Sadly, like a lot of other readers it seems, I couldn't get on with this one. I failed to warm to the two central characters, Ben had too much family, and I didn't sign up for a novel about the intricacies of a job I didn't really care about. A shame as the blurb sounded great and I liked the cultural mix that was implied. Too slow-moving, too, and I read quickly so I can usually get past that.

I was really looking forward to reading this book but, sadly, it did not live up to expectations. I struggled to connect with the characters and found it slow going.

I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for a while but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I didn’t connect with the characters and the plot wasn’t my cup of tea either. It took way too long for anything to happen and honestly I was so disinterested I didn’t even care that much by the time it did.

I loved the idea of the notes when I read the book description but unfortunately they just weren’t enough to keep me invested. (I reckon the awful formatting on the kindle - which made it incredibly hard to read most of Gia's notes - made it worse but I'm sure this will be fixed by the time the book comes out).

I’m struggling to understand why this was in the romance section because it definitely didn’t feel like one.

Overall, I think my biggest issue with this book is that I feel like nothing really happened and it’s such a shame because it had so much potential.

★ 2.5/5 Stars ★

Thank you to Avon UK and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this, and it had potential but I just didn't really enjoy it. It started out so slow, and then when it got good it felt really rushed.

Oooff. This did things to my heart. Firstly, what an innovative and totally unique novel. I have never read anything remotely similar to this before and I loved every single second of it.

Ben. Ben has totally stole my heart. If my boyfriend wrote notes with my takeaway, I’d propose right there.
Gia was a fantastic protagonist. I loved everything about her and it just made the book even more enjoyable.

My heart is so full from this novel.

It was a sweet story but I found it quite hard going in the beginning. The 2 main characters, Gia and Ben, were both interesting but I did find the style and writing of the book difficult to read.

Gia thrives on risks. Ben has always been the person who never deviated from his daily timetable whilst Gia always took risks. Yet when Gia’s takeout is delivered, her embarrassing list of New Year’s resolutions accidentally makes its way to Ben’s restaurant, stuck to the bottom of a delivery backpack. Soon Ben decides to take a risk and slip his own notes into Gia’s delivery, awaiting her reply. When begins is a very unlikely love story.
Whilst a sweet romance with some good characters, I did find that the pace lagged. There were also many characters who were not explored, in great detail, so their reason for their presence was debatable. I felt that this detracted from the main characters, which were more interesting.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Disclaimer - I received a free digital download of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book caught me unawares for several reasons, but the main one is the fact that the protagonist comes from a rich and vibrant culture. A culture which is mentioned and built upon throughout the whole book and really brought something special to the experience of reading love on the menu.

I loved the originality of the romance in this book. I don’t think I’ve ever read or considered a plot quite like this and it made it such a joy to read and experience. It’s safe to say I got very much caught up in the love story (and the endless drama). I don’t feel like I was quite ready for the end of Gia’s story, I guess that is the way slow burning romance books tend to go.

This was definitely a fun and lighthearted read for me that I very much enjoyed

I enjoyed reading ’Love on the Menu’, it was a different take on a classic troupe. I liked the main characters and found them plausible and interesting. I wasn’t totally convinced about the list being transported between the two but it didn’t put me off reading further.. It’s more than just romance, touching on friendships, finding your place in the world and living up to other’s expectations.

I did get a little lost with the pov sometimes but a gentle read that bucked the stereotypical romances out there. A nice change from what’s already out there.

I liked the premise of the story, Gia has a disastrous work Christmas party so she writes a New Year resolution list which gets stuck to a food takeaway delivery bag, Ben finds the note he is intrigued and writes her a note back. This starts an exchange of notes and a friendship builds.

The characters of Gia and Ben were realistic, neither of them are perfect.

However I found the book hard to get into, there are a lot of characters to get your head around especially when meeting Ben's family, I got totally lost and had to go back and read over.

For me this was more a book of self-discovery and friendship rather than a traditional romance story, it's a slow burn and quite deep in parts.

It's not what I expected but still worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books

This is a nice read. Gia and Ben have both climbed the metaphorical mountain to get where they are today.
Unfortunately they both have things holding them back, neuroses that self sabotage them on a regular basis.
One particular bad day Gia writes herself a list of all the things she should do to improve her life. However, the list gets caught up i the takeaway delivery drivers insulated bag and ends up in front of Ben.
So begins a regular correspondence between them where they divulge secrets to each other. As in any good romance book, true love's course doesn't run easily and things happen that sabotage their budding romance.
They both use escape as a means of not facing up to the truth, will they both run away?
Enjoyable.

This was a DNF for me, for several reasons. The formatting was seriously bad in parts, and I am not prepared to waste my reading time on something which is so difficult to actually read.
The theme of notes passed to instigate and further a romance, is one I have read before. That book was much better written, and more convincing, with excellent characterisation. This book does not have that advantage..
The storyline is incredibly slow, with a main character that I just could not warm to.
Those are my reasons for not finishing this book.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review of this book.

Gia left India and came over to London to peruse her dreams. However now Gia is struggling at work, she desperately needs to keep her position but it’s rather a precarious situation which becomes even more so after a kiss with her boss. It was a cute little novel, with lots of different challenges in it for the two protagonists. The concept of the food and handwritten letters between them was also really delightful. Ben was a very thoughtful, charming, and encouraging person for Gia however he also has his own issues.

I definitely feel this could have been executed better, it wasn’t smooth reading for me personally. I also didn’t find it a good fit for Rom-Com, I would definitely say it’s more contemporary romance.

I was hoping to love this book as it sounded like my ideal read but I was left slightly on the fence with this one - it didn't immediately grasp my attention so it took me a while to get into it and it felt fairly slow to start.

It did move along faster once I'd passed the initial few chapters but I did find the overall tone/writing style hard to enjoy.

DNF @ 40%. The pacing was just off and I couldn’t get into the book. it was slow and I really couldn’t see myself getting through to enjoy the rest.

While this sounded like a potentially cute read. Sadly it was not for me.
I found the characters either annoying or bland.
The story itself didn't interest me.
While the pacing felt off. Which made it even harder for me to be invested.
I ended up DNFing at 74%

Unfortunately I just couldn't get on with this one. I liked the writing style but struggled with the main character.

Thank you for my eARC of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t finish this, I didn’t get on with the tone/narrator of the book. It just wasn’t for me.

hmmmmm, I will be honest I was intrigued by this book and I really wanted to enjoy this. But the beginning had me confused (the delivery guy wasn't the LI ??) and I just couldn't resonate with the characters. Of which there felt like there were too many, and I couldn't keep track of them.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Love Love on the Menu
by Mimi Deb the Menu
by Mimi Deb
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: 13 April 2023
Genre : Romance Women's Fiction
Gia work life seems busy and a bit hectic
Ben a sibling of 7 children.

I really like this character and the notes he sends

This book has laugh out loud moments. I have enjoyed the note exchanges between Gia and Ben they have been a old fashioned way of communicating in this Morden age.
I love Gia and Ben Dynamic in this book and how there noted progressed as we progess through the book.


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