I was equally interested in the romance and the business storylines in this book! It's a great slow burn with terrific conversations around gender identity and I was all in on the journey to save the restaurant. I'll take a large order of more Sophie and Amy please!

Thanks to Carina Press for the copy to review.

I'm not sure what it was about this one but it didn't quite hit where I wanted it to. It was still good! Just not as good as I was hoping for.

I adored this book, and immediately recommended it to every one of my wlw friends as soon as I completed it.
The characters are so well written, and genuinely enjoyable. There was just the right amount of drama, spice, and romance to keep me engaged.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts:)

Baby-Bi Chef and Disaster Lesbian Restaurant owner - all of the yes!
This is just, so good.
I feel like this is a really good representation of different sides to queer life. Even if you discover you're bisexual somewhat late, that does not mean you don't know what you want! And on the other side, even if you're a confident queer "veteran", you can still struggle with your love-life and family relations.
The characters are amazing from the beginning, and they still develop throughout the story.
I will say that it is really good that there are trigger warnings, because I can see how some of it could potentially hit very close to home, but for anyone daring to delve into this book - it is absolutely worth it.

“The Romance Recipe” is the second in Ruby Barrett’s workplace romance series. It follows “Hot Copy” which is a m/f romance but each can be read as a standalone.

Amy Chambers is trying to keep her restaurant afloat. Her head chef, Sophie, was once famous for being on a competitive cooking show but her 15 minutes of fame is over and she isn’t bringing in the clientele she used to. They need to work together to try and fill seats but they have a hard time communicating. Amy is the boss and a control freak. She doesn’t want to listen to anyone else, including Sophie. Sophie just wants to control her kitchen and the menu but Amy keeps blowing her off. Things are further complicated because they both unknowingly have crushes on each other.

This wasn’t bad but I didn’t love it. My major complaint was that Amy and Sophie have already established a working relationship when we meet them. Some of my favorite parts of romances are them meeting and getting to know one another. We don’t get any of that here. They’re already crushing on each other and it isn’t long before they start hooking up. There’s plenty of steam and physical chemistry. However, for me, the emotional connection that I prefer, was lacking.

One of the things I absolutely loved was Sophie’s story. She’s “come out” later in life, at 30. She was previously engaged to a man and doesn’t feel queer enough as she’s never even kissed another woman. Her learning to accept and embrace that over time was really touching.

I received an ARC from Carina Press and Carina Adores (Harlequin) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the synopsis of this book, I loved the idea of it but I found the execution regular. I liked the book but it didn't stick out to me and it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary in any way.

I also didn't read it at a particular good time for me. I was in the biggest reading slump I've ever had and it took me more than a month for me to read this book with a lot of days that I didn't read anything. This fact probably affected my reading experience but the book didn't really aid my reading slump. I wasn't entranced by the story that I wanted to keep reading despite my slump.

I also felt that the characters didn't stick out to me. They were very bland and now that I've finished the book a few days ago I don't really remember much about their personalities.

Aside from that, I enjoyed the book and I see how it could be a great read for some people. It has great representation, specially for people who figure out their sexuality what might seem as a little bit later in life.

Steamy will-they-or-won't-they set in the restaurant world. This sapphic romance was a fun read, especially for those fans of grumpy/sunshine trope. I was rooting for Amy and Sophie from the first pages of this book. The chemistry, both in and out of the kitchen kept me reading late into the night. Highly recommend!

Rating: 3.5/5
Warnings: loss of a parent, toxic parent relationship, biphobia
Steam: 3.5/5
Tropes: forced proximity, it’s just a hookup, workplace

Thank you to Carina Press and NetGalley for access to this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had extremely high hopes for this book, the summary…the cover…the foodie nature. I really enjoyed aspects of this book, but the actual plot/story was a miss for me. There was very little build up to Sophie and Amy getting together, all of a sudden, they were hooking up…at work…in a kitchen (which while hot, left me a bit confused as a reader).

I did like these two characters; I’ve seen that Amy is “unlikeable” but I truly think that’s because people see so much of themselves in her. She makes poor decisions, but she is driven, she wants to be loved and she is trying her best. Sophie is our cinnamon roll, I loved her character arc, learning to embrace who she is and what she wants. She balances Amy’s personality out well.

The book was both steamy and tender, I think the author did an excellent job of writing these moments as the characters developed their relationship. I also really loved the message the author wove about queerness at any stage in life and how valid is it. I think this representation will be relatable for so many and needed in the romance space.

“You don’t need to have known you were queer since you were a kid. You can go your whole life never touching a woman and you’ll still be queer. It’s not about performing your sexuality or your gender for everyone else. Being queer is about what you know to be true about yourself, in here.”

This is my first novel by the author and I am curious to read what she writes next!

I love, love, LOVE this cover, but the actual story was a miss for me. In fairness, I am a reader who needs an emotional build up BEFORE the main characters are intimate.

In THE ROMANCE RECIPE we get a very scant interaction between the leads and suddenly it's sex on the kitchen counter. I was longing for more story and more connection first.

Other readers might very well love the faster pace of this relationship, but it just didn't work for me.

Oh, I really wanted to love this book. I really wanted to devour it like a delicious meal!

Unfortunately, for me, the story fell short. I found the writing to be a bit clunky and corny, and the love story rushed. I was so excited to read a delicious, sexy, sapphic romance but unfortunately The Romance Recipe didn't do it for me.

I enjoyed this a lot, the spicy scenes were well written and I liked the plot. The only thing I wasn't too keen on was Amy, she got quite irritating but Sophie more than made up for it as she was adorable.

3.5 Stars. With this book, you are kind of getting a dramady that kind of works and sometimes doesn't. I will say that I found it interesting that the story of Amy and Sophie kind of starts with a bang, and the two characters have to navigate their budding relationship. Of course it is also has to center around their failing restaurant, in which Amy is the owner and Sophie is the talented head chef.

I think readers' ability to have a good time with this book will depend on if they're interested in reading more about Amy. Amy is a character that can be difficult to like at times, and often makes terrible decisions for seemingly no reasons. While I know Amy is a driven individual, it was not fun watching her forget that she was dragging a lot of her loved ones behind her kicking an screaming at some of her poor decisions.

Alot of those decisions had to do with how to handle Sophie and her talent. Amy is very much a person who believes she has to do it herself, and forgets that Sophie is a very capable person in her own right. I like Sophie. She's a bit of a cinnamon roll, but has a steel spine. I like that while she is willing to push back against Amy at times, she still tries not to do it to harm Amy.

Overall, this is a steamy dramady that leans more into the drama of it all, and is a pretty straight forward read. If you enjoy cooking, cooking shows, and workplace romance/ drama, this'll be the read for you.

What's the last foodie romance you read? I absolutely devoured The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett, which follows struggling restaurant owner Amy and celebrity chef Sophie. Their clashes in the kitchen lead them to consider applying for a new reality show, all while fighting their attraction for each other.

I love when heroines are allowed to be messy and prickly and flawed, and Barrett delivered that on every level. Amy is controlling, single-minded, and unyielding. She butts heads with Sophie, who often isn't afraid of spitting fire right back. Over the course of the novel, it's revealed how much of Amy's exterior is protecting a vulnerable side and I loved her journey of learning to trust and rely on other people and find a balance between her vision for her restaurant and Sophie's.

Meanwhile, Sophie is a character of my heart! She's struggling to find her footing in the aftermath of leaving her fiancé, the newfound fame after her time on a cooking show, the pressure of living up to others' expectations, trying to find the joy in cooking when it's become tangled in trauma, and looking for her place in the queer community after realizing she was bi. She's feeling so lost and unmoored at the beginning of the book, I was rooting so hard for her every step of the way as she regained her confidence and took the reigns of her own life. Her growth felt so well-earned and satisfying.

The character work is clearly well done in this book, and the chemistry rises perfectly to meet it! When they're on the page together Amy and Sophie are combustible. Barrett delivers the heat and I loved everything from the tension of Amy and Sophie pining for each other to the way once they came together they couldn't stay apart.

I really loved this book. It was steamy and tender in all the right ways. Amy and Sophie are both going through some things. I loved being part of their journey. Keep writing the queer lady stories.

Thank you to Netgalley for my advance copy! This was spicy and sexy with just the right amount of humor. I loved it!

I really loved this one. To be honest. I didn’t really care about the plot of this one and much preferred the steam. They had great chemistry and I loved it!

The Romance Recipe was thoroughly enjoyable. The characters were presented strongly and I really enjoyed reading about older gay women. I found the older perspective refreshing - as the vast majority of LGBT+ books feature a younger cast. I also liked how the plot of this book was strengthened by the characters sexuality without revolving around it. Your local lesbian gives it an A+.

"The Romance Recipe" is a contemporary sapphic novel that delivers on its promise to be cute, and unassuming. While I was expecting something more light hearted, in the tones of a romantic comedy, Barrett delivers a novel that doesn't only focus on the relationship between Amy and Sophie, but rather mixes it with heavier perspectives of loss and heartbreak. It's about the sadness at the thought of losing one's dream and the heartache of leaving one's past behind.

Rating 4.5/5
Plot 5/5
Spice 3/5
Writing 4/5
Character Development 5/5

[I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book]

“The Romance Recipe” by Ruby Barrett tells the story between restaurant owner, Amy Chambers, and chef, Sophie Brunet. The book is an LGBT contemporary romance.

Amy is a restaurant owner and quite a control freak. Sophie is a chef and grump in the kitchen. When Amy’s restaurant begins to fail, she does whatever she can to revive the business. And with that, she hires Sophie, a former reality-show finalist with good connections. All Sophie wants to do is cook however she posts on social media for her “dead-in-the-water reality TV career”. Sophie doesn’t want to listen to Amy’s bossy and controlling personality. Sophie especially doesn’t want to think about the attraction she feels towards her boss.

When the opportunity of a new foodie TV show comes up, the two believe it will be great exposure to the business and their careers. With this new opportunity, the two must make some personal and painful sacrifices and soon they realize that there’s more than just Amy’s restaurant that’s at stake.

The Romance Recipe is such a fun and beautiful and well-written book. The book is about finding yourself, believing in yourself, and loving yourself enough to let others in. The characters are relatable and I love the theme of food! Overall, this was a good read!

**Thanks to HarperCollins Canada for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Rating: 3.5 stars
I enjoyed this book! I really liked the characters and some of the elements that it dealt with. I think the characters were the strongest part of the story. There were a lot more sex scenes than I was expecting and they started fairly quickly in the story - I think based on the premise and the title I had expected a bit more of a build up in the romance. But I loved the sapphic love and the really cute moments that Amy and Sophie had! And I liked the references to grief, dealing with your emotions, and dealing with biphobia. They are all important topics and discussions - I wish some of them had been a bit more central to the plot. I also liked the scenes about family and friends and how they were integral to the story.

I read this really quick and really enjoyed it! If you're looking for a sapphic romance with lots of spice, this is the book for you!