Thanks NetGalley for this preview!

First things first- the narrator's voice and accents were superb! I loved how they jumped back and forth between the characters and gave them each a distinct voice. This romance was the second chance story I was waiting for-it had me hooked from the beginning. The emotions from the love and loss seemed so genuine and I felt them along with the characters. I also love cooking and the foodie accents made me very happy!

A very cute modern reimagining of Jane Austen's Persuasion. The fun in the plot was seeing which events and characters from the original novel were subtly (or overtly) altered, deleted, or (in one notable case) made fun of. The love story is sweet but and the inside baseball of the food industry is fun, but something about the modern setting and the frothy plot falls a bit flat. That said, the author does a great job with the characters. With few exceptions the are three dimensional and treated with more love and respect then Austen did to her comedic targets. Fun, cute, but a bit insubstantial.

I don't really have much feedback to give on this one. This book was very boring to me and sadly I had a hard time paying attention to it. I didn't hate it but nothing from this story really stuck.

CW: business closing, discussion of family deaths, sexism, sexual harassment in work place, grief, discussion of drugs, discussion of murder

This book was exactly what I needed in every sense. There were heavy topics discussed but it wasn’t too much. It gave the book serious touches to what would be a too light of story otherwise.

I am a massive lover of books that have food/cooking as a main point to it so I couldn’t wait to read this one. The fact that it takes place in Scotland (starts in London but not much there) just added to my love of it. This book delved deep into family dynamics and family overall. There is a touch of romance but I would say it’s more woman’s fiction than romance.

The connections between the characters and dissecting how things went wrong while owning up to their parts in what happened instead of just placing blame definitely hit the right notes for me.

The audio was a bit glitchy with awkward pauses and I kept having to restart the app at the end of chapters which made me lose momentum but I’ve been informed that that’s because of it being an ALC and doesn’t reflect on the published audiobook. Other than the technical difficulties, I do recommend the audiobook.

Must Read if you like:
📺 Restaurant Impossible
📖 books about food/BTS of restaurants

I loved this imaginative retelling of a Jane Austen novel by Brianne Moore. How could anyone ever get too much of Jane?! I enjoyed Moore’s modernization of the story. I can definitely identify with Susan’s life. I loved the author’s characterizations of Susan and Chris. I felt like all the characters were handled and updated well.

This was a really fun read! Thanks to Dreamscape Media for the advance audio copy of All Stirred Up.

I am a sucker for modern-day Jane Austen retelling, but this new version of Persuasion, didn’t work for me. I never really got to the point of caring about Susan or Chris. Their relationship felt flat, and their drama was a little too much for a realistic fiction book. Chris’s big secret that is revealed at the end of the book felt unnecessary and went against the rest of the character’s development. The setting was fine, and I enjoyed the small aspects of Scotland the author included, but I never felt like I was there. Plus, for a book that is supposed to be a romance, Susan and Chris interact very little, and I never found myself invested in their relationship. I received this book as an audiobook from NetGalley, and the reader was probably the best part and saved the book as much as she could. Some fans of Austen may love this novel, but for me, it was just kind of okay.

First of all, kudos to the narrator of this book! She was amazing! No matter the accent or gender of the character, Mary Jane Wells brought them all to life.

Unfortunately, the story just didn't hold my interest. The first half of the book felt sad and dreary, and I had a hard time getting into the story. It could totally be a personal problem, but the pacing just felt off to me. Sadly, this one goes in the compost bin.

When Susan and Chris broke up, they didn't think that they would ever see each other again.  But, now Susan is back in Edinburgh to try to revive the family restaurant  and Chris  is back to open his new restaurant.  Will they find their way back to each other in this modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion?  A retelling of my favorite novel of all time? I'm in!

While it is a fun romance, it doesn't come close to the brillance that is Persuasion - and is certainly NOT a retelling.  It follows the typical modern romance trope - they meet ... they fall in love ... some event comes between them ... will they get back together?  

I wish the publisher had not billed this as a retelling, because that leads to such high expectations.  In the end, I decided to review it as what it really is ... a rom-com ... and a better than average one at that. The narration is great!  The story is fun!  Sure, it had it flaws and I wished that I cared more about the characters, but I found it to be better than the average romance.  I most enjoyed the author's descriptions in the kitchen and could tell that she knows her stuff and really cared about that part of the book.  I gave All Stirred up 3 stars.

I thought this would be a light fun rom com. And to some it may be. To me it was a family drama that I was just not interested in. The family restaurant is going under and only one daughter can save. But a former staff member, now world renowned chef is moving in and opening a restaurant down the street. The set up is there, I just didn’t care. They didn’t bring the characters together soon enough. It was more about their difference or the wrongs going on in their lives as individuals. I just found myself not caring if I finished the book, so I didn't.

Such a fun twist on Persuasion. A lighthearted cooking novel with some sprinkles of romance. I love that it is a clean story that focuses on family and restoration. There are a lot of details and backstory, which I find helpful, but does make me slow down and savor the content. The narrator does an excellent job with the different voices, male and female. I received a complimentary copy from the author and NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

A modern day retelling of Jane Austen’s book Persuasion! True confessions... I haven’t actually read a Jane Austen novel (I know! I tried to in high school... long story short... didn’t happen)! So maybe I would have enjoyed this one if I had actually read Persuasion, but I didn’t love it. ⠀
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First off, there are A TON of characters to keep track of. And that’s always a hard on audio! And because there are so many characters, it’s really easy to lose track of what’s happening throughout the book! However, I am a sucker for stories based around chefs and in kitchens - so I am glad I stuck around! ⠀
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The narrator did a fine job and her accents for the characters were so fun! But, this one wasn’t for me! Once I got to know who was who, the book was wrapping up and I was ready to just move on!⠀

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Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review! If you’re a big Jane Austen fan, this book might be a fit for you!

Susan and Chris had a great relationship in Susan’s family restaurant until Susan’s mother died and Chris disappeared. Now that they are in the same town with new restaurants of their own, the competition to succeed and the thoughts of a decade ago torment both. I really liked this book. The family life, the workings of a restaurant, and learning to forgive are powerful.

This was a fun book with a delightful narration. I would definitely recommend this book in audio version the voice acting really brings you in and adds to the story.

I received an audioARC in exchange for an honest review.

All Stirred Up is a Persuasion inspired slow burn romance involving chefs in Scotland. I enjoyed the host of characters and the setting. The wonderful descriptions of restaurant dishes made me hungry. The narrator of the audiobook was excellent. The accents added so much to my enjoyment of the book. Thanks Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audiobook arc of this title.

Unfortunately, this was not for me. All stirred up sounded pretty good with its cute cover and premise but after a little while, I found myself being really bored and nothing really stood out to me. I didn't even notice the romance and I was excited about that part. The food/restaurant theme can be nice but here I felt like it was too much about that and honestly, my mind wandered off because I didn't found it interesting enough. This audiobook brought me a headache and that definitely didn't help me enjoy it (which I didn't.. obviously). Maybe others will enjoy this but sadly I'm not one of them.

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

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, author Brianne Moore, and narrator Mary Jane Wells for providing me with an audio eARC for this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This was such a cute, quick read and honestly the perfect little palate cleanser. Sign me up for any books that play off a classic- in this case, Persuasion. It was well done and the writing was great, as was the narrator!

I will say, I'm a sucker for a good romance though and hate waiting and waiting for those *moments* when you really come to love the relationship between people, regardless of the relationship. And I feel like I spent too much time waiting, but that's more my issue than anyone else's, but I did expect a tad more romance from this, especially with that cute cover!

This was a cute read and I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well, well.. it looks like I've met my match. Ever since I saw All Stirred Up I really wanted to dive into it. At first glance, I thought it was going to be kind of like the movie 'No Reservations'. Sure, I was going to expect some cooking and romance. Maybe even some friendly competition.

What I got was food. Lots and lots of food. Each page had something new or described in even more detail what they were making or plating. I was expecting something interesting or entertaining to happen so that I could find something to like in it.

I looked so freaking hard and I couldn't find a damn thing likable. It did make me hungry though so dinner was made. I guess that's a goal?

In the end, I feel like I got a culinary degree just by listening to this audiobook.

The narrator, Mary Jane Wells, was the best part of the listening experience! Wells' performance was engaging, nuanced, and easy to listen to. Overall, I enjoyed this work and think that readers looking for a humorous romance will enjoy it. "All Stirred Up" can definitely be categorized as a slow-burn romance, which I will definitely mention during any reader's advisory conversations. For fans of Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot, and Heather Cocks.

Very cute story! I was honored to received the audio book through Net Galley. I am hoping how it ended that there will be a sequel. The story just made me want to get up and cook all the time! Ha. The characters are lovely and I love that this book is not written in first person. The narrator did a great job with the accents. I would read from this author again. :)#AllStirredUpDreamscapeMedia #NetGalley

When Susan’s family’s chain of restaurants must close due to subpar management she is put in charge of the business and keeping the first and now final restaurant open. At the same time, her ex Chris is also returning to Edinburgh to open his restaurant. Reading the book description for All Stirred Up I went into this audiobook expecting a second chance romance filled with family drama, secrets, reconnecting, healing, and good food. Although the elements were there I felt it was high in family drama and food and low in everything else.

Thoughts on Susan and her family:
Something I did appreciate about this story was Susan’s passion for the business her grandfather created and the love for food instilled by her grandfather and mother. I was thankful for her confidence in her role in managing the business and taking no nonsense from others.

Susan spends most of her time throughout the story with her kitchen staff or her family. I wasn’t a fan of the fam. They had many quirks that I would say I wasn’t a fan of and were a bit snobby/unhelpful. Here Susan was trying to keep them afloat by making sure the family business survived and they either didn’t want to make sacrifices or could not be bothered to care what went on.

On Chris:
This book was highly centered on Susan with a handful of shifts into Chris’s perspective. The glimpses into Chris’ backstory and current life were intriguing. I actually would have preferred to get to have more of his life than all the time spent with Susan’s family. He’s doing some pretty cool stuff with his business and that was nice to begin to explore.

On Susan and Chris:
Oh my, where do I start. For me, their potential chemistry was just not believable. The two hadn’t seen each other in 10 years and don’t have a face to face interaction until about 40% into the book and even then they didn’t fill me with any new information. I could have lived with this if we at least got to know them as a couple through some flashbacks. Any of Susan’s free time outside of the kitchen or with family are with Phillip which didn’t seem to add to the story.

Besides a brief recount of Susan leaving Chris early in the story, I felt like everything regarding their relationship and breakup is just sprung on you at the end without really any build-up.

There was much potential for a juicy and exciting story but In the end, this book was much too slow and I wasn’t invested in the outcome of Susan and Chris. All the focus was really on reopening and updating the restaurant which in itself is not a bad thing. As mentioned it helped me appreciate Susan and I loved the talk about food but I found myself asking “where’s the balance”?

On the romance/steam:
I found this in the romance section but don’t know that I’d classify it as such. I just really didn’t find any romantic moments within. I tend to read a lot of books with a range of steam levels and know I lot of the other readers I interact with do also. I don’t need all my books to be extra explicit or anything but just wanted to give a heads up that there are no sexy times in this book and just one, maybe two kisses.

On the food:
The gem of this book. Susan and Chris’s love for food is so clear! So many drool-worthy meals & treats mentioned throughout. It definitely made me hungry.

On the narrator:
It took me a long time to get into audiobooks because the first few I tried the narrator's voice was just unpleasant to me. It is still a hit and miss but I enjoyed listening to this narrator and her shift from being Susan to Chris.

Thank you @netgalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

#AllStirredUpDreamscapeMedia #NetGalley #bookstagram #audiobook #foodiebookcharacters #readersofig #booksthatmakeyouhungry