You can tell from the first 5 chapters; The Romance Recipe is a unique contemporary romance. This novel gives dual points of view from two women working in the restaurant and food industry. Amy and Sophie both are pinning for each other but are not ready to confess their true feelings. This is not an enemies to lovers troupe but more closely related to a close proximity or work-related love affair.

I really enjoyed the humor the author used in the narrative. Some of the thoughts and dialogue made me laugh out loud. I would really love to continue reading this novel to see if the next two acts are as promising as the first!

I just finished reading the 5 chapter preview for The Romance Recipe - a novel about a restaurant owner (Amy) and her celebrity head chef (Sophie), who enter a cooking competition in the hopes that the publicity will help bring more heads into their restaurant.

This one took me a few chapters to get into. The characters didn’t grab me from the get-go, and I didn’t love that the owner of the restaurant was so heavily lusting after her employee (and her internal monologue can be a bit crass at times). But, their dynamic plays out more as teammates and eventually friends, so it wasn’t too bad. I didn’t really care too much about either main character until about the third chapter, when they started to open up and get to know each other better, but overall I far prefer Sophie to Amy.

I liked the restaurant dynamic, and most of the scenes were accurate to how I remember life in a restaurant kitchen being, so that was a plus. The small glimpse into the Hollywood side of things was interesting as well, and I liked Paul’s character (Sophie’s ex).

The story started out at a 2.5-3 stars for me and ramped up as it progressed, so hopefully that trend continues with the rest of the book. All in all, I’m on the fence at 3.5 stars. I think the story has potential and I will likely read the full book once it is released, but I’m not yet sold on Amy’s character.

I am seriously obsessed with this book. Cooking shows/books based on them don't immediately grab my attention usually, but I got so caught up in this book preview that I forgot it was only 5 chapters and got so sad to reach the end. I will definitely be buying this book to read the full thing.

Characters- 5 stars
Plot- 5 stars
Writing- 5 stars

✨4/5 ✨

I received the first five chapters of this novel in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley!

I need so much more after those first five chapters, it will definitely be added to be TBR list once it's released! I'm a sucker for witty comedy and playful fun and this delivered. I cannot wait to read the rest of The Romance Recipe, this sapphic novel will for sure be a fun summer read with drama, comedy, and love! The spice is SPICY 🌶🌶🌶, and the awkwardness is awkward, what more could you want? The romance and the quick trip into Amy and Sophie just made me feel comfy inside!

Pros:
- f/f workplace romance
- 🌶
- Super relatable characters!
- The food, so much food, gimme all the food

Cons:
- I need the rest of the book!
- Lacking some chemistry between the characters
- Biphobia, I get it, it's an easy grab at an LGBTQIA+ topic, but I'd love to start leaving the "normal" tropes at the door and just start experiencing LGBTQIA+ stories without the drama that we all live through with it! (Is that so much to ask!)

i wrote a bit of a longer review on goodreads but i’ll keep it shorter here.

i absolutely loved the fact that it took sophie a little longer to come to terms with being bisexual. i think this is one of my favorite aspects of this book because it’s so important to show that not every lgbtq+ person knows who they are in their teens. i did have a little trouble getting hooked on the main relationship. i just feel like they lack the necessary chemistry for me to root for them. i will be picking this book back up after its published because i feel like their relationship will get better as the book goes on.

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this preview in exchange for an honest review

For some reason I didn't know that there was mutual pining in this and I was LIVING for it. I just love that this book begins with Sophie and Amy practically in love with each other but both being like "I really got to stop liking her" 😂 I can tell that this will be a fun book with just the right amount of angst. Definitely looking forward to more!

Admittedly, I do think it'll take me a bit more time to really warm up to Amy. I'm glad she acknowledges when she's being overbearing and I understand being stressed, but I can also see how those things could affect her restaurant's success and relationship with Sophie (like it already has so far).

Totally hooked and now buying the whole book. The preview chapters weren’t enough and I want more!
What I loved:
Food/Restaurant setting
Queer
Humor
Awesome MC!

Thank you to the pub for this sneak peek!

I was lucky enough to get to preview the first 5 chapters of this book! Thank you!!!

Amy is a restaurant owner who has hired Sophie, a past cooking show micro celeb, and they both are in the midst of a failing business, and a budding crush!!!

From what I read, the writing was lovely, I liked the changing perspectives per chapter of this book, and the background of both characters was given so effortlessly! In just a few chapters I was able to get the feel of the characters, setting and feel excited about the yearning crushes of the two women toward each other!

I would recommend this book and cannot wait to read all of it soon! Is it publishing day yet?!

This is such an interesting snippet! I am so excited to read the full version. The characters are wonderfully realized!

this was sooo good and so hot!! i loved it thank you for letting me read a few pages!! I cant wait till the full book is in stores i will buy it!

Somehow this is my second reality TV show romance novel but I’m still not over it. I loved the first five chapters of this book. I was hooked on Sophie and Amy from the first few pages. I love the tension between them and I can’t stop thinking about their back stories. I can’t wait to finish this novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ruby Barrett for the early preview!

As a fan of restaurant shows, I was excited to check this out. The first part did not grab my attention, unfortunately. The characters already know each other, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I didn't feel like their prior relationship was shown very well in the first chapter besides the author telling us their feelings.

I was automatically hooked on this one! The first five chapters is not enough - I need more NOW!

This fresh take on a cooking show competition will surely be a wild ride! The main characters Amy and Sophie are darling and likable characters in every way.

I will definitely be thinking about this story until I can read the rest!

In this preview for "The Romance Recipe," we get the first five chapters as they alternate between the POVs of restaurant-owner Amy and her celerity head chef Sophie. The two are struggling to help their restaurant succeed, but also struggle with their mutual attraction to one another.

From this short preview, I really like the restaurant setting and the plot surrounding a TV competition. I am, of course, always into F/F romance. Unfortunately, the story feels like it starts in the middle of Amy and Sophie's relationship. They've been working together for a while and are both already crushing hard on each other. Personally I prefer a much more slow-burn romance, and while the two haven't actually begun their romance yet, it just feels too quick already. I could be wrong, but just based on the preview, I'm not very into the romance. However, I enjoyed Sophie's POV chapters quite a bit. I like her kinda awkward and aloof vibe. While I won't be continuing this book based on the preview, I'd suggest romance readers who like a fast paced book give this a try!

Thanks to NetGalley and Carina for letting me preview the first 5 chapters of this book. I will start by saying the first chapter was a bit of a slog and didn't have me immediately excited to read this book but once past it, I fell in love with these two women and their stories. Amy's backstory intrigues me and I cannot wait to learn more. She seems to have such a tough shell around her that I can't wait for Sophie to break through. Sophie is lacking in confidence but once it's back I can't imagine a hotter love interest and main character. Both main characters are written in such a believable way that I feel as though I know them. I can't wait to see how the show turns out and how their restaurant can be saved. I'm looking forward to the rest of the story which will probably bring my 3 stars up to a 4! Thanks!

So, I’ve only read the previewed 5 chapters, keep that in mind. It’s off to a really solid start. I love the writing. I love when romance is more than just romance but we have a bigger plot going on. I want to read more, I want to know how this is going to develop further.

This was a nice little teaser from the publisher where we get to meet our characters and the situations they’re in. I think zany and Sophie were pretty cool and I was loving the hidden Mutual Pining and tension. Liked the mention of book one characters because that is a book on my TBR I’ve been really wanting to get too. I think this preview did a really good job of setting up the issues that will pop up in this book and can’t wait to see how the rest of the book goes.

i wasn't able to finish this book. the main character's personally and narration was insufferable. she was annoying and two faced, and i just can't see myself ever enjoying her storytelling, no hate to the author or anyone involved, but it was just not my cup of tea. i got maybe 75 pages in before it was just too much for me. going in the did-not-finish pile.

I was excited to read this book and more than a little disappointed to only get the first few chapters. I figured (and as the publisher probably planned) that if I liked those chapters enough, I would buy the book once it's been published. I liked it well enough - the story was engaging and the characters were relatable. However, once I finished those chapters, I didn't really feel like reading the rest of the book. A little disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced preview of this title in exchange for an honest review.

The Romance Recipe follows Amy, a restaurant owner, who hopes that wooing a celebrity chef— Sophie— to run her kitchen will turn around her failing restaurant. Unfortunately, with the business still floundering after Sophie’s hire, Amy decides that the best way to improve their fortunes would be for Sophie to represent their restaurant on Sophie’s ex-fiance’s new reality TV cooking show. The kitchen and the competition are heating up, and Amy and Sophie find that sparks are flying between them as well. Will they be able to work together to save Amy and May’s, and potentially discover more in the process?

I so enjoyed getting to read this extended preview of the Romance Recipe. I’ve heard good things about Hot Copy, Barrett’s previous book, but hadn’t gotten the chance to read it myself. This was a great introduction to Barrett’s writing and the worlds of these characters, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more when the full book is out. 4 stars.