This book is marketed as a romcom and for me that wasn’t the case. I disliked the main character and her attitude! She is not likable. And I guess she’s not supposed to be. But she never gets better or learns any thing. The one who is the tough cookie is Ian.

I couldn’t get past all the stuff she did and the victim role she plays. I wish she would have grown and become better.

I did like she was sex positive, I thought that was to the extreme but It’s not often we get that. The narration was wonderful too!

This was a GREAT story to listen to! AWESOME narration! Great main characters. The plot was easy to find. The story was engaging and easy to follow. Will be purchasing this book. Shout out to Netgalley and publishing for allowing me to listen and review this story.

4 STARS!

I thought this was going to be a really fun romance, but unfortunately I had a lot of problems with it. The main character, Karina, is meant to be unlikeable, I get that, but she complained all the time, was rude to other people (even her friends), and was so unkind to the love interest at times that I'm surprised he ended up giving her a second chance.

Karina is afraid of commitment after the way a former boyfriend treated her (slut-shaming her and using her to cheat on his girlfriend) when she was younger. Her fear of commitment made up a large part of the plot, but it started to become noticeably repetitive after a while. Every time Ian and Karina started to get close (physically or emotionally), Karina would pull away, and physically run away.

At the beginning of the book, I could understand this (she was afraid of getting hurt), but towards the end, it just became frustrating. Karina could see that Ian cared about her and was nothing like her ex, and yet she still didn't trust him enough to stay or open up to him. To me, this shows her lack of growth and development as a character and it left me feeling dissatisfied. (It also felt like the author was trying to string out the last 30% of the novel, so kept repeating Karina's actions.)

Ultimately, I ended up struggling to find any redeemable qualities about the mc, and I really didn't enjoy the way she looked down on people with other service jobs. We find out early on that she used to be a maid, but towards the end of the story, she makes elitist comments about how she doesn't want to go back to that kind of job and there's a distinct air of "I'm better than that now". (There are also ableist comments about people with mental health problems, but the author does attempt to address these in the final chapters of the novel.)

Putting Karina aside, the main group of friends were also unlikeable. They constantly needled Karina about love and relationships, when they knew she wasn't interested in anything long-term and were incessantly prying into her business, even when she made it clear she wanted privacy. One friend was also very pro-life in a way that was just uncomfortable to read.

Something this book does well, however, is attempt to reduce stigma surrounding periods. At one point in the story, Karina has some discomfort while on her period and she and Ian decide to have sex in an attempt to relieve her pain and take her mind off thigs. The whole scene was handled with maturity and care and I've not seen this kind of scene in any other romance books, so it was refreshing to read.

Overall, I sadly didn't enjoy this one. the blurb compares it to Fleabag, but I didn't really get any of the dark humour or satire that we get in Fleabag, so this didn't live up to my hopes or expectations.

I love the concept of this book. The girl whose been hurt, and the man shows her that not everyone is terrible and there is love out there. However, unfortunately, I didn't love this one.

I couldn't find any character that I loved in this book. I was either indifferent or didn't like them at all. The friend

Karina Corté is the worst, with no problem hurting people to keep up with a path that doesn't make her happy. I love mess, but this level of mess is out of control.

Her friend group is immature and annoying - all they talk about is men, and the boyfriend, Ian, is annoying and clingy. Like she said, no, why are you still waiting? She doesn't know her mind. I don't feel sympathy for people who repeatedly put themselves in situations to be hurt when a person has been straightforward if she is lying about her feelings; that is on her, not for Ian to change her mind.

The one thing I did like about this book was the added therapy. Karina Corté was in desperate need of some help, and I am glad that she could get that change in her mindset.

I did appreciate the added talk on abortion - I didn't love that there was as much support for Katrina as I think there should have been, regardless of everyone's views.

I also didn't enjoy the slut shaming - like, why can't Katrina sleep around if she wants. And why is she blamed for the feelings of men who don't want to believe she doesn't want a relationship?

Narrator Stacy Gonzalez did a great job with all the voices and characters because there were many of them.

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞
𝐁𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐀𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟕.𝟏𝟖.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑
𝒪𝓊𝓉 𝒩𝑜𝓌!

Thank you @KateRockBookTours @TorresDelise @AlcovePress and @PenguinUSA for a spot on tour and a gifted book.


Okay, I did not expect this one to be as steamy as it was! Whew! I thought it was all about baking cookies and cute stuff - shows how swayed I am by a fun cover.

While the main character Karina Cortés does indeed work at Singular Cookies Inc., a small family-owned business, things really get cooking when Ian, the new mechanic, is hired.

Karina comes off as a “tough cookie.” She’s mad at her mom, mad at her company CEO for dating an employee, and mad at her friends for believing in love. Karina wants to be independent and protect her heart. Though she only passed the GED exam, Karina has a good work ethic and motivation. But when Ian is hired her tough exterior, well the interior first, starts to crumble.

I enjoyed the mix of work versus relationships in this one. Whether it be family, friends, or even love interests, I thought the author balanced it well with the realities of work and its demands - even inter-office dating. The one thing that I struggled with was Karina’s continual indecisiveness about how she felt about Ian and what to do about him; it became too repetitive.

Karina’s friends were more than patient and kind to her, and truthful too, which I appreciated - especially when they disagreed with her about some hard choices. And the talk of cookies was just a huge bonus! The book includes recipes in the back.

🎧Thank you @dreamscape.media for a gifted audiobook.

I loved this story! Karina is such a cynical yet lovely woman, and I really felt for her and all the love-trauma she's had in her life. And Ian is the perfect guy to love her through that trauma and show her true love is long-lasting and doesn't leave. Ian was so patient, kind, supportive, and loving of Karina; I really wanted her to be a bit kinder to him, but I understood and appreciated why she channeled her hurt into cynical projections. I felt this story was a very realistic love story, offering a sweet development of love and friendship with Karina and Ian, as well as their work/friend group.
Thank you for the ARC!!!

‘One Tough Cookie’ by Delise Torres was an extremely enjoyable read! I finished this one it a day; it was hard to put down! The audio was fantastically performed, and the romance was fun, hot, and emotional. Highly recommend!

I tried to connect with the main character of this book. But there was something missing. There's some 'unlikeability' thats just un recoverable. Also, the cookie puns are a little heavy handed

Overall, I enjoyed this audiobook. I started out really loving it and Karina's no-eff's given attitude. At times, I felt like I wanted to shake sense into her. Ian is a saint. I loved the dynamics of the work family and how everyone was a straight shooter. By the end of the book, I was proud of the journey and where they landed. This is a cute, quick read that should be given a chance. I just reviewed One Tough Cookie by Delise Torres. #OneToughCookie #NetGalley

This book started out as a sweet romcom but turned into a story about a girl who needs therapy. It felt like 75% of this book was a third act breakup and that's always the worst part of a romance novel. Unfortunately for me, the ending was too little too late.

This audiobook was fine but definitely not one of my favorite stories or narrators.
The fact that the main character did and said the same thing over and over and over to her love interest and to her friends about her love interest became very annoying and just felt like filler. This book could have been completed much faster if all that filler that had been cut out.

I wanted to like this book but it just wasn’t for me. The main character was a turn off for me. I just didn’t click with her personality n

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This was a difficult title to get through from the beginning because I did not care for the narrator. There was something that just didn't fit with the characters.

Author: Delise Torres
Narrator: Stacy Gonzalez

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Narration: 5 mikes
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses abortion and cheating. Touches on abandonment and childhood trauma. Contains explicit sexual content.

“One Tough Cookie” follows Karina Cortés, an employee at a cookie company who is set on being single forever and not needed no man ever, as she meets and falls for—reluctantly—for Ian Feliciano, one of the new mechanics at said cookie company.

First off let’s start with the narration of this audiobook: it was absolutely immaculate. I had high expectations because Stacy Gonzalez narrated one of my favorite audiobooks in 2021 and oh did she not disappoint. However, some actual subject matters throughout the book weren’t it for me, hence the star rating.

Expect spoilers in this review. I’m going to be a tough cookie about this but gosh was the main character, Karina, annoying and unreasonable. She was the definition of what not going to therapy and a ton of abandonment issues will do to you, multiplied by 100. Packed with a surprise pregnancy which I hate, and then followed by an abortion which I don’t love reading about—this was a hard one.

Letting that shitshow slide, I actually really liked the writing style and the spicy scenes. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what Delise Torres publishes next, it was just “One Tough Cookie” wasn’t entirely my vibe. It left me more mad than it left me happy, if that makes sense.

Grab this book if you’re looking for a steamy work place romance packed with a female main character that is afraid of commitment and treats a perfectly decent man like he is worth nothing.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: July 18, 2023

This book was one that kept me up all night reading and it wasn't because of the spice factor in it. The author made two main characters that are completely relatable and to me felt like they had real world personal issues. I mean, Karina did for sure and while she is made as an unlikeable character, I found her to be likeable and her friends as the unlikeable ones because of how much they bullied her for not wanting to be in a serious relationship. I could rant about this forever!!!! The narrator was amazing and really brought the characters to life for me as well.

"Cookies were like people, not because they had a personality of their own but because they consisted of multiple ingredients that created a singular flavor profile."

This RomCom about Karina, a single Latina woman who had it engrained in her that she's better off on her own and that love is too complicated and messy to deal with finally finds herself questioning her beliefs when she begins to fall for her co-worker lan. Was lan "the calm to her chaos"??

I enjoyed this read a lot. Karina has a tough exterior and I had complicated feelings about her at first but once I learned more about her background and upbringing she won me over. This book had me laughing and swooning simultaneously. With plenty of steamy scenes and back and forth banter, this is a winner for romance lovers. And the creative cookie descriptions were an added delicious bonus!.

I preordered a paperback copy prior to the ALC from NetGalley & Dreamscape Media I received. I loved this entire story, from the characters to the setting it was great. Karina affected with childhood trauma emotional distant with intimate relationships. A work in progress, the growth she makes throughout the book is amazing to see. Definitely a reminder to not be so hard on oneself, and to trust yourself to be better
Ian was great, he was just trying to be there for a reluctant Karina. He gave her support and was present when she didn’t want him. He tried and put in the work into their not relationship.
I loved how the event at the end was handled, giving an emotionally distant/trauma person a baby is just not the way to go. For Karina to say she was not ready for motherhood was brave, she needs to work on herself before passing that trauma on to the kid.
Overall I loved this book, it does deal deal with abortion and childhood trauma, but it was dealt with care and consideration.

I have mixed feelings!

Yes, One Tough Cookie was a fun and typical rom-com. Great for light reading.

My struggles - Karina. No matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t connect with her or even like her. So much so that I almost didn’t finish listening to the audiobook.

Nothing negative to say about the writing - Karina just wasn’t for me.

’m probably going to be an odd one out here from what I can see, but I did not like this book at all. It rubbed me the wrong way the whole time. I honestly thought the main character was a very selfish jerk. She didn’t care about other people’a feelings either romantically or friendship-wise. She tried to push her feelings on people instead of letting them come to their own conclusions. Then the added abortion drama- just a solid no from me.

🌀Synopsis
Karina lives life with no attachments. She doesn’t want a relationship and she doesn’t want more than a surface friendship. She grew up with her mom telling her to do it on her own and she takes that very seriously.
There’s a new mechanic at work and Karina is ready for her next fling. Before she knows it, they’re spending every day together and basically living together. Karina panics and starts brushing him off.
She’s throwing herself into her work, which has been chaotic. The boss, who is also a friend, is dating one of the new guys and doesn’t want anyone to know. The changes within the company are so vast though and Karina is forced to either get on board or get out. After getting more involved she realizes that the changes are actually positive and she can help them move forward. She also realizes that she can depend on others which then spreads to being able to do that in her personal life too.

I really, really enjoyed this debut that sees jaded about love Puerto Rican American woman, Karina trying and failing to fall for her hot co-worker as he slowly breaks down her barriers against dating in the work place and falling in love.

Full of family drama and a fun, unique setting of a Florida Cookie company, this had emotional depth and some HOT, steamy romance that left me fully satisfied!! Highly recommended and good on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: slut-shaming, emotionally distant parent, abortion