A fun, charming and hot romance novel. Both main characters were easy to like and I found myself rooting for both of them (as a couple, and as individuals) from the very first chapter. I was very pleased to see bisexual rep, as well as a character who is coming to terms with her sexuality later in life. I would have liked to see more of the actual cooking reality show aspect of the plot, as the should-we-shouldn't-we fretting over joining the show was a large part of both the book and the conflict between the two leads. I was a bit disappointed that the show itself was skipped right over in favor of an epilogue. However, the overall romance storyline was satisfying enough for me that I would happily recommend this to other romance lovers.

Ruby Barrett is at it again with her trademark blend of superheated steam and sweet, sweet angst, and I couldn’t be happier! Thank you to Netgalley and Carina for an advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Romance Recipe is the sequel to Barrett’s 2021 debut (Hot Copy), starring everyone’s favorite chaos character from the first book, Amy Chambers. Amy is paired with Sophie Brunet, the reluctant former star of a reality cooking show (and hot French-Canadian weightlifting enthusiast). Briefly, struggling restaurateur Amy has a tendency to micromanage brilliant chef Sophie, to the detriment of their relationship and the restaurant. A stint on another reality show could save their bacon, but the producer is none other than Sophie’s ex-fiancé, who can give Sophie everything Amy can’t.

Barrett’s special gift is cranking up the heat in her books while never forgetting to crank up the emotion at the same time. The physical and emotional relationship between these two characters was so taut and unexpected – Barrett kept me on the edge of my seat with twists I never saw coming. Between layers of smoking-hot tension, slices of crisp emotion and bright prose bring the kind of freshness you’d like to find in any new interpretation of a classic recipe. You’ll never think of a walk-in freezer in quite the same way again.

Foodie reality-show fans can choose between several romances released in 2021 and 2022 – what sets this book apart for me is that the reality show takes second place to the rhythms of the day-to-day operation of a restaurant, with a sense for the realities of food service that can only come from lived experience. If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, or just wondered what it was like, you’ll love the sensory experience of Amy and May’s.

I have my fingers crossed that there may be one more book in this series from Barrett – maybe Jeremy, the Chambers twins’ best friend, will get his day? Can’t wait to see what Ruby Barrett does next.

This delightful romcom has everything: cute love interests, a sapphic slowburn, just enough conflict to make things interesting, and truly luscious food descriptions. (As ever, I regret reading foodie romcoms right before bed...you've been warned.) And the plot is engaging in and of itself, revolving around two women who, in going after their dreams, realize things are more difficult and complicated than they'd first hoped. From chef Sophie's crisis of confidence to restauranteur Amy's realization that her type-A personality can't control everything, the initial setup of the book folds nicely into a slightly zanier follow-through with a reality food show (hosted by Sophie's ex-fiance, no less). I also really appreciated how the novel dealt realistically (but not too, TOO heavily) with biphobia, realizing one's sexuality slightly later in life, and embracing your truth as you find it. It's a lovely book, and it's definitely worth a read.

Sophie is a former reality cooking show star chef who has a tumultuous relationship with the micromanaging owner of the restaurant where she works. Amy is the owner of Amy and May’s restaurant, who is also balancing the struggling finances of her restaurant, her presumably one-sided attraction to her head chef, and some complicated family relationships. But what if that attraction wasn’t so one sided after all?

This book was nicely spicy! I appreciated many aspects of Sophie and Amy’s relationship including their clear communication and Amy’s support and validation of biphobic experiences that Sophie had previously. I also enjoyed the dual POV to get a better sense of the developing feelings on both sides of the relationship.

I did expect this book to occur on the set of a reality cooking show based on the description, so be warned that it is actually a very minor element and most of the story takes place before the cooking show.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and appreciated the queer representation. Sophie and Amy’s relationship warmed my heart AND gave me some serious cravings for Sophie’s cooking!

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for the advanced reading copy of this book.

Let me start off by saying that I fell in love with these characters right off the bat. We meet Amy, restaurant owner, struggling to keep her dream of owning her own successful restaurant alive. Then Sophie, reality tv chef superstar who happens to be the head chef at Amy’s dying restaurant. They work together to save this dream and fall for each other hard. Sophie, newly accepting her sexuality and experimenting follows Amy’s lead into a steamy fling. I want to give kudos to Ruby Barrett for including bisexual content that felt super validating as a fellow bisexual. Reading Sophie’s journey and how she slowly found her place within the queer community was so touching. As much as I loved this book, the ending fell extremely short for me. The entire book we are anticipating Amy and Sophie starring on a new reality cooking show. They are preparing to swoon a world renown chef in hopes of saving the restaurant. This entire plot is wrapped up within two short chapters that fell extremely short for me. The book gave me no closure whatsoever. I would however still recommend this book to any fellow romance lovers as it still stole my heart. I hope to read more of Ruby Barrett’s work in the future.

SOPHIEAMY I LOVE YOU. the angst. the tension. the vibes. EVERYTHING WAS SOOO GOOD. ot was a great romance book and i would definitely read again.

The Romance Recipe is a cute quick sapphic romance between the owner of a restaurant and her head chef. I finished this book in the morning, and by lunch I was have poutine. My biggest issue with the book was the lack of chemistry between the characters initially. It kept being sad that both characters fancied each other, but I personally didn't feel it until 60% of the book and three sex scenes in. However if you like spice this book is perfect for you because there is plenty of it and it is well=written, something hard to find in WLW romance. I recommend this book to lovers of food and women.

The Romance Recipe is a sapphic romance book between a head chef and the owner of the restaurant she works in. When we're introduced to the leads, Amy and Sophie, they have a dysfunctional friendship where both of then are exasperated by the other's behaviour. On top of it all, both are stressed and overworked as the restaurant they work at isn't doing well. Amy is a control freak boss who can't accept Sophie's ideas and Sophie is a former reality TV star who's not pushing back against Amy and dors not stand for herself. And both of them have a crush on each other. Well, a "crush" because they only thing they want is the other's body.

I am going to be honest 15-25% in, I was not rooting for them to be together. They're introduced as flawed and complex but all the author does is prove that they shouldn't be together as clearly they're different people who can't realistically work in a relationship.

But that's erased by one (two actually the first one failed) attempt at communication who magically solved their problems with each other. However, their conflicting personalities keep creating problems throughout the book. These people should not have a relationship beyond sex. Like you know that they're going to be that couple that argues all the time in public.

Other things that bothered me: the writing was fine but the dialogues were cringe-worthy (especially during the sex scenes, or awkward flirting that was just trying too hard) , there were multiple sex scenes that really felt like there were just there and weren't really hot, Sophie is said to be bilingual (French/English) and this comes up twice: once when she can't find a word (a situation like that never happens again) and once when she speaks to her mother.

Sophie's coming out journey is a noteworthy point of this book but honestly it got old really fast. I don't know why it annoyed me


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of the book for review

The Romance Recipe is a book that had to grow on me, in all honesty. In the end, I liked it, but it was a slow start and it took me a while to get into.

The book follows Amy and Sophie, who own and work at a restaurant, respectively. The restaurant is losing money, so Amy needs a plan to get money and publicity and get it quick. Enter Sophie’s ex-fiance, who is producing a new show with a celebrity chef, which Amy determines they must put the restaurant forwards for.

So, why the slow start? Namely it was because I didn’t feel any of the supposed tension between Amy and Sophie, not until they started hooking up. So I spent a good quarter of the book wondering if I was going to be bored by it. Add into that the fact that the plot seemed to just be following them in their usual life, instead of throwing in something new—I mean, we don’t even see the meet cute, we’re just told at the start they’re attracted to one another: it was an inauspicious beginning.

However, I persevered and, once they were hooking up, I conversely found there was much more tension, and I started to enjoy the book a lot more. Amy and Sophie were hot together, I think I can admit that, and this ended up being a pretty solid friends-with-benefits to lovers romance novel.

Here is the next sticking point though: everything in this book happened way too fast. I said we missed the meet cute, and they’d known each other a while by the time the book opens: that’s somewhat indicative of the book as a whole. They start hooking up, but then you rarely get scenes between them that aren’t a) the hook ups, or b) restaurant business related. And yet, you’re supposed to believe they’re falling in love. I couldn’t. I still can’t. I didn’t get enough scenes where I could see the relationship developing, frankly. A lot of that seemed to happen in scenes which were referenced but not shown (which really screwed with my perception of how much time was passing, because there were a number of times I thought less had passed than actually had).

But. Despite that, and the slow beginning, I did enjoy this book. I have probably high standards for romances, so this one getting a 3-star rating is a good sign. I enjoyed it and I would recommend it. I just didn’t love it.

3.5 Stars

I liked The Romance Recipe a lot. It was a fun, fast read. When I read Hot Copy in 2021 I struggled a lot with Amy. I honestly didn’t like her at all. But getting into her head and seeing her thoughts really helped me to understand her and like her more. I did struggle a little with the pacing and some of the stuff felt a little unfinished for my personal preference, but all in all this was a solid read. If you like restaurant books with some reality TV aspects to them and a good romance, this is the book for you!

This book is fantastic!! Amy and Sophie have incredible chemistry, and I was rooting for them to get together from the very beginning. The Romance Recipe is sexy and funny, and full of mouth-watering food descriptions. This book also deals with some heavy topics, which were done in such a thoughtful way. I will be reading everything Ruby Barrett writes!

If I have to describe this book with one word it would be "okay". And mind me, it is not a bad book, but it could have been something more. But there is a thing going on for this one, and it is the representation we find in there and the themes.
On one hand, our two MCs, Amy, and Sophie are nice girls, strong-willed and with passion (and I love to see people who love their work, especially in books. I think that we need more of this, in every genre!), but nothing to write home about. I wasn't really invested in them. Even if they were not plain or bidimensional, I just couldn't connect at a deep level, and so I was only mildly interested in the story, and not as invested as I was hoping.
On the other hand, we have a book that talks about the importance of self-acceptance. And I really think that, even if we have a lot of books that carry this message, we need it. The more the merrier, if you like. It is always good to see that self-acceptance is important. And even if is one of the hardest things to reach sometimes, you should always try for it.

And what I appreciated quite a lot is that Sophie is bi, and we get to see her slowly coming to really know herself and to see how the others in her life react to it.
Sophie is on the verge of marrying a man when she finally accepts that she may not really be as hetero as she always wanted to believe, and we get to see how this affects her and the people in her life. I am not an expert, and I can't speak for bi people out there, but I think that this was a good representation, and it was really well developed, and I think that we need more books like this.

So yeah, even if I was hoping for something more catching, I can say that I enjoyed the reading, and that I hope to read more books like this one!

Gahhhhhhhhhhhhh

This book is absolutely delicious. It is tender and hilarious and hits you right in the solar plexus. The writing is easy and incisive and irreverent and beautiful and the romance between these two women lives up to that gorgeous clinch on the cover.

Reading it, it feels like a really safe book in the best way. Not in that it doesn't take risks - it does - but in that it will hold you and protect you and validate you as it does so. It is so affirming in its exploration of the abundant expanse of queer womanhood and desire. This book also has one of the most romantic lines I've ever read in a "how do I know I'm in love" conversation where one of the heroine's brothers says of his partner, "she makes me feel like baseball," which is honestly the most romantic thing I can imagine anyone saying to me.

I loved it. If you loved Hot Copy, please pick this one up. If you love sapphic romance, please pick this one up. If you love baseball, you will likely not be wholly satisfied because baseball is much less important in this book than in Hot Copy, but still - please pick this one up.

Note: I know that a lot of us are feeling cooking show fatigue so please know: the cooking show in this is a subplot and not at all the setting or integral to the dynamic of the book!

4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Carina for this ARC.

CW: death of a parent, toxic father, biphobia, coming out

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review! I was so drawn in by this adorable cover. As soon as I read the description for The Romance Recipe, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy! A sapphic romance set in a restaurant with a plot surrounding a reality TV show sounded like an absolute dream of a book. It was really cute and fun, but perhaps not as plot-driven as I would have liked.

Amy Chambers is a young restaurant owner. She just wants to keep her restaurant afloat and be a successful, independent businesswomen... plus crush on her hot chef in secret. Sophie Brunet, the gorgeous head chef at Amy's restaurant, is focused on developing her career after a stint on reality TV. She recently broke up with her fiancé and is struggling with adapting to her newfound bisexuality. How do you break out of your shell when you've lived 30 years without realizing you liked women? Much to Sophie's satisfaction, her boss might just be able to help her out. Sparks fly between the two women, and they work together in an effort to save the dying restaurant.

Not only is this story sweet, but it also has quite a few steamy scenes. I think queer romance fans will be easily drawn into this one-- for a good reason! It is fun in so many ways. From my understanding, it is loosely a sequel to Hot Copy, as it follows the sister of one of the main characters from that novel. I hadn't read the first book, though, and I don't think I missed anything major because of it. It seems like you would just have a bit more context on the side characters from reading Hot Copy, but they only appear in a few chapters.

I think my favorite part of The Romance Recipe was the characters. Amy and Sophie are both fleshed out and relatable. I could see myself in Amy at times-- she's controlling, terrified of abandonment, and wants to succeed in life without relying on anyone. She cares about everyone around her so much, but she's afraid to show it. Amy's tough, with a strong backstory to explain how she got to that point. Sophie is a nice match for her. She's charming, thoughtful, and driven to live life her way. I loved how she respected everyone (including herself!) and stood up when others were mistreated. She's sure of her sexuality, but she has only recently come to terms with it. The story shows her experiencing love with a woman for the first time without spending much time focusing on how Sophie realized she was queer. It's refreshing to follow her journey as a beginner to the LGBTQ+ community, without all the time spent on her discovering her identity (since a lot of other queer books already have that covered). Plus she's in her early 30s, which adds another layer that's less common in sapphic romance.

The romance is sort of slow burn, yet sort of isn't. The characters get together quickly, but refuse to commit to a relationship (even though they're both secretly head over heels in love). This is where the story started to lose me a bit. I like slow burns and I enjoy plots about relationships that have already developed, but I don't like the on-again, off-again trope. It's so frustrating, especially when the conflicts could be solved by the characters just expressing their feelings. I imagine there is an audience of readers who aren't bothered by this and would enjoy the story much more than me, though. I was hoping there would be a strong plot to give me something else to focus on than my annoyance with the characters' miscommunications, but I was also let down in that department.

I'd argue the book description is a tad bit misleading. The description makes it sound as if the characters are on a reality TV show throughout the novel. It's not entirely wrong-- there are multiple plot points revolving around Sophie's previous reality show appearance and the new show she and Amy are signing up for. However, most of the novel does not take place during either reality show (it's not until about 80% of the way into the novel that the characters actually participate in any filming). Instead, there's a ton of back-and-forth about Sophie's feelings on reality shows, Amy's control issues and desire to make Sophie's decisions for her, and discussions about the state of the restaurant. The plot got too repetitive, and everyone's fear of the restaurant's failure was kind of a bummer for what I thought was going to be a lighthearted romance. It's not a sad story or anything, but it was more tense than I anticipated. I wished there was more of the silly reality TV drama I had originally expected.

The writing is okay. It's quite detailed, which sometimes helped and sometimes made it harder for me to get through. The steamy scenes are very descriptive and decently well-written (a couple times weird words were used, but that happens in most romance haha). I liked how the restaurant was also described in great detail-- I could picture the rustic theme and see Sophie as she cooked her beautiful dishes. Sometimes, though, the descriptions dragged on too long, and I wanted to move on with the plot. Your enjoyment of the writing will probably depend on how much you like what's going on in a given chapter.

I still enjoyed this book overall! It has many good scenes, and it handles the discussion around discovering your sexuality later in life well. The characters are easy to root for, but I just wish they had communicated better and handled their conflicts more maturely. I'd recommend this to fans of queer romance, especially if you like the setting of a restaurant and enjoy reading about a casual relationship that develops over time.

3 out of 5 stars.

I read this book in a single day! That's actually a big deal because I was coming out of yet another epic reading slump, but The Romance Recipe was just the thing. There were some spots where I thought the pacing could be better and the low moment felt unnecessary, but overall I found this compulsively readable, entertaining, and just angsty enough.

Sophie discovering/affirming her queerness in her thirties and her exploration of what that means is at times difficult (because not everyone is great about it), but Barrett always makes sure to bring that thread back to how important and right it is that Sophie now knows herself and gets to be herself fully. There are a couple moments when Amy tries to use Sophie's "baby gay" status as a defense, which could have become grating but it's not dragged out. It's also made clear through Amy's own dilemmas and development that she's using that as an excuse to protect her own heart and not because she actually thinks a newly out person will always experiment and run. Amy's own baggage is related to proving herself worthy of taking care of others while simultaneously not believing in her own worth, to the point where she is ruthlessly independent and unable to recognize when she needs help. The previously mentioned pacing issues show up the most in the moment of resolution to this that makes the make-up after the low moment ring slightly hollow. I wanted a bit more from that part of the story, but wasn't left feeling particularly unsatisfied.

This was my first book by this author but I am definitely interested in reading more!

Content notes: biphobia, internalized biphobia, grief, Amy's mother died of cancer (also some limited mentions of effects of cancer treatment), emotionally neglectful parent, gender essentialist language

I just didn’t really care about the story. This could have been because I simply wasn’t in the mood for this book right now, but it could also have been because the book. I didn’t see any big issues all aspects of the story were done ok, but there was nothing I loved either.

This book is great! A truly fantastic sapphic romance - it's hot, it's tender, it's strong and irreverent and emotional.

I know the copy says something about a cooking competition but if you, like me, are a little burnt out on cooking competition romances (even beautiful sapphic ones), just know that the competition is just a small plot point and not the whole setting/concept of the story.

I know that it's cliche to say that a sapphic romance about chefs is delicious but honestly, that's what this is. It's hearty and filling and satisfying and delicious.

Thanks to Carina and NetGalley for this ARC.

I hate to say it but… DNF @ 40%

I wanted to love this book so much, but I’m just not vibing with the characters or the authors writing style. I love sapphic romance, so I’m upset I can’t keep moving forward. I’ll probably give the book another chance on a later date.

Super slow burn, which I love, some triggers for biphobia, emotional abuse from a parent and coming out to a partner who is unsupportive.

This book was a wonderful read. The two main characters had great chemistry from the start and their scenes together were sizzling. They were both likeable and multi-faceted characters and it was great to see them get past their insecurities and grow with one another. The restaurant setting was interesting, and the writing was engaging. The story was told from a different point of view in each chapter which was confusing at times, and some key events happened off-screen before the first chapter (like Amy and Sophie meeting or Sophie realising she is bi and likes Amy) - that was a little odd and at first I wondered if I’d missed the beginning somehow. Still, it was a well written book.

This book features a push and pull, will they or won't they relationship. And because there is so much back and forth throughout, I'd call this one a slow burn. There's plenty of lust and plenty of steamy scenes, but the true love doesn't come until much later. And imo it felt like a long and meandering journey from lust to love, with a light exploration of feelings, emotions, and character development along the way.

This book is fun and lighthearted but still manages to have some depth and hit on some difficult topics (CWs for an emotionally abusive parent and an off-page coming out to an unsupportive partner). And, most importantly, it does have its romantic moments. For me though, I prefer a book where the MCs have plenty of on-page time as an established couple. Here, while we get to spend plenty of time with Amy and Sophie together, they dance around each other and avoid committing to a relationship for a large part of the book.

While my book preferences (in terms of pacing) mean that I'm not this book's target audience, there are going to be plenty of readers out there that love this one.