This was a very sweet story of love, family, relationships, and food.

I really liked the setting of South Beach and I loved the style of the writing.

thank you to Hallmark Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Tony an Sara are both chefs helping with their niece’s quinceañeras. They are old family friends as well. When they start spending more time together romance sparks. Enter a reporter who pits them against each other in a competition. This was such a feel good Hallmark story. It’s a lighthearted read perfect for an escape.

Tony returns home to Miami, Florida to be the chef for his niece’s quinceanera. While home, he falls for his best friend’s little sister, Sarah, who is also a chef and is cooking for her niece’s quinceanera. When a reporter turns the quinceaneras into a competition between Tony and Sarah, will their relationship survive?

This is a charming romance! It is filled with wonderful characters and a great storyline. I loved the dynamic between Tony and Sarah. I also enjoyed how the two families worked together to best the reporter. Some parts of the story were a little weak, but overall I really enjoyed the book! It makes for a great beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Loved reading this book and author. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend her and her books. Happy reading and enjoy

A really wonderful story that has a local chef who owns her own food truck Sara Kelly agreeing to do the meal for her niece's quinceañera. She has lived in the neighborhood her whole life and she is looking forward to doing this for her family. The grandmother is helping and teaching her the recipes of their Cuban family which really adds to this story.
Everything changes when celebrity chief Tony Sanchez comes home from New York taking time from his restaurant up there and he is asked by his family to do the meal for his niece’s as well. This gets the attention of a magazine because of Tony’s sister and now the two people that had dated at one time are now competing. Also, they get to work out issues from the past and some issues are still at the surface.
There is a lot going on in this story inside each family also with the magazine the event for one has issues, dresses get looking too close, you get the idea. At one time these two families were very close now they are very distant. See if they can work everything out or not. A very good story with wonderful characters and really a true family or families.

This was a very heartwarming story of love, family, relationships, and food. What could be better? I loved the setting of South Beach and the writing style.
Many thanks to Hallmark Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

South Beach Love by Caridad Pineiro

We are heading to Miami for a summer romance while celebrating family and traditions.

I liked this story, but it really went overboard with all the recipes and preparing various dishes. It could have been a recipe book with notations.

What a fun book! I loved reading the book version of this Hallmark movie. Such a cute and sweet romance. I recommend South Beach Love to any romance reader. Loved the representation in the book too!

Welcome to Miami! As I finish up my mom vacation, I finished reading South Beach Love - the perfect book to read while listening to the ocean roar outside my windows.

I loved every part of this story. Every. Part. I loved reading about Tony and Sara in the kitchen, especially reading about the different Cuban food they were preparing or eating. Couple that with their shared past, where Sara had a crush on Tony, and seeing where they were now in their lives was the perfect Hallmark romance *insert chef's kiss here.* As Hallmark romances are never just about the couple, we also get to meet Tony and Sara's extended families, and how their family dynamics play out. An added bonus to this story was the rivalry between the nieces, Angelica and Samantha. This is a lot to pack into one story, but don't worry - it all works so well together!

The best part? South Beach Love is now a Hallmark movie! I can’t wait to see this one play out on TV and compare it to the story. It premieres on October 9th! You know I will be tuning in.

This one gave me all my warm and fuzzy Hallmark feels. It’s heartwarming, full of family love and romance. Pick this one up if you are a Hallmark romance fan!!

It was a very fun and quick read, very much what a Hallmark movie would look like if it was a book. It's the kind of book you curl up with on a free afternoon when you want something light. It delivers pretty well on the romance, but I would advise that you keep food handy when you read this because there is so much food in the story and it will definitely make you hungry!!

South Beach Love by Caridad Pineiro was a delicious, sweet romance between Sara and Tony.

I enjoyed both Sara and Tony as characters. I loved the past relationship they had shared when they were children and teens, along with their love of cooking as adults. I also loved all the characters surrounding them. I admired all the love and respect among everyone even if they were not blood related. The story was just so heartwarming.

This has been one of my favourite Hallmark books to date. One, I loved all the food in the story. South Beach is where my dad grew up, and so I can picture it so well. Also, as stated above, I just loved the warmth of this story and the chemistry among the characters.

With how central food was to this book, I was hoping for a few more Cuban recipes at the back of the book. Of course, this does not affect my rating, but it would have been a nice touch.

The narration by Frankie Corzo was very well done. I knew who was narrating and/or talking the whole time and she had a very pleasant voice to listen to.

I really hope to read more books by Pineiro in the future. I really hope to see Hallmark make this into a movie. Also, bonus points for Sara being spelt with no “h.”

I received an eARC from Hallmark Publishing through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

I really enjoyed this sweet romance.
Family, friends and mouth watering descriptions of Cuban food . What more could you ask for!
A pleasure to read with great characters in a fun environment.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book!! It was so fantastic and I loved getting to read it early thanks to Netgalley! Please pick this one up ASAP!!!

South Beach Love by Caridad Piñeiro is an uplifting romance that foodies will love. Depicting two chefs catering rival quinceañeras, this one contains a strong female lead and mouthwatering descriptions of Cuban food. While I was expecting more competition and tension from this one, I would still recommend it to those looking for a sweet story centring family and friendship.

When renowned chef Tony comes back to Miami to cater his niece’s quinceañera, he doesn’t expect to find his friend’s little sister running a restaurant of her own. When the two meet, they realize there is chemistry between them, but as it turns out, Sara is also catering her niece’s quinceañera, and her niece is Tony’s own niece’s rival. To make matters worse, a journalist turns the ordeal into a competition, only granting one quinceañera exposure in the paper. As Tony and Sara grow closer, they must navigate their new relationship while working against each other.

❀ STRONG MAIN CHARACTER

This one contains two main characters, Tony and Sara. I enjoyed Sara’s strength, and through her character, we learn about the many struggles women face in the restaurant industry. Winning the “competition” matters to her because it is difficult to gain exposure as a woman running a new restaurant, and she must work twice as hard to be taken seriously. I also loved how Sara has a big heart and trains women in need to work at her restaurant. I found Tony a little plain, and the romance is very insta-lovey, but I was willing to overlook this for the feminist themes.

❀ NOT A COMPETITION STORY

I think what disappointed me about this book is that it was not what I was expecting. The synopsis hypes up the “competition,” but I didn’t find there to be much competition at all. Going into this book, I was expecting something with more tension, and maybe the enemies to lovers trope, and I would have liked to see more about the chefs preparing for the quinceañeras. For me, the slow-paced and low-stakes plot fell flat.

❀ HEARTWARMING BOOK ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

South Beach Love by Caridad Piñeiro is a heartwarming story about food, friendship, and family. I enjoyed the concept of two rival quinceañeras, and the feminist messages were a nice surprise. While the plot wasn’t what I was expecting, those who enjoy more friendship-focused stories will enjoy this one.

Tony Sanchez is originally from Miami but now a big time chef in New York. He spends most of his time on the administrative side of running a restaurant. He has been so busy he has not been home to Miami for 2 years. His sister calls him to ask him to come home and prepare the food for his niece's Quinceañera. His childhood best friend has a sister who runs a restaurant in Miami and is preparing the food for her niece's Quinceañera. Unfortunately the two girls are rivals.

You have family, conflict, food and love all wrapped in a hallmark story. It will leave you with a warm heart but hungry for some the delicious food that was described. I enjoyed reading about the Cuban culture am glad to see Hallmark bring these stories to us.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have always enjoyed books by this publisher, so I had high expectations going into this book. And the book definitely lived up to it. I loved the main characters, as well as all of the references to food.

Don’t read on an empty stomach.

A low stakes (steaks?) kitchen fiction romance that’s basically a Hallmark movie because, well, it’s from Hallmark! Lots of fluff, drama that gets easily resolved, and characters who all mean well in their own way. And those characters who create the easily resolved drama? They’re also easily redeemed (I’m looking squarely at you, Roberta…)

If you like Hallmark movies/tv shows or the short lived tv series The Baker and the Beauty (the US version) along with easy breezy books, this should be right up your alley.

But seriously, don’t read on an empty stomach.

Tony Sanchez and Sara Kelly are both chefs catering their respective nieces' quinceañeras. Tony runs his own successful restaurant in New York, but now that he's back in Miami he suddenly realizes how much he misses being home...and how much he missed Sara, his best friend's little sister.

This book was very cute. I enjoyed the family dynamics and watching Tony and Sara fall back in love. If you're looking for a quick fluffy read this is it...Hallmark movie to a T. However, I didn't care for the subplot involving the nosey journalist. It seemed silly to me that anyone would care about a rivalry between two chefs. And one more tiny thing I found odd. When Sara's brother told her niece, Samantha, was having a quinceañera she acted like she had never heard of the tradition before. If Sara grew up in Little Havana I highly doubt she'd have no idea what a quinceañera was. But overall a sweet and fun read.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing for this ARC.

This book is the perfect summer read! I love the friends to lovers trope and author Caridad Pineiro did it so well and even added a little latino flair. If you only pick up one summer romance, this should be it!

This was a wonderful Hallmark romance that I enjoyed. Two chefs who knew each other growing up, are planning on catering the fifteenth birthday parties of their nieces. It is a Cuban celebration of coming of age for girls known as quinceañeras. Only one of the celebrations will be chosen to be featured in the local paper, and both of these chefs want it to be theirs. Tony Sanchez is a chef in his own restaurant in New York, but misses his hometown of Miami. He wants his party to be featured for his family and for recognition to open his own place. Sara Kelly, not Cuban, learns about the traditions from her Latina sister-in-law. She runs her own restaurant in Miami while supporting women in need. She would love to open another place to help as many people as she can. As the contest heats up, so do the rekindled feelings between Tony and Sara.

This was exactly the type of story I love coming from Hallmark. It is full of wonderful characters, a great community, some roadblocks, and good deeds. I loved how the young girls become friends and work together to make not only the parties a success, but to help bring their aunt and uncle together. I learned about this custom and celebration as well as some wonderful sounding food. A clean romance that made me smile. I would definitely watch this one if it is made into a movie.