I really enjoyed this book and for the first 80% I was convinced it was going to be a 5 star read. However, I was really annoyed by the third act conflict. I was disappointed that this book fell into a formulaic plot structure in the last fifth of the book when the rest of it had been so unique. I really loved the premise of the main characters being a chef fresh from winning a competition show and a young widowed cookbook ghostwriter. This is not the slowest burn romance but it is a slow burn where the guy falls first and it's dual POV and I love that we get some pinning while working in close proximity daily. This book had two on page sex scenes but what made it hot was the chemistry and build up! I love that Ellie who is not yet 30 is struggling with remembering her husband while also moving with her life. While many people in her life take advantage of her selflessness, Kieran sees how strong she is and is her champion. Ellie and Kieran have very few people in their life who see each them clearly and they support each other unconditionally, which is why I was so annoyed by the out of character third act conflict. Overall, I did really enjoy this book and would recommend it.

I enjoyed this book very much! The characters were well-fleshed out and I didn't feel overwhelmed with the backstory/trauma that essentially defines their personalities for the first third of the novel. I love reading about couples who are compatible because they challenge each other's way of thinking, and Ellie and Kieran delivered. The pacing was well-done; I was always immersed in the story. Overall, an enjoyable read!

this missed the mark for me, im sad to say. i expected something much different from this book but i had to back out at the comparison of the mmc to a leprechaun and the most interesting smut scenes i have ever had the displeasure of reading…that’s not to say that book won’t be for everyone, but i won’t be thinking about it again.

The title of this book is a perfect description of the romance. Kieran and Ellie started off as enemies, but learned there was more to each other than they thought. There was a lot more to both characters that slowly builds. The romance didn't drag the way a slow burn normally does because I was so invested in learning more about who the way were as individuals. This one was sweet and had me rooting for both characters in the end.

Took me a long. While to get into. I loved the rivals to lovers trope. I also really loved the mental health rep. For both the MMC ADHD and the FMCs grief. So much fun banter.

This was a sweet and wonderful little romance. Ellie has been a widow for two years, and she's definitely totally content in her life. She lives in her in-laws' backyard guesthouse, takes care of them, and basically does grief counseling for her mother-in-law. Professionally, she ghost writes cookbooks. Is it glamorous? No, but it's predictable and safe. Enter Kieran, a chef who's coming off the high of winning a cooking show and going to write a cookbook to keep riding the publicity. He's brash and chaotic, glib and ADHD, and very much unlike Ellie. So of course she's paired with him to help him write his upcoming cookbook.
The characters were so great. I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers, and she even through in a side dish of fake dating! Watching these two figure each other out was so fun and felt like getting to know the characters too. They were both so well-built, as were the side characters. All of them felt like they could easily star in their own stories. The pacing was also good, and very standard for the genre. The writing was very reminiscent of Talia Hibbert, whose writing I love, so this was very readable.
All in all a really fun and sweet romance and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the #AdvanceReviewCopy

Release Date: September 2024
Genre: Romance

Summary: Kieran is a famous chef who just won a cooking show and got a book deal to write his own cookbook. The only problem is he’s a chef, not a writer. When Ellie is offered the ghostwriter job, the two are forced to spend time together, but they clash right away and can’t stand to be around each other despite the instant attraction. As the book’s deadline creeps up, the chemistry thickens. Can the two put their past behind them or do they each carry too many burdens to see their new love through.

My Thoughts: Loved this one. The story, characters, pacing, supporting characters, all on point. I read it quickly, was engaged from the first page to the last, and was always rooting for the main characters to be together. No dull or slow moments experienced in the slow burn! A perfect romance for me and a solid 5 ⭐️.

I am so sad that I ended up disliking this book. I was so excited to read it because first of all, the cover is stunning and the premise sounded amazing but in all truth; I hated every second of it. The writing was so passive aggressive, I ended up hating every single character in this book. Aside from that, I could look past that initial comparison and description of the mmc as a "leprechaun". I just couldn't. The spice was also very badly done in my opinion. Definitely not the book for me, sadly.

I love a book that is food centered and The Slowest Burn absolutely nailed it. Ellie and Kieran both have their own issues that they’re navigating, grief, adhd, and difficult parents. Their story brings hope and happiness.

The Slowest Burn is a book about grief, found family, and the joys food brings. Sarah Chamberlain is a magnificent writer that draws you in until you’re on the very last word. I can’t wait to read her future books.

The title "The Slowest Burn" is unfortunately apt. While I appreciate the ARC provided by Sarah Chamberlain, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, the novel's pacing was far too slow for me and ultimately kept me from being able to fully immerse myself in the story and characters. The writing style also came across as rather simplistic for my taste. Ultimately, this book wasn’t a good fit for me.

Foodie and romance lovers rejoice! This book is a foodie dream to read. I loved the chef/food ghostwriter as the main characters. This book tackled grief and tough family dynamics. I loved seeing both of the main characters’ growth throughout the book. There was a lot to love about this novel. The storyline was a little meandering and slow in parts otherwise this would have been a five star read for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I enjoyed this slow burn book it and develops into a lovely romance, but man I want the cookbook to bad it’s not real.

The Slowest Burn is an opposites-attract, hate-to-love romance between a newly famous chef and the ghostwriter he's partnered with to write his cookbook. Kieran was thrust into the spotlight when he won a TV cooking competition, and while he's keen to capitalize on his newfound fame, he is overwhelmed by the organizational challenge of creating his cookbook. He is charming, inventive, and has ADHD. Ellie is a dedicated, self-controlled, and experienced ghostwriter who needs to succeed with this project so that she can finally afford to move out of her in-laws backyard cottage. She's been a widow for three years, and she's having trouble beginning the next phase of her life without her husband.

Kieran and Ellie's differences lead them to misunderstand and fight with each other in the beginning, but as they're forced to spend time together working on the cookbook, they grow to appreciate the unique gifts that each of them possesses.

If you love a sweet romance with elements of forced proximity, fake dating, and opposites attracting, and you're comfortable with a little bit of spice (there's one on-page intimate scene), then The Slowest Burn is for you.

Sarah Chamberlain's debut novel really hit my chef loving heart. She was able to elevate the story by creating characterizations that resonated with reader beyond the romance.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

A fun read that entertained me. Good banter and enemies to lovers.

But the pacing could use work- I don’t at all mind a slow burn, in fact I enjoy them a lot, but it can be ruined when the last tiny bit of the book there is a sudden 0 to 60 situation on that front. Needs to be actual build up to avoid whiplash for the reader.

It definitely is a slow burn exactly like the title says. This has to be one of the slowest slow Burns. I have ever read. The majority of the book. They are in fact animes then they sort of become friends and then the relationship starts.

You have Ellie and Kieran. Karen has just won a cooking competition show and Ellie is hired to ghostwrite his cookbook for him. Ellie is a young widow with a lot of family issues going on. When they first meet each other they absolutely despise each other and it does not change quickly.

The weirdest part of this book for me was that it seemed to just throw in tropes at random thinking it would work when it did not always work weirdly you even have a point when Karen says he fell first, which just seems a little on the nose for me.

If you are a fan of slow burn romance with enemies to love her and fake dating, I would recommend this book. Just be prepared to wait most of the book for the romance to actually happen.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the arc. This was a 4.25 star book for me.

This was a lovely story about Ellie Wasserman and Kieran O'Neill. Ellie has been hired to ghostwrite the cookbook for Kieran, who just won a popular cooking contest on television. Ellie and Kieran are very different from each other. Ellie, thrives on order, and she lives to make sure those around her are supported, even if it's detrimental to her own health. Ellie's husband, Max, died three years before, but she lives on the same property as her in-laws, and their grief around the death of their son continues to envelop her life. Kieran has battled his ADHD all his life, and has achieved success in the culinary world, an environment where he is able to focus on developing his skills and creativity. Both Ellie and Kieran had dysfunctional childhoods, primarily due to their families, and they are still both coping with these relationships.

Ellie and Kieran start off like oil and water, culminating in a shouting match that's spread through social media. In order to save the cookbook, they're forced to spend one week together to work on it, and they start to respect each other's personalities and work ethics, in addition to finding out their respective histories. Kieran is very protective of Ellie, always wanting to make sure her opinion and self-esteem is respected, whereas Ellie is hesitant due to the cookbook they're writing together, how unprofessional it would look for her career. Circumstances take place, their relationship is exposed, and they both handle the ramifications individually and together.

I loved the relationship between Ellie and Kieran. The descriptions of them, and the rest of the characters in the story, created great pictures in my mind of how they looked. Chamberlain wrote a beautiful story, with lovely insight into Ellie's and Kieran's thoughts and feelings. I look forward to reading more books from Sarah Chamberlain.

I wasn't sure if I would like The Slowest Burn when I started reading it. But that first chapter, when Ellie and Kiernan met in person, interested me. The deeper I got into the book and Kiernan and Ellie's lives, the more attached I got. They each were dealing with so much: Kiernan with his addiction issues, ADHD, and that he will never measure up to what his parents want. For Ellie, it was dealing with her husband's death and managing her mother-in-law's grief. By the end of the book, I was alternately sobbing (Kiernan had the most beautiful things to say to Ellie) and laughing my ass off.

3.5 stars

Ok so, enemies to lovers is usually my jam, and while I really enjoyed the snark and banter between Ellie and Kieran, the pacing of this is what really bummed me out. It was too slow for me up until the end where it went from 0 to 100 and became too rushed lol still a fun read though!

I could not get enough of this book!! I picked it because of the title, slow burns are one of my favorite tropes & I fell in love with the characters, the banter they shared, and their lives. It was more than just a romance but truly made you want to be friends with the characters. The author, Sarah touched on hard topics such as depression, grief, addiction, and parental neglect/verbal abuse.
The story follows a widow, Ellie, who is a ghostwriter & a popular chef, Kieran. The two are forced together, I also love forced proximity, even when they can't stand each other (enemies to lovers/golden retriever & black cat energy) when they are working on his cookbook. Similar to things in the kitchen, the tension between them continues to build until you get to the perfect end result. I don't want to share too much of what went on, you can get the idea from the title. But I believe this is the perfect romance novel, it has a little bit of every trope... even jokes about there only being one bed.
If you want a cute, slightly cheesy and heart warming romance, this is the one for you!
I am so happy I got to read this book! Sarah Chamberlain is setting high expectations going forward with this being amazing for a debut novel. I highly recommend everyone run out and get this book when it comes out on September 24, 2024!
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Thank you, NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Favorite quotes:
- "so it'd be a seasonable book, but, like personal seasons."
- "oh, good, two beds."
- "the kisses had felt like a fourth of july's worth of fireworks."
- "you're my queen, and I love being on my knees for you."