Shelby is half owner of Orange Blossom Avenue, Zach is an Ex-Football player turned winery owner. Shelby is a food blogger and critic, Zach hates critics. One bad blind date gives birth to a hatred so intense on both sides. All the characters are likeable but I really like Shelby, southern women's manners just make me laugh sometimes. The way that these two get to know each other and falls in love is the best part of the book, it's so sweet. Recipes are included with this book and that's just awesome. This is my first enemies to lovers romance and i'm so sure it won't be my last. I'm also gonna read the rest of this series. Thank You Kathryn Andrews for introducing me to a new troupe.

3.5 stars - a sweet story, with a recipe shared at the end of each chapter. I liked the audiobook narrators, and think they did a good job capturing the tone and emotion of the characters. My one criticism is that the hesitancy of the two main characters didn't make sense to me - what caused them to be so reluctant to open up? Not really explained much.

I received The Sweetness of Life (Starving for Southern, #1) by Kathryn Andrews as an audiobook ARC from NetGalley. I am a sucker for books set in the South and Kathryn Andrews introduces all of the charms that come with Southern living. Shelby has dreamed of having her own TV show for years and she is one step closer once she is assigned to go to Zach's vineyard to pair his wine with food dishes. The problem is that Shelby finds Zach to be absolutely unbearable until she doesn't. I have never read anything by Kathryn Andrews but I will say once I was done I immediately looked for the second book of this trilogy. I wanted to hear more about Shelby's friends Meg and Lexi who were the other two members of the Tripod. I am not usually a romance reader but these books are so much more. I would read more about this group if I could. Kathryn Andrews has now become a favorite of mine!

This was a nice, light romance with the enemies to lovers theme. I got a kick out of the titles of each chapter that had a southern saying I'm familiar with such as Kiss My Grits, Madder Than a Wet Hen, and Bless Your Heart. I really wasn't wild about the character Zach for a lot of the book, and the narrator for his part just bothered me for some reason (which could also explain why I wasn't liking the character). I personally didn't care for him, but it grew on me over time. I also thought the book got better towards the end. I did really enjoy the inside bits about the winery business and learned a few things about wine. It was an enjoyable listen along the lines of a Hallmark movie, but it was much racier than those are, so if that bothers you, I wouldn't recommend this one. All in all, if it doesn't, it was an enjoyable book to listen to.

Thank you to Netgalley for the audiobook to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely predictable, yet still delightful. The Sweetness of Life is a romance set in the South on a winery. Shelby is a critic, Zach is a winemaker, and therefore they fall into a classic enemies to lovers trope. Enemies to lovers is not my favorite in the romance genre, and unfortunately this story doesn't even have a solid platform upon which to stand as to why these two are enemies, other than Zach's fear of critics.

There are simple recipes at the end of each chapter, most of them sweets, which could be nice if you're looking for more baking in your life. Their love of food was endearing, but there weren't as many delectable descriptions as I would have liked. Their romance was not very steamy, nor did I feel much tension building.

I listened to this on audio and appreciated that the narrators both had southern accents, although I was annoyed by the male narrator's gravelly voice. Ultimately, this felt very mediocre, nothing standing out negatively or positively.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Plot line: Shelby and Zach are enemies. Shelby is a food critic who runs a food blog. Whereas Zach is an owner of a winery. They're paired for an article in a top magazine.
Review: It was interesting to read about the enemy to lover trope in a romance slash cookery novel. Loved the bonus recipes at the end of each chapter.
The different POVs of Zach and Shelby were narrated by a male nattor and female narrator respectively in the audiobook. I didn't enjoy the narration for Zach. Otherwise the audiobook was good.
Thanks OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook of The Sweetness of Life.

I found this to be a sweet story! I REALLY enjoyed the female narrator. I thought she did a good job and I looked forward to her chapters.

I wasn't a huge fan of the male narrator. I just couldn't quite get on board with him/his voice.

I also wasn't a huge fan of having the recipes read to me. Maybe if they were their own chapters or at the end of the book so I could fast forward through them quicker??

A typical enemies to lovers trope. But the writing was absolutely beautiful. Andrews has a talent for descriptions and I felt like I was right there. There were no surprises or twists however the predictability did not take away from my enjoyment of this book.

The Sweetness of Life by Kathryn Andrews 🐝 🍯

Story Rating: 2/5
Audio Rating: 3.4/5

Thank you so much @orangeskyaudio for gifting an an advanced audiobook of The Sweetness of Life. The audio version of this book is read by two people who read the different POVs of Zach and Shelby. I've never heard an audiobook like this before and I very much enjoyed it. The man reading Zach's chapters drew out his words a little too much for me, but when I sped the audiobook up to 1.5x it was tolerable.

About the book: Shelby and Zach are sworn rivals. Shelby is a food critic, runs a food blog and loves to cook, while Zach loves wine and has his own winery. The rivals must come together when they are paired by a top food/drink magazine to provide a featured article showcasing their paired food and wine. The story is written in both Zach's and Shelby's POVs.

This is a sweet, steamy southern romance with the famous enemies to lovers trope. If you love food, wine, steam, and romance definitely check out this audiobook. It is available 3/16/2021!

Bonus: There are recipes at the end of every chapter which I LOVED! I will be making the Peach Bellini soon. ❤️ This is also a first book in a series, so if you loved this book make sure to look out for the upcoming ones!

THE SWEETNESS OF LIFE KATHRYN ANDREWS
BOOK 1 – STARVING FOR SOUTHERN SERIES
Format 🎧 Audio provided by orange sky audio
Narrated by Joshua Macrae and Natalie Duke
Pub date 16th March
Book review 4.5⭐
Plot –
Shelby Leigh is a food critic, blogger and chef and she has landed a job with food network to curate southern farm to table dishes pairing them with wines belong to Wolf wineries owned by Zach Wolf.
Easy-?? Dnt think so! Ever since Zach and Shelby met at an event they can’t stand each other. But then this once in a lifetime opportunity is too good to be missed.
So along with pairing food and wine can there be a pairing of 2 hearts???
My thoughts –
• This was my first audiobook experience so I loved it!!
• The narrators esp Natalie’s voice as Shelby was perfect!! I did find Zach a bit annoying at times. The southern accents came out perfectly!
• The description of southern Georgia , the winery and it’s surroundings (beehives, lavender plants) were so well described that in Covid times when one cannot travel I was virtually transported there!
• The best part each chapter had a detailed recipe, so in all with the entire book one will get around 30 recipes from appetizers to desserts!! Isn’t it just WOW!!
Can’t wait for the other 2 books in this series!!

Thanks to Orange sky audio and Netgalley for this audiobook in exchange of my honest unbiased opinion.

Shelby Leigh is a food blogger whose big dream is to be on food network. She’s given the opportunity to spend two weeks at a winery pairing food and wine together. This is one more thing she can add to her resume, and one step closer to achieving her dream. There is one problem though, Zach Wolff.

Zach Wolff loves wine and hates food critics. He will do anything to make sure the winery is a success. When he finds out he is working with Shelby in this once in a lifetime opportunity, he vows to do whatever it takes to get a glowing review for the winery. The history between these two?? The worse blind date to ever happen.

The Sweetness of Life is book 1 in the Starving for Southern series by Kathryn Andrews. This is already out for purchase, but I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook.

Things I liked:
1. Southern Sayings: I LOVE the little touches of southernisms sprinkled throughout this story such as “Bless Your Heart” and “Madder than a wet hen”.
2. Setting: a southern winery
3. Recipes: Each chapter has a recipe and I would purchase this book for them alone!
Things I didn’t like:
1. Zach Wolff: Zach was not my favorite hero. He is so wishy-washy with his feelings for Shelby. As far as narration in the audiobook, Zach was supposed to (I think) have this deep southern voice, and it was just too breathy and hard to understand at times.
2. The romance: At first I thought this was going to be hate-to-love and I guess it was?? At one point Zach decided he was going to be nice and do whatever to make sure he got a good review from Shelby for the winery. He would talk about how crazy he was about her then completely blow her off and get jealous if she got attention from another man. Even Shelby asked him who she was going to be with today, Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. I couldn’t get behind them being together.

I might consider continuing with this series physically but I will not continue with the audiobooks. I did really enjoy the side characters and would like to see what happens with them.
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to the audio of this book. All opinions are my own.

I’ve read lots of heavy books lately and this was the perfect departure. Plus, I’m originally from TN so the Southern vibe appealed and the recipes made my mouth water. Highly recommend!

If you enjoy stories of food and wine, you will love The Sweetness of Life by Kathryn Andrews. Set in a winery in northern Georgia, this book oozes in southern charm.

Shelby Leigh is a food critic, blogger and chef who is looking to land a job with the Food Network channel. She loves putting her southern flavour on old classics and has developed a reputation as a well respected chef. When she is provided with an opportunity by the channel to spend two weeks in a winery developing recipes that can be paired with their wines, she jumps at the chance. She is disappointed to learn that the winery owner is Zach Wolff, aka her worst blind date ever. This leaves her even more determined than ever to make this assignment spectacular.

Zach hates critics - ever since the bad review he didn’t deserve to receive. When he sees that Shelby is the critic/chef who has come to spend the next two weeks with him, he sets out to develop a plan. He can certainly look beyond Shelby’s obvious beauty and charm in order to win a favourable review. Or can he?

I enjoyed this story, which is told from the dual perspectives of Shelby and Zach. Although the plot was predictable, I also found it to be both charming and entertaining. The characters were well developed and likeable. I appreciated the information on the wines, and the recipes that were shared at the end of each chapter (they all sound amazing). While I found that the book flowed a little too slow for me, it also represented a more laid back lifestyle I associate with the setting.

I listened to the audiobook format of the book which was narrated by Joshua Macrae and Natalie Duke. I enjoyed their performances and appreciated that their voices/accents reflected a book set in Georgia. I listened to the book at a slightly faster !.5x speed to make the performance more comfortable. If you appreciate listening to books with narration that represents the geographical area, I’d suggest choosing the audiobook format.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orange Sky Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for the honest review provided here.

I thought I would love this book but I just didn't. I listened to the audiobook and I found the narrators voices to be distracting. I also hated listening to the recipes at the beginning of each chapter. This works when you are reading a story but not when you are listening.

This is only my second audiobook ever and for this kind of book I would have preferred an eGalley copy for my kindle, The narrators were a little confusing for me probably for emphasis on the enemies to lovers storyline. I will be sure to check from now on for ARCs if it will be an audiobook or not. For this book, it was just a turn off for me. I do love wine and food POVs blended together, who doesn't. Again, I would have enjoyed this as a normal read. Sorry, but not sorry, just my opinion (I am probable in the minority here).

I will re-read this after publication in print form.

Thanks to Netgalley, Kathryn Andrews and Orange Sky Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 3/16/21

When I first read the synopsis for this story, I was sold at the words “food critic, blogger, chef and Food Network.” Yes, please! It seemed like something that would be right up my alley! However, I found the audiobook to be long and drawn out, I wasn’t interested in the story, the characters weren’t my favorite and the narrators’ voices annoyed me. Honestly, I think the narrators’ voices was a huge part of my dislike of this story and this being and that is a big part of an audiobook. By the end, I was more than ready for the story to be over, unfortunately. I did enjoy the recipes scattered throughout the story, however!

What do you get when you cross a food blogger/chef and a winemaker? A wonderfully delicious change for romance. Shelby loves food and wants to become the next new face on the Food Network. Zach is a winemaker in Georgia. Sparks will fly when they meet. He already doesn't like her because she is a food critic and he has a bad history with those. But his company can really use a great review. What happens next is hopefully a Hallmark movie in the making. You know they will fall in love because in this case opposites attract but will they survive each of their egos? I really hope there is more to their story in the future.

I listened to the audiobook version of this cute novel. I really enjoyed the story line! The characters were funny and Shelby is so funny. Her personality is so strong and she does not take Zach's attitude!

The rollercoaster of their relationship was fun and at one point I even found myself hoping Shelby ended up with someone else but I quick came back to team Zach. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series!

The cover honestly did not draw me in as the funny romance that this book is! I was expecting something more serious going into it and I enjoyed it more than I anticipated!

The narration was not 100% for me. I LOVE the voice of Shelby, I swear you could hear a hair flip in her voice! But the voice of Zach was not my favorite. He dragged things out too much, like he was trying too hard to sound Southern and manly. I got used to it by halfway in and was able to enjoy both parts.

I would recommend this book to romance lovers. There was a bit of steam in the love scenes!

I received an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange of my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Kathryn Andrews for the opportunity to read this lovely book.

Oh another enemies to lovers book? Pick me pick me🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️oh and about food and wine? 🙋🏼‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️

All Shelby wants is her own show on Food Network, and has spent years being a food critic, blogger and chef. All Zach wants is for critics to not exist after a bad review. But when a once in a lifetime opportunity presents itself, Shelby can’t say no, even if it means dealing Zach after they had a terrible blind date. Two weeks. His wine, her recipes. One special issue of a national magazine. Will they survive the two weeks?

I was really excited to start listening to this and I wasn’t disappointed. It really reminded me to not judge a book by its cover and what you first think of someone might not be what you think in the end. I also enjoyed that Shelby and Zach disliked each other but also were super attracted to each other and confused themselves! Plus all the food throughout and recipes at the end of each chapter🤤 give me all the southern food please🙋🏼‍♀️

I think this book would be better read as a book rather than as an audio. I usually skip over detailed kissy bedrooms scenes but had to listen to the details to get back to the story. There was also so many thoughts of Zach about Shelby, it got really boring when it was repeated. I did rather enjoy the recipes,they sounded good. I should have written some of them down as it played! Overall, a little to predictable for my tastes.
I was provided an advanced reader copy of the book and was under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author,publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.