I’m not usually a fan of one night stand to forever trope and this book is a prime example of why. I just have a hard time getting invested into a book with no build upand in this book there is none whatsoever. Now I understand this is very much a personal preference and I don’t want to sway people one way or another who don’t have the same preference and that’s why I’m giving it an average rating.

Italian cuisine...yummmm!!! Ainsley Becker, Gustare Foods, management consultant, assigned to help "transition" the family restaurant from father to daughter. Gabriella D'Angelo, talented chef looking forward to taking over the family restaurant. Things are not as they seem and challenges are presented. The interaction between Gabi and Ainsley is so rom-com sweet. I also like the neighborhood folks and the restaurant staff. Just a feel good story with family at the center and in my opinion, that is a good thing.

This is one of my favorite books of 2024. I loved the beginning premise of two women having a one-night stand only to find out soon afterward that they have to work together. It is a great trope that started this story off right. Gabi D’Angelo’s father retires from the family restaurant, but instead of turning the reigns over to his daughter, he signs a contract with the company to help with the transition. It is easy to tell something is not right about the contract and with Ainsley Becker, the rep from the transition company, but it helps build the tension of what is going to happen. As Gabi and Ainsley begin to have feelings for each other, both of their outlooks on what they want out of life changes. Gabi wants nothing more than to run the family business, but she soon finds that it won't be the same without Ainsley. Ainsley is a corporate woman and loves her job. She can't imagine life without it...that is until she catches feelings for Gabi.

The characters were well developed and the pace of the story was fantastic. I loved learning about the women and reading about their relationship building more and more each week. It is the type of story that kept me wanting to read another chapter at the end of each. It is sweet with just the right amount of spice. I highly recommend this story to other WLW fans.

A fun easy and enjoyable sapphic romance. I thought Cheri di a good job cooking this one up.

Thank you NetGalley and Bella Books for this ARC.

Gabi's father has retired and she is getting ready to take the reins from him for the family restaurant.
What Gabi does not know is her father has brought in a consultant to help "streamline" the restaurant. That consultant is Ainsley. Gabi does know her from a one night stand the two shared recently. Gabi is furious with her dad and Ainsley for trying to change how the restaurant is run. She is also fighting the feelings for Ainsley now that she is there all the time.
Ainsley is not happy that the person she will be working with is Gabi. Especially now that Gabi is less than friendly towards her being a consultant. Besides that, Ainsley is still drawn towards her, but is trying to keep it professional.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet predictable romance.
Nothing more, nothing less.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is a story about Gabriella D’Angello who is a chef in her family’s restaurant. Gabi learns that her dad has hired a consultant firm to help him with his retirement planning on turning over the restaurant to her. Gabi is very angry to learn that the consultant, Ainsley will also manage the front end of the restaurant.

This a Rom Com type book starts off with Gabi and Ainsley hooking up for a one night stand on Ainsley’s first night in town at a hotel bar. Both are extremely embarrassed when they find themselves working together.

I liked the witty dialogue between the MCs and the Italian community that is a big part of the background story. I worked many years in the food service industry and this is a good representation of what that work is like.

This book was predictable but I enjoyed the banter and light hearted storyline.

Thanks to Bella Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Cheri Ritz cooked the perfect dish with this work place romance. I now have the biggest urge to cook my partner a huge Italian meal.

Thank you to Bella Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This was a cute rom-com with great characters that you can’t help but fall in love with them all, like the Nonna for instance. I love to see all the LGBTQIA+ books now as a girl none of the stories really resonated with me because it was guy/girl so we need books and Authors like this.

As for this story I loved how it started and hooked me immediately so much so I finished it in one morning. I think we got just enough of background and character development that was needed for this so that the story was able to become what it did.

My first book by this reader and I had mixed feelings about it. I enjoyed it but while I liked the storyline I found the writing lacked depth and the characters a little two dimensional.

It was an easy read and although a tad unbelievable at times, it has a HEA and gives enough emotional variety to make this an interesting story.

A three and a half story to me.

A fairly predictable but enjoyable sapphic romance.

Just as Gabi D'Angelo is about to fulfill her dreams and take over her family's restaurant, she is thrown for a loop when her one night stand, Ainsley, is announced as the restaurant's new management consultant. The spark between Gabi and Ainsley turns sour when the two clash over how to best run D'Angelo's: stick to tradition a la Gabi or streamline with Ainsley's by the book methods? Just as the two are finding common ground between business and pleasure, the future of the D'Angelo family's restaurant is threatened.

I would like to preface my review by saying that overall I had a good time reading this. When Gabi and Ainsley were on good terms, I greatly enjoyed the romantic outings sharing Gabi's love of her hometown and the chemistry between the pair. The focus on community and belonging in this book also worked well. That said, other elements did not work quite as well.

Gabi's behavior frustrated me, particularly prior to learning about the corporate takeover aspect. Her level of anger and disrespect towards Ainsley at the beginning of the book felt unwarranted and childish. I appreciated that as the book continued, Gabi grew as a person and did apologize at times. But after the verbal abuse and cold shoulders she consistently put Ainsley through, I could not understand why Ainsley was willing to continue giving her chances. While I am admittedly a fan of enemies to lovers, I prefer the enemy aspect to not be so one-sided.

I am also rarely a fan of miscommunication as a trope and the major conflict of this story felt too unrealistic of a miscommunication. The fact that Gabi's father did not actually read the contract with the corporation, have it looked at by a lawyer before signing, or even question the monetary involvement was a red flag. Additionally, Gabi having a degree in Business Management, having attended culinary school, and worked in other restaurants and yet seemingly having no understanding of business or some of the basic legal food safety protocols Ainsley was implementing made no sense.

This story had me from the beginning.

I liked the lovely but sometimes quirky side characters and the love and solidarity the community exudes.

I instantly wanted to he a part of this and know more about them.

The connection, chemistry and sometimes sizzeling und crackeling disagreements between Gabi and Ainsley were a joy to read!

Heat Factor: A good amount of sex with very little detail

Character Chemistry: Hot and cold

Plot: Hostile corporate takeover, family restaurant edition

Overall: These heroines are remarkably obtuse

Ok, I have to talk about the general awareness of Gabi and Ainsley, because they were so obtuse that it hindered my enjoyment of the story. I’ll make a list.

- Ainsley is at Gabi’s family restaurant to manage the business side of things. This is new information for Gabi, who thought her dad was going to retire and turn the whole thing over to her. Therefore, Gabi is upset at the party where Dad introduces Ainsley and her role. Ainsley’s reaction? “Why is Gabi being so cold all of a sudden, when she was all flirty before she knew who I was?” I don’t know, AINSLEY, maybe it’s because she was blindsided by your presence?
- As Ainsley gets the Front of House team into shape, she frequently refers to Evil Corporate Overlord Protocols. Now, for things that would get you dinged on a health inspector violation, yes, absolutely. But for things like, all parties over 8 people must have a reservation…for some reason, this doesn’t raise any concerns for Gabi that this is more than a consulting gig. In fact, when it is later revealed that Evil Corporate Overlords are indeed secretly purchasing the family restaurant, Gabi is like, “I thought you were a consultant and we were paying you!” Geez, GABI, did you even look at the receipts to see if there were payments going out for this fancy contractor? Don’t you have a degree in Business Management? How did this remain a secret for weeks? (Ainsley thought Gabi knew, because, yes, a contract had already been signed.)
- After Ainsley does her Secret Grand Gesture, she’s convinced that Gabi would never want to be with her because Ainsley once dated a bad person who is now doing bad things. Please note that Ainsley dumped this bad person once she realized the badness. I got nothing.

Much of the conflict in the romance steps from the corporate takeover plot, and since the corporate takeover plot is very very obvious, the intrigue there is much less interesting than it could be.

However, there is still much to like about this book. The story is strongly rooted in a sense of place—the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Bloomfield is so present as to almost be another character in the story. (I’ve never been to Pittsburgh, but Ritz lives there, and it’s clear that she really loves her city.) We’ve got a small-town vibe in a city neighborhood thing going on: everyone knows everyone, meddling elders, that sort of thing. Honestly, that’s the best part of small town romances, and is frankly more realistic in some urban neighborhoods, where people have strong roots and live close to each other but there are enough other people around so that the twee restaurants actually have customers. Plus, since Ainsley is new to town, the setting provides ample opportunities for cute dates.

The food writing is solid, especially if you like Italian-American food. (Honestly, who doesn’t?)

And while the big arc of the romance between Ainsley and Gabi is frustrating, the little moments between them as they dance closer and then farther away from each other are cute.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

Finally her father is about to retire leaving his daughter Gabi D’Angelo in charge of the family restaurant. She’s been training for this job, well it seems like forever and now the big day has come.
There were a few things Gabi’s father didn’t tell her about like hiring a management company to help with the transition or making a deal with the management company that if it can’t be helped, the big guys will be able to take over the restaurant. The family will no longer own or even be employed by the new owners.
Ainsley Becker is the lead agent for the management company and before the day when he retired she’d spent the night before getting to know Gabi, personally because restaurants certainly weren’t.
Now it’s up to Gabi to save her restaurant, along with some help from Ainsely, the woman who helped make the mess Gabi now found herself in. Very nice read.
ARC via NetGalley/Bella Books

Delectable Italian food and enemies to lovers in a family restaurant. Book me a table!

I received an advance copy from Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Gabi d’Angelo is so excited! She is finally stepping into the role of owner and manager of her family’s Italian restaurant. Her dad, pop, announced his retirement and now it’s Gabi’s time to shine. She already earned her stripes as the outstanding chef in the kitchen, now the whole restaurant will be hers. With a spring in her step and the memories of a scorching hot and very satisfying one night stand last night, Gabi is ready to take on the world. That is until her pop announces he brought on a management company to smooth over the transition into retirement. The consultant is none other than Gabi’s hook up Ainsley Becker. There is absolutely no way that Management Barbie is going to take what is rightfully hers.

Ainsley Becker has been hopping from assignment to assignment and from city to city for her job at Gustaro Foods. Sprucing up family restaurants is her jam. What she didn’t take into consideration is the gorgeous chef at her new jobsite D’Angelo’s. It’s the same woman that brought her to unimaginably heights the night before. Gabi turns out to be stubborn as a mule and is not about to make Ainsley’s job easier. Does she have to be so charming while doing so though?

Give me a book that centers around delicious food and you’re already at a major advantage. Throw in an addictive enemies to lovers trope and I’m a goner! Cheri Ritz made me want to go and have dinner at D’Angelo’s, make friends with all the regulars and watch the epic love story between Gabi and Ainsley unfold.

Food plays a huge role in this story. The love Gabi has for her family recipes and the traditions at the restaurant seeps from the page. From simmering sauces to steamy pots of soups, every dish described helps form the loving space that is D’Angelo’s. The city of Pittsburgh and the Bloomington neighborhood make the perfect backdrop for the story. All together it makes you feel the deep connection between all the characters in this story.

The spark between Gabi and Ainsley is instant and combustible. Their physical connection sparkles off the page. Although Gabi detests the role Ainsley plays in the future of her beloved restaurant, she can’t help but be drawn to this beautiful intruder.

While Gabi is annoyingly stubborn, I completely understood where she came from. Ainsley, on the other side, knows she has a job to do, but I admire her will to do that job with honesty and respect. Ainsley slowly falls in love with D’Angelo’s, the family, the regulars and ultimately with Gabi. I loved the ways the two rivals try to juggle their growing personal connection and the realities of their jobs. The more they get to know each other, the more their love seems inevitable.

When you read about a big Italian-American family, you might expect that conservative Catholic values are front and center, including a strong sense of homophobia. I love that in this story that is not the case. Gabi’s preference for women is a non-issue. Her family supports and loves her just as she is and the way they envelop Ainsley into their folds is heartwarming. It’s a great example of how life should be.

Under New Management is a lovely story and if you love good food and sizzling romance as much as I do, you can’t go wrong with this one!

This was a sweet, predictable, romance. Gabi is preparing to take on more responsibilities in the family restaurant. She discovers her one night stand (Ainsley) is the consultant her father brought on to help the business.

Thanks NetGalley and Bella Books for the ARC.

Under new management by Cher Ritz is a romance book but the two main characters are known to each other after a one night stand.
Gabi is eagerly waiting to take over from her dad running their italian restaurant and in walks none other than Ainsley who happens to be the new manager. A few mix ups a long the way a quick and fun read. Thank you for advanced copy.

This was a fairly light story that felt very much like a love letter to restaurants that are home grown and family owned. Plus, it felt like Pittsburgh was a character as well. I appreciated the attention to detail as to family dynamics and how intense the restaurant situation can be. For the love story itself, it was tough getting to know Gabi D’Angelo and Ainsley Becker. One is a great chef and the other is …. Management. But we managed to get a sense of their building feelings for each other, even after things seemed to go Hades in a hand basket. There were many positive moments between our main characters, though I admit I was more interested in at least a few side characters’ stories. There were a lot of moments, though, where logic or reality had to be suspended. But I look for this kind in a story where I need less angst and more tying together the situation to help give me the HEA.

Following her father’s retirement, Gabi D’Angelo’s culinary career is about to take off as she steps up to lead her family’s restaurant. But her professional life heats up in more ways than one when she discovers that her recent, unforgettable one-night stand is none other than Ainsley Becker, the management consultant her father has brought in to streamline the business.

For Ainsley, the job in town is just another stepping stone, adhering to her lifelong mantra of ‘get in, get out’. Setting down roots has never been part of her plan, not even for someone as compelling as Gabi. Despite their intense connection, Ainsley is determined to keep it strictly professional.

As Gabi and Ainsley navigate their burgeoning feelings and clash over how to run the restaurant, a misunderstanding threatens to ruin everything. With the future of the D’Angelo family business at stake, Gabi and Ainsley must decide if blending business with pleasure might just be the secret ingredient to saving it all—or simply a recipe for disaster.

Quick, fun read! This was a sweet romance with all the goodness you expect from a light read. It was so much fun to watch Gabi and Ainsley, to see how their dynamics and their relationship blossomed through the book. Honestly, I probably won't remember much of this story a year from now, but it was a lovely way to enjoy an afternoon! Highly recommend this if you enjoy light, fun sapphic romances!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Nice, quick read for someone looking for a short, predictable romance. There were a few spots in the book where my interest faded, but I was interested enough to plow through to find out the ending.

This book would be the perfect beach read - sit in the sun and read in in a day or two while sipping an ice cold drink.