Woohoo- where’s the fan to calm the steam??
This story checked all the boxes for me: multicultural, foodie, steamy hot romance, strong family connections and dedication to friends- what more can you want in a book??

Nikki has a food truck on Maui serving up her family dishes with her mother- her late fathers dream. When one day she finds hunky English Callum James and his brother set up in their spot.
A social media frenzy ensues when they spar and agree to compete for the spot in the annual Maui Food Festival.
Spending more and more time with Callum, Nikki begins to see another side of this spicy man...Can they become more than food truck enemies? Is a truce possible?

Romance, food, Maui....what more can you ask for! Sarah Smith has written a fun love story of two food truckers turn secret lovers...that has your attention from the beginning! I love the story of Nikki and Callum and how they both value the importance of family and what brought them to Maui. This book definitely made me hungry for lumpias!

I really enjoyed the characters and pacing of this book. Would have been great to see more development of the secondary characters, but the lead was well-rounded and interesting. Good dialogue and setting too.

The food truck in Maui setting was fun in this enemies-to-lovers romcom. The romance was predictable and a little flat, but Nikki's relationship with her mom and her cooking journey was appealing.

Cute but very predictable. I liked both characters and the supporting ones. I enjoyed seeing how the main character grew in understanding of her own issues over the course of the book. Made me want to go to Maui.

This book was so good, if not a little unbelievable. I thought the characters were lovely. This was a very fast paced book. I really enjoyed it and wish there would have been recipes attached, because this book made me very hungry!

Nikki was only trying to be nice when she tells the food truck encroaching on her spot to leave. Things quickly turn nasty when Callum, one of the owners of Hungry Chaps, refuses to leave the coveted spot. Their feud catches the attention of social media, which gives them a bump in customers, but doesn't' solve the problem of who gets to keep the spot. The two agree that whoever wins at the Maui Food Festival gets to keep the spot (and the prize money, of course). What the two don't expect is to catch feelings in the middle of their feud.

I enjoyed this book. The main characters are cool, but I was honestly more interested in Finn than in Callum. I didn't love how Nikki and Callum initially learn more about each other - I can suspend a lot of disbelief for a rom-com, but being seated next to each other on a plane was a bit much for me - and it wasn't even the initial flight out of Hawaii, it was a connecting flight in Seattle. Also, it seemed wildly out of character that Nikki would even leave Hawaii in the first place.

If you're looking for a cute love story and you're a bit of a foodie who loves tropical locations, this is a good choice.

This steamy enemies-to-lovers romance features two food truck owners battling it out for a prime spot near a Hawaiian beach for their trucks.

Her dad's last wish was for Nikki to take care of her mom so Nikki works hard to make her dad's dream of a food truck become a reality. Still bruised and raw from the loss of her father, Nikki is overprotective of her mom. She also can't let her barriers down enough to get close to anyone else.

Not even sexy Brit Callum who runs a rival food truck with his brother. Nikki's felt a spark, more like a flame when she's near Callum since their first run-in.

The two agree to a challenge - whoever wins at a local food festival wins the rights to the prime spot. Nikki's confident she can win but then Callum offers a different type of deal - friends with benefits.

The food descriptions were lovely and the sex scenes were spicy so this book was a perfect vacation read. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for theDRC.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the story of the food truck owners duking it out, I really enjoyed the family aspect as well and the romance was so steamy and cute! I read almost the entire book in one sitting, I love it.

Simmer Down?...impossible with a book boyfriend like Callum James.

Nikki DiMarco is closed off after the death of her beloved father and the responsibilities of supporting her mother. She is trying to revive the retirement food truck dreams of her parents.

A new food truck parks at Nikki’s hard won spot (an unwritten rule in the food truck culture).. When she decides to confront this interloper, she meets Callum James. The enemies to lovers trope is on. There is an immediate sizzle between these two.

To settle the food truck spot wars, Tiva’s Filipina Kusina and Hungry Chaps will compete in the Maui Food Festival. The winner will get the spot and prize money that both trucks want and need so much.

As the book progresses, we learn Callum’s motivations and his real initial reaction to Nikki. Then they are forced to spend time together in a confined space and decide on a time-out. That’s when the real sizzle and steam begins.

The food descriptions in Simmer Down made me so hungry to try some of the deliciously described food both trucks put out.

Also what a gorgeous book cover!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the ARC

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. Enemies to lovers, food trucks, Maui, fully developed characters, honestly what more could you need?

I enjoyed the food truck and social media drama here. The characters were well developed and it made Maui seem like a real place.

DNF

Tried really hard to read on but I'm not a fan of the writing style. That's okay, not every book is for every reader so I'm sure others will love this.

I can count on one hand the number of romance books I can say I relate to. Sarah Smith’s Simmer Down is officially one of them. Multicultural, deliciously foodie, with a fantastic sense of place, super-tight family and community relationships, and steamy sexytimes. It got me hot, made me cry, and had me craving Filipino food, MY food.

Sparks fly when two rival food trucks go head to head in Hawaii in this mouth watering romantic comedy. Nikki has returned home after the death of her father to help her mom run their food truck that serves Filipino creations; Callum is in town to help launch his brother's food truck that dishes out traditional English cuisine. They become quick enemies when Callum and his brother park right beside Nikki's food truck. Food truck etiquette dictates that you don't go near another food truck's established parking spot. When a local food truck competition is announced, they decide to up the ante by agreeing that the winner will get to keep the coveted prime food truck parking spot. But when Nikki realizes that there's more to Callum than his callous exterior (and has a chance sighting of him after an ocean swim that sends her imagination off to the races!) they decide to start a friends-with-benefits relationship that must stay private: any hint of their personal exploits together would jeopardize their chance at winning the competition. You'll be hooked as their relationship gets steamier and true feelings get involved. Simmer Down is the perfect combination of witty banter, flirty competition, behind the scenes of the food service industry and island living. Highly recommend!

REVIEW | Simmer Down by Sarah Smith, for release Oct 13

When Callum steals Nikki’s covered food truck spot, food truck rivalry ensues. The two decide to hash it out once and for all in a food competition. But when unintended sparks begin to fly, things get heated.

Guys, this is Sarah’s 2nd full book (after Faker) and I truly enjoyed it! I think I might even like it more than Faker 😍

Things I loved:
💖I’m such a fan of Sarah Smith’s writing style.
💖The food descriptions made me endlessly HUNGRY throughout. Now Im desperately craving Filipino food 😂
💖Smith’s description of Hawaii and it’s beauty also made me want to travel there ASAP.
💖Loved the banter between Nikki and Callum, particularly in the beginning.
💖The backstory of Nikki’s father, and her relationship with her mom added an extra layer of depth I really appreciated. It really made me root for her as a character.
💖Last but not least, the steam was excellent 🔥

Thank you so much to Berkley, Netgalley, and the lovely Sarah Smith for this ARC!