For Butter or Worse by Erin La Rosa was a solid romance debut. Nina Lyon and Leo O’Donnell are the epitome of the enemies to lovers trope. Their interactions are explosive and full of sexual tension!

The cast of side characters really added some funny and sentimental moments throughout the novel. Whenever Nina’s best friend, her sister or Leo’s twin brother were in a scene I knew I was going to laugh.

The banter between Leo and Nina was kinda cheesy but still cute. The emails from Nina’s publicist, the Twitter/IG mentions from fans and texts from family and friends throughout was a great touch and hilarious.

I absolutely love watching cooking competition shows which is what drew me to this book to begin with. Nina was a powerful representation of a woman in the culinary industry. I enjoyed how the story highlighted the struggles women face in the culinary world compared to their male counterparts.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and will look out for La Rosa’s future projects.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC of For Butter or Worse in exchange for an honest review.

An enemies-to-lovers mash-up of THE HATING GAME and THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF, in which two rival hosts of a massively popular cooking show have to fake a relationship to save their careers after an explosive on-air fallout, only to find their feelings for each other becoming real.

ABOUT THE BOOK








Their feelings are about to boil over...


Chef Nina Lyon dreams of cooking her way to culinary stardom and becoming a household name. She thought hosting The Next Cooking Champ! was her golden ticket, but she and her co-host/arch-nemesis Leo O'Donnell go together like water and oil and he undercuts her at every turn.


So when Nina unexpectedly quits the show--on live TV, no less--to focus on her restaurant, she doesn't anticipate the he-devil himself showing up at her door begging her to come back. Nor does she expect the paparazzi to catch them in what looks like a passionate kiss, but is actually Leo tripping into her. When the fans go crazy over Nina and Leo's "secret romance", keeping the ruse going might be the only way to save both their careers. That is, if they don't kill each other first…

Perfect for fans of THE HATING GAME and Netflix's GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF (…if Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood were hot thirty-somethings), FOR BUTTER OR WORSE is the escapist enemies-to-lovers romance we all need right now.


MY TAKE:





This reminds me of Lucy Parker books but maybe a bit steamier... It's that frenemy vibe, enemies, to lovers to friends. A falling out in their professional relationship leads to them having to fake a romance, which is the base for the most delicious of dishes: love!


It was fun, low-key, steamy, and since I am new to Erin La Rosa, I am now a fan of her books! The plot is fun, the setting of a foodie show is a dream-come-true, and the interworkings of a real restaurant make for an entertaining book that kept me interested through the ending!
























ABOUT THE AUTHOR:








ERIN LA ROSA is a writer living in Los Angeles. As a writer for BuzzFeed, she frequently writes about the perils and triumphs of being a redhead. Before BuzzFeed, Erin worked for the comedy websites Funny or Die and MadAtoms, as well as E!s Fashion Police, Wetpaint, and Ecorazzi. Erin has appeared on CNN, Headline News, Jimmy Kimmel, and The Today Show on behalf of BuzzFeed. She is the author of Womanskills and The Big Redhead Book.



Social Links:

Author Website: https://www.erinlarosacreative.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/erinlarosalit/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/erinlarosalit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erin.larosa

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@erinlarosawrites



Buy Links:

The Ripped Bodice (signed copies!): https://www.therippedbodicela.com/book/9781335506344

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/for-butter-or-worse-a-rom-com/9781335506344

B&N:https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/for-butter-or-worse-erin-la-rosa/1141697220?ean=9781335506344

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Butter-Worse-Novel-Erin-Rosa/dp/1335506349

12 COMMENTS

I loved this! It was fun and cute and I'm obsessed with all the food!
Leo is perfection and the banter between him and Nina was the best!

This book was so fun. Fake dating and enemies to lovers are both on my top 5 favorite tropes list. Nina and Leo have such a fun banter between them the entire book. I also loved the subsidiary characters of Jasmine, Sophie, and Gavin - I would really like to see where their stories go next.

This book is written in third party - which I don't love because it sometimes keeps me from immersing myself in a book. But it didn't overshadow the story here.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a fun read - especially romantic foodies.

For Butter or Worse
* Enemies to Lovers
* Fake Dating
* Characters who feel real

An enjoyable read! The characters are well drawn out with motives and backstories that drive their actions so that their choices do not feel random. A good new voice I’ll be watching for future reads! My only issue with this particular book was that the sex scene was a little jarring, and might have benefitted from a closed door approach.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I normally enjoy foodie romances but this one wasn’t connecting with me. Could be my current reading mood! I’ll have to circle back at a later date!

For Butter or Worse by Erin La Rosa was a charming, fun, emotional rom-com full of some of my favorite tropes (enemies-to-lovers, fake dating), with 🔥 chemistry between the two protagonists. I loved this. Highly recommend!

This is a solid, enemies to lovers, fake dating romance. It's a little predictable based on those tropes but I love a fake dating book and there was tons of chemistry between these two. They were a little too extreme in their dislike of each other in the beginning but overall a cute read if those tropes are for you.

Read if you like: fake dating, enemies to lovers.
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Nina and Leo are the hosts of a cooking show, and while they look friendly on TV, they actually hate each other. When a photo pops up of them looking like they are dating, they decide to fake it in order to garner positive publicity and bring business to each of their restaurants.
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While the premise of the story was good, I couldn't get over how mean each character was to the other at the beginning. Leo was sexist and chauvinistic and Nina was mean and belittling towards Leo. While I am sure their banter worked for some, it didn't work for me.
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CW: sexism, misogyny, death of a parent, cancer, heart attack, panic attacks, anxiety.

This book was fine. I think I have just read a little too many foodie type books and I need a break from them to really enjoy one again. I thought the enemies to lovers was done pretty well - it was a great pace for their feelings to grow. I'd love to read another one by this author in the future that has a different setting.

This story was cute. A bit wash, rinse, repeat in terms of plot but still very enjoyable. I do love a good enemies to lovers storyline. Leo and Nina are definitely qualified for that trope. The chemistry was definitely hot and steamy.

I started reading this novel and really enjoy the tropes in the novel so I was excited to read all about Nina and Leo's enemy-ship. And I enjoy anything food related. This novel didn't disappoint. Were there things I would prefer to have seen in the novel? Sure. But nothing was missing enough to make the experience a miss or even a near miss for me. The plot was solid, the characters wonderful on their own and together. I was happy to see such a great novel with such a good storyline.

A must read summer romance if you enjoy the enemies to lovers romance!

I love romcoms that center around food and this one did not disappoint! And it’s enemies-to-lovers + fake dating! My two favorite tropes! This was a wiiiide open door romance but if you don’t mind that or don’t mind skipping over those parts then definitely give this one a try! The characters were fun and likeable and it was a great plot! Will read more by this author!

I wasn't able to finish this one! I'm a sucker for novels that combine romance and food, but this unfortunately just seemed too much like a retread of similar novels. The enemies-to-lovers trope for Nina and Leo didn't seem grounded in any real specificity, and even the descriptions of the food didn't go very deep. I had hopes I would enjoy this, but it just wasn't for me.

For Butter or Worse had the BEST enemies-to-lovers vibes. Nina and Leo are co- hosts of a reality food competition show, and they really couldn't stand each other. Nina and Leo started fake dating for their fans because it
would boost their public image and bring in more profits for both of their restaurants. The banter between them was perfect and it was so fun to see their banter back and forth.
I loved the themes of grief, anxiety, and friendships. Overall for cute romance for fans of The Hating Game and The Great British Baking Show.

Thank you NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really love the concept of this one! The writing was adorable and I devoured it in a day. The conflict was a bit unsatisfactory but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless. I appreciated the commentary on sexism in media publishing and perception, very well done.

Oh how I love Nina and Leo!!! I think this was my first contemporary enemies to lovers that actually pulled it off and I could NOT put this book down.

Nina and Leo work together as cohosts on a reality cooking show. Self made chef Nina and, seemingly, silver spoon restaurateur Leo absolutely cannot stand each other - particularly after Leo gives Nina a sexist, derogatory nickname that catches on with the fans of the show. After being caught in a compromising position that is nothing like it appears to be, Nina and Leo's agents think it a good opportunity to strike up a fake relationship.

I really loved that Nina and Leo were ~actual enemies~ rather than slightly disliking each other, which I've found to be the case in a lot of contemporary "enemies to lovers" books I have read. They truly loathed each other and, because of their dynamic, the banter was GOLDEN. They were so sassy and at each others throats - and as the banter went from volatile to flirty, it was genuinely believable. I seriously laughed out loud several times throughout the story as the two of them went at it.

I also have to point out that it was so refreshing to have a neurotypical heroine paired up with a hero who has a panic disorder. Usually its the other way around and I just really enjoyed having a female lead who was the one assisting her love interest.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my gifted copy!!

Striking enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance!

Our main characters, Nina and Leo, are both hard-working individuals that love their families. Their loyalty to their family and the legacy of each other’s business is inspiring and heart-warming. I feel empathy for what they are both going through, especially being public figures and being scrutinized by the public, which makes or breaks their business.

I love the main characters individually, especially with how they interact with their family, but as a couple, I’m not rooting for them as much as I expected. They do have some good banter, but their moments together throughout the book make me question whether I want them together because they are the main characters or because I genuinely feel they are a good match.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the eARC.

I usually approach enemies to lovers books with a healthy skepticism. But recently, I've been reading some that have made me enjoy the genre more, books that felt like they really stepped up to flesh out the trope rather than rely on its premise to drive the plot. For Butter or For Worse is one such book.

One of my concerns generally about enemies to lovers is that I often struggle to buy the "enemies" premise. But in this case, Leo definitely puts his foot in it on many occasions and I understand why Nina is initially defensive. For Butter or For Worse also avoids flipping a switch from love to hate. The way the characters shift their perception of each other feels logical (within the suspended reality that is a romance novel universe).

Beyond broadening my horizons regarding the enemies-to-lovers trope, this book also stood out because it was food-based. I'm appreciative of what seems like a growing trend to write books about the food industry but as someone who loves to cook, eat and consume food-related media (mostly tv shows) I love when a book is about food in fun ways. With its text-based banter and fake dating premise, For Butter or For Worse has definitely earned its place amongst this newly-developed pantheon of food-based romance novels.


RIYL: food cooking shows, fake dating, enemies to lovers

Thank you Erin La Rosa for writing such a wonderful book!
I Loved so many different things about this book, starting with the Mental health representation with anxiety. I also always love a good enemies to lover and fake dating book, two of my most favorite tropes. how can i not like it.
The witty banter had me LOLing many many times, and the steaminess was just perfect ot keep me on the edge and wanting more. This was such a wonderful read and definitely should be read by romance lovers near and far.