I enjoyed reading this preview! I like that it started off quickly and brought us straight into their dilemmas. I also love that it shows a character exploring and becoming more comfortable with her sexuality as an adult! The characters have great chemistry however I feel that it isn’t an enemies-to-lovers situation and it’s more of a secret mutual pining. Barrett’s writing is really engaging and makes me excited to read the rest of this book!

The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett follows restaurant owner Amy and chef Sophie as they try to save the restaurant they work at from failing. When a new reality TV cooking show is announced Amy thinks this show will provide just what they need to save the restaurant, but there are complicated feelings involved for Sophie.

This preview of the first 5 chapters help to set up the story perfectly. It provides background information on both characters and provides some details and foreshadowing of what might happen later in the book. The chemistry between the characters is also very apparent within this preview and I cannot wait to how their relationship progresses throughout the rest of the book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this preview of the first 5 chapters!

(cw: off page harassment, mentions of meal skipping, mentions of a death in the family)

Absolutely LOVED this peek at THE ROMANCE RECIPE, a book I'm eagerly anticipating. Amy and Sophie had immediate chemistry that I was invested in, and Ruby set up the stakes for each of the characters so clearly and concisely that I was immediately hooked. Can't wait for this to come out so I can devour the whole thing!

3.5/5 stars

I am always in the market to find new adult sapphic romance novels--especially with characters who are openly and proudly lesbians--and so when I saw this preview on Netgalley, I had no choice but to check it out!

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and I can't wait to read the rest of it, it was truly encapsulating from the beginning and I can't wait to watch the characters develop. I will say that I thought that the dynamic between Sophie and Rosie was a little bit confusing to me. Instead of it being an enemies-to-lovers with secret pining trope from both sides, it came off to me as them both being hot and cold in a way that was a little bit hard to follow.

Like I said earlier, though, I would definitely read the rest of this book and it seems like the type that I would have to finish in one sitting because once I start I won't be able to stop!

This looks like it could be fun! The owner of a struggling restaurant and her former reality TV star head chef are heading to a professional cooking show competition. This is giving me a little bit of the same vibe I got while reading Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall.

For me, one of the things that will be most interesting here is the exploration of Sophie's sexuality as she comes to terms with her crush on her boss and how she will navigate the relationship that I presume will form between the two.

I look forward to reading the full book!

AH I need the full book now! Love me a good workplace romance, and based on the preview I think this is one that I'm really going to enjoy. Excited for the release this summer!

I thought this preview was pretty good! I liked the two main characters and the unspoken tension between them. I also love the concept of them being on a cooking show, so I am interested to see where the rest of the story will head! This teaser definitely left me wanting more!

Oh, this was delightful! I'm a big fan of food-related romances, and this sapphic romance set in a struggling restaurant has the right balance of sexual tension and mouth-watering food descriptions. This teaser definitely got me excited to read the whole book!

Oh I very much enjoyed this preview for The Romance Recipe! It was my first book by the author but I found her writing very engaging. The chapters are in alternate povs and both women had distinctive voices. I loved how their pasts and personalities influenced their current problems, from Amy with her determination to keep her floundering restaurant afloat - whatever the cost, and Sophie with her relationship troubles and her problems online.

I loved that Sophie was discovering her bisexuality as a grown adult, it actually reminded me much of my own past and it definitely made me connect with her more, and also sympathise with her and the issues she had with her ex.

The tension between the two was already building even within the first 5 chapters and I'm very eager to see how it's going to develop further on!

Overall a lovely sampler into Barrett's writing and I'll definitely be looking forward to the books release!

This sample was the perfect length to get me hooked because now I am dying to find out more.

I loved the chemistry between the characters and it's really well written.

From what I can tell from the preview, the book's got a really fun set up and the characters have good chemistry. I'm excited to read the full thing in the future.

The Romance Recipe gripped me from the first page until the last (of this preview)! With strong LOVE & OTHER DISASTERS vibes, The Romance Recipe is just the right blend of snark, romance, humor, and heavy.

The preview for the Romance Recipe was a nice teaser. I can see the potential in how the story plays out and can't wait to read the whole story to see where the author takes the story and Amy and Sophie.

The frustrating part of book previews is that I quickly forget it is a preview and then am left wanting so much more when it ends!! This is fabulous and I cannot wait to read the rest. Sophie and Amy's world swept me away!! There is some quiet crushing, some forced proximity, a freaking cooking show, and so much chemistry. Even in this short preview, I love how the author is treating the identity of both characters and showcasing how that may be affecting their social / emotional lives. There is the promise of lots of hijinks and if the long looks and pining are any indication this will be one heck of a romance.

I LOVED this preview of the first 5 chapters! I just read it and I already want more & I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the whole book. The dynamic between the two characters is so perfect and I cannot wait to see where it goes.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the first 5 chapters in this book by Ruby Barrett in exchange for my review. First off, this is my first Ruby Barrett book and oh my goodness the writing captured me instantly. This ongoing love hate relationship between a restaurant owner (Amy) that does not want to take any recommendations from anyone and her ex-celebrity chef (Sophie) that wants to make positive changes and is also extremely sexually frustrated… Hoping to get the full approval for the book if not the review will continue once the book is available to the public!

I was not expecting to like Hot Copy as much as I did but now that I'm absolutely and utterly devoted to Ruby Barrett and that a snippet of The Romance Recipe was available on Netgalley???? Absolutely swooning. I cannot wait for June to get this full book! I read the preview in one sitting and all I want is more of Sophie and Amy.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Although this is the first few chapters I really hope I get approved for the full book because I could not put it down.

Okay this book was not on my radar before seeing it on Netgalley, but I'm so glad I've found out about because after reading the first 5 chapters I'm hooked and need to know what happens next! A romance between a restaurant owner and her head chef who are about to go on a reality cooking show to save their restaurant? Say less! Amy and Sophie seem like they will have quite a bumpy journey to getting in a relationship, but what more could you want from a romcom? I also really like that Sophie is a character who realized she was queer as an adult, I feel like it is good representation, because not everyone knows or is in a safe situation to question their sexuality as a teen or in early adulthood. Another book to add to my ever growing tbr!

This book will be published on June 28, 2022.

Interesting first 5 chapters!
The first 5 chapters of this book were like a tease (in a good way!). It gave me sufficient information about what was happening now, in the past, and what I’m going to expect in the future. There wasn’t much spice yet as we were just starting to get to know the characters. I feel like there’s more to character development in the next chapters. Although I don’t have my standards set yet for this trope (since this is my first LGBTQ read), I can confidently say that I was highly interested in the plot. As for now, I’m giving it 3.5 stars since I feel like the preview is going to be a bit forgettable for me and I’m going to have to reread the first 5 chapters if I wait until June to get it published. I look forward to updating this review soon after I read the whole book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin) for the ARC Preview (5 chapters)!