Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot. I really enjoyed Sadie on a Plate last year and was looking forward to Best Served Hot.

I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to food, but that doesn't stop me from loving books about food! I loved the premise of this book with the social media restaurant reviewer vs the newspaper critic and the enemies to lovers sparks!

This is a fun romance with mouth watering food descriptions and great banter. I'm always a fan of a good enemies to lovers and thought Julie and Bennet were a fun couple. There were great discussions around social media influencers, print media and food reviewing plus class and privilege.

Julie was a little immature and petty for my tastes (and I'm tired of so many rom-com's having immature main characters), but overall I really enjoyed this book!

This was super cute! I loved this rom-com from start to finish. I love the relationship between Julie & Bennet and how they could tease each other, but also could feel the chemistry growing between them. It is a great representation of strong, capable smart women who are trying to make something of themselves AND they can find love without sacrificing something about themselves. It was relatable, current and utterly charming. Elliot does a great job creating a story with just the right amount of lightness & spiciness to keep this reader entertained.

This is the perfect romance for foodies!

It’s an enemies to lovers romance with Julie, an executive assistant by day and a social media restaurant reviewer at night. Her dream is to be a critic at a major newspaper. When she’s rejected from a food critic position and the job goes to Bennett, Julie confronts Bennett at a local food festive about how she really feels. The outburst is caught on video and goes viral. With all the exposure and increase in social media following, the two are forced to do reviews together. Will they be able to be stay civil?

This is fun romance filled with some amazing food. I loved Julie’s character, she’s hard working and dedicated to make her side hustle of reviewing restaurants a dream job. There also was an appearance of Sadie from “Sadie on the Plate” which I enjoyed. The romance was a slow burn with no spice, but I think all the food content and battle between social media and print was interesting which helped with the pacing. I recommend reading just for the food!

Thank to you to Berkley and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rate: 3.7 !⭐

First of all: welcome back Amanda!
I really missed her fast paced writing style, since it's almost been a year from the release of Sadie on a Plate.
Same "setting" but a very different story: in this case we have left the "cooking sphere" and the Cooking Competitions we all love to see on tv, but we remain again in the food world. This time, in fact, we talk about restaurant critics with two different approaches.
Julie expresses herlsef through her Instagram page, comunicating with her followers by fresh videos and pictures, Bennet prefers a more classical approach and he's the new voice of the famous The Scroll newspaper (Julie's dream work). As in any typical romcom, it seems that these two methods are incompatible and the two main characters apparently immediately declare "war" to each other, forced then to work together in a joined partnership proposed by The Scroll itself to gain new followers.

This is basically the premise, an evergreen but always loved one, that has been really hilarious, especially in some particular moments. Julie is a main character full of life, always presented, in good and in bad, at her 100%, so all her reactions and (multiple) misunderstanding seem absolutely real on the scene. That makes some episodes even more entertaining for sure, but also creates a relatable character easy to empathize with, especially when it comes to the struggle to be successfull and have a career related to what we love the most without external helps, or to the feeling to be constantly undervalued. Who cannot?

And then there's Bennet. I love his steadyness, his being caring and a good listener, always ready to undestand Julie, even when here actions and behaviour are harsh and unkind. He's a beautiful example that being born in a rich family is not synonimous of being also snob with other people. On the contrary, the thing I find fascinating about Bennet is the fact that he silently gives always Julie the space and the way to show him how she works, how she lives tasting food. He really evaluates her opinion, he's never blinded by a prejudice, and even at the beginning it's clear he just replies to a provocation. Also, he's a very respectful gentleman, so how could I not love him?
The spark between those two is absolutely amazing. I rooted for them from the first page Bennet appears on the scene, and their chemistry has a vibrant energy that makes more sparkles than Sadie and Luke (and for whom has already read Sadie on a Plate, you'll have a brief Sadie's comeback - too fast, unluckily 😢)'s ones. I really love how their relationship grows and how Julie overcomes her prejudices related to Bennet.

That said, I think that there are some off balance aspects I haven't super enjoyed.
I understand Julie's fragilities and her being suspicious to not being taken seriusly. Her work environment (plus the usual prejudices related to social media users) explains it perfectly, but Bennet has been kind during the whole story and there isn't a moment he stressed their different status.Yet, in more than one occasion she throws against him an undeserved rage. She apologizes, yes, and she has the merit to recognize when she misinterprets something or is biased, but in fact she seems to have the same attitude during the entire narration. Not to mention the various mistakes she makes that will disappoint anyone, and he excuses her in two seconds. That's absolutely sweet, but I'd appreciate deeper discussions between those two, and more efforts from Julie's side to undestand what she has done (or said) wrong and make ammend.
It was like... just too easy for her?

Related to that, it's also true that some people are born with privilege that others don't have, and plenty of times seem to forget it, considering the rest of the population "lower people" that can serve them, and that is absolutely wrong. They easily leave out the fact that to achieve something you have to make efforts and make sacrifices, and it's right to underline it - in this case through Julie - but I would have loved the author to stress also that not all those "lucky people" share the same mind. Instead I've found an excessive bitterness that I understand until a certain point. After that, it began a little bit "too much".

Talking about the secondary characters, led by female figures, I have quite enjoyed them. They could have been deepened a little bit more (I'd really love to know more about Bennet and his twin sister), anyway, I grow fond of Emerson Leigh and Alice. At the same time, since in this book social status and money are one of the main theme, it would have been lovely to have a longer conversation between Emerson Leigh and Julie.

Last but not least at all, even in this book one of the main protagonists is food. I warn you, Amanda Elliot has the secret power to get you hungry and make you feel the curiosity to try new plates and different kind of cuisine. I really admire her ability to describe food and talk about it without boring anyone or feel too academic. I usually take notes of the most interesting plates I discover during my reading! 😂
Nevertheless, it would be really cool to see more Julie interacting with her followers or Bennet write the reviews or being in his workplace.

So, with pros and cons, I have to say that Amanda Elliot confirms herself with a lovely book for every fan of romcoms and food. If you want a light, hearwarming reading, this novel is perfect for you.
Now can I have my personal Bennet? Thanks.

Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot
Rating: 3 stars
Spice: 1 chili
Pub Date: 2/21

This book had me cursing my small-town food options and wishing we had better restaurants nearby! The descriptions of the food in this one were mouthwatering! This isn’t a book you want to read if you’re hungry.

This book is about Julie, a food influencer who wants to write for a mainstream publication like The Scroll. Unfortunately, she doesn’t get the food critic job she applied for, and instead, the job goes to Bennett Richard Macalester Wright, another “rich, white guy.” After Julie’s public argument with him goes viral, Bennett’s boss thinks it would be an excellent idea to review food together and compare the results. The close proximity forces them to get to know each other better and realize they don’t have to be enemies after all.

This was a sweet, fun, rivals-to-friends-to-lovers romance. I loved how they were both food critics who bonded over their love of food! The story explored how traditional media looks down on social media in a way and how that translated to Julie feeling like Beckett looked down on her. These two had some cute moments, and I felt like their relationship developed organically.

I loved Jada and Alice, Julie’s friends, and I would love to get a book from their perspectives. And Emerson Leigh turned out to be an interesting character, as well.

While I enjoyed many things about this book, my biggest hurdle here was Julie. She was judgemental, petty, immature, and not a character I could relate to. And while I liked Bennett and it was clear that he was attracted to Julie, I had a hard time believing that someone as emotionally immature as Julie could make a relationship like that work.

This book is marketed as a romance, but the romantic piece of the story played second fiddle to the food, in my opinion.

Overall, this would be perfect for anyone who loves books that revolve around food! Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review. Best Served Hot comes out on 2/21.

I enjoyed Sadie on a Plate, and was therefore excited for Best Served Hot. It didn't live up to those expectations. It was... fine. I didn't particularly like it, but I didn't particularly dislike it, hence the 2.5 stars. I greatly enjoy the enemies to friends to lovers trope, but I don't think Elliot pulled it off particularly well, and several of the characters (and situations) were "too real", as I found myself getting frustrated or angry on behalf of the characters. Which is opposite of what I'm looking for when reading before bed. All in all, it was fine; I probably would have like it more had it not been from an author I've enjoyed, as it was missing some of the magic that made Sadie on a Plate sparkle. 2.5 stars.

Read this if you like: Foodies, rivals, slow burn, slightly steamy 🔥

I think this would have benefited from being dual pov. I still really enjoyed it but it needed a bit more dimension. I found a few characters to be unlikable. Overall, I thought it was cute and enjoyed Julie and Bennett together. I wanted a bit more romance. It was very much a slow burn. I loved all of the food content. That was the best part. I recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Berkley for the gifted e-book ❤️

Social media restaurant reviewer Julie meets the snobbish formal restaurant reviewer Bennett at a food festival. Their little conversation goes viral after Julie posts it on social, earning herself and the coveted Scroll a boost in their followers and engagement. When Bennett proposed a business partnership to keep socials engaged, Julie jumps on the opportunity. While they review restaurants together, they discover other parts they enjoy about each other?

This was cute with tons of food references and mouthwatering descriptions that will leave you hungrrry. No joke. The slow burn was a tad killer but all thanks to the NYC happenings, it made the time pass. There was an open door scene, cool friends, and a fun social media atmosphere to the whole story.

Overall rating: 3.75 stars
Age Rating: 18+
Spice Level: 1.5/5

This book is hard to review. I honestly enjoyed it. It was fast, engaging, and the food descriptions were to die for. Easily the best I’ve ever read.
But this is a romance novel… and the romance was the weakest part of the book by far. I did not feel an ounce of chemistry between Julie and Bennett. The descriptions of their attraction, their kisses, the sex scene were all so dry and almost clinical. Especially with the juxtaposition of how visceral the descriptions of food were, the romance fell flat.
The romance was sweet, and I do root for them as a couple, but compared to the other aspects of the book, I expected and wanted more. The way the chemistry and attraction were described felt more befitting a romantic subplot than a romance book.
But this book was strong enough without that, that I still enjoyed it a lot. As a person who runs a sort of social media blog and social media reviewing platform (though books instead of food), I really enjoyed the premise of Social Media Reviewers vs more “professional” paper reviewers (please note the existence of the quotes. Social media reviewers are professionals too). I liked seeing the differences between Julie and Bennett and Jada, and I liked the emphasis on all options being valid, so long as you’re being honest and true to yourself.
The characters, too, were pretty strong. I liked Julie. It was easy to connect with her and feel for her. Bennett, Alice, even Jada were strong side characters, with distinct personalities, motivations, and lives. I also enjoyed the discussions of class that Emerson Leigh’s character brought up, though I felt she relied a little too heavily on stereotypes. I understood the point, but it was kind of annoying to read, and she never came off as a remotely real person.
The star of the show, however, is definitely the food. Elliot is a master of food descriptions I swear I could taste the food as she described it. I genuinely found myself salivating while reading—and I’m not even a huge food person. I loved the glimpses into foods from so many different cultures (and especially the little cameo from the MC of her previous book, Sadie on a Plate!). This book is a must read for foodies everywhere, and I’m definitely looking forward to picking up Sadie’s book.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I loved the first book from this author, Sadie on a Plate. So naturally I wanted to read more. Best Served Hot is in the same world but can definitely be read as a standalone. I wasn't sure I liked the main characters very well but they grew on me.

Julie has a day job as a personal assistant to a wealthy man. She is good at her job which gives her some flexibility to run her social media account @JulieZeeEatsNYC. Julie has a great best friend, Alice, who is an IT whiz, the only female in a department of misogynists. Julie reviews restaurants and food festivals and has thousands of followers. She would like to grow it enough to be her only job. Julie has applied to be the food reviewer for the Scroll but doesn't get the job.

The guy who gets the job at the Scroll, of course, is a wealthy connected guy, who will review the mainstream stuffy restaurants as they do, in a printed paper. Julie and Alice go to a food festival and who should be there but the new reviewer, Bennett Richard Macalester Wright. They have a bit of a dust up which Julie happens to record because she is taking photos and recording things. He disparages the types of people on social media and her type of reviewing. Julie blocks out his face, but shares the video and what the Scroll reviewer thinks of her and her food blog.

Now, I thought Julie was a bit mean to do this; it made me uncomfortable. I get that she was angry how he got the job, not because of any skills or experience but because he is a society guy. True to her impressions, he wouldn't have trouble or get fired over the video because he has those connections. But here is where I liked the real Bennett. He contacts Julie to do some joint reviews, which will promote both of their reviews. Bennett is rather kind and loves good food.

Julie and Bennett try visiting the same restaurant on the same night but not sitting together but that doesn't work out. At all. So then they start going together, which is perfect for them to exchange snarky banter, compare delectable food and get to know each other. I loved the food descriptions but honestly, how are they not both plus size with how much they eat continually?

They do fall for each other, but then there is a misunderstanding. The class / wealth differences cause multiple issues for her. Julie then blows up her current job. She has to start over on all fronts, except she has great friends. Also, Bennett understands why she was upset and he's not given up on her. The choices Julie makes are very exciting but that would be spoiling. I loved it though.

"Best Served Hot": 5 ⭐

(Disclaimer: this book was kindly sent to me as an arc via Netgalley in collaboration with PRH International. Thank you so much!)

JulieZeeEatsNYC is a food page Julie created to share her love for food in NYC. She's a food influencer and she aims for the bigger audiences, like The Scroll and The New York Times.

Bennett is a partner for The Scroll, a "licensed" (for lack of a better word) reviewer, who's paid to go eat out and review expensive places.

These two had NO BUSINESS IN BEING SO F*CKING CUTE TOGETHER!!! 🤭 At first, this started out as a rivals to lovers - which I love, a slow-paced romance with LOTS of food references and yummy descriptions. The author, Amanda, really knows what she's doing. THEN, about 50% in the book, it gets STEAMY 🥵🔥 and BOY, DO WE LOVE THAT! These two, Julie and Bennett, are freaking perfect! They helped each other grow, both professionally and personally.

We have a few side characters I absolutely loved, Emmerson Leigh, Alice and Jada Knox, for example. We have themes such as a professional growth, feminism, fear of the future, heartbreak... It's a wholesome book, a delight to read and an heartwarming hug.

Definitely recommend! Will read more from this author! 5 ⭐!

Rivals to lovers? Sign me up! This cute little romance about two food critics was so much fun to read, especially because I love trying new restaurants myself! I really enjoyed their banter and commentary on the food. I will warm that if you're not into secondhand embarrassment scenes, this one might not be for you!

I loved this book! It’s a great follow up to Sadie on a plate, with a fun little cameo. The chemistry was pretty delightful and I really enjoyed the influencer versus traditional critic conflict as well. The supporting cast and additional conflicts really worked. I particularly appreciated the discussions of privilege dealing with the ultra rich.

I knew I wanted to read this, as I’d recently read and enjoyed Amanda Elliot’s other novel: Sadie On A Plate.

In Best Served Hot Julie is both a personal assistant to a wealthy man named Mr. Decker and a food blogger/influencer who review’s restaurants in her spare time.

Julie had wanted to be the food critic for The New York Scroll but was rejected and a wealthy man named Bennet ended up getting the job. Julie pranks Bennet at a food festival (as she knows what he looks like by a photo her boss’s daughter, Emerson Leigh, has shown her) and then the two of them end up in a heated argument and a video of it ends up going viral and gaining both of them traction and they then agree to a collaboration of restaurant reviews.

This novel tackles some hot button topics such as sexism, classism and lightly touches on racism as well. The wealth disparity between Julie and Bennet and Julie and The Decker family are often a sticking point for her that she feels othered by. Julie’s best friend Alice is a software engineer dealing with aggressive, blatant sexism at work and even at work adjacent events, as is highlighted in a scene where they are at a bar during trivia night with some of her co workers.

The buildup and chemistry between Julie and Bennet is excellent. They have good banter and some really endearing moments and while miscommunication or lack there of so become their issues at times I didn’t feel that it was over the top or unbelievable like in many other romance novels. I also enjoyed that their characters were quick to understand and forgive when things were explained and given context.

I also quite enjoyed Julie’s relationship with Emerson Leigh from disdain and jealousy to an understanding and alliance. I really enjoyed the growth between these two women as the novel went on and how honesty (thought not always at the most appropriate times) helped these women to flourish and shine.

Im giving this one 4 stars, I hope y’all check it out!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so, so much to NetGalley and Berkley Books for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Warning: Do not read this one while hungry. You’ll be stuffing your face immediately.

Short Synopsis:
Julie is a NYC Foodie Influencer. Bennett is a good critic for an established newspaper. When their paths cross they can’t find common ground but social media loves them together, so they team up for some food reviews.

My Thoughts:
In full disclosure, enemies-to-lovers is a tough trope for me. There’s a fine line from hating someone but without being mean. And for the first half of this book, I just felt like Julie and Bennett were so immature and unnecessarily cruel. And I am so not a foodie, so I had a hard time connecting with this one.

I did enjoy the influencer aspects (for obvious reasons 😜), and I loved the friendships - especially the unlikely ones. It was a quick read and one I’d recommend for foodies, influencers or NYC lovers.

Read if You Like:
🍽️ Enemies-to-Lovers
🍽️ Food
🍽️ Forced Proximity
🍽️ Cooking Failures
🍽️ Jewish Rep

Calling all foodies! 📣 🌯🍔🍕
There’s something irresistible about a rom-com that talks about endless plates and courses of food. So….of course I HAD to request an ARC of this one.
This book tackles lots of topics like sexism, classism and even has a couple of badass POC characters.
The descriptions of food were literally mouth-watering and it made me itch to try some different and unique foods I’ve never had before!
My biggest beef (hah.) was the main character, Julie. I thought she was wildly petty, immature, and judgmental and not someone I felt I could relate to almost at all.
My favorite characters were Jada and Alice who were ironically not the main characters but Julie’s two friends. I probably would have liked this book quite a bit more had this book been more focused on their stories and lives and Julie being a supporting character.
Although it was still a fun story, (especially for anyone who loves food) Julie’s character really put a damper on it in my opinion.
A big thank you to Berkley Books and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary advanced copy of this book. This book will be published on February 21, 2023. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5 ⭐️ rounding down.

In ‘Best Served Hot’ our main characters, both food critics, start off on a heck of a wrong foot and must work together to help both of their careers. I’m really conflicted about this book because I typically really enjoy rivals-to-lovers and romances that start out with misunderstandings. My overall feeling is that I liked it fine but I didn’t love it solely because I didn’t really like either of the main characters and their ‘rivalry’ started out almost too strong for me. The last 75% of the book was good, romantic and steamy but the first 25% didn’t do much to entice me to finish. If I didn’t have to review this book, I probably wouldn’t have finished it based on that first 25%. It was definitely worth it to hold on to finish but the first part is what’s keeping this rating a 3 star instead of a 4 or 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Put this on your TBR now, you guys. It comes out February 21 and it is everything. If you’re a fan of the cooking show foodie romance subgenre, and I very much am, this is the next book to sink your teeth into. See what I did there? Let’s dig in. 😏

This book has one POV, Julie’s, and Julie is an executive assistant with a foodie Instagram on the side. She does well, but not quit-your-job well. Bennett is a nepo baby who gets a job doing food reviews for an Established Magazine over Julie. Julie is pretty burned by the snub, so when she sees Bennett at a food festival in Central Park, she unleashes a tirade that goes viral once she decides to post it on her Instagram. Bennett and Julie loathe each other, pranks and wine spills loathe each other — but at the suggestion of Bennett’s magazine, they team up for reviews to boost Instagram followers for both Julie and the magazine (Bennett).

Over several very descriptive dinners that made me twitchy enough to order birria tacos completely unplanned, Julie and Bennett find themselves falling out of loathe and into something very different. This is a slow burn, a simmering, much like my birria tacos— and it’s delicious. It’s hesitant and heartfelt, genuine, and there’s a real Darcy-in-the-lake moment (Firth version) that involves whiskey. Bennett is rich and Julie is poor, and there’s a good level of awareness of privilege in this book. It’s not so much an opposites attract as Julie and Bennett have a lot in common, but there’s a Pretty in Pink wrong side of the tracks feel that also appealed to me. It’s also a story of self discovery for Julie, who is at a standstill career-wise.

Enemies to begrudging friends to lovers is my absolute favorite thing, so this book absolutely hit the spot 😏 and the slow burn was very intense and done just right. There was a brief cameo of Sadie from Sadie on a Plate to watch out for, and some very fun friends and side characters that I hope have some space in future novels. (Alice and Kelsey maybe, would *love* to know if/when they fall in love.)

Thank you to @netgalley and @amandapanitch for the ARC of this lovely book!

Amanda Elliot is back with another interconnected but stand-alone read that is a must if you like foodie fiction combined with a romance. I will say the romance aspect was fairly light but it is there, it’s just more about Julie’s career and personal journey. She’s a food influencer but still has to work at her day job and dreams of the day she can follow her passion full time. The food descriptions were just delectable, everything sounded amazing and the author painted such a pretty picture of everything, seriously mouthwatering. Overall a really fun read especially if you like food, romance and a NYC setting.

Golly gee did this book make me hungry with the vivid descriptions of different foods and cuisines - almost to the point where it felt over done. It read like a menu with plot.

The romance felt a bit forced and like it was rivaling to be the focal point of the story against the influencer & career bits. There’s probably more page space dedicated to capturing the perfect photo of *insert food of choice here* than there is of dialogue between our main characters, or at least that’s what it felt like.

There was an attempt for an enemies-to-lovers vibe but it just came off cringy and childish. Julia was a hot mess of a character, hot tempered and putting her foot in her mouth - giving me the absolute worst second hand embarrassment - but she grew on me towards the end, really growing into herself. Bennett was sweet & shy but he wasn’t a fleshed out character and that put a serious dent in my investment in the couple. They did have some cute not-date dates though that left me grinning like a fool.

Mostly, I enjoyed the girl gang vibes and how the friends supported each other & stood in solidarity.

2.5⭐️ rounding up

**thank you NetGalley & Berkley publishing for this eARC**