💭 MY THOUGHTS: It was easy to root for Ellie and Kieran! They both had dealt with tough pasts and were still working to overcome them. On the surface, they are complete opposites. But their ability to relate to past traumas allowed them to get each other in a raw and vulnerable way.

🎧 Hunter John and Kate Handford’s audiobook narration of the playful banter between Ellie and Kieran was perfect! I love Hunter’s voice as Kieran. He managed to really capture Kieran’s personality and bring it to life.

Read for:
🌀 Enemies to Friends to Lovers
🔰 Opposites Attract
🍽️ Celebrity Chef
🖤 Widower
👄 Playful Banter
🏡 Forced Proximity
🪟 Dual POV
📍 San Francisco

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ / 5

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain is an incredibly engaging read! Ghostwriter Ellie and reality TV chef Kieran are well-developed, relatable characters, and I found myself rooting for them from start to finish. Watching them grow and work through their pasts added depth to the story, making it more than just a typical rom-com. The chemistry between them is electric, and the journey from professional tension to genuine connection is both heartwarming and satisfying. This book beautifully balances romance, humor, and emotional depth.

Thanks you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book.

*The Slowest Burn* by Sarah Chamberlain is a beautifully crafted contemporary romance that delves deep into personal growth, self-discovery, and the transformative power of love. With well-drawn characters and an emotional depth that draws readers in, this novel explores the ups and downs of a relationship where both partners must learn important lessons—one about understanding love, and the other about loving themselves.

The story centers around two compelling protagonists. One character embarks on a journey to understand what true love feels like, navigating the complexities of vulnerability and intimacy. The other learns the equally important lesson of self-love, realizing that they must stop prioritizing the needs of others above their own and begin to recognize their own worth. This dual arc is the heart of *The Slowest Burn*, and Chamberlain excels in creating a narrative that is both tender and poignant, as the characters move through their individual transformations toward a shared, deeper connection.

What sets this novel apart is the way Chamberlain balances the emotional weight of the story with moments of undeniable chemistry. The romance builds slowly, with a careful and deliberate pace that mirrors the emotional journey of the characters. The "slow burn" of the relationship feels organic and earned, allowing readers to fully invest in the characters’ evolving connection. The intimacy between them is charged with longing and desire, but it is never gratuitous. The spice in this book is sensual and well-placed, enhancing the emotional undercurrent without overwhelming the narrative. This thoughtful approach allows the characters’ development to remain front and center, making the romance feel deeply earned rather than rushed.

Chamberlain's writing is both evocative and sensitive, capturing the complexities of human relationships in a way that feels authentic. The pacing is carefully measured, building tension and emotional depth as the characters struggle, grow, and ultimately find healing in each other. While the romance is undeniably at the forefront, the novel’s exploration of self-worth, acceptance, and the importance of emotional growth adds layers to the narrative, making it feel richer and more meaningful than many traditional romances.

The emotional rollercoaster that the characters experience, from moments of doubt and pain to bursts of joy and clarity, ensures that readers are constantly engaged. The ups and downs of the relationship are not just about love between the two, but also about the personal journeys they undertake—making the story all the more satisfying.

In conclusion, *The Slowest Burn* is a compelling, heartfelt romance that combines emotional depth with simmering chemistry. Sarah Chamberlain has crafted a narrative that explores both the vulnerabilities and triumphs of love, while never losing sight of the importance of self-love and personal growth. It’s a slow-burn romance done right, where the spice is never gratuitous, and the characters’ development is what truly shines.

This book is perfect for readers who enjoy romance with depth, emotional complexity, and characters that feel real. Chamberlain proves herself a skilled storyteller, and *The Slowest Burn* will undoubtedly resonate with fans of slow-burn love stories.

Ellie Wasserman is going through life as a grieving widow, living with her overbearing in laws and juggling the life of her needy little brother. She is then offered a job to ghostwrite a cookbook for a famous chef Kieran O’Neill. He just won a reality cooking show and is struggling to finish this cookbook deal. Ellie is organized and driven and Kieran is impulsive and chaotic. As they bicker over ingredients and email deadlines, the chemistry between them starts to sizzle. When Kieran fake dates Ellie and brings her to a holiday dinner with his pompous family, Ellie eases up and starts to feel bad for him. When Ellie is asked to make her annual dinner for her deceased husband’s anniversary by herself, she bears the weight of guilt, sadness, frustration from her in laws. Kieran likewise, empathizes with her living situation. Will Kieran and Ellie be able to heal from their past and family trauma and give themselves a fighting chance for true love or will they inevitably get burned?

ABSOLUTELY LOVED this book from the beginning! It just kept getting better and better. Kieran and Ellie’s love story was full of passion, empathy, humor, forgiveness and love. Also loved the Filipino best friend and the representation of my culture, language and cuisine. I can’t wait to read more stories like this!

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain is a captivating romance that masterfully blends slow-burn tension with deep emotional connections. This novel follows the story of Emma and Jack, two individuals with complicated pasts who find themselves drawn to each other despite their best efforts to stay apart.

What I Loved:
Character Development: Chamberlain excels at creating multi-dimensional characters. Emma and Jack’s personal growth and the gradual unfolding of their backstories make their relationship feel authentic and deeply moving.
Slow-Burn Romance: The slow-burn aspect of the romance is beautifully executed. The tension and chemistry between Emma and Jack build steadily, making their eventual connection all the more satisfying.
Narration: The audiobook, narrated by Hunter Johns and Kate Handford, adds an extra layer of depth to the story. The narrators’ ability to convey the characters’ emotions and personalities enhances the listening experience, making it easy to get lost in the story.
Overall, The Slowest Burn is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant romance that will appeal to fans of slow-burn love stories. Sarah Chamberlain delivers a story full of love, heartache, and redemption, making it a perfect read (or listen) for anyone who enjoys a deeply emotional romance.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #ltbreaderteam #theslowestburn #sarahchamberlain #smpinfluencers

This story has wonderful growth arcs. As they navigate grief, complex family dynamics, neurodivergent challenges, and other real-life challenges, these characters not only strive to strengthen their bonds with one another but also to develop themselves in a healthy way. Ellie's secondary relationship with her father-in-law Ben is one of my favorites. Even though they weren't the healthiest of families at one point, his unadulterated love for her as his daughter stood out.

This one hit me right in the feels. The author took us on a journey, which was refreshing. THe characters were well developed & enjoyable. I tend to get impatient with slow burn trope, but this one kept my attention the entire way. I enjoyed it so much that I talked my library into ordering extra copies for our book club!

What a satisfying book! What stuck with me more than anything was the way the author handled heavy topics like grief, adhd and dyslexia with such an authentic grace. I felt very deeply for both of the characters and really enjoyed watching them fall for each other. I was really rooting for them!

I loved the female actor’s narration, however the male actor’s voice didn’t match the character to me.

Kieran is the new hottest chef, wanting to capitalize on his popularity he teams up with a ghost writer, Ellie- to release a cook book.
After butting heads they are finally able to form a partnership, that has all the ingredients (pun intended) to turn into something real.

This one was ok.
The story was cute enough, but very slow and didn't really hold my interest.
I didn't really like the characters either, they were all a little annoying to me.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧Song Pairing: In The Kitchen - Reneé Rapp

💭What I thought would happen:

Loves the gorgeous colours of the cover! Honestly when I hear slowest burn I kind of immediately think UTI…😂

📖What actually happens:

📒Cookbook collaboration
🔥Heat in the kitchen
😭Grieving widow for many years
🤬Enemies to lovers

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

Okayyyy so I know everyone has their types but arrogant short king with curly red hair is not my yum. Sorry if it’s yours but I will not be looking twice at your man 😂 my point being that is the book’s male MC. Immediately lost me there.

I’ve dated a short pastry chef and let me tell you, one of thee worst experience ever. Chefs are a no bueno for me and of course I married a man who cannot cook. Like at all 😂

I have a new appreciation for those who write cookbooks because I would absolutely give someone an aneurysm with my lack of measuring. I chop and pour with my heart okay?!

This was both enjoyable and boring. So while I didn’t hate it, I just can’t get on board with the love either.

Loved the grief and Jewish representation! And I really loved the main character. I really felt her loss and enjoyed the perspective of a young widow.

Kieran has won a cooking show and now has to write a cookbook. That is like a nightmare for this man with ADHD who only wants to cook. He is assigned a ghostwriter, Elle, but she is not what he expects. She wants accountability but he will not answer her emails. When these two do finally come together, will they write a cookbook or find something more?

When Ellie is brought in to ghost write Kieran's debut cookbook after his recent win of a cooking competition, they immediately get off on the wrong foot. But as they're forced to work together, they both learn that maybe Kieran could benefit from Ellie's grounded-ness and Kieran could help Ellie break out of the routines that have become suffocating after her husband's death three years earlier.

It's a great romance that builds slowly.

I really liked both narrators. I thought the way they did the voices worked really well together.

DNF @ 30%
I like the idea behind the plot but I just couldn’t connect with the characters at all. They didn’t have much chemistry. But definitely slow burn

Widow Ellie Wasserman is struggling to hold things together following the death of her husband. Reality chef Kieran O’Neill is at the top of his game, but struggling with his ADHD. When Ellie takes on the role of ghost writer for Kieran’s new book, sparks fly both in and out of the kitchen.

This slow burn, debut romance is perfect for those who like their romance to have substantial emotional depth as well as a love story. Told in dual POV, this story is as charming as it is bittersweet, and I enjoyed taking the journey with these characters as they learned about themselves as much as they learned about each other. It is in fact a slow burn romance, so prepare yourself. However, the payoff is worth it in the end.

The growth arcs in this story are fantastic. Dealing with grief, complicated family issues, neurodivergent struggles and other real world issues, these characters not only work to develop their relationship with one another, but work on the growth and development of themselves in a healthy way. One of my favorite secondary relationships is between Ellie and her father-in-law Ben. While not necessarily the healthiest of families at a certain point, his pure affection for her as his daughter (by love) was standout.

🎧 This was terrific on audio, helmed by Hunter Johns and Kate Hanford.

Read if you like:
▪️women’s fiction
▪️over coming grief
▪️neurodivergent rep
▪️opposites attract
▪️forced proximity
▪️foodie romance
▪️Jewish rep

Thank you SMP Romance and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies.

Lighthearted Romance at Its Best!*

This audiobook delighted me with its perfect blend of humor and romance. Well-developed characters shine in this character-driven story. Narrators were great, but 1.25x speed made it perfect. A must-listen for romance fans!

Rating: 3/5 stars

This was a fun, lighthearted story. The right combination of funny & romance. The characters were well-developed. This is a character driven story.

I listened to the audiobook. The narrators were good but they read a bit too slowly so I listened at 1.25 speed and it was perfect.

The Slow Burn by Sarah Chamberlain is a delightful and heartwarming listen. Ellie and Kieran's opposites-attract romance is a slow simmer, filled with witty banter, steamy chemistry, and emotional depth. Chamberlain does a great job of developing the characters and creating a dynamic that keeps you engaged.

Ellie is one of the best ghostwriters for celebrity cookbooks and her next cookbook is for Kieran O'Neill who is an up-and-coming chef who won a reality tv show and he is not used to being held to a schedule like Ellie likes. They struggle to work together at first, but as they spend more time together, their walls start to come down. Ellie was widowed a few years ago and has no interest in moving on especially when she lives with her in-laws who still are focused on their sons death.

I thought this was an interesting read with the ghostwriter aspect and with Ellie's relationship with her in-laws and how they are still mourning their sons death. The love story between Ellie and Kieran takes a while to develop and is a little slow, but it picks up towards the end and there is plenty of spice. Overall, a good, cute read!

THE SLOWEST BURN succeeded more as a tale of Ellie's personal journey than as a romance, for me.

Ellie's husband died suddenly three years ago. She now lives in a cottage on her in-laws' property, cooking them dinner weekly and providing late-night emotional support for her grieving mother-in-law.

Ellie works as a ghostwriter for celebrity cookbooks and is assigned the cookbook of a chef who just won a reality TV competition. Kieran, the chef, has no vision, theme, or ideas to guide Ellie in her work. He also doesn't feel capable of coming up with and communicating those.

This one had a lot going on, sometimes to the detriment of the romantic relationship that should have been at the book's core. But I did enjoy rooting for Ellie (even if I feel like she never got some of the apologies she deserved!). Narrators Kate Handford and Hunter Johns were OK, they helped keep me reading.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a free ALC, and St. Martin's Griffin for a free e-arc.