I liked this one! I loved that it was set in a restaurant, I think it set it apart from others. The characters were interesting - I geniunely liked them! 4 stars :)

A sweet rom com with a cute storyline. And a story that has food and recipes in it!! Does it get much better than that.!?

Nope, had to DNF this one for now because I'm already not feeling the writing style including the recipes being randomly inserted within the chapters. I feel as if I continue I will slip into a reading slump. Moving on for now to something else and I may revisit this one in the future.

This book had such promise and I had such high hopes (also, THIS COVER!! Gorgeous!), but it was such a miss.

The two main characters have zero chemistry, and seemingly go from loathing one another to being indifferent to being in love quite quickly - which wouldn't have bothered me AS MUCH if they had chemistry. I was also really struggling to figure out what story the book was trying to tell, and what was even happening for some portions of it. There's a part in the latter half of the book, after Lumi has an accident, that was particularly "What is even going on here" - and it comes off as a "Ugh, I'm not sure that sits right with me" kind of way.

I would have loved more of an exploration of Lumi's relationship with food and emotions, because that was really the heart of the book, and where the story had the most promise - but it almost seems like this was just dropped in to make the rest of the (not the best) story plausible.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Paperbacks, & HarperCollins for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

Doesn't it suck when an anticipated release isn't nearly as good as you wanted it to be?

The story starts with Lumi, our main character, struggling to keep up with bills at her restaurant. Due to her off-the-cuff cooking style, it's difficult to maintain a steady base of customers, and her restaurant eventually goes under. She ends up as a sous chef for one of the pickiest, most demanding chefs in New York City, Julien Dax--who promptly decides he wants to bang her.

And that, my friends, is the crux of my issue with this book. I felt no chemistry between the two leads. I saw no reason for them to want to be together. And considering this is a romance, that's a pretty big deal! The relationship is the whole reason you read the dang book! I also thought this would be a bit more hate-to-love than it was, so that was a bit disappointing, but blurbs aren't always accurate so I feel like I can't really hold that against it.

There was also a weird fantastical element that came out of nowhere and I was very confused. I didn't remember seeing anything about that in the summary, so it just felt very out of left field for this genre of book. It wasn't exactly bad, but it didn't feel like it felt with the rest of the book.

I did enjoy the writing style. It wasn't anything crazy spectacular, but it was smooth and made this book easy to read, which is something I value in a romance. I want to be able to turn my brain off for a while and just enjoy the ride, and the writing style did that for me! One of my favorite things about this book was that recipes for most, if not all, the dishes mentioned were at the end of chapters. It would be really fun for a book club to read this and then when they talk about it, have a little potluck where everyone brings a dish from the book. Or just, you know, cook some delicious food for yourself.

Overall, I think this book was just way off the mark from my expectations for it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't really up my alley either.

I thought the premise of this book was super fun, and the stand-offish relationship between the two main characters made this a rollercoaster read. I'm a fan of books with a enemies-to-lovers vibe, but I did struggle with this book a little bit because the love interest honestly seemed like a jerk for so much of the book, and I'm not sure how redeemable he really was - at least given how quickly the turnaround was from rivals to lovers. I wish the relationship had been different in this book because I like everything else so much. Still an entertaining read though.

This was an interesting read for me. I fell in love with Lumi right away. She's sweet, she's dedicated to her family and her culture, she is a strong, hardworking woman that will not give up on her dreams. But honestly, I feel like Julien never could deserve her and that they were written in a somewhat imbalanced way where you absolutely love her, and he's just so-so. It's written that he's perceived as cocky and obnoxious, and we see bits and pieces of him not being that way, but not enough to really override the initial impression. Lumi hated him and the beginning, and I don't think we got enough of the "true Julien" to really understand how she went from hating him to loving him. It went from hate to love very quickly - after one deep conversation. I wish there was more time spent on that aspect of their connection.

I will read more by Yaffa Santos in the future, because it was an interesting read, written beautifully, but it just needed a little more in the evolution of their relationship. I felt like I got to know them as individuals, but not how and why they worked as a couple.

Lumi is a chef who just opened up her own restaurant, Caraluna in New York City. Julien is a chef who has a highly successful restaurant, DAX. They both has VERY different cooking styles, and when Lumi's restaurant goes under, she's forced to accept a sous chef position at DAX working directly with Julien. Will Lumi's influence have an effect on Julien's overall demeanor in the kitchen? And will Julien change Lumi's opinions on serious relationships? Read to find out!

What I found to be most interesting was Lumi's ability to sense the emotions of whoever cooks the food she eats. It adds an interesting, fantastical element to this adult contemporary novel. I just wish there was more about it in the book, but it does affect the storyline pretty significantly.

I really enjoyed the banter between Lumi and Julien, and there is a bit of love at first sight as a trope. They balance each other well, and each mellows the other in different ways. Julien is such a sweet man under the hard exterior of ball busting head chef of a fancy French restaurant. The dichotomy within his personality is well done. Out of the two, he is my favorite due to something he does for Lumi about halfway through.

This book also made me SUPER hungry when I was reading because there was so much description of cooking!!

A Taste of Sage is a spicy novel in which two feisty cooks go head to head in the kitchen. Told in alternating povs, our main characters, Lumi and Julian, give us glimpses into their life as a chef. Coming from different food backgrounds and having strong personalities, they tend to butt heads when it comes to cooking. Lumi’s background is In Dominican food and Julian cooks primarily French food. After Lumi’s restaurant folds she takes a job at Julian’s restaurant.

As Lumi works he way through navigating DAX’s kitchen she finds it hard to adjust. Lumi is a cook that likes to experiment with a lot of flavors and Julien comes off as a chef that prefers to cook by the book. Because of their differences, they butt heads at first, but once Julien sees how talented of a cook that she is then he loosens up the reins. As readers would expect things heat up in the kitchen quickly between the two chefs. Their fiery personalities ended up meshing together well once they let their guards down. The two try to deny their feelings but its hard for them to ignore each other when they work in such close proximity.

Those this book was a bit flat in the first half, the second half made up for it. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there is something about this novel where it loses some of its zest. Other than that I enjoyed this novel. I liked the aspect of Lumi’s synthesia when it came to eating others cooking. It gave the story a a somewhat magical feel and added a personal touch to the plot. Another aspect I enjoyed about the food in this novel is the fusion of cultures into each dish. It was interesting to see a new twist on traditional recipes and I found a couple of recipes I’d like to try myself. Reading this novel made me hungry with all the vivid descriptions of food.

This novel was rich with aspects of Dominican culture and I love how Lumi was not only proud of her heritage but also wanted to share it with others through her cooking. The romance was sweet and it was interesting to see how it developed further, even after they faced so many obstacles in their own lives and together as a couple. This was a fun read with a enemies-to-lovers romance trope but more importantly its about the power of food and its healing powers to mend relationships and how it makes you reminisce about the good times.

Very cute book. It's fun and romantic. Julien seems stuck up and an purist of culinary french arts, and Lumi is such a fiery, passionate spirit that it's no surprise sparks fly. I felt it was a very predictable premise and story. I felt that the writing could've been better when developing the love story since some things did feel like one moment they irritate one another and then the next they're in love. I wish their was a little bit more of an organic build up but this book is good and still a joy to read.

3.5 stars!

A sweet romance with delicious food in every chapter that will leave you hungry and ready to try out some recipes at home!

I loved that Lumi was Dominican and we got to learn so much not only about her culture through her family but also through her food. She's such a strong woman and has worked so hard to be successful and I loved that she never gave up on her dream even when it felt like things would never work out.

I also really enjoyed Julien's character. He had an interesting backstory that I honestly wouldn't have minded seeing more of in terms of his family and his relationships with them but overall I loved what a great guy he was, even though to people who don't know him well they think he's a huge dick. It's actually interesting that he's perceived as this rude, kind of douchy guy to work with but he's really the opposite. Yes, he cares a lot about his restaurant and has high expectations for the people who work there but I wouldn't say his expectations aren't realistic or things that any person would expect from people.

The one thing that I found lacking a bit, even though I did enjoy it a lot was the romance. It all felt a bit superficial and like the foundation of the relationship/feelings came out of nowhere. I feel like we got those moments of seeing Julien be interested in her, but I never really understood how Lumi went from hating him to suddenly wanting to jump his bones? Also same for Julien in the sense of: I don't know how he went from being interested in this fire cracker woman who caught his eye to suddenly not being able to live without her and putting all his cards on the table after he talked to her outside of work one time. It all just felt so fast and insta-lovey and even though I was rooting for them the whole way through, I can't deny that the romance could've been written better. Perhaps if they spent more time actually getting to know each other, seeing them connect a few times and see that progression of "stranger who I'm intrigued by" to "wow this person is not who I thought they were and I'm liking what I'm seeing/learning about them".

Overall, I would definitely read more by this author and I think that if you love books about cooking/food this will definitely be the book for you!

This was a fun romance with a hint of magical realism thrown in since the heroine has the ability to sense a person’s emotions while that person was cooking food. At times, it seems like a bit much - a bit too easy of a trick for the author to move the plot along. However, I enjoy romances based on chefs. And this one adds in recipes in each chapter so that’s always fun. I would have liked a bit more on the plotline about Lumi’s having lost her own restaurant and now has to take a job as sous chef to the arrogant chef, Julien. There’s a bit of an insta-love thing going on for Julien the minute he meets her. So we have the magic with the food as well as magic love.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This book seemed all over the place. I wasn’t sure what part of the plot to focus on — the restaurant and cooking, Lumi and Julien’s relationship, Lumi’s “intuition” when it comes to tasting food, etc. It was just hard to like.

DNF @ 10%. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC. I cannot handle the writing style of this book. It feels like several separate scenes were written for each chapter. They just don't flow together. There were so many cheesy lines and I only got 10% in. It definitely feels like a debut novel and not in a good. I'll probably try another book by this author in the future.

I really wanted to like this book but it just didn't do it for me. It felt like it was trying to be to many genres at the same time: contemporary, splash of magic, and a slight mystery did not do this book good. The writing was all over the place, the pace of book seemed really off, and I really didn't care for any of the characters. I just could not get into this cookie-cut she's Latina and spicy/ he's white and stuffy plot. Plus there wasn't even any chemistry between the main leads.

A fun, tasty treat of a romance! Lumi not only has a talent for cooking, she also can taste the emotions of whoever prepared her food, which unleashes a realm of complications when she is forced to close her restaurant and start working for a cranky - but charming - local chef. The ensuing relationship has high points and low points, making this more than an enemies-to-lovers romance. I'd love to visit Lumi's kitchen!

I hate to say this, but I didn't like this book. I don’t think all of the recipes are necessary, if anything they annoy me because they get in the way The writing made me feel awkward, like a badly acted hallmark movie. Forty-five percent through the book and I didn't want to continue. This novel was confusing and the sex scene was too awkward to read. This book felt so unrealistic, and are you serious? Knowing how someone felt while cooking what you’re eating? Overall, I didn’t like this book, I didn’t like the writing style I didn’t like the plot and I didn’t like the characters, I’m hoping some of the recipes were good. I have suggestions for other books with a similar theme that I enjoyed, below.

I was so excited to read an own voices romance featuring a Dominican heroine. There was a promise of something in the realm of magical realism, which I was excited for. And I enjoy a good food romance. Alas, this book was so incredibly disappointing to me.

The biggest reason is how there seems to be no consideration for consent ANYWHERE in this romance. It's a boss/employee romance, and they just never talk about that power dynamic, and how off the bat it creates a situation of dubious consent. I had to reread the first kiss scene, because I was agog that it was just there, with no tension or anything. Then I got to the first sex scene, during which the author takes care to note that NOT ONE WORD was spoken between these two people! I don't want to read that, it grosses me out!!! Also, it seemed to be unprotected sex, in the year of our lord 2020???? WHAT IS THIS

It would be one thing if this book was trying to explore or make sense of dubiously consensual encounters, but that was not the vibe. If it were that kind of book I'd know to avoid it and keep it moving. The vibe here is illustrated cover, rom com trappings, and recipes at the ends of the chapter like a cozy mystery or something! I am just really disappointed that no one involved in the publishing of this book seemed to notice the problem?

On top of that, the hero just had absolutely no appeal at all. Also the food writing left me underwhelmed. I thought the heroine should be fired for putting apple in ratatouille, that sounds gross and don't put autumn produce in a summer produce dish. Also they drank absinthe like it was secret and forbidden when it's been a pretty normal spirit available in the U.S. for a long time. So really nothing about this book panned out for me.

I’m so bummed that I didn’t enjoy this book. The premise sounds amazing: chef with an interesting ability to taste the emotions of the people who make the food bumps up against the head chef at her new restaurant who is frigid, rude and ridiculous. Unfortunately, the amazingness that I was hoping for did not unfold. Lumi isn’t the worst heroine - she’s interesting but overreacts a lot and is a bit childish. Julien on the other hand is horrible. He’s a jerk, he’s controlling, falls instalust with Lumi and starts acting extremely possessive, and he encourages her to have sex after an accident where she is injured. I was rooting for them NOT to get together! This is my first books by Santos and I was really excited that it is #ownvoices. But, the writing was a bit all over the place: lots of showing, too many explanations, too many side characters it was hard to keep track of, and ridiculous plot lines (Esme was absurd). Overall, I’m so disappointed. This might be other folks cup of tea but it wasn’t mine.

Lumi is down on her luck. The restaurant of her dreams has failed and she doesn't know where else to turn. So she ends up applying for a job as a sous chef at one of the top restaurants in Manhattan run by a famous-for-being-an-asshole chef, Julien Dax.

When they first meet, the sparks go wild! They do not get along but there's something simmering between them. It continues to grow the longer they work together and culminates in them having sex IN THE RESTAURANT KITCHEN. Do I need to tell you the health violations here?? OMG.

After the kitchen sex, they start a relationship, They go on cute dates, Julian cooks for her, and they work together better than ever. But there's someone on staff at the restaurant who would rather they weren't together and they're willing to do some extreme shit to make sure that's the case. 

This is where the story starts to go wrong for me. Lumi is in the kitchen by herself and she's poisoned and when falling to the floor, has a pot of boiling oil fall on her. I want to know why this was necessary? How does this make the story better or more complex? It feels like knocking a character down a peg for no reason. I don't know. It sits wrong with me, especially because Lumi is a woman of color and this is promoted as a romance.

Which...yes, this is completely a romance, but what does this incident bring to the story? As a writer and a reader, sure it brings drama and gives Lumi another hurdle to jump over to get to the end, but it also feels like something put in to prove Julian actually loves her. Like because he loves her after she's burned, it's more real? I'm not in love with that premise. It feels like it's saying it's harder to fall in love with someone who looks different? I don't know if the story takes it that far, but I wish there was another conflict in its place.

After the incident, Julian cares for Lumi even when she doesn't want him to. She's obviously wrestling with her new scars, but he still tries his best to make sure she knows he's there for her. The story goes on from there showing how they rebuild their relationship.

I'm giving A Taste of Sage 3 out of 5 stars. It was a good romance and I enjoyed Lumi's relationship with food (and of course the recipes!), but I wish it was better. It's up to you whether you're willing to try this one or not.

A Taste of Sage comes out on May 19, 2020.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.