I held onto this one for far too long. What a fabulous story! Thank you for the opportunity to read this! I love this trope. I'm definitely buying the rest of the book

The Romance Recipe was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it was worth the wait.

There is so much tension between our two MCs, Sophie and Amy, it’s delicious (see what I did there). Amy is a restaurant owner who hires Sophie, a former reality-show finalist, to be the restaurant's head chef to help with her ailing restaurant.

The book starts with our two MCs butting heads; Sophie wants the freedom to do her job (run the kitchen and create the menu) but Amy, who is a little of a control freak, does not make it easy. Now I love a good enemy-to-lovers story, especially when both MCs have crushes on each other, but are too clueless to realize their feelings are reciprocated, so let’s just say I enjoyed the back and forth between Sophie and Amy, especially since the book is written from both characters POV.

Are there tons of miscommunication between Sophie and Amy? Duh. Did I want to bang their heads together to knock some sense into them? Of course I did. Would I yell about this book for the rest of my life? Obviously. The Romance Recipe is worth it. It shows you that you’re never too old to find yourself, that it is okay to open up, and to trust other people to be there to help when needed. Plus it’s super steamy!

5/5 stars.

This was a charming preview! I was captivated early on, and I'll have to snag a copy to finish this.

This was pretty good, I enjoyed the first 5 chapters so much I grabbed the audio book to finish the rest. I feel like this is kind of a unique romance storyline and Im enjoying it, When I finish the book ill be sure to post my review on Goodreads. Thanks for the 5 chapter preview!

This was SO good! I literally can't wait to actually read the rest of the book. When we first got Amy's POV, I wasn't totally sure if I was interested in the overall plot. I think mostly because Amy is in panic mode about her restaurant and was not in the best headspace. But I immediately loved Sophie.

The mutual pining is already so good. I am totally invested in Sophie finding her voice again. Overall, I'm just super excited to read more.

The preview of The Romance Recipe has left me anticipating the rest of the novel. The chemistry between Amy and Sophie is strong from the start. I love their dynamic already and cannot wait to see it progress.

My only issue with the book is the overtly sexual thoughts that both Amy and Sophie have about each other. It feels random and unnecessary and takes me out of the story and banter when a random description is thrown in.

Overall, The Romance Recipe is a witty, and fun read that reminds me of some of my favourite romance books. I can’t wait to read the complete story.

There’s a fire in the kitchen - and I don’t want to put it out! I loved this quick read, completely through and through! The author paints a beautiful picture of the slow fall between the two characters and I felt like I lived inside the two main character’s heads! I loved that I could relate to the bisexual character as well. Hopefully, this book is a series, because I would make this author an auto-buy author for my bookshelf! Well done.

I’m definitely hooked! Amy and Sophie have great chemistry and tension. Looking forward to reading the rest of this one!

This is a good start to an interesting story. I like the idea that this is a book about a reality star becoming a chef at an up and coming restaurant, but not so confident in her ability to quite manage being a chef in charge, because of her micromanaging boss who owns the place.. The back and forth between Sophie and Amy is fun and ridiculous, but I can't wait to read the full story and will be ordering it soon.

Thank you Netgalley for the preview of 'The Romance Recipe'.
The preview includes the first 5 chapters of the book. Loved the tension between Sophie and amy.
Cannot wait to read this book when it comes out.

These first 5 chapters were so good! I love these characters and this really makes me want to go back and read Ruby’s first book so I can get to know Amy’s brother, Wes and understand that storyline a bit more.

I got a preview of this book and really enjoyed it. I am so looking forward to reading the rest. The characters are relatable and sweet. The writing was really fun. I love a sapphic romance so I really can't wait to read the rest. Thank you so much for giving me a preview!

The snipped I got to read of this book did its job well! It seems like a charming, engaging rom com, and I'm always glad to see more sapphic romances hit the market. Can't wait to read the full version!

It has been a goal of mine to read more sapphic books this year and let me tell you, this preview of The Romance Recipe has me immediately clicking purchase on the book.

Sophie, the head chef at Amy’s restaurant, finds herself in the middle of a million things. Trying to understand her sexuality, while juggling her growing fan base, attempting to revive a dying restaurant, applying for a reality TV show that her ex-fiancé produces, wanting to create her own menu, suffering from a lack of confidence, and swallowing down her attraction for her boss: Sophie is, understandably, overwhelmed. Amy is facing her own challenges. With the passing of her mother, a belligerent father, and a suffering restaurant that is bleeding money and staff, it almost seems like a hopeless situation.

But, in five chapters we see that although Amy and Sophie may have differing views and opinions, there are things that will bring them together. And the only thing hotter than the food will definitely be the romance.

Just do yourself a favor and click buy on this one.

I felt the beginning was quite slow, but I enjoyed the first five chapters and the buildup to the rest of the book. I am pretty curious to see how the show unfolds and how Amy and Sophie's relationship develops. I am also excited to see more of Sophie's personality, as I feel like she's going to become more confident and open with herself.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

A great start to what is hopefully a great romance! I love foody romances and give me a queer one and I’m all in. Very readable and I’ll be checking out the full book

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the first 5 chapters of "The Romance Recipe" by Ruby Barrett.

Rating: 3/5

As a queer woman who also loves food, the preview was simply delicious! The story follows lesbian restaurant owner, Amy Chambers, struggling to keep her business afloat. Enter Sophie Brunet, having recently discovered her queerness, is a chef who has a lot to prove. And let's just say you can cut the sexual tension between these two with a butter knife. Amy and Sophie come up with a plan for the restaurant to run by securing a spot on a new foodie reality show. The catch? The show is being produced by Sophie's ex-finance.

The book has all the ingredients for a spicy lesbian rom-com: two bad-ass women who are pros at what they do but hopeless when it comes to love, secret crushes and desperate pining, and some very delightful dishes. Excited to read the rest of the book, out today!

The Romance Recipe is a queer romance between two women - Amy and Sophie. Amy is a restaurant owner in Boston who is desperate to save her restaurant after demand dropped. Sophie is her head chef and competed on a reality cooking show. They discover an ad for another restaurant reality television show and apply. They both secretly have crushes on each other!

This preview definitely made me want to buy this book to finish it. I enjoyed the nuances built into Amy and Sophie in the short five chapters thus far. The chemistry between them is palpable and I love the little details about how attractive Sophie finds Amy in her favorite white button-down shirt. I also enjoyed how the author described the food. I would love to try Sophie's plant-based poutine!

I would definitely recommend this book based on this preview. Thank you!

Delicious and Tantalizing.

Amy is a queer cutthroat restaurant owner struggling to manifest her dreams.
Sophie is Amy's briefly infamous head chef struggling with career and sexual uncertainty.

Both are too afraid to admit just how often they think about each other in a strictly non-professional sense. And both want to scream at one another just as badly. This novel has all of the hallmarks of a heartfelt made-for-tv movie and reads just as vividly.

The first 5 chapters have me HOOKED and you'd better believe the next thing I will be doing after posting this is buying the book to finish what I've started.

[Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the sample chapters.]

An excellent start! The chemistry between Amy and Sophie is perfect. I can’t wait to read the rest of their story.