I really liked the story. It was enjoyable. There were some loose ends in the book, so if you like a neatly tied bow at the end of books, this might not be for you.

This was just an okay read for me. I loved the setting of this book and the way it is described. I also loved the way it began, with Hayley moving to a new city, that's Toronto, just to discover that that job doesn't exist anymore. The whole hustle of the main character trying to get out of an unprecedented situation is something I really enjoy in any book. And for Hayley to then meet and fall for her manager at the diner she finds work?? Absolutely wonderful!
But the story began going downhill for me because of the slow burn and Hayley's immaturity.

*Posting the review much later because I initially forgot about it.*

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

One of my favorite 2020 romances! I loved the characters, the setting, and the whole opposites attract aspect!

Uplifting story, makes you feel good. Sometimes you just have to take that chance and go with it. Never hurts to try.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

I love all books by this author, can highly recommend. Just wonderful. The main characters are well developed and its so well written you feel personally involved in the journey.

This book was not really what I thought it would be, based on the bio, however it was nicely written. The cover is gorgeous which is what drew me to the book to begin with.

[Content warnings: pregnancy of side character, gentrification, mention of animal death, mention of cancer, alcohol abuse, mention of miscarriage]

I was pretty conflicted about “Just One Taste.” On one hand, I love that the insta-attraction actually grew to real chemistry as the story progressed; on the other, I cannot get over the lying and other shady actions from one of the main characters.

Hayley Cavello (28) just moved to Toronto for a new job as a second assistant to a CFO only to find that the company went out of business over the weekend. When she tweaked her resume to get a job as a line cook at Greta’s Diner, she didn’t expect to fall for the manager Lauren Hames (34), who seems to be straight. She didn’t know she would end up homeless, sleeping at the diner, and get taken in by said manager, either.

“Just One Taste” is really dramatic with a lot of coincidences. These usually bother me in realistic contemporary romance but I didn’t have issues with them here. I really liked reading about Hayley’s cheery personality and Lauren’s top-notch baking skills. I didn’t like the fact that Hayley lying in her resume was not addressed at all during her interactions with Lauren and am really bothered by the 90% conflict, which was just a very insensitive and downright awful event. But I did enjoy the book being set in Toronto and that Birch addressed issues of homelessness and gentrification.

There were a few minor storylines that were left unfinished, such as Aaron’s intention of hiring the inspector (which I assume is him wanting to sell the place because of gentrification), the woodworking journey of Pete, the former line cook at Greta’s, etc. Without tying enough loose ends, it felt a bit random to have introduced some of the things that happened in the book. Also, I think there were one or two small conflicting scenes that made me wonder if I or the characters had trouble remembering things.

Overall, “Just One Taste” was a cute and enjoyable romance before the 90% mark. It definitely challenged my moral standards and I am sorry to say that I didn’t find the situation forgivable when I reached the final page.

This is a sweet clean, FF romance. It is well written with a sweet HEA. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

Just One Taste follows two women, Hayley and Lauren. After moving out of her small town, Hayley is sadly being fired before even starting her first day. Out of options and without a job, her situation in the city will get worse and worse until she's lucky enough to get a job as a cook in Lauren's diner. Lauren is the manager there and when she finds the new girl homeless and asleep at work, she offers her a place to stay with her.

Overall, this was an easy and sweet story I enjoyed. I liked seeing Lauren being attracted to Hayley and figuring out her feelings after being married to a man. Hayley, on the other hand, I didn't always like. Especially at the beginning and end (<spoiler>when she stole money from the business. That whole situation pissed me off and I was angry at Hayley because of it. I found her immature and not very smart for not thinking of the possible consequences of her actions.</spoiler>). Now if you're looking for a steamy f/f romance, this might not be your first choice as it only had "one taste" just like the title says.

<i>(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

I guess I misunderstood the synopsis, because this just wasn’t the book for me. I can totally see how others would enjou

This was a solid romance story! I can't really say anything bad about or thing that I didn't like. And at the same time I sometimes didn't 'feel' it. Or maybe I just didn't get that warm with the characters. But I would totally recommend it if you want a nice, quick read that is set in a restaurant most of the time.and without unnecessary struggle.

3 stars
This was pleasant read. The main characters were pleasant enough...but...Haley was a wild child...at 28? Lauren was a bit of an old maid at 35. But as the story progressed Haley became more of an adult and Lauren loosened up.
The diner they both worked in was colorful with crazy names for entrees..such as 3 dots and a dash, for eggs and bacon.
The romance was sweet but not hot. No explanation why Lauren changed from men to women. Only that her 10 year...10 year...marriage was not fulfilling.
Probably the most entertaining character was Hannah, Haleys very pregnant sister. She wasn't in the story much but when she was the dialogue blossomed.
The angst was startling and out of character for one of the characters...don't want to give anything away. And the resolution was sort of bland. Where was the lesson learned?
I probably would have rated it a 3.5 stars if the ending hadn't been so bland.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hayley lives in a small town but she has big city dreams and she finally finds herself moving to Toronto! Unfortunately, Toronto isn't all its cracked up to be Hayley loses her job and her apartment in one day but things begin to look up when she finds a job at a small diner named Greta's. Now Hayley just needs to find somewhere to live and how to cook. She meets blue haired Lauren at Greta's although Hayley isn't sure how she feels about Lauren just yet. Then Lauren finds out how tough things are for Hayley because she found her sleeping at the diner one night. After this discovery nothing will ever be the same for these women.
A cute little romance read that will make you fall in love all over again.

If I could give half points, this would be a 3.5. It is above average, but not quite as high as some other lesfic novels I've read. The characters are well developed and the relationship between the two main characters is a nice slow burn, which I enjoy very much.

There were a few things that left things a little flat for me. The ending seemed very abrupt, like there should have been an additional chapter or an epilogue somewhere. There were extraneous tangents in the story, like the building owner getting an inspection of the building. The idea was put out there that he may be selling the diner that Lauren worked at and the apartment she lived in, but nothing ever came of it. So there were pages of information that went nowhere. This happened in a couple of places and it left me wondering what those were put into the story to accomplish.

Overall it was an enjoyable story that could use a little polishing here and there to make it more well rounded, in my opinion.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

What a tasty read! The setting in a diner with all the talk about cooking and baking just ticked every box! I felt connected to all the characters and was able to create a strong image in my mind of each one.
My only criticism is that I felt the last 1/4 of the book was rushed, and lots that I would have loved to read about in detail was just glanced over.
However a highly enjoyable book!
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

3.5*

Just one taste is a slow burn romance. Although it's not an original story line it would be a perfect read for a rainy afternoon. The story is witty, funny, includes the all important family support and building friendships. And trying to find yourself.
Hayley is out going, loves life, lives to take chances and love's retro 80's gaming systems and just wanted a break from her home town Casper falls to discover herself and build her own life. Lauren is more of a serous character. She works hard, looks after her father and thinks this is what she wants from her life... until Hayley appears.

Just One Taste is a easy and sweet story.

I was given an ARC copy for a honest review.

Haley decides to leave her small town and head to the city. She loses her job and is about to be homeless when she gets a job at the dinner and finds true love. It was a little too out there for me. Stealing from a business would have you in jail no matter what the manger said to the owner. And of course everything works out in the end.

Just One Taste provides plenty of change, movement and growth for our characters allowing this to be a well rounded read all together. I felt a little disconnected with the main characters, almost like they were on the other side of a glass wall. I knew what their personalities were described as by dialogue but I felt like it didn't match up to their actions in the book

Both of the main characters were given a rough luck through the book and there was no spark ignited by either through the first half so it reads a little slow. Author Birch is great at translating their initial sense of hopelessness, maybe a little too good as I started feeling it as a reader making it that much harder to want to turn the page to see their luck change (which it does!).

The romance is sweet, takes it's time and is super realistic. If it could award half points it would rank at a 3.5 for me.



Net Galley has provided this book to me in exchange for an honest review.