A Match Made on Main Street by Olivia Miles

I love a good second chance romance, but A Match Made On Main Street wasn't what I was expecting. The synopsis sounded great. I loved the idea of exes being forced together by unfortunate circumstances and reluctantly working together as feelings resurface. In this case, though, they both spent so much of the story feeling unsure about each other that by the time the finally got together it felt shaky and uneasy. I'm not convinced they won't break up again. Also, there was too much inner monologue and too many flowery descriptions that I started skimming to look for the actual meat of the story. I loved the food descriptions, the settings (that bookstore!!), and Rosemary was a joy. But overall, I was left disappointed.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

REVIEW:

Chef Anna Madison is broken-hearted when her restaurant is destroyed in a fire. Even though she has insurance and the place will be back up and running soon, she still has to provide food for the local bookstore’s coffee shop, which Anna co-owns along with her sisters. With her own industrial kitchen temporarily out of commission, her only option is to use the kitchen from Mark Hastings’ diner just a few blocks away. While it is nice of Mark to offer use of his space, it is also a bit awkward. See, Anna and Mark aren’t exactly friends, which has the potential make things a little awkward.

The two grew up together in Briar Creek and were actually pretty close while they were in culinary school. When their relationship ended suddenly, so did their friendship, and the two have some major unresolved feelings and issues after this relationship. Not one single soul in town (including their closest friends and family) know that they ever dated, much less fell in love. Everyone wonders why they go to such great lengths to avoid each other, but no one pushes too hard for the answer.

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I liked this story so much. It was so easy to read and I was once again pulled into the small-town charm of Briar Creek and everyone that lives there. While it didn’t hold quite the same amount of charm for me as the first book in the series, I did like the way that this story centered around two people with a shared passion for food. In fact, I love that Anna and Mark were working together to win a cooking competition – the contest added a nice amount of tension and forced the two to confront their past in a way that they may never have otherwise.

Speaking of the cooking competition, I love the way that entire event worked out – it actually surprised me! The contest (and preparation for it) was stressful for Anna and Mark, but it made for fun reading and was a great way to carry some of the tougher parts of the story. It was also a way for their friends and family to show their support, which is one of the best parts of this series (I LOVE the friend and family relationships here).

I love the way Grace and Luke weaved into this story, and I also love guessing at subsequent plot lines to come with some of the other characters’ side stories. If I could change anything, I wouldn’t have minded reading about the painful past between Anna and Mark a bit less – it was somewhat repetitive – but this was really just a small nagging detail for me and it didn’t keep me from enjoying the story at all. I’m anxious to dive into the third book and will be starting it right away.

I love Olivia Miles. Her books are such romantic, feel good books.