I definitely had warmer feelings about this story overall than I did about my last few Hall reads but unfortunately most of those warmer feelings kind of depleted over the course of the story. Not because of the events as much as because of certain characters.

When this story focused on some of the secondary cast, specifically Lauren, Harry, and Anvita, it was a great bantery blissful time. When we were in the bake-off segments with the ensemble in addition to all the filming hijinks? Delight. When we were dealing with Alain, or sometimes Rosaline herself? Ugh.

I don't really want to reveal who Rosaline ends up with, especially for those #TeamNoBlurbers who won't read the summary, or for those who might not infer from the synopsis how it all goes down, but. I'm very happy with the end result. It was just quite the journey to get there. And I'm not quite sure Rosaline deserved him, full stop, but also because the way things just fall into place is well.. convenient. For her.

Notably, another thing that dampened my enthusiasm about this story, was that it falls into a common and recent trend of feeling like a very "teachy" kind of book. Lots of discourse about gender stereotypes, important dialogue about biphobia, classism, and more, but not only does it handle that.. it also sorta beats you over the head with it. Both in how it's challenged but also the frequency. Lumped into this were the circumstances of Rosaline's life, her daughter, and so many horses died in the telling and overtelling of that plotpoint. But what made it worse was how inconsistent, and flipfloppy, even Rosaline told it.

Overall Rosaline was just a very flawed character, which is fine, I just wish maybe it had been showcased differently? For all that Alain was a dick, I understood his reasons (except for that one part; that one part is completely not understandable). I didn't understand when Rosaline was also a dick (but I think maybe one specific area I couldn't get was very British-specific in regards to classism that I just don't think we have in my part of the world; at least not in this way). I didn't understand her appeal. She had great friends but.. I don't think she, herself, was always a good friend. We see everyone constantly stepping up for her and rarely does she return the favour. I realize this is her story, not anyone else's, but it feels unbalanced, in a way.

There's definitely a lot to recommend within the pages of ROSALINE TAKES THE CAKE. I think a lot of people will like this. It is definitely an easier, more mainstream read, than BOYFRIEND MATERIAL (which I realize I'm biased against, so, I mean, grain of salt). But I can also see people who loved that book also loving this. Mostly I'm just happy that my experience with the other might have been an outlier because for all that this wasn't a win, it wasn't quite a fail, either. In the century that is 2020-2021, we take what we can get.

I loved this one. It was laugh out loud funny and sweet and cute and all the things really. It was just great.

Rosaline is a single mom competing on a Great British Bake Off style reality tv competition that films every weekend for a couple of months. She is hoping to win in order to set her and her daughter up for a more financially stable future.

Every relationship Rosaline has in this book kept me interested.
The one with her daughter, Amelie is #goals. I hope to answer tough questions for my kiddo with the same honesty and wisdom as Rosaline does.

Her relationship with her best friend/ex Lauren is hilarious and enviable.

The banter on set between the contestants is really good. (As well as the show’s host who provides delightfully dry and quick witted flavour)

The relationship with her parents is tempestuous and complicated.

The love triangle was interesting. I felt exactly how I was supposed to feel about Harry and Alain although I didn’t realize Alexis meant for me to feel that way at first. I was worried, but Alexis knew what he was doing.

There is one slightly steamy scene at the end but you’re not reading this for swoon or steam. Read it for the humour, the joy of watching a woman come into her own, for complicated relationships infused with social commentary and baking. Definitely read it for the baking.

If you like
- Baking and/or The Great British bake-off.
- Humorous contemporary romance/fiction
- Opposites attract/class difference
- Love triangle
- Single mom
- Queer romance.

Im going try to channel the (fictional) judges of Bake expectations to critique this book. I hope I do them justice.

‘It’s light yet still manages to hold a lot of substance. I appreciate that the spicy commentary doesn’t overpower the sweetness of it. You’ve done a really nice job of this’ - Marianne Wolvercote

‘By eck, you’ve done it. I’m going back for seconds’ - Wilfred Honey

Thank you to Forever publishing, Alexis Hall and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake was a fast-paced, smart, romantic comedy that left me laughing and snorting most of the time while reading. Think the Great British Bake Off has a baby with a woman on a path of self-discovery, this story was a fun and different story from my regular reads.

Without giving away any spoilers, to me this story can best be described as Women's Fiction with some romance thrown in. I enjoyed Rosaline's snappy sense of humor and how she took life by the horns and ran with it. She was strong and assertive but also so conflicted when it came to who she was and what she wanted. I enjoyed this very much because seeing her personal growth and character progression was amazing.

Despite this story being a love triangle, without a doubt, I personally knew right away who I wanted Rosaline to be with. This person matched her perfectly and their connection just came right off the pages. Besides this, more than anything I loved the extended cast of characters in this story, namely Rosaline's daughter Amelie. She was the breath of fresh air that this story needed in some tough moments. Overall, this story had heart and humor and was a good solid read. 4 stars! ~Ratula

Hmm... I stuck in the middle of conflict feelings. Could someone like a book so much but also get irritated of some parts and some characters ( yes, douchebag Alain who earned my thousand punch point, I’m talking about you the manipulative gaslighting specialist! )

Let me elaborate my reading experience: at first when I get an arc of this marvelous journey, I thanked my lucky stars and lucky cow powers because Boyfriend Material was one of my favorite romance reads of the last year and I couldn’t wait to go blind to discover new story created by Alexis Hall’s extraordinary mind.

Our main character Rosaline Palmer, stationery shop worker, bisexual 27, single mom. Normally I don’t add sexual orientation when I talk about the character’s attributes but Rosaline’s sexuality takes important part at the story, helping us to understand her relationship with her best friend Lauren and her toxic family relationship dynamics.

Lauren is a supporting, great, witty best friend is also a lesbian and her ex who cheated on her. Yes, things are getting interesting, is it?

But let’s focus on Rosaline’s daily life problems. Rosaline barely makes end meets, financially struggling to provide needs of her lovely 8 years old daughter Amelie. But she’s truly a talented baker. Actually she’s one of the ten contestants of Great British Bake Off’s alternative version: Bake Expectations.

She keeps this as a secret and is forced to lie each week for leaving for daughter with Lauren and her rigid parents who never approve anything she does for her life. She attends the competition and starts defeating her rivalries, gaining more confidence about her baking dreams.

She also finds herself in the middle of love triangle. Parent approved, charming ( looks can be deceiving !!!), landscape architect Alain and shy, kind hearted,sweet , electrician Harry were the competitors. Even from the depictions you can sense which one is her end game but unfortunately Rosaline cannot see which guy is right for her till the end of the story which truly pissed me off.

I wanted to talk about my positive impressions at first: I truly enjoyed smart laugh out loud moments of the book. Instead of abusive, irritating manners of tv producer, I enjoyed the competition parts.

And I wanted you consider this book as women’s fiction, it’s all about Rosaline’s brand new journey, her career choices, her self growing, discovery, learning from her mistakes.

Sometimes Rosaline pushes your buttons with her insecurities, trying too hard to please the people around her but she became a teen mother, kept the baby, learning to be responsible adult at the young age and also never giving up on her own dreams. So she is tolerable and absolutely connectable character.

So you shouldn’t read this book as a romance for not getting disappointed because till the end, Rosaline struggles to see what’s best for her.

I think the most irritating part of the book was the characterization of Alain. I hate him with every fiber of my being and I wished Rosaline might have kicked his brainwashing, controlling ass at the middle of the book so we didn’t have to read his part and see more evidence show how despicable human being he is!

Sweet Harry earned my triple layered chocolate brownie points from me as soon as his character is introduced and I truly resonated with his anxiety problems. I wished to see more chapters about their growing attraction and blooming love story but yes my dreams didn’t come true!

Overall: less romance more personal growth story wasn’t I expected from this story and I fantasized so creative ways to kill Alain which gave me opportunity to exercise my brain cells. But I still enjoyed the baking contest premise. I loved Rosaline, of course Harry, Laureen and Rosaline’s sweetest pie daughter Amelie.
Because of those reasons I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 baking show, homophobia, cruel parents, teenage mom, sweet beginnings, feel good women’s fiction stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing ( Forever) for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I love the concept of a baking competition and a single mom trying to level up her life. I liked the personality of all of the characters and you can absolutely win me with a spunky kid. But this was way too wordy for me. It caused the story to move a little slower at times than I wanted it to and let it feel a little too soap boxy. Thank you so much for letting me read and try it!

3.5 stars. I have so many mixed feelings. Alexis Hall is one of my favorite authors. Had this been written by anyone else, I probably would have DNFed but there was enough good that I carried on, despite the parts that didn’t work for me. I would encourage anyone wanting to try to go in with eyes wide open. Don’t read it as a romance. Read it as an exploration of a single mom finding herself, as well as finding love along the way. Oh, and baking some incredible cakes!

Let’s start with the good. Rosaline is a compelling heroine. I rooted for her to win the baking competition and to figure out what she wants from her life, apart from her toxic parents’ expectations. Her daughter Amelie was a delight—no plot moppet here. In fact, all of the secondary characters were great, especially Rosaline’s ex Lauren. The baking competition was fun to read about. It felt the most realistic of any baking competition-set story I’ve read, although the verbally abusive producer got to be a bit much. Fans of GBBO should feel like they’re in good hands.

I laughed out loud often and at times very hard. Hall’s signature sense of humor is there in spades and it worked to great effect. Especially during Bread Week. I’m smiling just thinking about that scene. Rosaline is an overthinker and a people pleaser and there’s a content warning (more below) that greatly took me aback so I hesitate to call this light in tone overall but much of it was enjoyable.

If I had known this was women’s fiction going in, I might have struggled less with the main plot choice. Rosaline’s primary love interest for almost 80% of the book is Alain and he is despicable. To be fair, love triangles are one of my least favorite tropes but I’m also not sure this is a real love triangle. Rosaline barely thinks about Harry while she’s with Alain, other than noticing that he’s attractive.

I truly could not understand what she saw in Alain, especially when dreamy Harry was waiting in the wings. I seriously hated him. We’re not meant to like him! But because Rosaline couldn’t see it for so long, whether due to her parents’ approval or because she just fell into the relationship, I started to think less of her. Her arc centers on growing in confidence and this undermined it. I was basically willing her to see his true colors and break things off.

Instead, the reason she breaks things off with him—and this is a spoiler but also a content warning—is due to <spoiler>sexual assault. Alain invited his ex-girlfriend over to his place without Rosaline's knowledge or consent and tries to pressure her into having a threesome. I saw this plot choice coming a mile away because he kept mentioning that Liv was considering whether she was bisexual. Alain told Liv that Rosaline was on board so basically out of nowhere Liv stripped naked, plopped into Rosaline's lap, and started kissing her. Rosaline managed to push Liv off and run to the bathroom. Alain gaslights her about it and is just awful. Par for the course. Rosaline called Harry to pick her up and managed to get away without further harm.</spoiler> I’m not keen on this as a plot choice in general but especially not used as a dark moment.

Honestly, Rosaline deserved better. And Harry deserved better! He was off to the side for most of the book being an absolute sweetheart. He clearly was interested in her—not that she noticed—but just tried to be a good friend. She was initially snobby about him being working class, which provided an interesting counterpoint to Alain’s posh ways. Harry constantly upsets her assumptions about him and I couldn’t get enough of it. (He was reminiscent of Darian from Glitterland in some ways.) I really liked watching them become friends and I was incredibly relieved when she finally recognized what she had in him. But poor Harry barely got any page time as the endgame love interest. At 20 pages from the end (not too long after she’s broken things off with Alain), she finally kisses Harry. Those 20 pages do manage to do a lot for their relationship, including some stellar consent and an open door consent scene, though not as explicit as Hall’s Spires series. I wanted more page time for Harry.

I’ve really struggled to figure out how I feel about this book. It’s mostly made me sigh heavily when I’ve thought about it. Because yes Rosaline and Harry are great together but we barely got to see them in action. Yes, it made me laugh out loud a ton but also Alain was an absolute wanker who should have been shot into the sun much earlier on and I did not appreciate the reason things finally ended between them. I also struggled with the way this handled her toxic parents but that’s a lesser concern in the face of everything else. Not my favorite from Alexis Hall but like I said, he made me turn the pages in spite of my issues.

Character notes: Rosaline is a 27 year old white bisexual single mom and stationary shop worker. Her daughter Amelie is 8. Alain is a white landscape architect. Harry is a white electrician.

CW: sexual assault, gaslighting, mild violence <spoiler>Harry rescues Rosaline from Alain’s house and Alain puts up a fuss, then grabs Harry. Harry warns Alain to let go a couple of times and then punches him when he doesn’t</spoiler>, abusive behavior from TV show producer, biphobia, homophobia (incident with Amelie’s teacher), hero has anxiety, toxic parents, past unplanned pregnancy, past infidelity <spoiler>Lauren cheated on Rosaline but they are now best friends; it is referred to throughout the story</spoiler>, gendered insults, alcohol, inebriation, classism, ableist language, brief reference to heroine considering abortion when she found out she was pregnant at 19, reference to heroine’s mother’s work as an oncologist specializing in ovarian cancer

It has been a while since I read a whole book in one day. I couldn't put this one down. It was funny and sweet and I enjoyed that it wasn't completely straight forward with the romance. No matter how many times it said the baking happened in a ballroom I still pictured the whole thing taking place in the bake off tent.
Do I wish she had stopped referring to her best friend as her ex-girlfriend. Their relationship has obviously moved well past being exes into being best friends and I just wish it was referred to that way.
I also really enjoyed that it had recipes in the back that were in the characters voices. The reading group guide questions were also pretty interesting.

I love Alexis Hall's writing. I am a huge fan of his work! I particularly enjoyed Boyfriend Material and the Spires Series. This book has the humor and fun of Boyfriend Material but with an added layer of fun with the British baking show setting. The dialogue is witty and a pleasure to read. It has a great balance of humor, romance, and baking. What more could you ask for?

I flew through this book because it was so fun. I really like that this novel has a bisexual heroine and the plot deals with some of the challenges that come along with her experiences without making the novel a cliché. I loved her kid in the story too (though I am a sucker for a plot moppet), but she does not dominate the story to take away from the rest of the narrative.

Honestly, I already want to read it again. And watch a British baking show. And eat some of the awesome food mentioned in the novel. Just read it. You won't regret it.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review.

This book is sheer hilarious perfection. I laughed out loud several times and each time my wife asked “what’s so funny?” So if you would like to read a perfectly sweet, charming; and laugh out loud funny book this is the one.

Rosaline Palmer will do anything for her daughter Amelie. She's in a bit of a financial pickle, so she decides to enter a baking competition to win the prize money that will give her daughter the life she deserves. I was really enjoying this book in the beginning, but the ending fell a little flat for me.

Rosaline Palmer can’t believe it but she has somehow landed a spot on a national baking competition. With the prize money, she could stop relying on her parents and change her daughter’s life for the better. But the road to the finale is anything but easy- complicated by fellow bakers who become friends, lovers, and enemies. As Rosaline becomes enamored of one elegant baker, she also finds herself attracted to a shy electrician. When the competition intensifies, Rosaline won’t be able to win without being honest about what and who she truly wants.

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake is a joyous celebration of baking and growth. I’m a huge fan of the Great British Bake Off, so the baking competition was simply delightful for me to read about! The descriptions of the food were mouth-watering. There is a strong emphasis throughout on found family and personal growth. One of my favorite parts of the book was seeing how much Rosaline grew in confidence and learned to believe in herself.

I related to Rosaline’s struggle to balance the advice of others with following her heart. Rosaline is bisexual and the rep was so good and inclusive it almost made me cry! I appreciated how well this was handled, particularly when she was in a relationship with a man. Amelie, Rosaline’s daughter, was a star of the book- so funny! It can be hard to pull off having kids in a romance, but Alexis Hall does it flawlessly. Another Alexis Hall book to add to my favorites!

This book is sweet, delicious, and not to be missed. I would highly recommend this book to anyone! Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake releases May 18, 2021. Thank you so much to Alexis Hall, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc

I cannot stop smiling after finishing Rosaline Palmer... It was a wonderful read with lots of feels and I cannot WAIT for everyone to get their hands on it. Alexis Hall has created such memorable characters with their own unique characteristics - it's easy to feel like they all really are contestants on a very British baking reality show. My review copy is full of highlighted lines that are funny and clever. A bonus was the epilogue which updates the reader on what happens to the contestants after the show's finale.

Just loved everything about it.

A definite five-star read and it will be in beach bags and poolside everywhere this summer!

I couldn't resist the siren call of both Alexis Hall and a Great British Bake Off-style competition setting but this book was overall just okay for me. I loved the week by week format of the chapters, the frank discussions of bisexuality, and the delightful side characters that populate the baking competition. I didn't love the (very obvious) way things played out with Rosaline and Alain and felt that Rosaline's eight year old, Amelie, was a bit too precocious to be a believable child character. The writing was witty and fun for the most part though and I especially enjoyed all the nods to GBBO tropes.

I was so excited to start this book. I really loved Boyfriend Material and the premise of this book hooked me immediately. While I really enjoyed the variety of characters in the book, most of the book felt preachy and predictable. What started as an enjoyable and enthralling novel turned in to a slog.

I'm a dedicated Alexis Hall reader for life. That's just...how it is. I couldn't WAIT to read this. Plus, I have been bingeing GBBO, so this was a perfect one to dive into.

I'm not sure this book was what I was expecting, and I wanted MORE baking show and less...moments of the MC's sanctimony. Those pulled me off the page a bit. For me, I don't think it had the *magic* of some of Alexis' other books, but I still enjoyed reading it, and thought the theme was clever and fun, and the characters well-developed and interesting. (And the book made me verrrryyy hungry.)

But above all, Alexis' writing is TRULY something to behold. Like, just laughing/in-awe/feeling all the things as I read. I am just gobsmacked by the author's talent, wit, and impressively sparkling way with words. Gosh, I just love reading his books. Even if this one wasn't exactly my cuppa, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone just to enjoy the A+ writing. (And cinnamon roll Harry.)

BRB going to make all the baked goods now.

A big thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchanged for my honest, unbiased review.

Thanks to @readforeverpub + @netgalley for the e-ARC of ROSALINE PALMER TAKES THE CAKE by @quicunquevult
Pub date: 5/22/21

After reading both BOYFRIEND MATERIAL and ROSALINE PALMER TAKES THE CAKE by Alexis Hall, I am quite certain that I am all in for witty dialogue and British humor in romance novels.

From the quirky and full-of-personality characters (8-year old Amelie is perfection), the fun behind-the-scenes of a British baking show, conversations about serious topics (including mental illness + bi-phobia/fetishization), and a steamy sex scene (which you can skip if it’s not your thing), I highly recommend putting this one on your TBR.

It comes out in May and will be a fantastic holiday read.

Also, when you read it, make sure you read the book club questions because they are amazing - there’s a good chance I’m going to recommend this book to book club I’m as I want to talk about each of these questions with other people.

Alexis Hall is rapidly becoming a member of my “must read” list!

I read this book in one sitting, it was such an enjoyable read. Rosaline is a 100% not perfect protagonist and narrator, but that is what makes this story practically perfect. A love triangle, a cast of supporting characters that range from hilarious to downright toxic and the backdrop of a baking show all blend so well to create a story you won't want to put down. As a realistic “happily ever after” that also tackles issues of parenting, bisexuality, mental health and growing into one’s confidence, this is a five star read for millennial contemporary romance.

Rosaline is a single mom who never has enough time or money, works in a stationary shop, and enjoys baking. She enjoys it so much—and is so good at it—that she is one of ten contestants on Bake Expectations, a fictional version of Great British Bake-Off. Each week, she leaves her daughter with her BFF Lauren or her emotionally unavailable parents to compete against other amateur bakers. But this is a romance, so she also falls into bed with one of the other contestants! But things aren’t all peachy cream and meringue. No, Rosaline has some growing to do, some classist prejudices to overcome, and some crying-on-tv moments to get through before she can have her HEA —and maybe the crown of Bake Expectations, too.

This book took me about two weeks to get through. It’s funny, but seems a bit immature into some of its stylistic choices. I also really, really hated how Rosaline lies right off the bat. As an autistic adult (yay rigid thinking) who hates lying with every fiber of my being, it was something that almost made me DNF the story. I only kept with it because I loved Boyfriend Material so much. That plus Rosaline’s inability to see what a douchecanoe Alain is. He was so up-his-own-butt that I didn’t even want to have to deal with him (hence the it-took-me-too-long-to-read but). I recognize these are all preferences, and other romance readers may not have a problem with the se story aspects.

LGBTQIA+:
- Rosalind is bi, and it is a big part of the story.
- Rosaline’s bff Lauren is a lesbian.

Mental health:
- Harry has anxiety.

This book grabbed me right from the beginning. I loved the dialogue and Rosaline's relationship with her ex-girlfriend, Lauren. Lauren is an amazing, smash the patriarchy woman, and she has all the greatest lines. Rosaline's eight-year-old daughter, Amelie, comes a close second with an amazing vocabulary and asides about whether princesses are undemocratic. And Rosaline herself is an incredibly deep main character, at times strong and at times struggling with what she wants her life as a single mother to to look like.

Rosaline becomes a contestant on Bake Expectations. I won't give away spoilers, but bread week was amazing. I laughed so much. If you enjoy Great British Baking Show, you need to read this book for a hilarious behind the scenes version.

Throughout, the book included amazingly funny dialogue paired seamlessly with really serious topics.

I almost wished I read this with a book club because the questions at the end of the book were just as hilarious as the rest of the book. And they were simultaneously deep and thought provoking. So if you are in a book club, your club will love you for choosing this book.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy.

"Audere est Facere" - "To dare is to do"

I already know I won't give this book review justice because I want to avoid spoilers! But if you read nothing else in this looong review, just know that this book is awesome, and you need to read it!

This is the 5th book I've read by Alexis Hall, and let me tell you, he absolutely has a knack for creating fantastic characters I am immediately invested in and can't help but care about. They reveal their personalities and motivations through their actions and dialogue, never needing more explanation, and I just LOVE that!! Also, they cuss quite colorfully, and that pretty much clinches the deal for me.

Anyway, specific to this book, our MC Rosaline is part self-assured bad-ass bi-sexual woman not afraid to stand up for herself, who is also raising a wicked-smart daughter using unconventional parenting methods, but at the same time is part emotionally destroyed-by-her-parents, a financially struggling single mother who is also beautiful and talented but doesn't believe it. See? Multi-faceted. And that's just ONE character, and only some of her traits!

Also, as is per usual, there are so many quoteable lines in here. Like they are disarmingly simple, but profound. Seriously, this book will make you want to be a better person who can have honest and mature conversations about important topics like sexuality, consent, and how to move on after less-than-stellar life-choices. The life lessons and epiphanies are so relateable.

There is a great twist in this book that I didn't see coming at first, but I started getting an inkling, and by the time it really hits, I was like, oh yeah, it really went all the way there!!

I also love the intelligence sprinkled throughout this author's books, from the origin of Rosaline's name to insecurities that follow "like Banquo's ghost", the author's literary education invariably sneaks into the pages, and I AM HERE FOR IT!

His descriptive style is precisely eloquent, with enough detail so the reader can envision the idyllic British countryside, but not get bogged down in unnecessary minutae that takes away from the storyline. Perfection!

Also want to mention that although I did laugh out loud, cringe in second-hand embarrassment, and get a little teary-eyed at times, this book does deal with heavy topics such as attempted sexual assault and bi-phobia/fetishization, mental illness and although I think it is handled well, please be aware of this.

Anyway, if you can't tell, I absolutely adored this book and I want everyone to read it!