It archived before I could download but I just finished my copy from the library and was glad I finally was able to read it.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This story took me a bit to get in to, it may have been because there was a lot of set up prior to the two main characters re-meet. As this book includes food/chefs, etc I really did think the description of the foods was very well done, and made it all sound quite delicious!

I felt this book relied a bit heavily on the miscommunication trope, which hinders my enjoyment while reading a novel. I didn't care at all for Susan's previous chef as he was supremely misogynistic.

I felt the narrator of this audiobook did a good job. Especially the Scottish accents as it was set in Edinburgh.

This was a good second chance story between Susan and Chris. Add on some crazy family members and the stress of the restaurant business and will these two work out their problems? I loved the Edinburgh setting!

I didn't realize this was a retelling, and I haven't read Persuasion so I don't know how it did in that part, I'm just going to rate based on it otherwise.
Mary Jane Wells is an amazing narrator, and helped make the book. Susan was a bit boring and kind of a pushover so that was the most annoying part. And then the end, the reason they broke up? I don't see how he "hated" her it felt unrealistic. Not much romance

I loved this. I love books that have a cooking theme (weird right?) I loved the little bits of drama that kept the story progressing without it feelings like constant issues. I loved the characters, the plot. I am a sucker for a good finding ones self/ coming of age and thats how this felt.

3.5 stars

I love Jane Austen, I love Persuasion, and I am a sucker for various remakes and retellings. Brianne Moore's book, set in the Edinburgh restaurant world, is a nice little entry into that world.

Our Captain Wentworth and Anne are Chris and Susan, former lovers-turned-competitors. They've been apart for several years, but their breakup feels fresh to both of them. When Chris reenters Susan's life, she feels upended and insecure. She tries to ignore the feelings she has always had for him, but it's difficult. Their new lives become increasingly intertwined, frequently throwing her in his path--and vice versa.

I listened to Mary Jane Wells' narration and enjoyed listening to her British and Scottish accents. She brought the characters to life, showing us their pains and joys. She makes the most of Moore's story, one that feels far more like women's fiction than a true romance. In fact, there is very little romance in this book, aside from what's mentioned in passing. The feelings are there, but the action is very, very limited.

For all my joy in revisiting Persuasion, I did sometimes feel frustrated with the inconsistent pacing. There are lulls here, to the point that listening to the story made me kind of forget where I was in the plot.

Yet I enjoyed it. I like the story, the characters, and the narration. The pacing, though, was just a little too off.

All Stirred Up by Brianne Moore was so enjoyable! I listened to the audio version and between Brianne's incredible ability to convey a story and Mary Jane Wells' dynamic narration, I had a very hard time turning it off. This terrific book is about a family who recently lost their mother and who are trying to save their restaurant. There is plenty of family matters and relationships to keep the story interesting as well as a couple of love interests for the heroine, Susan. The characters are very well-developed and I was easily transported to Scotland for a visit because of Brianne's descriptive word work. If you love food, family and a great story, this book is for you!

A little romance, a little food, what could be better? This book was a very quick and sweet read. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media and Alcove Press for a copy of this book for an honest review.

This was an adorable romance. I really enjoyed it and found the characters very realistic. It wasn't my favorite romance but it was still very good.

All Stirred Up is a fun second-chance romance.

Susan is a chef returning to Edinburgh to revive her family restaurant and Chris is her culinary school ex, now a well-known celerity chef, who is opening a competing establishment. I love books set in Edinburg, and the restaurant setting of All Stirred Up makes things interesting. Susan is extremely capable and determined, and Chris is a good match for her.

This story is written in the present tense, which is always difficult for me to get into, so it took me a while to warm up to the story.

I listened to the audio version of All Stirred Up read by Mary Jane Wells. She has a beautiful voice. and brings the story to life.

This was a fun audiobook to read. It gives a realistic view of the lives of two chefs, struggling to make their new restaurants a success in Edinburgh and struggling to forget their past together. Add in some family drama, and it makes for an excellent story. The characters are very colorful, and the infusion of Scottish culture also adds to the story. Loved this book!

I had recently read some heavier books, so All Stirred Up by Brianne Moore was a wonderful palate cleanser! It is a light romance with a lot of heart about two former lovers opening two new restaurants in Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. Susan and Chris had a terrible falling out in their early 20s and have ended up back in the same town about a decade later. Susan has returned to Edinburgh as her family is forced to downsize due to economic circumstances and Chris has returned home after leaving his show as a celebrity chef. Both characters are hardworking and likeable, though they do make mistakes. There were a lot of characters, so it was a little difficult to keep them straight at first, but the story was very fun and kept me interested throughout. I loved the enticing food and atmosphere descriptions. The elements were great, but I wanted more. I wanted more of the family relationships and HEA, etc. I listened to the audiobook which is delightfully narrated by Mary Jane Wells. She has a really pleasant voice and uses different accents for characters which really put me into the story. Overall, a very fun, sweet read!

Thank you Crooked Lane Books/Alcove Press/Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing this e-book and audiobook ARC.

I kept trying to get into this one but for some reason it just felt flat at the moment. I would absolutely give it a second chance later on. The audio was also a little hard to keep up with even at a 1.5-1.75 speed. Im sure it would be a great pick for others but I just didnt vibe with this one at the moment maybe it was just too slow of a burn in comparison to other rom-coms I've read.

I would like to thank Brianne Moore and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook for All Stirred Up in exchange for an honest review. I simply loved this audiobook. The narration was perfect. The story itself was also fun. I would not exactly label it as a Persuasion retelling, but I still enjoyed it all the same. One of my favorite tropes involves cooking/baking so this book was right up my alley! I loved watching Susan and Chris rekindle their romance and I found myself wanting more at the end of the narration. I will absolutely be recommending this book to others.

Unfortunately, I found this book very hard to get into. I usually love audiobooks because I feel so immersed in the story but when after 10% of book the story still wasn't holding my attention, I decided to take a break. I don't fault the narration -- I actually enjoyed it a lot but found that I just didn't care about the characters. I could not get into the storyline and as a result found myself spacing out and missing parts and needing to rewind..

I think part of the issue was that this was marketed as a romance and was more focused on the family drama which I did not care for and would have likely avoided had I realized.

It felt like 2 stars for me but adding a third both for the good narration and to account for the marketing and genre issues that are not the fault of the author.

All Stirred Up

I Picked Up This Book Because: The blurb looked good.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Netgalley
Dates Read: 12/16/20 - 12/20/20
Stars: 3

The Characters:

Susan Napier:
Chris Baker:
Susan’s super annoying family, restaurant employees most of which were also annoying, Chris’s best friend/coworker

The Story:

I’m not going to lie. I spent a lot of this book wondering if I should DNF however I’m glad I stuck it out. After you get over Susan obsessing over her past with Chris and look past her perpetually selfish family, the story gets interesting. Susan and her cohort, whose name I cannot remember, do what they set out to do and bring back Elliot’s former glory despite many obstacles. And the introduction of a cute pup didn’t hurt at all. In fact I could have done with more of her.

The Random Thoughts:

This novel follows Susan, as she takes the reins of managing the family restaurant, Elliot's in Edinburgh. Upon her return she finds out that one of her exes is opening a new restaurant nearby.

I enjoyed all of the descriptions of cooking, and food in this novel - it definitely made me hungry the entire time I listened to it! It also has some wonderful descriptions of Edinburgh, and has made me want to go explore that historic city even more so than I already did.

I listened to the audiobook at 2x speed and I did have some trouble understanding the Scottish accents that were put on for the Scottish characters. But I did enjoy the acting behind the audiobook - it is performed by a single narrator, but she does a wonderful job of distinguishing who is speaking.

The storyline did feel a bit predictable, having been able to see the ending from a mile away as well as being an adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion, but I enjoyed the journey that the characters take, as well as all of the wonderful foods that are described!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Alcove Press for the gifted audiobook!

So I read a lot of romances in my teens and the ones I really loved were written by Jilly Cooper which, I guess, would be considered romantic comedies in today’s genres. No matter which, they all have the same basic and familiar plot and characters, and the author’s job is to dress those up and make them as appealing as possible. Now, many decades on, I find myself drawn back to this genre and, while the tropes have not changed one jot, the novels do get a whole lot steamier. In the pie of romances, my preference is for the contemporary romantic comedy slice and All Stirred Up is an excellent serving.

Set in Edinburgh, and honestly the tourist board couldn’t have done a better job of making me want to visit, the novel centers on romance in the restaurant world. This means we get many mouthwatering descriptions of desserts and cakes (Susan is a baker and is trying to save her family’s flagship restaurant) and Scottish fusion cuisine (Chris is a TV star chef who opens a much-buzzed about new restaurant). As is often the way of modern romances, they had a relationship in the past which ended badly. We all know where it’s going, and the author takes us on a very entertaining route to get there.

The ride to get us to the end point is where the author gets to play, with subplots and secondary characters. Susan’s family is fairly monstrous, but also sad. Susan has a fling that doesn’t work out with a charming but manipulative movie star. Chris’s backstory is tragic and he has a salt of the earth sister. The staff of the restaurants are a mix of villainous and supportive. There is a dog - there is always a dog and, as a dog owner, I find myself wondering about the welfare of dogs in romantic comedies as they mostly seem to be a prop and never get enough exercise or attention.

The audiobook is nicely done and made for several pleasant hours of listening. The reader does an excellent variety of Scottish and English accents and even manages the tricky transition between the Scottish chef and his Irish sous chef without missing a beat.

Of course All Stirred Up isn’t going to make you smarter or a better person. But it might take the edges off a rough pandemic week and inspire you (as it did me) to make lemon meringue pie and encourage your child to apply to Edinburgh University.

Note: I just read that this is an updated version of Jane Austen’s Persuasion - completely passed me by.

Thanks to Alcove Press and Netgalley for the audiobook review copy.

Unfortunately I was not a fan of this one. I was looking for a cute romcom and this seemed more like a contemporary. It was very focused on the restaurant stuff which I found interesting but unfortunately the family drama was A LOT in the romance really wasn’t there until like the end. Also I HATED Chris. He truly sucked.

I've been getting more into audiobooks this year so NetGalley's advanced listening copies have been great. I happened to stumble upon Brianne Moore's debut novel All Stirred Up and was immediately intrigued because it's an updated version of Persuasion, my favourite of Jane Austen's novels, and it was set in Edinburgh - a place I had visited just in time at the beginning of March this year. I was sold. And when I was done? Thoroughly delighted.

Here's the synopsis:
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 redrawn 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?
It's been a few years since I've read Persuasion (I just checked Goodreads...I read it last in 2013) so the particulars of the novel are a bit fuzzy. I do recall some of the main plot points so I could see where Moore was honouring the story in certain parts. I don't think you have to know Austen's work to appreciate this story and I also think diehard Austen fans can enjoy the way Moore updated the story for her novel. Though I will say I would have much rather had a letter from Chris instead of a text message. If you know, you know.

The reason I love Persuasion so much is because it's a second chance romance, just like All Stirred Up, and that's one of my favourite tropes. It's been years since Chris and Susan have seen each other and you know right from the get-go that there's unfinished business between them. There were so many contributing factors to their break up that neither of them had the full story. They both felt hurt (Chris was justified to feel as such and Susan knew that her hurt was self-inflicted) and that kept them from communicating with each other. I got ever so slightly annoyed when they just refused to talk things through but that's the nature of rom coms, my friends. They're going to do frustrating things! I was rooting for them the whole time because I couldn't wait for them to get over the bullshit in their past and finally get back together. I needed that Happily Ever After!

As I alluded to at the top, I listened to this one as an audiobook. The narrator, Mary Jane Wells, did a pretty good job switching characters and her male Scottish accent didn't annoy me (which is what happened with another audiobook I listened to earlier this year). Since I pretty much only listen to audiobooks on my commute, I found myself looking for ways to get more reading time in. A walk after work when my partner had to work late? Done. (That was before the time change of course. Now it's dark before I even get home. *sobs*) Doing the dishes? Perfect time to listen. Playing mindless games on my phone? More listening time! I didn't want to stop!

This novel was a love letter to Edinburgh. Moore wasn't born there but you can tell in her descriptions that she absolutely, totally, completely loves the city. I had goosebumps as I listened to the description of Susan flying into the city then again as she walked around her new neighbourhood and mentioned streets and monuments I had seen myself back in March. There's a scene where she climbs to the top of Calton Hill that had me swooning because I could completely picture where she was (so much so that I shared my pictures from my trip on Instagram after finishing the novel).

There were many reasons that may have made me love All Stirred Up more than the average reader but I was so completely thrilled with Brianne Moore's novel that I don't even care. I loved it and it made me feel so happy. That is what I look for in almost every read, even more so this year, and I'm so pleased I had a chance to read this novel.

*An advanced listening copy was provided by the publisher, Dreamscape Media, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*