Classic romance setup “enemies to lovers” which never fails to entertain. Good use of neurodivergent representation without making it central to the character’s development throughout the book or a convenient excuse for the third act breakup. This might be the first book where I was actively hungry the entire time?? Someone make me the duck confit + citrus salad 😍

When this started off, I had to take a pause to come back to it. But I am so glad I came back to finish. Such a sweet, wholesome story. Kieran was the epitome of golden retriever MMC. Sarah wrote them in such a compelling way that I was rooting for both of them the whole time. The storyline was great, the characters had perfect development, and the plot flowed well after I got into the first 40 pages.
I was honestly so shocked to see this is her first book, Sarah writes like a veteran and I am looking forward to seeing what she does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This book was a delightful, well-written slice of romance, reminiscent of Emily Henry, that tells the story of a young woman overcoming her grief for a lost husband and trying to figure out how to live again. I have to admit that the book cover threw me off - it gives the impression of a light-hearted rom-com, where this book was much more grounded and serious in the way that Henry's books often are - grounded in reality, that is to say. Our character feels real and tangible, and the writing just flows. We get a glimpse into Jewish culture, but also handling the difficulties of having in-laws whom you love, while learning to move on and grapple with guilt. This book is rich in its depiction and will be a a genuinely great addition to the romance novels out there -- and I hope to see our author take on characters who are not writers in the future!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc! this was such a cute story!! I look forward to seeing what the general public has to say about this one!

I was so looking forward to diving into this book after reading the blurb, but I hate to say it, I had to force myself to pick it up. It just didn't flow for me and I couldn't connect with the characters, but I will not give a negative review based solely on my likes and dislikes. Unfortunately, I hate to admit that I did not finish this read, but please don't take my review as a negative one -- please give it a try if it sounds good to you. It didn't connect with me, but it might with you! I'm grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advance copy of this book.

The Slowest Burn truly lived up to its name, and I savored every moment! As a fan of cooking shows, I was delighted by this wonderful debut. (Yes, chef!) The incredibly sweet love story between a chef and a ghostwriter collaborating on his cookbook makes for the perfect cozy romance read. Filled with beloved tropes and rich, layered plots, it’s a heartwarming treat you won’t want to miss!

4.5 stars, rounded to 5 for the sake of the NetGalley rating system.

Kudos to Sarah Chamberlain. What a debut! This sort of contemporary romance is my favorite - sweet, grounded characters dealing with real-life issues. Nothing too cutesy or cloying, but rather a (mostly) realistic romance with some depth.

Ellie & Kieran, whether they realize it or not, are two sides of the same coin, both people struggling to leave the confines of their current lives, both needing to graduate into something new. Even though they butt heads initially, they find strength in each other.

Honestly, there is so much to love about this book. It handles various issues such as grief, co-dependence, substance abuse, and neurodivergence in a sensitive and well-informed manner. Kieran and Ellie are great together - their relationship arc is believable and their chemistry is palpable. The plot and pacing were enjoyable, and I found it hard to put this book down.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy of this book, provided in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain is a charming enemies-to-lovers romance. Ellie and Kieran's opposing personalities provide both hilarious banter and a believable slow burn. While the plot pacing is a bit uneven, with a sluggish start and a rushed ending, the foodie details are delightful and the characters' growth is heartwarming. This book will hit the spot if you're looking for a light read with a guaranteed happy ending.

If what you're looking for is a super spicy book with immediate attraction, I hope the title of this book makes it clear for you that you should not choose this one. If however, you're looking for a sweet and slow burn romance where the characters are real and grappling with their own journeys and grief and flaws then this is the novel for you.

It has heart and laughter and creates a story where you find yourself slowly falling in love with each characters as layers of their story get peeled off. You root for them both individually and together. I enjoyed all the moments I spent with this story.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

A fair warning to anyone reading this: you will be hungry! There's so much talk of cooking and eating in this, and food is basically a love language for our two main characters. I had to take some snack break. 30 year old widow Ellie Wasserman is in a bit of suspended animation. Since her husband's untimely death three years before the events of this novel, she's been living in a tiny in-law cottage belonging to his parents, cooking their Shabbos dinner every week, saving money meticulously, comforting her mother-in-law (who is wracked by deep, constant grief over her son) during regular late night visits, worrying over her younger brother who she has essentially raised, and working hard as a ghost-writer for cookbooks. That's how she gets connected with Kieran O'Neill, the young and hot chef who just won a reality cooking show and is riding his reputation as the "happy pirate leprechaun" chef and his success as a sous chef at a Bay Area restaurant to a cookbook contract. The apparently flippant Kieran makes a pretty bad impression on serious Ellie, which ultimately leads to a very public (and well-documented) argument between the two of them at the restaurant where Kieran works. Their editor sends them away to his cabin to overcome their differences and get things going on the cookbook, and they're able to not only call a truce but actually start building a pretty strong friendship and professional relationship. They still clash, but they start to bring out the best in each other, and they help each other grow. But they both carry pretty deep childhood scars and, of course, Ellie is still dealing with the death of her husband (and her own people-pleasing behavior that has made it almost impossible for her to get distance and closure). I wasn't sure about this at the start, because I don't always like an "uptight woman needs to live a little and this guy can help her" story, but I quickly realized that wasn't what this was (at least for me). This reminded me sometimes of Erin La Rosa's For Butter or Worse, maybe because there's both a food/cooking element and an enemies to lovers plot, and I ended up really enjoying it. I think it could have been a touch shorter, but it never really dragged for me. Content warnings for childhood trauma and death of a spouse.

Loved it! Fun. Adorable. Swoon worthy. Made me hungry. Just read it.

I voluntarily read an early copy.

This was a really great story with some underlying heavy topics. But Sarah Chamberlain masterfully wove the fun with the serious and took us on a lovely journey.

This book had a lil more spice than I typically like, otherwise a great book and I cant wait to see what else she writes!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love the fake dating forced proximity trope, and this was a fun twist. I liked the idea of being a celebrity chef rather than a movie star or other variations I've seen in the past. Such a fun read!

This was a cute, fluffy romance! I enjoyed the storyline and the way the characters brought together. Some parts were a bit slow, but interaction between Ellie and Kieran were so sweet.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I do not enjoy writing reviews like this, but this book is one of the most unexciting books I have ever read. The only thing I liked about the book was Kieran's sense of humor. Although Kieran was tolerable, Ellie was an awful character. From the minute Ellie met Kieran, she didn't like him and was completely rude to him on multiple occasions. He was kind enough to invite her to his dinner, and she was rude to him and embarrassed him all because she wasn't getting the response she wanted. She was constantly belittling him and talking to him as if he were her child, and when they had a meeting about it, she flipped the script and hit him with "Is it me? Do you not like me?" Woe is me. Meanwhile, he's struggling with ADHD and dyslexia, and she's just constantly giving him crap, and whenever he tries to lighten the mood, she gives him even more crap. As far as the chemistry, it was nonexistent. There was no chemistry between the two, and honestly, I'm not even sure what attracted Kieran to Ellie in the first place. The writing also made the book difficult to get through. Not only was the book very long and unexciting, but the writing was very choppy and haphazard. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sarah Chamberlain for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was sweet! It took a minute to get into, but I loved how the couple's dynamic grew throughout the book — there was definitely some satisfying and emotionally surprising complications, and any romance with a chef is already a win in my book.

The sweetest love story with dual POV and opposites attract. A wonderful plot that slowly grows and develops into a lovely romance. I love the ideas and foods that they were cooking up together. This was a debut novel for Sarah Chamberlain and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from her. Highly recommend this to others to read!

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I requested a bunch of romance on here because I wanted to try it out. However, romance is just not working for me at the moment. I think its more me than the books themselves so I will be giving this one a neutral rating.

I know this book is called the slowest burn but it was just too slow for me. I didn't feel the connection between the main characters either. This book just wasn't for me but I know there is an audience for this one.

What a beautiful, honest, sweet novel. This novel weaves together a love story that unfolds at a deliberate pace, with complex characters that are treated with empathy and depth. The characters are nuanced and relatable, and have clear and complex histories and backstories that have brought them to the place they are at the start of the novel. The character growth throughout is directly related to the characters relationship and such a strong connection is made.

I loved the descriptions of food, which were just the right amount of detailed and evocative. I fell in love with Ellie and related deeply to her people-pleasing tendencies born out of a childhood without positive role models of love or caring. I also fell in love with Kieran's inherent goodness sprinkled with self-doubt. Highly relatable.

There are fully baked and interesting side characters, bringing another layer to the plot and the book. The big moments are emotional and true.

I can see this becoming a big hit.

Thanks to the author and St Martins Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

👩‍🍳ARC REVIEW👩‍🍳
The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain

The Slowest Burn is exactly that...it's a slow burning love story that's super cute and easy to read. This is Chamberlain's debut novel and it delivered with an opposites attract that's sweet with a side of spicy. You get a handsome chef who has all the right ingredients to charm his way into your heart.

It reads a little like a Hallmark movie but in the cutest way and I'd say it's chef kiss! A book about two foodies, one whose a chef and the other a ghost writer for a cookbook. Both MC's are dealing with some past trauma from their childhoods and Ellie especially. She's still navigating the loss of her husband. The characters certainly developed throughout the story and were both able to heal over the course of the book.

There's tension amuck and banter for days and it was enjoyable to follow along the journey of these two characters. It is a slowwww burn, one little spark at a time, but it certainly didn't take away from the story or ruin it for me. Once, these two finally get together, I was melting. They start working with each other instead of against one another. Kieran is such a lovable MMC, sprinkling little acts of kindness throughout the story for Ellie. She's been making everyone else a priority and it was sweet to see Kieran prioritize her.

The romance is sweet but not overly spicy and has a wonderful plot that develops slowly and eventually grows into a cute romance. The whole cooking aspect of the storyline was fun and fresh and I really enjoyed that part of the story.

This debut novel was a delight to read and I think many will enjoy it. It certainly is one you could recommend to lots of people without hesitation. To stay on the theme of cooking, it's a palette cleanser and in the best way. It's tender and sweet with a happily ever after.

PUB DATE September 24th 2025

Thank you Sarah Chamberlain, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reading copy and chance to give my honest review. I look forward to seeing what Chamberlain releases next.