Love at 350 by Lisa Peers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 10/10/23

Thank you Netgalley for this arc! I really enjoyed this book. I should have read it sooner. I love a romcom with baking. This is even better featuring a baking show. It’s a fast pace forbidden romance.

Tori is a high school chemistry teacher and an avoid home baker. Her twins are about to go to college and don’t want their single mother to not have a purpose. They entered her for a baking competition. When they find out she was selected for the top 100 to present her bakes they had to break the news. They went behind her back, but it’s because they love her. She was shocked by the news, but figured this was her shot to potentially win $100,000 to start her own bakery. What she wasn’t expecting was the host with a reputation for being ruthless to grab her heart. Per their contract they cannot interact or date outside the show for a year. As the weeks of the competition goes on the stronger their pull . How does Tori do with the competition? What does Tori and Kendra do about their feelings?

Basically all I could ask for in a romcom book- baking, reality tv, gays... it hit the trifecta. I had a good time reading this, although the romance was not as noteworthy as the rest of the story to me!

I had a great time reading this book, especially following along with the competition and the different bakers who were partaking in it. But the romance between the two protagonists took a bit to convince me; it felt like it went from 0 to 60 in terms of development and feelings, and I didn't really buy it until the second half of the book. It could've been so good as a secret, forbidden love kind of relationship, except they were both sticklers for the rules (understandably so, given the context). Overall, I still had a great time reading the book and would recommend it.

A new romance about Tori, a contestant on a baking show, and Kendra, one of the judges on the baking show.

This one focused a lot on the baking, which I didn’t mind. People who like the buildup of chemistry and ups and downs in the relationship probably wouldn’t enjoy this as much. However, I liked the way that Tori and Kendra supported each other and their relationship grew in that way! I liked too that they never really had any drama or breakup like many romances.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an entertaining baking competition romance. While Tori's children are getting ready to go to college, they sign her up for Bake-O-Rama, a baking competition set in Sonoma County with celebrity chef Kendra Campbell as one of the competition's judges to keep Tori from feeling like an empty nester. Kendra is struggling with her first restaurant and does not enjoy judging Bake-O-Rama. In this romance, Tori learns to take risks despite previous experiences, and Kendra learns that sometimes, even the best-laid plans need to change. It's entertaining and enjoyable, just like watching an actual baking show competition.

"'𝘉𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺?' 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵: 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘦."

I loved this book.

First of all - you had me at baking competition! As an avid watcher of The Great British Baking Show, I loved the American twist of this story!

I also loved that both main characters are in their 40s - it's a different aspect than many of the romances and such that are out there - they're both at different places in their lives and careers, and it just puts new perspectives on a lot of things.

There's ALSO some intrigue and even SABOTAGE! Dun dun dun!

Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for this review! ❤️
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #lisapeers #lifeat350 #whatsnikkireading #book90of2023 #lgbtqiap #bakingshow #grumpysunshine #mom #emptynester #oppositesattract

Tori is a high school chemistry teacher and is surprised to find her kids have gotten her an audition on a reality baking show. Kendra is a judge on the show and has a reputation for being harsh to the contestants. Sparks fly when they meet but unfortunately for them there is a clause in their contracts that prohibits them from interacting outside of the show.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it surprising that this is Lisa Peers’ debut as it didn’t feel that way at all. There was a lot of heart and cute moments and so much food! This was honestly a good time of reading. Tori is a likeable character from the get-go and Kendra really grew on me by the end. I could see why they would be attracted to one another.

This is one of the books that could be hurt by the marketing. It’s marketed as a rom-com but that is a very misleading term here. While I did love the interactions between Tori and Kendra, this is not a romance. The romantic feelings are all internalized because of the no contact contract. While the two do find a way to have a bit of communication it wasn’t enough to satisfy my romance meter.

While there isn’t a happily ever after, I do feel the ending is very hopeful of one. I really liked this a lot and recommend it. I’ll be keeping an eye out for whatever Peers releases next.

I received an ARC from Random House/The Dial Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love at 350º was a bit different than I had anticipated when i first started, but it actually turned out to be a good thing!

I fully expected it to be a Sapphic romcom that just so happened to be set against a baking competition show. But really, the book turned out to be more about a baking competition show that just so happened to have a Sapphic romance plot along with it. It has a Forbidden Romance trope, along with what I think would be classified as a slow burn.

I am not sure I liked the romance aspect of the book, but I loved Tori and Kendra individually. I do like how the author handled the power imbalance between the two, where it never felt like Tori was being taken advantage of.

I also really liked the LGBTQ+ representation in the book and how the story was without shame or homophobia written in. I fully recognize that homophobia is a very real and serious issue, but I will admit it was nice to see a Sapphic book portrayed as though it's normal (because it 1000% is!!)

The book is marketed as a romance, which in a sense it is, but I would label it as a contemporary instead. If you are looking for a fully developed romance, this book may not be for you. But if you enjoy baking and food competition shows, then you need to pick this up ASAP!

If you’re into Great British Baking Show with a hint of forbidden love, this book is for you!

Tori is a teacher with a talent for baking, so her twins enter her in a baking competition - that happens to be on national television and has a very hot celebrity chef host. As the show progresses and their attraction to each other strengthens, how will the cookies crumble?!

This book was cute! I liked the baking competition aspects a lot. But I honestly wasn’t sold on the love story and didn’t feel like the leads had any chemistry! I needed more banter and tension and hand flexing, ya know?

3/5 yummy little stars!

This is a fair warning do not go into this book hungry! I was so hungry reading this and everything sounded so good! Anyway, a contestant on a baking show and the judge are drawn to each other but it goes against all the rules. Love really has no rules though, does it? This was a fun one!
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Huge thank you #randomhouse and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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Tori and Kendra are so cute. This is a very adorable book especially if you like reading about LGBTQ plus type of stories I highly recommend this author I’ve read her books before and will continue to do so 4 1/2 stars.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Random House Publishing Group for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Dual pov, LGBTQ representation, cooking show

This was a good debut. I do wish it focused more on the romance. There is such thing as too much extra story. The author focuses so much on the food and competition that the romance gets lost a bit. I recommend it.

🍰𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪🍰
#partner @thedialpress @prhaudio

📖𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝘁 𝟯𝟱𝟬°
🖊️Lisa Peers
🗓️10.10.23
💘RomCom
★★★★

𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘛𝘝 𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘵.

💭𝗠𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦
This debut was such a fun delight to read, taking one of my favorite things, a baking competition, and pairing it with a sapphic foodie romance.

Tori Moore is a high school chemistry teacher, and avid baker who enters a baking competition at the urging of her teenaged twins. Here she meets Kendra Campbell, celebrity chef and judge of the competition, and their attraction is mutual.

This slow building love story was so charming and sweet, and I loved all of the yummy recipes and food descriptions, along with the great cast of characters. I found myself laughing and smiling the whole time while reading.

🎧I paired the physical book with the audiobook and really enjoyed this dual format. It’s become one of my favorite ways to really immerse myself. The narration by Barrie Kreinik was so good, and my mouth was watering when I finished reading.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧
🧁forbidden romance
💘a queer love story
🍰slow burn
🧁more baking competition than romance

*many thanks to PRH, prh audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This book bounced around too much for me and it felt like connections between different plot points were lacking. It felt like it was trying to do too much and be too cute. There was no depth to the relationships and I kept forgetting who characters were because they would jump in and out.

Tori is still reeling from her divorce and is a bit stuck. She loves her job as a teacher and adores her students, but her unrealized and potentially unrealistic (for financial reasons) dream is to open her own bakery. With her twins readying to leave for college they are worried for what is next for her so behind her back, they submit her application for a new reality baking show. Unsurprising to everyone except Tori, she makes the cut. The instant connection she makes with Kendra, one of the hosts is off the charts, but both do everything they can to ignore their feelings due to their contractual requirements, restrictions and guidelines The cast is an interesting mix of personalities both behind and in front of the camera, the baking so much fun and sounded delicious. I’m not sure I’d call this a romcom, but more women contemporary fiction, but it’s a fun road to Tori’s obvious and eventual life changing happily ever after.

This book did not disappoint. What a fun story, entertaining from start to finish. Thank you for my copy in exchange for a review.

Love at 350 Degrees is a Food Network watchers dream - a judge and contestant on a baking competition fall into an unexpected and forbidden slow burn romance as their show films. The high stakes baking and their high stakes romance unfolds as both Tori and Kendra find a balance between their hopes and dreams for their lives, and their realities.

What I absolutely loved about this story were the characters - these two women were powerhouses, established, and at a fork in the road in their lives. They aren’t your normal rom com protagonists - they’ve lived life, had wins and loses, and are trying to figure out their next act. Tori had an incredible compassion and empathy for everyone she encounters, and Kendra’s assertive and direct personality brought her to peaks in her careers. Both women were inspirational and they complimented each other so well - I was rooting for them from the start.

The baking show aspect of this book was so fun as well - it was a fun take on a baking competition, and the big twist of sabotage was stressful but kept me turning the pages. The entire cast of characters on the show was fantastic as well - the representation of various walks of life felt very true to how a show and I would love to have been a viewer.

Overall, this book was a true five star read for me and I cannot wait to see what Lisa Peers brings us next.

I really enjoyed this! I love the baking challenge tv show concept. There was one moment towards the end that I found to be a bit too over the top for my taste. But overall, this was a fun take on a romance.

This book goes no further than kissing, but it's ok, because the protagonists are adorable! A romance novel about women who are about 40, which is shockingly rare! I am always up for reading about people in my general age range finding happiness, and this offered that both romantically and professionally. There were some ridiculous "risks" the characters took that stressed me out but still an overall good read.

Lisa Peers' "Love at 350°" is a heartwarming tale of love and self-discovery set against the backdrop of a baking competition. Tori Moore, a high school chemistry teacher and aspiring baker, takes a leap by auditioning for the American Bake-o-Rama TV competition at the urging of her twin teenagers. The narrative unfolds as Tori captures the attention of Kendra Campbell, a celebrity chef and Bake-o-Rama judge known for her tough exterior.

The characters, particularly Tori and Kendra, are beautifully crafted with layers of depth and relatable struggles. This was thanks to Peers's choice of putting the spotlight on protagonists in their forties, a refreshing departure from the typical youth-centric focus of many romance novels. The baking competition adds a delightful touch to the story, providing an engaging backdrop for the characters' personal growth.

However, the romantic elements might not be as featured as expected. While the connection between Tori and Kendra is palpable, those seeking a more intense focus on romance might find it lacking. Nevertheless, "Love at 350°" offers a solid and enjoyable read, especially for those who appreciate a blend of personal growth and the reality show romance trope. If you're a fan of romance novels like "Love and Other Disasters" and "Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble," this book is worth adding to your reading list.