Time to Rise by Heléne Holmström is a charming, opposites-attract romantic comedy that perfectly blends humor, heart, and a touch of sweetness—much like the baked goods at the center of the story. Nora Jansson, determined to save her parents' struggling bakery, reluctantly agrees to let a TV reality crew film in her kitchen. Enter Henrik Eklund, the arrogant celebrity pastry chef whose rude behavior stirs up all of Nora’s frustration. Despite their fiery clashes, the two are forced to play along with a fake flirtation for the sake of the show, which sets the stage for both comedic tension and surprising chemistry.

Holmström’s writing is sharp and fun, capturing the fiery rivalry and eventual softening of both characters in a way that feels genuine. The enemies-to-friends romance feels refreshing, with the bakery's challenges and Henrik's public persona adding layers to their budding relationship. The setting, complete with Nora’s delicious pastries and cozy social gatherings, adds a warm, inviting atmosphere to the story.

As the lines between fake and real blur, Time to Rise delivers a heartwarming and deliciously entertaining read, ideal for fans of feel-good rom-coms and those who appreciate a dash of culinary charm mixed with romance.

This book read as a behind the scenes peek to a reality show. This is a grumpy sunshine read. I believe some of the nuances of this book were lost in translation and didn't come through. Still, not a bad read.
We follow two timelines and it can get a bit confusing at times. The generational differences made for a great storyline. It is a good morsel to read.

It’s her struggling bakery. But it’s his reality show. More than tempers will flare in a warmhearted and positively delicious opposites-attract romantic comedy.

Nora Jansson will do anything to save her parents’ beloved bakery from bankruptcy, even if it means allowing a TV reality crew into her kitchen and her life. Not to mention celebrity pastry chef Henrik Eklund, its impossibly rude host who’s happy to point out Nora’s baking missteps—on cue. It’s bringing out her feisty side.

Nora’s sourdough starter isn’t exactly Henrik’s biggest worry. His popularity is slipping, and his production team has an idea for making this a blockbuster fake flirt. A spicy enemies-to-friends romance will be good for the show and a boon to Nora’s business. So, for the cameras, let the sparks fly.

Somewhere between saffron buns and after-hours mulled wine socials, Nora’s seeing a gentler side to the charismatic star. And Henrik is getting closer to Nora—not just on-screen. What’s pretend and what’s getting real? Soon there will be more on the line than high ratings and the bakery’s survival.

Loved it

I love shows about food- baking shows, game shows, cooking shows; if it’s on Food Network I’m going to watch it. One of my favorite shows is Robert Irvine’s Restaurant: Impossible, so when I read the synopsis of this book, I knew it was a must read.
Taking place in Sweden Nora is the owner of the patisserie that’s been in her family for generations. Sadly business is doing terribly and unless she can come up with a fast solution, she’s going to have to shut down. On what seems like a miracle, the day she discovers how dire things are she also receives an email saying she was chosen to be on s restaurant renovation show called Let’s Get Baking. Nora knows she has to do the show regardless of the fact that the host, Henrik, is a pompous a** and the producers want her to change everything that makes her bakery what it is. She knows she’s going to have to decide if she’s better off moving from tradition or closing for good. Additionally, there is a secondary story of Nora’s grandmother when she first immigrated to Sweden from Finland in the early 1940’s.
I really wanted to like this book but it was just meh. It was extremely predictable and there was way too much drama going on. While I loved the descriptions of everything, overall this book just didn’t hit the mark for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for an advanced copy of this. Time to Rise hit the shelves on September 17th.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this book

Time To Rise By Helene Holmström & Marlaine Delargy
Publisher: Amazon Publishing
Audiobook: 11 Hours 14 Minutes
Pages: 347 pages

Review.

I highly enjoyed this book loving the two timelines that we follow engrossed in both finding out by the end the linking between them... the present day we follow a Baker who has her little bakery finding it hard to keep afloat due to financial problems and her friend pits her on a TV show to let the world see her skills but also her short temper.

I thought the development was lovely as we see two women from two timelines love baking and food following their passion & dream, as well as showing how hard times were in a small way for immigrants from other countries (back in the day the treatment was terrible - but this book doesn't go into full details because of the themes but gives you enough to imagine). The love story formed in the past felt more natural than the present timeline but the result of the past was a little upsetting (emotionally - but felt accurate in some ways to the time they lived in).

The present timeline was enemies to lovers and I am a sucker for this trope because it's one of my favourites when done right, and I feel this book did it right in a gentle way by showing what's more important money or love, pride or happiness and you don't know what life brings till you embrace it to live.

3.75 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts/opinions are my own.

I truly enjoyed this read. I found it intriguing and it kept my attention and made me keep coming back for more!
I loved Nora and Henrik's stories and how they connected in ways they never imagined. This is why I was utterly disappointed in how quickly the book ended. I was hoping for a lot more.
I loooooved the other POVs and was obsessed with their story. That's all I'll say to avoid spoilers.
Last thing, the cover does NOT match the character descriptions. Why?? It should never have even been a consideration.

NetGalley Review of Time to Rise by Heléne Holmström

Time to Rise is a cozy, holiday romance that combines Swedish baking, reality TV, and a dash of family drama. The story follows Nora, a pastry chef trying to save her family’s bakery, and Henrik, a TV star who’s roped her into a staged romance for the cameras. Sparks fly, and what starts as a setup starts to feel real.

As a very burnt out pastry chef I loved the cozy vibes and the festive Swedish treats—saffron buns and mulled wine—bring a warm, holiday vibe to the story. If you’re looking for an easy, feel-good romance set against a charming, Christmasy backdrop, this one is a sweet treat!

Holmstrom is an automatic buy for me now!!!! I loved this so much - it was so fun and a clever spin on the reluctant reality tv romance. It was fun and believable, and I loved Nora's attitude and the baner between her and Henrik. Cannot recommend enough !!!!!

I really enjoyed this book! It was much more than I expected with interesting historical and cultural information, generational influences, baking, and of course some lovely romance. I enjoyed the intertwining storylines and thought they connected really well. Thanks for a great read #NetGalley #AmazonCrossings

Time to Rise is a novel written in two time-lines-the present, as well as during World War II.

It was written by Heléne Holmström.

Summary: Nora Jansson wants nothing more than to save her family’s bakery and continue to bake their traditional recipes.

But the bank has other ideas. It seems she needs to actually MAKE money to run her business.

So, even though she despises the limelight, she reluctantly agrees to participate in a TV show.

Too bad the host is a pretentious snob.

Can Nora keep her temper in check long enough to salvage what’s left of her pride and the family business?

My Thoughts: The characters in the contemporary timeline were well-developed, and the storyline was unique and interesting.

I also enjoyed the World War II storyline. I had no idea about many of the biases that existed during that time, which made for a compelling read.

I didn’t think that the two storylines necessarily needed to be in the same book, however. The stories did intertwine at the end, but really you could have had either one story or the other-both weren’t integral to the overall story arc.

Also, there were unnecessary sex scenes in both timelines, and I found it really hard to believe the girl from the past would have made some of the choices she did.

Finally, the ending felt rushed, and a bit confusing.

Overall, I liked the interesting storylines, but found the book not as believable as it could have been, with several parts coming across as unnecessary.

I would like to thank Amazon Crossing for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you.

Time to Rise by Helene Holmstrom was a sweet adult romantic following a baker as she tries to save her shop from closing. The story follows multiple story lines. The male lead is kind of abrupt. It's a good book to read closer to Christmas time.

I loved this book soooo much!!!!
This is definitely a must-read for all rom-com book lovers :)
So this book is a bit different, it has 2 story lines and you will see in the end how they both are super important to each other.
Present storyline: Nora and Henrik’s enemies to lovers story
Past storyline: Tuula and Niels, and the history between these 2
I loved how the baking (the process and how much in detail it is explained) and pastries were so important in this book, and how it was important to the community and families. Such a fun story.
There were a bunch of background characters, so much more important than others and even a few that will annoy you and that you find yourself not caring about or even hating. I can't say too much bc I don't want to ruin and character's development or their part in the story but once you are reading you will understand.
Nora is such a nice person and you will really like her, her whole back story is heartbreaking and sweet at the same time. You will be rooting for her from the start.
The banter, conflict and emotions between Nora and Henrik are very entertaining and so much fun to read. Just wait til they try to get along that's even better. lol

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the copy. Time to Rise follows Nora as she desperately tries to save her families’ bakery. She ends up on Henrik Eklund’s reality tv show. It starts as a classic enemies to lovers romance story, but there is a complex history involved. I did not feel like there was much chemistry between Nora and Henrik. I liked the the storyline of Tuula, but I do feel like it was jarring to switch between the two different stories.

It’s Nora Jansson’s last resort to go on the hit reality show “Let’s Get Baking” to try and save her struggling patisserie. She’s not a fan of the show and the host Henrik Eklund’s rude attitude. With the two constantly butting heads the production team is vying for a spicy enemies-to-lovers storyline. Henrik is also using this season as at last resort, one to up his tv ratings and fend off his controlling father. Will Nora and Henrik be able to get through filming or will everything go up in flames?

Lovers of The Great British Baking Show and cute holiday romances will be in for a treat with this read! Written from both Nora and Henrik’s perspectives along with flashbacks to 1945, the reader will feel part of the journey to save Nyman’s Bakery before the Christmas season. I enjoyed Holmström’s writing and felt that the characters, while in their own heads sometimes were interesting and fun to follow along with.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for this copy to review.

The story had a good premise, but I couldn't fully connect with the reading and I wasn't enthusiastic about it. I didn't like the couple and I didn't find any chemistry between them, I don't know if they lacked more development in the book, which made it difficult to read.

Nora is struggling to keep her bakery afloat when a friend nominates her for the Christmas special of a reality show, "Let's Get Baking," to try and help save the business. She and the show's host, Henrik, immediately butt heads. Both are stubborn and grumpy with one another, but we slowly get to crack their hardened exteriors as we learn more about them. To further their different goals, they engage in a "fake" flirtation for the cameras, but things end up getting real. I did enjoy getting to know these characters, but it's also worth nothing that a good chunk of the book takes place in 1945 and follows Tuula and Nils, and a sourdough (they're not mentioned anywhere in the promos and their story is at least a third of the book!). This was a great, heartwarming read to get in the Christmas spirit!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I went into this book expecting something completely different than what I read. From the synopsis alone I had no idea that there was more than one storyline that the novel would be following, and as a result the abrupt sudden change in timelines I was really not a fan of. I could appreciate the character dynamics and the absolutely incredible setting. I truly loved the diving into the Swedish culture and lifestyle and found myself wanting even more of that to be explored (even though it was so well done!). I really was unable to get into the story otherwise.

Thank you to NetGalley, Helene Holmstrom for this complimentary ARC. All opinions espressed were completely my own.

I'll be honest, I did not finish this book. I didn't even get a fourth of the way through it. I just couldn't get into the story as a whole. I wasn't drawn in from the start and I was not expecting the dual timeline, and it threw me off the book. There should have been some mention of it in the blurb for readers to be aware of and prepare for.

Because of this, I will not be posting my review to any other sites.

3.5★

This was a cute and light read, put me in holiday mood already.

The story follows a 100+ year old sourdough, the grumpy celebrity chef Henrik and small town pastry owner Nora, I loved how all three came together in the end. Enemies feels a little too strong for their situation because Henrik’s tv show features Nora’s patisserie to help renovate. It most certainly began as strong dislike to somewhat friends/colleagues to lovers. The dislike to love aspect was handled quite well, it felt natural both as timeframe of their relationship and their opinions of each other.

Nora’s struggle to keep her bakery open was portrayed realistically, she had bad decisions, breakdowns, always doubted the national tv, it felt relatable. Henrik’s family issues in the background were also portrayed well. His whole family is involved with reality tv show and they display the perfect family on tv which turned out to be quite dysfunctional. His father was the worst. The resolution of their relationship felt a little rush but I also liked that Henrik cut the ties eventually.

Their relationship started as a PR project on the TV show but as they got to know each other, the feelings got real. I liked the realistic portrayal of Nora’s hesitation and Henrik’s determination. Both had their reasons and it wasn’t all fluffy.

I liked the dual storyline between generations, Henrik and Nora’s story actually started with their grandparents, (and no, they’re not related) Tuula and Nils’ story was heartbreaking. The reveal of their grandparents’ story to them was kinda sweet.

The cozy feeling of the bakery, their baking process, all the Christmas traditions were well depicted. While formatting could use some revision, I quite liked the vibes and the characters and enjoyed reading.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me this ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.