What to expect on this book: cute women’s fiction book with cookie references and unlikeable female.

It just wasn’t for me. I tried, I definitely did but I just couldn’t like Karina and I get that was the point of this book, but none of these characters were likeable. They all care too much about their relationships and their partners.

I liked Ian at one point but it became too much for me. Man was clingy AF, and she acts out for silly reason like he’s talking to someone else so she flirts with a guy she hooked up with one.

No, bye. I couldn’t do it. I really wanted to like this book but it needed better editing.

2.5 stars (rounded up).

First of all, I have to say that I love the premise and setting of "One Tough Cookie" by Delise Torres. I enjoyed learning about the cookie-making process and seeing how the Singular Cookies brand got built by Lacey, Roy, and the main character Karina. I liked the quirky names for all of the cookies. I appreciated how each cookie represents a personality or situation close to the owner Lacey's heart (The Flirty is based on Karina, a cookie at the end of the book represents a situation Karina goes through, etc). I also love Torres' wit in her writing. Her personality shines through in her writing style throughout this text. I appreciate the h3ll out of the fact that Karina is a s3x-positive person who knows that she likes s3x and doesn't apologize for it. Unfortunately, this penchant for s3x often puts her on the wrong side of the equation as she frequently has s3x instead of forming any relationship or even friendship with her s3xual partners...or, you know, instead of going to therapy, which she obviously desperately needs. Karina's issues with s3x and her lack of wanting to have a relationship stem from issues she that she went through with her mother when she was younger. Her mother raised her to be a headstrong, independent person, then immediately abandoned her principles for a man named Bob (who she could cook and clean for and have another baby, one that replaced Karina). Karina's high school boyfriend (who she really loved) slutshamed her the minute she wanted to take their relationship to the next level and be exclusive in public with him. Because of these instances, Karina became s3xually adventurous, but none of this trauma should excuse the fact that she is such an a$$hole. It's really difficult to read books with main characters who are detestable, especially to other people for no reason other than the fact that they are hurting inside, and Karina definitely tops the list of despicable characters I've read. I love an unlikeable person in fiction, but Karina is just a jerk! Every single thing she does is self-serving, destructive, and insanely pessimistic. If I may borrow from the "glass half empty" phrase, Karina's glass has maybe two drops in it at most. She damages all of her friendships because she sees her actual friends as mere acquaintances and workmates, and she damages her relationship with main male character Ian because she can't stop getting in her own way. When he pushes her outside of her comfort zone to prove how much he cares about her, she pulls away over and over, each time with a more devastating impact. Speaking of Ian, his and Karina's relationship starts way too abruptly for my liking. It's insta-love and then that's it, no tension, no pining, no chemistry, no nothing. It's constant miscommunication after miscommunication with her and Ian, her and her mom, her and her friends, her and her coworkers... no one will just sit down and have a frank discussion without tiptoeing around some unspoken grudge or beef or something! It gets tiresome to read books that literally wouldn't exist if only one five-minute conversation had taken place. And Karina makes matters worse by not telling people where she's going, turning off her phone after ghosting people, not answering her door, lying to people, etc, all instead of maybe budging slightly on one of her rules and her quest to maintain power in any dynamic she's in. I really wish I had liked "One Tough Cookie" more than I did. I will definitely read Delise Torres' next book because I think she has some interesting things to say with her unique voice, but this one didn't do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, Dreamscape Media, and Delise Torres for the complimentary ARC/ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

1 ⭐️

Karina Cortés (FMC) is entirely unlikable. Her entire personality is made up of complaining, judging others, and wanting to have sex.

A whole lot of nothing happened in this book and any drama was entirely Karina’s fault and could have easily been avoided.

This book should probably come with a trigger warning for the procedure that happens toward the end of the book. Not only might it make some people uncomfortable, but there is also a large portion of the population that would not agree with her choice.

I would not recommend this book to anyone.

#book64of2023 What an insufferable mess of a book and especially main character. Karina is a selfish entitled horrible person from start to finish. There was no real character growth only an even bigger sense of entitlement as she decides that she is who she is because of how her mother raised her. If anyone wants a relationship with her they simply just have to agree to accept her abuse and her tantrums my toddler would be ashamed of. I wanted to throw my book across the room in hopes it would land with Rosa like precision right upon Karina’s cheek. I wouldn’t waste your time with this train wreck. After finishing I just have one question- what or who hurt Ian to make him feel like he deserved the way Karina treated him. #kristalreads

This one is tough for me because I hated Karina; I found her abrasive, judgmental, and selfish. But credit to the author wrote her character so well that I felt all those things and still felt sorry for her. I didn’t agree with any decisions that she made except in the last part of the book and I almost gave up on this book so many times because of it but she eventually grew on me and I’m glad I finished it. The story itself is well-written but I still don’t like Karina, I just understand her better.

Reviewed the audiobook, narrated by Stacy Gonzalez who did a great job.

The main character is a production manager at a relatively new cookie production facility. I've never read a book where a woman was in this position.

This facility really does need an HR manager, as everyone is in each other's business at work. Although it seems that folks intentionally bring their confrontations to work.

Can anybody survive on just eating cookies for all their meals? Seems that the main character can.

I had to push myself to finish. I won't rate books that I DNF/Did Not Finish. Not my favorite book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read One Tough Cookie in exchange for an honest review. Rating at 2.5 stars, but rounding up to 3. Thank you to the author Delise Torres, narrator Stacy Gonzalez and publisher Dreamscape Media (especially the publisher for approving my request to listen).

This was a cute read!! I loved the bakery aspect, and how the cookies were based off of people and their personalities. The people in the story would often associate others with the cookie they would be like. Karina, the main character, was supposed to be a girl who didn't need a man, but I think she was just really insecure and need reassurance from others. She took advantage of the MMC, and I really just did not like her. I know she had bad things that happened in her past that are the reason she is the way she is today, but she was just rude. She did grow throughout the story, but more so because things got taken away from her, not cause she wanted to.

One tough cookie was such an cute story. I got the pleasure of reading it as apart of Hear our voices book tour so I was just excited to listen to it in the audiobook version. I loved the characters and the journey that Torres took us on. I can't wait to see what's next in Torres author journey.

First and foremost, I have to give credit to and applaud the author for sharing content warnings (comment on Goodreads, but easy to find). I believe there's a certain responsibility that comes with putting one's work out into the world and not enough authors take that responsibility as heavily as I wish they would.

This has all the classic hallmarks of a cutesy romcom. It started out good, albeit cheesy, but progressed to being pretty unbearable. I found the premise of this book to be pretty cute. It takes place in a cookie bakery and carries the extended metaphor of people being different types of cookies throughout the novel.

The main character is described as a confident "I don't need no man" type, but she's portrayed in a way that just makes her come off as rude and painfully immature. She deliberately hurts everyone around her and then complains about not having people around her.

It's written to have a happy ending, but I couldn't help but wish he (MMC) ended up with anyone other than her because deserved so much more.

I really wanted to like this more, and I’m sure others do, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

A fun and engaging story that grips you with the cookies (I really want some cookies now). There wasn't anything exceptional but also nothing bad about the book. A solid read that is worth the time.

This is an interesting, entertaining story. There are times that I wanted to shake Karina for her behaviour and actions – even though I got where they were coming from. Ian is a sweetheart and saint for what he deals with. I enjoyed most of the secondary characters and what they bring to the story. I enjoyed the Karina’s growth throughout the story – she comes a long way by the end of the story and learns so much about herself and those in her life. This was a roller coaster of a ride, but a fun one.

The narrator did a good job and was easy to understand and follow.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I tried to listen to this one (I was given an advance audio copy), but it was painful. The characters are awful (and you are immediately introduced to a bunch of them- which is especially hard with audiobooks). And it was very cheesy. Karina describes everyone as a cookie. I think it was meant to be cute, but was just super cheesy to me.
The cover is adorable. The book, not so much. DNFing it. If you want to try it, maybe stick to print. The narrator's voice may have made it sound cheesier than it actually is.

The story was adorable but the narration could have used some work! I think I would have given the book a better review if I had read it myself.

Cookie personalities…which cookie are you? Oh how I want to take this quiz!!! Where can I find this quiz?

A cute, laugh out loud (no really – legit out loud!), spicy, Latin RomCom. The banter was on point and this will definitely not be the last Delise Torres book I read. This is the kind of book where the narrator can make or break the audio version…and Stacy Gonzalez nailed it! Great articulation, spot-on accents, perfectly placed pauses and timing. I checked out her back list and realized I DNFed a Kindle title that Stacy reads for – I think I’ll go back and pick it up again, but this time listen to it.

Ian meets Karina at Singular Cookies, Inc. where they both work, but Karina is more than meets the eye. She is a no-strings-attached type gal who believed love made you weak. And then ending – total swoon – when everything comes full circle to cookies – because you know, “cookies are like people” made up of multiple ingredients that make the perfect delectable treat.

I laughed. I cried. And all while I covered my mouth so I wouldn’t draw any attention to me at my 8-5. I enjoyed the themes: culture, diversity, sex positivity, workplace relationships, everyone deserves love, and more. I highly recommend this for your next book club read placed nicely between heavier selections. And it releases July 18th - just in time to make your August club selection.

Thank you Nextgalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#OneToughCookie #NetGalley

So I have mixed feelings about this book. Ms. Torres and the marketing team did a fantastic job engaging readers at the outset with the website and taking the cookie quiz. The storyline at the beginning in interesting and even relatively engaging. I particularly found myself questioning why I expected the character to act within certain societal norms and was eager so see how she grew but stayed true to herself while bucking said norms. That being said I struggled with a few aspects and unfortunately this book ended up not being as thought provoking as I hoped it would be.

I'll be honest. I disliked the book in general and did not think the audio helped the narrative at all. I did not like the female protagonist at all and that made it difficult to get through the book.

Love love love this book!

Karina is my younger self! Anti-love, Anti-relationship and problematic mom. There was points I loved and hated Karina. O appreciated the incorporation of culture and diversity. The narrator is great. The title and cover are great. It would be cute with an alternative one with karina and eating cookies or something.

Nonetheless this book is a 10/10

There was a lot to love about this book: Karina’s sex positivity, Puerto Rican culture and food, outcomes of working hard, and a bit of spice. Karina has worked at her friend’s cookie company for years - and they treat her like family. However, she had been burned so many times in the past, including her mom telling her that love made her weak, that she rebels against the idea of needing anyone. She meets Ian, an electrician at the cookie company, and wonders if he would be enough to see things differently….

It did seem a little slow at times, however, and I was frustrated at the lack of communication… but I do love a HEA, and girlfriend worked for it!

Excellent narration! Thanks to @netgalley for the chance to review this book.

Who needs a man? Twenty-something Karina works for a family owned cookie company and thinks her life is all figured out. After seeing her single mother struggle during Karina's childhood, then fall completely head over heels for a man, Karina is sure that she doesn't need a man- or a family- to be happy. However that all changes when she starts to fall for her coworker, Ian, and tries to figure out if she has it all wrong.

I enjoyed how this book was set in Florida and accurately portrayed the dynamics of a small family business trying to make it big. Karina was surrounded by amazing and supportive characters, that always tried to break down her emotional barriers, and boy, does she have a lot!

That leads to one of my critiques of this book. Karina was so hardened, that it made it difficult to cheer for her. She continuously pushed everyone in her life away in a self-sabotaging way that was frustrating for me as a reader.

Overall, this book was a fun and quick rom-com read despite my dislike of the main character. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy!

The description of this title sounded wonderful so I was quite happy to be given the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version. I start listening and with the exception of 1 or 2 characters, I found most of the cast unlikable, annoying and incredibly invasive. Stopped listening for a bit to listen to something else to cleanse the palate. Went back and I am glad I finished it. Most of the cast turned out to be good, kind, respectful, loving and supportive in the end. Karina was who she was as a direct result of her upbringing and the lies her mother told her. Her rebounding and learning she deserves to be loved, what the meaning of family is and letting it in was a fitting road to her HEA.