Member Reviews

*tugs collar* is it uh, hot in here? or is it just this book?
I don't know who decided to make this preview only 5 chapters long but that's kind of mean.
Especially considering since I immediately downloaded the full book and Chapter 6 is absolute FIRE.

Amy and Sophie are already so special to me and I can't wait to see how this story progresses!

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Trigger Warnings: Cursing, smoking, off-page harassment, past death of a parent, break-up, biphobia, tbc

Representation: Bisexual, French Canadian, twins, Lesbian

The Romance Recipe is an adult contemporary romance about a restaurant owner and her new head chef. Amy is trying desperately to save her failing restaurant, including hiring ex-reality show chef, Sophie. Sophie has recently come out and separated from her fiancé. While the two are working together, they aren’t exactly enjoying it. When a new tv opportunity arises, this may just be what everyone needs.

Ooo i cant wait to read the rest of this book! Its sooo good so far! I love both women and I just know its about to get hot!

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The voice of the narrative is amazing. The writing is absolutely enthralling, quirky, and so cute. This preview gives a great sense of the overall story and characters. This novel has a really strong start, and I am eager to see where it goes! You truly get a great taste of the book with this preview, and I can definitely tell that if the book was a restaurant, it'd be a five star one. *wink wink*

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Really fun preview of the first section of the book. I definitely need to read the full thing to provide an adequate response, but I do love how heavily it is leaning onto romance trope right now. From previous reviews, I've gotten the sense that the ending is rushed so I'm wary of that.

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I've been hearing to much about this book, so I was bummed when I didn't get an arc. But jumped on the preview of the first five chapters! From what I've read I'm 100% invested in Amy and Sophie's love story. I love the setup of this restaurant owner (Amy), struggling to keep her restaurant afloat while she secretly has a crush on her head chef Sophie. I love that Sophie is trying to figure out how to handle the limelight after being on a reality cooking show and her secret attraction to Amy. I really enjoyed reading the preview chapters and I can't wait to read the whole book!

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I read the first chapters of this book and I need more. This book talk is about a chef , who owns a restaurant and hire a celebrity chef ( from a chefs reality tv show) just because she wanna have a relationship with her. But this person doesn’t have any idea about it.
The written is funny and also light, I need the full book in order to finish the history, but the few chapters I read I just love it.
I just reviewed The Romance Recipe - PREVIEW by Ruby Barrett. #TheRomanceRecipePREVIEW #NetGalley

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I recently began a Romance Writing class and it spurred me to get back to reading romances. Since all I had in house were decades old, I headed to the bookstore to buy a few, more modern selections. That's when I read my first LGTBQ+ romance. It included all the tropes a romance novel has and really opened me back up to the genre and has helped me expand my reading repertoire.

When I saw that The Romance Recipe had a few preview, I jumped at the chance to read it. I found this preview captivating enough to pre-order the novel.

What I like: it includes restaurants, celebrity chefs and instagram. Three of my favorite things! There's also, in this preview, a description of a dish that's so well described I can almost taste it and definitely want to make it. I'm hoping there will be more of this.

What I didn't like so much: it seemed like we just jumped right in to the romance with no lead up. It was like, oh! We're here already. I think some of this will be revealed as necessary when I read the rest of the novel but it was just a bit abrupt at first.

Overall, I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this modern romance.

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I'm was so hooked I dreaded the preview ending! This is such a great beginning to a book, I love secret crushes and pining, especially work-place romances and can't wait to read the whole thing! Sophie and Amy will be so great together, I can just tell from this short preview.
Also there are never enough sapphic restaurant/chef romances, will be recommending this to everyone!

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What great intro to a book I simply cannot wait to read!
Restaurant owner and her head chef explore their mutual crush while trying to make their business stay afloat—hopefully by securing a spot on a new restaurant reality show.
I love a workplace romance, it has all the... ingredients ;) for a great will they wont they dynamic.

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This was cute and interesting and I really enjoyed what I read of it. Looking forward to reading the full novel. The characters seem great and their dynamic is really appealing.

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omg omg omg, I loved this preview…. On my way to buy the whole book! Sophie is adorable and Paul is clearly still in love!! I need to buy the whole version as I need to know how this turns out!
will Paul and Camille end up together??
will Sophie and Amy end up together
Will they rename the restaurant??
So many questions

i can tell this book is gonna be huge and feel so lucky to have had a preview, the cover is also the absolute cutest!

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I got to read a preview (chapter 1-5) of The Romance Recipe by @rubybarretwrite, and it left me craving more.
The chemistry between the two protagonists is sizzling with secret desire and about to explode with literal flavour palpable to the reader.
I can’t wait for the book to come out to entertain my appetite for this story to become the recipe for romance.
On sale: July 12, 2022
Thank you to @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for the preview.
Read the first chapter here:
https://preview.aer.io/9780369720153

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Give me more!!! The first five chapters of this book is a slow burn, but will hook you right in.

Love the dual POVs, and the secret crushes. Am definitely looking forward to the release, although will be keeping my fingers tightly crossed that the rest of the book doesn't go down the mis/lack of communication path 🤞🏼

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I really enjoyed this 5-chapter preview. I was instantly curious about Amy and Sophie, and I liked that we got to see things from each of their perspectives. I was curious to see how things would play out between them. I enjoyed the humour and the tension between them. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the book when it releases.

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This preview definitely leaves me wanting to keep reading! I am enjoying the story building, the characters being set up, and the beginning plot line- and I can’t wait to see how the story turns out!

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Oh my goodness I absolutely need to read the full version of this book!! The pining between Amy and Sophie is sooo thick but also very real as a fellow sapphic, and they both already feel so complex and deep as characters! Plus I love the reality show and instagram famous vibes.

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This is a great preview of what The Romance Recipe has to offer. Both Amy and Sophie are introduced as complex characters and I'm looking forward to seeing how their arcs progress throughout the book.

Since this is a preview, I did not post this review on any official platforms.

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Thank you so much to NetGalley, Carina Press, and Carina Adores (Harlequin) for the ARC Preview of the first 5 chapters.

Because it is a preview of the book I can't speak to the whole story, but what I read so far was cute and exactly what i expected from a romance read.

The mutual attraction between Amy a nd Sophie is introduced right at the start and surprisingly didnt feel rushed or just expected. I like the contrast between Amy's decisviness and Sophie's more reserved self. Their individual side stories were also wonderful and I'm curious to see where they progress in the story. I will say, these two need to learn how to communicate better, though. Even while reading these preview chapters there were times internally I was screaming for one of them to just say what they were thinking. Communication is key...and these two need to work on it.

What I was actually most interested in with these first few chapters were many of the other themes Barret introduced, especially the impact of mysogyny and influence of social media on one's perception of who they are, what they are capeable of, their relationship to their passions, and their general comfort in certain settings. It was something I wasn't expecting and I'm curious to see how those themes develop throughout the story.

Overall, The Romance Recipe seems like a fun read for the summer and I look forward to picking it up when it releases next month.
.

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i need the rest of the Book right now you hear me, like right now!

i was hooked as soon as i started this book it has all the goodness needed for a haters to lovers book and the pinning is one point! honestly only reading the first 5 chapters and i was screaming at them both to stop been useless lesbians (in the nicest of ways) and just make a move

have preordered this book already and as someone who usually only read fantasy that is a big thing for me to switch to romance and love it like this

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Note: this review only covers the first five chapters of this novel.

Queer, cooking-themed, romance novels seem to be on the rise lately and this is one trend I can absolutely get behind.

In the first five chapters of The Romance Recipe, I already found myself invested in the plot and emotionally connected with both characters. Both women are strong, smart and witty and I can't wait to read the full novel and see their relationship develop.

So far, I am most excited about reading Sophie's exploration of her sexuality and Amy's journey with the grief of losing her mother. Both are things I really relate to as of late, and it's refreshing to see representation in romance novels.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a preview of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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