"Love on the Menu" feels like a story full of potential, but unfortunately fell a little flat for me. I loved the alternating perspectives, the passing of sweet and encouraging notes between Ben and Gia, and Gia's work drama. However, the story overall felt clunky and hard to follow. The back and forth between Ben and Gia's perspectives was difficult, as, especially with Ben, I felt like I was being dropped in the middle of a story I missed a big chunk of...I would be interested to check out other Mimi Deb novels, as I felt like this one was hard to follow, so I'm unsure of that being her style just a one-off.

I did finish the book but got a little frustrated with it and the story. Not one I'd go back to.

The characters became a little annoying and I got cross with them!

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Drunk not Sober
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Mimi Deb
𝗙𝗮𝘃 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿: Ben + kids
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Normal
𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: Novel
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Slice life, office drama, contemporary romance
4.4/𝟱
𝗧𝗪: 𝗮𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺

If any of you read this book & drink, I need to know if people ACTUALLY consume this much alcohol & function. 😬

🌱THE EXCELLENT
~ Well paced across various settings
~ Troubled characters that give glimpses of depth
~ Found family & sweet friendships
~ Two-fold British Asian perspectives

Gia is having a tough go of it, she needs to keep a precarious job, that becomes more so after a social disaster with her boss. Between her two-faced co-workers, abandonment issues and COPIOUS ingestion of alcohol, her life needs order hence, the list. What starts as a note to herself becomes a WHOLE relationship when she orders takeout one night from Namaste London & a man of privilege who needs direction in his own life, answers.

✨𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱.

🌱THE MEH
~ Drinking, lots & lots of drinking - if it’s a trigger for you R U N
~ Consistent drunk choice making
~ Unsure of the necessary points were made
~ Dysfunctional & alcoholic families
~ TOO MUCH ALCOHOL 😬

♡🌱 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲 ;)

3* DNF

I've read several excellent and amusing novels where the main characters initially correspond by notes or emails before meeting. In fiction, where anything goes, these plots were believable and any monumental coincidences, if taken with a pinch of salt, were acceptable. This book follows a similar theme, except that the notes immediately became essay length.

I won't detail my likes or dislikes, other reviewers have already pointed them out. But I really missed Gia's Indian-ness. She left Darjeeling five years ago and surely would retain some of her home country mannerisms and expressions. Instead she was portrayed more as London Estuary.

A second annoyance were conversations that were grouped tightly together, making it unclear to identify the speaker.

The formatting of Love on the Menu made it a struggle to read and drove me to distraction, mercifully this'll be corrected before publishing. Words were placed together without any spaces, this is a short example, many others were twice the length –
Talkingofanimals,Ishouldprobablyaddresstheelephantonthepage.Mattisnottheex-boyfriend.He’smyex-bestfriend.WegrewuptogetherinDarjeeling,andnowhe’sgettingmarriedinJuneonabeach

After the final edit, I'm sure that the published book will be very different to the ARC I received. Unfortunately I gave up reading at 40% and will only rate 3*.

ARC generously supplied by Avon Books and NetGalley, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

Thank you Net Galley and Avon Books for my ARC of Love On The Menu by Mimi Deb. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this book. The cover is cute and the concept of a love story starting by passing notes via takeout was adorable but it totally flopped for me. For Bens character being a recovering alcoholic I found it terribly strange Gia literally tried to drink away her problems every day. A relationship like that would never work in real life, I don’t think. There were time I was totally lost at what was even happening and perhaps that was just something I had missed because I was not enjoying the book, I really don’t know. I did finish this book because I was hopeful for Ben and Gia to salvage a relationship and I was curious how it would end. Unfortunately though, not my style or a book I would personally recommend or read again.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5359088787

It took me a little while to get into this book, it had quite a slow start but overall I enjoyed the story. It was a unique story and heart-warming at times.

I was given an Arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I almost had to DNF this book. I had such high hopes for it but I honestly couldn’t stand the MC. I felt like this book had so much potential and it sounded like it would be so cute but it just fell flat for me. I also felt like the eARC copy read like a very early rough draft so it made it harder to read and comprehend.

This has such a cute cover and such a cute premise!

Sadly the pacing and writing style wasn't for me, I just felt like it didn't grip me and I didn't love the characters either. I was expecting more rom com less... drinking your problems away and creating MORE problems for yourself. I wanted to get to know the characters on a DEEPER level which with multiple POVS should have been possible but maybe there was just TOO MANY POVS to get to know every one.

I did enjoy the cute, funny moments and there were a fair few of relatable scenes! Overall its a fine book but not the next big romance i don't think!

2.5 rounded to 3.

I was so excited to read this when I saw it compared to Emily Henry’s books. I’m usually not a fan of contemporary romance but Emily Henry has me in a chokehold. Couple that with Love on the Menu’s original storyline and striking cover - I had to read it.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t my cup of tea. The story was great but it was let down by poor execution. I love alternating first person chapters, but Gia and Ben didn’t have very distinctive voices… none of the characters really did, and there was a lot of them!

There were far too many different plots and subplots happening throughout that were connected together at the end in a way that wasn’t satisfactory and seemed rushed.

Gia and Ben were cute and their letters being sent through the takeaway was a really nice idea and a big part of what was drawing me to read it (along with Gia being a POC!) but their relationship just didn’t really go anywhere and it was pretty much just a friendship. It seemed like Gia didn’t really think of Ben at all and only thought of him while writing to him. Otherwise she was preoccupied with the million other things happening in her life. Whereas Ben’s chapters had more of a focus on Gia so the relationship didn’t really seem that romantic when Gia didn’t even really seem into him.

Overall, a good idea, a pretty cover, an easy read and obviously people like it as it’s won an award, but just not for me, sadly.

The cover suggests this is to be a romance however the writing style indicates otherwise. It just seemed so bitchy and odd in terms of following the plot and writing style.

3.5 ⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had incredible potential which was not fully discovered and it left me a tad bit disappointed as I loved so many things about the book.

I loved the unique and real MCs, who despite making dumb choices owned up to their mistakes, but never really had any character growth, per se. This book read more like women's fiction than a romance, and I wish we got more of the romantic relationship between Gia and Ben because they seem like they'd make a really cute couple. Another negative was that the book had many many side characters, and it was difficult to keep up with their names and relationship to the MCs.

I flew threw the book, and although I might have liked much more romance, it was an enjoyable read nonetheless!

Whilst I really enjoyed the characters in this read, I found it really hard to get into due to the formatting issues on this copy, I couldn’t read any of Gia’s notes properly as there were no spaces between words and I think this meant I missed a lot of understanding of her character.

That being said, I would love to know what is next for Gia and Ben!

Love on the Menu is a slow but steady read. It took me a while to get into it but once I'd found my flow it was really enjoyable.
3 stars.

Although it was little slow in the beginning to fully get into it and grasp it, however, after sometime it picked up quite nicely. And, I had enjoyed it.

Do you know what this book was actually really sweet. I liked how the new year's list ended up in the bottom of the delivery bag and how things started coming true. I loved the little note exchange and how the story played out. Cute.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me.

I did really like the concept of the story - how they were passing notes back and forth via takeout orders. I felt like there was too much extra information and it felt very slow. I personally prefer fast paced books. I did however also enjoy the diversity of the characters portrayed in the book.

Sounded promising, but the eARC read like a very early draft. I often found myself lost as to which POV I was following.

The author won an award with this story, so there might be a pearl hidden here, I just didn't find it.

I wasn't sure about this book when I first started but let me tell you this was so fun to read!

Gia is a risk taker and Ben likes to play it safe so when Gia orders a take away her list of new years resolutions accidentally makes its way to Bens restaurant on the bottom of a delivery bag. With every delivery made to Gia Ben starts to send his own little notes and waits for her reply.

This is really a book worth reading and I did find the little takeaway orders and notes to and from to be such a fun and nice little touch!

A lovely easy to read in an afternoon love story. Quite liked the little takeaway orders with each chapter.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book based on the description, but I found it fell short for me. I didn't connect with the characters as much as I would have liked. There are some cute and heartwarming moments, but it just wasn't enough for me. The second half of the book was a bit better than the first.