I was drawn to this book because of its food themes and demisexuality representation. I enjoyed the representation of demisexuality and non-hetero relationships. I’d read another food-based romance recently so thought that aspect could have been better, as the connection between the foody scenes and scenes outside of the kitchen seemed disconnection.

I can see the merits this book has but sadly I did not enjoy it was much as I had hoped. I could very little connection or empathy towards the two main characters. There’s also a trope I despise in romance books that featured in the third act conflict, so any hopes for a solid ending were dashed for me.

This story promised me magic but I just didn't feel it. I felt no connection to Noelle and when she gets feelings for Jasmine I could not see why. Jasmine was a bit of a bland character for me. I could not get invested in their journey or the friendship they built with the side characters. I might just not be the right reader for this book or maybe I should have read it before Christmas and not after.

An ARC was provided to me via Netgalley in return of an honest review.

As sweet and light as the often mentioned sugar cookies, gentle holiday reading.

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's not often that you see a romance title with demisexuality as a theme, so I was definitely intrigued by this book. It was a very sweet romance that was Christmas adjacent, although the Christmas theme was mostly food focused and not too much on the holiday itself. I enjoyed reading it, but I do wish that the two main characters relationship had been a bit more developed. But if you're looking for a demi romance, this is a good pick!

The idea behind this one is really cute. Unfortunately, the execution didn't work for me. The writing style didn't pull me in and the characters felt pretty simplistic and boring. The missteps in the cooking class and the little community that started to form among the class participants was a great touch, but the side characters also felt pretty one dimensional. Nothing made me want to keep coming back for more, so I finally admitted defeat and DNFed this book. It just wasn't for me but I hope it finds its audience!

Unfortunately not the book for me. The writing style was completely rubbing me the wrong way as well as the editing, so much so that I couldn't enjoy reading this book.
Yet while it was bothering me, others have enjoyed the book so don't let my review keep you from forming your own opinion, especially since I haven't gotten far enough to form an opinion on the plot.

I had high hopes for this book, especially because of the baking and cooking, which I love in any book, but especially in a holiday read. I was also happy to see demisexual rep!

Unfortunately though, I quickly realized this book wasn't going to be my thing. The writing style didn't work for me, and especially the humour didn't land for me. I found certain scenes very strange, and sometimes I didn't understand how they related to the story as a whole, which affected my enjoyment. Because of this, I decided to DNF.

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the copy of this book in return for a review.

This is a story that centers around appropriately named Noelle, she finds a postcard by chance that will change her life. Curious as to who this Jasmine is on the postcard, she heads to the class and walks away with more then just a few new recipes and cooking skills up her sleeves. The romantic relationship is between Noelle and Jasmine, but the found family that develops out of the participants of the cooking class is just as wonderful to watch. Through after parties we get glimpses into everyone’s world and how it was only through this class would they ever meet, but now their lives are changed.
The thing that got my interest the most was the demisexuality representation. As someone who is demi, I was excited to see this and it was nice to see what I sometimes have trouble explaining to others put in black and white.
There were a couple parts that were clunky, but over all this is a really sweet holiday read centering around good food, self-discovery, and found family.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

I think this might be an example of a book not having the right reader. There wasn't anything <i>wrong</i>, it just didn't click for me. The writing style wasn't one I enjoyed and I didn't really care about any of the characters. I could see a number of other people enjoying it, it's just not for me.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review

This was a really fun holiday read. I loved the chemistry and interactions of everybody in the cooking class. The two lead characters were probably my least favorites of the group. Especially in the beginning, it seemed they were just constantly giggling and squealing, and I couldn’t help but think how annoyed I’d be with them in real life. However, as the book went on I grew to like them. There wasn’t a ton of depth in the book, but overall, it was a very enjoyable book.

Morgan Routh is a new Author for me. Her writing style is unique. Storyline moves along well. Setting is interesting. Characters mesh well together. This book has it all, romance, friendship, trials, growing of characters.
I was given this advanced reader copy by NetGalley and am freely leaving my review.

Christmas Culinary Magic by Morgan Routh

Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for the ARC for an unbiased review.

This was a fairly quick but sweet Christmas rom-com wlw book. It wasn't something that had anything spectacular to its name, and yet I found it was just what I needed to simply relax and detatch from the world around me.

Our main protagonists are Noelle and Jasmine, but as the book progressed, and we got to know Minnie, John, Stone, Tiana, Matt and Melissa, who were all people I found myself invested in wanting to know more about. The individuals and the group steadily blurred together, and by the end, while it was still primarily about the 2 MCs, it was heartwarming to see how it wrapped up for all of them.

As I mentioned, it was a sweet story, with humour that I found amusing. It also had a smidgen of drama, which was a great balance to the rest, otherwise the sweetness could of overwhelmed.

If a wlw based, quick Christmas, cosy, warm atmosphere of a book is what you're looking for, then you won't go far wrong with this one. It isn't a story that is unique, but done well it often doesn't matter. I felt this was done well.

I'm vying between 4 or 5 stars. I think on balance Minnie gives it 5 stars for me, because I kind of loved her as much as the MCs despite bingo. Or perhaps because of it? ;-)

I also didn't realise how much I needed a cosy comfortable quick read as I did until I was halfway through.

Settle in, grab a blanket, a hot chocolate and this book.

Friends and family can be found. And maybe there is magic in the air.

5/5 stars 🌟