For Butter or Worse by Erin La Rosa is one of those rare books that I want to both give kudos to and deeply criticize. The story begins with the third season finale of a baking show that main characters Nina Lyon and Leo O’Donnell co-host. After three years of rude remarks and a daunting social media presence, Nina decides it’s time to quit the show and put her focus back on her failing restaurant. When fans react in a concertedly negative way, Nina’s publicist decides that best thing to get Nina back on her feet is to fake a relationship with Leo, who will do anything to save his own family’s restaurant. As the two fake it ‘til they make it, the question becomes less about whether they can save their restaurants and more about if they can save themselves from the inevitable heartbreak.

I truly enjoyed the chemistry between these two characters. There was a witty back and forth, a clear physical connection, and an appreciation for each other’s individuality. The book also aimed to be as inclusive as possible, commenting on the struggles of being a woman in a sexist industry, the pain of losing a parent, and the tightrope that many walk to keep their anxiety in check. As great as these aspects were, I struggled with a deep dislike of each character at various times throughout the novel. While to some extent the reader is supposed to have this reaction, I never quite got over my exasperation at the characters’ ways of thinking. The ending also left something to be desired – the HEA isn’t nearly as detailed as it could be.

All in all, this was a nice enemies-to-lovers read. While it isn’t at the top of my list, I know people who would easily fall in love with this cute with a side of steam romance. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good rivals to lovers romance , and I really enjoyed For Butter or Worse! The characters were compelling and nuanced, the romance felt earned, and the stakes were fun and interesting (plus, it made me hungry!) A quick and fun read for RomCom fans who appreciate depth and complexity to characters and want a tasty treat!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If book clubs had rules, the first (and maybe only?) would be to never judge a book by its cover, a rule that is doubly true for romance novels. Some readers will clock a (beautifully) illustrated cover and punny title and immediately move on, but those of us who know better (and love an illustrated cover and pun-based title) will find something delightful and unexpected. As is the case with FOR BUTTER OR WORSE.

The book follows enemies Nina, an award-winning chef, and Leo, the owner of a restaurant chain and Nina’s costar on a reality TV cooking show. After a live episode where their animosity is on full display leads to Nina quitting, a series of mishaps resulting in a paparazzi picture that makes it seem as if the two are at the lovers portion of their enemies to lovers relationship has Nina and Leo reluctantly entering into a fake relationship in the hopes of boosting sales at both of their struggling restaurants.

FOR BUTTER OR WORSE shines a light on so many different issues readers will be able to relate to including mental health struggles, the death of a parent, and burnout. Yet, these topics don’t weigh the story down; they’re enmeshed with moments of comedy and sweetness.

There was a lot to love about FOR BUTTER OR WORSE, but I especially loved the inclusion of social media, getting to see the reactions to Nina and Leo’s dates and posts. And Leo’s puns.

This is one of the greatest execution of my favorite trope: enemies to lovers!

Nina and Leo were combustible! They put each chapter into flames with their palpable, hot chemistry!

Their smart banters made me laugh!

The google searches and twitter feeds of them are the funniest and most entertaining parts of the book! So quick witted and laugh out loud!

Both Nina and Leo are the judges of competitive reality TV series “The Next Cooking Champ”!

Nina accepts to be on TV for making a name for herself at the male-dominated sphere of professional kitchens. She is already known her trademark restaurant chains ( unfortunately two of them were close and only LA branch in Silverlake is still standing) “Lyons” !

But her quick decision to be on show resulted with tarnishing her reputation: thanks to her super handsome/ people pleaser and also real jerk co-host Leonardo O’Donnell ( yummy combination of Irish father, Italian mom) reminded of her trolls her nickname: “Nasty Nina”

When they shot their live show, hearing the same name from Leo clicked something inside her which ended she notified the viewers: she was leaving the show, dropping the mic!

Leo’s efforts to convince her to come back resulted with both of them are tangled on the ground and a paparazzi shoots their photo, asking if they are kissing!

Well, Nina is adamant not to return the shoe even though producers accept Leo and her as a package deal which means Leo is out of job without her! But her dearest publicist Tom comes with an idea: they will fake date and heal their tarnished reputations. They can say no to additional customers to their restaurants which deal with financial struggles.

As Nina does everything not to close Lyons which is last restaurant standing of the chains, Leo deals with anxiety issues, working too hard to keep his Italian family restaurant above the water!

Could two enemies survive a few arranged dates to heal their reputation and save their jobs without ripping each other’s head off?

Well, this was absolutely fun read! At the last quarter: Nina pissed me off a lot as Leo grew on me. I was having issues with his sexist comments at the beginning but the guy was so sweet and earned so many brownie points to deserve a great place among best book- boyfriends!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I will probably end up buying this book because I didn't realize this was a PDF. I like reading books in MOBI or epub formats best. Thank you for the chance!

For Butter or Worse is an extremely cute and heartwarming romcom that is certain to make you feel good. The abundance of tropes such as enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, grumpy and sunshine made me pick it up immediately and certainly did not disappoint. I loved the characters' development and how they felt very realistic with flaws and everything, just like the rest of us. I also really liked how the secondary characters were not there simply to add to the main characters and were actually fleshed out. However, I did not enjoy how often miscommunication was used to advance the plot as it felt lazy and repetitive. Despite all that, I still believe that this is an excellent debut for Erin La Rosa and an excellent choice for those who want an easy and fun read!
3.5/5 stars

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

For Butter or Worse everything I didn’t know I needed.
I absolutely adored this book. Plenty of humor, easy to imagine situations, a few sexy scenes and some emotionally deep issues cover the themes of everything you want in a romance.
It’s perhaps a little slow to start, but once it gets going it became impossible to put down as the complex, multi-layered story the author is telling begins to unfold. At the centre of it all is the opposites-attract romance between Nina and Leo, which is simply gorgeous.
This book is an utter delight and captivated me from start to finish, and I’m sure fans of contemporary romance in general will love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for proving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off, thank you to Netgalley for an early copy of this in exchange for an honest review. This wasn’t my favorite enemies to lovers book and I couldn’t connect with the characters at all. Third person pov writing is not my favorite but I think it works sometimes. I don’t think it worked very well in this story because it made me feel even more disconnected from the story and characters.

Great sizzling culinary romance. Classic enemy's to lovers in a delicious rom com way. Perfect quick read to get lost in.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
I love a good enemies-to-lovers scenario, and throw in some food and you've got yourself a winner!

This was fun! I love fake dating/enemies to lovers books and this was perfect! The food aspects were wonderful and it felt like I was actually at the LA food and wine festival! This was a sweet, steamy romance with a delicious twist!

Lots of sizzle and lots of good food. If you like the enemies to lovers trope and like books with lots of food this one is for you!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

It was a mostly fun reading experience but it definitely wasn’t memorable. I didn’t really see any chemistry between the characters and didn’t enjoy their ‘banter’. Overall, I felt the characters came off as too immature and I was not at all invested in the romance.

Erin's book is a total delight! I'm a sucker for foodie romances and this one really delivered... and made me hungry too! Erin's writing is relatable and so so funny!

Review will post week of the release date.

I’m pretty sure this pinged my radar when I saw it on some kind of 2022 most anticipated list on Twitter. Or something like that. So I looked it up and… Oh, hello there enemies to lovers, fake dating, rival cooking show judges romance. Gimme, gimme, gimme.

I’m writing this review in January if that’s any indication of my level of anticipation.

Nina Lyon and Leo O’Donnell work together on the hit cooking show The Next Cooking Champ!. Nina’s passion for food began in her childhood cooking with her mother and grew over the years. Now she’s an award-winning chef who owns her own restaurant. But after declining sales and having to close 2 of her sister locations, she jumped into the role as a judge on the show hoping to build up business and her image as a female chef in the male-dominated profession. But after three years working with Leo (who is the worst), being scrutinized on social media, and labeled “Nasty Nina”, she’s had just about enough. So she quits. On air.

Leo O’Donnell runs the family business, Vinny’s. He’s charming, funny, and knows how to capture an audience. He doesn’t have Nina’s resume in the kitchen, he’s a numbers guy after all, but he has built up his family’s Italian restaurant into multiple locations and has kept it going after his father’s untimely death. To say he’s a bit intimidated by Nina’s food credentials would be an understatement. He joined the show hoping to build up business as well, but after Nina’s on-air departure is now labeled the bad guy.

Now both of their businesses are suffering and after the press gets ahold of pictures of them embracing (hah!) social media fans start spreading the rumor that they are dating. So their publicist decides that’s exactly what they need to do. Date. This will keep the diners coming to their establishments and help them financially. Hopefully, this will also repair both of their images.

This couple and their back and forth jabs kept me smiling. They were able to get under each other’s skins so easily. Leo with his stupid jokes and Nina with her jagged verbal comebacks. They really do hate each other at first. And I could absolutely see why Nina was at her emotional and mental limit with Leo and the show. The pressure on her and the way social media tore down her personality to basically being an angry, nasty woman after Leo’s rude and disrespectful comment would be too much for anyone. After the first chapter, I was 100% on Nina’s side and convinced Leo couldn’t grovel enough to get back into either of our good graces.

Then the fake dating commenced and as I got to know Leo more I realized he is a bit clueless about his interactions with Nina and just how much of a bad guy he really is for how he treated her on the show. He also has issues with anxiety and panic attacks and tends to cover this up with forced positivity and bad jokes. He assumes she hates him because he’s doesn’t have her food resume, and just runs a mom-and-pop-style food chain. This assumption hangs over every interaction he has with her until their time together forces them to have actual conversations and get to know each other.

Nina on the other hand assumes he is just a smug, slick chauvinist. Her experiences in the cooking world and having to work twice as hard as everyone else, while still being vilified for every little facial expression or critique that comes out of her mouth has her on the defensive with Leo and their new “relationship”. That is until she begins to have fun with him, gets to know him, and realizes he’s just a big cinnamon roll.

I think what helped in this enemies-to-lovers romance full of miscommunication and early assumptions was the fact that readers get both main characters’ POVs. It’s easy to see why both Nina and Leo feel the way they do. Getting inside both of their heads also enables readers to watch their feelings slowly change and see how hard it is to let themselves trust each other with all those private insecurities and past traumas.

The supporting cast was pretty terrific. From Nina’s best friend Jasmine and her sister Sophie to Leo’s twin brother Gavin and his mother Donna. I loved them all and was so happy with their interactions and loving encouragement. Another thing I truly appreciated was when they gave Nina and Leo advice that they didn’t necessarily want to hear but needed. Especially in regards to Nina’s feelings on Leo not confiding in her about his mental health and Leo’s behavior toward Nina during the taping of the show. These things NEEDED to be said and accepted, and I was so happy that the people in their lives weren’t afraid to tell them the hard things.

This was a well-done, sexy romance. I will absolutely be keeping this author on my radar in the future. My only complaint is that because of all the delicious descriptions of food I spent most of my reading time either hungry, nibbling on something, or thinking about nibbling on something. This book will make you hungry.

CW: mentions of anxiety, panic attacks, prior death of a parent

Final grade- B+

Nina and Leo are cohosts of reality TV show "The Next Cooking Champ!" and do not get along. Nina is a chef who started her own restaurant and Leo is dealing with the business side of his family restaurant chain while his twin brother is the chef. Secretly, they've both been dealing with mental health issues. Nina's been dealing with people being nasty to her on the internet (a joke Leo made gave her the nickname "Nasty Nina") and Leo has anxiety with panic attacks. On a live season finale, Nina's had enough and quits. When Leo goes to talk to her at her restaurant because the show won't have him back without her, they're caught in what seems to be a compromising position and suddenly their names are trending together, which could help save both of their businesses.

I really enjoyed this book. Although you know how it will end, getting there was a lot of fun. I loved how they progressed from haters to lovers as they got to know each other off camera - it seemed much more realistic than most of these types of stories. There were some steamy scenes between Nina and Leo that showed their sizzling chemistry. I thought all but one of the single characters were really likable and could get their own book, but I especially loved Leo's mom and would have been happy with a few more appearances from her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin publishing for proving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had its very good bits and it's also very not-good bits.

The Good:
- “Enemies to lovers,” “miscommunication,” and “fake dating” tropes.
- Background of food, who doesn't love yummy food?
- Representation of life with anxiety was handled well.
- Supporting characters were cute, clever and more than just foils for the plot.
- The sexy aspects were very much woman focused and didn't center penetrative sex.

The Not-Good
- Characters didn't seem to have actual chemistry, I just didn't see it.
- Resolution wraps up really conveniently given that caliber of knots left to untangle.
- The “banter.” The current trend of “banter” that is just “acting like snippy jerks to each other” is one that I will not miss. See above that this behavior also isn't “chemistry.”
- Unremarkable plot, yes we read tropey genres for the comfort factor, but there is a fine line between “favorite tropes” and “wait, which book is this again?”

All together an OK contemporary read that may appeal to some, but just missed the mark for me.

I've been obsessed with food-themed romantic comedies lately. For Butter or Worse did not disappoint! I love the pun title. I loved the enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, and grump/sunshine dynamic tropes. I appreciated that the enemies-to-lovers was a progression, and not an immediate thing.

This was a really fun and easy read! I enjoyed the themes throughout this book; enemies to lovers, faking dating, etc. This book also did a good job of creating an atmosphere similar to some of my favorite cooking shows. I would love to see this one get made into a movie! The characters were likable and I felt that this book flew by when I was reading it. I would recommend it!

For Butter or Worse was a sizzling romance debut guaranteed to make the butter melt in the pan. It featured numerous tropes that I adore which combined into one big mixing bowl for a delicious romance novel. This book had enemies to lovers, fake dating, and opposites attract. Leo and Nina made a scintillating couple that I was rooting for them from the very beginning. They both struggled with real issues and their characters were very relatable. Leo struggled with anxiety and it was refreshing to see it portrayed so realistically as a reader who shares the same difficulty. Leo was also a trademark “Soft Boi” full of sensitivity, but he was definitely not skimping on the steam.

My favorite aspect of their initial relationship was the couple had to enter a fake relationship after they’re caught in a compromising position. I don’t see why characters are always so reluctant to give a few meaningless kisses or go on counterfeit dates for the sake of appearances. If I were in that situation, I’d be like, “Bing bong! Sign me up!”. I was completely caught off guard when their relationship became physical and a jalapeno bomb went off. It was ultra spicy and it wasn’t what I was expecting from the cute illustrated cover. Let’s say they got mathematical in the bedroom, if you catch my drift. I had to do a double take, but I was not upset by their choice of equations.

For Butter or Worse was a fun, new romance that was bubbling with flavor and the couple shared a great dynamic. They had opposite temperaments but were able to focus on their common interests. Leo and Nina showed that they made excellent cooking show hosts as well as great partners in a relationship. I hope to read more from this author to see what other scenarios she can concoct in her literary kitchen. Perhaps some puns about other ingredients like eggplant or carrots might make it to the plate, for “butter or worse.”

This review can also be found on my Goodreads
Review Posted January 18
Publish Date: July 26