Helena Hunting strikes again. Kiss my Cupcake is such a fun rom-com about two less-than-friendly and wall-sharing entrepreneurs who end up having to join forces to drive business and maintain profits. As you can imagine things go from icy to steamy and I’ve officially added plaid wearing bartenders to my list of fantasy men.

I do wish that there was a bit more about Blaire’s hilariously weird family and maybe a bit more back story to how she ended up striking it out on her own, but this doesn’t detract from the story at all. Instead, it elevates the relationship between Blaire and Ronan and if that was the author’s intent then I am HERE for it.

Whether you’re in it for the romance or if you’re in it for the cupcake’s, Kiss My Cupcake will have you laughing and in love.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this free advanced reader in exchange for an honest review.

Blaire and Ronan were adorable. I loved the way they met and I love the whole unicorn cup catastrophe. I love that Ronan came over everyday to get cupcakes. I loved when Blaire took Ronan home for Thanksgiving. I knew from the very beginning that he liked her and I was just waiting for them to finally get together. The slow-burn normally doesn't do it for my but I loved this. Let's be honest though, as much as I loved Ronan, I loved Gramps more. He was just the sweetest. I might have even wanted more of him!

2.5 stars

This... didn't do a lot for me. It was as fluffy and sweet as the titular cupcakes. Blaire is much too neurotic manic pixie dream girl for me, and Ronan is just too hipster. I prefer both my heroine and hero to have a little more, hmm. Something. Grit? Depth? Substance? Both the MCs were just too "lite." Their chemistry was OK but didn't seem too profound, either.

Frankly, between their respective businesses and their social media accounts I'm surprised either one of them had any free time or energy left whatsoever. (If I had a nickel for every time Blaire checked her Instagram or twitter pages, let alone Facebook, I could treat myself to a venti frap.) I'm fine with growing your business via social media, but my GOD, to obsess over the follower count on your Instagram page vs. Dave and Buster's Dick and Bobby's page? Siggggghhhhhhhhh. This book definitely caters to the social influencer crowd.

This book will likely appeal to other (more patient, or possibly less old, or maybe even just NICER) people but it just didn't really do much for me. It wasn't BAD per se but it wasn't really satisfying either. Just like a cupcake. X_x


Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

Super super super cute! Overall great, but I wanted more backstory for both characters but especially Blaire. I didn't really feel like I knew her? It felt like it took about 40% before we even saw these characters outside of their respective businesses. I knew what made her tick (sort of) and the clothes she liked.... but what does she eat for dinner? What shows does she watch? What music does she like? I get she's a workaholic launching a business but the little quirks make a difference. We learned more as the story went on but I think it could've been stronger overall with a little more detail. I really did enjoy though!

Are you in need of a feel-good, humorous, easy, and will-make-you-swoon rom-com? Well, look no further, my friends! I admit, this author has been a bit of a hit or miss for me in the past so I was hesitant to pick this up, but I can happily announce that this was an absolute fantastic ride of a story!

Kiss My Cupcake follows two new business owners, Blaire and Ronan whose bars are adjacent to each other and the wall between the two bars might as well be as thick as the two of them are, trying to deny their serious chemistry from the get-go. After a very rocky first meeting including a broken unicorn martini glass, a sharp axe, and some sharper wit, crowned with a steaming pile of dog poop garnished with a flower, the both of them go head to head, stealing customers from the other, teasing and taunting their way through their busy days, all while their undeniable attraction shoots through the roof.

But when a bigger, badder evil with cheap prices moves in on their turf, Blaire and Ronan decide to band together to keep their newly started business afloat. Under the pressure, taunts and sparks fly in equal measure until the inevitable combustion...

Reader, I was hooked completely from the first chapter of this over-the-top rom-com. From the setting of a cupcake and booze shop (please, go ahead and read that again because I am going to Google and find out if such a place exists) and Ronan's more rustic bar that includes an axe-throwing corner to their very quirky owners, I just absolutely flew through the pages because the dichotomy was so entertaining.

Blaire is feisty, fashionable, ambitious, and dead-set on showing her family that she can be successful without her paternal influence in the world of glitz and glamour and that urban cuisine can be just as fulfilling. Always a bit of the black sheep, Blaire is now averse to accepting help...from anyone.

Ronan is helping his grandfather regain the glory his old bar used to have to prove he's ready to venture out on his own and achieve his dream of his own brewery. Nothing will stand in his way of gaining more exposure by entering his bar in a YouTube competition, not even the snarky, sexy, and seriously amazing baker next door who also throws her hat, her fifties dresses and fire attitude into the ring for "best bar".

The rivals to lovers trope was done massively well in this book. From the antagonistic back and forth to the quick-witted jabs, the chemistry between Ronan and Blaire was palpable.

I am always a huge fan of opposites attract, but even more so when their opposite traits lead to finding common ground in the ways they are "the same". Ronan and Blaire are both headstrong, ambitious, and cunning (basically, two very lovable Slytherins) and the two of them coming together to save their respective places of business while also trying to win in the competition to gain more exposure from a popular YouTuber sampling extraordinary bars was tantalising and kept me silently begging that there would be some way they could both emerge victorious in the end... You'll have to pick up a copy to see how that pans out.

While I would have loved some of the secondary characters to be more fleshed out, it didn't take away from my enjoyment that they were barely mentioned. This could have very well been the case because Ronan's grandfather, good old Gramps, completely stole the show for me. From the heartfelt interactions he has with Ronan to his descriptions of the past with his late sweetheart, he was such a homely figure that left a pang in my chest and made me miss my own grandparents.

Charming, "lumberjack sexy", and witty, Kiss My Cupcake will make you crave both Blaire's excellent cupcake creations and her handsome beau Ronan in one go.

Special thanks to Read Forever for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

I really enjoyed this one! I really love these enemies to lovers in the workplace. Especially when it's two people who work in neighboring shops. Throw in that this is a food-centered romance & I am just in love with the concept.

There's a lot to love in KISS MY CUPCAKE. For starters, it has a super cozy feel. I am a huge fan of food-themed (especially baking) cozier. This setting and dialogue lend itself to the cozy type of feel. The hero & the heroine are vying for their restaurants to be successful despite their obvious sexual tension.

I love that the hero is managing his family's bar. His relationship with his family is really special & one of my favorite pieces of this book. I'll admit that the heroine's mention of a trust fund within the first chapter has me rolling my eyes. I get past that & still want to champion her.

This is an open door romance but it is lighter on the steam. I felt it matched the sweet storyline perfectly.

Truly, this one made me smile & is a quick enjoyable read! I will read it again in a heartbeat & I bet it will make a fantastic audiobook!

I adored this book and couple so much. Helen Hunting has agift for creating wonderful characters that I fall in love with. In this story we meet Ronan and Blair, both are new business owners. Blaire has started a cupcake cafe and Ronan is taking over his grandfathers bar and grill.

Blair hates R at first as she finds him very annoying and sexy. R thinks she is adorable and makes the best cupcakes. The two start to get to know each other when they decide to work together and run events to help both of their businesses to grow.

This is a fun, sweet, sexy and adorable romance with two really great main characters who have a great set of friends and family. Blair comes from a rich and kooky family and while they are not your average family they love Blair and they provide a lot of humor in the story.

if you are looking for a fun and light story this is a really wonderful romance.

“Without the horn the unicorn is just a horse, without the icing a cupcake is just a muffin.”⁣
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Kiss My Cupcake 🧁 💋 was everything I needed in my life right now. I binged this book in the last 24 hours and devoured every dang second of it.⁣
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Ronan, sounded like a sexy lumberjack, I love plaid, tattoos, and a guy who’s sweet on the inside but a brut on the outside. ⁣
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Blaire has her own style, her own mind, and doesn’t let her wealthy family control her. I loved her outfit vibes, her feistiness, and her cupcakes sounded devine; I wished I was eating them.⁣
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I also loved the little blog tweets at the end of each chapter. This was the cutest dang book. ⁣
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And don’t get me started on Gramps, because swoon, I just loved him. 💞⁣
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🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁⁣
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#bookstagram #books #romance #romcom #KissMyCupcake #bookishgirlgang

Blaire comes from a family that has deep roots in the restaurant world but branches out by herself to create something entirely her own. Her cupcake bakery and whimsical bar are right next door to an old school bar that has been in the same family for 3 generations. Ronan Knight falls for Blaire almost immediately but needs to focus on renovating his family's bar and keeping it afloat. A classic romance of opposites attract but with modern characters and setting is the perfect combination and impossible to put down!

Pretty predictable like most romance novels but well written and a lot of fun. I liked the characters, both the main ones and their surrounding people. Made me want to go out and buy cupcakes and love the idea of a cake place that centralized the drinks too. Would definitely visit both the bars if they were real.

Blaire has been on the cupcake scene for a while. First she had her own cupcake truck and slowly made her way to a brick and mortar. Buttercream and Booze is her baby and she is determined to make it work. The Knight Cap - a bar with axe throwing is opening up right next door and Blaire is NOT a fan of the owner Ronan Knight. He's rude and arrogant and is starting his renovations when Blaire is in the middle of opening up her shop. When a YouTuber wants to highlight unique bars in the PNW the battle between the two bars starts! Each is determined to make it #1 on the list!

I love Helena Hunting's writing style and enjoyed the banter between Ronan and Blaire! I love a good enemies-to-lovers romance and Blaire and Ronan had such great chemistry. The way these two would razz each other was so much fun to read! Eventually what starts as a rivalry starts to heat up and I found myself swooning over these two.

Blaire's family was a bit quirky and over the top and I didn't necessarily enjoy them - but I think that was the point. I loved Ronan's grandfather and the history behind The Knigh Cap.

The food descriptions alone had me craving cupcakes from the moment I started to read Kiss My Cupcake. I only wish these two shops were local so I could visit!

If you're looking for a funny, sweet and sexy enemies-to-lovers romance grab Kiss My Cupcake when it releases August 11, 2020.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

Kiss My Cupcake is the perfect meet-cute, enemies to lovers, culinary romance. Blaire has worked hard to open up the cupcake and cocktail shop of her dreams. There's no way she's letting next-door neighbor Ronan with his newly renovated sports bar, complete with axe-throwing, ruin a single moment of her plans.

Ronan is swoony and hot but that doesn't mean Blaire is going to back down from some neighborly competition.

Until a new corporate neighbor spells even bigger competition for both of them. Can they put their one-up-manship on hold and combine forces to take out the competition?

Utterly charming. Blaire is relatable, fluster-able, and fiercely determined. Ronan is good-natured, loyal, and totally hot. They make a perfect couple in this fast, frothy read. Definitely recommend it.

Wow, did I ever enjoy Kiss My Cupcake! I have heard of Hunting's Meet Cute but never read any of her books prior to receiving this title as an ARC, and it led me to go on a Helena Hunting binge fest! I was hooked into Kiss My Cupcake after a few pages when I found the main characters realistic, funny, and genuine. I also really loved the length of the book; one of my pet peeves is when the main characters overcome whatever difficulties are holding them apart only to connect (finally!) in the last pages of the book. I appreciated seeing a longer romantic trajectory than the usual format.

While I never would have purchased Kiss My Cupcake, I am so glad I have it now; it will warrant a reread for sure!

You did it again, Helen Hunting! This is the perfect rom-com, meet-cute, enemies to lovers book ever! Blaire is cute but fierce with a love for baking that puts her in a unlikely contest for ‘best bar’ with her business neighbor, Ronan. Ronan, a lumberjack with an axe-throwing bar, is trying to win not only the bar contest but the crazy, Alice-in-Wonderland themed heart of Blaire. Too cute, hilarious, and a must read!

I was already a fan of Huntings, but this one knocks it out of the park!

A Cupcake queen opens up shop next to a Dashing Plaid wearing Bar Owner and hi-jinx ensue. It's sweet and funny and warm and all the best things a good Romantic Comedy should be. It also has a whole lot of heart, warmth and a gramps who steals every scene he's in.

Absolutely adored it and can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.

I received an arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Kiss My Cupcake was your typical Helena Hunting romantic comedy; lovable protagonists surrounded by over the top characters.

Ronan and Blaire own businesses next door to each other and start off as rivals before they realize that both of their businesses can benefit from them working together. Inevitably realizing that they were super into each other and that's when the real fun begins.

There were no real obstacles between Ronan and Blaire, but they were surrounded by over the top characters who were sometimes a bit too much. Blaire's family was something else and though she insisted that deep down inside they loved her and wanted what was best for her, it was hard to get that impression based on their actions. I do love a happy ending however, and on that aspect this story did not disappoint.

Kiss My Cupcake was a quick and fun read that fans of romantic comedies will definitely enjoy reading.

A fun romantic romp pitting two passionate business owners against another, until they learn to work together.

What a fun read! My favorite trope is enemy to lover and Helena Hunting hit the nail on the head! The characters, the chemistry, the story were all wonderful.

I receive this ARC from Net Galley.

A very cute romance about two competing bar owners who eventually team up to succeed. I enjoyed it but not as much as I enjoyed Helena's previous book. That being said, still worth a read if you enjoy modern day romances with a bit of spice!

This was a fun, light, enemies to lovers romance. I enjoy Helena Hunting’s characters and that her stories are usually pretty low-angst. This wasn’t one of my absolute favorites, but still the standard of quality romance I’ve come to expect from Hunting and I look forward to whatever she writes next!