This book definitely lives up to its title. I really enjoyed the duel POV along with the banter throughout the book. I look forward to reading more by Sarah in the future!

This was such a cute, sweet romance! I loved that the characters in this romcom had depth and complexity. There was a wonderful inclusion of neurodiversity and the chemistry was believable and unpredictable.

I absolutely picked this book because it had a cute cover, and after reading the excerpt on what it was about I thought it sounded interesting. I’m glad I took a chance on a new author’s debut book.
The writing style of this book reminded me a lot of Tarah Dewitt. There was a lot of imagery and it felt very decadent, especially the parts that talked about cooking and food. I truly think this is more of a love letter to food than a love story between the main characters. It has great vibes and I liked that the characters were opposites working together.
The characters’ voices were a little off for me, and I can’t really put my finger on why. I felt like the dialogue was sometimes not realistic sounding and the characters didn’t seem like real people at times. I also felt that the male MC was kind of juvenile and immature. Combining that with him being really short and having ADHD had me picturing a teenager in my head, which threw me off a bit. Eventually I had to force myself to picture Shaun White so that I wouldn’t keep feeling like Ellie and Kieran were 15 years apart in age. The theme of grief helped give the story some depth and I liked all the side characters that helped along the way. At times the story felt a bit long, but for the most part I was interested and engaged. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in the future and enjoyed this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I devoured this book in one sitting. "The Slowest Burn" is an adorable and emotional dislike to love, forced proximity, opposites attract romance with about a chapter's worth of fake dating; perfect recipe, in my opinion. Our mmc Kieran is a recent cooking show champion in need of a ghostwriter for his cookbook. Ellie the fmc is the ghostwriter assigned to help.

There are so many things to love about this book, but the best is easily the character development. Both Kieran and Ellie have issues from their childhoods they are working on. They grew as people together, but didn't make each other their entire world. It was incredibly well done.

I'm also just obsessed with Kieran, who is the sweetest baby ever. There were a couple times I had to scream into a pillow over something he said or did,

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. I will definitely be recommending this book to others.

Ellie es escritora fantasma, su esposo murió hace unos años y todavía lo extraña, vive con sus suegros.

Kieran es un chef, ganó un concurso y para aprovechar su popularidad tiene que escribir un libro, pero es disléxico y por esa razón busca un escritor fantasma.

Cuando se conocen, ella a piensa que es flojo y mediocre, pero necesita el dinero y tiene que aguantarlo, él piensa que ella es soberbia.


Al principio me cayó mal Kieran porque es un chismos, me molestó su reacción al enterarse de la muerte de Max, o sea el tipo se la pasó preguntando detalles de la muerte. Luego me cayó mejor, pero no logró caerme bien.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie is a ghostwriter for cookbooks and Kieran is her latest celebrity chef project. They couldn’t be more opposite and can’t get along at all. She is still healing from past trauma and doesn’t want to let anyone into her life beyond a professional level. After a forced weekend away and a faked date to appease family, they begin to realize there might be more there than they originally thought.

I took a chance on this book based on the fact that I enjoy cooking shows and several of the tropes here. However, the title should have given me a big clue. It was a very slow read to the point that it felt much longer than it was. There were too many things going on and too much family drama and difficult characters on both sides. While I can appreciate representation and heavy topics when done well, here it felt like there were too many and it just took away from any romance that could develop. I also struggled to like the MMC after some of his initial behavior. I acknowledge that this book was just not for me but would probably appeal to other readers. If you enjoy a very slow building romance, a focus on family drama/grief/family dynamics, or plus size/ Jewish/ ADHD representation, then this may be a great book for you!

Thank you to the author and St. Martin’s Griffin for the early digital copy and opportunity to review.

This was a beautifully crafted slowburn/opposite attract romance. The banter between the 2 main characters was excellent. I liked experiencing their fights as much as much as I liked experiencing their love. I love the way the author showed the complicated, sometimes unhealthy familial relationships that people can have. And I really loved how honest and blunt each of our main characters' respective friends were with them.There was no sugar coating, and there was no placating. They were supportive but honest, and sometimes we need that in our lives. It was a really good read that I enjoyed all the way through.

I watch way too many cooking shows and cooking competition shows - so I was immediately drawn into this novel. The Slowest Burn is definitely a slow burn romance - but the progression was worthwhile for me as a reader. Ellie, despite appearing to be super organized, is a bit of a mess. After being widowed at just 27, she is still struggling three years later with creating the life that she really wants for herself - too often taking care of others and ignoring her own wants. Kieran is a mess quite literally at times - a recent winner of a cooking competition, and still sober after eventually dealing with his ADHD. When Ellie is assigned to be the ghostwriter for Kieran's cookbook - they are practically at each other's throats. Ellie being too rigid and practical and Kieran too unpredictable and impulsive. They clash on just about everything. Throw in some forced proximity, fake dating to impress Kieran's parents, then turning to friends-with-benefits - this book has a lot going on. The pacing was a bit slow at times - but the growth of the two main characters was tremendous. The food descriptions were perfect - I wish these cookbooks existed. Would love to read more from this author. Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy.

The title of this book was right...it was definitely a slow burn, both in the relationship and the pace of the story. I like my romantic comedies to move a bit faster so this one didn't work for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Slowest Burn!

This book was incredibly painful for me. Not only did i find both main characters hard to connect with. But the MMC acted and had the mental capacity of a teenage boy. He was infuriating to me.

I also understand that this is the slow burn story. But when the two characters have barely spoken by 15-20%? That makes the rest seem forced and clunky to me. You dont even know each other almost halfway in.

This almost put me in a reading slump.

Unfortunately this just wasnt for me, but i believe everyone should read it and make their decision for themselves.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

YES. YES. YES. This ate. Literally.

To be honest, I am obsessed with cooking shows and all things food, so I was already likely to enjoy this book. But this gave everything we could want in our romance novel. I liked the characters and always appreciate when a romance book gives us more SUBSTANCE. Deeper issues beyond lust. Real life stuff.

The Slowest Burn is aptly titled for a slow burn romance. MMC Kieran is a hot new celebrity chef after winning first place on a television cooking competition. He works in one of San Francisco's hottest elite restaurants. Now he's tasked by his agent with writing a cookbook and he's been assigned a ghostwriter to make sure it gets done. MFC Ellie is the ghostwriter as well as a grieving widow. Her somewhat stalled career depends on getting this job with Kieran done well and done on time. Unfortunately, they may not work well together. Kieran is impulsive, creative and unpredictable at times. Ellie is staid, dependable and bogged down with responsibilities to seemingly all the people in her life.
Both story characters have a LOT going on in their personal lives and backgrounds. Their pasts seem to have a strong hold on each of them and it's all brought out throughout the book. For me, it was a bit too much to keep rehashing the tough years Kieran experienced until he found his niche or the extent of the loss Ellie feels about her husband's unexpected death. They both carried so much baggage.
Thank you for the opportunity to read the book in exchange for a review. I do think it was well-written and will appeal to the readers who love the slow burn trope.

Such a lovely cover, I couldn't resist it.

Ellie and Kieran are very different from each other. He's a chef who's recently won a famous competition and she's the cookbook ghostwriter that the publisher has assigned to help him. Kieran is disorganized and all over the place, and Ellie is super organized and contained. They're very different from each other and their second meeting in person is a disaster.

There's a lot at stake for both of them and they need to learn to trust each other, come up with a concept for the cookbook, and bring it to reality. Along the way, their relationship goes from not liking each other, to cautious friends, to friends with benefits. But, of course, they soon find it's not enough.

I really liked the ending and epilogue.

Sexual content and language.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This was charming. It dealt with grief in a comprehensive and lovely way, and was mature and sensitive while also being a fairly fast paced love story.

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain is a delightful debut romance novel that captures the essence of a slow-burn love story set in the culinary world. It follows Kieran O'Neill, a chaotic yet talented chef, and Ellie Wasserman, a structured and grieving ghostwriter, as they reluctantly collaborate on a cookbook. Their initial clashes gradually give way to mutual respect and affection, enriched by Chamberlain’s sensitive handling of themes like ADHD, grief, and emotional abuse. With vivid cooking scenes and a cast of well-drawn secondary characters, the novel skillfully balances sweetness and spice, making it a heartwarming and engaging read.

The Slowest Burn is about a Kieran a chef who recently won a big competition and Ellie, a ghostwriter who will be writing his cookbook. Together they explore recipes while also opening up to each other. Each character has something they are working through and the author does a lovely job exploring things like grief, childhood trauma and ADHD. As sweet as this romance is, it has depth and I really enjoyed it.

Some things I loved

- ADHD representation
- The Friends! Ellie's bestie Nicole was incredible. I loved her so much
- The food. I am sucker for tv shows like chopped so this book was a joy to read with all the chef talk and food.
- The growth. I loved romances with depth and character growth and this checked that box for me

Although the pacing was a bit slow in the beginning, I think it was worth it for me. I became invested in these characters and I ended up reading the last half of the book in one sitting.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

DNF @ 38%

I loved the set up for this story! I cannot pinpoint what exactly I’m struggling with. The pacing feels off for me and the story line a little haphazard.

There have been several points I think we’re not given enough time and others that were given, maybe, too much? (The cabin specifically I wanted more of that!)

I appreciate having the opportunity to try it out and am sad that it’s not for me.

A little too heart-on-its sleeve for me - Kiernan and Ellie's chef-themed enemies to coworkers to lovers romance fits perfectly inside a Bon Appetit inspired world, but could use a little more maturity, particularly when it comes to Kiernan's character.
I really really appreciated the complex family dynamics in Ellie's life though. Early widowhood (which is also explored in one of my Faves, Float Away) and eldest-daughter syndrome are primed to break your heart here, but not in a cheap way. I loved the conflict between Ellie and her in-laws, and almost wished that had been the primary story line, with the romance as more of a supporting role.

The title here is seriously accurate. This is truly a slow burn love story. The dual POV really helped the angsty build too. The cookbook aspect was so much fun and I loved the time the characters spent in the kitchen together. Overall, this was a great debut from Sarah Chamberlain and I will definitely look for more from this author soon.

I enjoyed the plot of this story and thought the overall idea for this story was fun. I loved the dual POV and am always excited for an enemies to lovers trope. The way Ellie and Kieran help each other grow and evolve through the book was so sweet! Sarah had me drooling with her description of the food and atmosphere of the restaurant.

The dialogue between Ellie and Kieran felt juvenile and immature, and made the book hard for me to get through. The beginning was especially cringey for me and made it hard for me to connect to the characters throughout the rest of the story. I would have enjoyed this book much more if I wasn’t turned off by the dialogue and I’m excited to see what Sarah writes next!