A thoroughly lovely story of a single mum on an alt Great British Bake-Off, finding her confidence in life, romance, family, and cake as she goes.

It's rather unusual in romance terms, as Rosaline spends a lot of the book in a relationship with the wrong love interest, and we see as much of him on page as we do of the right guy. I'd sort of say it's between romance and women's fiction there.

Thank you readforever pub for an arc in exchange for a review :) I really liked this one! I thought it was really cute and I usually don’t like single parent tropes. But this book was quirky, fun and cute! I also loved the recipes!

I enjoyed Boyfriend Material, so I was very excited about Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake. Although I have to admit, I liked Boyfriend Material a little more.
This is a hard review to write without spoiling anything because many of my complaints are plot points. So I will simply say I felt like the book focused too much on characters that it should not have. On the other hand, I thought the premise was very original; I liked the forced proximity and the baking show competition. Developing a relationship in that sort of environment would be challenging, and I felt like the book did a good job of picking up on that.
I enjoyed Rosaline’s character was but also expected a little more from her. We saw some character growth, but again, focusing on the wrong characters made it harder to see her growing. I did like how Rosaline being bi-sexual was brought up throughout the story. This book did a good job of pointing out some of the stereotypes that I assume many bisexual people are forced to deal with.
While overall, I enjoyed this book, I just wanted more. Also, I would have liked the ending to be a little more drawn out.

I was looking so forward to this book, but I’ve been trying to get into it for ... almost all of June. I think it’s finally time to admit it’s not for me. I love a character-driven story, but I need to be able to connect to the character somehow for that to work for me. I’m just not there with Rosaline, unfortunately.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

A delightful start to a new series from Hall! I was charmed by the concept from the beginning (who doesn’t love a Bake-Off-inspired romance?), but I’m probably among the portion of readers who was a little miffed by how much of the book was spent around a character that ultimately revealed himself to be terrible before Rosaline had that realization herself — because I liked the love interest she ended up with so much more! I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy the read, but Rosaline and Harry were so much more happy-inducing that I would’ve preferred less page space given to Alain overall. But on the whole, I was sold on so many other aspects that I was able to hold out for the real romance (which doesn’t happen until further in the book).

I had a love hate relationship with this book. I started off really liking it and toward the middle I wasn’t as enamoured. I was happy with the ending though and overall I did end up liking it. It’s a romcom based around contestants vying to win a cooking show. There was an eclectic group trying to be the best baker. Beware - there is a lot of talk about yummy baked creations. I really enjoyed the humour and snappy dialogue between the characters and the different personalities.

It was a good read. Alain was a tool, no I'm not spoiling anything from the start it's clear he's a wanker. Harry makes up for it. I'm not keen on love triangles but one like this I make an exception for because one guy is totally a horrible choice and you are just waiting for her to realize it. The romance story for me fell second to the rest of the story, her relationship with her parents, kid, best friend and the baking competition. The romance was just icing on the cake.

I really wanted to love Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, but this story didn't work for me unfortunately. I was so excited when I heard the premise of the book as I am big Great British Bake Off fan and I loved that the main character is a bisexual single mom, however the writing style and execution of the story made it really hard for me to get into the book. Also, I really don't mind swearing in books but it felt a bit over the top for me and took me out of the story. Although it didn't work for me, I think others will really love this book! My tip would be to preview the first couple chapters to see if the writing style is for you.

Rosaline Palmer is a bisexual single mother who decides to go on a baking competition reality tv show. Winning the show would provide opportunities for her and her daughter. She meets fun contestants on the show and continues to battle her judgemental parents and trying to meet their expectations.

I loved reading about Rosaline. Her daughter is so amazing and their relationship is perfection. I loved reading a book that represents a bisexual MC but the romance story line is with the opposite sex. What I mean by that, is that some people judge or have a hard time understanding bisexual individuals who are currently in relationships with the opposite sex. This book just perfectly showed what that was like for Rosaline and how things worked in her head. I needed that representation to open my mind, but also validate my own thoughts and feelings.

Now, the characters she meets and builds relationships with are so fun! I loved the baking competition element of the story. The romance storyline and the love triangle trope was so delightful and I was definitely pleased and happy with the ending of the book. This one is 5 stars from me and I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this gifted eArc in return for review!

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4.5/5⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫: a season of the Great British Baking Show (in book form), friends-to-lovers trope, slow burn/light steam
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝: Have you ever binged a full season of the GBBS in one day? Because I have many times, and listening to this book on audio felt like I was doing exactly that. I found it very un-put-down-able.

I really enjoyed this one on the whole, but I especially loved the baking show aspect. They added levity, had me audibly parroting the catch-phrases (THREE darlings!), and had me laughing at the baking disasters & behind-the-scenes drama.

The supplemental characters were great, and I especially loved Rosaline’s daughter Amelie and ex-girlfriend-turned-best-friend Lauren.
⁣⁣⁣
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞: I was actually irked by Rosaline for a lot of the early parts of the book because she mirrored a lot of the traits that she hated in her parents. Specifically, she came across very classist and dismissive of Harry because of his looks and his job. While I know it was intentional and it aided in her character growth throughout the book, it didn’t make her less unlikable. Additionally, I prefer a little more steam in my romance, and this one was very light save for one short chapter at the very end.

While I wanted to adore this book, and there were lots of things I did adore ... the baking, Amelie, the conversations about personal choice etc ... I couldn't help comparing it to Boyfriend Material, a book I couldn't put down until I finished. This one was sweet, but I honestly couldn't connect with Rosaline and her choices and insecurities and mindset.
However, the book took me back to England and that's always a good thing.

I have been killin it with the cute romance books lately. It seems like it's all I'm reading AND all of them have been major hits for me. ROSALINE PALMER was no exception. Generally speaking, I can count on Forever Romance to deliver some winners to me when I need them. I was putting off reading this one for some unknown reason (I mean, look at that cover AND the whole plot of the novel!) and finally decided to pick it up. I ended up reading more than half of it in one sitting, staying up past 1am.

The setup is that single mom Rosaline heads off to a GBBO-style baking competition and quickly finds herself involved with Alain. This isn't a spoiler, since it's right there in the synopsis, but Alain ends up being not the right fit for her. Harry, the charming, awkward, and nervous electrician makes her smile and seems to genuinely care about her. It was so refreshing to read their relationship. I'm not a love triangle hater really and I could generally see why she had some interest in Alain. He wasn't overtly terrible all the time. BUT, the winner for me the whole time was Harry. I didn't remember reading about him in the synopsis and was thinking "am I shipping her with someone completely random?" way back from their first interaction.

There were some minor things that I can't really put my finger on that bugged me during my reading. The writing style was pretty enjoyable for the most part. (I tend to love British books like this!) I think the romance with Alain went on a big longer than I was hoping for. Based on the book summary, you can tell that it probably won't work out and Harry will win in the end; it almost feels like a spoiler to even mention him because the romance with Alain went on until the very late chapters in the book.

Most of the book was really refreshing and honest. The characters felt real and had a lot of interesting motivations for their behavior. I could basically put myself in anyone's shoes and understand where they were coming from. (This is less true of Rosaline's garbage parents but even then I can kind of understand why they thought they were being good, helpful parents...)

The final chapters of this were wonderful and again, very honest. I'm thrilled that this will be a companion series because I definitely want to read more romances set in the Bake Expectations universe/show.

DNF at 25%. I like to go into books without knowing much about them. Often that’s perfect and lets me just go along for the ride! But occasionally it means I pick a book that I would know wasn’t for me if I read the description.

I saw it was Alexis Hall and vaguely Great British Bake Off and I was sold!! However I missed that it’s a love triangle which isn’t my thing. I was still trying but finding one of the male characters so unlikable that I’m going to call it as not for me. Love triangles rarely are though - so this could be more personal preference than the story.

Thank you to Forever, Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the advance reading and listening copies.

I received an ARC from Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I read this book with a smile on my face almost for the entire book.

Rosaline Palmer is 27, and since having a baby at 19, she's felt that she is under-performing at life. She's been raising a precocious daughter and working in a paper shop rather than training to become a doctor like her parents. This decision is something that they will never let her forget.

When Rosaline is selected as a contestant for Britian's top baking show, she knows the money would change her life. There she meets the variety of contestants including Alain Pope (in a rather memorable meeting). Alain checks a lot of the boxes in a potential partner including her parent's approval. But Rosaline also feels drawn to quiet Harry, an electrician by trade.

I normally don't like books that include a love triangle, but Alexis Hall has a deft hand with writing. Both you and Rosaline will know who is the catch before the end of this book. As a word of caution [Alain treads into sexual assault territory before this book is out by attempting a forced menage a trois with himself, Rosaline, and his ex. (hide spoiler)]

Throughout this book you get to see Rosaline grow. At first she is hesitant. Rosaline feels like she is not good enough for the show, and her life is too small and unimportant. As the book continues Rosaline begins to feel more confident in herself and the life she is living. Maybe she was forced into some of her choices, but she loves the life she lives and is proud of the choices she made.

LGBTQ+ representation. Great for fans of the Great British Baking Show. Less of a romance novel and more contemporary women's fiction.

After loving Boyfriend Material, and with the cute illustrated cover, I had expectations for this book. I went in thinking it would be a light, low-angst, rom-com. Instead it is definitely women’s fiction with lessons to teach. Sadly one of the best lessons – how straight white men should face consequences for their actions – felt more like a missed opportunity. (There are no consequences and that bothered me. It’s fiction, I wanted to see him get his comeuppance.) I enjoyed this novel, but it definitely would have changed how I approached it if it had been framed as women’s fiction and not romance. Definitely worth a read.

This book would be perfect for fans of The Great British Baking Show and women's fiction readers. The cooking contest was a fun part of the story, and I enjoyed seeing Rosaline's confidence grow as the competition and story went on. As a single mother in her 20s, she's still figuring things out. But she has a wonderful daughter, who was the cutest part of the story.

For me, the romance didn't resonate though. Rosaline was with a terrible guy for most of the book, so the actual romance felt too rushed. I would've liked more time at the end, as the last bit of the book was by far my favorite.

I’m DNFing this book for now. It has really great premise and the writing is so fun and I’ll definitely be picking up a copy for later, but I’m just struggling to get myself in the mood for it now. I know so many people who love it and I’m sure I will too.

I posted about it on release day and hoped to keep people engaged and excited about it.

This is like a really weirdly done GBBO fanfiction, where too much emphasis was on the bakes and the technical aspects of how to set up a TV show, and less on the actual romance. I mean, there was *some* romance, but it felt...weird. Forced. I don't think I ever really liked Rosaline as a character, and I think Hall tried to introduce too many people with quirky personalities. I lost track of who was who, and because of the number of contestants, we don't really get to know many of them in-depth. And I really didn't want to.

And there were these weird moments where Rosaline detailed all of the privileges she'd had (and there was QUITE a bit of it), but had chosen not to take advantage of her life on a silver platter, so she could be independent and raise her daughter. That's fine, but there was a distinct element of martyrdom that didn't sit well with me. Her life didn't have to be as "difficult," as she was making it. I didn't find her relatable or sympathetic. I found her to be a PIA white woman. Yes- a single (white) mom with a problematic (rich) family and feelings of (unnecessary) inadequacy, but still. I don't have the patience to handle you, Palmer. And stop pretending a beetroot cake is the epitome of creativity. It's delicious and not as fancy as you're making it seem.

I will say I still love Hall's writing style. I loved Boyfriend Material, but really struggled with this one. But I'm hoping the next one in the series is better!

And (minor spoiler) to lie about something so fundamental LIKE YOUR CHILD to a man you had never met to try and impress him, also knowing you'd be on TV at some point? How...How did you envision that working?

1.5 stars. The author's note is hilarious as are their discussion questions, which is why this being rounded up.

ARC graciously given by Netgalley in exchange for an honest (I WAS HONEST, NETGALLEY, SORRY) review.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for our gifted review copy.

So much to love about this one:
- incredible narration - like one of the best narrators I've listened to lately
- the daughter is the best & a huge star of the book!
- weekly baking competition show that adds stress, laughs and moves the story along
- really liked Rosaline and I was definitely rooting for her
- loved the relationship with her ex-partner

All of that being said, the romance part of the book didn't work for me. Love triangles aren't my favorite but I almost felt like I didn't need it. Like I would have been fine with a women's fiction rooting and cheering on Rosaline and her daughter. Either way, I'm super glad I opted for the audio because this is a long book!