This was a fun and light read. I instantly loved the TV setting and behind the scenes look at a reality cooking show. I felt chemistry between the characters and loved the tension between the two. Such a great read for the summer!

(2.75 stars, rounded up)

I really wanted to love For Butter Or Worse, but it somehow it never really grabbed me. We have a couple of big romance tropes here: enemies-to-lovers, and fake dating. We also supposedly have a a workplace setting but we really don’t - the TV reality show based on aspiring chefs is over before you get very far into the book. The rest of the book is about how Nina and Leo have a fake dating relationship to help both of their careers after the show ends. Nina is a high-level chef and Leo is a restauranteur of a string of family-oriented Italian restaurants. Both of their businesses are in a bit of trouble.

The problem was that I found the main characters and their story kind of boring. Neither Nina nor Leo was particularly appealing either - although the author makes sure we know that they are both physically gorgeous, over and over. Nina reacts to Leo like a high-schooler might. Leo has anxiety and hides it, so that did add something a bit different to his character. But they both seemed to have a problem with communication.

Warning: several very descriptive sex scenes

Thank you to NetGalley and HQN for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I am rather late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Mela Lee, did a good job with the various voices. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

OH, BOY, WAS THIS A DELICIOUS BOOK!
Alright, I won't lie, I hated Leo initially, but damn, did he switch that around. Nina was a star throughout the book; I knew I adored her, and even if Leo had not become another character to love, she would have 100% carried this book to 4 stars. Also, I was ready to FIGHT those rude #nastynina promoters!

Their chemistry, the scenarios, FREAKING TOM and the side characters were the perfect ingredients (cooking pun) for this book. I laughed out loud so many times. The added social media pages we got were so fun.
Something else I adored & genuinely appreciated about this rom-com was the human, vulnerable & realistic element; losing a business, the mental health aspects, grieving the loss of a parent, how toxic social media/stardom is & bouncing back after failure.

This was genuinely perfect & I'm all for more from this author.

The story fell just a bit short of my expectations. That being said, I loved the main characters banter. It's antagonism with a hint of underlying chemistry.
Thank you Erin LA Rosa, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advance copy for my honest feedback.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book! The title and this beautiful cover drew me in and i was excited to read this book! I will be recommending this book to others for readers advisory.

Love the cover and the representation in this romance, however....not really my cup of tea. Didn't care much for the characters and thus I never saw the chemistry between them.

As this title is published by Harlequin, an imprint of HarperCollins, I will be withholding my review of the title in support of the HarperCollins Union strike. I look forward to reviewing this title once HarperCollins has met the union at the bargaining table and agreed to a fair contract.

This was cute, but not one of my fav romances. I liked the MC enough but the romance fell a little flat for me. Enjoyable, but ultimately not super memorable.

This one was so cute!

I loved the dual perspectives and the enemies to lovers banter. I was interested in this title mainly due to the celebrity chef storyline and goodness I loved that aspect!

All in all it was a cute, fun, and enjoyable read!

This was a good read. It’s enemies to lovers, fake dating, need to save their restaurant businesses. Content warning for anxiety and panic attacks, which the main male character, Leo, has.

I love the food talk. I like the banter and the tasks that they had to do to make the relationship seem real.

4.5 stars!!

This was such a good book! I loved all the tropes in it, but the background stories of both MCs is what hooked me even further. While some reviewers felt that the chemistry felt forced and unbelievable, I didn't feel the same and quite enjoyed it. This is the first time I came across Erin La Rosa, but honestly, I can't wait to read more books by her.

Nina and Leo share a lovely, cheesy, filmy bond, which is perfect for lovers of the enemies to lover trope. Personally, I love how everything just fits in perfectly after all the ups and downs.

If you're looking for a combo of friendships, family, pain, loss, heartbreak, love, comfort, understanding, trust, (food), and so much more, For Butter Or Worse may be the read you're looking for.

I really enjoyed this story. From the beginning, it was hard to get a read on how the main characters really felt about each other because their thoughts were so wishy washy. It was overall a fun read, but nothing groundbreaking.

Oh, I really enjoyed this one. Romance plus food plus a TV show - I am IN!. Would love to read more from this author.

this enemies to lovers romance was very entertaining. the banter, witty-ness of this romance made it very enjoyable for me. but i did find that the characters were harder to connect to. i enjoy the build up on the characters as well as the story because it allows me to feel the story more.

overall, it was an easy and fun read. there were some funny moments, that i think made the book for me. fake dating is a great trope for me to read, so this was a nice nice rom com.

A reality TV popular cooking show with rival hosts,
An on air fall out - they're left for toasts!
She quits on live television and the fun starts
Will it leave them happy or with broken hearts?

This rom-com has these enemies playing new roles
As publicity, paparazzi and wonder unfolds.
A story where you've been enemies for years
Pretending to be lovers could save both your careers!

Get ready for food, fun and discoveries, too,
As this pair of critics learn something new.
It seems that their new 'romance'
Is giving them both a second chance!

Will they have the recipe for a love that lasts
Or will this prove to be something best in the past?
With family dramas, secrets and so much more
This fun read is a tasty treat to explore.

For my complementary copy, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

This was one of the cheesiest books I've read in awhile. I absolutely despised Leo the whole way through. I Think that our MC deserved better and put up with too much garbage from a average guy. This definitely impacted my enjoyment of this novel.

If you enjoy watching any cooking shows, then you are going to love reading this romance book. It has all the elements: bickering coworkers, inspired chefs proving to the world, unexpected romance, and sizzling drama.

Nina is more than willing to prove herself to everyone. She is determine to be the best chef in a male domineering. So what if she signs up for a cooking reality show? And so what if she finds the reality host really annoying? It doesn't mean anything, but yet, you can't deny their attraction for each other. You just see their sparks whenever they start bickering with each other. You can just tell.

I thought this was cute enough but there was something missing that prevented me from truly loving this book. It has so many tropes that I love: enemies to lovers, fake dating, famous MC so I was expecting to love this. The banter between the love interests was pretty spot on. I also liked how they really connected once they finallllyyy took the chance to get to know one another without biting each other's heads off. I liked the setting of a food competition show and both character's being famous in the food world. I wish there were more of that side of them in the story but we were able to get a glimpse into their life and really connect with the character's on a personal level. I'll be looking out for more work from this author in the future. Thank you for the chance to read this.

“I’m not going anywhere ever again, unless it’s with you.” Ugh there is something about these words that just make my heart flutter. This book featured one of my favorite tropes-enemies to lovers and I thought it was executed well. I think overall this is a really sweet bingeable read with very mild steam thats perfect for anyone who just wants to feel their heart flutter.

The characters had good banter, but I still felt a disconnect from them so wasn’t really engaged with the story. It read more like tropes than a coherent story.