I had no idea this was the last book of a series when I requested it, so that's a little bit my problem. But I have an issue getting into series when I don't start at the beginning. I wasn't able to get into this one, I might try it again once I read the prior books.

“Like Cats & Dogs” is a great addition to the Pine Hollow series. Readers finally get to learn more about the feud between Mac and Magda that is hinted at in the other books. While reading I thought I foresaw a plot twist but the story played out differently. It was in a good way though! This is a perfect book for fans of the Pine Hollow series, those who love a good an enemies to lovers trope, and of course baking.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Magda and Mac have hated each other for year and since they live in a small town with friends in common they are always forced into each others lives.
Magda finally gets her chance to be on Cake-Off after years of auditioning. The twist? It's an archrivals edition meaning Mac is competing as well. The show brings them together making them closer then ever forcing them to examine their past and why their rivalry began. Maybe hate isn't so different from love after all.

Loved this one. It's cute, fun, features a baking competition, and features a dog and cat! This one is part of a series but can also be read as a stand alone.

I’ve loved this series for years, ever since I got book number one from the wonderful folks over at Forever, so when they sent me an eARC of this one, I knew I had to read it ASAP. Y’all will have to wait until November 12th to read it, but that just gives you more time to reread the first five books in the series!

Like Cats and Dogs 4.5/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:

A small-town baker faces off against her longtime nemesis on a reality TV competition in this delightful romantic comedy.

Magda Miller’s feud with rival baker Mackenzie Newton is so old, folks in tiny Pine Hollow, Vermont forgot how it started. But Magda remembers: Ten years ago, she offered Mac her heart—instead, he ran off with her grandmother’s maple cake recipe. Now, Mac traipses all over Magda’s baking territory, just like his oversized tabby keeps sneaking into her house to claim her dog’s favorite bed. So, when Magda gets the call to compete on The Great American Cake-Off, she’s thrilled to finally shine in a Mac-free zone. But when she arrives on set, her devilishly handsome nemesis is already there . . .

It turns out, Mac and Magda’s story has inspired the first ever Arch Rivals edition of Cake-Off, and of course Mac has to raise the stakes with a wager. The winner takes all—the Cake-Off title, the contested recipe, and control of the narrative. Magda is more than ready to kick Mac’s Bundt. But as they spar, on-screen and off, Mac and Magda reveal the best in each other…and the sizzling attraction fueling their rivalry. Only one of them can win, so why does it suddenly feel like they both stand to lose?

Magda and Mac have been staples in these books since the beginning and their feud is legendary, so I was the most excited to read the origin of that feud and to get to know the two of them better. Plus, having a cooking competition as the background was even more fun! The Cupcake and Cat bits (with the cat and dog fighting) weren’t the most necessary, but did provide a decent excuse for Magda to have to call Mac. The different challenges throughout the recording of Cake-Off were so fun. I did miss seeing our favorite characters from the past, but they did show up every once in a while. Watching Mac and Magda get closer and closer and work through their misunderstandings was just what I needed, especially since it was so real. Overall, Like Cats and Dogs was such a well written and fun book and I highly recommend picking it up in November!

Once I started reading Like Cats & Dogs, I eagerly read it as much as possible. It was a cute small-town romance, with me chuckling from the first page. When you live in a small town, everyone knows your business, sometimes even before you do.

I liked reading how the Cake-Off TV show pulled them out of their bubbles, helped them reconnect, and revealed what was between them. I was also pulled into the storyline of how a TV show was created.

I did expect to read about the animals more than we did, but I wasn’t as disappointed as I expected once I started reading about Mac and Magda. Their love story was one I could relate to in a small way. It took me 16 years to get my act together and appreciate the love my husband and I have together. So, I know all too well about time lost and missed opportunities.

But I like how the author didn’t dwell on the time lost or how the past damaged their relationship. Instead, she made it have a positive spin. She also made the characters worth getting to know.

I didn’t know about the other stories in the Pine Hollow series, but now I’m curious to read them too. She made this book easy to read as a standalone.

I am so glad I read this one! It's a delightful and oh so sweet rivals-to-lovers romance.
Magda and Mac have been competitors in their small town business section for years, but as the story unravels we see the origin of this rivalry and the hurt and miscommunication at the heart of it. It leads to a romance as sweet as the competition our protagonists attend to battle it out over bakes for a chance to win a cash prize. But, as we come to quickly realize, it's their hearts on the line that matters most.

And readers' eager anticipation of every turn of the page that awaits!

I adored this one, I left it with such a full heart and warm smile.

Magda especially had my heart. Her hurt felt like my hurt, and when she finds out the twist on the show she's about to be a contestant on, the betrayal she and other contestants feel went straight to my heart like a stake. For a split second I forgot this was fiction and wanted to like start an online petition to stop the injustice, haha! But this just goes to show how immersed and engaged I became. How these characters came vividly to life off the pages.

While I was Magda's number one fangirl, I came to truly understand and appreciate Mac's decisions of the past that affected them both in the years after. In fact, I applaud him for the decision he made. He was in the right, and had he made the wrong choice neither would be better off in the present. They're given a second chance, and once Mac sees this, he goes for it so gorgeously. Like I was so hardcore cheering him on! Yess!

I loved the banter between Magda and Mac, and I loved the slow burn romance. I only wished for more of it once they came together! I needed more, but my goodness, what a lovely journey it is just as it is. Also, let me add how appreciative I am of how the author ensured the leads' miscommunication evolved into such a healthy dynamic, blossoming their mutual trust! This becomes critical in the final act and all I can say is I love how that was tested. It made me so proud of both characters.

There's a surprise third POV, but it doesn't overtake the narrative. I consider it more of a interlude and it piqued my curiosity for perhaps this person having a future book!? I most certainly would be open to it!

This book introduced me to writing of Lizzie Shane and I am absolutely in love with her style and eager to dive into her other works! If you love charming, romantic plots, lead by complex, layered, relatable leads, this one is for you!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for this complimentary copy, I leave this honest review voluntarily.

Welcome to Pine Hallow. Madga and Mac have a well known feud, but no one really knows why. Madga's dream is to be on the cooking show Cake-Off in order to improve her small French bakery. Mac owns The Cup, a coffee shop, where he spotlights creative flavors in baking. In a twist, Cake-Off brings them both to the new season of Arch-Rivals. Let the sparks begin.

This is my first book set in Pine Hallow and I will return! The community members surround their friends (Madga or Mac - loyalty ya know) with support. The interactions and feud backstory unraveling were very entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute rom-com based on a baking reality TV competition. Rivals to lovers. That being said, I felt like I was having deja vu while reading this because I just finished reading a very similar book about a baking competition/rom com with handcuffing as a "disadvantage" during the competition. I am sure this is just coincidence but it was a bit uncanny. This is a closed door romance, so if you are looking for spice, you may want to skip this one. If you are a fan of the Great British Bake Off and like a cute rom com, definitely check this one out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an unexpected delight. I love a good enemies-to-lovers story and on top of that I love baking shows, so this was right up my alley. I will say I struggled with Magda, perhaps it is because I am a little older, but I could not understand how she held on to a grudge from 18 years old until 32 without doing some introspection while gaining maturity as one does. Setting that aside the story was engaging and I could not put the book down. Mac and Magda had really good chemistry, which was conveyed well in the story, they just had no communication. Once the communication starts and we begin to see the source of the mutual animosity the story seems to become more emotionally charged, as both Mac and Magda came to terms with themselves. At that point, I had to eschew any other chores so I could finish the book as I had to find out how it would all work out. Although I struggled at the beginning relating to Magda, I ended up truly enjoying this story. Disclaimer: I received an early copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

The next book in the Pine Hollow series is a rivals to lovers romance. Magda and Mac were friends at one time, then rivals in their hometown, and now rivals on a baking show. Even if they do start to like each other though, can they trust each other?

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Like Cats and Dogs to come out November 12, 2024.

I'm a sucker for rivals to lovers romances and cooking shows, so Like Cats & Dogs was the perfect combination of the two! Adored this!

Fun story about two feuding small town bakers who end up on a baking show vying for the win. As the story unfolds, we learn the background on their long running feud interspersed with lots of fun baking competitions. If you like slow burn romances, and cooking shows, this is the book for you!

loved this romance of enemies to lovers who fight like cats and dogs. alot of their reasons were from the past and that helped them while being cooking contestants on a bake off show. I loved that they found their way to each other.

I read this in one sitting. It was amazing love story with cats and dogs mixed in. It was so sweet and immediately became my comfort read. I highly recommend it.


A special thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A nice ending to the Pine Hollow series about small town dog lovers who find their HEAs.

Feuding bakers Magda and Mac compete in Cake-Off, a baking competition reality show, and with this forced proximity we learn the background to their feud and learn they were too young and too hurt years ago to move on so they fell into a bickering pattern.

This is an enemies to lovers closed door romance. I would have liked more romance and less cooking show drama, but it was interesting to see behind the scenes of these competitive cooking shows.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you love The Great British Bake Off and enemies to lovers, this is the book for you!

I found this book to be delightfully funny and charming. I liked the setting and the side characters, especially the pets. The main characters were true enemies to lovers (which I appreciated). There was a good reason for the animosity between them. I also liked that this was a driving point of the plot. It kept this book interesting and fast paced.

A charming read!

Like Cats & Dogs is a small town rivals to lovers romance between two bakers competing against one another on a reality baking competition. Mac and Magda “bring out the worst in each other” and fight anytime they’re together. They find themselves competing on the rivals season of Cake Off and there old feeling stir as the two compete for the grand prize. This book was cute and filled to the brim with Broadway references that theatre nerds will love, earning it a solid 3 stars from me!

I really enjoyed the story overall and had a great time reading. I immediately got hooked on the plot and found myself having a hard time putting the book down. I couldn’t stop myself from worrying about Magda, even though her talent read through the page. The stakes were high and so were the tensions! Mac and Magda had one of the most vicious rivalries I’ve read in a contemporary romance.

Cake Off as a competition acts as the catalyst for the entire plot. It’s the special rivals season where every baker is paired off into rival duos while they all compete individually for the grand prize. I liked the subplot of this once wholesome show succumbing to its new money hungry show runner, the tension that was found in the cast and crew, and how they inevitably overcame the pressure and acted with grace and good demeanor and didn’t give in.

There were a few choices that did take me out of it at times. I was a little thrown off when we added a perspective in chapter nine. The novel is written in third person, flipping from Mac and Magda, and chapter nine adds in Julia’s perspective. Julia works as a production assistant on cake off, and as we only get her perspective every once in a while, it felt a little out of place and almost unnecessary. I just don’t think the story needed a perspective on the production side, I’d have rather found out about the drama with the new show runner through Magda and Mac. Especially when it doesn’t really feel like we get a conclusion from Julia, she ends the story having been fired and hints at a show with Mac and Magda that they confirm isn’t happening any time soon.

I realized around chapter 13 that I did not like Mac. While I respect and applaud him for turning her down when she was freshly 18, (yay for men not being predators), the way he handled their conflict just rubbed me the wrong way from the start. It took majority of the book for me to like Mac, which isn’t a bad thing per se. Despite their fights, he always tried to uplift Magda, even if just in his head, and knew without a doubt how talented and capable she was, and it took watching that happen over time in the book for him to grow on me. The musical references he made definitely helped.

Mac being eliminated felt like a huge event, but there didn’t feel like there was much lead up to it, it sort of happened quickly. I would have liked to see more of Mac in that challenge, not just a short explanation of what went wrong for him. I felt like that a lot while reading the book, as if some things were moving a little too fast. Even the night they stayed up to bake and bond after Mac was eliminated felt rushed. I liked these two so much I just wanted more time with them.

This book was so sweet. It involved:
-Found family
-Forced proximity
-Reality TV (A show like The Great British Bake Off)
-Age gap
-She's the town baker, he's the town barista
-Second chance rom com
-Age gap (this is my least liked trope but I think it was done well in here though this was probably my least favorite part of this story!)

This was so sweet and I loved how this was all about an emotional connection, not a physical one. This book did pure connection so well and really brought us into Magda and Mac's sweet, adorable love story!

What I loved:
-I really loved Magda as a person and Mac seemed to be so good to her from the start, I have not read the rest of this series (though now I will!) so I can't say what their rivalry looked like outside of this book but I think this book did a good job of having you root for them from the start too!
-I loved how sweet the love in this was. It seemed genuine and based off who they were to each other, not what they look like.
-I loved the side characters, especially Eunice and Julia.
-I loved Cupcake and Cat, the cat but wish there was more of them! Otherwise, I thought this was a fun concept and plot. It will be a perfect fall read!

My one dislike was the age gap conversation but again I think this was done well for what it was. I also wish we'd gotten a little more of their past conversations to make the feelings make a little more sense back then.

Note: this will be in my wrap up video on my youtube for the month of August and I'll put updated reviews on my Instagram + TikTok closer to pub.

4 ⭐️ 3 🌶️

Read As An Arc

🐈‍⬛ Enemies To Lovers
🐕 Cat Cafe
🐈‍⬛ Veterinarian
🐕 Animals
🐈‍⬛ Hate To Love
🐕 Slow Burn


This cover is amazingly cute! I need the physical copy just for the cover alone!

I am slightly disappointed with this read though. It was the romance — it wasn’t romancing enough for me. I truly wanted this book to come out higher, but it fell short (like Caleb).

Lauren’s development was good, great even, including the pov. But Caleb… he seriously needs more; this is where he is falling short. If it wasn’t for Lauren, I don’t know how I would’ve finished; oh and the spice! Can’t forget that — literally! I must say though, Caleb is definitely self aware of himself and his flaws which is great to get out in the open because I don’t need another rollercoaster where it’s not needed — here’s looking at you 3rd act!

This is a couple that was purely more physical and steamy rather than also being romantically emotional — it lacked and seemed superficial in my opinion. They did not have a problem showing emotion when fighting though, they get that bang on.

I wish I could give this a 4, and I really wanted to but it’s missing a lot for me. Bumping up the emotional romance would be an automatic 4. Despite this it was honestly a good read and glad I read it, especially the spicy scenes — that was frickin good!




* Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!


** this review will be posted on Goodreads on November 7 @ https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/170879374-bee?shelf=read

This is such a cute closed door romance! I loved the characters and loved them as a couple!

If you love cooking game shows you'll love this!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!