Rivals to lovers AND barbeque?! Sign me up!

Competing for the place of best barbeque at the farmers market, Simone and Finn establish a rivalry for the ages. When that rivalry breeds attraction, and the two must reconcile with their feelings of both hatred and love for one another.

This was such a fun novel with great banter, an engaging plot and a lovely romance. I definitely found Simone to be real and relatable, which is one of the most important things to me when it comes to romance novels. I need to connect with the characters in a way that makes the story feel like more than a story and Blumberg definitely accomplished that.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

What’s better then reading a enemies to lovers story with a touch of forced proximity thrown into it? Nothing.
This is a road trip kind of book within the story. It’s honestly really really cute. I loved it.

I just have to say I felt like this was a bit slow when it came to development. The relationship felt like it happened kind of quick to me and I would of enjoyed it more if it went a bit more slow but not slow burn slow.

Overall. I enjoyed reading about Simone and Finn.

Thank you NetGalley for this e-arc!

This one was just okay for me. It wasn’t my favorite but it wasn’t the worst either. It kept me interested, but it didn’t have that wow factor I like in my books. A tad predictable, but okay.

I liked the concept but the writing style was not my favourite. I really did enjoy the enemies to lovers application in Finn and Simone’s story.

I read digging up love as part of my book club and I quickly became obsessed with Chandra’s work.
This book was a fantastic follow up! The characters were loveable both separate and together and you really couldn’t help but root for them.
I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author!

Another cute love story by Chandra Blumberg! I’m glad that I read Digging Up Love first, because this book was written from the point of view of Simone, which is the main character’s sister in Digging Up Love.

I enjoyed that some characters from the first book in the series made appearances in the second book. I also liked how the second book picked up right where the first book ended, with Simone running Honey and Hickory. I was able to appreciate the characters and setting of this book more because I was already familiar with it after reading the first book of this series.

However, there were some aspects of this book that slowed the story down a bit for me. Throughout the book, I felt like relationship between Simone and Finn went back and forth too many times. I was completely onboard at the beginning of the book, because I’m a fan of the enemies to lovers trope. But once the two went back and forth between being enemies to lovers for the third time, it felt like the story was going in circles.

If you are a sucker for happy endings, this book is for you! I found the ending to be a bit too much at once, given the proposal(s), new house, and new dog all happening within the span of a few pages.

I recommend this book to anyone that loves barbecues, watches Shark Tank, and wants to take a cross country road trip.

I was drawn to this book by the food theme rather than the love theme. It is an easy read, kind of cute, a bit of fun but for me a bit too long for this type of book. A bit slow to start, the characters were fun but not overly interesting and it isn't a book that grab my attention and it didn't make me want to keep reading (although I did so I could see what happened).

Not a favourite of mine but it was a book to read between those more intense books I read.

I love road trip romances so I was eager to dive into this one. Unfortunately, for the most part it wasn't really a match for me. I did like some of the road trip aspects, and there were some funny moments and cute side characters and settings. It had lots of tropes I love. But the romance didn't deliver for me.
I had a really hard time with Simone. She seemed selfish and somewhat childish to me. At the start of the book I felt she was being ridiculous and even outright mean. Finn was more likeable, but I never felt any real chemistry between them. They genuinely seemed to dislike one another for so much of the book and were just bickering and thinking the worst of one another, not in a flirty playful way but in a way that made me question why I was supposed to root for them to get together.
Maybe it would have worked better for me if they had some further backstory, like they had known one another in school and been enemies or something? But to just meet a stranger and immediately act like they are your arch nemesis felt so odd to me. And then when they did kiss I just felt confused because these people had in no way shown they even liked one another at all. Just zero chemistry. The MCs clearly find one another attractive, but I wanted to feel like they liked one another as people, not just wanted to bang. And since it had taken so long for them to even connect, I felt the low moment in the relationship towards the end was frustrating. I wanted more of them actually being kind to one another and more playfulness and sweetness. I just didn't buy the romance between these two, which was a shame.
The writing style was engaging and there were some elements that were cute, maybe I'd have liked this more if I'd read the first one and felt more connected to the characters beforehand. But overall this was a miss for me when it came to the romance.

This was actually the last book that I read in March, and my, my was it a great closing off of the month.

I didn't even know that this was the second book of a series, so I fell into some spoilers, but that's okay, I enjoyed every bit of this book.

With characters as strong and loud and lovable as Simone and Finn, it wasn't a surprise when I found myself giggling and blushing at the slightest of interactions between the two. Their banter, bickering, whatever you want to call it, was out of this world. I especially loved how easy it was for both of them to speak to each other. Even though they want us to believe that they're "rivals" the conversations between them flow so easily and I found that to be so refreshing.

Not only was I enamoured by these well thought out characters, the writing left me breathless.
Told in third person P.O.V, from both Simone and Finn's perspective, Chandra Blumberg wields her pen with such ferocity and love, you can feel her passion off the page.

As quick of a read as this was, I still get butterflies at the mere thought of this book.

100 out of 10 would recommend!

This book followers an enemies to lovers trope, however it feels different to a typical romance as there are plenty of lovely moments along the way. Finn and Simone are really engaging as leads and helps make for the perfect light read!

This book was a little tough for me to get into at first. The enemies/rivals to lovers trope is on of my favorites, but it was hard for me to reconcile how the two went from competing and hating each other so intensely to being in love. I think I would have enjoyed a little more on their developing feelings even as they continued to 'hate' each other. I have no read the first book in this series and I'm not sure that I would really call it a standalone. I think if I had read it I would have understood Simone's character better and appreciated her more.

Thank you netgalley and publishers in exchange of an honest review.

Simone & Finn were ruthless & hilarious at driving each other crazy & out of the picture. The whole enemies-to-lovers situation going on was entertaining af, especially the sauce licking/tasting infront of public.

"The fact that he felt need to come to her rescue like some sort of knight in shining armor when he was more Night King than Job Snow."

Their banter was so fascinating. I loved the road trip part of the story with elements of swimming-hypothermia, haunted b&b, cabin stay, reverse-taking-care while-sick, cactus/cacti jokes & epic Bachelorette trip.

"Are you hugging me right now?"
"I'm saving your life."
"If you're trying to do the skin-to-skin thing, you forgot to unzip your coat."

I adored Simone's relationship with her sister & Finn's relationship with Darius. Finn & Simone were so alike each other that once they stopped bickering they understood how vulnerable the other & their backstory was.

My advice is not to start reading this unless you have time to go to the end! It is compulsive. Masterfully written, this novel will reel you in and hold you enthralled as the layers of story are revealed. Highly recommended.

My exact text to my girlfriend when I read this book was: "Simone is a snot", and unfortunately, she didn't really redeem herself. Finn's story struck a chord within me, however, I am not a fan of all this build up and NO sex. ⁠
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BUT you know what I wouldn't mind reading more about...Darius. Suited and booted is def my type. 🤤

This book follows a restauranteur, Simone, and a cook, Finn, who quickly become adversaries when Finn shows up to Simone's small town's farmer market hawking the same wares as her: barbeque sauce. Having returned to her small town and taken over her family's barbeque restaurant, Simone needs to prove that she can handle the responsibility of running and expanding the business. Meanwhile, Finn hopes to sell enough sauce to finance his dream of opening a culinary restaurant. When they run into each once again on the set of a Shark-Tank style reality TV show and are offered a deal on the condition they work together, they need to find a way to work together or let go of the deal.

The premise of this book is cute and, overall, I enjoyed reading it. The characters had clear motivations for their behaviors and were well rounded. The dynamic between Finn and Simone was fun and the stakes in their rivalry were clearly established. I think this book would have benefitted from tighter exposition and more exploration of the evolution of their relationship. The back and forth between being "enemies" and "lovers" felt too surface level at times. As the characters opened up, I could sometimes see the writer at work. The ending did feel a little rushed and the "solution" seemed a little out of the blue.

All in all, a good enough time.

The thing about books that have food in them is that they always make you hungry LOL and this book is no different. I have never wanted to eat barbecue sauce so much of my life as I did as I was reading this book! As Finn and Simone both try to get their new businesses off the ground, they find rivalry, humor and also love. This was a great fun read that would be perfect for the beach this summer!

I always love a good enemies-to-lovers trope and this was no difference, the banter was very cute. The book did feel a little long sometimes even though I wish the characters and the relationship had more time for development.
All in all, the book wasn't bad but it was the best one of the series

This one is so boring, I feel like my energy was drained after reading the entirety of it. There's a lot of telling instead of showing, and tons of detailed descriptions that could've been written in a concise manner or just completely omitted. I did not enjoy my reading experience with this book as well as the romance. Our main characters doesn't have chemistry in my opinion, and I don't buy their affection and feelings for each other. I feel like I was not invested enough to care about them as individuals and as a couple.

Simone wants to use her family's barbecue business as a stepping stone to build a bigger community experience for her town, to draw in customers from all around, and give local businesses a chance to thrive and the space to do it. Finn wants to put down roots, find a place to call home, and get himself the culinary training and experience he knows he can have, if only someone would believe in him. They both show up at the local farmers market selling barbecue sauce, and then wind up entering the same "Shark Tank" style competition. Will they be able to make their dreams come true? Will the sparks that flew when they met get in their way, or will they be able to make their romance work?

I'm going to be honest. I really, really wanted to like this. I spent three weeks trying to get attached to Simone and Finn. I only made it about 20% of the way through before I had to stop reading.

The characters feel like they SHOULD be likable, and I SHOULD feel some interest in their pursuits... Every time I picked up this title to read, I felt disappointed. Both characters kept feeling like they pushed away every ounce of help offered, and wanted to be independent and do it alone. Friends and family kept offering suggestions, and they refused outright.

I wanted to like this. I thought two chefs falling for each other over their mutual love of cooking would be a fun story. In the first 60 pages of a romance novel, the two main characters spent MOST of their time not interacting, and spoke maybe 3 times to each other. Total. I hope it gets better. I might try this again eventually. But for now, it's unfortunately going to my Did Not Finish pile, because I have so many other books begging for my attention that I'm getting more enjoyment out of, something I didn't really find with this.

I think the idea of the book has merit. I think the characters could be great. I just didn't find the hook for myself.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. I thank the author and publisher for this opportunity.

This was fun. I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers premise and the banter and tension between the characters were so good! I thought the pacing was a bit strange, and there were points I wanted to slap Simone, but overall a fun read.