Fresh off winning a cooking reality TV show, Kieran O’Neill has a book deal and plans to have his own restaurant. He also has ADHD and has a hard time staying focused when he isn’t cooking. Ellie Wasserman is thirty and a widow. She is a caretaker to the extreme, putting others' needs before her own. She still helps her husband’s parents and her brother. And she is also grieving the loss of her husband. Ellie is hired to ghost write Kieran’s cookbook which means the two need to work together. Especially if they are going to meet the deadline.

I like the storyline of this contemporary romance.. It isn’t really a slow burn book and by the typical 65 percent point they are moving beyond co-workers. I appreciate having the POV from both characters. The food brings a nice extra and I liked their found family or friends. I cringed at some of the banter but for the most part it is good. As a people pleaser myself I was glad to see Ellie’s character grow and see her set some boundaries. And there is some heaviness to both their backgrounds that help add depth to their characters. I thought the cover was cute and fitting as well.

Very enjoyable. I found I really care for Ellie and Kieran and their cat Floyd.

*3.5
I love food and books, so a book centered around good food is always a fun time for me. I, however, was not expecting the book to have the very heavy component of the death of a loved one. The author does a really stellar job of making a literary rhythm that matches how grief works. I swear one moment I was chuckling along to Kieran being Kieran, and the next I am about to lose my entire sanity over the brokenness of Diane and the unmeasurable stability and love of Ben. Very effective. I feel like an English class could dissect this way more thoroughly than anyone would want to and better than I am currently trying to convey.
ANYWAY.
Ellie, as a main character, makes sense. I understand her decisions and her motivations, and I think that says a lot when FMCs in books tend to make me want to pull out my hair. Her friendship with Nicole is genuine, her love for her cat is ADORABLE, and the evolution of her relationship with Max’s parents is such a lovely story.
Kieran is a goober. I love that he is so spunky and open. It is refreshing to have the boy as the sunshine, silly character. I will forever be a fan of the MMC being a literal golden retriever. His character brings such light and flare to the story. However, I will say that there is a major scene where I feel like his actions do not reflect his personality/character, and I am a little bothered by it; it just doesn’t seem to mesh with the person written.
Now, Ellie and Kieran together? They are cute. The dynamic of them works, and their story is overall really enjoyable. There are aspects I didn’t love about how it unfolded, but nothing that made me feel strongly against the story. I think public displays of “affection” are questionable 9 times out of 10, for one. And I think the slow burn should have taken a little longer. I recognize that the book isn’t that long, but that build up could have been fleshed out a little more for my liking.
All in all, I think this was an enjoyable read. It made me think about hard things while also making me chuckle (sometimes cringe with too much sappy/sweet), and drool over the dishes described. Basically, well rounded!

This book was great! I don't know anything about ghostwriting but this book gives you some background info, that I find so compelling.

When I picture Kieran, I really do picture a little Irish elf. In the best way possible. It was refreshing to read about a leading man who isn't 6'2 ... you have to give short guys all the love too!!!

Ellie is so damaged, and needed, by everyone around her. I can't imagine all the pain she holds inside as she tends to the people she loves. It was amazing to see how Kieran SAW her and loved her.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was very sweet!

It tackled a number of tough topics - grief, dating after losing a partner, navigating neurodivergence, and childhood neglect. I also appreciated the inclusivity amongst characters.

This was a very quick and enjoyable read,

This is a book that really lives up to it's title. There is a very slow burn between Ellie and Kieran, which makes for a very intriguing story and hot chemistry. I really enjoyed getting into this one and would highly recommend it!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely.

Ellie Wasserman and Kieran O’Neill are very different people on the outside. Still, their love of cooking and difficult childhoods make them slowly open up to each other and connect in ways they never expected. Ellie is an organized people-pleaser who is still reeling after the loss of the husband who helped her feel safe for the first time in her life. Kieran is a recovering alcoholic with ADHD who finds peace in cooking. Sparks fly when Ellie is hired to ghostwrite Kieran's cookbook after he wins a cooking competition and they turn into a searing flame that will change both their lives for the better.

It's a sweet story about pain, loss, and finding that one special person that makes you want to change and be better just by being there and supporting you. I did find Ellie's tendency to bend over backward to be nice to people and do what they want a little annoying, but it plays into her character arc so I can't complain too much about it. Other than that, I enjoyed everything about this book. It shows excellent friendships, what true support looks like, and that it's up to the individual to change even if the impetus comes from someone else.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the sweet read!

This was a fun romcom that also celebrates the love of food. The author handled both main characters navigating their own wishes for their life while overcoming childhood (and adulthood) trauma well. I was a little peeved by the focus on Ellie's size and Kieran's height though. I think the goal was to represent different body types as main characters, but it was so central to their personality descriptions that it felt like it was really overcompensating.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

Very enjoyable. I want to read more from this author.

There was a lot of depth to the characters and I loved how mature everyone was except the MMC. One star off for the MMC. I support the ADHD rep but he could have been more likable.

I love when I love a debut from an author, and this one hit its mark for me. I love to cook so I liked the foodie vibes, and the build up between Ellie and Kieran. The slow burn here is no joke!! But once the fire is ignited, it becomes such a sweet romance. These characters deal with a lot, and my heart hurt for them while learning their histories and as they went through their daily struggles. There is a lot of conflict within themselves and with each other, but it all makes for a fun ride. But some of the side characters!! They are so easy to dislike.

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || THE SLOWEST BURN [thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!]

Title: The Slowest Burn
Author: Sarah Chamberlain
Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
Star Rating: ★★★★☆

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:
Kieran O'Neill should be on cloud nine—he’s won a cooking reality show, has a cookbook deal, and is about to open his own restaurant. But his ADHD makes it impossible to plan, his family remains unimpressed, and his ghostwriter, Ellie Wasserman, is the most infuriatingly rigid person he’s ever met. Still, if he wants to be taken seriously as a chef, he needs to finish the book.

Ellie is barely keeping it together. A thirty-year-old widow living with her in-laws, she’s ghostwriting Kieran’s cookbook to afford her own home. But with their deadline looming and tensions rising, they’ll have to set aside their differences—or risk watching their love, and their dreams, go up in flames.

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
This book is definitely a slow burn. It takes a good 50% of being at odds with each other before they start warming up and being able to see the world from the other’s point-of-view.

However, that said, the banter and the character building was top-notch. I actually felt like I got to know these two people, and being able to see the situation from both sides really added some nice tension! Both characters are able to be given the time they need to show their layered backstories, and then as they slowly share those stories to each other.

And those food descriptions? I need this cookbook - STAT.

I highly recommend this book if you’re in in the mood for a spicy, slow burn that will leave you hungry!

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Enemies-to-Lovers
Forced Proximity
Foodie Romance
Chef x Ghostwriter
Dual POV

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 3.87 ⭐️
# of Pages: 336
Pub Date: September 24, 2024

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. I think the author did a great job with the dyslexic and ADHD representations as well!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sarah Chamberlain for sending me an early copy!

I wanted to love this book, especially since the title mentioned 'slowest burn.' I love a good slow burn, and I was expecting to feel tension between the characters, but there wasn’t any. Instead, it felt more like an instant attraction between them. However, I did enjoy the food concept and how she was his ghostwriter, helping him with the cookbook. At the beginning, I was a bit confused, but I eventually caught on. This book definitely had potential, but it fell flat for me, and it took me a while to get through it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Slow burn, spicy, male female, dual point of view, contemporary romance. I love a food related book - the female lead is a cookbook ghost writer and the male lead is a celebrity chef. There were some sweet and cute moments but a few too many tropes. This book didn't sing for me, but it's a promising debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll be totally honest, 10% in I almost DNFed this one. I don’t love books that read more like food p*rn than romances and this felt like it was heading that way. However it turned around really quickly and here I am, crying a little to myself I’m so in love with Ellie and Kieran at the end of this book. The writing is sweet and light and a good amount of spice and I felt like I understood the buildup of the relationship really well. It felt sincere and not just a gimmick. It doesn’t help that Ellie felt so incredibly real to me because I see so much of myself in her (as I’m sure my therapist would too). It’s nice to see a girl I can identify with getting a well deserved and well thought out happy ending.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for my ARC! I was really looking forward to this chef/ghostwriter love story and the cute cover drew me in.

Unfortunately, it was a DNF at 60% for me. I am not a fan of friends with benefits trope so that was where things went downhill fast for me. Those who enjoy this trope, will have a better experience.

This is such a cute romance and perfect for fall!! I hadn't read anything by this author but I'll definitely want to in the future.

This was an entertaining, lighthearted read! I enjoyed reading about Kieran and Ellie, and their respective lives. I thought how they lives became intertwined was fun (chef + ghostwriter for a cookbook), and I felt that the characters had some stumbling blocks, but came into their own pretty quickly. I felt that I got to know the characters pretty well, and I didn't feel like I was missing chunks of relevant backstory, which was nice. I appreciated that sometimes it takes a different set of eyes to realize where you're at, and I think Kieran and Ellie did that successfully for each other.

Culinary romance - sweet and spicy!

Ellie is the perfect ghostwriter to reign in the Leprechaun Pirate Chef, Kieran O'Neill, to develop his cookbook on a deadline. She has years of experience developing recipes, like science experiments, that home cooks can replicate. Kieran only knows chaos. While cooking centers him, an undiagnosed learning disability from childhood led to distinctive and distracting behaviors that people have come to expect from him. Ellie's not having it. Is there room for two cooks in the kitchen?

I adored this slow burn romance book, it’s about writing a cookbook! I fell in love with the characters, Kieran the red headed “bad boy” chef with ADHD and Ellie the ultra organized cookbook ghost writer.
Kieran has recently won a TV cooking show and is now the “leprechaun chef”. His agent thinks that a cookbook will help cement his reputation, and he’s got the perfect ghost writer.
Ellie has worked on worked with chefs before, but never one like Kieran. Despite the frustrations they feel while working together (or trying to), they’re very attracted to each other. They have to figure out how to work together to get the cookbook written and explore their relationship at the same time.

This is an entertaining book that I read in one sitting, 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Coming off a reality show win, chef Kieran is writing his first cookbook, with the help of a ghostwriter, Ellie. They have a rocky professional relationship at the beginning, but after spending a lot of time in close proximity, they realize they fit together perfectly.

This was a cute story, but I had a hard time staying interested. I could put it down and leave it more often than I wanted to. I loved the premise, and the characters had great chemistry, but I feel like something was missing.

Thank you to Sarah Chamberlain, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the copy in exchange of my honest review.