Just finished "Hot Honey Love" by Nan Campbell, and wow, it’s a five-star feast for the senses! As chef Stef grapples with the fallout from her viral kitchen disaster, her journey to reclaim her passion through YouTube cooking videos with aspiring filmmaker turned wedding videographer is both hilarious and heartwarming. I loved how Campbell captures the tension between Stef’s culinary world and Mallory’s anxiety-driven reluctance. Campbell creates a rich tapestry of flavors and emotions & the chemistry between the two MCs is electric. Both Stef and Mallory's growth throughout the story is beautifully rendered.

If you adored Nan's previous works, or this is your first venture into her writing, you’re in for a treat—this one’s a delicious blend of humor, romance, and self-discovery that you won't want to miss! Thank you Nan for sharing this ARC and NetGalley for delivering it.

After crashing and burning on a TV cooking show, Stef needs to rehab her image. A friend suggests YouTube cooking segments, but to do it she needs a filmmaker.

Mallory Radowski is extremely reluctant to help out, even when a classmate asks her. And she's dealing with anxiety, which complicates matters. But she makes the video, it does well... and now Stef wants her to do it again!

Stef being really, REALLY pushy with Mallory over eating her food comes across pretty badly. Just saying. For all she knew Mallory could have a food allergy and sampling could have knocked her over dead.

Very very mid, honestly. Not bad but didn't really pull me in.

2.5 stars out of 5. Rounding up to three.

Nan Campbell strikes again with this amazing push and pull romance. I loved the interaction, slight slowburn, low angst love story.
One MC has a heart of gold and feels everything deeply that I want to wrap up and protect her.
The other MC is anxiety driven and closed off because of her extreme anxiety disorder. Watching her take charge over some instances of her anxiety was heartfelt moments. Campbell handles the at times debilitating anxiety well. She does not minimize the impact that anxiety can take over your life.
I enjoyed the secondary characters. They were well done.
I see this as a more pause and continue romance than an angsty romance as their was no major breakup or fight to reconnect with, which is a refreshing change.
I will look forward to more books in the future by Nan Campbell and will continue to follow her.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out soon. This just wasn't for me. I couldn't get passed the main character not respecting the other main characters boundaries more and more, simply because she was upset that they didn't share the same passion for food, and it felt like it got framed that the pressure was a good thing. Pressure doesn't help arfid or any other eating disorder. Communication does.

I really loved this book! I didn’t want it to end. It was super light hearted while at the same time dealing with some pretty heavy subject matter. I was hooked from the moment I saw the title!

Mallory and Stef fit together like puzzle pieces. Where a slot was missing from one the other had the perfect shape to fill in the gap. It was like they completed each other even they couldn’t have been more different. Mallory needed Stef’s outgoing nature to force her out of her comfort zone and give her the courage to try new things reach for new opportunities. Stef needed Mallory’s composure and level-headedness to help her organize her jumbled thoughts turn her ideas into reality.

I really loved the portrayal of anxiety in this book. Mallory’s struggle with the bees in her head giving her trouble was so relatable and I liked that it didn’t change overnight. By the end of the book it wasn’t like she’d been magically cured of her anxiety just because she fell in love.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants a lighthearted, opposites attract romance. I really enjoyed this read and I’m definitely going to be listening to the audiobook in the near future. Thanks so much to Nan Campbell, Bold Strokes Books, and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Books with chefs, bakers, foodies, are always appreciated and they tend to deliver for me like the meals/desserts that are highlighted. Here, Stef is a chef, a person who feels so deeply, emotions pour from her at will. To be honest, I worried about her from the start when it felt like I was seeing someone who wore their feelings not only on their sleeve, but stapled to their forehead, in neon. Then there were moments I wondered how her passionate-in-all-feelings-all-the-time character was going to interact with our other MC Mallory. Mallory, a quieter and more reserved person, has anxiety, manifested through several behaviors that don’t lend themselves to being friendly or close to Stef. I found the portrayal of that character very well done. I especially appreciated her dealing with anxeity as very authentic. As someone who also suffers from anxiety, it was also very relatable. While there were moments in the story that felt like they were “hitting too close to home” it was also moving to see how Mallory not only managed it, but moved along with it in a way that was satisfying while also being realistic. Something that was also such a great relief was seeing anxiety portrayed as something that must be managed as opposed to “cured.” The journey our MC’s took to their HEA was robust and thoughtful, and I appreciate that it wasn’t too bumpy (heightened angst = heightened anxiety right?) Between the food and their HEA, definitely satisfying.

Chef Stef’s passion for her profession is being severely tested. After a disastrous appearance on a cooking competition show, she has become a meme. The entire Internet now knows her as the Kitchen Bawler. Her ascent through the fine dining kitchens of New York City has been thoroughly derailed, but she has a plan to get her career back on track. She’ll make cooking videos on YouTube to foil the algorithm and overhaul her search engine results. One problem: she knows nothing about creating video content.

Enter Mallory Radowski. She’s a talented filmmaker currently earning a living as a wedding videographer, with complicated reasons of her own for her reluctance to help Stef. Mallory lives with anxiety, and is the pickiest eater imaginable. Food—Stef’s love language—is untranslatable to her. How can she make Stef’s food look delicious if she won’t eat any of it?

This was a hit for me. I loved both Stef and Mallory. I totally relate to Mallory, and major props to the author for excellent mental health representation with anxiety. Utterly brilliant. I love how both women have their own things going on, and I really enjoyed the chemistry between them. I highly recommend this if you enjoy sapphic romances!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Stef es una chef que participó en un programa de competencia culinaria, pero las cosas no salieron como esperaba y terminó convirtiéndose en el blanco de las burlas y ahora es un meme. Dos años después, sigue arrastrando las secuelas de ese fracaso, lo que le impide conseguir buenos trabajos. Entonces decide reinventarse y crear contenido para YouTube, y es ahí cuando alguien le recomienda a Mallory, una talentosa cineasta.

El libro resulta entretenido, aunque hay mucha falta de comunicación entre Stef y Mallory, lo que genera varios conflictos entre ellas.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so sweet! Low angst, high on personal improvement, yummy food, and a fresh take on grumpy/sunshine. I really enjoyed both MC’s. Mallory was such an interesting character. I’m no expert on anxiety but it seemed like Nan Campbell did her research. I wasn’t sure if Mal’s bursts of bravado and the leap she made towards the end were realistic- but maybe? Stef was so endearing. I loved how big hearted she was and how she knew what was important to her. The book kept me turning the pages- I was interested in the characters’ stories but I’d say more so as individuals than a couple, at the end of the day, though there was romance and steam. Shining through it all is the author’s charming writing style.

Also, I LOVED the bonus recipe at the end. What a treat, I’ll definitely be trying it!

Thanks to Nan Campbell, Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️I have already read about characters suffering from anxiety, but Mallory is very unique, she has general anxiety disorder and Campbell stayed true to the character until the end and I really applaude her for it. Stef is THE goldenretriever girlfriend type and an the type that wears all her emotions on her sleeve. These two could not be more different. I admit I wondered why Stef liked Mallory at first, but then I was totally sold. Mallory has a system to control her anxiety and it includes food, so when they start having feelings for each other and Stef can't express her love language the way she usually does, its a real chinese puzzle. So the building of their relationship was unique and took the time needed. Let me tell you I was so touched of how patient, loving and understanding Stef is.

This is a a different take on an opposites attract trope, featuring Stef (a talented chef whose love languages are food and touch) and Mallory (a closed off, self-described anxious, picky eater).

I think that Mallory and Stef are really unique, both having their own individual quirks and struggles. It was far fetched with Mallory's issues would go on tv and etc.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a low drama, low stress but highly emotionally driven read. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book will make you swooooonnnn.

I love Stef but Mallory is equally special, this only shows what a great job Campbell did in bringing two complex characters alive.

Stef, a passionate chef, aims to showcase her culinary skills through YouTube videos, after a blunder in a competition makes her an internet meme. She's hoping that talented filmmaker Mallory Radowski will help push her food content. However Mal who suffers from anxiety can seem standoffish and is incredibly particular when it comes to food.

While the two are both attracted to each other, they must figure out a way to work together to achieve their individual dreams. This story really takes you on a journey of growth, respect, love and understanding between Mal and Stef.

Its a slow burn, but worth it. I truly felt like i was in the book, in every scene, feeling everything Stef and Mal was going through.

Mal's anxiety was written really well, it was heavy and real and you can see the impact of it in how Mal reacts and lives her life. Nan really smashed it out the park with this book.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I can't quite explain why but I struggled to get through this one. The writing was good, and there was humor, and spice, and banter. However, something just didn't click for me to fully enjoy it. I will say though, I did like the characters.

I think that Mallory and Stef are really unique, both having their own individual quirks and struggles. Although, as someone else said in their review, it did seem a bit far fetched that Mallory could be comfortable going on television and eating a new food when her anxiety issues seem so intense up until that point in the book.

Overall, this book isn't my favorite of Campbell's, but even though it didn't work well for me, I still think a lot of people will really like this one. 3.7/5 stars rounded up.

Stef, a talented chef, finds herself trying to rebuild her career after her big emotions turn her into a meme. Mallory, an uninspired filmmaker, struggles to navigate society with her burden of anxiety. When a mutual friend introduces them and they start recording cooking videos for YouTube together, us readers get to watch a beautiful, real, raw, authentic relationship unfold and bloom.

I seriously really loved this book. I LOVED how Campbell portrayed anxiety - I saw so much of myself and my own experience with generalized anxiety in Mallory. I also loved getting to see Stef and Mallory navigate getting to know each other - they had REAL conversations that weren't necessarily "fun" or "dramatic" but its so incredibly important to see healthy communication.

Pun not originally intended, but a thousand chef's kisses to Campbell and Hot Honey Love 👩‍🍳💋

I liked this novel a lot. There are several things going on at once which I like. Both protagonists had their own things going on in addition to their shared plotlines, which made the story and characters feel a lot more real. In addition to cooking and YouTube, this novel spent a lot of time on one of the characters anxieties, which were handled well. There were several elements to this plot which were fairly original (in my experience) so this novel was a different and refreshing experience. I would recommend this novel for sure. I am rounding up to 5-stars because we can’t give partial stars, so consider it a low (but still earned) 5-stars.

Very minor spoilers below (nothing that the first two chapters doesn’t reveal!):

Highlights:
-The big standout, in my opinion, was the representation of anxiety in this novel. not only was it a realistic and accurate representation of how it can affect someone, but it was presented in a clever way that I think would be easy to understand for someone who doesn’t experience it (not that I would know as anxiety and me go way back). This was a much larger focus of this novel than I expected it to be but I didn’t mind in the slightest as it was done well; it significantly influenced the plot of the novel and was treated sympathetically in the text.
-I particularly like the representation of someone who has experience dealing with anxiety and demonstrated these skills and techniques. The character identified catastrophization and other problematic thought patterns, name-dropped cognitive behavioral therapy, and generally demonstrated that the author knows what they are talking about. The depiction of anxiety as a lifelong-companion that needs to be managed was perfect.
-Any novel that directs characters to therapy gets bonus points from me!
-Competence as a kink? Yes please.
-These characters were incredibly sweet together. They were supportive and adorable and it was heartwarming. When things were going well, they also had great chemistry together!
-The relationship didn’t fall into formulaic tropes in terms of progression or timeline. So many novels follow identical structures, so it was delightful that this one didn’t!
-Apparently, I really like reading about people loving food. More than once I was hungry while reading but my subconscious thought food was coming because I was reading about cooking. Food wasn’t coming though. Interesting experience.

Nitpicks:
-Mallory’s endless and repetitive negative self-thoughts got frustrating to read, and ill say it again, repetitive. That said, this was a very accurate depiction of what living with that kind of anxiety feels like. Her negative self-thoughts were irrational, which was frustrating, but those kinds of thoughts ARE irrational. From a narrative point of view, I disliked it as it felt like bad writing (she was so dense to what other people were actually saying!) but in actuality I know that it was excellent writing and incredibly accurate to the real-world experience. Sometimes reality makes for unrealistic fiction. I wanted to comment on this as I can easily see it annoying readers, but it didn’t count against the novels score because it was ultimately very realistic.
-This couple absolutely suffered from a lack of communication at times, which is one of my most disliked tropes. Some of this could be attributed to the anxiety issue and gets a pass, but not all of it. This knocked the novel down a few pegs for me, but I still liked it enough to round up to 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This review was left voluntarily.

Slow burn but just at the point I was getting a bit impatient for the mains to connect a bit more, they did. Up to that point I had been interested because little by little they were finding their way to each other. I was learning a wee bit about the barriers one main had, and wanted to find out more. I did, and that’s when I felt pace was beginning to stutter, but the writer moved things forward. Around 70% I felt there was another stutter. Again, the writer did a lovely thing with potato chips, but this time a bit behind the pace stutter. Nearly a 4 but the pace faltered too many times for an upgrade. Especially as when they did finally work things out I was a bit “ok” rather than savouring every detail. In the end I was a bit glad for them, but glad it was over… Those bits were nearly a 3. Having said that I really liked one mains attitude with her nemeses towards the end. Also the family day and epilogue.

Stef is a chef who a contestant in a cooking show but became a laughing stock when she had meltdown after the star of the show cruelly berates her. Now she working at dead end job because no one would take her seriously after what happened on the show. Mallory is videographer filming weddings it’s not what she wants to go but it’s pays the bills she has anxiety is shy struggles with touch and is an incredibly picky eater which is why she was reluctant to help Stef at first. Stef and Mallory working relationship is a success and their show becomes a hit as they grow closer romantically it did drag a bit because they both assume what the other was thinking instead of talking to each other but other then that overall good read.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Mallory with her bees in Hot Honey Love is one of the most intense mental health representations in romance books I've read. Stef, for the most part, was very supportive and understanding friend, co-worker and, in the end, lover. Because Stef wasn't perfect and didn't do or say always the right thing made her more real and relatable.

Hot Honey Love is a romance about dreams, emotions, growing, learning, and respect. And it is hot.

This was a good read! I really enjoyed the plot and the characters. The story was well written and engaging. I would definitely recommend!

What a story. The layers that kept getting peeled back had me thinking about it all day and night when I wasn’t reading. Absolutely loved both MCs. The way Mallory’s anxiety was written was unlike any book I’ve read, and the sensitivity and care from Stef was perfect. So badly want all her recipes and to watch both the Hot Honey Love YouTube channel and Mallory’s movie. Absolutely recommend this book. It’s so much more than what meets the eye. Oh and the steam, be ready for it...