This may be the most perfect Romcom. I do not cry during books, like, hardly even choked up. But about 3/4 of the way through this book when Ellie was working through some of her past, I cried. The emotions were so raw and real that it came across on the page and I wished I could go into the book and give her a hug.

Ellie and Keiran are my new favorite Romcom couple. Absolutely precious in every way. I loved getting both of their POVs and seeing their own personal growth throughout the course of the story.

This book was based around food and I absolutely loved how food and love came through. I loved how Keiran saw food one way, Ellie saw food as another and they centered their world's around it. Just to show that food can mean something different to everyone. This book was also a lesson on how people give and receive love and it was just wonderful.

The way that Chamberlain wrote about food, I found myself drooling a bit at times. There were times where I felt like we were actually watching the makings of a cookbook.

I say watching because the way that this book was written, I felt like I was watching a movie. Details were so vivid and specific that I could clearly picture the characters, the food, even the runs along the beach were so easy to visualize.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this book. If you want a book that will make you feel things and leave you all happy and glowy, this is your book.

Overall: Highly Recommend

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing for the ARC! This book was a quick read that really captured my attention and kept it. It is very much a slow burn, as advertised. The only trope I don’t enjoy in slow burns, or any pace romance, is miscommunication/lack of communication. It was resolved pretty quickly. Overall the book was very well written and an exciting debut for this author!

I love slow burn so much and this certainly did not disappoint! It was such a fun time and experience and just so cute I definitely want to read more by this author in the future and it was such a close place to my heart.

What a treat of a book (pun definitely intended)! This was my first read by this author, and it has surely made me a Sarah Chamberlain fan. This book has all the charm of an entertaining classic rom-com, but it also has such a nice bit of depth and personal exploration woven throughout.

The dual POV format was perfect in this instance, as the two characters had such drastically different ways of seeing the world-- and each other. Getting to experience them through each others' eyes added so many layers. Also, both had such rich inner journeys, and it was wonderful to read. Ellie's struggle with grief and identity was a great journey to pursue with her as a young 20-something, and even for those who have never wrestled with grief like her, one could still see themself in her battle to value and choose herself. As for Kieran, I absolutely loved the ADHD representation and the way they showed his struggle with identity-- but in a way that was so unique from Ellie's. He was strong yet kind and shone a nice light on what it can look like to live with a neurodivergent brain– and as an adult, no less. This book also delved into different types of relationships, including platonic and familial ones, and that was such an engaging and touching piece.

As for the love story itself, it was so sweet! The narration was adorable as it showed them crushing and then hastily correcting themselves throughout the novel, and the burn was indeed slow, but definitely worth it! They also explicitly played into and acknowledged tropes (which in and of itself is one of my favorite tropes!) such as the one-bed and fake dating tropes. Ellie jokes about it to Kieran, and there is one specific line that I especially loved near the end when they reference it again (I won't spoil it though, because it's cute as pie!).

Finally, it just has to be said, the food descriptions in this were both torturous and delightful. This book made me want to go out and get cooking... and I don't even like to cook! But the descriptions and details were so mouthwateringly good that I wanted to run to Ellie and Kieran's kitchen stat!

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and am deeply thankful for the opportunity to read it. Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Chamberlain for the chance to read and review this ARC! (Review will also be posted on @bookish.kendall on IG at a later date)

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Ellie, a young widowed ghostwriter, living in her in-laws backyard, is paired up with Kieran to write his cook book. After an argument goes viral, Ellie and Kieran must move past their disagreement to work on the potentially successful cookbook.

A very slow burn, with overcoming grief and finding one’s independence, this was quite an enjoyable read.

This book was a little different than what I normally read but the cover and the title really had me curious. It's a little too Metro for me but that's a personal preference so I don't hold it against the book. That being said, I really enjoyed the characters. I loved watching them overcome their struggles throughout the story. I found it refreshing that the main character was a little over weight. One can have more going for them than being model thin and I feel Ellie proves that. Kieran acted a little young sometimes and immature. It took away some of the appeal for me. I felt like he kind of grew up as the story progressed though. Overall I think it was a cute story..

Ooooh I love a good slow burn! The chemistry in this one was fire! I really love the whole "opposites attract" trope, which counter balanced a brief foray into my least favorite trope (miscommunication...ugh). Sarah Chamberlain knocked it out of the park with this book!

My Thoughts

Self-Taught cook Ellie Wasserman doesn’t know how to deal with irreverent, time-challenged and chaotic Chef Kieran O’Neill when her publisher pairs the two for a collaboration on his cookbook.

Ellie is a ghostwriter and the person who has to bring ideas to life in a way that an average person can understand and use when cooking for themselves at home from the recipes provided.

The organized Ellie and the disorganized Kieran approach food prep very differently to say the least.

Their methods of cooking is also approached in a very different manner as well.

Once the pair get past their initial lack of connection they find that these very differences bring them ways to challenge each others creativity and what is then created between them becomes almost effortless over the course of nine months.

The story is indeed a slow starter and an even slower burn between the two characters but as it builds readers are treated to a very good look at what it takes for both Ellie and Kieran to get out of their respective comfort zones both privately as well as professionally.

I have to say creating and bringing to print a cookbook never sounded so delicious !

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley.
[EArc from Netgalley]


On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Kieran is a famous TV chef *cough* short king *cough* and Ellie is a cookbook ghostwriter. When they get paired up to write together, their personalities clash immediately. After spending a week in the same house to work out the book outline though, they don’t dislike each other as much as they thought.

The title says it all. It is a slow burn. Maybe a little too slow, but not so slow that I gave up reading. They both had a lot to work through and I liked the dual POV.

I love a romance that involves cooking and it was a sweet read with a little spice.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Really loved this one! It definitely lives up to the title. I was a little unsure at the beginning because the characters came off as pretty unlikable. As you go, you learn their backstory and that this is just a facade. I really enjoyed the character development (even the minor characters) throughout the story.

I rarely choose not to finish a book, but I could not keep going with this one. The title calls it out, “The Slowest Burn”, but at 12% they still had barely even spoken. I was bored and didn’t like either main character. I had high hopes for this one and the cover is beautiful but it just was not my jam.

I did enjoy the middle of this novel. The portion of going to the cabin, and his family's party and the build up of the book. However, I just felt the way the book wrapped up was not my cup of tea. She proposed to him?? The last chapter really did not do it for me unfortunately and I thought there were so many other ways that it could have went that would have made the story a little more resolved and wrapped up. It was an okay read - cute and spicy.

Reality cooking show champion Kieran O'Neill is publishing a cookbook with the help of ghost writer Ellie Wasserman. They are opposites in every way. Ellie is type-A, organized, efficient, a rule follower, and not up for much fun. Kieran is known as the "Pirate Leprechaun" and embodies the happy-go-lucky moniker.

What I liked:
These two had me giggling! I really liked their chemistry. They brought out the best in each other despite everything they went through individually. I really felt like they learned things about themselves in the process of opening up to the other.

The tropes:
Golden Retriever x Black Cat
Forced Proximity
Rivals to Lovers
He Feeds Her

What I took issues with:
Ellis is a widow and through her character arc we see her realize she was living her life for her late husband and not herself. It felt like a weird diss to a deceased character. There were several typos I noted in the book that caused me to reread sentences. I know this is called the SLOWEST burn but some of the timeline felt off, like the time jumps were not necessary.

3.5 stars rounded up!

I'm not entirely sure what I expected going into this. I don't usally lean toward "celebrity" romance but something about this cover is what drew me in and I am so glad it did.

Kieran is a hot shot chef, high off his recent win on a reality cooking show. He wants to keep going while the fame is hot and write a book. But his ghostwrite is the complete opposite of his chaos, wanting everything orderly. Complete opposites, it is a bumpy road in the beginning until they both realize they may understand each other much better than they think.

Ellie, a young widow, is a people pleaser (who I am glad to say is reformed by the end of this) who is used to sacrificing her own happiness in order to make sure everyone around her is comfortable. Her In-Laws, her boss, her brother, everyone. And she is drowning.

Kieran brings light and joy into her dark world and burns away all the fog and clouds.

Afraid of jeopordizing her career and ruining the faith her boss has in her, she tries to resist the pull toward Kieran but it becomes too strong and they both give in.

Both Ellie and Kieran have their own indiviual childhood traumas and demons. Kieran was forced by his parents to fit into a box not meant for him until he rebels. Ellie was parentified and forced to grow up too quickly.

Together, they see each other for all their magic and the HEA is what real life dreams are made of.

Absolutely superb!

An opposites attract, slow burn romance set in the world of professional chefs. Kieran is an up and coming chef making a name for himself via reality TV competition. When given the chance to write his own cookbook, he's paired with Ellie who a ghostwriter for celebrity cookbooks. Ellie has baggage of her own as a widow who still lives with her in-laws. Their time spent together in the kitchen reveals their mutual attraction. A sweet and spicy HEA.

This book was painful to get through and took forever! (not helpful when you've got an endless TBR and are falling short on your reading goals) I love most books from St. Martin's Press, but nothing about this novel was good, with the clunky dialogue, absolutely no flow, and always feeling like I've been shoved into a scene with no context. This ain't a slow burn, just a very slow read. I'm also annoyed that this stunning cover and pretty interesting blurb didn't get justice.

I'm not sure how I ended up with this book twice, because I already read and reviewed this book through netGalley before.

The title of this book is dead on because this story was the slowest burn ever. I’m talking glacial 🤣 it was a fine little romcom, nothing earth shattering to report. The characters were flawed which I enjoyed, but the story itself was too slow moving for me.

Two people who are broken in their own ways find each other, and it's not good. They must work together for his career and they slowly get to know each other.

I loved all the characters in this book. Both main characters want are limbo wanting more but not knowing how.

This was a great read and definitely recommend it.

I will preface this: this is not a slow burn. More of a slow story and slow build. I wasn’t hooked from the beginning and it took longer for me to get through than most books because I didn’t feel connected to their story. I hope none of us ever can relate to being a widow in our 20s/30s, but I know that’s not the reality. There is a lot of sadness in this book around family dynamics that were rough to read through.

There’s a lot of buzz around this debut novel focused on opposites attract. While I normally love a good contemporary romance, and I wanted to love it, this wasn’t my cuppa.

Ellie and Kieran find their way together while writing his book. There is a third act breakup which is a bit on the nose pertaining to how women are viewed and treated differently in their careers… With the side character best friends, the traumatic family dynamics, and two working professionals so stuck in their people pleasing ways that they don’t even know what they truly want, it is giving meh 90s/00s “straight to VHS/DVD” vibes.
2.5 ⭐️
2 🌶️

Commentary below…

TROPES
Widow
Ghostwriter/Celebrity Chef
Forced Proximity
Opposites attract
He falls first

Neurodivergent rep: ADHD, dyslexia
Sober rep

Debut novel focused on opposites attracts.

What I want to say based on my original hopes for the hype around this book:
Short Kings rejoice. Kieran O’Neill is here to save your day at 5’7”.
Short and curvy gals rejoice! Ellie is our queeeeen.
…but I don’t know if either are truly worthy of wearing a crown.

Kieran’s parents are absolute trash towards him and cannot forgive him for his adolescent angst and struggle to believe in the adult he has become. No wonder why he is estranged from them and avoided them successfully for 5 years. Ellie comes in and sticks it to both his parents while celebrating the man Kieran is. This was a cute moment in the book where we see Ellie show up and believe in him.

On the flip side, Ellie comes with a lot of baggage. Broken family, widow, living in the cottage behind her in-laws house, with a co-dependent little brother, and people pleasing her way to stay numb while everyone else around her gets what they want from her. Kieran does help her see her worth, because it is a HEA.


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.