⭐️⭐️⭐️✨{3.75}
🌶️🌶️🫑{2.5}

This one follows the story of a chef and a cookbook ghostwriter. Kieran just won a cooking show and is known for being a whirlwind, non-committal, ADHD mess. Whereas, Ellie is a type A perfectionist who never puts herself first. Everyone in her life is just content to let her do everything for them, until Kieran comes along that is. Their chemistry was honestly amazing and I loved seeing them grow together! I also feel like Chamberlain did an excellent job portraying neurodivergence through Kieran and his ADHD and the struggles he has gone through because of it.

This one was super cute! Definitely a nice fluffy rom-com with some heavier topics woven throughout. Personally, I just found it a little too cheesy for me at times, and I found the MMC for the first half to be depicted a little too child-like and whiney (but by the end he was my favorite character! We love our short ginger king Kieran!!). I really loved the plot line though and appreciate what Chamberlain was trying to do to depict the growth in the characters, I just wonder if it could have been a little more subtly executed. I also feel like too many tropes were crammed into this one book, making some of them feel half-finished rather than truly being successful. However, all of this being said, I will definitely be reading further works by this author and think it was an excellent debut novel!

𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮:
🥐dual pov
🥐reverse grumpy x sunshine
🥐forced proximity
🥐dislike to lovers
🥐opposites attract
🥐fake dating
🥐he falls first
🥐plus sized FMC/ neurodivergent MMC

*𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓺𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼:

“𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯-𝘶𝘱 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘱.”

“𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭.”

“𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵?”
“𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘩. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐’𝘮 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵.”
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵.”

“𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐’𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘐𝘘 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴.”

“𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳.” 𝘈 𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦. “𝘐’𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.”

*𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙦𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨*

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚂𝚝. 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗’𝚜 𝙿𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝚐𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠! 𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗.

The beginning and end felt slow, but I really enjoyed the middle. Ellie and Kieran had such a sweet friendship and that blossomed.

This was a fantastic debut novel, that hit the mark! Would make for a quick weekend read on the beach…..I absolutely fell into this book and connected with the characters, especially the FIL relationship in the book. Ellie, a widow is contracted to ghostwrite a cookbook for Kieran, a chef. They couldn’t be more opposite, but have good chemistry that evolves throughout the book. This was definitely a slow burn that dealt with hard topics in a thoughtful manner.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this debut novel from Sarah Chamberlain. It started a bit slow for me, but once I got more than several chapters in, I found myself more and more interested. The lead characters, Kieran and Ellie, were clearly at odds, or were they? Both brought lots of baggage with them, but neither really knew what the other's baggage was until they both started to notice, little by little, there were some interesting things happening between them.

I really enjoyed the "slow burn" between Kieran and Ellie, their simmering feelings on the back burner, so to speak, until they could no longer deny them. The way they each worked out in their heads how they truly felt about each other, but didn't come clean to each other about those feelings until it was almost too late made for a truly enjoyable read. I loved how these two sad, lonely characters developed throughout this interesting story. They not only grew as individuals, but they grew together as well. It was heartwarming and lovely to read as they overcame their "issues" and found their way towards each other. All-in-all, this was a beautiful love story, well-written, filled with emotion and so worth my time to read. I hope you'll give it a go and enjoy it as much as I have.

What I particularly liked is that once Ellie and Kieran opened up to each other, they liked and valued each other for who they actually were and were affirming to each other.

Ellie had grown up knowing her parents did not want her and had to essentially become a mother to her younger brother when she was still an adolescent herself. She then met and eventually married a great guy (Max) but the relationship, while loving, was somewhat one sided, with Ellie in the supporting role. Following his unexpected death, Ellie had essentially become a replacement and crutch for her in-laws, especially her mother-in-law. Ellie would do anything for the people she cared about, even to her own detriment.

Kieran was a troublemaker and rebel when he was younger, and a constant disappointment to his parents. Part of this was because he was dyslexic and had ADHD, undiagnosed, and so his parents, teachers, etc. were not providing the support and understanding necessary for him to thrive. However, in cooking, he had found a way to focus his talents and energy successfully.

And it was cooking that brought them together. Kieran won a reality cooking competition and was trying to leverage his fame into a cookbook and hopefully his own restaurant. Ellie was a ghostwriter who specialized in cookbooks. She also had the structure and routine to help keep him on track with the project. Of course, things do not start off well at all. But cooking together and bonding over food allows them to get to know each other better. The time together will also lead to something more, which will be both wonderful and potentially devastating.

I was able to get this ARC through Net Galley, and I’m glad I did!

At first, Kieran was almost too flawed for me. I wasn’t quite in the mood to read this. But at the end of the book, everything felt very authentic and imperfect in the best way. This is definitely a more realistic romance.

I enjoyed the secondary characters also. Some of it was a bit over the top (her in-laws, her parents, his parents) but overall it worked for me. The vibes were all there for sure. I’m a sucker for a food themed book!!

This has all the best ingredients. FMC trying to move past heartache (she’s a young widow). Neurodivergent MMC trying to be better than the people that hurt him expected. And food. And chemistry. And also a repeated one bed joke (I love it when romcoms give the reader a fourth wall breaking wink). I was a little burned out on cooking/difficult chef tropes. But The Slowest Burn had such heart for both the main characters, it drew me in. I was rooting for them (I mean it’s a romcom so, the HEA wasn’t a shock). I love that they discovered the best thing comes from blending the ingredients together. It also has a nice side character plot that reminds us some times things don’t end with marriage, but it doesn’t mean they are bad. Anyway, really liked it. Would def recommend. (I read an ARC)

I loved this? Like what?? It’s SO CUTE. This is the first book by Sarah that I’ve read and I’m so glad that I got approved for this ARC!! Please pick it up on release day!

This was charming and fun as well as heart rending. I loved the character development for both MCs and thought it was authentic. Ellie’s loss of her husband and finding love again was thoughtful and emotional. I loved how she evolved into her own voice and learned to be alone and together with a partner.

The dialogue was a bit schmaltzy some times and it really was a very slow burn! The title definitely set the expectation. :)

As a huge fan of cooking competition shows, I was excited to read this book, focusing on an up-and -coming celebrity chef and the ghostwriter for his cookbook. Both Ellie and Kieran had complex backstories that added a lot of dimension to the book and made their relationship meaningful.
3.5 ⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book!

I typically don't read books about celebrities, but the intriguing cover and descriptions caught my attention. The story follows Elli Wasserman, a ghostwriter for celebrity cookbooks, who is a widow and still maintains a close relationship with her in-laws. Her next writing project is with chef Kieran O'Neill, a winner of a cooking reality show. When they first meet, they can't stand each other, but as they work together, things begin to change.

I enjoyed how Sarah Chamberlain developed both characters and their relationship through their shared love of food. The intimate scenes were tastefully written and had just the right amount of steam. Overall, it's a charming read that will capture the hearts of romance readers.

First things first. This cover is GORGEOUS!!!!!!

I really enjoyed this book. It took a little while to warm up to Ellie and Kieran but I ended up loving them both.

This was my first book by Sarah Chamberlain and it won't be my last.

I would love to have Floyd's in my neighbourhood!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, St. Martin's Press.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this!
As a huge fan of The Bear and Top Chef, this one immediately reached out to me. A food writer is chosen to ghost write a recently awarded hot-shot chef's newest cookbook, and their story is right in the title: a slow burn. She's a widow, he's trying to find himself, and friendships, past traumas, and their professions create some palpable tension.
The chemistry between the leads is really well written, Kieran is smart and witty but emotionally scarred, Ellie is fragile in some ways but very complex in others. I really loved the backdrop set against food and the nature of recipes: both of their cookbook ideas were things I'd pick up in a heartbeat! When this finally slow burned to the steamy it was SPICY, which is a bit out of my comfort zone, but it didn't take away from the storyline. Thoroughly enjoyed this!

The Slowest Burn is a super sweet story filled with all sorts of delicious sounding food. Ellie is a widow and she is ghostwriting a cookbook for hot new chef Kieran O'Neill. They are complete opposites. She likes to be in control and he is more spontaneous. As they work together on the cookbook they begin to fall for each other but they have several obstacles to overcome if they can ever stay together.
This was a slow start for me but it picked up about half way through. I look forward to reading the next book from Sarah Chamberlain. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book for review.

Slow Burn is an opposites attract romance set in the world of high end restaurants and cookbook publishing. Two people who carry around tons of emotional baggage from their pasts, find each other and figure out how to value and share themselves. The messages were on target and the info about running a restaurant and cookbook production was interesting. I never quite related to the MCs but enjoyed the story nonetheless. The morals of the story were legit, just a little in your face. And I finally realized that I’m not a fan of the epilogue as a way to end a story and hammer again on the life lessons in case you missed them the first time. .

The Slowest Burn is a very cute story of Ellie, a recent widow and ghostwriter for, ... cookbooks (is this a thing?)
Kieran, the chef she will be assisting has some sad stuff in his past and present also that pops up as the two mix recipes and banter.
This book is a light and tame rom-com, but actually has really heavy topics weaved in nicely. Loss of a loved one, alcoholism, childhood trauma, these are all tackled while still keeping an airy feeling to the story line.
The characters feel genuine, and while there are a few typical rom-com scenarios placed, this really felt quite original. I'm food-centric and the imagery of cooking, meals and strategizing Kieran's coobook and story was really fun. Many moments felt similar to Lucy Score and Tessa Bailey books with a little less spice, which isn't a bad thing. Sometimes you need a nice happily ever after, and this is it.

A story about overcoming loss and falling in love. The story was a cute one although perhaps a little cliche but that isn’t always a bad thing. It took a bit to get into but I did believe the chemistry and enjoyed watching the relationship unfurl.

This was a cute read! It took a while for me to get into it, but I caught myself thinking about it throughout my day so that has to count for something! I thought multiple times how this book would be a cute rom-com movie as well.

Ellie and Kieran are total opposites and are forced to work together when Kieran, a chef who’s writing a cookbook, and Ellie, a ghostwriter for said cookbook, get teamed up. Initially they can’t stand each other but over time they grow to understand one another.

I didn’t expect the depth to the characters that this book brought and that was definitely a plus but I still had a hard time loving the book 100%. I think it was their chemistry- I thought they were cute together and at times could see the chemistry more than other times. It just didn’t give me the “swoon-y” feelings that I normally get when I love two characters together, but I’m glad that I read it nonetheless.
3/5 ⭐️
2.5-3/5 🌶️

4.75 ⭐️ This story of overcoming loss, finding love, and going after your dreams and aspirations absolutely captured all my attention, I couldn’t put it down! Also great neurodivergence diversity with the MMC having ADHD and dyslexia diagnoses, I feel the topic was handled with care and attention to detail.
Tropes
Grief + overcoming loss
-one bed
- forced proximity
-enemies to lovers
-neurodivergence representation
- reverse grumpy sunshine
- hint of spice!

Opposites attract in this swoony slow burn, dual POV charmer. Take one ghostwriter for celeb cookbooks, and a recent winner of a TV reality chef contest, and watch the magic unfold as the two work together on producing a fab book while working through past trauma and grief. Loved it!