Dogs, cats, baking, enemies, to lover, what is not to love, and it’s adorable romcom? I loved every second of this! The characters were adorable, the romance was swoony, And I loved it!

I loved this book. Solid five⭐️. This book had me on an emotional rollercoaster and I was loving every minute of it. I cried, I laughed and I swooned. There were cats and dogs and a whole lot of closed door romance. This was perfection. I felt like I was watching this cake off and felt like I was right there watching this happen. Hope they make this a movie. Hey Hallmark pick this one!!!

This was such a fun enemies to lovers read! As someone who will forever be in her bake off era and loves taking classes at King Arthur, this was everything I wanted it to be. Magda has audtioned for 'Cake-off' multiple times, and this is finally her year. When she arrives at the filming location to fins that this season is a head to head with arch-rivals and Mac, her nemesis of over a decade is also competing, is it only the kitchen where things start heating up?

While yes, the two may be enemies, but are they? This was such a fun afternoon escape, a one sitting read i enjoyed poolside while on vacation. I would have loved an epilogue and maybe a recipe or two at the end (maple cake anyone?!) But overall this was such a fun continuation of the series!!


Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I’ve only read 2 books in this series, but I loved Magda and Mac so much that it’s hard to imagine liking another couple better than them. There’s a great balance of their romance and the drama of the baking show, which appealed to my GBBO loving heart.

Magda is so easy to cheer for and Mac is such a sweet guy. I loved them separately but even more so together. And it’s the best kind of enemies to lovers - they both have legitimate issues with each other but neither one of them did something so outrageous that you spend half the book wondering if you’d ever be able to forgive somethig like that. Their chemistry is great, and this is just a really fun book.

Mac drives Magda crazy, they both own small food business in their small Vermont town and the two of them fight like cats and dogs - even their cat and their dog fight! The feud has been going on for 15 years ever since Magda offered Mac her heart and her grandmother's maple cake and he only took one. Finally Magda has made it onto Cake-Off, but what she doesn’t know is that it’s the arch rivals edition and so once she gets there, Mac is there as well and they are often competing against each other. Now she has to beat everyone and deal with a month away with Mac.

This was an absolutely adorable book that features my other hobby - baking, so I was all in immediately. I enjoyed the fact the fact that the story was told in the two POVs (Mac and Magda’s) - it gave great perspective and counterbalance to the other’s story. I was concerned that the baking show plot and scenes were going to slow down the pace of the novel, but it was done really well and the whole book was a fun read. The ancillary characters were great and I was rooting for the characters both for their romance and in the competition. Apparently this is part of a series but I didn’t feel lost having not read any of the others. Today seems like a day for something light and this is a great light and fun read.

4.25 stars

Thank you to Forever Pub and NetGalley for the ARC to review

I'm a huge fan of the Pine Hollow series by Lizzie Shane and while I am sad that it is ending with this book, I'm also sort of glad that it ended on such a high note.

We FINALLY get to find out why Magda and Mac are such bitter rivals and I absolutely loved that the setting was a take on the Great British Bake Off. I'm a huge fan of that show, so to be reading a book in a series that I really enjoy with that plot was the icing on the cake for me.

I liked that we got to hear both points of view between Magda and Mac and glimpses of their past interactions that lead to their decade long feud. I knew coming into this one that there was going to be some sort of underlying sexual tension and I wasn't wrong. However, if you are looking for spice, you are reading the wrong series. It is more of a cozy romance series than filled with steam.

It's such an underrated series, but one that I am really glad to have read.

4.5/5 stars

This book exceeded my expectations. It was my first Lizzie Shane novel, and while it was clear that I entered in the midst of an interconnected standalone series, it didn’t felt like I had missed so much that I couldn’t appreciate the story. The GBBO-style show created a sweet setting and the small town was a cute backdrop for this classic enemies to lovers. It was also a nice sprinkling of spice that fit the plot but didn’t dominate the story.

4 stars!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's cozy season, so it feels fitting to read a novel that feels like a rom-com rendition of The Great British Bake Off!

Magda and Mackenzie have been revivals for over a decade. They live in the same small town, Pine Hollow where they each own a small business. Mac owns a cafe and Mags owns a bakery. Mags dream is to be on Cake Off, she's applied three times, and you know what they say- third times the charm! She got in and is so excited, but Cake Off has a twist up their sleeve!

This book is so cute, the cat and dog person really shines through. A tiny bit of enemies to lovers vibe.
Really enjoyed this read. The characters felt super relatable. I loved how their romance developed.

This was really cute. An enemies to lovers book during a bake off competition show. The characters start as friends, turn to enemies living in a small town and then become competitors on a baking show. During the show, their dislike for one another slowly turns back into more. Their banter is great and the chemistry is strong. I loved the strong supportive friends through the story. The competition and competitive aspect was fun. The small town feel was great. It was just a really cute well down book.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

DNF at 45%. I’m already leery of enemies to lovers, and this one has the pettiest reasoning ever. Don’t get me wrong, I’m one to hold a grudge too, but that just means I’m not likely to want to spend time with you years down the line. And that just makes the attempt to pair these two up feel very forced. A cat and a dog really would have better chemistry than them!

So much fun. A smart, witty small town, second chance, rivals (both personally and professionally) to more romantic comedy that takes place on a reality baking show. Magda and Mac have been feuding for so long that it is an accepted as by everyone in their small town community. When Magda is chosen to be on a British Bake-Off type show she is thrilled for the chance to compete and for some Mac free time. Oops, not so fast. Can she just once get a break? Apparently not! Their journey through the competition and the evolution of their relationship to their wonderful happy ending is laugh out loud silly, riotous and perfect. I adore this author and this is why.

A second chance, rivals to lovers, not-steamy romance with....maple cake! Magda and Mac's relationship fell apart years ago but now they've been positioned (naturally) as rivals in a baking competition. Fans of the British Baking Show (and others of the genre) will enjoy this one for the competition as much as the romance. Magda and Mac are good characters who both need to, let's be honest, get over themselves. There isn't a lot of drama but there are a few chuckles. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read for a lazy day.

ARC Review: Like Cats and Dogs by Lizzie Shane ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 6th book focused on the pet loving residents of Pine Hollow, Vermont. Mac Newton and Magda Miller have been in a long-standing rivalry for as long as everyone in town can remember. Only Mac and Magda know the true reasons behind their animosity and the flames of their conflict still burn bright. When they both are chosen to compete on Great American Cake-Off, Mac and Magda are forced to reflect on their tumultuous past and reconcile it with their budding attraction to one another.

This book was more fun than I thought! Initially I felt like the competition show rivals trope was going to feel over-done, as I feel like I’ve seen so many recently. I was pleasantly surprised - I was pretty invested in the baking competition! Magda and Mac had great chemistry and I enjoyed their tension in the kitchen. It was very clear that the author expected you to be familiar with Pine Hollow and the characters of previous books. There were many references made that went unexplained and left me a little jarred as I haven’t read the others in her series. I thought it was unique that Shane gave the POV of one of the PAs of the cooking show to give a look ‘behind the curtain’ at the drama with the show runner but ultimately it took me out of the romance of the story.

Like Cats and Dogs will be published November 12th 2024!

As an avid Bake Off fan, I thought the concept of this book was great. I’d be mad if a new show runner came in and made my wholesome comfort show into a battle of enemies, but for the sake of this book and the forced proximity it created between Magda and Mac I was all in for it.

Though I’ve read others in this series, I’m not one who retains a ton of detail of books I’ve previously read, but even without the full history of Magda and Mac in my brain their chemistry was still undeniable right away in this book. The back and forth between them always felt like something deeper and something more than what either of them were really saying and feeling. The idea of essentially being held captive in a reality show bubble was a great setup to help shift their dynamic.

The rehashing of their feud felt a bit cyclical and repetitive at times, but I did appreciate the couple of flashback chapters to see its true origin. (Team Magda, by the way — Mac handled that situation like a human bulldozer.)

Overall this was a sweet, enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not only did this enemy-to-lovers trope is one of my faves, but this book also made me want to eat some pastries, and I will be honest I was eating more cookies than normal because of this book. Anyway, enough about food, Magda and Mac are nemesis, they both have their own shops, and their feuding has made them famous in their small town. Well Magda is finally going to get the opportunity to join this baking competition, and she thought she everything will be going smoothly, UNTIL she finds out that Mac is also in the competition, THERE IS A HUGE TWIST to the competition, and I was LOVING IT!!!!!!! We get a HUGE back story as to their feuding and these two have history, and their chemistry is FELT through this book. I was inspired by Magda, she is such a badass, and even throughout the book I was loving her, this woman did not BACK down. This book was really exciting to read, it was packed with TV competition drama, and all the extra sappy crap that I love from romance novels.

Thanks to Forever for an advanced copy of Like Cats and Dogs by Lizzie Shane. This is Pine Hollow #6 and these books are just so much fun. These small-town romances always make me happy. Like Cats and Dogs is an enemies to lovers romance when two baking rivals compete in a reality TV baking show. 

If you like shows like The Great British Bake Off, you'll love this book! I liked Magda and Mac and seeing their rivalry both in town and on the show. Plus they each have a pet that makes you laugh. It was also great to see so many of their friends and see what they were up to. 

If you're looking for sweet, fun romances that I adore, check out this series!

Like Cats and Dogs comes out November 12th!

4.5/5 Stars

Thank you to Forever Publishing for an advanced copy of this book!

General Description: Magda and Mackenzie have been town rivals for the last decade. Magda has had a dream to be on Cake Off and she finally gets in. However, and what Madga won't find out until the last possible second, is that this is the Archrival season of Cake Off, meaning that Mackenzie will be competing against her. What will that mean for their rivalry? Will all be revealed on camera, or will they find some common ground on national television?

All the goods:
- The reality TV show aspect was so fun. I love the Cake Off idea and the drama around the TV show was excellent.
- Magda was such a fun character. I truly felt the enemy-to-lover pipeline was done so well because of Magda's attitude and arc.
- Mackenzie was a great main character. I really loved seeing his perspective and struggle throughout the book.
- I feel like the challenges in the reality TV show were described extremely well and made me hungry. Would recommend snacks while reading.

the loss of a half-star: This is DEFINITELY on me, but I felt a bit lost in some conversations

Overall, if you're looking for a reality TV show-based romance book, you'd enjoy this and should add it to your TBR!

I was not familiar with Lizzie Shane's work and had not read the previous books in the Pine Hollow series and I did not feel like I was missing out by not reading the previous books.

Magna Miller and Mackenzie Newton have been enemies and rivals for so long but have they? They started out as good friends when they were younger but then things got awkward. Now their entire time is divided and has picked sides.

But Magna and Mac have been chosen for a reality baking show. I found the working of the show to be interesting. I like to see "how the sausage is made" so to speak.

This is a fun easy quick read that I found enjoyable.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a cute book. Part of a series but you don't need to read them in order. I love a good enemies to lovers troupe, this one did a great job with the slow burn. One thing I was missing was a little bit of spice. That would've given it five stars.

Magda and Mac have a long standing feud and so they get on like cats and dogs. It makes living in the same small town awkward, especially when Mac’s cat insists on breaking into Magda’s apartment to terrorize her dog. So imagine their surprise when they find themselves competing on Magda’s favourite baking show. Forced to work in close quarters, will their rivalry affect their individual success?

I thought this was an engaging and entertaining read. The novel is primarily told from Magda and Mac’s viewpoint and provides the reader with the backstory of the feud. I enjoyed the tension between Mac and Magda and enjoyed how they reluctantly came to trust, forgive and then fall in love with each other. This novel will likely appeal to anyone who enjoys a light-hearted rivals to lovers romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and authors for providing me with an ARC of this novel. All of the opinions offered in this review are my own.