I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I had a hard time connecting with the couple. We got dropped into the action and didn’t know why they hated each other or their history. And the premise for fake dating-one of my favorite tropes, fell flat for me. As they got to know each other, I didn’t feel as though Nina and Leo had much in the way of chemistry. Unfortunately, the book fell flat for me.

This was one of my most anticipated of the year and sadly, I think my expectation were a bit too high. I think this book definitely has an audience that will love it but I’m not part of it, unfortunately.

My main issues were the pacing and I found Leo to be really annoying at times. There were parts of the book that felt like it could have been edited down or just felt entirely unneeded.

The parts I did like were the chemistry between the two main characters and the complexity of the characters as individuals. I also thought the headline portions of the news stories about them were a cute touch.

This was a great story! really enjoyed the plot and characters. I look forward to picking up a copy to read once this is released!

I just wasn't feeling this at all. I didn't get any chemistry between Nina and Leo and we just got to their fake dating plotline before I ended up giving up on the book. This is primarily a fake dating story, with a dash of foodie goodness sprinkled in. It felt like it was taking too long to get the plot moving and actually have the characters talking and at this point, I've read so many cooking related romances, this one just faded into the background.

I do enjoy a good Enemies-to Lovers with a fake dating storyline. 😍 Especially where characters are saddled with the possibility of losing something if they don't put their differences aside to work together.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars

The heat between Leo and Nina was heavy, full of animosity and misunderstandings right off the bat. This heat transferred well into their fake dating situation and made for some interesting banter.

🌶🌶🌶🌶/5 Steam Rating

I absolutely loved the emails, text messages, tabloid headlines, and social media commentary throughout the book. It added a little something extra and was fun to read through.

And the food! 🥰 Hoping there are some recipes in the final print!!!

I'm also a sucker for punny humor - it will make me laugh every time. 😏

On a more serious note, I appreciate that this book takes an honest look at how everyone handles their mental health differently. More importantly, it depicts how vital it is to care for your mental well-being and how neglecting it affects the people around you.

Can't wait to read more from Erin La Rosa!

Thank you, NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Erin La Rosa, for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Rounding up from 2.5. This book was… all right. I like the tropes of fake dating and enemies to lovers, but the author didn’t set them up as enemies well enough before they started getting super emotionally intimate. I love found family vibes, but Jasmine’s personal arc was much stronger than the FMC and MMC—seriously, both mains had about one chapter where their whole arc was crammed in and this side character had growth oops the whole book. I loved the grand romantic gesture and discussion of sexism in the food industry, but overall felt like for 370+ pages, there was too much filler and not enough of what I wanted. Honest review exchanged for ARC

For Butter or Worse: 3.5 stars

The romance plot line was cute, enemies to dating always has some interesting aspects. The dates they went on would definitely be some that I would enjoy, and seeing Nina and Leo in those scenarios was entertaining. But despite that, I think the way that mental health and grieving over a parent were represented well within the book and it really stood out to me. Having dealt with both of these myself, seeing it in a book and fairly similar ways to my life made it seem more normal rather than be being an outsider when it comes to these things.

As well as the cute relationship and what I feel are amazing representations of some heavy topics, For Butter or Worse also had some other amazing plot points. A large aspect of the book was following Nina as a woman chef, and how she was breaking through the small windows that she has within that role, which is always something I enjoy to see. And also Halloween! Although it was not integral to the plot, it takes place around Halloween and we get some cute scenes which I loved.

Although I enjoyed so many aspects to this book, a large part of this is enemies to lovers, which normally I can be on board with. But in For Butter or Worse, the way that Nina was treated by Leo initially was something that continued to bug me. I know there is a large transformation in their relationship (as there is in all enemies to lovers), but still I found the change quite staggering in my opinion.

Overall, For Butter or Worse is cute, and it tackles tough and important topics, but personally I could not entirely ignore the way that Nina was treated prior to the fake dating arrangement.

What a fun book! This enemies to lovers book really sold me on the joy that is enemies to lovers. There’s miscommunication and forced proximity and all the goodness you need from and enemies to lovers trope that makes it good.

There was humor written in it along with a dual POV that helped up the yearning of “I feel it… do they?” on both sides which I just adore!

Nina was such a great character because although she seem closed off and stuck up in Leo’s point of view, she was actually kind and misunderstood, as a strong woman in a competitive field is. Leo was also such a sweet, hunky lead and him being such a romantic was just a huge plus!

I enjoyed this one lots and please ignore how long it took me to read this, I fell in a brief reading slump in the month of May. This was a fun read especially for people who enjoy fake dating, enemies to lovers and celeb chef aspects! Thank you netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in return of an honest review!

First, I have to say, as soon as I saw this title, I knew I needed to read the book. I love a catchy title, and knowing the book had a culinary element made me even more eager to dive in. For Butter or Worse didn’t disappoint. It’s an entertaining enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance with a lot of tropes I love.

This is a great story for readers who enjoy enemies-to-lovers, miscommunication, fake dating, or a grumpy-sunshine relationship. Leo and Nina are rivals and enemies who antagonize each other constantly. Their banter is fantastic, and even though they are constantly hurling insults at each other, their chemistry is off the charts! Nina comes across as a bit of a snob, and Leo appears to be a carefree ladies’ man. However, both are very different from what they originally seemed.

The premise of the story is pretty entertaining. Leo and Nina are co-hosts and enemies when Nina reaches her breaking point live on the season finale of the show and quits on air. A social media frenzy ensues, and Nina and Leo enter a fake relationship after receiving a ton of bad press. Both want to enhance their reputation and keep their fledgling restaurants afloat, but neither expected their fake romance to start to feel not so fake.

Nina and Leo have a complicated relationship, and they have to confront their misunderstandings, hurtful comments, and sabotage-like behavior before they can move forward. I was a bit put off by Leo considering he was the one who perpetuated a particularly degrading and sexist nickname that went viral, but I appreciate his regret and his steps to change. They both change a lot as they realize that their antagonistic behavior might actually be hiding their true feelings for each other. I like that, as they go on fake dates, they start to not only understand each other but respect each other. Both have great character arcs, and their romance is tumultuous, funny, frustrating, sexy, and steamy!

I also really liked Leo’s family. They remind me so much of my own family in the way they tease and banter with each other. There’s a lot of love there, even though they can be a bit meddlesome and overbearing. There are also some great messages about sexism, mental health, work-life balance, and online bullying, which I think most readers can relate to. I thought the story realistically portrayed anxiety and panic attacks and liked the messages about the benefits of therapy and self-care.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Harlequin for providing me with an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

DNF at 66%

The premise of this was fun. I love a good food based romance, but there just wasn't anything fresh or original about any of it. Everything was very predictable and the writing was basic and too many things were overexplained.

I liked the anxiety rep in Leo and liked seeing a male character showing his vulnerabilities in that way. The one smut scene I read was good, but overall it wasn't holding my attention.

YES. YES. YES. It was in fact sizzling. UGH. UGH. UGH.

I love a good enemies to lovers, rivals, cooking romcom.

This was a very trope-tastic read – you’ve got it all here… fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, miscommunication, grump x sunshine and a cinnamon roll love interest, plus throw in the culinary/foodie angle and it’s a great read. The two MC’s have chemistry and the book delivers on the steamy sex, whew! In addition, there’s a nice balance of humor and the heavier elements discussed like sexism in celebrity media & the culinary world and mental health topics. In the end, for me, the miscommunication stuff went on a bit too long (I have a very limited amount of patience for this trope.) I will say the ending… so swoony! Overall, if you enjoy watching and reading anything cooking related be sure to pick up this book.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and HQN – Harlequin Books in exchange for an honest review.

Chef Nina Lyon wants to inspire young women to become chefs. As co-host of The Next Cooking Champ!, she hopes to really make a name for herself in the culinary world. Unfortunately, her co-host, restauranteur Leo O'Donnell, tends to get under her skin when they're filming. When he takes a barb a bit too far, Nina quits on camera. Thrown in a paparazzi photo of what looks to be in a compromising position with Leo, and the fans are absolutely hooked. Leo and Nina now have to pretend to be dating in order to save their careers.

I love the fake dating, enemies to lovers, and mutual pining tropes. I especially enjoyed the use of Halloween and autumn as the backdrop of many of Nina and Leo's dates, and how it ties nicely int the epilogue.

I really enjoyed Jasmine and Gavin's relationships with Nina and Leo - the way that each pair supported each other through their challenges and the next steps of their careers was really nice to read. I enjoyed the way that Nina and Leo's careers evolved throughout the course of the story (although I do wish we got to hear about what Leo ended up doing in the epilogue!). Sometimes your dreams don't work out. Sometimes you get a second chance in a different way. Sometimes what you think is your next best step turns out to not be working for you in the present, and that's okay.

I thought that the portrayal of Leo's anxiety was really well done - his panic attacks, the discussion of treatment and therapy, and the way that he and his family work to address the stressors that were fueling the anxiety attacks.

I appreciated that while Leo apologizes for the way that he had treated Nina in the past (and works to improve his behavior), she does not forgive him for those past insults. It's refreshing to see that you don't have to forgive someone for the damage that they've done.

Unfortunately, something that really took me out of the story was Leo's dad and Vinny's backstory. The "I'm Irish but Italian at heart" story got weird when his dad ended up giving his own kids Italian names and shortended his own to make Vinny's seem more Italian. It honestly reminded me of Rachel Dolezal. A shame, since this was only briefly mentioned but was really off putting as a person of color.

Overall, a lighthearted, cute romance that I enjoyed reading.

A thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, HQN, and NetGalley for the ARC.

There was a lot of emotion to this book that made it very entertaining to read. The characters had a lot of depth, but I feel the plot wasn’t very original. I also felt like the characters personalities took huge turns that weren’t very believable. I was also just missing the chemistry between Nina and Leo. It’s just too hard to believe that Nina was bullied and belittled for three years, plus internet backlash, then so quickly felt a spark for her tormentor. There were loose ends that weren’t tied up and plot points that weren’t at all true to character and didn’t make any sense. Nothing really stood out, but it was a nice and easy read. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

Nina and Leo are co-hosts on the reality cooking TV series called “The Next Cooking Champ” which sounds a lot like GBBO making it irresistible. They are rivals to the point of enemies. She accepted the hosting gig on tv to make name for herself among chefs, a very male-dominated industry. She is doing the job in part to prevent her first restaurant from closing. Unlike Nina, Leo is the CEO of a prospering restaurant chain. He wants to gain respect in the industry and takes the host job in hopes it will get him that.

Nina makes a choice to leave the series which is the plot twist needed to get this couple into a fake relationship and sparks fly between them. This book includes some of my very favorite tropes - enemies to lovers, fake dating, grumpy versus sunshine, and FOOD! I highly recommend you have a snack handy while reading it.

I just reviewed For Butter or Worse by Erin La Rosa. #ForButterorWorse #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Thank you so much to Harlequin and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my gosh, this book. THIS BOOK! When I say FBoW is a meal, it's not just because it's a foodie's dream setting (but that, too!). Between the expert pairing of enemies to lovers and fake dating (that go together like a juicy steak and a Cabernet Sauvignon), and the chemistry that jumps off the page, there's a lot to love. La Rosa had me fully invested in Nina and Leo's story from the first chapter. I was all-in for Leo the second I learned about him stress-eating to manage his Nina-related stress. All in all, For Butter or Worse is well-written, funny, sexy, and full of heart. Bring a snack (and a drink for the spicy scenes!) 4.5/5, definitely add this one to your list!!

This story was just OK for me. I felt it dragged in the middle and changed story lines too often. The enemy to l0ver story between the main characters took too long to develop. The cooking scenes were interesting and yummy Nina's best friend was a great character and I would love to try her food! If you love stories about chefs and food mixed with romance, this may be the book for you.

This was a cute rom com - honestly it was a little slow for me but that could be because I was coming off a fantasy high. Would recommend to anyone who loves traditional rom com/romance novels

first of all a female chef, I LOVE! when combined with Leo, the restaurateur and a fake relationship this book has all the makings for a perfect enemies to lovers. the book doesn't disappoint either.

I was initially interested in FOR BUTTER OR WORSE (isn't this such a great title!?) because Helen Hoang's blurb: “With great tension, simmering heat, and clever banter, FOR BUTTER OR WORSE is a mouthwateringly delicious enemies-to-lovers romance.” This blurb does not mislead in any way. This is exactly what FOR BUTTER OR WORSE is. Such a great enemies-to-lovers romance. Perfect tension throughout. I read this in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down. And the food! So much mouth-watering food. Well done, Erin La Rosa! I cannot wait to read whatever she publishes next.