Gah, this book! Love from Scratch follows Reese, a marketing intern at Friends of Flavor, who hopes to get the fall culinary internship. Except when she ends up getting roped into doing a series with the current culinary intern, Benny—where they’re both now in front of the camera—she can feel her chances slipping away. The higher ups love him, the fans on social media love him (and seem to hate her), and honestly, what isn’t to love? In fact, as they work together she finds herself falling for him, too—which is unfortunate since he also wants the fall culinary internship.

I really liked that this book portrays and addresses a very real problem with how women are treated in the workplace and online (and in society in general) and how it can damage one’s mental health. And the main love interest, a male, is interested in learning and doing better. But in addition to the serious aspects, it was so funny and cute! I loved Benny’s food puns and the banter and flirting between the two interns as they both aimed for the fall internship. The book was an absolute delight. Pre-order now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW:gaslighting (past relationship), sexual harassment, misogyny, slut shaming, online bullying

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f YA romance
-workplace romance
-insta attraction
-cinnamon roll LI
-competition
-so much food
-an adorable nickname

Despite the heavy topics this book addresses, it is a soft love story. I really appreciated how the author dealt with being a woman, especially a young woman in a workplace, the many double standards, and how you feel like you have to quiet yourself in order to make other people comfortable.

Reese was relatable, and I love this time. The summer before college when you learn so much about yourself. And her interactions with Bellamy were so lovely and soft. He was a wonderful LI just gone on her from the beginning. And the choice to not really make them rivals, to have different strengths and want to be together and figure out what that looks likes. So soft, so sweet. A wonderful debut.

Steam: 1

This was such a fun read. The chemistry between Benny and Reese was adorable — I got hooked on their banter immediately, and the next thing I knew I had finished the whole book in one sitting. The author’s writing style is super engaging, full of humor and charm that fully captures the social dynamics of a Bon Appetit-like work environment. Thankfully, given the obvious BA inspiration, this book doesn’t shy away from more serious conversations around the discrimination and harassment women, especially women of color, experience online and in the workplace. While Benny’s cake livestream is perhaps an unrealistic solution for everyday life, it didn’t stop the book’s ending from feeling super cathartic and joyous as hell to read.

What a delightful read! I got mega Tweet Cute by Emma Lord vibes while reading which I loved. I liked that the dynamic between the main characters seemed authentic and understandable. The cooking show element added a lot of fun too.

Reece certainly faced her own struggles with misogyny and other issues of being a woman in the entertainment industry 9including a creepy boss). Benny was so supportive of Reece and didn’t question her feelings of experiences so he was a great book boyfriend.

I’ll for sure be recommending this book to fellow YA readers and anyone who gets sucked into food/Tasty videos on Facebook.

3.5/5 stars rounded up

What an adorable book!! This book was so much fun. These two characters had such great chemistry! I loved them. This book will make you hungry and want to binge cooking shows for 6 days after finishing it. I am excited for this book to be shared with the world!

Y’ALL. This book was sweeter than true Kentucky sweet tea. I loved both of these characters so much. I love me a sweet, funny man like Benny. Is there anything hotter than a man telling you “The patriarchy is bullshit?” The answer is no. There isn’t. Honestly, this book had all the feminism with flavor I didn’t even know to hope for and wrapped up in a sweet, fluffy romance with a phenomenal ending.

Thank you, NetGalley, author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this! Romance, a little competition, enemies to lovers vibes. The perfect fun, spring time romance read for anyone who loves love.

Two college-bound kids take on a summer internship at a cooking show network, and find themselves trending after shooting an impromptu video. What ensues is a cute and funny competition between the two for the coveted fall internship. Reese finds Benny irresistible, but worries that her past will keep her from reaching her goals.

Thank you to Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for the advanced copy. This book publishes April 5, 2022!

This book is like coming home after a bad day and getting wrapped in a big warm hug.

Reese is determined to start over after a tough high school career, landing an internship of a lifetime while staying under the radar.
Until her boss at Friends of Flavor needs her to step in and step up with the other intern... Benny.

Watching Reese and Benny's relationship develope was so fun- in the sweetest way. I was fully prepared for this to be a cute fluffy YA romance. While it WAS all that, it actually had a very valuable lesson. It's not something I've experienced, but I think Kaitlyn did a wonderful job displaying what can happen not only in the public eye but in a coorperate job for a woman. All while keeping Reese true to who she was, while also allowing her to grow into a woman.
& the other woman of "Friends of Flavor" 🥺 What amazing role models.

This is one that you are not going to want to miss!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kaitlyn Hill for my gifted copy.

thank you so much to netgalley and delacorte press for the arc!! i would give love from scratch a 3.5 stars! i really enjoyed the dynamic between benny and reese! i thought the nicknames that they gave each other were so cute, and entertaining! i loved how real and relatable reese is and how as a woman you truly understand what she goes through. it does in turn make me sad knowing how many women have gone through the same things as her. we all need a strong female team to support us just like the one reese has! sweet sweet benny is just an angel doing his very best to support reese and all women- i loved how he read kathrine’s blog and would do his best to stand up for her. i loved learning about friends of flavor and how it all developed alongside reese and benny! the book was very fun, very real and certainly made me very hungry!

Benny has stolen my heart. He is the sweetest, most wholesome young man and what I assume every parent wants in a love interest for their children. Such a gentle soul.

This is such a good story and not only for the cute romance portion.
It brings up very serious and very important topics especially when it comes to women in a male-dominated/ owned workplace.
It is, at heart, a feminist story.

Reese is such a strong character but she is also very flawed and it is done so in a way to remind readers that she is still a human being. She suffers from the same things that a lot of people go through daily. Such as not being taken seriously, online bullying and trolls, touched without permission and high expectations for simple things like her dress code.

If there is one thing I didn't like in this it is probably the only real issue between the main characters which I know needs to happen within a book to give it substance but Reese needed to give Benny a break. I could tell he was trying. He was so supportive and understanding but Reese didn't stop and realize that he's a human being too and probably had a flaw or two. Like, give the guy a break he is clearly top tier and you won't be finding another man like him!

Anyways, loved this one and the cover is so freaking beautiful that I am definitely getting a physical for my shelves because 😍

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Baking romances are consistently some of my favorite romances and I’m a sucker for puns so when I saw this book I knew I wanted to read it. We have two interns at essentially a food network type company, working on a show together and competing for the same internship spot and it was so sweet! Love From Scratch is the perfect combination of charming characters, delicious food, and an adorable romance. There is also a lot of depth to both of our main characters which was great to see since they are both in their teens or early 20s.

Ben is easily one of the most charming love interests I’ve read about in a while. He’s charming in a way that feels genuine and not like he’s just trying to hook up with a girl and it is adorable. Ben is also very understanding and does his best to be supportive and a phenomenal listener. The way he listens to Reese, makes her feel heard, and helps her to find solutions to her problems is admirable.

Reese is hard-working and determined to get the internship and it’s very admirable. She also has dealt with a lot of negativity and the way she shares her emotions is candid and heart-wrenching. Reese was very relatable and I feel like I would have felt the same way if I were in her shoes.

Ben and Reese are absolutely adorable together and I loved their chemistry from the first page. This book honestly caught me by surprise and is one of my favorite young adult romances this year. It honestly got me out of my YA reading slump and I am grateful.

Grab some snacks (this book will make you hungry) and get yourself a copy of Love From Scratch on April 5th!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this ARC.

The first thing that caught my eye about this book was the cute cover, but then I read the synopsis and was hooked!

While this book had a lot of good qualities, it didn’t live up to my expectations. I would rate this a 3.5 out of 5 stars (not bad but not awesome).

What I loved most about this book was Benny. He’s so wholesome and sweet, and I just wanted to give him a huge hug. He treated Reese so well even when she didn’t deserve it (which was most of the time…).

I also found the premise of this story to be very interesting, unique, and relevant. The whole social media and video series elements were done very well including the unfortunate reality of cyber bullying.

I liked how the author tackled the topic of cyber bullying in a real and emotional way. Also, the food puns in this book were fun and added to the cooking theme in the story.

While there were many good aspects to this book, there were two parts that made this book fall flat for me.

The first being Reese as a character. The author had the opportunity to use Reese to show how a strong woman can handle the realities of sexism in the workplace. While I think this is what the author was trying to do, I felt that she made Reese too dislikable to make any sort of good impact.

Reese was so terrible to Benny, and she was constantly jumping to conclusions about what was happening in her life and what other people thought of her. It was so frustrating watching her push Benny away over and over again when he did nothing wrong to her. He was so good to her, and she treated him like trash.

The other aspect that bothered me in this story was how the author used her characters to push her views when it didn’t fit naturally in the story. Reese mentioned several times her disagreements with her church growing up, but it had no relevance to the story.

Also, how am I supposed to believe that Benny didn’t have any girls that liked him in high school when he is a complete cupcake? Honestly, he was respectful, a good listener, kind, and good looking. It was not believable that Reese was the first person to show interest in him.

Overall, this was a good book but not great.

I really enjoyed this sweet romance. It was an easy read with the kind of first love that we all dream of having. A young man who is kind and sensitive, and head over heels for the girl. One thing that I particularly love about it is that it takes place on the set of a streaming service that does cooking segments, where Benny and Reese are interns.

The entire book is a breath of fresh air, while also delving into real life issues about misogony in the workplace, and the bullying that takes place on social media. If you're looking for a fun read with great characters and a wonderful message, this is your book.

Thank you to Random House and Delacorte Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was drawn to this book right away – between that gorgeous cover art and the premise, it seemed like a natural pick for me. I love romance type reads, and I really love the addition of a cooking / baking element and/or competition in a story. Which made Love From Scratch an easy pick.

I enjoyed the sweet, punny romcom gist of the story. It was cute, and I thought Benny was a fun character and easy to route for. I liked the ‘meet cute’ that their first real interaction was in front of the camera attempting to work together to put out a baked good.

It was an interesting age range – I would have expected it to fall more into the NA category given the characters life stage, however can see why it was pitched as YA given the storyline. I had hopes for a bit more from the enemies to lovers / rivals trope, I didn’t really feel that their was a strong foundation for that. Reese was a hard character for me to connect with or really like very much, so I think that took me out of the story
some. I also didn’t totally understand her immediate dismissal of Benny.

I think the story touched on some interesting and important topics, and overall was a pleasant read to pass an afternoon.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an early copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and freely offered.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

For the summer before starting college, Reese Camden has bagged the internship of her dreams - working a marketing internship at Friends of Flavor. Friends of Flavor was there for her during a difficult period in her life, and she dreams of being selected for the fall job, to run alongside her degree. However, the other intern, Benny, also really wants the position, and soon a competition is created. Working together to host cooking videos, it's not long before the fans are shipping it, and Reese is finding it difficult to keep her feelings at bay. But soon it seems that the execs are favouring Benny simply because he's male, and Reese begins to realise that the comments online, and at work, are targeted to her.

This book simply blew me away. I was expecting a cutesy YA contemporary - and while it was that, it was also so much more! Reese was a little too perfect for me at times, but she was vulnerable too, and had dealt with a lot in the past, particularly around social media and sexist comments. Friends of Flavor was something she relied on her to keep her going through the dark times, and landing the internship was everything she'd ever wanted - except perhaps a real job there. I loved the camaraderie there was around the workplace, especially between the main 'Friends' and how they embraced Reese and Benny as one of their own. The secondary plot line of the sexism and misogyny was unexpected, but honestly perfect for the book, and the characters. Benny and Reese's relationship wasn't the easiest at times, but it worked, and I loved the ending so much! This was a fantastic debut, and I look forward to Kaitlyn's next book!

Though this is a YA book, it felt more like a NA without the steam. Benny and Reese felt their age with the optimism of newly fresh high school graduates chasing their dreams. The writing style flowed effortlessly with characters that were jubilant and fun. There was an easiness and likability to the story that even as an (older) adult, I found enjoyment in the story. A part of me wishes Benny and Reese had their own show in reality.

There’s an awkwardness and shyness that makes Reese relatable. The feminist undertones and women supporting women in an unbalanced work environment was a great addition to this story. Reading Reese grow into adulthood in a way that all young women can relate too, was written in a way that teaches rather than preach.

Benny, for me, was the shining star of this book. From the nicknames to his skills in the kitchen, he was too charming for words. There is a vulnerability to his character that made him so endearing and though this story isn’t at all told from his POV, you felt his emotions through his unfiltered conversations with Reese.

Overall this was a good story with a great message for young women to hear, but I think I was looking for a book that focuses more on romance. Benny and Reese were great together and I just wanted more of them. Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this eARC

This was one of those fluffy romcom books where it’s not really a leap to figure out the ending but it was SO much fun and totally adorable to get there :)

This was an insanely fun read! Reese and Benny had me captivated from the very beginning and the cooking show element in the book was a fun addition that I will never get enough of.

This is a 5 star read, aided by the fact it highlights how women can be subjected to double standards, and perfectly illustrates the reality many women face.

She's just a girl wanting to land an internship in the fall for her favorite Youtube cooking channel. He's just a chef wanting to land the same internship and get out of his family's shadow.

Reese Camden is set to show the world what she's made of: one graphic design at a time. When she lands a summer unpaid internship at Friends of Flavor, everything seems to be falling into place with the fall internship in sight. In runs Benny, same year, same dream, yet a chef in the making. The issue? Only one internship spot available!
What starts as a joking one episode for a show quickly envelopes into a cooking competition with the bigwigs highlighting it as who will win the internship. Reese already feels she has lost with the sexism and male manipulators putting her down a notch without even knowing her skills. With internship deadline looming and secrets spilling, one better look twice in the kitchen... for love may come from all this, recipe made from scratch.

Love from Scratch: a story that is sure to delight fans of cooking shows and young adult reads! Kaitlyn Hill delights in her debut and writes from the heart. Hill develops characters that shine from page one and allow you to care about their story. Her take on bigwig machoism and sexism are handled well and become shining parts of the story. This book was an enjoyable read and I look forward to whatever Hill may publish next!