I don’t think I can quite put into words just how much I loved this book. Like Cats & Dogs is a love letter to cooking reality shows. This is like if Masterchef and Great British Bake-Off had a baby. While I’ve never read any of Lizzie Shane’s works until now, I’m definitely going to go back through her other works set in this town!

Magda Miller has been in a feud with Mackenzie Newton for fourteen years now, their rival businesses going head to head. When Magda offered Mac her heart, he stole her family’s maple cake recipe, and thus a rivalry was born. After finally getting onto her dream show, Cake Off, she’s thrilled to be in a Mac-free environment!

….Only to arrive on set to see her rival already there. Welcome to the first ever archrivals season, where each contestant has to face their nemesis! If Magda can’t take the heat, she’ll have no choice but to get out of the kitchen.

Filled with tantalizing baked treats and Broadway song references, Like Cats & Dogs is a brilliantly written masterpiece!

Thank you so much to Forever Pub and Netgalley for sending me this copy! <333

I've read about half of the Pine Hollow series but you definitely don't need to have read them to enjoy this book seeing as I couldn't tell you anything about the plots of the others I've read. This was very cute, I loved the Bake Off vibes, overall a fun book.

Such a fun read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was such a cure read! As a sucker for baking shows, I absolutely loved the plot and setting. I loved reading the relationship between Magda and Mac develop. The tension built so much and felt great once they finally got together. This one was sweet and filled with laugh out loud moments.

Forever eARC
I have been reading the Pine Hollow series since the first one released, and I am so glad that this is the book that's ending the series - though I could've read so many more books set in this quaint town. Baking, a baking show, and enemies to lovers made this such a fun romance. I am so glad I got a deeper look into Magda and Mac as characters here. The feud had a solid reason. The tension was palpable throughout, and there were so many great moments between them. The baking show competition was so much fun; I love these kinds of plots. I loved how through their love of baking they grew as people and, eventually, as friends. The side characters were interesting, there was plenty of drama, and I loved seeing old favorites in their current lives.

Small-town rivals competing in a baking competition? Sign me up!

Magda and Mac have been rivals for over a decade and own businesses in their small-town of Pine Hollow. So when Magda finally gets to compete on Cake-Off, a baking competition show, only to find out Mac is on as well as a rivalry twist to the season, the stakes to winning become higher than ever for both of them.

I love baking shows and this book had such a fun take on the competition. I immediately was drawn in by Magda and her teammates’ camaraderie, sticking by each other throughout the competition. I also enjoyed seeing Mac and Magda slowly build trust with each other.

The pacing of their relationship was perfect for me, just enough slow-burn to keep me hooked! I also appreciated that they both had solid reasons for their rivalry in the first place, and learning about their past solidified that. I will 100% be going back to read more stories set in Pine Hollow!

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy of the book. This was a fun book, I really enjoyed it. It's an enemies to lovers and it was really well written. I love a good enemies to lovers story. I haven't read any of the other books in this series but I now I will. This author knows how to write a good book. And I'm hoping the previous books in the series are just as enjoyable. Bravo to the author.

This book was a cute little book about a couple that end up on a cooking show together. It really made me happy because I’m a big fan of the great British bake off and it gave me those vibes. I very much enjoyed it.

Sweet as the desserts they make.

Magda and Mac hate each others guts. Some things happened years ago and anger piled on top of hurt which made more anger until they were notorious rivals inspiring Team Magda and Team Mac shirts in their hometown.

Magda a classically trained pastry chef is selected to appear on Cake Off- a reality cooking competition much like TGBBO and Master Chef combined. What Magda doesn’t know until the first day of filming is that her nemesis, Mac, has also been chosen to appear on the show with her for the first time ever- Archrivals Edition.

The show strips away the noise from their every day lives and lets them rediscover the things they *used* to like about each other. Will they repair their friendship? Which one will win? Will they both get kicked off for raging out on each other? Guess you’ll have to tune in and see!

This book receives top marks from me because the dialogue was good. The characters were relatable and believable. Shoot, I even cried once or twice. The decisions made by the characters felt authentic which is not often found in the romance genre.

Spice 🌶️ (we’ll call it sitcom spice lol)

Trope: Enemies to lovers

Series: this is #6 in a series, but I read this without reading the others although there are references to previous characters and their stories. I may go back and read this series because of this book!
If you’re in need of a dessert, pick this one out of the pastry case!

I received this e-ARC in exchange for my unbiased and honest review. Thanks to Lizzie Shane and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the chance to read this great little story early! 🫶🏻

Omg this was such a cute book! I really enjoyed the characters and the story. It was a quick and enjoyable read!

This was an absolute delight of a read. I jumped in blind without having read the rest of the series but that didn't stop me from enjoying every bit.

As a lover of that one baking show, this spoof of it in book form was so fun. Magda runs a bakery in a small town and finally gets the chance to compete on her favorite show, little does she know this season is rivals edition. Mac, who runs the local cafe and briefly was considered a friends a decade ago, is along for the ride without Magda knowing beforehand. Can they both survive the heat and make it to the final? Or will the very brief old flame smother both of their chances to shine?

I liked this book but would have liked it better without so much of the back and forth. It got tedious and did impact my desire to get to the end of the story. I dont think the story needed the cat and dog back and forth either. It felt like it was made to fit vs. being an overall great part of the story I wanted to read about.

Like Cats & Dogs- 4.5⭐:
I love the vibes of this book. It reminded me of a Food Network x Hallmark collaboration and it had me hooked from the beginning. Magda and Mac’s rivalry is a nice balance of tension but not too over the top. As someone interested in going into the film/television industry, I love that we got to see some of Julia’s POV. It highlights how sometimes good ideas can be overlooked because they didn’t come from someone higher up the food chain in the industry. The description of the food had my mouth watering. Even though I love the book, I would’ve liked to have seen more flashback scenes and for certain scenes to have been expanded more. For example, having more baking challenges would’ve been really fun to see. Overall, this book has my love and you should add it to your TBR.

I enjoyed this book! It was a cute and fresh twist on an enemies to lovers rom-com. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

No one fights quite like cats and dogs and these two characters are very much the same. I loved the inclusion of a baking show and people who loved the Great British Bakeoff will probably agree. If I could give this book more stars then I would. Lizzie Shane writes a perfect enemies to lovers with a shared past and I loved every second of this novel. The best romances are the ones that we have to fight for and this book is not exception. Thank you so much for the ARC!

This book was everything I was hoping it would be! Mac and Magda live in a small town together and have been rivals for as long as they can remember. Mac secretly signs them up for a bake off competition that Magda has always wanted to be on. However, the twist is this season that all contestants have to have a rival and only Mac knows about it before the show airs.

Magda is livid when she realizes that Mac is also on the show with her. They have a lot of heated moments, but throughout the competition they learn to co-exist and even realize that old feelings are starting to come back. Part of the reason that Magda despises him so much is that he rejected her when they were younger because she was too young in his eyes. I really would have liked if there was a different reason that Mac had rejected her, because constantly calling her a child when she was an adult was a little frustrating. Years later, partially out of spite, Magda opens up a bake shop in the exact spot where Mac wanted to expand his restaurant.

I enjoyed the encounters between their pets Cupcake and "Satan's Tabby." Cupcake is a huge Pitbull that is terrified of Mac's cat. Mac's cat seems to sneak in Magda's apartment quite frequently as if the cat knows about their feud.

This book is definitely enemies to lovers, but it was cute and fun watching their relationship evolve and go back to a more intimate relationship. Especially since they had pent up feelings for over 10 years. I put on a baking competition show on tv while I was reading this book and I felt like it made it more immersive and fun! Overall, this book was such a fun read and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Forever for giving me access to this e-book! Like Cats & Dogs is the sixth book in the series Pine Hollow by Lizzie Shane. It'll be out on November 6th and follows longtime rivals Magda Miller and Mackenzie Newton, they are pit against each other in a high-stakes baking competition. Magda is determined to settle their decade-long feud and reclaim her grandmother's stolen cake recipe. However, when their on-screen rivalry begins to reveal a simmering attraction, sparks fly in more than just the kitchen. It was very sweet and funny with plenty of banter, I recommend to anyone who would like to read a heartwarming romance!

For as long as she could remember, Magda Miller wanted to prove herself and her small town to be a baker worthy of recognition and respect. When she’s accepted on the baking Reality TV show “The Great American Bake-Off”, her dream just seems to be within reach. Little does she know, however, that she’ll be competing against her baking rival, Mackenzie Newton, and he doesn’t want the tension left between them to stay half-baked!

From the author that brought you “Sweeter Than Chocolate” and “Four Weddings and a Puppy”, this Contemporary Romance is immersive in its world-building of the inner mechanisms of Reality TV, with the baking show of the narrative strongly inspired by the real life show “The Great American Baking Show”. The narrative also tackles commentary on certain toxic elements of Reality TV in question, and how most often than not, contestants and their image are often manipulated through editing and other exploitative tactics in order to generate more views and followings. The chemistry between Magda and Mackenzie is quite the plot-point to follow as the characters are challenged to confront their insecurities with one another from the miscommunication about their past together to the obstacles that are faced when one’s self-worth and confidence is challenged. Wanna grab a slice of the tension-filled, page-turning cake? Then don’t miss out on this book when it hits online and in-store shelves on November 12, 2024!

Rating: 4/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Tropes to Expect: Contemporary Romance, Reality TV, Baking Competition, Rivals-to-Lovers, Cute Animal Sidekicks, Second Chance, Small Town Romance Narrative, Forced Proximity, and Opposites Attract.
- Trigger Warnings: Discussions of Anxiety and Perfectionism, Relationship Anxiety, and Commentary on Questionable Exploitative Practices on Reality TV.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. This is a first by this author but will not be my last! I read this in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down.

This was a super cute quick read! I loved the baking TV show aspect, along with the cats/dogs comparison. Mac and Magda are so fun to adventure alongside. Such a cute cozy read, perfect for a fall afternoon!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for an advanced reader copy!