Tori teaches biochemistry and Della teaches Skills for Living (aka Home Economics). One day, a few years ago, they had a brilliant idea, which was to combine forces and design “Biochem of Baking”, a course they could dual teach. It quickly became the most popular courses at Sequoia High School. Tori loves spending time with Della, but the less than subtle hints about introducing her to single women are getting a bit exhausting. It doesn’t help that Tori’s ex cheated on her, moved to New York with a new girlfriend, and her twins are heading off to college in the fall. Kendra is a reluctant judge on the baking show that is the center of this book. She is the “mean one” who expects the best and offers constructive criticism to the home bakers who don’t bake to perfection. Little did Tori know, her kids signed her up for the show. And drama and excitement ensues! I loved that this featured two queer teachers (yay LGBTQIA rep) and that it was set in high school with a baking sort of spin. It really made it fun! I liked that the MCs were around 40 and the book is a dual POV. The side characters really made this such a fun book that made me really invested. The other baking contestants were wonderful and really added to the story! I wish there was more chemistry and that it wasn't so instalove with these two, but overall this was a great book that I enjoyed and would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC of this book.

Love at 350° by Lisa Peers--Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this upcoming romance novel which releases in October. Love at 350° is a cute queer romance set on a baking competition à la Great British Baking Show. Tori is a contestant and Kendra is a chef & judge on the show. Show contracts prohibit relationships between contestants and judges, for obvious reasons. Told from alternating POVs, the reader follows the competition and the developing crush between Tori & Kendra. I was way more interested in the baking part of the story and the romance part fell kind of flat for me. I liked the side characters and how they enhanced the plot.

A sweet and cozy read! Tori has dreamt of opening a bakery for a long time but her practical nature and insecurities caused her to put those dreams aside. When she has the chance to win $100K on a baking competition reality series, Tori begins to believe in her dreams once again. But will her attraction to one of the show’s judges put those dreams at risk?

This was a cute story - I enjoyed getting to know Tori and Kendra and there is good chemistry between them. There is not much drama which makes for a comforting, low-anxiety read. At times, the romance felt like a subplot as the focus is largely on Tori and her aspirations (though I did not mind as I loved reading about all of the delicious things she and other contestants were making).

Love at 350 is delightful - if you are a fan of baking competition shows and romance, give this a read!

Thank you very much to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

If you are as big of a fan of the Great British Baking Show as I am, then you are going to really enjoy this book! It's got similar challenges, endearing contestants, and complicated bakes! In this book, one of the contestants starts falling for the judges, which is strictly against their contracts. The baking show definitely took center stage of this book, whereas the romance had a very far backseat. I would've liked more romantic aspects than baking show drama, which I can get from turning on my TV. There was opportunity in the ending for that romantic chance to be taken, but it was just lacking. Definitely still a fun and easy read if you're looking for one.

I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun romance that really focused more on the growth of the characters and their experience on a baking reality show, than whatever was happening between them. And I liked that, because those two pieces were so strong. It was easy to imagine what the baking competition actually felt and looked like - the author did a great job of making that experience feel relatable and real - everything from the anxiety of a certain mistake, or the uncomfortable doubt that creeps in from trying to understand how a total stranger is reacting to you as either a fellow contestant or a judge.

The two characters, despite being older lesbians (a demographic I want to see EVEN MORE of in the books I read), had quite a bit of growth over the course of the book. I especially liked that the growth came from within each of the characters, and even started before they met each other. But was encouraged to grow and bloom as the two love interests came into contact.

One detail that I really liked was the way Tori reacted throughout the novel to her ex-wife Shelby. At points, Tori was angry, ashamed of falling behind, resolute in her decisions to stay away. Given the complexity of a divorce, especially with kids in the picture, I thought the author did a great job capturing all the feelings and how they might even overlap.

This was a super fluffy, light read with a lot of heart. I did find the second half to be kind of slow and expected a little more from the ending, but it was still cute and enjoyable. Perfect for fans of Great British Bake Off and wholesome romances.

Thank you to Random House for the ARC of this book!

Fun, light read. Low-key romance but very sweet story. Loved the side characters and the premise. Well
Done!

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a sucker for foodie romances and this book did not disappoint. The combination of a baking competition and love story of two chefs falling in love hit the spot. I’m this author is new to me and I’m looking forward to reading more!

I enjoyed this, but I didn’t love it. The slow burn tension is lovely, but the climax left me wanting. I wish there was an epilogue or something else to give us a little more to the story. Some of the conflict felt contrived, but overall it was a fun read.

3.5/5 stars! I love food-based books so the premise of this sounded super cute. I really liked the pacing of this story and the inclusion of really focusing on the baking and not just the romance. I loved Tori and Kendra and their swoony chemistry.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

3.9

Thanks so much to Netgalley and The Dial Press for an advance readers’ copy of this title! Love at 350° is a delightful story about two older lesbians that have been through love before finding love on a baking reality show — as judge and contestant. Both leads were endearing and brought their own separate personalities to the table — Kendra’s dry wit and Tori’s can-do attitude. The creations made by the contestants sounded mouthwateringly good and reminded me of the weekends I would spend plugged into Food Network shows like Worst Cooks of America and Cupcake Wars. This book’s only setback in my opinion is that the slow burn felt…too slow at times. Kendra and Tori primarily communicate through letters (like we’re in Mr. Malcom’s List or something) and only kiss in the final pages of the book. I’m all for slow burn but when the competition Tori faced on page only heated up, her relationship with Kendra was practically nonexistent. Otherwise, I had an amazing time reading this book and would love to award it 3.9 out of 5 stars!

What an utterly delightful romance! Tori and Kendra are lovely characters in their own right and it’s impossible not to root for them to find a way to be together (even if the supervising contract was a TAD unbelievable).
I thoroughly enjoyed this but was disappointed that we got a single kiss between our leads. If you like your romance with any sex you will be disappointed

Love at 350 combined my love of baking competitions with my love of tension-filled romance. I really enjoyed this story about a slow-burn relationship between two talented chefs, complicated by real-life situations. I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes details, as well as the swoon-worthy descriptions of the delectable baked goods. I look forward to Lisa Peers' next novel.

I have found myself in a very specific niche of LGBTQIA chef romances, and TBH? I’m not mad about it. Love at 350° by Lisa Peers on a one that I’m so happy to add to my read-and-loved list! It follows an amateur baker onto the set of a baking challenge, where she rekindles her dreams and kindles a whole new love. It was such an interesting concept and well executed. Tori and Kendra are great main characters and you can’t help but keep your fingers crossed for them. Even though this book was fairly lighthearted, it touches on some very real every day struggles AND does a great job at recognize that life doesn’t end at 40. All told, it’s an excellent romance that I was so happy to add to my list.


Special thanks to Net Galley and Random House for providing an advanced reviewer copy to me in exchange for my honest review and opinion!

This was a quick and breezy read that I enjoyed! I wished there was a little bit more romance, but I was definitely rooting for the main characters to get together, and once they were, wahoo! I'm not usually a fan of books that feature children, but I still enjoyed this.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

This was a cute slow burn, second chance romance that incorporated the world of Baking competitions well! I was rooting for Kendra and Tori to get their happy ending together, but was just as interested in the baking competition and the great cast of supporting characters! I felt like the plot had enough twists and turns to keep me satisfied, but still wrapped up in a nice way! Anyone who’s a bake off fan will savor this!

This is a really cute novel about Tori, a teacher and single mom with twins who loves to bake; her kids enter her in a national cooking contest which could win her $100,000.00 and a chance to be on the show. Exited and scared, she goes in with exuberance and skill, only to be tempted by Kendra, one of the celebrity judges on the show. Tori has recently gone through an unexpected divorce from the woman she loved, so this feeling too is sudden but not entirely unwelcome! My mouth watered through most of this book as the recipes sounded so good. Tension between contestants was high and there were several complications, but I loved the storyline and its clever characters!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Read an ARC.

Seniors in high school sign their single mom up for a baking competition, she has chemistry with the tough-as-nails woman judge, and hijinks ensue. This is my second "kid prompted meet cute" in a fairly short time but these teens play less active role.

Solid story about rediscovering passions later in life! Really fantastic and accurate baking competition dialogue, but the romance aspects fell short. Maybe the ratio is as high as 90% baking and competition and 10% character introduction/development/plot. Excellent selection of plausible secondary characters but I never really got attached to anyone.

The anticipation of "illicit affair / forbidden love" felt more restraining than tantalizing. Like something that smelled amazing in the oven but eating it is just okay.

This book was exactly what I needed as a palate cleanser after lit fic novel that left me a bit depressed. It was light and fun, easy to read, and I honestly rooted for both characters. My only issue with it is that it’s a romance and I felt like the courtship between the two MCs was left at a simmer for almost the entire book. I love a secret relationship, so I was sort of hoping to be giddy about these two risking at all to get closer, but I don’t know, this time, something was missing. Maybe it was the structure? I’ve had issues with this in other books, but whenever books have a tendency to jump forward in time so the character can remember back to a big relationship moment, it disengages me. I always want to be in those moments, but I think this is more a ‘me’ thing than a craft thing, so don’t miss out on the book over it.

4.24⭐ rounded down to 4⭐.

An amazing debut novel from Lisa Peers. Perfect for fans of The Great British Bake Off who wants a dash of sapphic romance.

This book primarily revolves around Tori, a divorced teacher and a mom of 2, and Kendra, a powerhouse restaurateur, chef, and baker. Meeting as a contestant and judge on a show called American Bake-o-Rama, they are not able to act on their attraction due to contractual obligations and accusations of favoritism but through secret notes, they have gotten to know each other a little bit better.

Love the side characters of this novel as well. Tori's and Kendra's own group of family, friends, and colleagues (EXCEPT FOR THAT ONE, YOU'LL KNOW) were amazing. The contestants were incredible. The ending with that twist WAS enjoyable.

For romance readers like myself, although this was not so heavy on the romance, I still really enjoyed reading it. There were parts that were long and my eyes probably glossed over some minute details but that didn't really put me off.

Now I'm ending my day off to rewatch The Great British Bake Off.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.