Ellie is a successful ghostwriter and Kieran is a chef who just won a cooking challenge show. They couldn't be more opposite but they're paired up to work together on Kieran's cookbook. After a few bouts of realizing just how polar opposite they are, they slowly start to trust & develop a mutual respect for each other. I genuinely enjoyed this book! It's always so fun reading about characters who couldn't outwardly be more different but are actually fairly similar beneath the surface.

Rating: 5/5
I received the eARC for my honest opinion.

If you are wanting to read a cute, dual POV, enemies to lovers(ish), grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, slowest best burn ever, dyslexia and ADHD rep and grief. Oh, and did I forget to mention that the MFC is a ghost writer and the MMC is a chef? If that doesn’t alone make you want to pick up this book I hope the rest of my review will.

I found the plot of this book to be something fresh for me, I loved that we had the MFC, Ellie, who is a ghost writing for chefs but has dreams of writing her own. She is also still grieving her husband but as you read the book you can see that she is healing but a certain individual keeps pulling her back into the deep with her loss. You will meet Kieran who has recently won a cooking show and is now supposed to write a cookbook but what everyone doesn’t know is that he is dyslexic, and he struggles with this. When they first meet up it’s not a success, but setup for a great rom com book. The banter between the characters was perfect, and it really helped in this book to break the ice between the characters. I loved that we had forced proximity right away really gave the readers what they love and at the same time still giving us the slow burn throughout those days that you will be screaming in your head omg, just kiss already. I enjoyed getting to see the characters open up to each other and learn that healing is a process that is better done with others. I loved getting to see the characters shine at what they do best.

Ellie is such a strong woman, but you will also see that she is still healing from the loss of her husband. I think a lot of that is due to the relationship that she has with her in-laws, well mainly her MIL. She wants to change but she doesn’t know how to care for herself and put her wants first. I really enjoyed getting to see her bloom and open up to Kieran and help him with understanding that his disabilities don’t define him but add to his charm and that he really could help people. Kieran, he is so sweet, yes you can see that he has a hard time opening up to people. He hasn’t had a real relationship in years and instead he would rather have friends with benefits. I loved getting to see him change and finally want something real and he starts to think about that life with Ellie. I loved getting to see him change and working hard to show Ellie how special that she is. I loved this book so much with the characters having flaws, with the plot being fun and yet serious at the same time and the best slow burn. Oh, and I forgot the friends with benefits side was fun to watch grow. I can’t wait to see what else this author will give us.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to review this book.

Kieran O’Neil - In his 20’s and living his absolute best life with lofty and achievable goals ahead in the food industry. Kieran just won a popular cooking reality TV Show and is majorly on track to open his own restaurant by the time he is thirty years old. He just accepted an offer he couldn’t refuse…the opportunity to write a cookbook for a rather large sum of money. Regardless of Kieran’s accomplishments, Kieran still finds his family to be stuck-up and unapproving of his career choice. Kieran finds that writing a cookbook proves to be more challenging than one would think. Therefore, he’s hired a ghostwriter but she is uptight and no fun at all.

Ellie Wasserman - Feels like her life is in shambles, she is feeling grief in full force, and quite honestly has no time for anyone else’s BS. She is in her thirties, recently widowed, and currently living with her in-laws. She is desperate to find work so that she can begin a different life on her own. She accepts Kieran’s offer to be his ghostwriter but finds it hard to capture the full essence of Kieran since he doesn’t take himself too seriously about anything.

Words are written on paper, food is cooked in the kitchen, and the flames seem to be igniting more and more frequently out of work hours. Will Kieran and Ellie be able to keep a professional front to complete the cookbook without jeopardizing each of their careers?

this was really cute. nothing life changing but it was sweet. i would read another of her books. cute!!!!

Cute but forgettable. I could not really get on board with Kieran as a love interest. Ellie deserved better!

This was such a wonderful slow burn. I’m going to be completely honest, I went into this one knowing nothing but the title. I’m a sucker for slow burns, so of course this title would draw me in. I wasn’t expecting such a sweet wholesome story between Ellie and Kieran. I loved how these two were polar opposites, but yet they clicked in such a wonderful way. They made each other better. They compliment each other perfectly. Ellie is grieving and has carries a huge burden of responsibility within her. Kieran is impulsive and his ADHD makes it difficult for him to focus. When we mix these two together we get a recipe for a slow burning, sweet growing romance.

“She was so […] smart, and so far out of my league. But right now, she could decide to eat me alive and I’d hand over a knife and fork.“

I loved seeing Kieran fall hard for her and also watching Ellie come out of her shell more and more with every interaction they had.

This was a read I really enjoyed and can’t wait to read more from Sarah Chamberlain.

A huge thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin, Sarah Chamberlain, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for review. All thoughts are my own.

This was such a slow burn (not that I expected anything less) and such a good story. There was a lot of grief that we got to see Ellie deal with. It was heavy at times but overall I liked it. It was surprising to know that this is her first novel!

The Slowest Burn is a delightful blend of humor, heart, and romance, set against the backdrop of the kitchen. Ellie and Kieran make for an entertaining pair—her neat, orderly life contrasts perfectly with his chaotic, free-spirited personality, and their dynamic creates sparks both in and out of the kitchen. The cooking setting adds a unique and flavorful twist to the romance, and the gradual development of their relationship is both heartwarming and steamy. The emotional depth of both characters, as they confront their pasts, adds richness to the story, making it more than just a sweet romance. A satisfying, feel-good read that will leave readers with a smile.

This one was really good. At first, I wasn’t sold on the relationship because I wasn’t a huge fan of either Ellie or Kieran, and felt like they acted a bit younger than their ages. But as we got to know them better and their chemistry improved, I found myself rooting for them. I enjoyed the cooking scenes and had fun with their romantic tension before they finally decided to be together. I also enjoyed the exploration of complicated family dynamics, and found myself tearing up a number of times.

I love finally getting an MMC who is 5 foot 7 inches with red hair! I have been getting so sick of all the men over 6 feet tall, super buff, with dark hair. I also love finally getting a character who has a cat, instead of a character who is either allergic to or hates them.

🌶️🌶️ - Mildly-descriptive scenes that rarely happen; Moderate tension.

very sweet romance and i enjoyed the pace of the book. the relationship with the in-laws was very interesting to me

What a fun read! This story follows cookbook ghostwriter Ellie as she gets paired up with up and coming chef Kiernan on his cookbook, and the adventures that entail during the writing process.

This book dives into discovering your worth beyond how you have been conditioned by your circumstances. Both characters have been molded by their parent’s expectations of them, and this book shows how to work through this while figuring out who you are and what you deserve through the process.

Ellie was such a fascinating character to dissect, because her motivations, even though misguided, had many layers to them. I truly appreciated how she had to find her own worth and how you can use resources to help you up, instead of a crutch. She also learns how to get to a point to know boundaries with those around you, which is a lesson that everyone can use.

Thanks to St. Martins Griffin and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Thanks to SMP & Netgalley for the arc.

There's nothing groundbreaking to add to the romance genre here. It's a forgettable story where the only part I remember is they were working on a cookbook together.

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.

I had a lot of fun with this book! Kieran is a chef that won a reality cooking show, and Ellie is the ghostwriter that is writing his cookbook. I wouldn't necessarily say it's enemies to lovers, but it's kind of "don't really like each other much" to lovers. They are struggling connecting on a level that is conducive to writing said cookbook, so they are sent to a cabin to spend the week together. Of course, there was some chemistry but once they got comfortable with each other and developed an understanding, things started to get a bit more tense. It didn't help that Ellie is a widow that still lives with her dead husband's parents, and his mother is still grieving HARD. She turns to Ellie more than is really healthy and Ellie is just kind of stuck in the middle of everything. Oh, and there was a fake dating (date?) situation that was super cute too.

I wanted Ellie to get out of that situation so badly so she could move on and live her life. I think Kieran was good for her, but he was struggling with his own issues. I liked the ADHD/dyslexia rep, and I also liked that it wasn't insta-love.

Overall this was a fun read! 3.5 stars rounded up.

I’m super late on reviewing this one but I received an ARV and I really enjoyed it. I liked the premise and the food porn, but more importantly I enjoyed the slow burn budding work relationship to friendship then friends with benefits then more and the even more, not without its struggles and challenge. But it was also a story of finding yourself and what you want and standing up for that and supporting your person. I thought it was definitely a great love story and an important one of how to support your partner and lift them up. It was also a way to discover love after loss and how to find yourself again! Super cute and spicy!

What a great romcom!!! I absolutely loved the characters. Although very cheesy at times, the cooking aspect and the happily ever aspect of it was light hearted and delightful. just a happy read that brought smiles to my face.

This story was an interesting story from an author I don’t know or haven’t read before! Will look at finding other things by this author. I am grateful for the early access, thank you to those that allowed it!

While this book didn’t feature the sloowestt burn I’ve ever encountered in a book, there was definitely some slow burning happening! I really enjoyed the premise of a reality tv cooking show star meets cook book ghost writer, and this was a set up I have never read about in a book before. It brought something new to the table and I enjoyed getting to read this one!

Thought this did a great job exploring grief around a deceased loved one and the different ways people are affected. Chemistry was great but sometimes the story didn't grab me as much as I wanted and I was slow reading. Would definitely try author again though.

Okay, so I wanted to love this one more than I did. It had all the right ingredients (grumpy x sunshine, foodie romance, forced proximity), but the execution was not all there for me. There’s banter, there’s kitchen tension, and there’s slow burn (like, verrrrry slow).

We have Kieran O’Neill a chaotic golden retriever chef who just won a reality TV show but has no clue how to write a cookbook. He works with Ellie Wasserman, a ghostwriter who’s super structured, emotionally guarded, and still grieving her husband. She’s here for business, not Kieran’s disaster energy. I liked the foodie vibes galore, all of the food descriptions left me hungry. I love a good opposites attract trope, a structured, guarded heroine and lovable chaotic man combo. I also appreciate the emotional depth that was given to Ellie’s grief and I thought Kieran’s ADHD was handled well, both felt realistic to me.

While I generally liked the book, the slow burn was reallll slow, even for me and I love a slow burn, but this one dragged. By the time they finally got together, I wasn’t totally invested anymore. I also wish there was more tension. It felt like they were almost there, but never quite got past friendship vibes.

It wasn’t bad, but I needed more spark, more tension, and a little less drag. If you love foodie romance and seriously slow-burn tension, this one might be for you!

Tropes
-slow burn
-grumpy x sunshine
- foodie romance
-forced proximity
-found family
-workplace romance adjacent

I thought I was going to devour this. I love a chef/baker trope, but this one let me down. The slow burn was almost too slow, mainly because for as long as it took for the feelings to develop I never really felt the chemistry between these two. The pacing was an issue overall. Some parts were really rushed, others way to slow. I wanted to love this, but I just didn't

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.