Another debut author with a really fun romance! Really enjoyed the (cheese-y) banter between Reese and Benny; it was really Gouda.

Reese and Benny are both interning at a food network channel and fall into a new season series Amateur Hour. This was a fun, clean, creative romance. And who couldn't love the "Cake" session that was taped. A delicious joy of a romance!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kaitlyn Hill the author and the publisher Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read the advance release copy in exchange for an honest review. Expected publish date is 5 April 2022.

I didn't really like this book. I think it was just the mood I was in but the story seemed a bit too cliche and I wasn't able to connect with the characters like I wanted to. I liked the overall concept but I had to DNF it.

Love From Scratch is an adorable rom-com filled with food, feminism, friendship, and a fun romance. First of all the characters were wonderful. Reese is a relatable and interesting narrator and I really loved her relationship with Benny. Benny was such a sweet character and I just loved his admiration and love for Reese. I also loved Reese’s friends: Nat & Clara. They were really interesting characters who had their own backstories and hints of mini side plots as well. Something else i loved is that this story discusses a lot of different topics like feminism, dress codes, double standards, and just general misogyny in the workplace. I really liked that the book talked about these aspects and found ways to address and combat the issues surrounding some of these topics. Finally, the story’s climax/finale was just perfect. I was squealing as I read what was happening and honestly may have even swooned at one point. This book is a terrific YA romance that any reader will wanna have on their shelf in 2022.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 out of 5 Stars

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

While I was charmed by the premise of this book I didn’t actually enjoy it the way I thought I would. This is not to say that the story was lacking or that it was written badly, that’s not the case at all. In the end it comes to my personal preferences.

It’s very hard for me to enjoy a book when the main character is so anxious and paranoid and self doubting ninety percent of the time. It’s especially unbearable when the whole book is solely this characters point of view. With no other characters, not even the main love interest to give the readers a break from the constant second guessing and looking at everything that is happening from the worst case scenario.

Even when fun things were happening I couldn’t enjoy it fully because it wouldn’t be long till the main character would self sabotage her own joy.

This is not the kind of reading experience I enjoy and therefore it was an effort to finish.

I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley. When I seen this cover I had to have it! I’ve worked in a kitchen for half of my life so I was so excited when I received the copy.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, but then Reese became very annoying. I hate putting characters down but i almost didn’t want to finish the book. I’m all for a woman coming into her own and being scared of her past but she needed to step up in my option. Now for Benny well I loved Benny! The back and forth between him and Reese was great! I loved setting of this book and the ending was good. I’d give this author another try down the road.

This was a DNF for me. The main character Reese was really annoying, I didn't understand her immediate dislike for Benny, who I thought was very charming and genuine. Also, it didn't make sense to reveal that she had a bad experience with internet fame after filming the first segment she did with Benny. By then my dislike of her was already established so it was hard to like her. I think if I got more of her backstory first instead of being thrown into the filming, she would have been more likable.

Start with the purest golden retriever of a love interest, add a messy feminist heroine trying to stand on her own, stir in exactly the right proportion of food puns (which is lots), blend in some deeply necessary thinking about the toxic nature of being a woman online, and you've got this sunny, delightful nom-com. LOVE FROM SCRATCH is exactly the cheerful yet thoughtful Test Kitchen-inspired romance I hoped it would be, and I would happily read a second epilogue that's just Reese coming up with new and creative nicknames for Benny for an additional 10 pages. This book made me smile—and it made me hungry.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's books and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Love From Scratch is about two rivals who are a part of a baking competition. Reese is trying to have a no dating policy with her competitors especially with gorgeous Benny.

I normally love an enemies to lovers story but this book was definitely intended for its targeted audience, which is okay. I liked Benny but I wasn't much of a fan of Reese. I felt like her "voice" was too annoying for me to read. The writing was okay and the plot wasn't anything special.

2.5 stars

First of all, I absolutely adore this cover. Second off, I absolutely adored Benny. The puns he made were so cute. Reese? Not so much. So I guess we'll start there. She comes across very not like other girls, if you know what I mean. She's a feminist. Her bestie is a lesbian. She left behind her small Southern town for Seattle. She is marginally annoying. And not in a good way for an FMC, I'm sad to say. (Do you want to know how long it took my Southern husband to not ask for sweet tea when he, at 23, came home north with me? One time. How long did it take for Reese? Oh, she's still asking in Seattle right this second.) However, I happen to adore FMCs who are a little different like that, so that wasn't a deal breaker or turn off for me.

Reese is woke, but she's woke in like, a very teenage, very annoying, very shove-it-down-your-throat way. As one of the FoF followers accurately said, "she srsly can't go 5 mins w/o making some stupid comment about the patriarchy I watch this channel for the food not for an idiot pushing her views on everyone."
*"I must have forgotten to check my internalized self-consciousness from years of sexist school dress codes at the door today. That shit runs deep." Given the characterization set up for Reese, I don't believe this is something she's still dwelling on. As a teacher, I also don't believe she was ever dress coded. And given the comments about her parents, I doubt she owned anything that would've come close to it. This was just a stupid thing to add in that really made me roll my eyes. Is she correct about school dress codes? 100% Do I care in the confines of this book? Nope. And then later, she's talking to Benny about it and says, "The rules don't apply to you. The dress code's entire purpose is to police women's bodies." Again, she is right. But it comes across as eye roll inducing, fake, written-by-an-adult. Also, there 100% would be a mens part to the dress code, or that'd be an HR nightmare.
*"What a blessing it must be to be a good-looking, confident dude." Sweetie, the same could be said of ladies. For her being so feminist, this was incredibly sexist.
*"On the other hand, even if I had been better prepared or more knowledgeable, I probably wouldn't be accepted as easily as Benny. I'd be a know-it-all or bossy. If I laughed at all his jokes and went along with everything he said, I'd be a ditz or falling all over him. It's just another one of what seems like countless situations in life where as a women, you can't win." (Clearly written by an adult.) She's right. Based on her character, if she'd been more confident, yes, she would've been a bossy know-it-all. Because she wasn't personable. Not because she was a girl. Again, sexist.
*"I have half a mind to go back there and deliver Mr. Geoffrey Block, CEO, a swift kick in the pants for that...whatever that was. Of all the people to treat me like a girl-shaped dress mannequin, I swear." Y'all. All he did was look at her and compliment her dress. She was self-conscious about the dress and projected that onto him. Was he rude to only talk to Benny? Yes. But again, Reese is so woke that's all she can focus on.

Reese is either self-un-aware, dumb, or again, projecting onto other people her insecurities. She gets feedback on the videos her and Benny are doing, and they tell her to be a little nicer. She's coming across a little mean on camera. LAWD HAVE MERCY. "...they wish I was more like my costar in everyway--ie male--but this was the only criticism they could acceptably say aloud." NO GIRL. They want you to stop acting judgmental towards your costar ON CAMERA. Shows like that are made or broken by the chemistry the hosts have. If she's constantly hurling insults loosely disguised as jokes, the audience will notice and stop watching. THAT'S what her bosses were concerned with. Not that she was a girl. FoF had plenty of girl hosts.

Reese is judgmental. In a you-don't-have-a-right-to-be way. I wish authors would stop taking this route to drive home the "FMC doesn't like MMC right away." Do they always have to just look cocky? You just know they're cocky? I mean... "I meant to look away, but my eyes catch on his, and on the cocky smirk playing over his face. Ugh. He knows he's objectively attractive, and now he knows that I know." Which, spoiler alert, Benny actually does not know he's objectively attractive, not like Reese is accusing him of, at least. Another: "I barely know the guy and what I know so far, I'm not sure I much care for. He's cocky, which I hate..." Hoooowwwww do we know he's cocky? Fellow reader, we do not. We are simply told by Reese. Oh, and then, when Benny is trying to be sweet and get to know her (as you do when you meet a stranger), she internally freaks. "His question raises my defensive porcupine quills. I've known this guy for all of forty-eight hours. I don't owe him my 'story' yet." No, girl, you do not owe anyone anything. But geesh. I can't see why Benny kept pursuing her if that was her mindset to get to know someone, at 18, in a new city all the way across the country.

My las complaint is this quote: "They're all from like, Illinois and Nebraska and other white-bread middle-American states. Makes no difference. Bigots are bigots." As someone who grew up in the Midwest and then moved, and taught, in the South, this is wildly offensive. This quote, among some of the others mentioned above, really made me wonder about the sensitivity beta reading on this one. Like damn. Are there bigots in the Midwest? Yes. But they're not confined to flyover states. Just like not all flyover states are bigoted. Are there backwood idiots in the South? Yes. But I'm not writing a book about that stereotype because it's seen as outdated, rude, and ignorant.

Here's the thing, Reese aside, this was a cute book. I loved the romance blossoming, even if I wasn't a fan of Reese (and don't believe they'd last as a couple, not sorry.) Benny was swoon worthy. Their dialogue was so cute. The plot was fresh, unique, and just perfect. This was overall a 4 star book, but Reese's irritants that were sprinkled here and there brought the book down for me. Should you check it out? YES! You (probably) won't regret it. Would I recommend this? Yes! Students, girlfriends, baking show lovers alike.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was so adorable! I knew I wanted it as soon as I read it was enemies-to-lovers with baking. And it didn't disappoint! It was just as good as I was expecting, if not better.

My favorite thing was definitely the romance. Reese and Ben were adorable together! They had their issues, and yes, they were rather large issues, but they worked through them so well. Their romance was realistic, and it was so beautiful because of that.

I also really loved the Friends of Flavor crew. They tackled real issues like misogyny without it seeming fake or preachy. It was inspiring to see them work together, and they had some of the best friendships.

It's late, so this is getting a short review, but you should definitely read this! It was super adorable, and a super fun read.

This book was a humorous, tantalizing look at the possibilities of the intersection between social media and feminism. The protagonist struggles with having endured sexism in her past and in her career path, but her resilience and puns will keep you reading. I recommend this book to anyone interested in teenage activism, feminism, food, and/or romance.

To start off, I want to say thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to receive an arc of this book!

This book was so fun and I loved it so much. the characters were so cute and Reese’s accent was funny asf. The baking aspect was so interesting and overall this was just a feel good story. It was definitely a 5/5 and again thank you to Netgalley for letting me read a review copy of this novel! :)

If you devour every, last cooking show like I do, you will adore this book, which has it all: rivals to lovers, witty banter, incredible chemistry, and even a discussion of feminism! An absolutely charming rom com -- I'm already casting the Netflix movie! Highly recommended!

What a cute and sweet story. With some important themes of the issues of social media and feminism, the story flows well. Likeable and believable characters.

Thanks Netgalley for a arc copy of this book for a honest review..  
Love From Scratch was such a sweet delightful book. I enjoy watching I also enjoying Reese and Benny love story they made me smile throughout the whole book. 5 star read 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟



Happy Reading Lisa 📚

Really enjoyed this slow burn, friends to lovers YA Contemporary. We follow Reese as she and Benny (the other network intern) have their summer responsibilities broadened into a cooking show together. The episodes are full of food puns, witty interactions, and denied chemistry between the two, and so is their off-camera time. Though we do not get to read Benny's perspective, he is a delightful, and supportive, ray of sunshine. Reese though, tries her best to appear just as delightful on at work while battling sexism and gender double standards, both from management and what she has internalized through her life experiences.

I highly recommend this PG-rated YA Contemporary to all YA readers, and think many will find it as incredibly relatable as I do.

This novel was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review:

This was a cute sweet YA Rom-Com. It has positive female vibes throughout. It teaches a strong lesson in how women are sometimes treated unfairly in a man's world.

Reese, who has experienced a traumatic bullying incident, just graduated high school and is traveling to work an internship at her dream job. By accident, she ends up having to work with the other intern, Benny.

Benny and Reese are the positive picture that teen girls should strive for in a relationship. This is definitely a good positive influence for a teenager or a young adult.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Children's for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions stated are entirely my own. This book was so fun to read that I read it in a day! I loved the characters and all the scenes were entertaining and adorable. I also loved how it dealt with heavier issues like sexism while still being a light and adorable read. I thought the relationship was adorable and could see the chemistry, As a southerner, I can also say all Resse's jokes, comments, and sayings are spot on. There were moments in the book I was laughing and moments I was squealing from the cuteness. This was one of my favorite books of the year and cannot wait to read what this author writes next. Also, I need this to be adapted into a rom-com ASAP.

Sweet young adult romance. Very cheesy but cute. Follows several tropes and no real surprises. There was a sweetness to the romance that was nice.

Disclosure: While I do not know Kaitlyn Hill personally I do know her sister and was excited about this book from the first time I heard about it. To that note, I have also pre-ordered the book.

Love from Scratch is the romance I didn't know I needed. Set in a world I am very familiar with, a famous cooking network that wasn't not BA, Reese and Benny are spending their summers interning for the network in hopes to get the coveted fall position. Reese is a strong young woman who knows what she wants and has been supported by those around her to go after her dreams. Benny, we learn over time, is a boy struggling to figure out who he is as he emerges from a close family where seemingly his life was planned out for him. I absolutely loved the evolution of friendships, of female empowerment, and discussions of the damages that can come from social media. I can't wait to see more from Kaitlyn Hill in the future!

5/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.