It''s really fun to read a well written food romance! This slow burn romance was pretty good and believable. It is important to note the FMC is a widow.

The back and forth between the main characters voices was smooth and I felt like added to the story. I'd recommend for a fun foodie read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have the ALC as well as the galley of this… so I’ve tried multiple mediums to get into this. I know it’s called The Slowest Burn… but the story is very slow. I’m having a hard time caring about the characters and I just think this one isn’t for me.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and St Martins for the gifted copy of this book.

This is a sweet, opposites attract love story. Ellie is an uber organized cookbook ghost writer dealing with (or perhaps not dealing with) the death of her husband three years prior. Kieran is a sous chef at one of SF’s fanciest restaurants. As his star continues to rise, he struggles to break out of the box the media and his family put him in. He also deals with a severe case of ADHD.

Both of the characters grow TREMENDOUSLY over the course of the story, both in healing from personal trauma and in their relationship with each other. They go from hating each other to in love, but we mostly just see the hating each other and early signs of thaw, then it skips to having feelings. I wish we’d seen more of the in-between period where they become friends before falling in love. The author sort of tells us that it happens rather than shows us, and I think a few extra scenes in the middle where there’s little to no tension, either antagonist or sexual, would have made their love story feel so much more authentic. Overall, not a deal breaker though — still an amazing story.

I also LOVED the cooking aspect of it. I dare you to read this and not want to learn to make risotto or supreme an orange. Absolutely delightful!

Audio: This dual POV story is performed by two different narrators. Ellie’s POV is handled by Kate Handford, one of my favorite narrators that I didn’t even recognize! In the books I’ve listened to her narrate so far, she has a slight Canadian accent and much of the dialogue requires a Scottish accent. I am so surprised it’s the same voice because there’s no hint of the accent in this performance, just perfect cadence and her soothing voice. Kieran’s POV is performed by Hunter John and it was fine. Generally solid, but there were a few times I heard him swallow or take a break that weren’t part of the story. It’s not hugely distracting and not a dealbreaker for me, especially with Kate Handford narrating the other POV.

Overall ratings
Exact star rating: 4.44
5-pt star rating: 4

Attribute ratings
Characters: 3.5
Atmosphere/Setting: 5
Writing Style: 4.5
Plot/Pacing: 5
Intrigue: 4
Logic: 4.5
Enjoyment: 4.5

Thank you so much NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for giving me access to this audiobook!
The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain will be released on Oct 1st, it's a heartwarming romance where we follow Ellie Wasserman, a meticulous ghostwriter who is still healing from her past who meets the charming and messy chef Kieran O’Neill.
They are tasked with working together on Kieran’s debut cookbook, their initial differences lead to sharp tensions, but over time, their professional partnership turns into an unexpected attraction.
It's a perfect read for foodie lovers, people who love a slow burn romance with personal growth!
As for the audiobook, I loved the narration, especially from the female voice, it was done perfectly! And even as I was listening at 2x speed it still was engaging and not boring.

2.5 stars. I wanted to like this, but unfortunately, it just fell flat for me.

Pros:
- The cover art is so cute, and is what initially drew me into the book
- This has one of the most accurate representations of ADHD that I’ve ever read in a book
- As someone who hates to cook, all of these recipes actually made me want to learn to cook
- There were tender moments that were sweet

Cons:
- I didn’t feel like Ellie and Kieran had chemistry; to me, it felt like they were really ill suited to each other
- Everyone was horrible to Ellie. They all treated her with disrespect, and that’s not something that ever really changed. Her mother-in-law never once apologized for the way she acted and treated Ellie. Her brother didn’t apologize for overstaying his welcome and letting Floyd out. Kieran acted so immaturely and had constant outbursts.
- There were entirely way too many tropes thrown together; she was a widow, fake dating, friends with benefits, enemies to lovers, coworkers, etc. They didn’t work for me.
- It felt like the author was drawing off of so many other author’s works that I didn’t really get a feel for the type of author she is; all of that really made it obvious this was a debut novel

As stated above, I really wanted to like it, and I did stick it out even though I contemplated DNF’ing it several times, but it just wasn’t it for me.

The Slowest Burn is the story of Ellie and Kieran, two lost souls who find comfort in each other. I enjoyed the character development and focus on cooking throughout the book, but I did not care for how the story evolved. Instead of feeling like a delicious, tension-building slow burn, the enemy vibes at the beginning felt caricature-like and the it just felt like the pacing was off. The "spice" also seemed abrupt and just awkward. The narration felt subdued, which ultimately I think worked for this story. Overall, this was a decent read, but it just wasn't my favorite.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for gifting me with an ALC to review! All opinions are my own.

This was the best! Aside from the foodie aspect, it was a great reminder of worth and boundaries. I loved the chemistry and would love to read the cookbooks!

Thank you Netgalley smp and MacMillan audio for the free ALC and earc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I loved the narration the voices were pleasing to listen to.the story I'm still a little confused what the story was there was lots of little things happening and not a fan of 3rd act breakup...

3.5/5☆

This was such a beautiful love story. I did love both characters, a widow and a chef :) there was two main spicy parts so that wasn’t overwhelming. Seeing how their love grew from making a cookbook together was very special.

I also loved it was based in the Bay Area bc some of the cities mentioned were where I used to live and met my husband.

Both narrators were awesome!

So you like to read romance...lucky for you, I've found your next favorite romance author. Do you enjoy authors like Tarah Dewitt, Katherine Center, Sarah Adams, and Abby Jimenez? Go ahead and add Sarah Chamberlain to the list, because you've stumbled onto the review one of my favorite romance reads of 2024. I can save you a few minutes of reading by telling you to just buy it. This is one you're going to want to chronicle on your bookshelves at home. It's so good. But if you still want the deetz, I got you.

Ellie is a cookbook ghostwriter living in the cottage house of her dead husband's parents. He died three years ago, leaving her a widow in her late twenties. Since then, she's thrown herself into her work, saving money to eventually buy her own place and get back on her feet. Unfortunately, the client of her latest project is less than genial. In fact, he's all but openly hostile. She's got the writing & cooking skills she needs to do a great job, but she can't write a book in this guy's voice unless she knows...literally anything...about him. Kieran recently won a prestigious televised cooking contest and his agent is looking to capitalize on the flash of fame. Putting out a cookbook is the obvious step forward, except it feels like schoolwork, and Kieran has never been good at that. In fact, he's been exceptionally bad at it, and this project is stirring up a lot of old insecurities.

Oh, but this book is delicious. There is something in reading about food, even if it's food you'd never want to eat yourself. Happy croissants? I can get behind that. A blood orange and duck confit salad? Yeah, that's not going into my mouth. But reading about it? I mean, it's sexy. It's sexy when someone takes such care in choosing and preparing ingredients to assemble a bite that will do pleasant things in your mouth. Food is romance (or at least it can be, and in this book, trust me, it is).

But I haven't even gotten to the swoony bits yet! Let's take the title, The Slowest Burn. I mean, with a title and a cover like that (LOOK HOW PRETTY IT IS), you just know you're in for a treat, and Chamberlain did not disappoint.

What is it we love about a slow burn romance? The longing. The intimacy of getting to know someone so completely before jumping in the sack, right? The deep and honest friendship with possibility that simmers and fizzles just underneath every interaction. Check. Check. Check.

Ellie and Kieran are both misunderstood. They each have trauma from their formidable years that shaped them into what they currently are: functioning adults with relationship issues (aren't we all). Through the forced proximity of the cookbook project, which they both need to do well, their layers of armor weaken around each other as they connect over the food they're creating together. A true bond forms between them that emulsifies into something simply irresistible.

Both main characters have depth and realistic internal conflict they need to work through. Ellie needs to work on enforcing boundaries, and Kieran has always been too much for most people to handle and is a little too eager to employ his coping mechanisms.

But it's not all about the romance! There are many other types of relationships explored in these pages: professional, familial (siblings, parents, in-laws), and friendships. Themes of grief are discussed as well as learning disabilities. The FMC is plus sized, the MMC isn't super tall, both are simply integrated into the characterization and not flouted around just to be 'Inclusive'. So much good stuff to chew on in this book!

I read this book as an advanced listening copy from the publisher & netgalley. I devour audiobooks like Ellie devours frites, and this one was no exception. Both narrators did a great job. Occasionally I could hear a few mouth sounds from Hunter Johns, but to be honest, I actually liked that. *blushes*

So in conclusion, this book is amazing, and you all should read it. Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk.

What a fantastic read! This book is heartwarming, deep and reflective with light moments to keep it from being too heavy.

This story follows Ellie would has been in a bit of rut in every element of her life. When she is hired to be a ghost writer for chef Kieran. Despite wanting to write this cookbook Kieran struggles to keep structure in the process or get a system in place to get the task done and Ellie might be his worst nightmare with her regimented routine. This book mentions grief, unhealthy family life as well as someone who struggles with self esteem.

What I loved about this book is the way that the characters felt real and believable but also someone you really want to root for. Ellie and Kieran are sweet and I was rooting for them really early on. I loved how they both grew and saw themselves changing the more time they spent together but to them it was almost unnoticeable. The struggle or "misunderstanding" in the third act made sense and really made the characters more believable. Someone who reacts perfectly in the worst of situations, especially when your partner is lashing out at you, isn't realistic but I also didn't feel like it was a stupid issue that could be solved in two minutes of communicating. The issues that they face are real issues that sometimes you need a few minutes or days to think through. I really loved this book and will definitely be checking out more books from this author.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves cooking and romance. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story.

This was divine. I devoured it in 24 hrs.

Give me a chef romance and I’m already sold but then add so much substance we have grief, adhd, addiction, people pleasing, parent neglect and two strong stoic main characters with off the charts chemistry and you’ve got a great romance right here.

Chamberlain has a new fan in me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martins Press, and St. Martin's Griffith for this advanced copy! You can pick up The Slowest Burn on September 24, 2024.

Was this chef romance adorable and sweet? Absolutely. Was it also chock-full of grief and emotionally charged moments between loved ones? You bectcha. I really appreciated how Sarah Chamberlain handled so many kinds of moments between characters so well, including Kieran's struggles with his ADHD and Ellie's people-pleasing destructiveness. The way food played a role in their romance was charming, but it also hit home how much food is about people and community.

If you enjoy hate-to-love, fake-dating, and chef romance, this is your book!

Sarah Chamberlain's debut novel, The Slowest Burn is the perfect heartwarming, sweet escape. This adorable, foodie-filled romance features grumpy sunshine vibes and a slow-burn love story. The characters are relatable and their banter is delightful.
Publication date- September 24, 2024

The narrators did a great job with this book, adding to the chemistry between the two main characters. The slowest burn is just that a slow burn romance, slowly growing and learning each other as they work on a cook book together. He’s a big time chef and she’s a writer.


🔹fake dating
🔹slow burn

I won't lie, I picked this book because of the food, and I was not disappointed. Ellie is a ghostwriter who had big dreams before being widowed at 27. Now 30, she is asked to work on a book for a younger chef dubbed the "pirate leprechaun" and she can't even pin him down to talk to her.
Kieran isn't sure how this cookbook situation is going to work. He is dyslexic and it takes him extra time to read and write so he just basically finds work arounds so he doesn't have to. It is why he became a chef. Now Ellie is asking more of him than he can handle.
The two butt heads until they are forced to spend a week together and hammer out recipes and an idea for the book. While together, they learn more about one another and Ellie learns she has been going about it all wrong.
Kieran knows that Ellie is too good for him but he can't help but fall for her, bit by bit. They are working together so it is off limits and Ellie loves her rules, but maybe she has been looking out for everyone for too long and this time she needs to take what she needs.
Kieran was smitten from the get go and I loved that about him. I loved how both Ellie and Kieran were so patient with one another (after the beginning) and how they gave each other what they needed. This book was so sweet and sent a great message. 4.5 Stars.
The audio was well done.
Thanks to McMillian, Netgalley and Sarah Chamberlain for an early Audio Copy.

I thought this was well done for a debut! I really enjoyed how much depth these characters had. They had a fun banter, but they were also characters that had been through a lot and that really added to the relationship. I think this one is perfect for romance readers, and of course readers who enjoy a good slow burn. I also really enjoyed the dual pov and the narrators for this audiobook did a great job!