4.75 star roundup

This was a super sweet YA romance. I loved Benny so much— he was so sweet and a dream when it came to learning about feminist issues and changing. I also loved the support Reese gets through her friends Natalie and Clara, as well as her co-workers.

The plot about the cooking show was so great and fun to read about as well. I love the trope where the main character doesn’t see the chemistry as much as other people until it’s played back and we get that here!

Read for:
🎂enemies to lovers
🎂workplace romance
🎂super sweet hero
🎂baking/cooking show
🎂feminism
🎂anxiety rep (not diagnosed)
🎂Food puns


The book also tackles the issues of feminism, especially as a young woman in the workplace, and online bullying.

Overall this was a super fun read, with wonderful characters, good pacing, great discussion of important issues, and such a sweet romance. I definitely recommend it for ya romance readers!!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the opportunity to review. All thoughts are my own.

TW: Slut shaming (past references to it), sexual harassment, online harassment

I recieved this arc from Netgalley and was so excited that I immediately started reading it. It only took me a few hours to get through it because it was such a great read!

Love from Scratch has all the makings of the perfect clean rom-com with subtle (very subtle) hints of enemies-to-lovers.Although advertised as a YA, the book didn't feel like one!

As I was reading, I found myself shipping Reese and Benny alongside their video's audience after their first encounter. How could you not, with that witty banter? I was also internally SCREAMING at Reese to just ACEEPT IT and stop pushing Benny away!

Note: Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for allowing me access to an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you PRH International, Delacorte Press, NetGalley and Kaitlyn Hill for my e-ARC in exchange for the honest review.

Reese is a marketing intern at Friends of Flavor, a popular cooking channel in Seattle and Benny was a culinary intern. When they both start their video shoot, it got viral and maked them the internet’s newest ship. Audiences are hungry for more, and their bosses at Friends of Flavor are happy to deliver. People like them both. They said that they’re cute together.

When the video got viral, Margie want them to make more videos. She was so shocked because that was the first time their videos got viral.

I really want to love this book but I still got bored. But I hope you guys would love it. It was still a fine book after all.

I love the cover!! I love books about food so I def had to read this one.

The book is about Benny and Reese. they are interns for Friends of Flavour. They compete to see who will get the fall job. This seems to be an enemy to lover book but I don't understand why Reese hates Benny. He was always so kind to her. This book had a imprtant things in it there was cyberbullying and how it effects you. I'm giving this book three out of five stars because I didn't hate it but I didn't love it.




Thank you netgalley for letting me read this book.

Love from Scratch is a romance novel that's very much on trend right now, with enemies (rivals, at least) to lovers in a food/baking competition on reality TV setting. And I'm absolutely living for that. In so many ways, Kaitlyn Hill's debut novel nails the tropes, delivering exactly the kind of banter, dreamy (occasionally unrealistically so, but hey, it's a romance novel!) hero, high-stakes rivalry, and food-filled shenanigans this kind of book should have. I just wish I hadn't been so frustrated by the protagonist.

MC Reese is prickly and defensive, which isn't itself a problem, but too often her leaps and assumptions about perceived sexism seem excessive for the situation...and I hate that I'm even writing that, given the subject matter, but the reader is seeing the actual scenes of her and love interest Benny's rivalry on page and screen - we know how she responds to his quips and jokes on their videos, so when she's told that producers would like her to "be nicer," well, yeah, she could be nicer! (She hates Benny for absolutely no reason, from the beginning. It really feels out of nowhere, just for the sake of establishing that this will be enemies to lovers.) When she insists that Benny is being taken more seriously in this culinary space because he's a man, it isn't that that's not part of the issue, but...he literally knows how to cook quite well, and Reese barely knows how to make anything. She calls his cooking demonstrations mansplaining, but he is actually, literally, there to explain how to cook the thing he knows how to make and she does not. It isn't mansplaining *just* because he happens to be a guy. It's incredibly frustrating to read and review, because sexism and misogynistic double standards are a real problem, whether in the workplace or on social media, as is the case in this story - but the way these issues, and Reese's responses, are written just did not work for me. She's over the top about things that don't seem like anything, which makes it harder to be on board when it *is* a thing. Moreover, she doesn't learn from these instances or grow or change at all. Also, why was she even interested in the culinary internship? She isn't a cook and doesn't want to be one - she's here for marketing (not that she seemed to know what that would entail, either). So it's also hard to really be sympathetic to her deep need to beat Benny for a *culinary* internship.

On a much less serious note, Reese is also excessively prickly about being a Southerner in Seattle, and I found that pretty obnoxious too, to be honest. Sorry, they *still* don't serve sweet tea, it isn't a personal insult.

So, everything about this book is pretty fun...except the main character. Unfortunately, that's sort of a biggie. But the fact that it managed to be a cute, fun, romantic read despite this is a pretty solid point in its favor.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a cute rom-com book that I absolutely enjoyed. Perfect to pick up when you just want to forget everything and get into something sweet.

Reese Camden wants to get the fall internship with her favourite Friends of Flavor but things get a bit spiced up when she knows she has competition and that one that is outright charming in the form of Benny Beneventi.

They are both so good though Reese is at times irritating with her decisions and jumping to wrong conclusion making Benny my absolute favourite. They are the ones who have undeniable chemistry but with internship in line everything gets difficult.

The author has written a story touching feminism, misogyny, double standards happening at workplace with also negativity of social media. It has supportive and thoughtful characters, a plot that makes you think of what to accept and what to fight back for. It will make you think on issues at workplace and how are we part of that.

A perfectly interwoven story of issues to be addressed with lightness, banter, fun, friendship and all the caring attitude. I loved the finished product and recommend it to everyone.

Thank you Netgalley and Randome House Children, Delacorte Press for giving an opportunity to read this.

I'm truly a sucker for books combining cooking and romance. And this book really had great potential, but it did fall a bit short when it came to the characters themselves.

Love from Scratch follows the two eighteen-year-olds, Reese and Benny, as they're interns under the company Friends of Flavour. After going viral for their witty banters and chemistry, they're put together on a show making food together, with a competition to get the fall job. However, the lines between rivalry and lovers become quite unclear...

The book blends various important themes, such as sexism in the workplace and misogyny in cyberbullying. Moreover, it's a light and fun read with lots of swoon-worthy romantic scenes.

However, my problem with this book really comes down to the characters. First of all, the main motivation behind getting the fall job for Reese and Benny, is quite unclear. Why do they want it so bad? Second of all, who really are they? We don't really get to know them well. It would be incredibly interesting to know more of their backstory, which could show us their depth as well as be used in some way to show their motivation. If it was revealed, then I didn't catch it.

Then we have Reese. Oh Reese. I couldn't really relate to her, especially in the start where the only thing I knew about her, was that she was from Kentucky. I'm not American. I really don't get the fascination of having a Southern accent, not really. And I don't really get how the state Kentucky is seen as a Southern state, even though it's right in the middle of the country. Not too South not too North. It's a bit weird to me to understand. And there's seemingly a quite conservative society there, which shaped her. Her upbringing wasn't really something I could relate to, as I'm literally a second generation immigrant living in Norway. Yet I could understand when it did came to all the sexism she faced. Funny how sexism is universal, heh? Either way, I won't say I did agree with everything Reese did or thought. In some way, she created a one-sided rivalry with Benny, where she would already think of herself as in a worse position than Benny because of her sex. I mean, it is in some way true. But also quite unfair for Benny. But it's part of her personality, I guess. Benny... I don't really truly understand him. He didn't really stand out much.

When I say the characters did in fall short, it comes to development. Without truly establishing their personalities and motivations clearly, we (the readers) are left clueless. What are they working towards? What did they learn? This is my issue with Love from Scratch. It lacked the framework to create believable and complex characters. We ended up with two unrealistic main characters and no satisfying solutions or arcs. A bit spoilery, [but I really hoped I could see them stand up for themselves. Would have loved for Reese to truly take a stance by the end and finding her voice to speak up. But then we got Benny for the rescue, which kinda took away the possible power of Reese standing up for herself. It could have been better that way, cause then we would actually be able to witness true character growth. It's a bit of a shame.]

The side characters were another case too, where they didn't really seem to do much, unless it was a scene with the main leads. The author did try to diversify this book by adding LGBTQ+ people and POCs as side characters. It's an... attempt. In another way, it may not be the authors field and not their story to tell. They didn't really do much to the plot except pull the main characters' story, but it did give some insight or perspectives on being at least POCs and women in the entertainment industry.

It may seem like I'm only complaining about this book, but if that was the case, then I wouldn't have written that much. If I don't like the book, then I'll just say that. I did enjoy reading this book. The plot, pacing and writing was good. After all, I finished it within a few hours. The only problem I had was about the writing of the main characters. But that's common for a lot of debut books, as this is Hill's debut book. I'll be interested to see if there's any improvement in her future books.

Over & out. -Nora<3

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy of this book. I don't know if this book is officially listed as YA, but it basically is. There's nothing wrong with that, I just wasn't expecting it. This was cute! This definitely reads like a debut, which it is, and that's ok. I feel like there were points in time where Hill was telling me what Reese was feeling or doing instead of just showing it. I also only felt a little bit of chemistry between the main characters, not quite enough. However, I really liked the critiques of cyber bullying and how women are usually more severely affected by it. Overall, I enjoyed reading this and I think this author's next book could be even better!

I don’t read much YA these days, but this is one I am so glad I picked up. It’s fun, flirty, full of delicious food, and packs an emotional punch as our heroine,Reese, navigates a misogynistic workplace as well as the vitriol that being a remotely well known woman gets online. As high school graduates, Reese and Benny have their whole working lives ahead of them, and they land the two intern positions at a company that produces cooking shows. Their rivals-to-lovers energy is sparked when they have to step in to record a cooking show, and the audience eats up their chemistry.

Highlights:
Benny is such a sweetie, and when Reese loses it and rants at him about the reality of being a woman at work and online, he absorbs it, asks her for more, and does his own research. He is a great sounding board, and does more than any 18 year old boy I’ve ever seen to be an ally, and support Reese however he can. He still messes up, and he can’t ever really understand, but he tries and he wants to, and it’s so lovely.

The banter, the nicknames, the sneaking around, and vulnerability Benny and Reese have with each other is gold. I love this new trope of the heroes putting everything on the table, not playing games, and being totally honest about their feelings, desires, and wishes. It is so much easier for a heroine like Reese p, who has some relationship related trauma, to open up to Benny because he has absolutely no pretense about how much he likes her, and wants to give her whatever she wants. He’s gone from the beginning, and it’s so sweet.

The heart of the story is around Reese’s struggle to be seen and valued for who she is, and not give into the expectations that bigoted men have about her. She is sexualized, overlooked, disrespected, relegated to kitchen cleanup, and she knows at every turn how unfair it is, and also struggles to assert herself when the men who disrespect her have all the power. It’s very real, and stressful, but ultimately, satisfying, plot wise.

Overall, I am going to be thinking about this one for a while, and I’m so glad I got an ARC. Thanks to NetGalley, receiving an ARC didn’t affect my opinion or review in any way.

What a delightfully sweet debut!

I love a little cooking show competition-turned-romance, and LOVE FROM SCRATCH delivered with humor, heart, and heat. I love the food puns and nicknames, and the realistic commentary on sexism in the workplace and in social media. A delicious read!

A thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the early review copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

This is a very enjoyable read. Reese comes to Seattle for an internship with her favorite cooking channel in the summer before she will start college. Her goal is to secure a fall internship position and hopefully build a career at the channel. Her plans are tested almost immediately by Benny, a fellow intern and talented cook who also is interested in the fall role. When the two are put together for a video shoot at the last minute that goes viral, the channel decides to make it an ongoing series. As Reese and Benny spend more time together, she is committed to avoiding her growing feelings and keeping her eyes on the prize -- the fall role. But Benny proves to be much different than she expects, testing her resolve at the same time Reese is forced to adapt to the newfound celebrity that comes from being on-air talent at the channel. Will the competition drive Reese and Benny apart or finally bring them together?

This is highly readable. The premise is fun, especially for those who enjoy cooking shows, and it provides a great foundation for exploring the relationship between the two main characters as we learn more about their backgrounds which informs both how they engage with each other and opportunity at the channel.

Highly recommended!

This was a sweet young adult/ new adult rom com that will be perfect for when summer rolls around.

I loved reading this. The banter between the two characters was great. I loved the fact that Benny realized he liked Reese early on. Kind of a spoiler, but cover and plot gives the fact that this is a romance away.

I liked the fact that he was honest and just tried to win her affections over.

The book wasn't really enemies to lovers. The enemies part was only a bit one sided with the competition for the internship.

Some things I didn't like was how obsessed Reese got with the online comments and such. It seemed like she focused a little bit too much on that aspect but I could still relate to her on why she had misgivings about that.

I also wasn't a fan of the miscommunication part.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and I thought it was a sweet, adorable romance. I definitely recommend it for those that want something fun and light hearted. It was a four star rating.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing me the chance to read and review this book.

Tasty Kitchen, but make it a rivals romcom with thrown-in workplace misogyny and GIRL POWER.

Kaitlyn Hill's debut novel "Love from Scratch" is the cherry on the cake that will captivate audiences worldwide. It places a spotlight on the topics that should be amplified, including hatred comments toward females, workplace double standards, positive impacts of having a female mentor, and raising social media frames. Although some topics can be heavy, the way Kaitlyn approaches them in her writing makes it a super light, easy read that will resonate with many. Be prepaid to be brought to your feet to cheer on the main characters and cry from laughter from all the food puns. The sweet romance will be so delicious that you will want more—a must-read for every young person entering the real-world workplace. I can not wait to see what Kaitlyn comes out with next.

I will be thinking about this for a long time—full review with spoilers on my blog on 4/5 https://purposelyunperfect.com/love-from-scratch/

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @randomhousekids for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Reese and Benny get their dream internships at a food network esq. company they both seem like everything is perfect, until they are pinned against each other for the spot of the fall internship they are both vying for. Unfortunately only one of them can win the coveted prize. But that's not all! Benny is an endless flirt and when he admits he has real feelings for Reese she is intent on not letting feelings get in the way of the real prize, the internship. Except the longer they spend together, the more Reece realizes she doesn't hate Benny but may in fact like him! Can they make it work? Who will win the Fall internship?

First off this book deals a lot with the issues women face in the work place and in social environments. While I think this is an extremely important topic to bring to light, I think it went a little above and beyond. Reese also faces a ton of issues with self sabotage which I totally struggle with as well.

I wanted to love this book. It had all the elements that I love in a rom-com. While this was a cute read, I feel like there was a lot missing, or it wasn't polished enough. Was this enemies to lovers? I don't really think so. Reese seems to hate Benny from the bat for no good reason. He is so nice to her and says all the right things and she's just like NOPE! I loved Benny as a character. He's so sunshiny and personable, but at the same time I also found him to be too perfect and said all the right things and it felt really unrealistic/uneasy.

I also found it really confusing. Is Reece a noob in the kitchen who cant make a pretzel? Or is she so good she can qualify for the chef's internship at the company in the fall? In the beginning it is led to believe she is just the marketing intern and isn't a foodie or wanna be chef, she's just a fan of the network and of the "friends' as they put it. Yet she's in the competition for the culinary internship that Benny has currently for summer and is hopefully wanting for fall. This plot line just didn't work out for me. Also when we Reece finally confides in Katherine about her issues with the higher ups sexist remark, Katherine's response is "There are people who have it worse" and "He's just a creep. it is what it is." WHAT?! That just baffled me!

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This book was so much more than just a romance book. This book shows how it is for a female to live in this sexist society, how were treated and how sexualized we get. I loved how this book taught that women should stand up for themselves, especially against these sexist ass men that exist (sadly).

I wanted to kick that Geffordy guy I don’t remember and Aiden. Gahhh they got on my nerves.

Reese. REESE. My fav Blondie. She deserves the world. I felt so bad for her and wished I could give her a hug. She is so so strong and, in my opinion, was so relatable.

The romance was so cute DARN IT. I NEED A BENNY RIGHT NOW. He’s so perfect. Short king 💪💪 Him and Reese were the cutest people ever. I love them so much you don’t understand. Everyone needs to go read this book.

I gave this book a 5/5⭐️. I don’t care about all the flaws this book has, it was perfect in my eyes 🥲

This is a really solid debut, and exactly what I happen to like in a contemporary romance. I do think that the characters seem more mature than I would normally expect from eighteen year olds, especially Benny. Maybe there's a bit of wish fulfilment in the way his character was written, but I honestly didn't care. It was nice reading about a love interest that takes his partner's concerns very seriously, and is eager to learn and always do better.

There are plenty of cute romantic moments between Reese and Benny, but a large part of this book actually deals with sexism in the workplace. Even though Reese and Benny both star in a new series on the cooking channel, the (male) bosses quickly show favoritism towards Benny. Reese, meanwhile, gets comments about how she should smile more for example. These kinds of double standards are nothing new, and an incident in Reese's past has made her extra wary when it comes to this kind of behaviour. But it's hard to stand up to it when your job or internship is on the line. She also garners way more vitriol from fans online than her male cohost. I appreciated the way the author handled Reese's situation. That said, I do think it would've made the story stronger if we had been able to see other women at the company dealing with (or having dealt with) similar incidents/treatment.

The book lagged slightly in parts, and there is a bit of repetition in the things Reese stresses about, as well as the feminist commentary (some of which was a bit on the nose too), but I had a great time reading this.

“I have a feeling this summer is going to be a long and wild ride. Benny Beneventi had better buckle up.”

After graduating high school, Reece Camden lands a fabulous marketing internship at Friends of Flavor, a super popular cooking show that just so happens to be Reece’s favorite. If she can prove her skills, she might even have a great shot for Friends of Flavor’s fall internship too—and the future of her dreams. But when Reece is thrown together with the culinary intern, Benny, for a video that goes viral, Reece’s plan is flipped like a pineapple upside-down cake. Now audiences are clamoring for more of the internet’s latest ship, and Reece isn’t sure she has a say in the matter. To make matters worse, Benny is her greatest competition for the fall internship, and he isn’t going to turn down his relentless charm. Facing sexism, cyber bullying, and her own heart, Reece will have to navigate the heat of their competition and decide what’s most important to her and her future.

If you’ve heard me talk about romance for more than five seconds, you’ll know that enemies/rivals-to-lovers is my absolute favorite trope. Now take that and add in a hearty helping of feminism, a dash of delicious food descriptions, and a sprinkle of sweet moments and you’ll get Kaitlyn Hill’s debut Love From Scratch. Really, could anything be more perfect? And trust me, this book lives up to the hype. Hill does a fabulous job examining workplace double standards, sexism, and misogyny in a way that not only encourages understanding but also makes you want to get out there and fight for equality. Reece is such a relatable character as she struggles to balance her career dreams with what she knows is right and wrong. And don’t even get me started on Benny! Dreamy, compassionate, and a great cook…yes, please! There’s something for everyone in Love From Scratch, so get yourself a copy as soon it comes out!

Content Warnings: Anxiety, strong language, sexism, misogyny, mentioned homophobia, sexual harassment, underage drinking, cyber bullying

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

I am in LOVE with this book!!! I saw myself in Reece, and I was swooning from the second that we met Benny. And while I think there were some moments that we a little cringe worthy (sorry!), for me the best moments made up for it. It seems as if this book pulls a little from the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen Scandal (?) and I am here for it. We spend enough time with the secondary characters to love them, and the main characters are incredibly fleshed out (even if they do fall into some cliches). 10/10 would recommend to anyone looking for a lighthearted read that still packs a punch and makes a statement.

Well this was an adorable read, between the characters and the setting.

Reese has been a fan of the show Friends With Flavor, so when an opportunity for an internship in marketing opens up she jumps on it. When another random opportunity happens and she’s forced to do a segment with another intern, Benny, sparks fly. What soon became a one time thing becomes a full blown segment. But when the pressure sets and internet trolls come out in force, Reese wonders if she can even do this and the relationship she’s started to build with Benny.

Right off the bat this story had sweet and funny banter. And the fact that it centered around a food show, I mean come on who doesn’t love those. The storyline was enjoyable and I loved that the author put in the criticism people face being in media. It’s savage! The way people treat each other. How others beat each other down behind a screen. But it was nice and refreshing to see a guy help a girl see that she’s more than that worth.

Plot: When I first read the summary for this book, I knew I absolutely add it to my TBR list, because it just sounded like such a "me" book. Rivals to more? A cooking channel? Yes and yes! And I am so happy to write that I was right! It was so gouda! I loved reading about Reese competing for the job, and falling in love, while also dealing with how cruel people can be, not to even mention how differently she was treated from Benny (even though it made me angry during these parts, because it was so true).

Characters: Reese was a great main character! Benny was so sweet, and while I must admit that I (like Reese) wasn't a big fan of him at first, by the end of the book I was totally shipping them. (I know Benny won't go bacon Reese's heart, because he's her biggest flan! They're the real dill, and are practically pearfect!) Reese's friends were great, and I loved how supportive they were. The chefs (particularly the women) at Friends of Flavor were awesome, too!

The Cover: It's really cute, I like it!

Overall: This was a five star read for me, and I can't recommend this book enough! I loved it so mochi! (Food puns play a part in their romance, so I had to sprinkle a few in this review! Can you spot them all?) Overall, I highly recommend this YA novel!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.