I tried to read The Slowest Burn multiple times, but I couldn't connect with the characters or the story. I bet others will enjoy this book, but it was a miss for me. I will not be reviewing this book on my social media accounts.

Such a cutie little book. I loved the romance and I am a sucker for this trope! It was a great palate cleanser from the fantasy books I was reading

What a fun and lighthearted story! Girl meets boy ghost writing his book, and of course, they don't agree on a lot. In fact, they initially despise each other. A lot of things happen in between, and they actually get to know and appreciate one another for who they are. I appreciated their back stories and struggles they had to overcome.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. - Freya, arc & monthly book box pick reviewer

This was a lovely romance novel. It's very easy and quick to read, a perfect way to spend an afternoon or a flight. I loved how this book has neurodivergent representation and that it explores grief and living with grief. Furthermore, the cooking-based premise was definitely fresh! I enjoyed the book a lot, but I felt like I needed more from the plot and the romance storyline; hence, 4 stars.

Also, forced proximity for the WIN! I love this trope, and The Slowest Burn definitely utilized the trope perfectly!

This one was so lovely! I thought the ending was a bit rushed/the pacing was off, but everything until then really worked for me, so I can forgive it. Good chemistry and easy characters to root for me. Such a fun read!

I forgot to leave my review for this one but this was one of my favourite romance books! I loved this entirely, I actually have it on my list to re-read this year to annotate.

3 stars - Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this.

I wanted to like this book more. But I just did not like it as much as I thought I would.

I'm not sure if it was the chaos of both main characters, all of the different parts of the story, or some combination of both, but there was just a lot going on, making it hard to get overly invested in any one thing that was going on because there were just so many things.

Ellie is a cookbook ghostwriter who gets paired up with a recent cooking show winner, Kieran, to ghostwrite his cookbook. Kieran has adhd, which I related to. But he has no plan for this cookbook, and he needs this in order to pursue more endeavors in the restaurant community (there's restaurant staff, friends, an agent, publishing people, and restaurant owners/managers that we meet that are in Kieran's circle in the very early stages of this book). Ellie and Kieran's first meeting is a disaster, and his directionless vibes drive Ellie crazy, because she likes a plan and to be in control, always.

Then, this random person (maybe the publicist? maybe the agent? maybe Ellie's boss? I couldn't keep them straight) offers them their vacation cabin thingy to go away from a week and hammer out an outline. Ellie jokes that there better be more than one bed (in her serious way), and Kieran is like... why is this funny? They struggle through the outline, until they don't, and this sort of friendship blossoms.

Kieran provides Ellie with this space for things to be a little messy, and Ellie brings balance to Kieran's atmosphere. In the story, this is my favorite part of their relationship.

We'll call that section one.

Section two is comprised of these two spending weeks at Ellie's in-law's little garden apartment (where she has lived since her spouse, their son, passed away several years ago, and the mother-in-law is grieving and using Ellie as a buoy, inappropriately, and the father-in-law is better to her than her own parents). Ellie attending a secret surprise party that Kieran's parents are throwing for him on their anniversary because "now he has his life together," and they fake date to look like Kieran is truly settling down. Ellie's brother, Hank, shows up at her apartment and demands that Ellie take care of him because he's a man baby. Kieran provides Ellie with a safe space to come when all of these people become too demanding of her, and BAM! SPICY!

While they decide to do the friends-with-benefits thing, the book progresses. They finalize the concept, and the production begins. People end up flaking out, and Ellie and Kieran have to help cook some of the recipes. That's when Kieran finds out from Ellie's best friend that tomorrow is her birthday, and he ends up doing something very sweet for her, letting us all know that he's falling for this girl.

Part 3 consists of more Hank man-baby problems causing everyone else problems, and everything blowing up in everyone's faces, and drama, and the 3rd act breakup, etc. etc.

I liked this story for several reasons:
- Love after grief
- ADHD rep
- Food/cookbook based
- Showing people you love them THEIR WAY
- Self-discovery
- Floyd, the cat

This book is out now. I was able to use my Libby app and listen to the audiobook thanks to my library!

Slow burn is not my favorite trope and this book was just that… hence the title 😂 I still really enjoyed it! For being Sarah’s debut, I think it was wonderful and I cannot wait to read more from her. I loved the dual POV, always. I adored the cooking and food aspect. I was so happy when Ellie broke free and finally started looking out for herself rather than everyone else. I also really loved watching her and Kieran build up their relationship.

I adore the foodie romance/baking/chef trope so much! This packed quite the emotional story, which centers around a young widow named Ellie Wasserman and a dyslexic chef named Kieran.

I listened to the audio format, and loved the dual performance by Hunter Johns and Kate Handford.

*many thanks to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Love this cover and story! It's a slow burn about overcoming grief and forced proximity., which is a favorite trope of mine. I really enjoyed this!! Thanks for the copy!

3.5 stars rounded up

I enjoyed this! Ellie and Kieran were really sweet. I loved seeing some neurodivergent representation. I adored how Kieran fell head over heels for Ellie and constantly wanted to make sure that she got the credit she deserved. Ellie had so much happening in her life and it was great following her journey to getting her joy back. My heart soared when she finally started getting the courage to take her life back.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the privilege to read an ARC of this book!

I was really excited to read this book until I started reading it. WAIT - don't run for the hills just yet! The book started off a little shaky. I didn't necessarily like either of the characters and was worried that as the book progressed, that I wouldn't be able to connect with either of them. But I was wrong! Ellie and Kieran really grew on me as the book progressed and as they started to change their lives. It really felt like a coming-of-age for adults.

Widower, Ellie, has become a hermit since the death of her husband. A hermit who also lives with her dead husband's parents... who are extremely overbearing and rely on Ellie to keep their son's memory alive. Her only escape is the work she does as a ghostwriter. But she was not anticipating that her new job of ghostwriting a cookbook for hotshot cooking star, Kieran, would completely upend her life.

Do you like the Opposites Attract trope? Well, look no further. Ellie and Kieran are the exact opposite of each other. Ellie is uptight and about as fun as a stick in the mud. Kieran, on the other hand, is full of chaotic energy and impulsivity. They get along great and there is no conflict whatsoever. JUST KIDDING. Of course, they drive each other crazy and have no idea how they are going to work together. But as they get to know each other and lower their guards, they realize they have more in common than they ever expected - and together they create a strong bond that makes each of them better.

I loved the ADHD representation on Kieran's end and the curvy/body positive representation on Ellie's end. And even more, I appreciated how deep the story went. It wasn't a superficial plot. It was funny, heartfelt, and incredibly touching. So yeah, I went from immediately disliking this book and considering DNFing to absolutely adoring it. I look forward to reading whatever Sarah Chamberlain writes next.

Ellie is a ghost writer for celebrity cookbooks. 3 years after her husbands death, she likes to play it safe and stay in her cofmort zone, which is why she hadn't written a cook book for herself yet. Kieran is chef who recently won a reality cooking competition. Tasked with collaborating on his debut cookbook, Ellie and Kieran couldn't be more different. Their initial meetings doesn't go great. The two are complete opposites. Kieran has ADHD which is why he needs Ellie's help on writing his cookbook. The two of them build up to a relationship as they continue to spend time together writing his book.

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the DRC of The Slowest Burn. All opinions in this review are my own.

DNF at 37 pages

I could not believe the amount of information I learned about these two characters in such a short amount of time. I was already hesitant when I found out that the FMC's husband passed suddenly a few years ago and she lives with his parents who are still actively greiving him because I wasn't in the mood for such an emotionally heavy romance. I like the concept that she is a ghostwriter for cookbooks and the MMC just won a cooking competition so I wanted to keep reading, but I felt overwhelmed by the amount of information we learn about the MMC. He is short, has red hair, ADHD (which may or may not affect his reading ability since he needs everything read aloud for him), and he is mostly ignored by parents. I felt like the author leaned a little too hard into the opposites attract trope and was trying too hard to make it clear that the MMC is the "wrong" choice for the FMC, which unfortunately stopped me from really connecting with either character. Maybe it gets better but I also am trying to get better about recognizing when books aren't for me and DNFing them.

So this wasn't the slowest burn but a slow burn for sure.

I have so many mixed feelings regarding this book like at one side it was so enjoyable and easy to read but the other side had me rolling my eyes because the characters did not act the way people in their age gap would. I would say that fans of Tessa Bailey would enjoy this book quite a bit as the writing was very similar and easy to read as Tessa has and the spicy scenes were a mix of hot and cringe so take what you will from this. The book follows two point of views, Kieran and Ellie. These two were charming characters and I had a good time but I feel like I will forget them soon

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!!

This cozy romance was an enjoyable, easy read with some heavier themes woven in—like a Hallmark movie. Ellie was deeply relatable, always putting others first while neglecting herself. Her growth was satisfying as she learned to embrace her own worth. Kerian saw her strength from the start—tough yet passionate, a true Queen.

Kerian took time to grow on me, but I loved him by the end. His journey of self-discovery was compelling, though his hesitation in the restaurant scene was frustrating. Diane, however, was unbearable—every word she spoke felt toxic, and while Ben had flaws, he deserved better.

The romance had great tension, but the spicy scenes felt unclear, with explicit dirty talk yet vague descriptions. The book also leaned too heavily on tropes; fake dating felt unnecessary, and moments like the “one bed” scenario and Kerian declaring, “he fell first,” came off as forced. The story was strong enough without them.

This book follows Kieran and Ellie, two charming characters whose perspectives alternate throughout the story. While their chemistry is undeniable, their actions didn’t always feel authentic for their age range, which made their dynamic a bit hard to fully buy into. The spicy scenes were hit or miss—some were steamy, others felt cringe-worthy. Overall, it’s a mixed experience, with both enjoyable moments and some awkward ones.

Ellie is a successful ghostwriter and Kieran is a chef who just won a cooking challenge show. They couldn't be more opposite but they're paired up to work together on Kieran's cookbook. After a few bouts of realizing just how polar opposite they are, they slowly start to trust & develop a mutual respect for each other. I genuinely enjoyed this book! It's always so fun reading about characters who couldn't outwardly be more different but are actually fairly similar beneath the surface.

Rating: 5/5
I received the eARC for my honest opinion.

If you are wanting to read a cute, dual POV, enemies to lovers(ish), grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, slowest best burn ever, dyslexia and ADHD rep and grief. Oh, and did I forget to mention that the MFC is a ghost writer and the MMC is a chef? If that doesn’t alone make you want to pick up this book I hope the rest of my review will.

I found the plot of this book to be something fresh for me, I loved that we had the MFC, Ellie, who is a ghost writing for chefs but has dreams of writing her own. She is also still grieving her husband but as you read the book you can see that she is healing but a certain individual keeps pulling her back into the deep with her loss. You will meet Kieran who has recently won a cooking show and is now supposed to write a cookbook but what everyone doesn’t know is that he is dyslexic, and he struggles with this. When they first meet up it’s not a success, but setup for a great rom com book. The banter between the characters was perfect, and it really helped in this book to break the ice between the characters. I loved that we had forced proximity right away really gave the readers what they love and at the same time still giving us the slow burn throughout those days that you will be screaming in your head omg, just kiss already. I enjoyed getting to see the characters open up to each other and learn that healing is a process that is better done with others. I loved getting to see the characters shine at what they do best.

Ellie is such a strong woman, but you will also see that she is still healing from the loss of her husband. I think a lot of that is due to the relationship that she has with her in-laws, well mainly her MIL. She wants to change but she doesn’t know how to care for herself and put her wants first. I really enjoyed getting to see her bloom and open up to Kieran and help him with understanding that his disabilities don’t define him but add to his charm and that he really could help people. Kieran, he is so sweet, yes you can see that he has a hard time opening up to people. He hasn’t had a real relationship in years and instead he would rather have friends with benefits. I loved getting to see him change and finally want something real and he starts to think about that life with Ellie. I loved getting to see him change and working hard to show Ellie how special that she is. I loved this book so much with the characters having flaws, with the plot being fun and yet serious at the same time and the best slow burn. Oh, and I forgot the friends with benefits side was fun to watch grow. I can’t wait to see what else this author will give us.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the opportunity to review this book.

Kieran O’Neil - In his 20’s and living his absolute best life with lofty and achievable goals ahead in the food industry. Kieran just won a popular cooking reality TV Show and is majorly on track to open his own restaurant by the time he is thirty years old. He just accepted an offer he couldn’t refuse…the opportunity to write a cookbook for a rather large sum of money. Regardless of Kieran’s accomplishments, Kieran still finds his family to be stuck-up and unapproving of his career choice. Kieran finds that writing a cookbook proves to be more challenging than one would think. Therefore, he’s hired a ghostwriter but she is uptight and no fun at all.

Ellie Wasserman - Feels like her life is in shambles, she is feeling grief in full force, and quite honestly has no time for anyone else’s BS. She is in her thirties, recently widowed, and currently living with her in-laws. She is desperate to find work so that she can begin a different life on her own. She accepts Kieran’s offer to be his ghostwriter but finds it hard to capture the full essence of Kieran since he doesn’t take himself too seriously about anything.

Words are written on paper, food is cooked in the kitchen, and the flames seem to be igniting more and more frequently out of work hours. Will Kieran and Ellie be able to keep a professional front to complete the cookbook without jeopardizing each of their careers?