For Butter or Worse had the BEST enemies-to-lovers vibes. Nina and Leo are co- hosts of a reality food competition show, and they really couldn't stand each other. Nina and Leo started fake dating for their fans because it
would boost their public image and bring in more profits for both of their restaurants. The banter between them was perfect and it was so fun to see their banter back and forth.
I loved the themes of grief, anxiety, and friendships. Overall for cute romance for fans of The Hating Game and The Great British Baking Show.

Thank you NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really love the concept of this one! The writing was adorable and I devoured it in a day. The conflict was a bit unsatisfactory but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless. I appreciated the commentary on sexism in media publishing and perception, very well done.

Oh how I love Nina and Leo!!! I think this was my first contemporary enemies to lovers that actually pulled it off and I could NOT put this book down.

Nina and Leo work together as cohosts on a reality cooking show. Self made chef Nina and, seemingly, silver spoon restaurateur Leo absolutely cannot stand each other - particularly after Leo gives Nina a sexist, derogatory nickname that catches on with the fans of the show. After being caught in a compromising position that is nothing like it appears to be, Nina and Leo's agents think it a good opportunity to strike up a fake relationship.

I really loved that Nina and Leo were ~actual enemies~ rather than slightly disliking each other, which I've found to be the case in a lot of contemporary "enemies to lovers" books I have read. They truly loathed each other and, because of their dynamic, the banter was GOLDEN. They were so sassy and at each others throats - and as the banter went from volatile to flirty, it was genuinely believable. I seriously laughed out loud several times throughout the story as the two of them went at it.

I also have to point out that it was so refreshing to have a neurotypical heroine paired up with a hero who has a panic disorder. Usually its the other way around and I just really enjoyed having a female lead who was the one assisting her love interest.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my gifted copy!!

Striking enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance!

Our main characters, Nina and Leo, are both hard-working individuals that love their families. Their loyalty to their family and the legacy of each other’s business is inspiring and heart-warming. I feel empathy for what they are both going through, especially being public figures and being scrutinized by the public, which makes or breaks their business.

I love the main characters individually, especially with how they interact with their family, but as a couple, I’m not rooting for them as much as I expected. They do have some good banter, but their moments together throughout the book make me question whether I want them together because they are the main characters or because I genuinely feel they are a good match.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the eARC.

I usually approach enemies to lovers books with a healthy skepticism. But recently, I've been reading some that have made me enjoy the genre more, books that felt like they really stepped up to flesh out the trope rather than rely on its premise to drive the plot. For Butter or For Worse is one such book.

One of my concerns generally about enemies to lovers is that I often struggle to buy the "enemies" premise. But in this case, Leo definitely puts his foot in it on many occasions and I understand why Nina is initially defensive. For Butter or For Worse also avoids flipping a switch from love to hate. The way the characters shift their perception of each other feels logical (within the suspended reality that is a romance novel universe).

Beyond broadening my horizons regarding the enemies-to-lovers trope, this book also stood out because it was food-based. I'm appreciative of what seems like a growing trend to write books about the food industry but as someone who loves to cook, eat and consume food-related media (mostly tv shows) I love when a book is about food in fun ways. With its text-based banter and fake dating premise, For Butter or For Worse has definitely earned its place amongst this newly-developed pantheon of food-based romance novels.


RIYL: food cooking shows, fake dating, enemies to lovers

Thank you Erin La Rosa for writing such a wonderful book!
I Loved so many different things about this book, starting with the Mental health representation with anxiety. I also always love a good enemies to lover and fake dating book, two of my most favorite tropes. how can i not like it.
The witty banter had me LOLing many many times, and the steaminess was just perfect ot keep me on the edge and wanting more. This was such a wonderful read and definitely should be read by romance lovers near and far.

***Thank you to Netgalley and HQN for sending me an e-advanced reader copy of For Butter or Worse by Erin La Rosa! All thoughts are my own!***

So there are many things I loved about this book. The anxiety representation and breaking the sigma for mental health, the enemies to lovers relationships, and the fake dating aspect. This book is perfect if you are a foodie and love cooking competition shows.

You get to see Nina and Leo go from hating each other, to tolerating each other, to realizing that their fake relationship might not be so fake after all. Having the book duel perspective also shows both of their culinary backgrounds, Nina having an upscale restaurant and Leo inheriting an Italian restaurant chain his father started.

There are also some heartfelt moments in this book. Both Nina and Leo have lost a parent, Nina her mother and Leo his father and you see how their grief keep them motivated through each of their business endeavors.

For Butter or Worse is on sale now!

2.5 rounded to 3 stars
This book had some funny and sweet moments but overall it wasn't my favorite romance. Neither Nina nor Leo were particularly likeable or even memorable. I also hated the third act breakup- it was over something really silly and could have been resolved much sooner than it was.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade and NetGalley for providing me an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Nina Lyon agreed to co-host the reality TV series The Next Cooking Champ! to make a name for herself and her restaurant, not to be branded the female Gordon Ramsay and exchange barbs with her handsome co-host Leo O'Donnell. It's hard enough as is to be a female Chef in a man's world, but during a live taping when Leo let's Nina's vile nickname "Nasty Nina" slip, she fires back with quitting the show.

When Leo tries to remedy the situation, his own name being dragged through the mud, the paparazzi catches them in a seemingly compromising position. There's only one way to navigate this PR nightmare and save both of their careers, fake a relationship to stay relevant. But as they start to crack each other's crispy breaded shells the line between fake dating blurs into very real feelings. Can they set aside their first impressions and healthy helping of pride to make things work or will it all go up in flames?

This reads a lot like a Hallmark movie, but with a few major differences. Nina isn't a caricature of the strong unfeeling woman who is changed by the end of the movie, she is career driven and has her priorities straight but also allows herself to be vulnerable, not as much as she'd like but it's hard for anyone who has been in her position. While Leo is seemingly self absorbed it's all a carefully curated façade to feel like he's in control to keep his anxiety from skyrocketing. He's the likable one, he grew his father's chain restaurant with his great personality..

I have to say that Leo is one of my new favorite heroes. He's got the swagger of a playboy, but is surprisingly wholesome and sweet, very misunderstood.

I really liked the way that they were tossed together and the whole fake dating aspect. I seriously couldn't put this book down and read it one sitting.

If you're a fan of competitive cooking shows and rom-coms with cinnamon roll heroes and strong spicy heroines, you'll enjoy For Butter or Worse.

Give me any romance that involves food and I will fully devour the entirety of the book in a matter of hours. This was a true enemies-to-lovers with a dash of fake dating and I am here for it!
Nina is a famous chef who was the host of a cooking show alongside the ever-annoying Leo, business owner for a franchise started by his father. The chemistry between these, while it may have started off as literally water and oil, slowly started to turn into warm and gooey feelings and it was so fun!
I also loved all the rep that this book had, including Gay, Pansexual, Anxiety, and Panic Attacks, just to name a few. I thought they were addressed really well (although I don’t have a whole lot of experience with it) and found that it was discussed in a way that made sense, especially in the pressure of being either a female chef OR taking over a family’s entire business.
Another thing, do not eat this book on an empty stomach. Literally, everything they described while they were cooking sounded amazing and now I have a craving for homemade pasta!

This was so cute! A wonderful romance, filled with witty banter, delightful characters, and just enough steaminess. A must read for romance lovers!

I had to DNF at 37% :(.

Enemoes-to-lovers, fake dating, and workplace romances are usually tropes I love, but it did not work in this book for me. I’m also typically on board with TV shows as a workplace, but again, it just did not work.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters as the story jumps feet-first into the plot without giving the reader a good picture of the environment or the characters. The whole “enemies” piece didn’t fit and the way the fake dating starts was a total miss for me.

If you’re considering this book, look through the reviews as others seemed to enjoy it and you might too. Unfortunately, it just was t it for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

This book was cute. I really enjoyed the banter between the two main characters. I loved the whole cooking aspect. The main female character was super strong and independent which is nice to see in books lately. It was also nice to see a male character who was dealing with some things, I think we don't see that often enough in the book. LOVED the fake dating trope! Overall an enjoyable read.

I wanted to love this, but between the half dozen miscommunications and the fact that I'm not entirely sure these characters actually liked each other, I was just missing something - chemistry or banter that wasn't mean-spirited. It wasn't clear why they were so at odds at the beginning aside from a throwaway comment, especially because it seemed like their beef started before that. I never quite felt the connection between them, so when their relationship got physical, it just seemed more out of convenience than attraction.

Overall, I wanted more of a foodie romance and less drama, but there was a loooot of drama. Way too much drama. The same scenario where they'd have sex, fall out, then make up, happened over and over again. It got to the point where I wasn't sure I wanted them to end up together. The side plot with the douchey ex could've been either more fleshed out, or taken out completely. I don't think it added anything to the story.

Basically, i just wanted these two to have a reasonable conversation where they both said what they wanted and didn't bite off each other's heads.

The first 2/3rds of this book was a frustrating read. They start of with immature bickering, abruptly switched to self-deprecating introspection, to the typical “if they just talked” trope. It finally evened out and got some traction so I enjoyed the end. The side characters were great. I would happily read a book about Leo’s brother!

DISCLAIMER: I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

An underwhelming enemies to lovers romance. The book doesn't take long to read which is nice but the male love interest isn't an enemy, he's just manipulative and abusive.

For Butter or Worse follows Nina Lyon, a celebrated female chef in LA. She's a judge on a cooking show, and absolutely despises her co-host Leo O'Donnell. When snide comments, online hate, and a miscommunication between them and the press causes Nina and Leo to pretend date to save their restaurants, and their reputation - how long until one kills the other?

To start - I found this book extremely putdownable. However, when I did pick it up and read, the writing was smooth and I flew through the book. Compared to other Romance books I've read this year, I really did enjoy most of La Rosa's writing. There were a couple of cringy commentaries from the MMC that gave me "men writing women" vibes when he was thinking about the FMC's breasts. The food references were also a little much for me. I understand this book is extremely food centred, so I'm not really holding it against it, but food metaphors for everything the FMC felt got a little tiresome.

I really enjoyed the first 50% of the book. The banter between both characters was good, and I really enjoyed the tension. I also liked the pace at which their relationship progressed, it definitely felt quite authentic to me. However, in the second 50% I found that suddenly the themes of sexism, online hate, and the MMC's treatment of the FMC during the cooking show filming was suddenly the main point. Whereas, in the first 50% I found that the themes of sexism and "women in a mans world" took a backseat. I'm not really sure how to explain it, it just felt like the author suddenly remembered that the FMC was meant to think that the MMC was a sexist, mean man, rather than a multi-layered family man.

The whole book has themes of miscommunication - but I found it to negatively effect the storyline in the last 50% of the book. It felt like there was miscommunications, just to have miscommunications. The main crescendo, the fallout, was lacklustre in my opinion. The reasoning behind both MCs behaviour really didn't make sense to me, and felt quite surface level. The whole book they'd been learning these things about each other, and I just felt that the fallout didn't hit as hard as I thought it could've.

The first 50% of this book definitely saved everything for me. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to other readers. The food descriptions will make you hungry, and the tensioning spice scenes will definitely satiate you. This was a very quick, easy read, and Erin La Rosa's writing is smooth like butter. I know I said I disliked the food references, but I couldn't not put one in.

Thank you for providing me with an eARC of this title.

Erin La Rosa's For Butter or Worse was a pleasant read although it does have its faults and flaws. I wasn't always a fan of the dialogue, especially during certain scenes... Speaking of scenes, there was one in particular that I would've loved to have had spent more time with.

Overall, For Butter or Worse was a breeze and yields a solid 3.5/5

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the arc.

4/5 -

This was such a good book that fits all my favorite tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Fake Relationship (to repair their professional careers).

Brief Plot: Nina and Leo have hated each other through three seasons of their cooking completion show. When Leo continues to paint Nina as the villain, she ha enough and ends up quitting the show. But this decision leads to Leo losing his job too. To try to repair both of their careers, and save their restaraunts, they enter into a fake dating relationship for publicity sakes. But as they grow closer together, their feelings become real, but Nina is always left struggling on whether she can get over her villain persona.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This was so cute! I loved the banter and chemistry between Nina and Leo - I am such a sucker for an *not so* enemies to lovers. The dual POV in this book made such a difference in their characters. I really enjoyed the celebrity chef storyline and how each of them had their own reasons for opening their restaurants. I am excited to see what other books we get in the future from Erin La Rosa!

Thank you to Harlequin for this advanced copy!