British, baking and bisexuals! Oh my!

If you aren’t reading Alexis Hall, you should start IMMEDIATELY. This adorable rom com features a bisexual heroine who is trying to jump start her life by competing in an TV baking contest, a la the Great British Bake-off. I love all things Hall, but I especially appreciated the bi representation. Also, it’s hilarious. High, highly recommend!

I had been looking forward to reading this for a while. A romance novel based around a TV baking competition like the Great British Bake Off/Baking Show? Count me in.

I really enjoyed it. It had me laughing quite a bit. Although quite funny, it does touch on some serious themes.

Rosaline is a single mom who becomes a contestant on a baking competition. She loves her life, but her parents want her to go back to medical school, which she had to drop out of when she became pregnant with her daughter. She's hoping that winning this contest will help provide her with enough money that she doesn't have to depend on her parents anymore.

This is the first rom-come I've read where the MC has more than one option for her HEA. I liked the direction it went and I think you will too.

Her daughter is adorable. I love how supportive her best friend is and how their friendship came to be. It is possible to be friends with your ex. The other baking show competitors provide a lot of fun moments as there's such a wide variety or personalities. You're also probably going to be very hungry at some point reading this.

I also LOVED that one of the characters and I support the same Premier League team, Tottenham Hotspur (COYS)!

This is the first book I've read by Alexis Hall, but now that I've read this, I would love to read more of his.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure how to express how many feels this book gave me. The amount of care given to the portrayal of a bisexual character was phenomenal. It was so refreshing to see a piece of media that acknowledges the erasure along with the fetishization, and the struggle between standing up for yourself and feeling as though you're causing a scene. I was already a big fan of Alexis Hall's ability to craft a set of complex and nuanced characters, and this book definitely did not disappoint. Can't wait until this is out in the world so I can tell everyone to read it.

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake promised to have everything I love, a bisexual main characters that competes on a British baking show? Sign my avid baker, Great British Bake Off obsessed self up!

CW: biphobia, attempted sexual assault, classism, discussions of abortion

From the get go I loved Rosaline. She felt as though she had to make others happy and live up to their expectations, regardless of what she wanted for herself. I felt like I could strongly relate to the type of person she is.

Alexis Hall drew me in with the writing style that legit had me laughing and frantically turning the pages to keep reading. I loved that the baking show was what drove the timeline of this book as it made everything easily make sense timeline wise.

It felt like I was reading about an episode doc the GBBO. I was anxious as Rosaline practiced or was unable to practice due to what was happening in her life. I felt like the romance didn’t drive this story, instead it was about Rosaline and her journey to understanding herself.

I did not like Alain and wished that he wasn’t around and in Rosaline’s life as much as he was. I would have liked to have more scenes with Harry.

I loved Rosaline’s precocious daughter Amelie. She made me laugh quite a bit.

I adored this book and cannot wait to see what Alexis Hall releases next!

The fucking joy that this book brought me was ridiculous and I loved every second of it. It made me so giddy that I had to stop reading for a minute and grin and press my face into a pillow and squeal. Alexis Hall has instantly become one of my favorite authors and always far exceeds all expectations with his work for me.

The care and thought that was put into Rosaline, a bisexual character, really left me in quite the emotional state (in the best way possible). I honestly cannot remember a time when I’ve read a book that spoke to me the way this book did. I felt seen and understood, which I know might sound silly or whatever but it really did. The fact that Rosaline is shown on page entering relationship with men (instead of women) and maintaining that fact that she’s bisexual meant so much to me for so many reasons. Alexis (ha, look at me referring to the author by his first name like we’re friends or something) was able to put into words the ‘nuances’ of how people perceive bisexuality. Basically, Rosaline is the best and I loved her as a character.

The baking competition aspect was fantastic and I loved how the behind-the-scenes of this wholesome family friendly baking show was portrayed because I could definitely see that being how it is. It was perfect. Also, Alexis’s descriptions of all the baked foods actually left me craving the food, which I really appreciate.

Can we talk about Harry for a second? I think we need a world with more Harrys’ in them. People who can take being told that something they’re doing is not right and they’re okay with hearing that? Like it doesn’t become this thing that they hold over your and resent you for or whatever. We need more of these type of people in the world but we also need more of these people in books. Rosaline was about to ask Harry to stop doing some things he did and he actually stopped it without much fanfare, which was fantastic. ‘Hey, don’t call me pretty or bird’ and he’s like ‘Okay, I won’t’ and that was definitely okay and not this huge deal. Harry was such a beautifully souled cinnamon roll. He gets all the squishy hugs.

I think another wonderful thing about Alexis’s writing is that he creates this world filled with all these wonderful, quirky yet completely lovable characters. Can Lauren be my best friend, please? I loved the dynamic between her and Rosaline and the complicated(?) history between the two. I enjoyed most of the contestants from the baking show, as well, especially Nora’s romances novels.

I can keep talking about this book for ever and I’m excited for everyone to read it. I will definitely be buying multiple copies of this book and giving them out to everyone I know. Do yourself a favor and read it, it will bring fucking joy. Also, the book club reading discussion questions at the end are the best I have ever read and would definitely start an entire book club just to have people answer the questions. It’s fucking fantastic. *chef’s kiss*

There were a lot of things I loved about this book, and a few that kept me from giving it an unreserved 5 stars. The writing is really sparkling, it's tightly plotted and the characters are beautifully drawn. However, as a reader, I think i would have preferred the balance to be slightly less Alain and more Harry, and by the time Rosaline realized who she really loved, I found myself wishing she'd been able to come to that conclusion herself, without having to be assaulted to recognize that Alain want a good person. Especially given how many red flags we as the reader were shown. One of those flags is that Alain makes fun of another contestants weight, and while Rosaline sort of pushes back because she feels she ought to, she finds his mean humor charming, and the book goes on to describe the fat character as a bigot who Rosaline never likes. I was left with a bit of an ongoing sour taste in my mouth from it. Overall, I will recommend this to people who liked Evvie Drake Starts Over m as hybrid women's fiction with a strong romance subplot, but I'll do it with a CW for sexual assault and some casual fatphobia.

CWs: biphobia mentions, attempted sexual assault, *classism*

Alexis Hall is absolutely a read for me, and has been for the last year and a half or so. He's got a gift for making me interested in relationships or couples I usually wouldn't be into, while making many of them cheerfully flawed in a way that seems all too human, combined with a great and supportive group of friends. He really shines in the latter department, and reading the friendgroups interact is usually always the highest point of the book-- the characters seem to truly like and love each other, the humor sparkles. and the dynamics feel even. I can almost feel as if I'm stumbling through a field at night, or watching my friends discuss a kid's schedule.

Rosaline Palmer is very much a people pleaser. She's also raised fairly upper middle class (to American standards), and her career trajectory spirals away from what had been intended when nine years ago, she chose to keep her baby. However, her upbringing still very much lingers: her classism, for example is something she moves through, challenges, and works on throughout the book. A working single mother, she takes the chance to appear on a baking competition that is of course in no way GBBO, and does not come with helpful people swearing and using the names of corporations when she's having an anxiety attack on camera so the takes can't be used.

While there is a love triangle of sorts in the book, I as the reader rarely felt conflicted and could guess to which direction it would be going, as hints of personalities were strewn throughout interactions. Is your gut saying he's being an ass? Your gut is absolutely right.

There too were some great moments-- discussion of anxiety among them, and how it feels to be finally diagnosed with it, realizing that the thoughts you have can be helped. While I think Rosaline's daughter was a bit too precocious, I very much enjoyed her attitude: her deep interests and wanting to learn everything about a certain subject, liking to talk with the fun adults, having difficulty going to bed on time felt real in a way. Too I think was accurate in an incredibly sad was was Rosaline's desire to please people, which made for an uncomfortable choice at the beginning, and (CW sexual assault) telling someone who forcibly tried to kiss her (over) that nothing really happened.

I think, much like Boyfriend Material, the endgame was sweet and felt right for the characters. I look forward to reading the sequels!

This book surprised me in so many ways. It wasn’t exactly what I expected, but I really really enjoyed it. I got some Jenny Colgan vibes in the best sort of way. I was rooting so hard for the couple. The setting felt fresh and unique, and I loved the ending.

The pacing was different than a typical romance, but it definitely worked for me. I loved Rosaline and how she grew over the course of the story. In typical Alexis Hall fashion, there are so many laugh-out-loud one liners and moments of hijinks. The banter between the characters is fantastic, and I really wanted more. My only complaint is that we spent a bit too much time with a completely insufferable character. (He’s the worst)

I love Amelie and the relationship between her and Rosaline. There were so many lines about parenting that rang true to me—especially with respect to crummy parents making for good grandparents. Rosaline’s parents were awful without seeming like caricatures. And Lauren was great and fun. The show judges and producers were brilliant satires.

I wish we got more happy time with the characters before the book ended. Can we get an entire series of Rosaline? Please?

My review will be on my instagram @andiewritesandreads in the next few weeks.

If you loved and maybe binge watched The Great British Bake Off like myself you MUST read this book!!! It gave me all the feels of the show, and reminded me that I have not watched all the seasons yet – shame on me! Also the British humour and the inspiring baking puns take the cake.

The book had some wonderful moments, even great moments, of gentle reflection and wonderful support. I loved those moments the most. It also made me laugh out loud multiple times. And it had all the charm and wit I expect from an Alexis Hall book, minus the heat. It’s a slow burn “romance” more in line with Boyfriend Material than the author’s earlier work. And throughout the story the author made me reflect and think on the matter of gender and queer issues.

Rosaline turned out to be an interesting character, but not necessarily one I liked all the time. In other words she was a hot mess. Rosaline had her issues and doubts, and she made some obvious mistakes. But I also loved how outspoken and self-confident she was about certain issues. She was a relatable character, probably because of her flaws, but her habit of being critical and judgy about everyone and everything became exhausting after a while.

Her judgemental personality, and the way the author tackled some of the bigger issues, felt at times forced, almost like the author tried too hard, and the story turned into a lecture, and stopped feeling like a romance.

Also, when it comes to romance books, I do have some expectations. And what I didn’t expect was a story revolving around a love triangle. I’m not a fan of them. Although, in this case it worked in a way since the story already didn’t feel like a traditional romance. And honestly I was more interested in the baking and the friendships than anything else.

But besides that, what the author really excels at is creating absolutely fascinating characters. Truly, everyone was individually different and memorable. And a highlight of this book was Rosaline’s adorable daughter. I’m a huge fan of the single parent trope, and precocious kids are a weakness of mine. The things that came out of her mouth made me crack up. Her and her “aunt” Lauren were my favorite characters, besides Harry my lovely cinnamon roll hero. As I said before, Alexis Hall knows how to create some fantastic characters. And I’m already looking forward to the next book in this series.

Wickedly Funny!!! Jaw dropping Hilarious!!! As someone who adores Mary Berry & Paul Hollywood, and never misses The Great British Baking Show, I love the set up for this latest book from Alexis Hall. Rosaline is a single mom to Amelie, a precocious eight year old, with a large vocabulary. A surprise pregnancy at 19 changes her future from college at Cambridge to being a mother and working in a stationary store. She is now entering a BBC cooking show called Bake Expectations with hopes of changing her life.

So many times while reading the dialog I had to slow down and enjoy the scenes. Sometimes British wit doesn't translate well to Americans but that isn't the case. The story follows through the eight weeks of cooking competition where Rosaline makes friends and develops a love interest (or two). Rosaline isn't perfect and can be annoying. She is often correcting others which comes off preachy. She is insecure and can't make up her mind on some important decisions. She also wants to stand up to for herself to her doctor parents but needs their help and wants their love.

The competition itself is almost its own character. It allows for funny moments with judges, crew and competitors. And the cooking language (foods, cakes, ingredients) elevates the realism of the baking show. Just like when I watch on tv, half the time I don't understand what the cooking terms mean. One scene where Rosaline and two friends are lunching in a pub had me in laughing tears as they were trying to figure out what they were ordering. I live my life not known what something like ceps is and have no idea if I want to order it in a restaurant.

This is a delightful fiction book with a subplot of romance. Romance is not the driving focus and Rosaline is involved with more than one person. I was more excited about the baking competition than who Rosaline ends up with. The book is positive in LGBTQ representation. Warnings for language, with over 200 uses of the f-bomb but not graphic for steaminess. Be sure and read the questions for discussion at the end of the book which is a continuation of the authors tongue in cheek humor. The author says this if the first in a three part series and I can't wait for the other two. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

A fun, funny, emotionally deep, cute, & witty story featuring a love triangle-lite, a baking contest show, parenting, navigating gender issues & classism & queer issues, family, & growing in self-confidence. I even enjoyed the storyline about the baking show, and I’m not a cooking show or reality contestant show fan.

[What I liked:]

•Classic Alexis Hall writing—charming, a bit awkward, witty in an observational humor + puns way, & realistic dialogue. And also brutally, gently, & brilliantly tackling difficult real-life struggles with uncomfortably insightful insights. All of that, sincerely yay.

•The way the competition plays out—the twists, the skillful calculation of who gets eliminated in what order—was well executed. I honestly didn’t know up til the very very end who was gonna win the final.

•I learned some cool stuff, such as what salad cream is, & that in the UK lava cake is called “self saucing pudding”. Also about anglerfish pheromones. And what a dacquoise is, which I definitely want to try now.

•Lauren is an absolute gem. Harry is an absolute gem in a rather different way. Colin & Jennifer are...unique. (I bet it was fun(?) to come up with those very creative insults Jennifer was full of.)

•I probably enjoyed the ridiculous titles of Nora’s romance novels more than I should have, but they were so funny. I guess in a self-deprecating sort of way since this is itself a romance novel (not in a mean way).

•Agh. Rosaline’s relationship with her parents is not really the same as mine with mine, & yet really uncomfortably but reassuringly similar. That sounds weird, but the conversation she has with her mum near the end...
1) your parents wanting the best for you but not getting that you want different things;
2) feeling like sh*t for being honest with your mum about ways she’s hurt you but also really needing to finally be honest;
3) having a dad who...probably means well & is confusingly a fundamentally decent person but also infuriatingly & depressingly “needs some time”...it’s all things I’ve been thinking about too much lately so was difficult to read about yet...nice(?) to see put eloquently into words. Yes. TMI but true.

•I feel so seen. That whole scene where Amelie’s teacher is all like “we can’t mention that non-straight people exist until year 6”? That’s sorta been my life lately, more than normal since there’s this Equality Act bill that may or may not get passed by the US Senate & give queer people civil rights, & thus so many family members & acquaintances have been ranting to my face about how they don’t want to me have civil rights—& well, it’s so cathartic in a way to read this & know I’m not alone (although I wish I was alone in the sense this shouldn’t be a widespread problem). Agh.

•Oh, & also the awkwardness of having to navigate asking men (including well meaning ones) to not speak condescendingly to me as a woman? I so relate to that too. I sorta-recently had to ask a coworker not to address me as “hey, woman” at the office. I’ve seen some reviews on here where people think these bits of the book are preachy, but since it’s real life for many I’m *glad* it’s there. (I really don’t care if you think it’s tiresome hearing people object to micro-&-also-not-so-micro aggressions since imo it’s more tiresome to actually experience them, so eff you if you think you can expect people to shut up & just brush them off for the sake of your comfort. Sorry but also definitely not sorry.)

•Oh! And the social anxiety? I also extremely relate to Harry! I totally get:
1) coming from a background where mental health is just ignored & not on anyone’s radar so it’s really uncomfortable to contemplate it affecting you;
2) thinking it’s just that way for everyone & resenting having to admit you have a problem but also being relieved it’s something that can be helped.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•I know it’s a character growth thing, & part of Rosaline’s insecurity about her career is due to people being sh*tty to her & looking down on her about it, but I lost a lot of respect for her when she fabricated a whole nother life & job history on the spur of the moment to impress someone.
1) it felt a bit unrealistic...Malawi, really?
2) it’s a really big, complex lie; I’d more easily understand if it was just a lie by omission such as neglecting to mention her kid due to awkward conversational timing;
3) it makes her seem desperate for attention, shallow (needing to impress strangers), & untrustworthy, so I lost some respect for her there.

•Rosaline is a huge f*cking snob. While simultaneously being annoyed that her parents act snobbishly towards her. It really grates how she judges Harry for his dialect & other things. One more thing that made me lose respect for her. (Ofc it becomes part of a character growth arc, thank goodness, but I kinda like to like MC’s & it was really hard to like her sometimes.)

•Rosaline thinks ballet is “nonsense”. I’m offended. Ballet is life.

•I think for the most part, the sexual assault part was handled really well. One part bothered me though. When Rosaline is sorta reassuring the person who assaulted her, she says “nothing actually happened”. Um, no, something definitely did happen. On one hand, I know guilt & self blame are common responses victims of assault have, & actually, downplaying it is somewhat of an expected social narrative. So it’s not that I have a problem she said/felt that, but really? It was never addressed after, & so it felt like the book was approving that message.

CW: homophobia, sexual assault

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

I'm a huge Alexis Hall fan, so I was very much looking forward to reading Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake. And it's a delight. Charming and witty and with characters full of personality that I wanted to immediately befriend (and/or punch). I could have done with less of Alain, but I also appreciated that Rosaline's path wasn't straightforward, because who's is? All in all, the book was more complicated and unpredictable than I expected it to be, which is great.

Thanks to Forever/Grand Central and NetGally for this eARC!

Rosaline, a single mum to 8-year-old Amelie is a contestant on the fictional version of Great British Bake Off. If a book about the inner life and behind-the-scenes of a bake off contestant sounds at all good to you, you should enjoy this. It is a relatively fuzzy look at the background of reality TV, but then Bake off is a pretty fuzzy show. Like <i>Boyfriend Material</i>, this book relies on a fun and funny cast of characters. Honestly, I didn't even need all of the romance here - I just wanted more bake-off contestant shenanigans (though the romance was good in the end too). I liked this a lot, and would def read many more books in this fictional bake-off universe.

By ‘eck, this was a lot of fun.

Once again, I’m reminded of why I like Alexis Hall’s books—his characters are nuanced and interesting and imperfect in delightfully perfect ways, even when they are 8-year olds obsessed with squoogly fish, or only mentioned in passing. No 2D supporting characters here!

This book was hilarious and sexy, empowering and thought-provoking; full of people I wanted to hug and people I wanted to punch; an absolutely magnificent baketacular.

One word of warning: It’s a book about a baking show, and understandably, absolutely full of food. Don’t read it on an empty stomach. I accidentally ate an entire tin of cookies during biscuit week.

I absolutely adored Boyfriend Material so I was very excited to read this book. I really enjoyed it, but in a completely different way. I wouldn't describe RPTHC as pure romance as much as a general fiction/romcom mash-up. There were several possible love interests, and I absolutely appreciated the unpredictability in the journey. But there was also a focus on Rosaline's family life and her personal character growth. I cringed at the way certain people treated Rosaline and admired her for standing up for herself, although at times I found Rosaline herself to be a bit preachy. I loved the person she ultimately ended up with and was pleased with the direction the author took. The absolute show stealer for me, however, was Rosaline's daughter Amelie. She was full of personality and so so smart and I ate up every scene she was in.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

My feelings for Alexis Hall’s Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake are complicated: some really cool things are happening but it just doesn’t totally engage my heart.

Single mom Rosaline Palmer feels like she hasn’t lived up to her parents’s goals & isn’t providing the life she wants for her daughter.

But she loves baking & though she isn’t fully confident in her decision she signs up for a baking reality tv show a la GBBO.

The blurb clues you in to this dynamic, but on the way to production she meets Alain, a witty landscape architect. Soon after she meets other contestants, including Harry, a ripped electrician who calls her “love” until she asks him to stop & whose grammar grates on her.

This is a spoiler alert but for much of the book Rosaline is interested in & involved in a relationship of sorts—including sexually—w/ Alain, when he is not, of course, the one she will end up w/.

Throughout RPTTC we get glimpses that Alain isn’t the nicest person, which helps me w/ the love triangle-ish aspect.

We *also* see moments when Rosaline isn’t the *nicest* person; when she shows some of her least attractive & yet also some of her most relatable qualities: her strong desire to please & to judge.

While I’m a proponent of an imperfect heroine Rosaline’s portrayal doesn’t totally work for me, mostly bc I don’t think there’s enough self-awareness & reflection. That includes her snobbery...her awareness of which feels kinda surface level to me even when she’s apologizing to Harry.

Still, throughout RPTTC Rosaline grows in major ways & I cheered along.

In addition to Rosaline’s journey, I really like RPTTC’s wit, its gentle moments, its consideration of how others respond to Rosaline’s bisexuality, the intimacy in the sex scene b/t Rosaline & Harry. The way he encourages her to say what she wants & she encourages him to share his feelings throughout is lovely—though I yearned for more of a romantic declaration at the end.

I can’t wait to see what Hall writes next, obviously. But this one just doesn’t always work for me.

4 ⭐️. Release date: 5/18.
CW:
​
​sexual assault, biphobia

Almost as hilarious as Boyfriend Material, but significantly more complex, Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake centers on a single mum trying to fix her life with a hail mary run on a competitive baking show. I don't want to spoil it because the twists are a key part of the journey, but I do think we spend a little long on the wrong path for my taste. Nonetheless it ends well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

CW: biphobia, attempted sexual assault/date rape, classism, discussions of abortion

Boyfriend Material was probably my favorite read this year, making this one of my most anticipated reads of the year. High anticipation is always dangerous because it sets crazy expectations. The premise of this book is amazing and it is so well executed. As someone who finally got into the Great British Bake Off during the pandemic, this was the perfect book.

I adored Rosaline. She was human, concerned with others' opinions, and still trying to figure out her life. Raising an amazing daughter as a single mom, best friends with her ex. She's not perfect, but she's happy. I loved her voice. Alexis Hall's writing is always snappy, full of dry wit and this book did not disappoint. I was constantly laughing. I loved the use of the baking show as the framework for the book, it was well done and made following the story so easy.

I was so pulled into the story. Nervous about Rosaline's performance. The stress as she tried to practice her recipes when she was home. Would she win this challenge. I could not put this book down. All of this is to also say, this is Rosaline's story. This is a fiction book with a romance subplot. I was reading waiting for the romance and it was just not unfolding like I was expecting it to. I think going in knowing this would have changed my experience.

This book isn't so much of a love triangle as starting off with a red-herring of a LI, who is a jerk plain and simple. The plot with Alain pretending he was the LI went on for too long, in my opinion. While Harry was sweet, I don't think he was on the page enough for me to become invested in him. I was more invested in Rosaline's outcome on the show than her romantic outcome. Harry just didn't connect with me, which made their jump into a relationship seem a bit rushed.

Overall I adored this hilarious read and will continue to read anything Alexis Hall puts out, he is so talented.

Rating: 4
Steam: 3 (completely closed door until the last few pages)