Everything about this story was so darn cute. It put a giant smile on my face...and made me hungry! It's a light, quick read filled with lovable characters and delightful Scottish settings.

The cover is cute and I love Austen-based stories! This one is a 'Persuasion' based one and I liked it.

I normally do not really care about the tenses used, but this one is in present tense/third person POV and somehow it made me feel really detached from the story and the characters.
Overall a good book, but the author should think about using past tense or change it into first person POV.

I liked it! I didn’t read it as a retelling because it is impossible not to be judgmental and tough grader when you read any re-writing or modern version of Jane Austen novels! I coded yourself to compare it with the original book, you start to nod your head in disapproval, tsking, creating negative thinking patterns and this is not fair for your reading.

I acted like I have no idea about “Persuasion” because a month ago I’ve read another Indian retelling of the story which was a solid, mediocre three starred read for me and I did my best to keep my objectivity, too. But interestingly this version of the story is also about restaurant business and popular chief. ( I think only this year I’ve read nearly 10 different chef and restaurant romance stories, it seems like this turned into favorite romcom topic is chosen by the several authors or screen writers!)

Susan is our heroine, carrying the burdens of her family, suffering from heartbreak she still resents herself and her wrongdoings to let go her love of her life when she lost her mother and she didn’t handle the emotional pressure. Now they declare their bankruptcy, losing their high-end restaurant they’d inherited from her grandfather and move to Edinburgh. But she didn’t except to meet her ex-love of her life Chris: now a popular TV star and New York chef who decided to open his restaurant at the very same town they’ve just moved.

I loved both hero and heroine: they both suffered from tragedies. Chris’s past drug addiction cost him more he could handle and his resentment against Susan who dumped her years ago turns into hearth ache. He is still too proud not to forgive her but their attraction is so obvious and there are so drama, angst, family secrets. Susan’s over sacrifices turned her into a martyr and it was great to see her character’s changing and evolving by facing with her family members including her neurotic sister Meg and spoiled brat, self centered sister Julia, and let’s not forget Aunt Kay and her over protectiveness, over indulgence.

Overall: even though at some parts I wanted to scream about lack of communication and misunderstanding of the hero and heroine, the writing was captivating, intriguing and conclusion is well-done. So I’m giving four shiny, promising, heartfelt, emotional stars.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books/Alcove Press for sharing this lovely ARC with me in exchange my honest review.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title All Stirred Up

Author Brianne Moore

Description from Amazon

Susan Napier’s family once lived on the success of the high-end restaurants founded by her late grandfather. But bad luck and worse management has brought the business to the edge of financial ruin. Now it’s up to Susan to save the last remaining restaurant: Elliot’s, the flagship in Edinburgh.

But what awaits Susan in the charming city of Auld Reekie is more than she bargained for. Chris Baker, her grandfather’s former protégé–and her ex-boyfriend–is also heading to the Scottish capital. After finding fame in New York as a chef and judge of a popular TV cooking competition, Chris is returning to his native Scotland to open his own restaurant. Although the storms have cleared after their intense and rocky breakup, Susan and Chris are re-drawn into each other’s orbit–and their simmering attraction inevitably boils over.

As Chris’s restaurant opens to great acclaim and Susan tries to haul Elliot’s back from the brink, the future brims with new promise. But darkness looms as they find themselves in the crosshairs of a gossip blogger eager for a juicy story–and willing to do anything to get it. Can Susan and Chris reclaim their lost love, or will the tangled past ruin their last hope for happiness?

Release Date September 8, 2020

Initial Thoughts

I’m on a total Top Chef kick right now and when I saw this book was about chefs I was all in.

Some Things I Liked

Chefs and restaurants. First of all, as I said above, I’m all about Top Chef right now so I loved that this book was on theme with my current TV obsession. Secondly, I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this, but I used to work in a restaurant (for years when I was in college), so I really enjoyed the story from that aspect as well. All around, I felt like I really connected with these characters.
Edinburgh. I also really love when books are set in Scotland. I’ve never been but I really want to. Every book I read about it just makes it sound more and more magical.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

I thought the romance as kind of on the back-burner throughout the story. I found this tagged as romance on NetGalley and felt like it was more of a story of personal growth for Susan. The romance felt like a subplot at best. I would have liked to see it expanded on more.

Series Value

I think the side characters in this story have a lot of spin-off potential. Specifically, I’d like to see a story about Susan’s sister, Julia. I also think that Aunt Kay would be interesting in any future stories. She seems like she has a lot to say about everything and everyone.

Final Thoughts

I liked this book. I think it was a bit mis-classified on NetGalley as I was expecting the romance to be more “in your face” but, I was pleasantly surprised by the way the story turned out. I liked the characters and I’d like to see more about the Napier family.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

The Marriage Game by Sara Desai – if you liked the cultural references and the idea of living up to family expectations that All Stirred Up explores, try this new release by Sara Desai.
Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras – if you liked the themes of a character who felt like she was not living up to her family’s expectations but managed to build a business for herself, try this new release by Priscilla Oliveras.
A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee – if you liked the chef and cooking themes in All Stirred Up, give this baking rom-com story a try.

I've been excited about this book since I first heard about it, and it did not disappoint. The characters sucked you into the story and the story kept you turning pages as fast as you could. I devoured it in a day. I loved it.

In this modern retelling of a Jane Austen classic, Susan Napier is trying to save her family's restaurant but faces tough competition in the form of celebrity chef Chris Baker - the man she broke up with ten years ago. I liked cosying up with this book. It's charming and enjoyable and the descriptions of food made me hungry. This is an interesting version of Persuasion, though not a particularly memorable one.

DNF at 20%

I'm a big fan of Persuasion and it's my favorite Austen. So I was really excited for this foodie retelling. Unfortunately, my brain just isn't connecting to the writing style right now and I'm bummed. The book seems promising and this is definitely a "it's me, not the book" situation. Try an excerpt and other reviews to see if this is a good book for you. I'll try this again closer to the release date.