Amanda Elliot is back with another interconnected but stand-alone read that is a must if you like foodie fiction combined with a romance. I will say the romance aspect was fairly light but it is there, it’s just more about Julie’s career and personal journey. She’s a food influencer but still has to work at her day job and dreams of the day she can follow her passion full time. The food descriptions were just delectable, everything sounded amazing and the author painted such a pretty picture of everything, seriously mouthwatering. Overall a really fun read especially if you like food, romance and a NYC setting.

Golly gee did this book make me hungry with the vivid descriptions of different foods and cuisines - almost to the point where it felt over done. It read like a menu with plot.

The romance felt a bit forced and like it was rivaling to be the focal point of the story against the influencer & career bits. There’s probably more page space dedicated to capturing the perfect photo of *insert food of choice here* than there is of dialogue between our main characters, or at least that’s what it felt like.

There was an attempt for an enemies-to-lovers vibe but it just came off cringy and childish. Julia was a hot mess of a character, hot tempered and putting her foot in her mouth - giving me the absolute worst second hand embarrassment - but she grew on me towards the end, really growing into herself. Bennett was sweet & shy but he wasn’t a fleshed out character and that put a serious dent in my investment in the couple. They did have some cute not-date dates though that left me grinning like a fool.

Mostly, I enjoyed the girl gang vibes and how the friends supported each other & stood in solidarity.

2.5⭐️ rounding up

**thank you NetGalley & Berkley publishing for this eARC**

4.5 stars

Amanda Elliot’s sophomore novel is the perfect follow up for Sadie on a Plate. This book checked all of the things I look for in a romantic comedy; it was heartfelt and genuine, it was funny, it was steamy sprinkled with a touch of indignation, stubbornness and girl power.

Julie Zimmerman is a social media food blogger/critic… well when she can find the time from her full time job as an executive assistant. But what she really wants is to be food critic at a major publication; namely The New York Scroll. Only problem, social media snob, Bennett Richard Macalester Wright got the job, and probably because of family connections. So imagine her surprise when she sees him at the Central Park food festival. She confronts him and uploads the video. Her follower count soars and now she has a new proposition – critique the same food as Ben.

At first they totally butt heads, but as they spend more time together and food is shared, the closer they become. Things become more spicy… and I’m not talking about the cuisine.

I totally adored Julie and her band of friends. All the secondary characters were superb and helped the main characters shine. I love the food scene and these books are making me realize just how much I miss being in the hospitality industry. Well done Amanda! I can’t wait to see what you come out with next. I highly recommend this book, you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Pub for the chance the read and review the book.

This is such a fun read! I love food and books, and this romance gave me all the feels and a bit of the munchies. I loved Julie and Bennett’s banter, and that these rivals joined forces. They’re both whip smart and their chemistry unbelievable, and the social media aspect was an entertaining addition. I also loved Sadie and now need to go read her book! I think this romance was well written and uplifting, which is just what so many of us need. Adding this author to my autobuy roster…

Do you read restaurant critics? Or follow food fluencers?

I used to be part of a local food community group where people posted their reviews. It wasn’t formal, but it was helpful.

Julie works as an executive assistant by day, and after work shes @JulieZeeEastsNYC, a social media restaurant reviewer. As much as she loves her side-gig she wishes it was a full time thing. She earns to be bigger and do more.

While at the Central Park food festival, Julie encounters Bennett. The annoyingly handsome food critic for the New York Scroll. After their confrontation does well on social media, the two pair up to get some more buzz.

Neither of them thought they would connect, but when their worlds collide, and things get spicy, they need to figure out how much heat their relationship can take.

This was such a fun and entertaining story between Julie and Bennett. I’m not always a fan of enemies to lovers trope, but this one was done well and I enjoyed it. The banter was on par and added fun pieces to the story. The romance in this book was spot on, and it was entirely relatable. I also really enjoyed the food descriptions! Those were an extra treat and I found myself seeking out extra snacks during this read!

This book is out Feb 21st!

Thank you to the publisher Berkley Publishing, @berkleypub, Berkley Romance, @berkleyromance, and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Sadie on a Plate, so I was really excited when I saw Best Served Hot announced! I’m happy to say I liked it just as much if not more than Sadie (and I loved the Sadie cameo!)

I was totally drawn into to Julie’s world as she reviews a variety of restaurants and cuisines across NYC! The descriptions of the foods she reviews will make your mouth water. Julie is disappointed when she doesn’t get her dream job, but then runs into Bennett, the reviewer who does. They have a rivalry from the start and then it earns them both more followers so they team up.

There is just something about Elliot’s writing that I love! The enemies to lovers, slow burn with Bennett was so well done. Their chemistry was off the charts from the very beginning! I loved the narration and didn’t want to stop listening!

My only complaint is not being at the table with Julie to sample her food and read her reviews! I can’t wait to see what Elliot writes next!

Julie Zimmerman or @JulieZeeEatsNYC is a social media restaurant reviewer with tens of thousands of followers. Her dream is to be able to do her restaurant reviewing full time, but when she finds out that Bennet Richard Macalister Wright got her dream job at the New York Scroll. instead, she is furious. Another white guy with nothing new to offer got the job over her. While at the Central Park Food Festival, Julie confronts the annoyingly handsome Bennett about his outdated opinions on social media and posts the resulting video footage. Julie's follower count soars—and so does the Scroll’s. Julie and Bennett grudgingly agree to partner up for a few reviews to further their online buzz. Over many meals together, Julie and Bennett connect over their shared love of food. But when the competitive fire between them turns romantic, they'll have to decide how much heat their relationship can take.

This was such an enjoyable read! Just come to terms that you will be hungry through the whole book! The book was relatively a quick read, I flew threw it in 2 sittings. Romance tropes include, closed door, enemies-to-lovers and slow burn. She wrestles with hard topics like nepotism, wealth and diversity. I enjoyed the undertones of female empowerment, and the conversation that there should be more diversity in restaurants being reviewed and reviewers as well. I loved the diverse side characters in her best friend, her roommate and her mentor. They all bring depth and purpose to back up the plot line.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This was a very cute and lighthearted read for me. The characters were cute and the story quite entertaining. All in all I really enjoyed it

I really enjoyed this one! Books featuring food are some of my favorites! Excluding the fact that they make me crave every food mentioned of course... Ignoring that, I loved this one! The main romance was super cute, and although I did get a bit irritated by the drama at the end, it was still fun. I loved the side characters and the foods. I'd definitely recommend this one!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Food blogger Julie Zimmerman (@JulieZeeEatsNYC) teams up with Bennet Macalester, a food critic at the Scroll—Julie’s dream job—after their argument at a Central Park food festival sets both their engagements rates through the roof. And over tapas and burgers, they fall not only for the food but also for each other in Best Served Hot. I really liked the concept of this, as a social media person, I love seeing that lifestyle of juggling a full-time job and a hobby that’s something you’re so passionate about. I loved that for Julie and her passion. I did find her, at times, a little bratty when it came to her early interactions with Bennett and with how she hates wine. But I loved watching her find her confidence and her stride in being an influencer. I loved the balance of her more wild energy to Bennet’s more reserved style. I would’ve loved to have gotten more of Bennet because I feel like they lacked some chemistry—although the trivia scene and burger scene I felt they really shined and I wish they had more playful moments like that. I do feel this is more Julie’s story than a romance because it is so much more her finding her pace and confidence. The food descriptions though are mouth-watering, the characters are smart and I loved the side characters (especially Emerson Lee). It’s a wonderful community built in these pages and Amanda Eliot is a queen of food-related descriptions and stories!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and @berittalksbooks for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

This is a fun rivals-to-lovers romance. Julie is a food blogger who features NY restaurants on her social media while working as an assistant to a billionaire. Bennett was just hired by the major NY newspaper to be their food critic. Julie and Bennett clash on everything from the best way to reach audiences to the types of restaurants to feature and what a good food review entails.

I have to recommend: don't read this while hungry. The food descriptions are amazing. I wished I could see Julie's account and pictures to go with the reviews that are described. And I even more dearly wish that I could visit the restaurants.

I really appreciated the discussion of class privilege throughout the book. And I enjoyed the little hat tip to Sadie from Sadie on a Plate. It is so fun to see mentions of previous books. And Julie's friends were so amazing; they were well described and nuanced characters with great mini plots of their own. I liked their stories even more than the romance.

This was read very well by Anna Caputo, coming in at 9.5 hours. Having just the solo narrator was a great choice since the book was from Julie's perspective.

I was either laughing or smirking through a good portion of this book. I simply adored it.

Short Synopsis:

An inspiring food reviewer influencer gets into a tiff with a newspaper food reviewer, and the fight goes viral. The newspaper pairs them together for a few reviews while the internet has them buzz worthy. The pair up makes both of their followings improve and interaction is wild….only it’s not just online but happening in person too.

My thoughts:
Bennett, Julie, Alice, and Emerson Leigh are all great characters! Emerson grows on you. Alice is the best best friend. Julie is unapologetically authentic. Bennett is a hot nerd that loves food thanks to his childhood interactions with his dad. *cough*can we say sweet*cough* The author wrote a cute, well developed, wildly humorous story centered around food in NYC. I love New York. I love food. I love books. What a great combo idea for a story. And to think, she wrote all of this during the lockdown when most restaurants weren’t even open. Do yourself a favor, and pick this entertaining book up. Pronto.

This was cute, but not one of my fav romances. I liked the MC enough but the romance fell a little flat for me. Enjoyable, but ultimately not super memorable.

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot is an enemies-to-lovers romance about two New York City food critics. If you like beautiful descriptions of restaurant food, this is the book for you!

Story Recap:
Julie Zimmerman is an administrative assistant by day, but at night she runs a social media site that reviews restaurants in New York City. She’s passionate about food and finding new restaurants, and wants to write for a major New York Newspaper like The Scroll. When she gets rejected to write for the Scroll the only thing worse than losing the job, is losing it to a rich, elite, society boy, Bennett Richard Macalester Wright.

At the Central Park Food Festival, Julie confronts Bennett and they have an argument about food critiques that are caught on camera and goes viral. Since their interaction was so popular, they decide to review together so they each can get more buzz for their platforms.

As Julie and Bennett spend time together, their shared love of food draws them together.

My Thoughts:
This book needs to come with a warning: “WILL CAUSE FOOD CRAVINGS”. The descriptions of the dishes and food were amazing and had me drooling more than once. The author knows her food.

The romance is a good one. Julie and Bennett start off as enemies, Julie is upset that Bennett got her dream job, and she doesn’t believe he deserves it. And Bennett doesn’t like Julie’s hostility at the beginning. But, they slowly build a friendship over food, and then, the friendship turns into more. I thought their progression from enemies to friends to lovers was a natural one.
I loved the New York City setting as well, and it was clear the author knows this city well.

Overall a mouth-watering romance that I enjoyed!

Recommendation:
I highly recommend Best Served Hot to anyone who loves romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5 stars



Last year I read Sadie on a Plate, which was Amanda Elliot’s debut novel, and I was so impressed. I was excited to jump into her sophomore novel, Best Served Hot when given the chance. I love books with food in them, and this was another great read by this author.

Julie is a food critic/influencer who would love to make it her full time job. She has aspirations to do just that. She applies to be a critic for ‘The Scroll’. It would be the dream for her. But Bennett Richard Macalester Wright is the guy that gets the job over her. The guy with connections, of course. When she runs into Bennett at a food festival, she confronts him.

Julie may know who Bennett is, but Bennett doesn’t know who Julie is. Their banter was great and I loved watching them get to know each other. It’s very much more of a rivals turned friends to lovers story. I loved seeing them try new things together and even though this wasn’t super heavy on the romance, I enjoyed watching them start to fall. The conflict was fairly predictable, but I was happy it was resolved quickly and enjoyed the end of the book!

Best Served Hot is a fun and entertaining read about two rival food critics. This story will leave your mouth watering and devouring each word.

From the moment I met Julie and Bennett, I knew I was in for a real treat. They had such great banter and totally rocked the enemies-to-lovers vibe. I loved the chemistry between them and just knew when they finally gave in, sparks were going to fly, and I was not disappointed. Julie and Bennett kept me on my toes and left me begging for more.

Best Served Hot is smartly written and definitely shouldn’t be read on an empty stomach! The characters are fun, and entertaining, and know just how to pull on your heartstrings. This is my first book by this author and I’m definitely looking forward to checking out more from her in the future.

I really, really enjoyed this second romance from Amanda Elliot that sees two rival NYC food reviewers forced to work together. A slow burn with delicious food descriptions, some steamy scenes and a couple great cameos with Sadie from Sadie on a plate! Great on audio too. Much thanks to @prhaudio and Berkley for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book!

Star Rating: 4⭐️
Genre: Romance
Pub Date: February 21, 2023

I was a big fan of Amanda Elliot's 2022 release (Sadie on a Plate), and I am equally in love with Best Served Hot!

I am a sucker for enemies to lovers, and Best Served Hot is quintessential enemies to lovers. I loved the two MCs dynamics, sexual tension, and slow slide into friendship that became, of course, more than friendship. I felt like the dynamics of the social media world, especially as it relates to food blogging, were accurately portrayed here, too. The storyline really set up a good conflict between traditional restaurant reviewing vs. social media reviewing, and it showed how social media reviewers have to fight to be taken seriously against the traditional channels.

I also really enjoyed the side characters in this one, and I thought they provided an interesting (although, sometimes unrelated) character arc. There were also some "bro" scenes regarding the MCs best friend, and while I like to see women in STEM in books, I felt like that storyline was a bit out of place...and that the MCs eventual slide into a company role with her BFF was a big stretch.

That being said, the romance was spot on in this one! I bought into the connection between the two MCs immediately, and I was hoping for the slow burn to eventually just become a burn the whole time!

Overall, this was such a fun book, and you will DEFINITELY be hungry once you finish reading about all the meals the restaurant reviewers enjoyed!

Thank you to Berkley Romance for an advanced copy of Best Served Hot in exchange for my honest review!

What's it about:
Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot is a spicy enemies-to-lovers story about two warring restaurant critics – Julie, aka @JulieZeeEatsNYC, and Bennett Richard Macalester Wright. Why his full name, you might be wondering? Because that's how Julie refers to him as a sign of her opinion of Bennett.

Julie reviews restaurants through social media focusing on the aesthetics and the experience. In contrast, Bennett writes for the food section of a local NYC newspaper – a much more respected medium in the restaurant world but not necessarily with the public. When they meet at a local food festival, the war ensues. The paper latches on to the popularity of their feud and wants them to do joint ventures to help promote the paper with the social media crowd.

What follows is an often relatable and funny, sometimes mouthwatering, but always with a good helping of spice and heat for a purely entertaining read from start to finish.

Actual Reading Experience:
I just loved Best Served Hot. It pulled me in on page 1 and easily would have been a one-sitting read had I started it earlier in the day. The pure entertainment quality of the story was a joy to read. So much so that I didn't want to leave when I ran out of pages.

I wanted to stay in NYC and try some of the many food items they reviewed. The way food is described in this story is just pure magic. I began craving foods I knew I did not care for just by how the experience was described.

Enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope, and this story delivers everything I love about it: a fun heated sparring that turns into a fun heated romance. The wit of the dialogue is just mwah. And the chemistry between the characters is off the charts. I prefer a closed-door romance, and there is a bit of open-door action, but it's not a lot, so I felt comfortable with it.

Some central themes are embedded in the story to give it that bit of meat I enjoy. The benefits of money and social standing play a predominant role, as does the shift in our society that has put newspapers on the path out and social media on the road in. Julie's boss has two daughters, and they are living lives bought and paid for by daddy while acting as if they have worked hard for what they have. They are vain and frivolous- the very essence of entitlement. Bennett comes from this world, fueling Julie's working-class mindset even more against him. I enjoyed that dichotomy of someone who started with nothing and worked hard for everything she has and everything she's achieved versus someone who has spent a lifetime being handed everything.

Characters:
Even with the social inequalities, Julie and Bennett are relatable and the characters you would want to hang out with in real life. I would definitely want them to take me on a culinary tour of their favorite city restaurants. They are well-developed with the layers of complexities that come from a life full of ups and downs, successes and failures, and wounds that have barely begun to form the scabs required for healing to begin.

Narration & Pacing:
The story focuses on Julie, and she tells it in first-person narration. This style of narration, combined with Julie's endless wit and fascinating personality, created a fast-paced story that I loved. I was delighted with the singular focus feeling that Bennet's story and personality are still shown loud and clear.

Setting:
The setting is the foodie world of NYC. And it was utilized in a way that was nothing short of sublime. I've been to NYC many times, but I feel that I've missed out on some fascinating food finds. I loved the descriptions of the city, especially the grittier take on the smells one confronts when going about their life. I think the smells of New York – good and bad – are more ingrained in my memory than anything else.

Read if you like:
Enemies to lovers romance
A romantic comedy with a bit of meat
Food!!!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my eArc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was my second Amanda Elliot book and it lived up to the hype. I may have liked it even better than Sadie on a Plate. I went into this one expecting to be entertained and I was not disappointed.
Slow burn and enemies to lovers are my favorite tropes and Best Served Hot dished it up perfectly!

The cover on this one perfectly depicts the story. Julie is a restaurant reviewer and has plenty of followers on her social media channel. All she really wants though, is to quit her day job so she can follow her food passion. She thinks she has it in the bag when she applies for a job at Scroll Unfortunately for her, the job goes to a high society good old boy, who in her eyes, does not deserve it.

What follows is our classic enemies-to-lovers story. Amanda weaves together the perfect combination of the pitfalls of a social media influencer vs a newspaper critic. People tend to disregard influencers but they are the wave of the future. Print media is in a slow decline and the youth of today are tuned into cyberspace.
The struggles of the haves vs the have not played a big role in Julie and Bennet's relationship. Amanda shows how hard it is for people of wealth to really understand what the rest of the world faces each and every day.
My favorite part is when Julie and Bennet visit Sadie's restaurant.

There are plenty of laugh out loud moments and some tender ones too. I just may need to make a trip to NYC and see if I am able to find some of these places to eat!