Effie Olsen's Summer Special by Rochelle Bilow, is a second chance, friends-to-lovers story that takes the reader on an emotional and heartwarming roller coaster ride. Effie and Ernie, childhood and best friends, were attached at the hip until their graduation when after a serious talk Effie then left town and started on her dreams. Ernie stayed in the small town with his dad. So much happened during the sixteen years she was gone; only now she’s back for the summer.

These two are perfect for each other despite being scared to do anything for fear of losing their friendship. It was wonderful to see these two reconnect and become friends again. Their bucket list dates are pure genius. I enjoyed the small town vibe and the secondary characters that kept the story light and fun.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#NetGalley #Berkley

I adored this romance set on an island off the coast of Maine with a cast of lovely, quirky characters and tons of great food writing. Warm, funny, tender and gave me some serious Evvie Drake / Happy Place vibes!

This story follows Effie who is a chef and arrives back home where she stopped speaking to her childhood best friend. This was such a fun, cute read perfect for the summer. I enjoyed Bilow’s writing style and how they took us to Maine where lobster is the main dish for the state. The conflict was entertaining and while reading this book, the author just made you feel warm with all the descriptions of beach and ice cream. This book is told from Effie’s pov.

Effie is the FMC of the story and had been a chef all over the world and decides to come back home. She is dealing with some past problems that won’t escape her and I enjoyed seeing her development though them and receiving the help. Then we have Ernie who is the main side character and I really enjoyed his character. He’s a sweetheart who cares for Effie and would do anything to get her to stay. There are other amazing side characters in this book and a chef everyone will hate. The romance is a second chance and friends to lovers with minor steam. The chemistry is cute and well done.

The ending was amazing where everyone got the life they wanted to have. I do wish this book was a bit shorter or had more conflicts because at some points I would lose interest with the repeated scenes. Overall it was an amazing book which I recommend checking out especially during this upcoming summer time.

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

Against her better judgment, Effie Olsen is returning to her small coastal hometown in Maine. Although it’s been years since she’s been back, a job prospect provides her with a professional opportunity. Taking the job at the town’s renowned restaurant, Brown Butter, Effie is eager to hone her skills as a sous chef. But a sexist boss and a reunion with an old childhood friend, however, were not on the menu.

When Effie sees Ernie Callahan after all these years, she’s taken aback by her very present day feelings. More food for thought? Ernie works in the very same restaurant. Before long, Effie and Ernie find themselves picking up where they left off, and then some. But Effie’s return is supposed to be temporary, and love was definitely not a planned course. What’s a chef to do when she finds herself craving more?

Effie Olsen’s Summer Special succeeds in serving up the light summer fare that pairs well with the restaurant world it depicts. Where it falls short though is in its savory substance, Effie and Ernie’s reunion a predictable palate rather than providing a taste of something new.

#EffieOlsensSummerSpecial:⁣
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Thank you @prhaudio @berkleyromance for my gifted copies! #PRHAudioPartner #BerkleyPartner ⁣
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“He was too sweet for his own good. She was too salty for even this seaside town.”⁣
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Are you kidding me right now?! No third act breakup, second chance lovers, and AND an adorable setting as an isle in Maine?! Effie Olsen and Co are the cutest thing around for your spring/summer TBR and you need this ASAP.⁣
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Ernie. New, gentle, kind, book boyfriend. He was direct, honestly, kind, patient, the perfect balance to Effie. I loved them together, I love them as individuals. I’m not joking when I say this is a perfect book cover.⁣
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There’s really great conversations on grief, toxic work environment, restaurant culture, and starting over. I loved how everything was handled with care and precision. ⁣
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Nikki Massoud has done a slew of books I’ve enjoyed in audio, but this one does top the cake. I loved his every snark or sharp line was delivered and the pacing was fantastic. ⁣
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One of my favorites in a while, top contender for romance of the year, the only thing I wish I could have is more epilogue about Sixto (or hey even another book I’m totally down for it)⁣
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Out Tuesday, the 30th.⁣
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QOTD: What was your first job?

I almost missed out on this one because I didn't love the author's last book, but this one is a triumphant second novel. I loved the setting and the distinct food world that was created, and the steamy, slow burning romance was a delight.

4.5 stars
This book was really fun! I picked it up on the Penguin Audio app early solely because the author is doing an event near me. I didn't expect to be so drawn in for the entire book!
This book starts out with our main character Effie coming back to her small hometown on an island in Maine after being away 16 years to fulfill a chef's career. She has been fired from her job as a head chef in a 2 Michelin star restaurant and is desperate for a job. There just happens to be a 1 Michelin star restaurant in her hometown looking for a sous chef. She gets the job, but everything is not what it seems.
Effie was a really fun character. She is very independent and determined to do a good job at work. Though she kind of takes things that are a little toxic because "that's just how the restaurant business works." She runs into her old best friend Ernie who she has not talked to in 16 years because he told her he loved her, she did not feel the same and they both got angry and parted ways. Ernie is a cinnamon roll. He is sweet and caring and also like to do pottery. The side characters were fantastic, Effie's dad and sister Ingrid, all the people at the restaurant (except Jared), and a few others Effie becomes friends with. They completed this small community feel.
The plot moved along well. It is labeled romance, but there is a lot of restaurant stuff as well as Effie and Ernie getting to know one another again (AS FRIENDS...) through a summer bucket list. It's pretty slow burn romance, but the chemistry was sizzling. There is one thing that the book feels like it's leading up to from the very beginning. It comes to a head close to the end, but there is more to the end than I was thinking. Everything does not go in the direction it feels like it's going to go, but the way it ended was even more perfect than expected!
The narrator was great, she was so easy to listen to. My thoughts did not wander. She kept me engaged and brought everything to life.
An absolutely fun romance that would not have been on my radar if I didn't see the event happening, but I will now be recommending to all my romance friends!

I'm a sucker for a romance with chefs or a cooking competition or anything like that.  If it has to do with the restaurant industry in some way, sign me up.  Effie Olsen's Summer Special offered up restaurant industry/chef, quirky small town, childhood best friends who had a falling out and reunite years later and maybe this place isn't as bad as I thought when I was younger. 

I just had a great time reading this book and while Effie was a hard nut to crack, I enjoyed watching her soften up a bit and start to make friends and establish roots and a life.  Ernie was yummy and a damn fine book boyfriend.  This is the perfect book to read on the beach this summer.  It made me want to move to a small beach town and eat my weight in delicious food.  But I kind of want to do that always so moving on.
I definitely want to check out Rochelle Bilow's other book after enjoying this one!  Effie Olsen's Summer Special comes out on April 30.  Thank you to @berkleyromance and @letstalkbookspromo for an early copy.

Effie Olsen’s Summer Special by Rochelle Bilow is a new contemporary romance novel. The story in Effie Olsen’s Summer Special is one of a second chance for life long friends turning into lovers.

When Effie Olsen left her hometown of Alder Isle, a tiny Maine island, Effie never thought she’d be living there again. Effie had big dreams of becoming a top chef and traveling the world. Well, some of that has come true as Effie has spent the last sixteen years abroad working in some great restaurants.

Now however, Effie is forced to return home after her last job did not go so well and needs a job on island to save for her next adventure. For a tiny island Alder Isle does have a Michelin starred restaurant for Effie to apply to work but what Effie didn’t expect was for her ex-best friend Ernie Callahan to also work at Brown Butter. To Ernie Effie was the one that got away which broken down their friendship when she left.

Effie Olsen’s Summer Special is the first book I’ve read from author Rochelle Bilow so I wasn’t sure what to expect but let’s face it that cover drew me in and wouldn’t let me pass it by. I’m such a sucker for a lovely beachy setting whatever the genre is so I certainly settled right into the island life with our resident chef in action. This was a slow burn relationship as the main character wants nothing more than to leave for most of the book but the story was a fun one while waiting out the slow burn. When finished I’d definitely give this author another try in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I just kicked off the summer season with YOUR next beach read, courtesy of Berkley Publishing and Berkley Romance. If you like second-chance romances, with some foodie romance (one of my favorite tropes) and some love in a small town, this book is for you.

Prodigal chef Effie Olsen returns to her tranquil island home and meets up with an old flame who professed his love to her sixteen years ago. While uncovering behind-the-scenes restaurant secrets, Effie deals with past regrets. She discovers that her heart’s compass always points back to Maine.

This intricately plotted book is the perfect blend of sweetness and spice. It will leave you feeling happy, content, and entertained.

Effie Olsen ignominiously ends up back home to stay in her childhood bedroom on the small Maine island where she lived for seventeen years. She left to seek fame and fortune as a gourmet chef; however, Effie’s last job where she had achieved her pinnacle turned out to be a big comedown. Effie has no money and needs a job so when she discovers that a restaurant in her hometown, Brown Butter, is Michelin starred and in need of a sous chef, it seems like the perfect solution.

The old saying you can’t go home again applies to Effie to some extent for her return to Alder Isle. She has as many bad memories as good of the small island where everybody is in your business. Effie’s sense of abandonment by her mother at a young age has made her fearful of trusting anyone with her heart including the boy she grew up with, Ernie, who was her best friend. They have not spoken since she left to pursue her dreams because of an estrangement when they graduated from High School.

Ernie Callaghan also works at the restaurant and as they begin a tentative reawakening of their prior friendship, Effie sees that all that time she spent away from home living the stressful and often brutal life of a professional chef turned out to be more of a nightmare than a dream. Effie soon realizes that all is not well behind the kitchen door; however, her plan is to keep her head down, earn some money, and leave at the end of the summer. The more Effie becomes attracted to Ernie in a whole new way, the less she can reconcile leaving him as well as her father and sister whom she has reconnected with as well. In the past years, Effie has only been home for brief periods so it is with new eyes that she learns to appreciate the island with its quirky inhabitants in a new way.

One thing I appreciated about this story is that there is no third act breakup which can be tiresome in rom-coms and romances. Effie is most definitely the grumpy character in this book while Ernie is emblematic of the sunshine role. Effie’s harsh personality is difficult to take at times; however, she has just spent years in a supremely difficult profession. She is a dichotomy of a rough and sometimes coarse woman who is also a caretaker helping those who work under her especially since the head chef makes life miserable for most of the workers at the restaurant.

This was such a lovely, sweet friends-to-lovers romance. Effie and Ernie haven't talked in sixteen years although when they were growing up they were the best of friends. Effie has just moved back to the island they grew up on, but she's only back for the summer. When Effie takes a job at the same Michelin-starred restaurant where Ernie works she isn't sure how she'll survive the summer.

I loved watching Effie's growth throughout the book. Ernie is the best cinnamon roll hero and he handles the rekindling of his friendship with Effie wonderfully. Loved this book!

Read if you like:
💋 He Falls First
☀️ Summer Vibes
🍝 Cooking/Resturants
👧🏼 Childhood Best Friends
🦞 Small Town Maine Settings

When Ernie falls for his best friend Effie, he wants to move their relationship from friends to lovers, but Effie at 18 only could dream about the places she would go and the adventures she would have, and didn’t see her best friend that way.

So 16 years later when she returns to her hometown and sees a hot guy on the beach and the hot guy is her former best friend… Effie knows she is in trouble, especially because she plans to be home, only for the summer.

But when Effie rekindles realationships with her sister and dad in addition to asking new friends and seeing Ernie in a new light, she has to consider if it really will be just for the summer that she comes back to her hometown.

There is also a lot of restaurant drama mixed in and I really adored this aspect of the plot and felt like it was well done!

All in all, this is a really fun and sweet friends to lovers summer romance and I highly recommend for anyone looking for their next beach read! Thank you so much to Berkley for my ARC and PRHA for my gifted audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Absolutely loved loved loved this one! The rekindling of a childhood love/best friend is just *swoon*. Effie and Ernie (adorable names btw) were childhood besties. But when Ernie confessed his love before Effie leaves to college, he is left heartbroken. Effie comes back home after 16 years apart and Ernie definitely grew up. Effie starts questioning why she left and if she could have always loved Ernie, even when they were kids. I loved watching the grow up versions of them try to navigate their adult feelings and their nostalgic memories. Super cute and fast read!

I had never read a book by this author but I definitely will be reading more of her work. It was so easy to fall in love with the characters in this book. They were well rounded and fully developed. I’m also a big foodie so the restaurant and food portion really spoke to me too. There were times were the story felt a bit too drawn out but I found myself looking forward to the moments to sit down and read; the sure sign of a good book. I’d definitely recommend this book!

🦞👩🏼‍🍳🦞
📖Review
4.5🌟🌟🌟🌟✨
📖Book 14/100
📚Effie Olsen’s Summer Special
💫Genre:
Fiction/Romance
✍️Author:
Rochelle Bilow

📝Synopsis 📝
Effie is back in her hometown after being gone for 16 years. She became a chef, traveled the world, but ended up back home feeling empty.
She runs into Ernie, her childhood best friend and all seems forgotten about why she’d left him the way she did until she can’t help control her feelings.

My thoughts 💭
I’ve never been to Main but let me tell you that this book has beautiful imagery, and it makes you feel you are there. I loved this Small Town, Second Chance at love, and friends to lovers trope story so much. The plot was good, but I just loved the romance aspect of it all. Their cute bucket list 🪣📝 The only reason I didn’t give it a 5🌟 was that the ending fell a bit short for me. I wanted more in the HEA 🤧 because characters were all charming, well all but Jarrod🐍 And, I also admire how Bilow tied in self discovery and healing. The characters were far from perfect but managed to fit together like perfect puzzle pieces. Anyways, this was such a great read and perfect for Spring/Summer Time Reading 📖
🤍🦞👩🏼‍🍳🦞🤍
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🤍Thank you so much @netgalley and @berkleyromance for approving this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

✨Publishing Date:
April 30, 2024

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In this sweet second chance romance, disgraced chef Effie returns to the tiny island where she grew up to work in a prestigious restaurant, only to reconnect with the childhood best friend whose heart she broke years ago.

Do the right thing, even if it’s hard. That is a great theme we need more of in this world and one that is jumping off of these pages!

It is quite evident that the author is well versed in the happenings of a kitchen. And the descriptions of the food, especially all things lobster, has me extremely excited for the summer and some lobster rolls/grilled cheese/ravioli. YUM!

Overall this is a super sweet friends-to-lovers romance. Because sometimes, coming home doesn’t have to be just to a place..it can be to a person as well.

Thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio #PRHAudioPartner and to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for the ARC.

I am a sucker for a good childhood best friends to lovers romance, and throw some second chance vibes in there and I’m sold! I enjoyed this author’s debut last summer and loved this one.

Effie Olsen is back in her tiny hometown with her tail between her legs after being fired from her job as the head chef in a San Fran restaurant. She gets a job at the local farm to table spot as a sous chef and it’s not long before she also reunites with Ernie, her childhood best friend that she has spoken to in sixteen years.

I really loved seeing Effie’s character development in this book. She grows a lot and we see her deal with a lot of the things that annoyed me about her character early in the story. Ernie is a swoon worthy love interest and I loved the found family element of the small island town. I wanted a little more from the romantic story but overall this was a super enjoyable summer time read!

Content flags: discussion of workplace abuse and toxic work culture; parental abandonment

I voluntarily read a gift version of this book. All opinions are my own.

Effie and Ernie- second chance romance, friends to lovers, Maine and, best of all the Brown Butter restaurant. That's sort of all you need to know about this trope-y but fun novel that's also got a great small town found family (and real family too). Effie's been traveling, Ernie's stayed in place and now they make a great bantering team. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good read for a rainy day or a day at the beach!

Effie Olsen's Summer Special was delightful! I read it in an afternoon. I love a good friends to lovers story and the tension and pining of it all. The restaurant plot line was good too and the resolution of that was great. I liked the authors last book as well so I will read future releases as well!