I have an issue with that. In that aspect, I felt the story was very one-sided and maybe should’ve been written in the first person, her views only.

But the story overall, the highs and the lows, the passion and the feels that the author imparts made for a wonderful story that caught me a few times. Especially when we get to the heartbreak that seems to always end up in these types of stories. I hate drama.

A fun, unique, and frisky story that includes a range of emotions for the characters and for the reader. I wish we had gotten more of the happily ever after. It is the best part if the story after all!

I have to be honest here and say that this didn’t really wow me. I adored this author's debut and was expecting to love this one as well, but I really didn’t. It had so many things for me to love. Enemies to lovers, a tropical setting, and based around food. What really dragged this book down for me was the main character, Nikki.

We only received her POV and she was quite draining to follow. There were so many things in her life that she could have changed just by trying. She left her friends behind in Portland when she moved to help her family and instead of reaching out and patching the gap, she just feels sad about them not being in her life. She didn’t even think to reach out until Callum brought it up. So many things she did went that way. The way she pushed Callum away even though she knew how she felt and he made it crystal clear that he wanted her, still grinds my gears. So many people in her life called her out on not letting people get close to her and each time she lets it go in one ear and out the other.

Romance wise, I liked her and Callum together. They started off on the wrong foot and both acted pretty rash towards each other for a while. Once they actually talked, we got to see that they had chemistry and built their relationship by getting to know each other. Sure, I think he could have maybe done better but that’s another story.

All in all, I thought this was okay. I had issues with the main character and prefer the author's debut. If you like enemies to lovers, give this a chance and see if it might work better for you.

I really enjoyed this book. I love Maui so I loved the book taking me back to one of my favorite places. Both main characters were great, and they had enough realistic problems that it wasn’t until the end that I felt a little annoyed that they wouldn’t just talk to each other. I also loved her relationship with her mom, and all the amazing descriptions of food.

Loved all the food vibes of this book! The romance was hate to love which is my favorite trope of all time. This was a fun, romantic and swoon worthy book and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Food truck owners clash in this enemies-to-lovers romance from Sarah Smith. Nikki DiMarco runs Tiva's Filipina Kuisina with her recently-widowed mother Tiva. One day she shows up to her regular spot only to find a new food truck parked there. She tries to politely remind the owner about food truck etiquette, only to have sexy Brit Callum James blow up in her face. From then on they compete to see who can prank each other the worst. Until they decide to call a temporary truce and find out more about each other.

There are a lot of flimsy enemies-to-lovers plots out there, but this may take the prize for most ridiculous. I liked the concept of the book, but once I picked it up I couldn't stop rolling my eyes at the ridiculously childish behavior these two characters engage in. There's no depth to their interactions: either they are "pranking" each other with cardboard signs or ripping each other's clothes off. I'll put up with a lot to escape into a romance novel, but at least give me something to work with. Smith is repetitive and spent too many words on descriptions (there were at least two pages devoted to the first time Nikki looks into Callum's eyes), Nikki spends too much time in her own head, and the pair's conversation (flirting?) is awkward. I found myself skimming large portions of this book.

I did like the descriptions of Nikki and Tiva's culinary creations - I need to try lumpia - and the fact that Nikki, well, danced with herself instead of relying on having a partner (if you know what I mean). But in the end this book was not for me.

This was such a fun book! I really enjoyed Nikki & Callum’s story; they were both such great characters and their relationship really jumped off the page. The banter was excellently done and their interactions were so sweet. I loved the food truck environment present throughout the book; the food descriptions were so vivid and the competition between the two characters over their food trucks was such an interesting element that I had so much fun with, and the Maui setting only heightened this. I also really liked seeing Nikki’s relationship with her mother, as it made her character more realistic. I love a good family dynamic and this book delivered in that department. I did think this book followed a lot of tropes, like the question game to get to know each other, a lot of coincidences that aren’t well explained, the usual misunderstandings, etc, but I still had a great time with this book and would totally recommend it.

Summer Down by Sarah Smith was the best combo of spicy and sweet! I really loved that this book takes place in Maui and loved even more that it centers around enemies to lovers who are food truck competitors, fighting for a coveted spot! There were lots of yummy moments between Nikki and Collum. Nikki’s need to care and protect her mom after the passing of her dad was written really well. Having lost a parent, I could certainly relate. There was lots of heart in this story and while it was a bit predictable, it left me hungry yet satisfied! 🙃

My thanks to @berkley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

All's fair in love, war, and the food truck business...

Nikki DiMarco left the bustling restaurant scene in Portland to move to sunny Maui--though only partially by choice. Nikki has stayed in Hawaii, working at the Filipino food truck that was her parents' retirement dream, to be with her mom after her dad's death. But the food truck business is cut-throat, and so when her attempts to politely tell the hot British newcomer, Callum James, that he's on her turf is met with rudeness and a stubborn refusal to go, the war is on. Surprisingly, sabotage, insults, and public yelling matches that are live-streamed by foodie vloggers and tourists alike is good for business. So good, in fact, that it leads to a challenge: both Nikki and Callum enter the biggest food truck competition on the island and whoever wins gets not only the prize money, but the fought-over spot. Things are heating up in the kitchen, and--soon--between Nikki and Callum.

Another fabulous enemies-to-lovers romance, Smith writes with a fantastic mixture of snark and fluff, and the backdrops of Maui and London and the delicious descriptions of food make her writing pop even more. But as much as this is a romance, it's also a book about grief, restarting life, taking care of older parents, and starting new relationships (both romantic and platonic) in your late twenties. Nikki's got a lot on her plate, but she gets the push she needs to not only establish new dreams but fully establish her life in Maui and all that comes with it. She's stubborn with an intense but narrow focus, and learns how to broaden that and reconnect with her old life as part of starting a new life--something really resonating for readers young and old.

Five fantastically flavorful stars for "Simmer Down"!

(Plus, be on the lookout for the Emmie and Tate cameo from Smith's previous book, "Faker"!)

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nikki and her mother run a food truck featuring authentic Filipino food that both locals and tourists of Maui love. While the death of Nikki's father and some money troubles keep Nikki worrying, nothing infuriated Nikki more than when Callum James parked his food truck right next to her sacred beach spot. Nikki vows she will not be swayed by Callum's good looks and the two decide to face off in the Maui Food Festival to determine who can keep the prime spot and the $20,000 prize.

I really enjoyed this book. I always appreciate Own Voices reads and I was excited to read a diverse romance novel that didn't just throw diversity in your face. This book did not disappoint on the romance (and included a few steamy scenes too). The descriptions of food had my mouth constantly watering. Simmer Down transported me to Maui, a welcome escape from the world.

The only place where the novel lacked was it began to be a little repetitive with roadblocks and challenges for our main couple's relationship. I got to the point where I could predict the misunderstandings and fights that would ensue. These relationship troubles took center stage to the point where I had almost forgotten about the food challenge and was hoping for more conflict when it finally arrived. Even with this, I kept turning the pages because I wanted a happy ending.

I also enjoyed the investigation into emotions and death. Nikki has to grapple with her father's sudden passing. I saw her struggle with how she handles life and relationships, and I enjoyed the character development she went through during the course of the story.

Overall, this was a fun read that had my stomach growling the entire time. It was a fun romance that took me on a trip around the world and a nice escape from life.

Sarah is such an incredible author. I loved faker and I love simmer down. The steam factor is ON point with this one. The enemies to lovers trope is one of my favorites. I love when someone can’t help but give in to their desires. Excellent read!

I love food romances! So I knew I would love this book. From the beginning it had everything: food trucks, rivalry, a food competition, how food brings together family, and a great setting. What more could someone want? Nothing! The cheesy-ness was also just the right amount, with only one major romance reasons plot point occurring (because let's be real, sometimes the implausible just has to occur in a romance) and so the story felt far more organic than many other contemporary romances and therefore was all the more believable. These were two characters I was rooting for from the very first food truck etiquette faux pas and you will be too! This romance will be a perfect way to escape the coming winter chill and sit back and imagine warm beaches, great food, and remind you of a time when we could actually travel somewhere! Highly recommended

I loved this! I was nervous to read this as the author's debut novel threw in some surprise drama that I was not down with at all but I remembered how much I enjoyed her writing style and knew I needed to give her one more chance....and I'm happy I did!

Yes this book uses the miscommunication trope to throw in drama in their relationship and yes that is annoying but honestly this book was so cute that it didn't annoy me as much as I expected. It's a trope and I could tell throughout the book that it was being used as a way to move their relationship forward. Yes, she could've thrown in problems for the couple to work through in a different way but honestly this book isn't as bad with it as others have been.

Now onto the characters!

Nikki is super relatable and I really enjoyed being in her POV! She's been through so much and honestly the way that she dropped everything to take care of her family and be there for them is so admirable. She works hard every day and never even complains, just keeps doing what needs to be done. She can also be pretty stubborn and is quick to jump to a negative conclusion which of course can be a little frustrating as a reader but again, also relatable.

Callum is the sweetest hero! He definitely came across like a dick when we first meet him but just like Nikki, the more we see him the more I felt myself becoming soft for him and wanting to just hug him and love him forever. He's also another character that is selfless; picking up and moving across the country to help his brother without even being asked, but just because he loves his brother and wants to support him.

I loved learning about the food truck world and about each of these character's backgrounds! Honestly this book was such a cute contemporary romance and I am such a sucker for diverse romances they are the best! I loved learning about Nikki's culture and the food sounds so amazing I need to find a food truck with Filipino food!

I definitely like this book more than "Faker" and I would definitely recommend this to romance fans looking for a sweet and steamy romance!

*arc given in exchange for an honest review

Simmer Down definitely had its good points - a plucky heroine, her wonderful relationship with her mother, a food truck theme, and some delicious Filipino lumpia!

I did feel like the "enemies to lovers" wasn't the greatest - there was really not much reason for these two to dislike each other. Also, I think the book needed more plot as the last third was the dreaded "simple misunderstandings that could have been cleared up by a simple conversation."

Still there was a lot here to like!

3.5 stars -- This book was a fun take on rivals to lovers trope (and I loved the food truck element-- definitely wait to read this when you're not hungry). However, there were 2 things that kept it from being as good as I'd hoped: 1) I'm always somewhat of a hard sell on the "let's keep it casual and not catch feelings" trope and 2) by introducing that trope midway through the book, it really took the wind out of the sails of the pacing, leading to the back half being filled with (IMO) annoying miscommunication plot beats for the last ~40%. I did really like the characters & world, so that carried things through somewhat for me, but I wish there had been a longer burn before they actually started getting together

It is a perfect “enemies to lovers” rom-com with Nikki vs Callum as competitive food-truck owners in Hawaii pranking each other. It is a steamy read for sure without a doubt! Callum is an absolutely sweet, handsome, British accented hero you will fall for pretty much right away and the attraction/chemistry between him and Nikki is absolutely cracking. I liked the way the author has detailed Nikki’s relationship with her parents and the way she deals with her grief. I liked social media references and the impact that it has on their lives.

I have to mention the way food is described will make you order something immediately!

It has all the cute moments and enough steam! A fun and enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an advanced reader copy.

I am a big Sarah Smith fan and this did not disappoint! While I had a hard time getting into it at the beginning because the anger from the hero felt very forced, once I realized that it WAS forced, it sucked me in and never let me go. Loved the setting, the food descriptions and the chemistry!