What chemistry? I was promised chemistry and romance. We don't know anything except that they are both angsty, both bicker constantly in a condescending way, and then they hate canoodle but they both "like each other" secretly. That romance feels so forced and doesnt have a satisfying evolution in my opinion. Also how are you gonna hear "it's my first time" like that over and over and then provide ZERO aftercare and boot her out while she's confused and hurt over the sequence of events. I'm good on the toxic sapphic storylines. Give me an actual cute foodie romance.

Amy will do anything to keep her failing restaurant alive. This means keeping absolute control over what’s happening in every aspect of her business, including the kitchen. Sophie, a former food TV competition finalist, bringing her fans and connections might help the restaurant. But Sophie has just figured out that she’s queer and now has an attraction to Amy, despite her frustration over Amy’s take-charge personality, making things a bit complicated. A new food TV show could get the restaurant the exposure it needs, but Sophie doesn’t love the idea of getting involved in that world again. And Amy and Sophie will have to come to a truce to save the restaurant and find success.

review

A fun, foodie workplace romance.

First off, I absolutely love foodie romances and the setting and premise of The Romance Recipe is no different. Food is, unsurprisingly, a central component of the story, and I feel that the choices gave us a lot of insight into the characters and who they are, as well as their background. We got samples of the need for homey comfort food for Amy and the tastes of Montreal for Sophie. The other characters in the book also really rounded out the story; it felt much more realistic since we caught glimpses of other people in minor and major ways throughout the book. I think the final large component that I really enjoyed was the overall plot. This story was very character driven, and not as focused on the plot around the TV show and that potential conflict as I expected, which I think made it a more interesting book.

In term of things that I didn’t enjoy so much, the biggest issue was the third act breakup and other issues that happened between Amy and Sophie. Both of them, especially Sophie, talked about the importance of good communication for both business and personal relationships. They repeatedly touted the value of talking about their challenges, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. There are even times when they congratulate themselves on their honest dialogue. But that’s all a lie. They aren’t openly communicating at any point, and every one of their problems stems from this lack of talking about their thoughts. Communication issues in romance stories are a pet peeve of mine, and this component of this book is the main thing that pushed my rating down.

in conclusion

Overall, if communication issues are not a deal breaker for you, I think you’ll enjoy this story. It was a fun foodie romance and a quick read, so it’s definitely worth a try! I also think I’ll be trying out some other Ruby Barrett books, since the writing kept me engaged throughout the story.

An absolutely gorgeous dessert of a book, worth obsessing over. If you haven't read it you're missing out on something great.

The writing was iffy from the start, with most of the narration feeling more tell-not-show. I had trouble connecting to Amy, who comes across as unsympathetic in the way she bulldozes other people's ideas for the sake of the restaurant. I even had trouble connecting to Sophie, who I really should be rooting for after her tough time on camera and with her ex. I tried to hang in there and see if things would turn around.

I was iffy when the first chapter gave us under-the-shirt cold, raised nipples. But I lost all my benefit of the doubt at "the firm globes of her ass." I just can't read a book that describes anyone--men or women--that ridiculously.

I won't actively steer my patrons away from this book, but it's not one I can recommend.

Read for the spice, not the plot (sadly).

I didn't like this as much as Ruby Barrett's debut, unfortunately, but it was an easy, fun read. Just forgettable, IMO.

This book gave me everything I wanted and more. I loved the chemistry, I loved the growth, I loved the banter. this is my first book by Ruby Barrett and I can definitely see myself reading their entire catalogue. The characters were loveable, the chemistry was hot, and the storyline was touching. I enjoyed experiencing the character growth and was rooting for the HEA the whole time.

This book gave me what I love in romance novels in general, strong female MC’s, hard working go-getters and steamy AF scenes. I lost myself when it came to the plot a little, but I love how easy it was for Sophie when she came out, and how Amy was able to also work on herself so smoothly. It was a quick read, and the happy ending is always. a plus.

SO MUCH YES! I love Amy, I love Sophie, and I SUPER love them together! Their chemistry is amazing, and I need this to be a movie please, right now!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

I have to confess that I started this book more than once and put it down. I just couldn’t get past the first chapter it pissed me off so much. There is this whole scene where a worker gets fired for harassing an employee by Sophie because Amy overlooked the behavior to keep the kitchen going. Amy acknowledges that the behavior was bad and apologizes. YET, exhibits the same behavior to Sophie in the same chapter! Now at the time, Amy doesn’t know that Sophie is bisexual and thinks she is straight but acknowledges that she was staring at her breasts long enough to make her uncomfortable. Amy is Sophie’s boss. Disgusting!!!! Yeah, I had to put this down a couple of times before I could move on from my anger from this chapter alone.

The rest of the book didn’t go down easily for me either. I think Amy really needs to grow on her own and become a better person. She is just not adult enough to be in a relationship. She is everything that gives lesbians a bad name.

Sophie needs to continue on her path of growth and find someone who respects her.

So yeah…this book was not The Romance Recipe I thought it was going to be.

2.5 Stars -- I love the premise but this fell short for me. I didn't get a sense of the chemistry and connection between our two protagonists. I honestly wasn't sure why they liked each other. They find each other attractive but they also have a pretty terrible working relationship with little to no communication. I was often frustrated with our restaurant owner, Amy, and all the whiplash she ketp giving Sophie throughout the book. She makes menu decisions without consulting Sophie, or disregards Sophie's opinions about the menu when Sophie is the chef. In their personal relationship, Amy keeps flirting with Sophie and then giving her the cold shoulder saying she can't commit or be in a relationship. Sophie is infinitely understanding because she is head over heals for Amy.

With all this back and forth, the pacing felt slow and conversations felt repetitive. Amy and Sophie have a moment. Amy tells Sophie she can't continue. Sophie accepts Amy's decision. Then Amy is upset when Sophie doesn't flirt or treat her more than a business partner so she starts pushing Sophie's buttons and trying to get a reaction out of her. Sophie falls for Amy's charms and the cycle repeats. For me, the characters didn't have enough of a solid connection and chemistry to warrant all the romance drama.

That said, I did really like the restaurant setting; although I was disappointed with how the ending played out regarding the tv show. If you're hoping for the plot to center around a reality tv show, then you will be disappointed. The plot focuses on the struggling business aspect of the premise and we don't actually see the reality tv cooking show on page. As far as the romance, the two do eventually learn to communicate with each other more effectively. The steamy scenes were excellent which is why I gave this another half star.

A really nice debut novel that I completely loved to read! Amazing characters and plot with the perfect touch of cutness and sexyness completed with some funny moments. And what can we ask more from a romance, right?

If you know me at all, you know that sapphic foodie romances are extremely my shit. I adored the restaurant setting here, which felt very real and immersive, and Sophie and Amy's chemistry pops right off the page. This novel was a delectable treat. (I'm gonna have to take a pass on the dish they create at the end of the book though. Blech, lol.)

I love chef and restaurant romanes and liked enemies to lovers, but just couldn't get into to it enough to love!

If you've been following my reviews for a while, you know I often avoid or struggle with books with a restaurant setting due to my professional background. I made an exception with The Romance Recipe because I saw promise in Ruby Barrett's Hot Copy and wanted to see what she'd do with a sapphic romance. I'm glad I did!

Barrett decides to give readers a bad first impression of Amy which is a risky move. I was pretty mad at her for giving a male employee another chance to sexually harass a coworker, but as more of the wheels fall off the bus that is her professional life and restaurant, saw what Barrett wanted us to see: Amy's a disaster. Sophie's a softer disaster, trying to stand up for herself and get back to doing what she loves--making great food.

The characters and their romance are a bit angsty, with the same emotional punches as Hot Copy. The heat level is similar as well, with plenty of spice of both kinds. I don't suggest readers go into this expecting something fluffy, but it's a thoroughly satisfying story of two women growing up as grown-ups, declaring space for themselves, and finding happily-ever-after.
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I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2023 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2023/01/2023-reading-list-announced-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Charming and sexy, but the romantic leads in this book had no chemistry with each other. I was more interested in the restaurant and the tv show that was barely detailed

This was a really fun book and an excellent sapphic romance. The relationship between the two main characters progressed really nicely, and both of their personalities were apparent from the very beginning. It had a couple of great steamy scenes, but the plot was also important, which I enjoyed. More sapphic romances like this, please!

Picked this up because I was in the mood for sapphic romance and was excited to read a book with characters involved in the restaurant industry. Unfortunately, the writing style wasn't my cup of tea and I couldn't get attached to the characters or their relationship. There were also intimate scenes quite early on, which I didn't really enjoy since... I wasn't invested in the relationship.

I was equally interested in the romance and the business storylines in this book! It's a great slow burn with terrific conversations around gender identity and I was all in on the journey to save the restaurant. I'll take a large order of more Sophie and Amy please!

Thanks to Carina Press for the copy to review.