I loved the idea more than its execution. For the first few scenes I was actually surprised Leo was meant to be the love interest; he came across as the biggest asshole, mean for the sake of being mean. I totally get that this is a food-centered romance, but every. single. sex scene incorporated food descriptions -- drizzled icing (dripping icing?) was just one that stood out.

Any miscommunication that could have happened did, without them the book would be half the length. & sure, it's a romance, there needs to be tension, but it got to the point where literally EVERYTHING that could go wrong went spectacularly wrong and my patience wore thin by the end. JUST TALK TO EACHOTHER.

I'll be honest, I almost entirely skimmed over the best friend's drama and sideplot.

Cooking show romance! This is such a rare find where the cute-ness overload is present!!! The sweet cinammon man LOVE THISSSS
Mental health representation is prominent and I love that representation!!!

Ooo this was such a great read. So this book is about Nina and Leo hosting a cooking reality show only for him to make a joke where she decides to quit but somehow end up creating a fake relationship for the show! This was such an amazing romcom book that La Rosa perfectly delivered. Everything was perfect from the writing, pacing, setting, storyline and characters. There is so much humor and bantering in this book that I absolutely loved. I was never bored from this book and finished it quite quickly. This book is similar to The Hating Game but quite steamier.

So this book is about both Leo and Nina. Both hate each other but work together to save their businesses. I loved both characters so much. Nina has a backstory to make her look the way she is but she is such an easy character to relate to. Leo deals with anxiety which you often don’t see in male leads and is a sweetheart but a jerk at times for reasons. I enjoyed how both character develop in this book and how perfect they are for each other. There were of course side characters but let’s forget about them and focus on the stars. The romance was superb with enemies to lovers, fake romance, grump/sunshine trope which was quite steamy including a certain scene. ;)

The ending was well done and I was so sad to finish the book because it was so good. La Rosa did such an amazing job writing this book and I can already tell this is going to be a popular romcom this year. I will change nothing to it and recommend it to fans of The Hating Game and It Happened One Summer.

Absolutely loved it! I loved Leo. He’s the sweetest cinnamon and I connected so well with him. Nina is a queen! I loved them and they felt like such real people. Their banter was top tier. The writing was incredible!

I loved this book! One of my favorite tropes is hate to love and this book did it so well!! I also really enjoyed the mental health representation, especially it being depicted in the male main character since that isn’t often done! The way that sexism towards Nina was depicted and addressed was amazing!

For Butter or Worse is an enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating, workplace rom com with so much important dialogue about mental health and sexism. Nina and Leo hate each other but, after being forced into a fake relationship to save both of their careers, discover that they've gotten each other completely wrong and failed to see them for their true selves. A little Pride and Prejudice vibes, in my opinion. So naturally I loved it!

Nina and Leo were so sweet and funny. Seeing their relationship grow as they worked to better themselves and overcome their prejudices was perfect. A lot of rom coms fall into the insta-love category too easily and, while that has a special place in my heart, it's overdone and often not done well. This, however, showed Nina and Leo become better people and unlearn so many bad things together over a longer period of time. Nina's conversations about her family issues and the resulting lack of trust in people was so refreshing to see. Many authors tend to shy away from having conversations that recognize boundaries regarding personal issues in a healthy way, but I really admire La Rosa for embracing it head on.

What really sucked me in to this book was the dialogue surrounding Leo and his mental health and prejudices. I've experienced so many of the anxiety situations that he talks about and seeing him become more proactive in taking care of and recognizing mental health issues was incredible. Also, Leo takes a deep dive into the sexism and misogyny that he helped spread, taking that opportunity to learn, grow, and help others grow as well. He truly is an incredible character; seeing him paired with Nina (another amazing character) was perfect given how well they compliment each other. I'm probably going to read this again and totally got over my frustration that came up while trying to get this book on my kindle app 😂

This book was a good rom-com easy read, especially if you are a fan of enemies-to-lovers and food books. I liked Nina’s character but would have liked to see more depth into the things she was struggling with (as well as more detail into Leo’s struggles as well). I thought that even though it was written in alternating first POV, it still seem as if we were just getting surface-level insight into Nina and Leo, without seeing the things that made them interesting characters. I did like that this book addressed several issues that are commonplace in the food industry — and many other industries — but they felt incomplete with how little they were focussed on. Overall, this was a very good summer read, but I would have wanted all-around more depth with all aspects of the book.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this title. I still featured it on my blog for promotional purposes but did not leave a review since I didn't want to leave a poor review for a blog tour.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Most contemporary romance books marked as an enemies to lovers book (regardless if that trope really fits or not) are usually either quite misogynistic in nature or the reason for “hatred” is really stupid. But this book… was like a breath of fresh air from that. While there is still that misogyny aspect it is actually touched on and not swept under the rug. This book touches on sexism in the cooking industry and the vilification of women in media. While the MMC does participate he becomes self aware about it and actually apologizes. While I think he could have groveled a bit more (and honestly she could have groveled a bit too) he, for the most part, made up for being a total jackass.

This book has fake dating, food, duel pov, and some really lovable characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

✨discrete cover in the streets, freak in the sheets ✨

you know those books you go into, thinking you’re not going to get that much steam. “it’s a cute contemporary, why would I get a steamy book?” you think, and then 😳 . . . you get a steamy surprise that catches you off guard and all you can do is steady your beating heart cause. . . boy, you’re in for a rideee 🥵🥵

This.

This is that book.

Go read it 😏

Tropes:
❤️‍🔥 enemies to lovers
👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻 pr team cover up leads to fake dating
📹 celebrity couple
👀 opposites attract
📺 reality tv show setting
🍽 restauranteur main characters
🥺 secretly soft hero
🙌🏽 OwnVoices representation
💞 hero with anxiety
💼 workplace romance-ish

This book gives you opposites attract in every way right from the start. The stark contrast of their personalities and their career choices while being so similar all the while was a very well written limbo Erin La Rosa nailed 😩🙌🏽

Like so many of my favorite heroes do, Leo starts off a little cocky, a little arrogant. But as time goes on, you see his own problems emerging and his true self winning over you 😍😍 Ok, but I will say, I was not a fan of the sexist comments and microaggresions that Leo participated in. Yeah he apologized for it profusely and Nina even pointed out that she will not be able to forgive him for that, I just didn't feel it was necesary. You can easily write a hero that is an a*s without having him participate in sexist actions and microagressions.

Another small problem I had with the book was the ex coming back into the character's lives and causing miscommunication. Am not a fan of it, never was. But I know some people find that builds tension. To each their own I say.

The side characters in this book were very endearing and I am excited to read their stories!

I never knew I needed the Great British Bake Off and fake dating mixed into an enemies to lovers romance, but here we are. And I am not complaining at all 😩🙌🏽

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5 stars | 🌶🌶🌶/5 stars

Thank you to Berkley Romance, NetGalley, and Erin La Rosa for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion ❤️

This was a cute chick lit story. Enemies to lovers, fake relationship story lines. Nina and Leo certainly know how to get under each other's skin and never stop trying. At times they tried too hard. There were sexy moments, there were funny moments, there were some sad moments and some definitely cheesy moments. At the heart of the story though is going after your passion along with the sexism that exists in certain industries. 3.5 stars

For Butter or Worse is a tender, sweet, yummy love story about two people who must work together although they hate each other.

You would think Nina Lyon, a premier chef who owns a restaurant and appears on a cooking reality show called The Next Cooking Champ would believe she has it all, but unfortunately due to her snarky, degrading co-host Leo O’Donnell a businessman whose family owns a chain of Italian restaurants her life is miserable. Yes, their chemistry on the show is one of the reasons for its popularity, but their rivalry towards each other has no boundaries. And when Nina decides Leo has gone too far embarrassing her on live television, she decides to quit the show, to the horror of Leo, the producers and the live audience.

But when Nina and Leo find out that not only do fans think they are secretly dating, but love the idea, Nina’s publicist Tom has the brilliant idea for the two of them to fake a romance in order to get the most out of the publicity this has caused and will help both their brands which could use a bit of a push. Nina wants to barf. Leo sees dollar signs.

So, with the help of Tom who plans their dates and comments on the social traffic which occurs as the two of them try to love each other while despising each other, both begin to see benefits of the romance. They even begin to slightly soften about each other.

What they did not ever think would happen is that they might actually like each other a great deal which confuses both of them. And when you add a hunky ex who suddenly reappears, you have a disastrously funny recipe for a wonderfully crafted love story in For Butter or Worse.

Thank you #NetGalley #HQNBooks #ForButterorWorse #ErinLaRosa for the advanced copy.

Enemies to fake dating? Sign me up. This book was stupidly fun and honestly left me so hungry. The descriptions of food was unreal.

Erin also handled some heavy topics of anxiety,
panic attacks and the general nastiness of the online world. It felt genuine and spoke to the true nature of it.

There was also a wicked Moulin Rouge quote that has me dying. Overall would recommend this to someone who loves a good fake dating trope!

3 Stars An enjoyable classic workplace, enemies to lovers romance! If you’re a fan of The Hating Game, you’ll definitely like For Butter or Worse. The banter and quips exchanged by reality cooking show co-hosts Nina and Leo were hilarious, and I don’t blame either for getting on each other’s nerves. The story handled some serious topics well, including the sexism Nina faces as a woman in a male-dominated industry and from fans of the show, as well as Leo’s mental health and panic attacks. Overall, this was a cute book and I’d definitely recommend.

𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝙱𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚛 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚋𝚢 @erinlarosalit
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎: 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚏𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚏𝚘𝚘𝚍!

𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 07/26 (OUT TODAY!)

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙖.”

Where to begin with this one? I loved it so much it’s hard to organize my thoughts while typing this review 😅

Basically you have a very strong female lead who is good at her job and loves Halloween and the male lead describes himself as the “Marie Kondo of white men” whose favorite comfort movie is the Bridget Jones’ Diary 😂

This is a fake dating trope so obviously I enjoyed it very much! It starts as an enemies to lovers in a workplace setting and the banters are so much fun to read! I also love all the tidbits about food and the struggle of owning and running a restaurant business.

I also appreciated the feminist pieces in the book. Like how it was so hard for female chefs to make a name for themselves and how much society pegs strong women as cold, heartless b**tches. Which is a very sad but true representation of the world still tolerating double standards

It also tackles on mental health and that part was written very beautifully

I adore Leo’s family and Nina’s relationship with her sister and Jasmine. I love it when a book has great side characters 💗

If you ever read this and get to page 248, please DM me. I read that part at a cafe and it was so hard to stop laughing by myself 😂

It has some miscommunication trope but can be understandable given their circumstances.

For Butter or Worse by Erin La Rosa was a fun enemies to lovers fake dating romance story that had me laughing out loud. As co-hosts, they were constantly throwing digs at each other until Nina was done and quits. What she never expected was Leo asking her to come back and being caught in a compromising position (but not really) to lead to them fake dating. And so, their journey starts! Suddenly lines are blurring and the walls they build start to come down. This was a heartfelt and charming read.

Happy reading!

This was a very entertaining enemies-to-lovers romance. I liked the characters and appreciated the personal growth they each experienced over the course of the book.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
STEAM: 🔥🔥🔥

This is the best ACTUAL-enemies-to-lovers I've read in a while.

Nina Lyon and Leo O'Donnell hate each other with a fire of a thousand suns. After three seasons of hosting a reality-show cooking contest together and tossing vitriol back and forth at every opportunity, Nina finally has had enough and walks away from the show and Leo.

Knowing that the show and he cannot continue without Nina, Leo pays her a visit, and a small incident leads the paparazzi and their fans to believe that their animosity was more of a ruse to hide their relationship.

Now they must keep up the façade to keep their respective businesses and reputations intact, but can they keep their feelings out of this fake match?

I love, love, love enemies-to-lovers reads, but sometimes I get disappointed by the lack of heat in the main characters' hatred for each other. The conflict in this read, however, immediately kicks off in the first chapter, and it is vicious. So vicious to a point that you wonder if a romance would ever come from two people who strongly dislike each other.

But Erin La Rosa does an amazing job at taking the details of Nina and Leo's conflict and slowly giving us details that not only endear us readers to them but also build a great connection between these two characters.

Maybe I am in a spicy mood lately, but I had wished for more between the two, especially given their explosive chemistry. I know, I know -- what we got was so delicious that I just wanted more.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Erin La Rosa, Harlequin Books, and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

I really wanted to love this. Alas, I ended up barely finishing. Food and romance? With a sprinkle of fake dating?!! Those are all totally my Jam! Unfortunately, this book couldn’t turn out a tasty dish with all those ingredients.

Nina and Leo did enemies very well. However I didn’t buy the later “to-lovers” part. Leo was too downright nasty to her a lot of times for me to get on board with them especially since he was supposedly in love with her from the beginning! I didn’t buy their romance, and truly the only thing I liked was the brief separation at the end. LOL.

One of the few things I liked was the mental health inclusion.

I overall felt there were the right ideas, but they were put together funny. A shame.

Thanks to the Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC

A chef and celebrity fake date for a reality TV. Honestly fake dating are a hit or miss with me and you have to be ok with or at least not hold on to the enemies part. Overall it's an easy read ala one seating and really fun moments.