This was a tough audiobook for me to get through for some reason. The male narrator was more monotone which led me to not be as involved in this book as I would’ve liked. I believe if I read the book on my own, I would’ve been able to understand the novel and characters better. I think I need to give this novel another chance by physically reading it.

I had no issue at all with the storyline. This was such a cute story that also dealt with some very serious topics such as loss, grief, and family dynamics. I loved all the Bay Area and San Francisco references that were in the book, being from the area itself. Surprisingly, wasn’t as slow of a burn in romance as I thought it would be.

A reality TV star chef is partnered with a ghostwriter to write a cookbook. The chef has dyslexia and ADHD and the writer is a parentified overachiever which leads to many mishaps and miscommunication. Cheesy at times but overall a fun lighthearted listen.

Read if you like:
•Forced Proximity
•Enemies to Lovers
•Forbidden Love
•Workplace Romance

🌶️🌶️🌶️ Open Door: At least one intimate scene with the reader present, euphemistic language for act and body parts.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and unfortunately didn't love the narration. I'd rate the performance a 3 out of 5 since it was just a bit bland at times.

Onto the story... okay so I didn't love this book as much as I wanted to. I didn't feel a strong pull between the characters and their tumultuous start to the working relationship just kind of ruined any attraction for me. Their back stories were well developed and fleshed out but I didn't feel much of a connection to either character. I did like the representation of ADHD in an adult male - that part was well researched and represented. I also, unfortunately, didn't find the description of the MMC attractive which made it hard for me to "fall" along with the FMC. This book has such great reviews and I think it'd be a great read for someone else; it just wasn't for me.

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain is a tender, opposites-attract romance.

The plot centers around Ellie Wasserman, a cook-book ghost writer navigating life after the death of her husband, Max. Living in a guesthouse on his parents’ property, Ellie grapples with the desire to forge a new path while feeling an obligation to stay for Max’s mother. When an opportunity arises to write for celebrity chef Kiernan O’Neill, she takes it, only to find her initial impression of him surprisingly underwhelming. Kiernan, in turn, sees Ellie as bossy and critical, creating a complex dynamic that gradually transforms into something deeper.

The slow burn was delightful, and their relationship felt genuinely earned by the time they finally came together. What I found incredibly refreshing was the portrayal of the main characters with ordinary body types, rather than the typical perfect, hottest people often found in romance novels.
The dual POV allowed for a rich exploration of their evolving feelings, and Chamberlain skillfully developed both characters, revealing their difficult backstories. I often found myself wanting Ellie to break free from the constraints of her current situation, and the steamy love scenes added an exciting layer to their connection.

While I know the theme of a widow might not resonate with everyone, it felt authentic here, as Chamberlain didn’t shy away from acknowledging Ellie’s late husband. We get to see the book wrestle with the complexities of moving on from grief while still honoring the past.

The audiobook narrative was so well done! I found myself falling into the story more and more with each chapter. Overall, this book beautifully blended emotion and passion, making it a satisfying listen.

Thank you so much, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Griffin, NetGalley, and Sarah Chamberlain for this audiobook copy in exchange for my honest opinion.



I will be posting my review to @professorrachelreads on Instagram on Thursday, October 3.

This is an aptly named novel as it is definitely is a slow burn romance where the characters become friends first. Ellie and Kieran are both fully formed, dealing with their own separate demons. The relationships they had with the secondary characters were great (Ellie & Ben especially!) and I loved how real and raw it all felt. Also, shout out to Chamerlain for giving us a 5’7’’ short king - they don’t all need to be huge, burly men!

I received an advanced reading copy of this audiobook.

Ellie and Kieran are very charming characters who are working through deep feelings outside of their growing romance. Ellie, a young widow, is work through guilt and grief. Kieran is working hard every day to keep his ADHD and dyslexia from taking over his world and his parents aren't the most supportive.

While they spend time together creating.a cookbook they show us how both friends and lover can build a person up with support, kindness, and affection.

Even with some tough topics throughout the book, these two characters make for an easy read.

I would definitely read another book by Sarah Chamberlain!

Kieran and Ellie's story is one that resonated with me. Not because they didn't like each other at first but more like how they became friends over time. Slowly, both their shells opened up and by the end, they were in love with each other.
This book was well written, I kept wanting to know what was next (not in a "gripping the edge of my seat" kind of way, but more like I wanted to see the story develop and their friendship bloom).
I liked how they were very different but found a way to love each other's flaws as well. Some quotes in the very last chapters did hit home for me. It was something along the lines of "my chaos and her calculated planning might clash sometimes, but we take a breath and let the other be themselves" and that was just beautiful. (I will have to go back when I get a paper copy to properly quote it).
I do recommend it, go read it!

𝕽𝖊𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊 𝕯𝖆𝖙𝖊 : September 10th 2024 - OUT NOW

𝕸𝖞 𝕽𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 : ✭✭✭

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @dreamscapemedia, @bloombooks & LJ Shen for my gifted ALC & copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Slowest Burn is a charming, heartwarming, adorable, sweet with just the right amount of spice. It was such a delicious romance to devour and all the cooking, recipes just added to the charm. It was definitely a slow burn, as per the title, which is not my typical cup of tea, but I fell in love with these characters. They felt so real, their emotions so raw and I truly connected with them.

They both overcome a lot of issues and past traumas. I really started to get into the story once they truly meshed together. Their chemistry, their connection, their banter was just chef's kiss. I just thought they were adorable together, brought out the best of each other. When he calls her Love, I melted each time.

Great story with characters you can't help but fall in love with. Excited to read more from this author and I hope we can get the cookbook they made, because the recipes sound delicious !

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @macmillanaudio, @smpromance, @stmartinspress & @sarahchamberlain for my gifted audiobook & copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kieran was the most immature main character. I couldn’t stand him, I didn’t like the female MC either. The relationship with the in-laws was not realistic. Not for me!

This was a lovely read. I enjoyed the chef + ghost writer pairing ad I felt like Sarah did a great job exploring the different ways grief and trauma can present in peoples' lives. My only qualm was that Kieran seemed pretty immature to me and not necessarily someone that Ellie would go for, which made some aspects of the romance unbelievable. He did show growth during the story, but in some ways it felt like too big of a jump; he almost seemed like a completely different person at the end.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy!

This book is delightfully inclusive, not that the reader will think about that much.

The characters are well developed with their hopes, dreams, and idiosyncrasies. This makes a huge difference. For example, the female lead, Ellie is a ghost writer who dreams of writing her own cookbook and buying her own home. She's also a bigger girl, but again: she's created so well. She's not a big girl who also happens to have a career. She's Ellie, with all the things that make her whole, and here's a bit of descriptive.

The reader isn't bombarded by other traits that step outside of what is considered conventionally attractive. What some people might consider as weaknesses or points of insecurity are not treated as such. Kieran, the male protagonist, is 5'7". His height is mentioned twice, and matter of factly. The reader is more cognizant of his relationship with his family, how cooking plays on his strengths and overcomes his weak spots, and that he's an all around good guy.

Neither protagonist is perfect, but they're perfectly sympathetic. I was cheering for both of them.

One thing that was really important to me: as a widow, I really appreciate that they didn't make grief Ellie's entire personality. Though he's mentioned only in memories, her late husband is a real character, too: good in some ways, not great in others.

This book was well balanced. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who care about inclusivity and food.

ETA: the narrator mispronounced a few words. I thought "renaissance" (Renee-sance?) might have been in character, but then she had a Filipino character mispronounce Nanay.

In this slow burn romance (no pun intended ha) it is about a upcoming chef and his ghost writer putting a cook book together. It has all the top chef vibes and makes you crave everything they make. Anyone know how to make duck confit or where I can find their cookbooks?

I loved the narrators' voices in this audiobook, it truly brought the characters to life and made the book more enjoyable.. Hunter Johns voice is unique and will remind you of an actor in a movie because it seems so familiar like you head it before.

This book maybe trigging for some because it deals with a loss of one as well.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderfully charming start to finish. This story weaves grief, mental health, romance, recovery, self growth and delicious recipes all together in the best possible way. A really strong debut book from Sarah Chamerlain, and a great duel narrator audio book.

Is this a slow-burn romance? Yes, but I enjoyed every minute of it. It gave us time to watch as Ellie and Kieran got to know each other, savoring the building attraction. Ellie is hired on as a ghostwriter for Chef Kieran O’Neill’s cookbook. It seems like the two are completely incompatible - Ellie, a grieving widow who likes things by the book and orderly, whereas Kieran is a smartmouth and kind of a hot mess, emphasis on “hot.”

As the two are forced to work together, they are drawn to each other. Not only is this a delicious enemies (coworkers) to lovers, but it touches on grief, family expectations, sobriety, and ADHD. The characters felt genuine and realistic. Plus, you can’t go wrong with lots of great food, a little spice, and a happily-ever-after ending.


Thank you @macmillan.audio for the gifted audiobook.

As a lover of competition shows, especially when knives and ovens are involved, it is no surprise I loved this read. Yet, author Sarah Chamberlain folds so much into this compelling romance. A male lead that is clearly insecure about his looks and height and a woman that doesn't know how to place boundaries on her own family - how relatable?! Nuanced and delectable, "The Slowest Burn" reads faster than it takes to bake a pan of brownies!

This was a lovely story, and it was indeed a very slow burn. What happens when a chef who has adhd (Kieran) is partnered with a type A /people pleasing ghostwriter (Ellie) to write a cookbook? Well it's a rocky start, but the more Kieran and Ellie work together and learn about each other we see that opposites may attract.

Thank-you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced listener copy. Narrators Hunter John and Kate Handford were great to listen to in the dual narrated audiobook.

I highly recommend this audiobook. It has great ADHD rep and explorations of grief. I loved the tropes slow burn, a little enemies to lovers, and opposites attract. I can't believe that this was a debut for Sarah Chamberlin. I look forward to her future books. 4.5 stars.

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book. It was so cute and both main characters back stories were developed so well. They both have significant struggles in their past and together they really grew and supported each other. I read alot of chef romances and this is one of the best. The forced proximity of having to write this cook book together, the opposite personalities, and the side characters were the perfect addition to this story. After reading this, I looked into the author a bit, and she has a background in cookbooks, so I'm thinking this is very realistic and it shows. This lost a half star for me because some of the dialogue was a little rough and cringy at times.

Kieran is a chef who just won a cooking competition show, and now wants to write a cookbook. Ellie is a cookbook ghostwriter who is trying to figure out life as a widow while still living her in-laws. They don’t get along. Kieran is spontaneous and easily distracted. Ellie is organized and driven. Of course, they don’t start off liking each other, but because they have to work together they are sent off to a cabin by the publisher to learn to tolerate each other for the book. Like turns to lust and then to love as they both work through their pasts. This, yes slow burn, romance has all of the tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating, and workplace romance. The addition of the food, the backstory, the side characters, and both main characters’ perspectives make the overload of tropes bearable. There were a few seemingly extraneous moments, but they let readers really get to know the characters separately and together. The audiobook even had two narrators for each perspective. The narrator for Kieran was a little flat and didn’t give the characters discernible voices, but the narrator for Ellie made up for it. This book was a fun mix of food and romance that any romance reader will enjoy.

I love when I love a debut from an author, and this one hit its mark for me. I love to cook so I liked the foodie vibes, and the build up between Ellie and Kieran. The slow burn here is no joke!! But once the fire is ignited, it becomes such a sweet romance. These characters deal with a lot, and my heart hurt for them while learning their histories and as they went through their daily struggles. There is a lot of conflict within themselves and with each other, but it all makes for a fun ride. But some of the side characters!! They are so easy to dislike.

🎧This was my first time listening to Kate Handford and Hunter Johns and I really loved their narration! I think the audiobook definitely made this story more enjoyable all around.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ALC!

Slow burn but well worth it! I loved everything about this book and the romance was definitely worth the wait! There was more than just romance in this book as well and it definitely had points that made me reflect on my life and decisions! It's a book that makes you feel something!