The Slowest Burn is a heartwarming tale that skillfully weaves the lives of two beautifully developed protagonists, Ellie Wasserman and Kieran O’Neill. Ellie, a meticulous ghostwriter for celebrity cookbooks, embodies neatness and caution after losing her husband three years ago. Kieran, on the other hand, is a laid-back chef whose messy life contrasts sharply with Ellie’s orderliness. Their chemistry is palpable as they navigate the challenges of co-authoring a cookbook, and the way their initial tensions transform into a deep, romantic connection is both delightful and engaging.

The audiobook, narrated by Hunter Johns and Kate Handford, has its highs and lows. While Kate’s narration is fantastic—bringing Ellie’s character to life with warmth and nuance—Hunter's delivery felt a bit flat and monotonous at times. It sometimes felt like he was merely reading rather than truly narrating the story. Additionally, I noticed a couple of instances where it seemed words were skipped in the initial half, which interrupted the flow of the narrative. Despite these minor flaws, the overall experience is a warm and fuzzy escape, making it a worthy listen for anyone who enjoys romance laced with personal growth and healing. A must-read for fans of heartfelt love stories!

Publication: September 24th, 2024

Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

What an absolutely stunning debut!

Ellie Wasserman likes to keep her life organized; honestly, that's how she prefers it. She’s a top ghostwriter for celebrity cookbooks. Still, ever since losing her husband three years ago, she's been avoiding risks—whether it’s writing her cookbook, telling her in-laws (who are still grieving) that she’s ready to move out, or even dipping her toe into the dating world. And let's be real, dating feels as overwhelming as a recipe with fifty steps.

Kieran O'Neill is anything but organized. As a rising star chef who made his mark on a reality TV competition, he's known for cracking jokes and leaving chaos in his wake—a fact his distant family never lets him forget. The only place he feels truly in control is in the kitchen. But when he's teamed up with a no-nonsense ghostwriter with cool blue eyes and curves that catch him off guard, she cuts through his jokester facade as easily as a paring knife slices through an orange peel.

The side characters truly brought this story to life, especially Ben—what a dream father-in-law, He added such warmth and heart to the story. The writing itself was a wonderful mix of humor and emotion. I’m already excited to see what the author comes up with next!

I love the narration of this audiobook

Thank You Netgalley and Macmillan Audio

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This review is for the audio book, narrated by Kate Hanford and Hunter Johns. This was a dual narration. I was VERY impressed with Kate Handford's adaptation of Ellie. She obviously has a lot of talent, and she's very interesting to listen to. She doesn't try to take the male voices to an impossible range, like some narrators do. Very professional, top quality.
Hunter John's narration leaves at lot to be desired. His voice is flat, dull, monotone and sometimes garbled. I think with Kieran's bubbly personality, he deserved a more appropriate narrator.
The story is definitely slow burn. Ellie has to find her way through many layers of grief. Wonderful romance.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for providing me an audio galley of this book to read and give an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Before I get into the production of this book, I want to talk about characters, plot, and pacing.
I need books that will make me connect with the characters. I want characters who are strong and reliable. Ellie was an interesting character to start off. A young widow who struggles to give the love to herself she deserves. Throughout the book, she shows how she chooses to care for others. Which is admirable. But I was so frustrated with her. She could not recognize people taking advantage of her, which drove me bonkers. Yes, I know this was part of her development, but she truly didn't see any of it until the very end. I didn't feel she developed and changed as she could and then the author chose for her to turn her whole way of looking at things around at the last minute. I wanted a strong character, someone who has gone through a tragedy and come out on the other side learning lessons. But she was just a wet rag that people were stepping all over. Kieran was fun and I really enjoyed his ADHD representation. Had I not been listening to the audio but reading the actual book, I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more. I like that he wasn't your usual sexy, tall, brooding male main character. He's short, and ginger, and has some mental health issues that are shown but not particularly developed. I did feel his anxiety throughout the book. But I would have liked to see more about his addiction issues and how they potentially interfered with his story line.
Pacing was pretty good in this book. I got through it rather quickly. There weren't really times when it was particularly slow. I do understand this was supposed to be part of the plot, the characters slowly getting to know each other and connecting, but it was more than their slow romance. It was just slow with not much going on underneath the surface to keep me particularly interested.
As for plot, I loved the idea of these two coming together to write a book and finding out each other along the way. It is billed as enemies to lovers, but I certainly do not get that. I get two people who now little about each other and who learn that through the story. What I didn't get was the chemistry between the characters. I just did not feel it. Not in the words the author used to convey how they were feeling about each other. The forced proximity trope brought them in close quarters, sure, but as for their attraction and it's development? Well, that was truly flat and I wasn't really rooting for them to be together. I didn't fee like I really cared if they were friends or romantically involved. Plus the sex scenes were super dry. I don't necessarily need spicy, but I do need to feel the attraction between the characters and it just did not strike me that these two were it for each other. Yes, it is supposed to be a "friends with benefits" situation to start, but it is also supposed to evolve away from that and I just didn't feel that there was more than sex between these two.
The cover of this one is quite beautiful. I really love the backdrop setting of the Golden Gate Bridge. At the same time, I don't see it matching any of the scenes in the book so I'm curious why this particular setting was chosen rather than one that would match what the characters were doing.
Now for the production. Unfortunately, I think the production of this book brought what would have been a solid 3 star book down to 2-2.5 stars for me. I did like the dual POV narration. That is something I always want to see in most romance books. And the female narrator, Kate Handford, drew me in. I would definitely try and find more books with her voice. But the male narrator, Hunter Johns, just did not fit the character for me. For a narration of a character with ADHD, his slow and measured candence just did not fit the character. Not to mention his long pauses while he was narrating scenes drove me insane. I had to speed the book up so I would not be taken out of the story. Plus there were a few areas in the book where the narration stalled and then skipped ahead. Finally, there were long pauses between the chapters I was concerned with. I kept thinking I turned the audio off.
All in all, I would not recommend or buy the audio version of this book. I could possibly see getting a Kindle or finished print version, but the audio really turned me off of the story. I do realize this author is a newer author with not much under her belt. Perhaps future books by her will be more fleshed out.

A Chef romance! Yes, count me in. I absolutely loved this. This was definitely a SLOW burn. With A LOT of angst between the two MCs.

Ellie is a ghost writer for a chef's, Keiren, upcoming book. They begin to work closely together. They're constant bickering turn to steamy flirting.

I really liked getting know Ellie's character. She is a heavy people pleaser and always puts herself last. You watch her heal through her grief and loss. I often felt sad and angry for her. The people around her were sucking the life out of her, and she deserved better.

Keiren was very outspoken, and he took no ish from anyone. That stubbornness often put him in situations, but they were humbling experiences.

The audiobooks were pretty easy to listen to and follow. I just kind of wish the voice actor for the MMC put more life into his voice. It was monotone to me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you netgally for the ALC!

When Ellie is contracted to ghost write hot shot chef Kieran O'Neill's cookbook she immediately at odds with the playboy who can't seem to take anything seriously when he's not in the kitchen.

This was a cute romcom! Here's what I liked:

Ellie: I found her interesting. She's in her 30's and still getting over the death of her husband. Her journey is a good one. The golden retriever energy of Kieran is perfect for helping her along as well. The most interesting thing though was her relationship with her former in-laws. I really loved seeing how close they still were.

Enemies to Lovers: Always top tier! This one was interesting because these two really didn't get along. Being so opposite of each other, it was hard for them to really accept those differences.

The narration: I liked Hunter Johns and Kate Handford in this. Both really gave a lot to the characterizations,

On the other side, I did think the pacing was a bit off. The beginning dragged a little but it sped right up after they got together.

All in all, a good romcom!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

4.5 stars. One of the best romances I've read in awhile. This is a debut, and I cannot wait to see what Chamberlain writes in the future. This romance had so much depth and tackled issues like neurodiversity, addiction, grief, trauma, and more! I loved the way the relationship developed, and how it reflected where each character was at in life and in dealing with past issues and traumas. Very well written and engaging. Oh.....and I always love when a book contains foodie elements!

3.5 stars.

It took me quite a bit of time to warm up to Ellie and Kieran in Sarah Chamberlain's "The Slowest Burn." The title does not lie, people! This book really *is* a slow burn, to the point where I was worried about the chemistry blossoming between the main characters! When the chemistry finally comes, it is palpable. Ellie and Kieran are both people who have been jaded by life for one reason or another. They are imperfect people with lots of flaws, and they are unsure of their place in the world. They are polar opposites, but somehow, they work together. They have some fantastic banter with one another. I thought a lot of the reasons for them not getting together were a bit silly. Still, this is a heartfelt story that I enjoyed reading. I love a novel that involves cooking, and this one made my mouth water as Kieran and Ellie work together to write his cookbook. This story also deals with heavier subjects like substance abuse, ADHD, loss, grief, and childhood trauma. It is much heavier than I expected. I will say, the pacing of this book is frequently off. I think it could have been a little shorter and a little faster. Hunter Johns and Kate Handford do a wonderful job bringing these characters to life with their audiobook narrations. They complement each other so well vocally! A solid debut and a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Chamberlain, and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

The Slowest Burn
Sarah Chamberlain
Pub: 9/24/24
4.5☆

Love could be a recipe for disaster, or the best thing they ever cooked up...

Exactly as the title states, this was a delicious slow-burn romance and I adored the heck out of it!

Kieran and Ellie’s heartfelt story was the literal definition of chef’s kiss perfection. I loved these two beauties so much. Both working to overcome past traumas and total opposites. Yet together, they sizzled. The banter, the chemistry and the beautiful healing… all the perfect ingredients to make for one unputdownable romance wrapped up in the cutest cover. A must own for myshelf.

Im still flabbergasted this was a debut. I am already so excited for more from Chamberlain.

What I loved;
🍅 Opposites Attract
🍅 Grumpy x Sunshine
🍅 Slow Burn Romance
🍅 Neurodivergent Rep
🍅 Dual POV
🍅 LOL Banter
🍅 Forced Proximity

Absolutely would recommend. I alternated between reading with my eyes and my ears (mostly listening) and loved the mix. Hunter Johns and Kate Handford’s dual narration was fantastic and so perfectly paired to portray Kieran and Ellie.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The Slowest Burn is a slow-burn (get it) romance set in the San Francisco Bay Area (where I resided for two years). I saw the Golden Gate Bridge on the cover and insta-requested. I loved the mental health representation, multiple mentions of towns around the Bay Area, and how this romance wasn't like the rest. Highly recommend to foodies!

I listened to the audiobook of this book and there were some flaws with the recording. There were long pauses between chapters that kept making me think I accidentally turned off the book. I had to keep checking my phone. Also, the male narrator mispronounced Marin County, which was very distracting to me (he pronounced it MAIR-IN, not Muh-rin). I deducted a star from my rating because of this. The female narration by Kate Handford was excellent.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review. The Slowest Burn publishes on September 24, 2024.

3.25 ⭐️ | 📚+🎧 | 🌶

I feel conflicted about this book. I liked the story, the diversity of characters the mental health representation and overall just the fact that it didn't follow the typical path of a romance novel...but somewhere along the line there was a disconnect.

I started out this book with the kindle version and I think as soon as Kieran was described as a sexy, very fit, pirate leprechaun is when I could no longer connect with the story. I did end up switching and finishing the book as an audiobook which was the only way I was able to stay focused and enjoy the story to its fullest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio production and St. Martin’s Press for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Slowest Burn follows Ellie, a cookbook ghostwriter, and Kieran, a newly famous chef, as they work on a cookbook together. This cookbook will help both of their careers massively, but what will they do when attraction gets in the way? The Slowest Burn plays into quite a few tropes, such as grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, forced proximity, and opposites attract.

This was such a good book, from the detailed descriptions of Ellie & Kierans’ recipes to how the characters were so well thought out and developed. Kieran was so cute and I loved that he differed from the typical male leads in romances–not quite tall, dark, and handsome but Ellie’s soulmate. “Cookie, I thought when I looked at Ellie,” was such a cute cringy line and I loved it so much.

Ellie was just perfect. I loved her complexity, and the way that she started out struggling to choose herself. I relate to that in a way, and the way that everything eventually wrapped up was super satisfying to me. AND she was a reader!!

I listened to the Netgalley audiobook ARC of this book, and the pauses in between chapters were annoyingly long. I constantly had to check my phone to see whether or not it had turned off, or changed to the next chapter.

I would definitely recommend this book if you’re a fan of slow burn romance books, with some slight spice but not an overwhelming amount (which I enjoyed because those scenes are a skip for me), that doesn’t follow traditional gender roles (which I wouldn’t have expected to enjoy). Overall 4/5 stars and time well spent!

So this wasn't the slowest burn but a slow burn for sure.

I have so many mixed feelings regarding this book like at one side it was so enjoyable and easy to read but the other side had me rolling my eyes because the characters were cringy.

It is a simple and fun story. Might help get you out of a slump.

4.25 stars

Such a cute romance that weaves in substance and deeper themes such as healing, forgiveness and personal growth. I also loved the ADHD representation and dual narrators. Overall an easy listen and enjoyable story. Fans of romance who seek emotional substance will surely love this.

A ghost writer and a chef must work together to write the chef's cook book. Kieran is a celebrity chef and pretty full of himself outwardly. Ellie is a widow living with her in laws.

I thought this was a beautifully written story! I enjoyed Kieran and Ellie as they worked together, driving each other crazy, while they got to know one another. For a first novel, I thought it was a great read!

♥︎𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬-𝐭𝐨-𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬
♥︎𝐀𝐃𝐇𝐃 𝐑𝐞𝐩
♥︎𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐎𝐕

🎧𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
Hunter Johns & Kate Handford

✨thoughts✨
Ellie and Chef Kieran found themselves on the wrong foot while working on a cookbook together. Despite their initial dislike for each other, they were forced to spend time together and eventually formed a great friendship that had the potential to become something special.

♡︎ Their journey from friends to potentially something more was slow and gradual, living up to the title of the story. Ellie was still grappling with the loss of her husband, while Kieran's past was misunderstood.

🎧While their friendship was well-developed, their transition to a romantic relationship lacked chemistry for me. The narration felt a bit flat at times, which made the characters seem distant. However, I appreciated the unique story and the representation of ADHD. I will definitely keep an eye out for this author. her writing is amazing.

♡︎ If you enjoy slow-burn stories, this audiobook is worth a listen.

This book did not work for me. If I weren't listening to the audiobook I would not have finished it.
I was not a fan of the spice and felt there wasn't chemistry between the two main characters. Just loads of lust that came up in the most random moments.

The concept behind this story seemed like it could have the perfect balance of emotional depth and still being fun and playful. Sadly it didn't work for me.

Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy!

2.5 ⭐️ (rounded up)

THE SLOWEST BURN is aptly titled. This is a love story between two heavily damaged people that takes a long time to develop. Patience is required to let the relationship between Ellie and Kieran simmer to completion.

Ellie is a young widow hired to ghost write a cookbook with a hotshot chef who rocketed to fame after winning a reality cooking show. Kieran is the chef whose culinary brilliance is hampered by his crippling ADHD. They are opposites in every way imaginable, yet find themselves drawn to each other as they work together on the project.

Sarah Chamberlain packs this book full of familiar tropes: enemies-to-lovers, workplace romance, fake dating, forced proximity, opposites attract; that it sometimes feels overwhelming. The basic love story is enough - Ellie and Kieran are both looking for love, acceptance, and support - and they find that in each other.

There were times I wanted to scream at Ellie for allowing people to treat her like a doormat - her MIL, her brother, her employer - and I’m not sure she ever got the apologies she deserved.

I alternated between print and audio formats, and found the audiobook a bit inconsistent. Kate Handford’s narration of Ellie was spot on. She captured her vulnerability and emerging confidence beautifully. Hunter John provided Kieran’s voice and I thought it did not match the character. For someone with severe ADHD, the narrator’s slow, measured times seemed incongruous.

The cooking components of the book were quite enjoyable and were perfect analogies to the emerging romance between Ellie and Kieran. Overall, this was a satisfying read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copies in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you to SMP and MacMillan Audio for review copies!
TL;DR: A slow-burn romance that takes its time but ultimately delivers a well-developed, engaging female protagonist and a sweet, satisfying love story.

The Slowest Burn introduces Ellie, a female protagonist whose journey is beautifully narrated by Kate Handford, who truly brought her to life. Ellie’s backstory—marked by unexpected grief as a young widow and a complicated childhood that still affects her adult relationships—felt poignant and relatable. Chamberlain's writing, paired with Handford’s performance, added layers to Ellie's character, offering a powerful exploration of her challenges and personal growth throughout the romance. The nuanced depiction of how grief and loss shaped her connections with her in-laws and brother was especially well done.

Ellie’s evolving relationship with Kieran was another highlight. While "enemies to lovers" isn’t my favorite trope, this felt more like two wounded people learning to open up and realize how much they needed and wanted each other—and it worked beautifully.

While I enjoyed much of the story, I found Kieran’s perspective less compelling. Chamberlain's focus on neurodiversity was appreciated, but his chapters didn’t engage me as much as Ellie’s, and the male narration didn't help (which likely influenced my feelings). The pacing of the first 25% was also a bit slow, especially in the audiobook format. The dual POV may have contributed to the slower start, but once it found its rhythm, the story became much more captivating.

In short, if you find the beginning a bit slow, stick with it! The plot develops into a richly layered examination of Ellie’s character, and the romance heats up as well.

I liked this books a lot. Both characters have had tough pasts. Cooking calms them. When Elle and Kieran meet at first it’s like oil and water. Through communication and banter they have a recipe for success. I liked that they weren’t your typical leading characters. Kieran was short in stature and Elle was curvy. A more realistic love story. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily