Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own!

As always, I enjoyed Alexis Hall's sharp humor and memorable, delightfully quirky characters. The bake show backdrop was incredibly fun and immersive, and I felt for Rosaline as she stressed and strived through each challenge. I really appreciated the single parenting representation that captured how much you truly juggle as a parent, let alone when you're mostly on your own. It was hard, seeing the dynamic between her parents, seeing Rosaline struggle to be proud of what she'd accomplished and where she was in contrast to the path she was on before pregnancy and motherhood.

I think because I saw this pitched as a RomCom, I was expecting traditional romance beats to be hit, which was why it was pretty jarring when I realized the first love interest, Alain, was honestly a jerk. I knew he couldn't be "the one" but from a romance-beat standpoint, it made sense to expect him to be. Then (later), enter Harry, who honestly Rosaline treats quite despicably at first. From a pure-fiction perspective, that's fair and on the table, and I do enjoy characters who are imperfect/morally fallible, but from a romance perspective, it was tough to see Rosaline so starry-eyed for someone who was clearly not a good guy and incredibly dismissive of working class, good-hearted, socially anxious Harry. This is purely subjective, my preference that in romance the love interests treat each other at least decently off the bat, unless there is mutual antipathy in an enemies-to-lovers scenario, but this wasn't the case, and that made it hard for me to empathize with Rosaline at points as well as believe her romance arc with Harry.

Still, all this said, I found Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake to be a truly well-written story (I mean, Alexis Hall wrote it. I love his writing and deeply admire his craft!). As a romance, it was a bit off the path of what I expect and hope for in terms of how the love interests treat each other and the pacing/arc of their relationship, but as a story it was delightful and I look forward to the next book in this series!

This book seemed to have all the good stuff I SHOULD like—a bisexual lead, a baking competition, and two hot male leads—but it just didn't work for me.

This book takes on ALL the social issues. I wish the author would gave focused on one or two. Instead the book becomes clunky and overly preachy.

Rosaline is a moderately likable lead character, but upon first meeting one of the male leads she lies repeatedly and there's not really a good reason. Making up an entire education, job, and travels to Africa on medical assignment is A LOT of lying.

The one descriptive sex scene is completely awkward (not in a funny or cheeky way) and was ruined by a crazy amount of dialog between the two characters in which the make lead calls Rosaline "mate" over and over. It made it very oddly chummy for me. And their non-stop talking about consent and their sexual preferences, while both half-dressed, but not touching each other, just completely destroyed the pacing and romantic element of that scene. To be clear, this wasn't hot dirty talk. They also paused, mid-foreplay, to casually discuss the full back story of each of their various tattoos. There was just no passion.

In the end this book just fell completely flat. Too much social commentary and not enough swoony romance.

This is a smash hit. I absolutely loved this book. The main gal Rosaline is relatable and very likeable. The baking show is such fun to experience with the characters. I don’t want to ruin the love life part but geez I loved how the author maneuvered the situation.

Very witty and fast read. I would love to see it as a movie.

Thank you read forever publishing for the opportunity to read this gem.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and I am happy to give my honest review.

So. Alexis Hall can do no wrong in my book. I was absurdly happy to get this ARC and... it was amazing. I was utterly charmed and laughed out loud a lot. This book felt like something I haven't read before and I'm totally here for it.

Rosaline is a single mom, nearing thirty, and trying to figure out what she wants to do in life. She enters a national baking competition (like British Bake Off) and hopes to at least prove to herself that she's good at something. She's bisexual and best friends with her ex-girlfriend and her parents aren't happy about anything she's done in her life. She meets Alain, another contestant, by chance and they begin a relationship mostly on the weekends when they're filming for the show. Her parents like him and she thinks he's the type of person she should be with. But Harry, another contestant who doesn't speak properly and works as an electrician, makes her feel seen and safe.

I'm not a big fan of love triangles but this book handled it so well. I loved Rosaline's take on her bisexuality and how she stood up for herself when she was uncomfortable. All of the characters in this book were well rounded, fun, and made it so enjoyable to read. Some of the things Harry said literally had me snort laughing. And Alexis Hall's group questions at the end? HILARIOUS.

Seriously. Pick this book up. You won't be disappointed.

This was around 3.5 stars for me, which I'm rounding down to 3 stars.

This one is a little tricky for me to rate and review. I immediately picked to read it because it was about a bisexual baker on a British televised baking show (cough cough, Great British Bake Off) with a male love interest. That was about as much as I knew going in and I am always thinking that we need quality and tactful bi representation. I'm going to start with the things I liked first before delving into what I was disappointed by.

What I liked:
-Rosaline is a strong female character. Her bi rep is great and there are a lot of solid conversations about bi women still having queer identities in "heterosexual-appearing" relationships. Beyond that though, I didn't personally find her very relatable. She is a single mother and, while Amelie is an interesting character, I'm not the biggest fan of kids unless I'm reading J or YA lit specifically. Her relationship with her parents is toxic and yucky but there are extenuating circumstances. And she isn't sure of what she wants romantically because of what her life has been like. I do like that she is emotionally messy though. She is a fully realized character, which is really refreshing. She is just not someone that I connected with very much. I can see her being very important to other people though, so that's not something I would fault Alexis Hall for.
-I like Harry tremendously. I'm notoriously bad at picking up on context clues so I spent a good portion of this book (like...2/3, shamefully) being confused because I didn't realize it was going to be a love triangle. Every interaction with Harry though was magic.
-GBBO-esque TV show and the judges/some of the crew were great. When I LOL'd, it was during the show sections.
-The author's book club questions at the end. I snorted a couple times reading them and it made me want to join a book club with the explicit purpose of answering those questions.

And what I didn't like (which I won't go into much detail in because I don't want to be spoilery):
-Alain. That's it. I wanna punch that knobhead.
-Lauren being the stereotypical "othering" lesbian that can't/won't understand any attraction to men.
-The triggering undisclosed scene towards the end of the book.

And then here's a list of content warnings for things that happen in the book in no particular order: biphobia, sexual assault, brief physical violence, abusive working conditions, toxic parents, homophobia, anxiety, mental illness, abusive language, and classism.

*Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy!

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall is the first book in the new series Winner Bakes All. Rosaline Palmer has entered Bake Expectations in the hope of earning the title, winning the prize money and opening up a whole field of new job opportunities. She has her daughter Amelie to care for and wants to provide for her as a single parent. The show is not what she expected it to be but what surprises her even more is the connection she starts to feel for two of the contestants. As the ovens heat up so does her love life and things can only get more complicated as contestants are eliminated week by week and her feelings change and grow. Can Rosaline go all the way without having her heart broken?


Time to preface this review with the caveat that I hated this book. I really liked Boyfriend Material so a “Bake Off” themed story by an author I have previously enjoyed seemed like a win-win. It was in fact not that at all for me.


When you so thoroughly dislike the main character whose name is in the title there’s not a lot of hope for a book. Rosaline is a single mum, works at a shop, is bisexual and is best friends with her ex who cheated on her. These facts will be told to you throughout the book as though you wouldn’t remember them from the beginning. All of those factors would make for an interesting character if she wasn’t also supposed to be intelligent but repeatedly does extremely stupid things (i.e. Alain) and being so very judgmental that I wanted to punch her judgy face. She thought she was more down to earth than her parents and criticized them repeatedly for being condescending yet she is towards Harry as well as other contestants. Her redemption towards the end of the book for me was too little too late.


Alain was a gigantic jerk who doesn’t deserve to be broken down but here’s an overview: shallow, self obsessed, egotistical and boring baker.


Harry was too good for Rosaline throughout the entire book, first in friendship and then in more. Their second interaction in particular bothered me because Harry voiced his concerns regarding interacting with the other contestants and Rosaline brushed off his social anxiety although she was supposed to be more aware of medical condition/mental health as a previous med student and the daughter of doctors (Cool, belittle others situations Rosaline… *shakes head*) . Anvita was a quality character who lightened situations with her snarky attitude and the need to enjoy the hunks (women can enjoy the views too - equality!). She also had her bread week experience which made for one of the funniest parts of this book. Poor, sweet overworked PA Colin deserves some love because he put up with all of the contestants' nonsense and his overlord of a boss (who I also disliked). The crowning gem of side characters though was Grace who brought me the few laughs I had in the book.


The setup for the book made sense as it went week for week with the show. I appreciated the organization. The side characters carried the few moments I truly enjoyed in the story and I include Harry as a side character since Rosaline spent so much of the book with Alain that he didn’t even truly get to be appreciated.


2 stars for a “over proved” book on bread week

What a cutie little book! After I finished, I definitely had the urge to binge the Great British Bake Off and also bake everything under the sun. At times, I think it was a bit too spot-on from the original TV show...down to the kooky hosts, but overall, I loved this story!

I enjoyed the zany cast of characters - but that is also dealt with serious topics like the erasure and over sexualization of bisexual individuals; young motherhood; and parental expectations. I particularly appreciated the way it dealt with Rosaline's bisexuality - from addressing the idea that they can't just "choose" who to like, to the wrong assumption that they are overly sexual or more sexually adventurous than straight individuals.

Without giving too much away - the love story here was just what I wanted and I was definitely rooting for the two to get together in the end!

And also...yum, can't wait to try some of the included recipes!

This book was so charming and laugh out loud hilarious. I love Alexis hall’s writing style so much and can’t wait for forthcoming books!!

Man, I really wanted to love this book.

CW: teen pregnancy (in the past), discussion of abortion, casual queerphobia, attempted sexual attack, manipulation and gaslighting, neglectful and manipulative parents

As you can see by this list of content warnings, this isn't the fun, fluffy romance that I thought I would be getting. This tackles some very big topics. Though the execution of the book wasn't bad, I didn't agree with some of the decisions the characters make. I typically adore single parent romances, but this one didn't really work or connect with me.

I still want to read more from this author, but I am so sad that this one didn't work for me.

I don't really know how to review this book without including spoilers, so look away now if you don't want to know more!

When I started this book, I did immediately click with the main character, the setting, the humour... But we were introduced to a love interest whom I really didn't like from the start. He was bland and boring and a pretentious asshole, and I was really apprehensive to see where the book was going to lead.

I needn't have worried though, because enter Harry. I could write a fucking essay on how much I love Harry and why. Not just because he's such a cinnamon roll, but also because here we have the kind of person who normally isn't seen as the romance hero. Because he's working class and people tend to really look down on him. I absolutely loved seeing the way this was handled.

Because Rosaline spends quite a large part of the book involved with Alain the snobbish dickhead, she and Harry spend most of the book building a genuine friendship. And I loved this, because often in romance novels, I get the shady feeling that the love interest is only respectful towards the main character because he's attracted to her and wants to get in her pants. I often wonder how these men will treat someone who's unavailable to them romantically and sexually and if they'd still treat that person the same. And this is where we learn that Harry is just a genuinely good person. He accepts that Rosaline is in a relationship and builds a genuine friendship with her without expecting more, he's genuinely there for her when she needs him, and most importantly: he's very teachable. Whenever he says something Rosaline isn't comfortable with, he's open to correction and actually listens. I just loved him a lot, okay??

And aside from Harry, Rosaline herself is also a fairly "unconventional" main character in a romance. She's a single mum who had her daughter at 19 years old, and she dropped out of uni. She goes through so much growth throughout the book in terms of choosing the life she wants and not the one her parents want for her, and at the end I was honestly proud of her for how far she'd come.

Rosaline is also bisexual and the book really delves into the casual and more violent biphobia she encounters. Whenever someone says books with an m/f relationship aren't valid queer books, I just want to point them in the direction of books like this, because this book is very much queer because Rosaline is.

If you read this far, thanks for sticking with me while I ramble. I'm sorry I couldn't be more coherent but I just have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this book.

Thanks to Forever and Netgalley for an advanced copy of Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake.

If you love baking or food competition shows then Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall will be a book for you.

Single mum Rosaline has found her way on a baking competition show and she's excited for the chance to show herself and others that she can do it. I liked the weekly format for the taping of each show, and wished there was more with the production side of it. I loved the other contestants on the show and this was more about Rosaline's journey than a romance. Though on the romance side there is a love triangle, which honestly I'm not a fan of. I wished we had more with Harry though, I loved when he came to help with the electrical issues in her house.

This book looks at a lot of things such as gender identity, bisexuality, class/wealth with Alexis Hall's great sense of humor and writing style.

I wanted to like this book more since I really loved The Boyfriend Project, but I think it was about 100 pages too long and I wanted more baking and less Alain.

I am convinced that if you are not reading Alexis Hall then you are living life wrong. When I saw that his next book was immersed in a baking competition, I was already on board. As a huge fan of Great British Bake Off, I knew that I would love the premise of the book. But then it's Alexis Hall and the premise is just that and the real genius is in the complete story found in the pages.

Rosaline Palmer is categorized as a contemporary romance; however, it is so much more than that. This is a story about people. Hall is one of the best at writing characters and this book is no exception. Rosaline is a single, bisexual mother of 8 year old Amelie who decides to enter a nationally televised baking competition in the hopes of winning some prize money to pay back what she feels she owes her constantly disapproving parents. On her first trip out to the film location, she meets Alain who is the perfect portrayal of gaslighting. He's so incredibly unlikable and yet it takes Rosaline so very long to see it which feels depressingly real. Anvita and Harry are the two contestants on the show that befriend Rosaline and champion her when she doesn't seem to do so herself. I loved the way in which Harry was unashamed of being himself and, despite feeling Rosaline had certain pre-conceived notions about him, continued to show up and quietly support her. I especially adored his stories about his own family. The judges and producers had me laughing out loud constantly and the other contestants were the the perfect extra to this book. You come to know and love them all in their own ways. And while normally I'm not a fan at all of children in books, Amelie is fantastic. She is witty and sweet and simply not annoying at all.

The deeper and most lovable part of this book is watching Rosaline grow throughout the course of the book. There is great friendship, a sweet love story, and so much laughter you may get looks from those around you because you cannot hold it in while reading. Plus the food. Goodness, it made me want to get right to the kitchen to bake. It is gorgeously written and, typical of Hall, deeper than what may appear on the surface. I walked away a little stunned by how perfectly crafted this book is. While the romance is only a small part of this book, if you enjoyed Boyfriend Material I feel you will love this one. It's classic Alexis Hall and I cannot wait for his next work.

I just finished reading Alexis Hall’s last novel, Boyfriend Material, a couple of months ago and loved it, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of her latest, Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, the first book in a new queer romcom series called Winner Bakes All. The lure of a reality TV baking competition and its potential for hilarious antics was just impossible to resist!

The story follows Rosaline Palmer, a single mom who has found herself in a dead end job after choosing to drop out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie. Rosaline does not in any way regret her decision to do this but she really wishes she could do something to give her daughter a better life than she currently has. When she hears about a reality TV baking competition, she thinks this could be exactly what she needs to turn things around, and so she applies and is selected to be a contestant. The competition is fierce, and the judges can be harsh in their criticism, but Rosaline is convinced she has what it takes to go all the way.

Rosaline is such a great protagonist. I loved pretty much everything about her. She’s bisexual and very open about her sexuality, even to the point that her young daughter has been raised to know what it means to be bisexual and that it’s absolutely normal. Rosaline is like this in every aspect of life with Amelie and is raising a very precocious, open-minded young lady. Watching Amelie in action throughout the book made me feel lots of proud mom vibes on Rosaline’s behalf. She might be on her own but she is doing a splendid job raising her daughter.

As much as I adored the mother-daughter moments with Rosaline and Amelie, the fun and most of the action takes place at the competition and I thought every aspect of the competition was fabulous and very well executed. The descriptions of the glorious food items being prepared practically had me drooling while I was reading, and I loved the cast of characters, from Rosaline’s fellow competitors, most of whom become like a little family by the end of the competition, to the quirky judges and the borderline insane producer.

There’s a bit of a love triangle between Rosaline and two of her fellow competitors that at first I wasn’t sure about until it became clear that it wasn’t really much of a triangle. Rosaline meets Alain Pope while traveling to the competition and at first he seems quite charming. He’s well educated, smooth, and he certainly knows his way around a kitchen. The more Rosaline gets to know him, however, the less appealing he seems. In fact, she finds herself way more attracted to another competitor, a less educated, super awkward and shy electrician named Harry. You guys, I just have to say that Harry is the most adorable cinnamon roll of a leading man. I adored everything about him, from his cute banter with Rosaline, to his delightful creations that he bakes for the competition, including a mermaid cake, and most especially the way he treats Rosaline’s daughter. As soon as I watched Harry in action with Rosaline and her daughter, I was rooting hard for Rosaline to tell Alain to kiss off so she could be with Harry.

I don’t want to give away anything about the competition or how things turn out for Rosaline, but I will say I came away very satisfied and with a smile on my face and can’t wait to see what Alexis Hall has in store for us with the next book in this fun series.

My husband wants you to know that he hated this book. He didn't read it but he was quite perturbed by how many times I woke him up because I was laughing so hard while I was reading it. He actually kept count - six times in one night. Considering I stayed up until 2am to finish and I was cackling away most of the time, he's lucky he's a fairly heavy sleeper!

Alexis Hall's latest revolves around Rosaline who dropped out of Cambridge at 19 when she got pregnant by a guy she rebounded with after her girlfriend cheated on her (got all that?). Now in her mid-twenties, she enters "Bake Expectations," a British baking competition series hoping it will change her life. As someone who just finished producing a cooking show, I especially loved the parts on set (sidenote: I'm not quite as over-the-top as producer Jennifer but I've worked with a lot of people who are!) but it's Rosaline who really won me over. She may not have her life completely together but she's a strong main character who's not afraid to be who she is (a bisexual single mother), admit when she's wrong (which she is somewhat frustratingly several times) or to stand up for herself whether she's taking down her daughter's homophobic elementary teacher or reminding a fellow contestant why focusing on her looks and calling her "love" is demeaning. Hall's writing is so sharp and clever and their dialogue is perfectly sarcastic and wonderfully British - I found myself re-reading passages trying to soak up some of the genius. It also also make all of the characters all come alive, from the host and judges of the show and the others competing to Rosaline's precocious 8-year-old Amelie and her ex/bestie, Lauren. I'm excited this is the first in a series - I can't wait to see what happens next season.

ROSALINE TAKES THE CAKE is just like one of the desserts Rosaline cooks during the competition - it's sweet with some depth to it, you'll want to devour it in one sitting and it's sure to leave a smile on your face.

Thanks to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for a copy to review.

This was an absolute delight! A recommended first purchase for all public fiction collections, particularly where foodie fiction is popular.

Rosaline Palmer is a single mom, a baker, and has the low self-esteem of a flattened soufflé. Her rich and classy parents wanted her to go to medical school like they did and see anything less as very "less". Not even landing a spot on the nation's favorite baking show impresses them. Now on top of all the things she has to juggle every day, Rosaline has met two guys who interest her: suave Alain and shy Harry. One is parent-approved, one would be sent to the servants entrance is such things still existed. Can Rosaline sort out her home life, love life, and still make the most baketacular bakes ever?

What I loved about Rosaline from the beginning was how very "every person" she was. She isn't put together and doesn't have a great job, but instead has massive low self esteem, constantly questions her choices and decisions, and is desperately trying for some level of parental approval even while telling herself that as a grown woman she shouldn't be defined by her parent's lack of approval. Rosaline is a genuinely nice person trying to help others as well as herself, she has the support of her ex-girlfriend Lauren and her eight year old daughter Amalie and some days that's enough. Other days the stress is overwhelming and she could cry in her dulche de leche. A baking competition that bears a remarkable resemblance to The Great British Bakeoff is a great opportunity for her to meet new people and maybe get a better job.

It's hard to get into plot details in a review that won't give away some spoilers, but here's my big take away. This is a book about people. How do we judge them, how do they judge us, how do we think they are judging us, does it matter if they are, in fact, judging us? And perhaps mostly importantly: how do we judge ourselves? Rosaline's journey through the book is one of self-discovery and growth, full of snarky British humor and delicious desserts. A sparkling and delightful British LGBTQ rom-com that should be an instant must-read!


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This book made me HUNGRY, lol. I was pulled right in and had a hard time putting it down.

The characters on the reality baking TV show Rosaline goes on, Bake Expectations, are a complete rip-off of GBBO. Let's just all be honest here, haha. Reading the judges I could see and hear Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood in my mind, and the host gave me major Sue Perkins vibes. I really loved the GBBO "other brands are also available" feel though, so I'm down. ;)

My main problem with this book is that Rosaline is so... kind of wishy-washy, but she does go through a growth arc. I WANT TO say a whole bunch of things about the romance element, but also don't want to spoil anything... :/

It can be hard to write a book with a large cast of characters, but Alexis Hall does a great job creating distinct, individual, memorable characters that are easy to distinguish and remember. I loved (most of) the contestants on the show, and wanted to keep reading more about all of them. And Rosaline's daughter Amelie is a RIOT! Adore.

Rosaline Palmer Takes The Cake is a true delight; like the most decadent of desserts, it's sweet, multi-layered, and leaves you craving more. I loved Rosaline Palmer, and I loved watching her stand up for herself. I loved how much she fought, how much she cared, and how passionate she was. Rosaline was an incredibly easy to like, and charming protagonist, and I really rooted for her to get the ending she deserved.

content warnings: sexual content (on page but not graphic), classism, emotionally distant / emotionally unsupportive parents, discussion of a teenage pregnancy (which happened in the past), brief mention of Rosaline considering an abortion, casual biphobia, casual homophobia, unwanted sexual advances / threat of sexual assault, gaslighting, an attempt at blackmail, mild violence, unhealthy/manipulative/toxic relationship

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read and loved Alexis Hall’s other novel, Boyfriend Material, so I was stoked when I got approved for an ARC of her new novel. Unfortunately this book just was not at all what I expected.

First off, I feel like the beginning of the story just plopped the reader in the middle of a story with no explanation. I actually had to go back and re-read the summary of the book to make sure what was even the main plot point. This book is so dialogue-heavy, I was so confused as to what was happening most of the time. Not only that, but it seemed like every conversation with our MC had to be a “lesson” and felt very... preach-y. I understand that sometimes authors want to insert their own views, and I did agree with most of the views presented, but the way it went about just felt unnatural and just overall too much. It felt very much like preaching to the choir. If someone even said anything the slightest bit off in front of the MC, she would jump on it. It was just not pleasant to read. Maybe just don’t write characters that say wrong things all the time? Also the MC’s child, Émelie, was not very believable as a child.

All those aspects really turned me off to this book and I just couldn’t finish it. It wasn’t the book I was expecting. I just wonder where all the charm Hall had when writing Boyfriend Material went.

Okay, I loved Boyfriend Material, but Rosaline just tips it even more into love.
This is like a soft, funny(British humour is my fave), heart-filled, and relevant little book.
I will admit to not having seen The Great British Bake-Off. But I've seen a few episodes of the Canadian one(because Dan Levy), so I get it.
Rosaline is a great character. I LOVED her. I love her daughter and her BFF, Lauren. They're great and hilarious and perfect. But Harry really takes the cake for me. God, he is the sweetest.
I just loved this perfect book that constantly made me need some delicious baked treats.