For Butter or Worse was an interesting idea and I wish I like it better but the characters just weren't developed well and I had trouble connecting to their romance.

I thought this book was fun and I enjoyed the back and forth between Nina and Leo. I felt like this story could definitely happen in real life and people would probably really enjoy the tv show of it.

This book has so much potential. I just didn't enjoy the book. I usually love a mix of cooking and romance story but this just wasn't for me. I will give the author another chance though.

This was such an easy ready! Really enjoyed the banter and chemistry these characters had pretty much from the beginning, and the author makes it easy to delve into their world. Will be looking into more titles from them!

I love the enemies to lovers vibes between Nina and Leo, and their banter with each other was wonderful. But as for the actual romance, I just wasn't really feeling it. I don't know that I have that much more to say about it truthfully. As a romance book, the romantic chemistry needs to be on point, and it jus wasn't unfortunately :(

If you love enemies to lovers, you'll love this story! Nina and Leo were oil and water... but have to fake it to make it. A light read with some heartfelt moments. These two are a great pair!

Meh, this was fine! Nothing to write home about but a quick and easy read. I wanted a little more depth to the overall story as this felt very surface level

Romance and food? Sign me up!
Fake dating and enemies to lovers? I'm absolutely in.
Throw in a cooking show? Wait, where was that?

I really enjoyed this book, but definitely thought the cooking show might play a bigger role and I think that could have been an interesting plot point to be explored. The characters were likable, even when they weren't being all that likable. The writing style flowed well, and I didn't find too many portions of the book dragging on. All in all, definitely one I enjoyed and would recommend.

3.5 rounded up!

Not only was this of the best rivals-to-lovers contemporary romances I've read in a long time, but it also included FAKE DATING. Nina and Leo are both interesting, well-developed characters, and the progression of their romance was perfectly paced and felt believable. I was glad to see Leo realise how his behaviour had come across at the beginning of the story and apologise fully to Nina for it, and I found their chemistry excellent.

I loved this, enemies to lovers and baking and family and friends who were also well drawn and developed.

Solid 3 star read. I enjoyed the relationship between Nina and Leo. I really liked the other characters, and found them to add a lot to the story. I wish there had been more cooking and food focus in this book, since it was advertised that way. I also found it to be a little more explicit than I’d expected.

Enemies to fake dating. Reality cooking contest but barely (just in the first chapter), sort of celebrity.

This is a great enemies to lovers, fake dating romance! I absolutely loved Nina and Leo's relationship from the start (even though it was rocky) and seeing it progress through the book as they learned more about each other. I thought it was hilarious how they kept messing up the fake- dating!! You'll understand that once you read it hehe. There was just the right amount of spice for this book too. There was a slight miscommunication, but not where it is a full-on trope. It looks really well within the storyline and the author does a great job honestly of maintaining their relationship throughout the whole book. I also really appreciated the accurate representation of mental health issues and anxiety too.

Fake dating trope is elite!!

I would definitely read this again! I struggled getting into this one at first, and now that I finally have, I can say it's definitely worth the read. If fake dating is your go-to, you need to add this one to your list.

The unfortunate thing, and the main reason for me giving it 4 stars instead of 5, is it relies heavily on miscommunication. And not just between the mains... but also between the mains and side characters. Which, frankly if this were any other book, I'd normally knock down a few more stars for BUT within the context, it does kind of work... I just wish it wasn't used SO heavily. Moderation was key here, but alas, here we are. On the flip side, I loved the mental health representation that this brings. Plus, I loved seeing the struggle of a female in a male dominated field finally be acknowledged by the male. That was very refreshing! Now just more of that in reality please!

If you can get beyond the miscommunication like I did, then absolutely have at this book! The rest was really fun to read and the characters developed really well by the end (in my opinion).

This was a fun and light read. I instantly loved the TV setting and behind the scenes look at a reality cooking show. I felt chemistry between the characters and loved the tension between the two. Such a great read for the summer!

(2.75 stars, rounded up)

I really wanted to love For Butter Or Worse, but it somehow it never really grabbed me. We have a couple of big romance tropes here: enemies-to-lovers, and fake dating. We also supposedly have a a workplace setting but we really don’t - the TV reality show based on aspiring chefs is over before you get very far into the book. The rest of the book is about how Nina and Leo have a fake dating relationship to help both of their careers after the show ends. Nina is a high-level chef and Leo is a restauranteur of a string of family-oriented Italian restaurants. Both of their businesses are in a bit of trouble.

The problem was that I found the main characters and their story kind of boring. Neither Nina nor Leo was particularly appealing either - although the author makes sure we know that they are both physically gorgeous, over and over. Nina reacts to Leo like a high-schooler might. Leo has anxiety and hides it, so that did add something a bit different to his character. But they both seemed to have a problem with communication.

Warning: several very descriptive sex scenes

Thank you to NetGalley and HQN for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I am rather late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Mela Lee, did a good job with the various voices. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

OH, BOY, WAS THIS A DELICIOUS BOOK!
Alright, I won't lie, I hated Leo initially, but damn, did he switch that around. Nina was a star throughout the book; I knew I adored her, and even if Leo had not become another character to love, she would have 100% carried this book to 4 stars. Also, I was ready to FIGHT those rude #nastynina promoters!

Their chemistry, the scenarios, FREAKING TOM and the side characters were the perfect ingredients (cooking pun) for this book. I laughed out loud so many times. The added social media pages we got were so fun.
Something else I adored & genuinely appreciated about this rom-com was the human, vulnerable & realistic element; losing a business, the mental health aspects, grieving the loss of a parent, how toxic social media/stardom is & bouncing back after failure.

This was genuinely perfect & I'm all for more from this author.

The story fell just a bit short of my expectations. That being said, I loved the main characters banter. It's antagonism with a hint of underlying chemistry.
Thank you Erin LA Rosa, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book! The title and this beautiful cover drew me in and i was excited to read this book! I will be recommending this book to others for readers advisory.

Love the cover and the representation in this romance, however....not really my cup of tea. Didn't care much for the characters and thus I never saw the chemistry between them.