*thanks to the publisher for providing an e-ARC for review*

The premise was perfect and pulled me right in,  requesting just after watching another full season of a baking competition show. I was hopeful that, even though the synopsis states that Nina quits her hosting position live on TV, that I would still get to see some of the competition. I didn't expect it to be over within the first ~20 pages of the book.

Despite my disappointment, I continued reading. But Nina and Leo's chemistry was lacking for me, and above all, I felt like their relationship, romantic or not, was boring. I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters, and while fake dating is my favorite trope, this one just missed the mark for me.

Maybe I'll come back to it at a different time, but after getting 35% done, this one's a DNF.

Enemies to fake dating to lovers.

I first picked up this book because of the pun in the title. I also will never say no to enemies to lovers or fake dating. Now, I am glad that I did.

I am a sucker for good banter and these two did not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted so badly to love this classic enemies to lovers of two food connoisseurs. Unfortunately, that was just not how this played out for me.
Nina and Leo met while working on a cooking show. While both faced major attraction, neither could figure out how to appropriately interact with each other. The tensions and lack of communication felt like it continued on for what felt like 300 pages, even while the couple were rather close.

I was very appreciative of the book highlighting the struggles for women in the food industry. This prejudice is very real in the food industry and needs to be discussed. Like many other fields, women must fight to be recognized.

4 ⭐

Enemies to lovers and a cooking show aspect? Yes!

This was so good. I really like this authors writing and so glad I requested it on Netgalley

Nina was such an amazing character and I'll definitely reread this one in the future.

I really liked the chemistry between both of the mc's and the romance was very cute

The title intrigued me, and I'm so glad I requested this book! It was a very cute read, and I thoroughly enjoyed each page.

Nina can't stand her co-judge Leo, but when she quits her job and her restaurant is in danger of closing, he's her only option. So, because this is a romance, they start fake dating! They can't kill each other, but what if they want to kiss each other?

The characters were well thought out, and I really liked Sophie and Jasmine. The banter between Nina and Leo was a lot of fun, and I loved their inside jokes that kept getting brought up. The ending was adorable! I would like to read Sophie or Jasmine's stories in a sequel.

The story follows food reality tv cohost Nina and Leo. Nina is referred to as the female Gordon Ramsey of the show, while Leo is basically the eye candy with a sense of humor. In true enemies to lovers fashion, these two hate either other, but due to unfortunate circumstances, they enter into a fake dating relationship where they both benefit from.

This has some good slow burn, and both characters have their own things to work through. The back and forth between these two was hot, and I was so happy to find that this wasn’t a clean romance I wanted to cheer when they steaminess got started. While this was a romantic read, it deals social media, mental health, and family relationships.

I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend.

Melli’s Book Breakdown
🤍Chef Romance
🤍Reality TV Romance
🤍enemies to lovers
🤍fake dating
🤍Dual POV (3rd person)
🤍steamy
🤍slow burn

This book was too cute! I really enjoyed it, and it was a breath of fresh air. It had its “too cheesy” moments, but it only made it that much cuter.

This was such a fun read! Lots of banter, sparks flying, and sexual tension - and of course, I loved all the foodie talk 😋 Cant' wait to grab my copy when it comes out!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this arc! I really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun reading it! I really recommend, the characters were awesome, and I loved all the side characters, it was a perfect rom-com. Enemies to lovers and fake dating combined is the best so I definitely loved this.

I posted this review on goodreads!

Super fun, engaging read by Erin La Rosa about chef Nina Lyon wanting to make her way in the culinary world and her co-host Leo O'Donnell doing everything he can to ruin her -- until Nina takes a closer look and realizes Leo isn't who she first thought him to be. This is a great story, a unique take on enemies to friends to more! Recommend!

Thank you for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was really cute and I had really high hopes for it. Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations. I felt as though it was wayyyy too long. The side characters were fairly boring. I hated the conflict-resolution. It fell very flat for me. I didn't really buy into the connection between our two love interests. There WAS a lot of good banter, but there was a lot of extra stuff that just bored me. In my opinion this book needs to be tightened and a bit shorter. I needed to be a bit more convinced of their attraction because I did not feel it at all until 200-250 pages in. Which is frustrating. I wanted this to be an angsty slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers. It also didn't make sense why they didn't really like each other. Also I know that he makes up for it but he was still kinda sexist to her? Like?! I would rather have conflict/tension through other things not because she's a woman. It wasn't bad but it had room for improvement. Also this is a book about food and it did a lot of talking rather than showing. Like they mention the show and they mention the restaurants but I did not feel like the restaurants/the food/the food competition was at the forefront.

I love puns and love the title of this book! It fits the theme of the novel really nicely. This book also had everything - the workplace romance, fake dating and enemies-to-lovers, and at times I did feel like the author was trying to throw in every single thing that she thought could turn it into a popular book (miscommunication, kissing in the rain, guy falls first, etc...), so I think some things just weren't fleshed out as they should've been; however, as a slow burn, I felt that the author really executed on the enemies-to-lovers part of the story.

I didn’t love this. I feel like we never got to see the development of Nina and Leo’s relationship in the beginning, so it felt like we were just jumping into them hating each other. And I didn’t love the plot, and never felt connected to the characters.

Erin La Rosa delivers a delicious rom-com featuring fake-dating and enemies to lovers as the main tropes. The lovable cast of characters, flirty and sarcastic banter, and slow build of a beautiful relationship was everything I was looking for in a quick and enjoyable read.
While the main trope of enemies to lovers is in the spotlight with the main characters who seem to be polar opposites, the fake-dating and second-chance romance is where the plot begins to really shine. I really enjoy fake dating tropes because when the tiny details of dating start to really shine in order for the characters to “sell the relationship”, there’s a noticeable shift of no longer pretending and when done well it is absolutely beautiful.
Leo is a lovable male lead who cares deeply for his family and loved ones. I was amazed and giddy to read a male character struggling with anxiety and grief!
Nina is a sassy and independent female lead who is shouldering all the burdens women carry while being in the spotlight. Her growth and passion is fun to watch and admirable.
I enjoyed the read and will be on the lookout for any future rom-com releases La Rosa may deliver.

This book was provided to me for review by NetGalley, but the opinions are my own!

It's my first ARC, and I actually have this book on request for purchase at a few of my libraries. Without much knowledge of how ARCs work (are they final? Will there be more changes?) I'll give it my best shot...

So CLEARLY there was some meeting of the romance novelists and they all decided that this year's theme was going to be Cooking Shows/Kitchens/Chefs, across all gender identities and sexualities and tropes. I think I've read two of these already, considered a few more, and have one more on hold. Is it the tension? The stress? High stakes mincing that turns into making out? In some sense, that both characters are chefs of some sort makes it even LESS realistic than the average romance novel trope, because chefs work...all the time. Like, ALL the time, weird hours, never taking a break.

But let's assume that this is the world we live in, where two chefs on a cooking show are famous enough that people will follow news of their personal lives and Fake Dating. Even still, I think the chef-y element here was more of a detraction than an addition, unfortunately, not even including some awkward/slightly fatphobic language around what one looks like after "enjoying pasta" versus "going for runs so as to not look like they enjoy pasta."

There's also a lot of plot in this book, and not necessarily in a woven together, well fitting sort of way. For the most part, I found the various plot lines that weren't Nina and Leo a bit underwhelming and then unrealistic, to the detriment of my enjoyment of the overall plot. Their antagonism, I think, was well justified--Leo really does have to figure out what he did when he dubbed Nina "Nasty Nina." More focus on what it means to cancel someone might also have worked well in this book.

5 stars

Cinnamon and Espresso—a mouthwatering combination, and the best way to describe the dynamic and addictive relationship that is Nina Lyon & Leo O'Donnell. Workplace enemies turned lovers through fake dating in a world surrounded by food, For Butter or Worse is an unputdownable novel.

Oh my, do I love these two. They made me laugh, blush, squirm in delightful moments, and recoil in the difficult.

Nina is a self-built chef, and co-host of a foodie competition & reality TV series, "The Next Cooking Champ"! Leo claimed his co-hosting spot through the running of his inherited family-owned chain of Italian restaurants. Having worked on the show together for three years, they never let up on the digs at each other. Nina having despised Leo's comedic relief next to her hard critiques, and Leo always feeling the need to one-up Nina to ensure he rightfully deserved his co-hosting spot beside her. Their clashing on-air personalities caused turmoil between these two as well as the fans tuning in to watch the show. Sexism and mental health play a huge part in the downfall and ultimate end of their roles as co-hosts. With both their once-thriving businesses now in trouble—they attempt to put trust in each other through a fake dating scheme in the hopes it will help one another's livelihoods, but find that maybe their sworn enemy wasn't so bad after all.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This title releases July 26, 2022

Will come back to edit when I can accurately gather my thoughts for how much I loved this steamy enemies to lovers book that take up all of my thoughts right now.

Erin La Rosa will be a name on every bookshelf in every household, I'm calling it now.

A cute romantic, steamy, passionate enemies to lovers with heavy hitting topics (sexism) covered so well.
Rest of review to come

TW: panic attack, mention of a parental death, hospitalization,

First things first…..I’m the realest…okay I’m done, I just had to do that lol. Okay, first things first, I love the title. A nice play on words that fits the food theme of the story. Erin La Rosa crafted up a story that centers around our two main characters– Leo and Nina. A rivals to lovers and a fake dating storyline.

I enjoyed the mental health representation in the book. Oftentimes when you read a contemporary book that depicts struggles with mental illness, it is always shown with the female character. With authors like La Rosa, we are normalizing the appearance of anxiety; that it can be represented by anyone.

I felt as though we were rushed with their romance, it felt like a slow burn but near the end it felt as though it was rushed. I also skimmed through the scenes that were side character focused, like the drama with one of the side characters and their parents. Another thing that I didn’t enjoy was the amount of side characters, there were too many of them that didn’t seem to add to the main storyline. It honestly felt like filler. That being said, I loved Gavino. He kind of served as the comic relief. I also would’ve liked a more open and honest conversation between Leo and Nina regarding Leo’s anxiety AFTER he became open with her. The author made a great point that mental health is a personal journey and I agree; however, after the hospital scene and then the breakup it felt as though it was up in the air.

The banter between the two was fun and witty. Overall I liked the book and the author’s writing style. I didn’t put the book the SECOND I started to read it.

Representation: mental illness, anxiety, lgbtq+ side characters

For Butter or Worse is a steamy, emotional, banter filled rom-com. I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers trope with Nina and Leo. I found myself rooting for them the entire time.

Erin La Rosa had me feeling all the feels. I laughed at many of the punny lines and cried at the end.

This story is so relatable, well except for the celebrities fake dating. 🤣 The references to mental health, anxiety, and burnout are meaningful. I think a lot of people are suffering anxiety and burnout with their jobs right now.

Leo and Nina’s relationships with their siblings Gavin and Sophie, were fun to read about too. I’d enjoy seeing them in future books.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves enemies to lovers and punny banter about food.

Thank you @neygalley, @erinlarosalit, and @harlequinbooks for my eARC.

This is a very cute enemies to lovers, fake dating romance set against the backdrop of celebrity chefs hosting a reality TV cooking competition. I thought this was going to be all fluff, but it ended up covering some heavy topics such as sexism and mental health. There was a meaningful story line with a few very spicy scenes. Great character development, including the side characters like siblings and friends, that allows the reader to really connect and empathize. This was a fun and fast read!