I really liked the idea of this book, but it ended being not what I expected based on the description or marketing. I loved the idea of this soon-to-be empty-nester joining an American baking competition TV show and falling for one of the judges. I expected it to be more like a sapphic version of Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake. However, this book was certainly more focused on the foods and culinary industry rather than the romance. And that's perfectly fine! But it should not have been promoted as a rom-com.
That being said, I appreciated that both MCs, Tori and Kendra, are older (40s), and the sunshine/ grumpy trope they had. There was meant to be instant attraction between the characters, but it felt a little flat to me. Overall, there did not really seem to be enough time with Tori and Kendra together outside of the show to really build their relationship. Yes, the little notes were cute and sweet, but I wanted more.

If you are looking for a book centered around a baking competition, or of women finding themselves as they deal with big changes in their lives, this would be a great pick! If you are looking for a baking rom-com, this isn't it.

Honestly, super disappointed simply because romance was 100% a subplot and that's not what I read romance books for!!!

Thank you Random House Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

I ate every bit of this up! I really enjoyed it. I also just want to say for someone who enjoys less spice in romance novels. This was great! I loved the slow burn and that the characters had to really get to know each other. I really liked that we also got to know many of the side characters. Plus who does not love a good baking show romance!? I appreciate that this book has less spice. I kind of feel like LGBTQ+ Rep often gets super sexualized in books. Which I just don't see being reality, so I appreciated that this one was cute and free of that. This book has all the heat without the spice (in a good way).

Tori Moore is a high school chemistry teacher who is also an avid bakers. As she is going to be an empty nester soon her children encourage her to audition for the American Bake-O-Rama baking competition. She really wants to open her own baker and the prize money would allow her to do that. However, self doubt and a messy divorce may stand in Tori's way. As they begin the show though, she catches the eye of Kendra Campbell. Who is notoriously harsh with contestants. However, can Tori soften her edges? Will there secrets be caught?

Content: small swearing

Read if you enjoy:
Romance
Sunshine/ Grumpy
LGBTQ+ Rep.
Chemistry teacher
Baking competitions

This book was completely different than what I expected. This book was more about the growth of Tori throughout the story than anything else which was fine, but I feel like we were missing a lot of character development. There was a lot of the baking show and competition however, I feel like there should have been more shown on character growth and the chemistry between the 2 MC's without taking away from the story.

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review as always, all words are my own.

Thoughts and Themes: I had started reading this and it took me a while to get into the book since I wasn't too invested in the story. I got to about 20% and still wasn't too invested in the characters but it was the story that kept me reading. I just really wanted to know who was going to win this baking competition. The other thing that kept me reading was how was this going to be a romance book when there's a clause in the contract stating they can't date until 1 year after the show ends.

It was really hard for me to get into the story and I wasn't completely invested until something happens in Kendra's storyline that complicates things and then something happens with Tori that also complicates things. I liked this piece because it was at this point that I didn't want to put the book down in order to find out what was coming next. 

Characters: In this story you get to meet our two main characters, Tori and Kendra, Tori's kids, Kendra's brother, several of the other contestants on the show, and the other judges and crew on the show. I really liked getting to learn about each of the characters and thought it was great to hear about them from both Tori and Kendra.

I really enjoyed getting to know the contestants on the show because you felt bad when it came down to the last 4 of them. I think it gave you perspective on how the judges must feel each week as they had to send one person home.

I also really enjoyed getting to know Kendra and Tori, I liked getting to know them both as individuals and as they spoke to each other. This one is definitely a slow burn so if that isn't your thing I would skip it. If this isn't a problem for you though I definitely say give this a try because it is worth it.

Writing Style: The book is told in third person going back and forth between the perspectives of our two main characters, Tori and Kendra. I really liked that it gave you both of their perspectives since you got to see the story unfolding from both of them at the same time. I liked that we got to be inside their heads and see how they viewed each other throughout.

Definitely a fun read for foodies. I love that we are seeing more stories about chefs and cooking and cooking competitions, and this was definitely an entertaining read, it just was not what I was expecting. I know they don't say to judge a book by its cover, but I also sometimes judge a book by its name, and this one seemed to lack a little in the love department.

While I enjoyed to story and the characters, the romance here was a bit dull, seeing as they were pretty much never even in a room alone together until the end of the book. This definitely felt more like a story about a cooking competition, with a little bit of romance sprinkled in. This was still an incredibly enjoyable read for me, just was not what I was expecting.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Really more of a food book than a romance. The couple didn't even get together til like the last page.
It was just longing the whole time

As a straight, white woman approaching retirement age, you can imagine my surprise at finding the LGBTQ genre in romances. Love at 350* involves two women who's meet cute is on a cooking show where they are forbidden to have outside contact. Author Lisa Peers spends a good deal of time fleshing out both of the characters before they meet and the reader is rooting for both of them to find success in their careers, as well as their personal lives. NetGalley continues to offer me books in this genre and so far most of them have been big hits with me. Looking forward to seeing what else she publishes in the future.

4 stars

This was a really sweet story- no pun intended. I always think it’s funny that I don’t watch reality TV myself but often enjoy a story that’s featured in that kind of setting. The baking competition was a fun backdrop for the sapphic romance, and I appreciated the main protagonists, many of the side characters, and the different identities that were represented. This was a fun, mostly lighthearted rom-com, and it’s definitely one I’ll be recommending to others.

I enjoyed this take on the Great British Baking show with an American cooking show. The characters were enjoyable, but it seemed very insta-love. They didn't really know each other. I understand having an attraction, but they seemed to have fallen head over heels quickly, which seems to feed into the lesbian stereotypes. I'm not sure if that was the point, but if not, I think that might be a problem for some readers.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I love, love, love this book. What a delightful romance with a refreshing and intriguing will they won't they plot. I adored both of the characters, and the celebrity chef was spot one. Wonderful food and romance focused story. So good! Will be featured on a future episode of Your Rainbow Reads Podcast.

Tori’s twin teens enter her in the baking competition show, Bake-A-Rama. She’s been struggling after her recent divorce and her kids know she’s a wonderful baker. The show would be a perfect opportunity to try something just for her.

Kendra is the tough, but fair judge on the show who has gotten flack for being too mean to contestants. She’s trying to take her career to the next level, but she’s not sure what that is. Until a certain contestant on the newest season catches her eye.

Kendra and Tori have a great chemistry and they really understand each other. There’s a bit of the forbidden since contestants and judges are prohibited from any kind of relationship for one year after the show. I really enjoyed this, both were mature women who knew what they were looking for. Both were at a pivotal time in their lives and they were great encouragement for each other. Just watch out, this book will absolutely make your mouth water at the description of the delicious treats.

Thank you @thedialpress and @lisapeersauthor of my gifted ebook. Love at 350 is on sale now!

Cute premise, good writing, lovely characters, but I couldn’t really get into it with the focus more on baking than the romance I hoped for.

Love at 350 by Lisa Peers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 10/10/23

Thank you Netgalley for this arc! I really enjoyed this book. I should have read it sooner. I love a romcom with baking. This is even better featuring a baking show. It’s a fast pace forbidden romance.

Tori is a high school chemistry teacher and an avoid home baker. Her twins are about to go to college and don’t want their single mother to not have a purpose. They entered her for a baking competition. When they find out she was selected for the top 100 to present her bakes they had to break the news. They went behind her back, but it’s because they love her. She was shocked by the news, but figured this was her shot to potentially win $100,000 to start her own bakery. What she wasn’t expecting was the host with a reputation for being ruthless to grab her heart. Per their contract they cannot interact or date outside the show for a year. As the weeks of the competition goes on the stronger their pull . How does Tori do with the competition? What does Tori and Kendra do about their feelings?

Basically all I could ask for in a romcom book- baking, reality tv, gays... it hit the trifecta. I had a good time reading this, although the romance was not as noteworthy as the rest of the story to me!

I had a great time reading this book, especially following along with the competition and the different bakers who were partaking in it. But the romance between the two protagonists took a bit to convince me; it felt like it went from 0 to 60 in terms of development and feelings, and I didn't really buy it until the second half of the book. It could've been so good as a secret, forbidden love kind of relationship, except they were both sticklers for the rules (understandably so, given the context). Overall, I still had a great time reading the book and would recommend it.

A new romance about Tori, a contestant on a baking show, and Kendra, one of the judges on the baking show.

This one focused a lot on the baking, which I didn’t mind. People who like the buildup of chemistry and ups and downs in the relationship probably wouldn’t enjoy this as much. However, I liked the way that Tori and Kendra supported each other and their relationship grew in that way! I liked too that they never really had any drama or breakup like many romances.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an entertaining baking competition romance. While Tori's children are getting ready to go to college, they sign her up for Bake-O-Rama, a baking competition set in Sonoma County with celebrity chef Kendra Campbell as one of the competition's judges to keep Tori from feeling like an empty nester. Kendra is struggling with her first restaurant and does not enjoy judging Bake-O-Rama. In this romance, Tori learns to take risks despite previous experiences, and Kendra learns that sometimes, even the best-laid plans need to change. It's entertaining and enjoyable, just like watching an actual baking show competition.

"'𝘉𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵. 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺?' 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵: 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘦."

I loved this book.

First of all - you had me at baking competition! As an avid watcher of The Great British Baking Show, I loved the American twist of this story!

I also loved that both main characters are in their 40s - it's a different aspect than many of the romances and such that are out there - they're both at different places in their lives and careers, and it just puts new perspectives on a lot of things.

There's ALSO some intrigue and even SABOTAGE! Dun dun dun!

Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for this review! ❤️
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #lisapeers #lifeat350 #whatsnikkireading #book90of2023 #lgbtqiap #bakingshow #grumpysunshine #mom #emptynester #oppositesattract

Tori is a high school chemistry teacher and is surprised to find her kids have gotten her an audition on a reality baking show. Kendra is a judge on the show and has a reputation for being harsh to the contestants. Sparks fly when they meet but unfortunately for them there is a clause in their contracts that prohibits them from interacting outside of the show.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it surprising that this is Lisa Peers’ debut as it didn’t feel that way at all. There was a lot of heart and cute moments and so much food! This was honestly a good time of reading. Tori is a likeable character from the get-go and Kendra really grew on me by the end. I could see why they would be attracted to one another.

This is one of the books that could be hurt by the marketing. It’s marketed as a rom-com but that is a very misleading term here. While I did love the interactions between Tori and Kendra, this is not a romance. The romantic feelings are all internalized because of the no contact contract. While the two do find a way to have a bit of communication it wasn’t enough to satisfy my romance meter.

While there isn’t a happily ever after, I do feel the ending is very hopeful of one. I really liked this a lot and recommend it. I’ll be keeping an eye out for whatever Peers releases next.

I received an ARC from Random House/The Dial Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.