I was unaware of the subject of the book but read it anyway. It was about the story of Kendra and Tori. To me the best thing was the Bake off show

WOW!! Lovers of food network and reality TV rejoice! This book was all kinds of wonderful - even though it made me hungry at times. ;)

I appreciated how honest the writing felt and the perspectives of both Tori and Kendra throughout the novel. Lisa Peers’ writing paints a quiet love between the two that isn’t as prominent these days in the romance market so I was pleasantly delighted. The competitive twists and turns also added great stakes to the novel and had me on the edge of my seat wondering how it was all going to play out.

Overall a fantastic book for those who love what’s behind the curtain of their favourite reality shows, food network fanatics, or just all around soft romance. Excited to read more from Peers in the future!

4.25 ⭐️

This is such a cute and fun sapphic baking competition book. Tori is a high school teacher who loves to bake and was cheated on by her wife. She has two teens about to go off to college and they enroll her into the bake-o-roma show to help make her dreams come true of owning her own bake shop. Tori is so kind and just a beautiful person inside and out. I just loved her character and found her to be so comforting and honestly mothering in the best way.

Kendra is a badass baker who has had to put up a wall to make it in the male dominated field. She is trying to save her restaurant by judging the competition show again this year. Kendra's character growth in the book was amazing to see and I loved seeing her break down her walls and let people in.

Like many others, I found the romance aspect of the book to be really lacking and it could have been more balanced that way but I loved the characters, side characters and felt like I was watching a bake show which always brings me a sense of peace. If you go in knowing the romance is light and the bake show and characters are great I think you might love it too!

I dnf'ed this one. The writing style wasn't for me, but I hope someone else enjoys it! I recently read a cooking contemporary romance that left a bad taste in my mouth, and reading this one back to back didn't feel like it was giving the story a fair chance of me enjoying it.

Th baking competition seemed to be the main plot and romance as the sun plot. Where as the blurb makes it seem like romance would be the forefront. That’s my main complaint. So not that big of deal so let’s get to the positives, the baking competition so fun! The characters, adorable and easily relatable, easily formed a connection to them. So if you’re in the market for a fun baking competition, with a dash of romance (pun intended) this would be a great choice for you!

For lovers of cooking competition shows, delicious sounding food, and slow burn sapphic romance, this is the book for you. Both Tori and Kendra are at turning points in their lives. Tori's children are about to go to college and she will be left with an empty nest and a career that might not be as fulfilling as it was. And Kendra has a job she doesn't entirely enjoy that funds her passions, but her passions may still be failing after all. But when Tori's children nominate her to be a contestant on American Bake-o-Rama, the baking competition show that Kendra is a judge of, the two find they have a lot more in common than one would realize and a connection builds. But with contracts and the competition in the way, can they find a way back to each other?

Generally slow burns are not my favorites, but the pining, the secret notes stashed away, and the eventual union of Tori and Kendra made for a very fun story. Cooking competition sapphic romances is a weird niche I've found myself into and I love it. I would have liked a little more time with Tori and Kendra together, however I do understand that that build up and pining is part of the what makes this story special. it's as much about the food and the joy that food brings us as it is about their eventual union.

I could not put this book down! I loved the characters and loved the cooking show setting! It was pleasantly surprising to read a chaste sapphic romance! I believe that’s a first for me. The baking descriptions were so much fun and I found myself rooting for all the contestants throughout the story. Loved it, loved it, loved it!

a cute and charming romcom that was delightful.

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

This one didn’t quite work for me. I was more interested in the cooking show than I was the romance. Not the best sign for a romance…
Not for me but I’m sure it will be amazing for someone else!

Tori has always wanted to open her own bakery, but life got in the way. And she's happy with her life, she is...but when her almost-adult kids sign her up to audition for a baking competition show, this might be the change she's been needing. Under the watchful (and very judgmental) eye of Kendra, one of the celebrity chefs who judges the show, Tori does her best to beat the competition.
Kendra has long felt like something is missing in her life, and now she's facing losing her restaurant, the most important thing in it. But one of the contestants on this year's show almost makes her feel some hope... so she breaks the non-fraternizing rules, just a bit, and leaves Tori notes in her weekly gifts from the studio.

I was expecting Love at 350 to be a little more romance-centered--it's a very slow burn, and the romance definitely takes a back seat to the baking and to the issues in both women's lives. I would definitely consider this more on the women's fiction side than a Romance.
It felt like everything wrapped up a bit neatly at the end, and I was expecting the fact that they were breaking the rules to be a bigger deal, but I loved that these two women in their 40s got their happy ending--we need more romance focused on people this age.

I loved the premise of this one - it sounded like a cute read! But I was looking for a true romance book, and this isn't it, so I DNF'ed. Lots of focus on the cooking show which was cute, but less heavy on the romance for a "romance" book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was such a fun read! I really enjoyed it. It was a great palette cleanser from all the fantasy and I can't wait to read more of Lisa's work! Also, this cover is super cute! I love it!

I cannot get enough of cooking show romance novels. Make it sapphic and include characters who are middle age, I just might explode. This needs to be made into a Hallmark movie asap. Highly recommend.

Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!

Tori is a home chef and chemistry teacher who teaches a baking class. She's gone through a terrible break up when her kids sign her up to audition for a baking show.

Kendra is a chef with a success cookie business and a restaurant. She begrudgingly accepts a hosting gig on a baking show to help shore up the restaurant.

As soon as Tori and Kendra meet, sparks fly. If only there wasn't an anti-fraternization policy in the way! They soon resort to letters to get to know each other a little better. Can Tori win the baking show and get her happily ever after?

This book was a spice free sapphic romance. I found the plot to be too slow and far too heavily focused on the actual baking show vs the relationship growing between Tori and Kendra. They are basically still strangers at the end of the book who have spent a total of a few minutes alone, ever. I found that aspect incredibly unrealistic. An opportunity was missed to explore their growth more!

The summary of the book is what made me interested in requesting an arc copy of it. I love reading romance novels with a baking aspect, especially if there is also a competition involved. The romance in this book was really adorable and an overall enjoyable read. It was also nice to read a romance novel with older characters. I also enjoyed seeing how both Kendra and Tori's characters changed and grew over the course of the book.
I definitely enjoyed it and will recommend to a friend!

Love at 350 is a delightful sweet romance by author Lisa Peers.
High-school chemistry teacher and soon-to-be empty nester Tori Moore auditions for the American Bake-o-Rama TV competition to humor her college bound twins. Still reeling from her divorce and not one to take risks, Tori barely dares to imagine what she could do with the prize money if she won; she's always dreamed of opening her own bakery.
Notoriously ruthless Bake-o-Rama judge and celebrity chef Kendra Campbell has been warned to soften her approach in the interest of providing feel-good TV. Desperate to save her restaurant and expand her Chippy Chunk cookie empire, she knows her business manager brother is right - the Bake-o-Rama gig is her ticket to financial security.
Tori and Kendra's first encounter during auditions is an embarrassing display of Tori's nervous klutziness, which leaves Kendra charmed and intrigued, though she quickly nixes any hint of interest she's feeling; after all, she's a judge and Tori a contestant. Tori has a tougher time stowing her own feelings, as she's quietly nurtures an impossible crush on the Cookie Queen from afar, but she doubts the celebrity chef even notices her.
This is a page-turning, feel good, savory sweet romance set against a journey through the ups and downs of one challenging bake-off after another. I enjoy learning something as I'm reading, and Peers deftly sprinkles nuanced details of the delectable bakes into the narrative, lending the reader a great feel for the passion that often accompanies the inspired creations of a true chef.
The building tension and high stakes possibility of forbidden romance between these two forty-something women drives the story and I enjoyed every moment of the ride. The author has a knack for witty, realistic banter, which made this read even more fun. If I could give it 6 out of 5 stars, I would. I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to reading whatever Lisa Peers writes next!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I DNF'ed about 50% of the way in. It just wasn't grabbing my attention the way I thought it would. The story had a lot of potential, but I was expecting a lot more of the romance factor. I think if it would have been balanced more between the baking show and the romance, I would have flown through this.

Beyond adorable. I loved how this story managed to build some incredible chemistry between Tori and Kendra with minimal interactions. Tori’s growth to self assuredness and Kendra’s growth to being less prickly we’re perfectly done. I also loved the baking competition aspect and the mild mystery twist at the end. Super fun read!

3.5 stars (rounding up to 4 though, because it was close).

Thank you to The Dial Press and NetGalley for the E-ARC of this book!

"Love at 350 Degrees" follows Tori Moore, a chemistry teacher turned TV contestant baker after her children secretly sign her up to audition for the national phenomenon: American Bake-O-Rama, and Kendra Campbell, a long-time judge of said-TV show who is known both for her immaculate cooking and her frosty personality. As the competition progresses, both contestant and judge grapple with challenges on-screen and off, while struggling to ignore the spark forming between them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! Books with premises revolving around a TV show of sorts have typically been hit or miss with me, but I honestly really enjoyed and appreciated how this unique landscape played into the story. Peers takes full advantage of this setting, taking the reader through the full progression of the series with unique episode challenges, culinary obstacles of every sort, contestant and judge dynamics, and even an intriguing sabotage subplot! I ate (ha, get it?) all of it up. Certainly sets a high standard for this genre of books, and I'm sure it won't just be for me.

I also really loved both Tori and Kendra. They're so different, yet share key similarities that made it easy to see how they saw a connection with with another. My only real complaint about the story is that I wish we got to see more of them interacting with one another and more development of their relationship progression. The specific plot circumstances made it difficult for there to be one-on-one scenes between the two of them, and while it makes sense, I do think it resulted in much of the story feeling like two parallel plot lines that occasionally intersect: not a bad thing, but not what you typically want out of a romance.

Speaking of plot lines, I enjoyed all of the little subplots that took place within Tori and Kendra's individual lives, from Tori coming to terms with the impending absence of her twins as they go off to college to Kendra's restaurant being threatened with closure. I just wish, again, that more of their character arcs intertwined or overlapped.

Overall, I recommend this book to those who love baking, TV show plots, and who want to read a sweet but emotionally mature story about two women (on the older side for a lot of romance books – another thing I appreciated!) who find solidarity and solace in one another unexpectedly. I will definitely keep an eye out for future releases of this author, and I recommend the same for others!

4.5⭐️

As a kid one of my favorite things to do with my dad was watch Food Network cooking competition shows. After the first episode we’d make bets on who we thought would win (loser had to do the dishes after dinner). So it’s no surprise that as an adult books that feature cooking/baking competitions are some of my favorites.

Tori Moore is a chemistry teacher, single parent, and a ray of absolute sunshine. She also has a love for baking and she’s so good at it that her twins nominated her to go on a baking competition show. It also doesn’t hurt that one of the judges is Kendra Campbell, a gorgeous celebrity chef known for her prickly nature. When the two meet it’s instant attraction but of course a romance is off the table, at least for now.

This book was really mostly focused on the cooking competition show, with a splash of romance in the mix. Mostly because both Tori and Kendra signed contracts forbidding a romance between judges and contestants for at least a year after the show. So instead we have secret notes being passed, late night google searches to try to learn more about each other, and heartfelt parking lot chats. When I say this is slow burn I mean it because the kiss doesn’t happen until about 95% of the way into the book. I’m fine with that though because there’s enough happening with the competition and some really interesting side characters that kept me happy.

This book also comes with a recipe for Tori’s famous paper bag apple pie which I am absolutely gonna try to bake asap. I will update you with the results eventually (probably in like a week or so).

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.