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!

I was taken from the very first page! What a fun, lively read. A great take on enemies-to-lovers with fabulous food integration. Nina is an ambitious heroine eager to make a name for herself in the cutthroat culinary industry, Leo is the well-meaning but gruff, needling hero that pushes her a little too far until she does something drastic on live TV. Their dynamic is fun and fresh through the book, with a great balance of heat and sweet.

Rating: 4 Stars

Enemies to lovers? Fake dating? Reality baking show? Friends, I have found my niche!

For Butter or Worse tells the story of two reality cooking show hosts Nina Lyon and Leo O'Donnell. Nina is a professional chef whose goal is to inspire more women to enter the male-dominated world of professional cooking. Leo, her sarcastic and charming co-host, owns a chain of family restaurants. When an on-screen joke goes a bit too far, Nina and Leo find themselves in a rather compromising position and realize that their careers could both do with a little publicity.

I'm a sucker for all things food-related and HAD to pick up this book when I saw the cover. It really is such a delicious read! The characters and wonderfully fleshed out and developed throughout the storyline. Both Nina and Leo are likeable characters (despite them both refusing to see the redeeming qualities in each other) with relatable real-world problems. It was so important to be able to see good portrayals of anxiety and panic attacks.

The storyline is as rich and creamy as a chocolate cake and deviates from your classic fake dating trope where they break up, solve the remaining problems and then HEA. For Butter or Worse shakes things up but still manages to give you that public declaration of love that we all want. It's quite refreshing to see issues not all resolve themselves the way you think they will and I'm so glad author Erin La Rosa chose to do so.

The food puns are quite honestly the icing on the cake, or the cherry on top for me. They add so much life and originality to the story and they make it so much more fun to read. I was worried they would be overdone but oh no Erin La Rosa does not disappoint.

Not a super-steamy read, but romantic and spicy in all the best places.

One place where For Butter of Worse fell a bit flat for me was the epilogue. So many authors push for the classic, artfully presented happily-ever-after when it might not be the best or most authentic ending for the specific characters. Sometimes it works and makes sense, but I found in Nina and Leo's case it appeared a little forced and rushed.

My only word of caution is to not read this book on an empty stomach, as it will leave you hungry (for more than just food ;) ).

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an early edition of the book in exchange for an honest review!

Review is posed to Goodreads and linked below. An edited version will be shared on my Instagram closer to the publication date.

The premise sounded amazing but for me unfortunately it did not deliver the way I was expecting it to. The banter was great at certain times and at other times I found Leo to be quite mean to Nina for no apparent reason. I did love the fact that Leo was a twin and I loved their relationship. I also really liked the relationship between Nina and her sister Sophie and her best friend Jasmine. The steamy scenes were one of the best parts form this book.

Read if you like:
Fake dating
Enemies to lovers
Reality cooking competition
Anxiety representation
Open door romance

I love a good cooking competition so as soon as I saw that For Butter or Worse was about co-hosts of one I knew I had to read it! Nina and Leo may host The Next Cooking Champ! together but they do not get along. Leo does nothing to help Nina break free from the sexist stereotype and nickname “Nasty Nina” he accidentally created in their second season. When he actually uses it on live tv during the finale that’s it. Nina can take no more and quite live on camera.

In a last ditch effort to save both their restaurants, after being caught in what looked like a compromising position, they cave to her publicists demands that they fake a relationship.

I truly felt for Nina. Being a female in a male dominated field is hard (something I relate to all too well in my career) Nothing you can do is ever right. Because I identified with Nina so much, I hated Leo as much as she did at the beginning, even when it was clear that his actions were not necessarily coming from a place of malice. I did enjoy the growth we get to see from Leo towards the end of the book.

I appreciate Erin’s candor about panic attacks and the relation to anxiety. As someone who’s suffered from them since elementary school it was refreshing to see them honestly written about. We get a lot of characters with anxiety in books but not necessarily panic attacks, which are a whole separate kind of anxiety.

All in all, a very enjoyable book!

“…but making Nina smile would be worth the humiliation.”
“But plenty of people dealt with anxiety on their own every day. How would burdening his family help anyone other than himself?”

Nina and Leo really gave it their all. Whether it was fighting each other, where they never missed taking cheap (and sometimes truly terrible) shots, or falling in love. I fully understand that there might be certain elements that might put people off, but with characters this well-written and a set-up this good, I could not care less. And where do I even begin with the spice…

MEN. DEALING. WITH. MENTAL. HEALTH. Albeit poorly in Leo’s case, but then I can’t honestly hold that against him. Aren’t we all just trying are best, and yet falling short from time to time? Already having dealt with panic attacks, Leo is objectively unfit to carry the weight of the responsibilities he burdens himself with while actively ignoring the severity of his anxiety. And with ignoring that reality, comes the distinct sense of loneliness that you desperately want to be rid of while refusing to actually take action, like reaching out and being honest with the people you love. I know exactly who Leo is and why he does what he does in this book.

Nina is such a powerhouse. As a sister, a friend and most importantly as a person. A woman in a man’s world. With a low threshold for bullshit myself, I marvel at the patience she has, keeping her eye on the prize and playing the long game… till she absolutely has enough and THAT I could absolutely relate to.

MVP: Sophie. I need her book right the fuck now.

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

Nina and Leo’s romance story is one that was hot and sizzly. The trajectory of their relationship was one that had me turning the pages, eager to soak up more of this simmering tension between them. Since both of their careers are centered around food, it makes sense that so much of their relationship has to do with food in one way or another. These two enemies had to find some common ground in order to fake date to appease their image in the public eye. This leads to some tense and entertaining moments as they grow closer than either could have possibly imagined. Not only was this an entertaining romance but it also had great humor. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this great story. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy, all thoughts are my own.

This one was a cute read but also one that didn’t hit all of the notes for me. I still found enjoyment out of it and liked how the story introduced both characters at the beginning. I wasn’t expecting the plot to go where it went which was a nice surprise.

The book is told from two point-of-views, Nina and Leo. They are very different from one another, especially on camera. Leo could be considered the sunshine and Nina the grump, as per her nickname “Nasty Nina”. I don’t blame Nina for the choices she made to better her career our the outcome that came from those choices. She was a bright chef who wanted more out of life. Leo was a decent guy and knew when he did wrong but still tried to get Nina to show that fiery side. Whatever floats your boat, am I right? haha. They did pair with each other well and I liked the banter that came from it.

The romance is very much a slow-burn but does involve the fake dating trope. They have much to learn from one another and so it was good to see the buildup that would eventually press them into much more than they bargained for. As with any romance, there comes a part where something happens to “break” them apart. This is no different for Leo and Nina. I do wish that it would have happened a bit sooner so that there could have been more time at the end of their happy ending instead of pushing it all into a short epilogue.

Some of the banter or words shared between friends was a bit on the cringey side. I felt that some things that were meant to be humorous just didn’t land as they should have. I’m not really sure how to best describe it. It honestly could just be me and my sense of humor.

Overall, this was a good read for in between my fantasy books. I liked seeing how the communicated with family and their friends. The social media posts were a nice touch to really add to them being celebrities in a way.

The story over all felt formulaic and the characters lacked chemistry. I didn’t care for the language, either.