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.

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!

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.