4.5 ⭐️

This was good, but definitely the SLOWEST burn. It took a bit to really enjoy the story, if I'm being honest. But once things started moving, I was super into it. I thought both main characters were sweet and I appreciated how complex they were. The surrounding cast was good and pretty well flushed out. I felt some of the drama of the ending (particularly work related) was hard to swallow. It didn't feel totally in character for me for her boss. But it all ultimately worked out.

This is a great story. I think it could have burned just a little faster though!

This was a solid book! It was definitely a slow burn. It was interesting to read about Ellie's grief and how she handled dating after her partner. I sometimes found her thinking confusing, but people grieve in different ways. Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for this ARC!

Such a gorgeous cover! The Slowest Burn” is a deeply romantic book with MCs who are trying to be brave, step outside the comfortable boxes and routines and heal themselves while unexpectedly falling in love. Nearly all of the characters showed positive emotional growth and those who did not were happily (and satisfactorily) jettisoned. Additionally, it was a pleasant surprise to have a short, “Puckish” MMC- too many stories equate height with attractiveness. This was a delightful romance snd I look forward to reading other novels by this author.

This was a cute story that was engaging and very heartfelt. I love a book featuring cooks/food and this was no different. The title is correct about a slow burn, but I found it worth the wait.

Slow burn... maybe not the slowest burn.. but it was slower than I expected it to be. I still enjoyed it but it was just dragging at points.

Super sweet, but a lot of things all at once. Overall, I feel like it could've been improved by some more editing and narrowing down of ideas and plot lines. I think she could've stuck with a single POV from Ellie's perspective and had more than enough material. It was just ok for me.

Ellie meets Kieran when she is hired to be his new cookbook's ghost writer. Ellie doesn't get a good first impression of Kieran and she writes him off as a slacker (which tbh is totes earned). As they get to know each other, Ellie begins to understand and empathize with Kieran and things start to heat up between them.

Overall, this book was solid. The biggest problem I had with it was that it feels like Ellie's relationship with her (deceased) husband becomes toxic out of nowhere. It could have very easily been a ~second chance at love~ type of story OR if it *was* toxic, maybe would've been nicer to have gotten more hints of its toxicity along the way.

✨ The Vibes ✨
A slow burn that’s full of deep emotions

📖 Read if…
✨ The Bear is your favorite TV show
✨ You want a romance that explores untraditional tropes
✨ You’re open to reading a romance that is heavy on serious topics and lighter on the comedy

Sometimes I’m really bad at reading really great books in a timely manner and this is the perfect example of that. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I was sent this one last summer and while it sounded cute, it didn’t scream “read me now” so I let it languish on my Kindle, but boy was that a mistake.

The Slowest Burn is set in the culinary world and follows Ellie, a widow who is dealing with grief while working as a successful ghostwriter, and Kieran, a celebrity chef who needs help working on a cookbook. The two are paired up, and after a rocky start, really start to connect.

This book will very likely be on my year-end list of favorite romances. As a fan of slow burns, I thought the pacing was PERFECT and loved it felt realistic to where Kieran and Ellie were in each of their personal journeys. Sarah Chamberlain handles a lot of heavier topics, like grief, complicated family dynamics, and mental illness, with a lot of realism and grace. Her writing gives them the appropriate weight, but still manages to weave a lightness and whimsy into the story that doesn’t diminish what the characters are experiencing.

The Slowest Burn is one of those romances that also places a great deal of importance on the characters’ arcs outside of the romance, in a way that I found similar to Emily Henry’s writing. Regardless of your favorite EmHen, I think her fans will eat this book up.

Chamberlain’s next book comes out later this year, and I definitely won’t make the mistake of putting that one off.

The Slowest Burn is out now. Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Slowest Burn! The characters were so lovable, and the romance between Ellie and Kieran was genuinely sweet. Their chemistry was great, and I especially adored that Kieran was a chef—those scenes were so fun! The whole concept of them working on a cookbook together added such a unique and cozy element to the story, and I loved how that brought them closer.
One of my favorite parts was how much family was woven into the book. I always appreciate strong family bonds in stories, and this one definitely delivered on that front!
That said, the pacing did lag a bit for me in spots. There were parts where I lost a little interest, and the flow felt a bit choppy here and there. But overall, it was a very cute, warm, and heartfelt read. Not a new favorite, but definitely a solid 3.5 stars!

A simmering and satisfyingly complex enemies-to-lovers romance set in the San Fran food scene that is sure to delight.

✨ Book Review: THE SLOWEST BURN by Sarah Chamberlain ✨

Ellie Wasserman is a young widow focused on her work as a cookbook ghost writer and taking care of everyone around her. Everyone but herself. Kieran O’Neill is a high-energy sous chef at a top restaurant who just won a major TV cooking competition. Together, they clash. Until they don’t. Then, they make so much sense and complement and bolster each other beautifully.

🤩 My Take: Ellie and Kieran kept me great company as I drove to and from LA last week for work. I really appreciated both of their explored backgrounds, which give them both a lot of depth, and that they don’t hit it off right away. Yet, once they get to know one another, they become each other’s champions. Neither is looking to be rescued, but they ultimately strive to make each other better. This is a solid and satisfying romance that I definitely recommend. Bonus that it has so many delicious food descriptions and insights.

Read THE SLOWEST BURN for
📝 Workplace romance
🏠 Forced proximity
🥊 Enemies to lovers
✌️ Dual POV
🔥 Tension
🍇 Plus-size heroine
🍽️ Chef skills
🏓 ADHD rep
😔 Honest depictions of grief
💣 Family dynamics & baggage
🍊 San Fran food scene

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5 stars)

😘 Thanks to @YouHadMeAtHEA and @Netgalley for the gifted digital ARC and to my library for the borrowed audiobook. All opinions are my own.

REVIEW: The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain is a rom-com about Ellie and Kieran. Ellie is a cookbook ghost writer and a widow. Kieran is a chef who recently won a reality cooking show. To continue his famous streak, Kieran decides to put together a cookbook with the help of Ellie. When they realize how different they are from one another, especially in their work ethics, will they still be able to develop a successful cookbook?

The Slowest Burn is a fun romance filled with sweet moments, enemies to lovers, funny banter, great chemistry, and even some spice. I love romances about chefs and their shared love of food. This story had more substance to it besides a typical romance; the characters also had some challenges they were going through. Ellie's husband passed away three years ago, and she still lives with her in-laws. Kieran is dealing with his non-supportive parents while also trying to focus on cooking through his ADHD. These topics were handled well and helped develop the characters more throughout.

I especially liked Kieran and Ellie in The Slowest Burn. Ellie and Kieran had fantastic character arcs within the story. Both characters had baggage, but slowly learned how to help each other. They start with witty banter that slowly develops into a deep connection and chemistry you want in a romance. I am a massive fan of dual point of view in romances, and The Slowest Burn did it so well. Plus, the ending of the story was just the cherry on top.

Overall, I enjoyed The Slowest Burn and look forward to reading more from Sarah Chamberlain.

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press /St. Martin's Griffin, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

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