*I’d like to begin by saying thank you to Harlequin Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I really wanted to fall in love with this book, but there needed to be an extra push of some kind. I really enjoy romances that involve food like Jasmine Guillory’s novels, and I was reeled in this one with the two main characters’ love of food. I think the story could have gone more into the food aspect both in their pasts and presents. I liked the dual POV because I always think romance novels should include the other person in the main love story’s perspective. I’m sure when the book is published and formatted, I will take the opportunity to read it again.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy!

I really enjoyed this novel! The cover art is absolutely gorgeous.

I liked the banter between Leo and Nina, and thought the relationship progressed at a good pace. In a lot of romance novels, you can sense what the conflict is going to be, but the author does a pretty good job of concealing what the “shoe that is going to drop” is going to be.

I enjoyed the elements of the novel that addressed the real world issues of sexism in the restaurant industry and the difference in online treatment/harassment of celebrities based on sex. I would have liked for the show to have played more of a role in the story—either from introducing past contestants who would comment in articles about Nina and Leo’s dynamic (as article titles are littered throughout the chapters), or more memories/recounts of what it was actually like to be on the show together, I thought that might have been a good way for their former dynamic to be displayed. I especially loved the scenes where Nina wouldn’t give Leo an inch or let him BS her about his motivations for going along with things.

I do feel the ending dragged on with multiple time skips, when one time skip could have sufficed where the POV character could recap what happened in the time skip. Likewise, I found the ending a little underwhelming because it kept dragging on.

If you liked Battle Royal by Lucy Parker, or fake dating in the public eye plot lines—this would be a good next read for you.

The premise of For Butter or Worse was so adorable and I really wanted to love it, however the execution fell short. At first, I liked the banter between Nina and Leo but after a while it became quite overdone and stopped being witty and became whiny instead. These two simply lacked the chemistry I was looking for in a rom-com. There was nothing light and funny in this story for me and it left me wanting. I am however only one reader and I urge others to look at different reviews as this is probably just a case of my being the wrong reader for this novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this enemies-to-lovers story. I thought the characters were great - they each had their own story and the end was just about what they could each live with. Falling in love wasn't easy or smooth and they didn't have happily-ever-after, life-is-perfect, lives. I laughed out loud and had to force myself not to skip ahead at certain parts because I really did like the plot, character development, and my happy, if unorthodox, ending.

The title is adorable and cheesy. Leo doesn’t mean to but he gets under Nina’s skin pretty often.Leo and Nina end up being co-stars for a reality TV series. I adored the shenanigans that they got into.

I love any and all cooking shows so the premise of this book immediately jumped out to me. The author did a great job of seeing up the conflict between Nina and Leo and you could see how they didn’t get along but it didn’t make you dislike either character. I liked the fake dating troupe and while it followed the main structure I really liked all the characters and also the discussion of anxiety and mental health. I really enjoyed this book.

Delightful new contemporary romance for fans of the enemies-to-lovers and fake dating tropes! Highly recommend you give this one to fans of Battle Royale and The Hating Game, and I hope that this is only the first in a new series and not a stand-alone, as the secondary characters are so lively that they deserve their own stories!

Definitely a fun, quick read. The character juxtaposition and banter was great. From work nemeses to fake dating, Nina and Leo have spectacular chemistry.