This was an absolutely delightful read. I'd classify it under Heat with a Heart. By no means is it the spiciest book on the spectrum, but for fans of Rachel Lynn Solomon or Abby Jimenez its a great new book to add to the docket.

This was a cute book, I enjoyed the cooking and enemies to lovers slow burn. It was hard to relate to the FMC at certain points but I enjoyed the couple growing within themselves and life. I did love that the FMC was voluptuous and wasn't the main point of the story. There were some steamy scenes with a HEA!

opposites attract
fake dating
cooking
forced proximity
enemies-to-lovers

I would suggest this book to friends!

This book was delightful and felt so fresh. It dealt with some very serious and complex themes (young widowhood, childhood trauma, parental abuse and neglect) and at the same time was sparkling fun and a sensory delight. The writing was incredibly evocative without being excessive.

The characters were multifaceted and even side and secondary characters felt real and robust, not just props around the main characters. Also, the dry wit had me literally laughing out loud.

The female main character is fat and I absolutely loved that her arc didn’t revolve around angst over her body. As a fat woman myself, it was really lovely to read a fat character who was just living her life while being unapologetically fat, without the size of her body being a major plot point. Sarah Chamberlain did a beautiful job writing two main characters who don’t fit the mold of typical contemporary romance main characters in many ways and yet are compelling and blazing hot together. Justice for ginger short kings and women who wear flats! 😅 Also loved the ADHD and dyslexia rep.

I was nervous that all the people who needed comeuppance in the story wouldn’t get it, but the last comment in my Notes app about this book is “assholes got told” and YES THEY DID, in the best way.

If you like Rachel Lynn Solomon, Jessica Joyce, Chloe Liese, or Ava Wilder, you will love this book. Can’t wait to read more from Sarah Chamberlain.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley I received an advanced electronic copy of the book to read and provide a review.

This was a cute & fluffy romance from debut author Sarah Chamberlain. Kieran and Ellie are such wholesome characters (out of the bedroom) with interesting backstories. It was a delight to read their slow burn journey in getting over their differences, creating a cookbook together and respecting / loving each other with care.

My one gripe is that the beautiful plus sized Ellie written in the pages of the book does not match the beautiful skinny Ellie portrayed on the book cover. Let’s do better!

A rom-com with some steamy & explicit scenes, and a drawn out HEA.

Ellie survived her childhood and raised her younger brother, Hank, through being organized and in control of every detail. She now works for Tad as a ghostwriter to his famous chefs on their cookbooks. When her husband Max dies suddenly her in-laws offer her a tiny home on their property. She cooks for Ben & Diane and they look out for each other.

Kieran O'Neil wins a televised cooking contest that comes with an opportunity for his own restaurant once he produces a cookbook. In secret, Kieran is dyslexic and has ADHD. He needs Ellie's skills to get the book done.

Can their opposite methods to cope with life meld together to get both of their careers achieved?

This left me smiling.

This book is like a warm blanket it on a cold day. It's light-hearted and sweet and everything a romance novel should be.

I loved both pretagonists, And I loved that the romance wasn't forced. It built slowly over time as they got to know each other. It was a beautiful book. I very much enjoyed it.

I really, really enjoyed reading THE SLOWEST BURN! It has the great tropes of opposites attract, fake dating, and forced proximity. I loved the
friction and Kieran getting on Ellie's nerves at the beginning, building a delicious amount of tension. Ellie is harder on the exterior, serious, and
always plays by the rules (recipe), where as Kieran is sweet, playful, and likes to wing it. With these two completely different personalities,
they must find a way to work together to write a cookbook. With things cooking up between them, can they finish the project without it going up in flames?

I found their emotional baggage and obstacles relatable and also believable to the characters themselves. With Kieran's parents demanding perfection and hiss diagnosis of dyslexia and Ellie's history of people pleasing and her deceased husband's mother holding her back in the past, they both must discover who they truly are without external pressures and how to live their lives freely.

I so loved Ellie and Kieran both individually as people and their dynamic together. I loved how they each challenge one another in healthy ways that forces them to open up their lives to different perspectives. I appreciated the reminder to set boundaries to set ourselves free and to
prioritize our own needs first. A delightful, lovely debut and I can't wait to read what the author writes next!!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I tried to get into this, but I just had a hard time relating to the protagonist. I appreciate that she has real issues, that was nice, but at times it made her super unpleasant and I found that hard. But! I do think others will enjoy this, It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the eARC of The Slowest Burn by @sarahchamerlain in exchange for an honest review!

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Being an adult is hard and when life deals an unfair hand, it seems to hit deeper the older you get. Ellie is a cookbook ghostwriter (how cool!) who had a great love but was widowed by the tender age of thirty. Kieran is a tough-looking chef hot in the game but without the loving support from his parents. When Ellie is brought in to write his cookbook, she learns he does not even use cookbooks and that it is when the real challenge begins. Can the two overcome their differences to work together and create this masterpiece? The Slowest Burn is a wonderful premise that is masterfully executed! Sarah Chamberlain creates remarkably relatable characters that so many thirty-somethings will find a spark with. Sometimes behind success, there is a void that can be artfully masked but still radiate heavy within the soul. The chemistry between Ellie and Kieran gives hope that with the right ingredients and some patience, healing is possible.
Review is posted on Goodreads and will be on Instagram ahead of the publication date!

Ellie and Kieran could not be more different. Ellie is deliberate, organized, structured. Kieran is chaotic, hectic, and spontaneous. Ellie has been hired to be Kieran’s ghost writer for a cook book and the pair clash like honey and vinegar. Things get better after some forced proximity and they have a breakthrough on the cookbook. Both Kieran and Ellie love cooking for different reasons and combined they make the perfect pairing.

This slow burn romance is achingly sweet. Both Kieran and Ellie have baggage from their pasts and are very deep and well written characters. They just felt so real. I’m often not the biggest fan of duel pov but I think it’s done so well and allows us to really get to know the characters deeply. It’s definitely a slow burn though so make sure you have the patience for that! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This sounds like a heartwarming and refreshing take on the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope! The combination of dealing with grief, learning disabilities, and challenging family dynamics adds layers of complexity to the characters and their relationship. The idea of them coming together to create a cookbook is not only creative but also signifies a journey of healing and growth for both characters.

What sets this book apart is its portrayal of unique individuals who don't fit into the typical romance novel stereotypes. Their differences, conflicts, and eventual harmony make for a compelling read. Tthe author has crafted a story that resonates with authenticity and emotion, making it a memorable and enjoyable read for fans of the genre.

The Slowest Burn by debut author S. Chamberlain, published by St. Martin's Press, is a wonderful, highly entertaining read that had me in suspense from start till the last page.
Witty and fun, I loved the bicker and banter, the spice and the well deserved hea.
Blurb: Ellie's life is tidy, and that’s exactly how she wants it. Really. A top ghostwriter for celebrity cookbooks, she was widowed three years ago and has no interest in taking chances―not on writing her own cookbook, not on telling her still-grieving in-laws she wants to move out, and certainly not on dating, which is about as intimidating as a recipe with fifty steps.
Kieran O’Neill isn’t known for being organized. An up-and-coming chef who scored big on a reality television competition, he’s been the guy who cracks jokes and makes messes―something his chilly family has never let him forget. The only place he feels truly capable is at the stove. But when he’s paired with an uptight ghostwriter with cool blue eyes and distracting curves to write his debut cookbook, she shreds his class clown act like a paring knife cuts an orange peel.
As Ellie and Kieran have to work closely together in a kitchen for weeks on end, their sharp edges and harsh judgments slowly soften and sweeten into a wildly delicious attraction. Long, steamy days turn into even steamier nights, but they have to face their pasts to know if this new love can transform into something lasting.

title: The Slowest Burn

author: Sarah Chamberlain

publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

publication date: September 24, 2024

pages: 336

peppers: (3 on this scale)

warnings:

blood, fainting, alcohol, non-using alcoholic

summary: Widow Ellie gets hired to ghostwrite celebrity chef Kiernan's cookbook. She's organized and trying to get him to work with her, but he's impulsive and non-responsive. They'll have to find a way to work together.

tropes:

slow burn
enemies-to-lovers
opposites attract
cooking, in more than the kitchen
bad childhoods
he doesn't want a relationship
trying to keep it casual
ignoring oneself and doing for others
fat cat
one bed, sort of
reader and non-reader
awareness of romance tropes
what I liked:

great main characters
great side characters
lots of cooking, food descriptions
lots of cookbooks (I wrote my college honors thesis on cookbooks!)
what I didn’t like: N/A -- a fun read

overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)

I wasn’t necessarily obsessed with this book. It was very sweet and a nice slow burn romance, but the story was just trying to do so much. There were so many tropes going on throughout the book that it was distracting. It also felt like the beginning of the book was just thrown together in order to get them to the forced proximity trope. Don’t get me wrong, it was good and did a good job portraying the complexities of mental health, but there was just a bit too much going on.

This book hits you in all of the feels. You immediately fall in love with the sparks that fly between Ellie and Kieran even before either of them want to admit it. The relationship that Ellie has created with her father in law is so heartwarming. The grief Ellie Carrie’s from being a widow and learning to live and love again absolutely tugs at your heartstrings. The friendship that Ellie and Nicole as well as Kieran and Jay share is a true tell them what they need to hear not what they want to hear supportive relationship that we all can hopefully relate to. I love the way they were both career driven in their own ways and figuring out how to balance work and love. I found myself not able to put this book down and sneaking chapters in any second possible throughout the day. This was a wholesome read all the way around.

I love watching cooking shows .. reading a romance novel based in a cooking show setting unlocked a whole new experience!
I really hope to see this turn into a movie in the future!

When this book is released in September 2024 it’s an absolute must read! I will definitely be adding Sarah Chamberlain to my list of loved authors and can’t wait for the next release!

Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an early release version for my honest review!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6439472792
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/5Wd7HSxW7FzaKA8V/?mibextid=WC7FNe

I really enjoyed the beginning of this novel. The process of writing a cookbook and the bits and pieces it takes to create recipes was fascinating and I really enjoyed how the narrative opened up. I was getting serious 'The Bear' vibes, and was fully invested. But the book fizzled and fell flat.

This was really cute! I loved the food aspect (prepare to be hungry!) and how the characters came together from their respective corners of the world. It took me a little while to believe they were a good fit, but I did get there and once I did, it worked well! The pace was a bit slow (as the title promised), and some of the dialogue felt unrealistic, but overall a sweet read and good debut!

The writing was fine, the pace feels on the slower side, and so I didn’t find myself personally desiring to continue. I would anticipate this will be a 3 to 4 star range for the target audience.

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

This book is really something special, a heartfelt masterpiece packed with emotion and care. Kieran and Ellie are such amazing characters that work well both on their own and as a couple; it is simply impossible not to root for them. A truly fantastic love story (told through great writing) that I will be thinking about for a while. Highly recommend.

This was such a cute and fluffy romance, enjoyed the enemies to liver vibe and that is about writing a cooking book, both characters feel real and authentic. Supper easy read for summer