The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain is a debut romance fit for any food lover! Opposites attract when ghostwriter Ellie and chef Kieran meet, but there’s one problem: they are supposed to be working together on his new cookbook. I loved the way the characters met, and I really enjoyed watching them eventually go from dislike, to friends, to lovers. This book has dual POV, which is one of my absolute favorite incorporations in a romance. The characters have depth, but there is also a really beautiful lightness to the story, which makes it super cozy to read. There were moments that were a bit cheesy for my taste, but I found a balance in the characters’ real-life issues they were facing.

I must admit, my favorite parts to read were the descriptions of the food they were cooking and including in Kieran’s cookbook. The descriptions of the tastes and smells were heavenly. I highly recommend this book, and I can’t wait for it to come out, so I can put it on my shelf.

Thank you SO much to Sarah Chamberlain, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for an ARC of The Slowest Burn.

What a DELIGHT this book was!! I truly enjoyed every moment. Kieran and Ellie are such a textbook case of opposites attract but when they find the way they fit, it was truly a beauty to behold.

There are a lot of tricky subjects tackled in this book, and I think Sarah Chamberlain did a beautiful job handling them all with respect and grace while also filling the book with light and joy and love.

If you’re looking for a book to make you hungry, introspective, and overwhelmed with love, this is the book for you! I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical version.

POV: dual first person

You can expect: ghostwriter FMC, chef MMC, opposites attract, grumpy (her)/sunshine (him), short ginger king, forced proximity, fake dating, coworkers to lovers, combatants to lovers, he falls first.

Rep: grief, dyslexia, ADHD, depression, sober MMC, congenital heart defect (past character), queer side character, Jewish FMC, Filipino side character.

Spice: 2/5

CW: neglectful parents, emotionally abusive parents, death of a spouse

A great slow burn romance with food.

Full review: Well, this was a great romance to me at least. Fair warning, this is a romance dealing with a widow, I know some romance readers are not a fan of that, but it made sense in this one and I loved that Chamberlain did not try to hide the dead spouse.

"The Slowest Burn" follows Ellie Wasserman, a ghost cookbook author (yes this is a thing I am finding in my romance reads these days). Ellie is still dealing with the death of her husband, Max, from several years earlier. She lives with his parents (in a guesthouse) and finds herself wanting to move on from Max, but is scared to leave since Max's mother depends on her so much. When she gets offered the job to write for Kiernan O'Neill, she jumps at the chance. However, Ellie meets Kiernan and finds herself unimpressed with the new celeb chef. Kiernan finds Ellie bossy and judgmental. However, both start to realize they are interested in each other, way more than they should be.

The book jumps back and forth between Ellie and Kiernan's perspectives. I liked the slow build from enemies to lovers that we get. And I thought Chamberlain did a great job developing Ellie and Kiernan both. They both have hard backstories that just worked. I definitely wanted to beg Ellie to get rid of several people in her life. Also the love scenes were hotter than hot. I definitely enjoyed them.

The secondary characters (their two best friends) were great and I like them though the book moved away from where I thought they were going there.

The ending was wonderful and we get a HEA.

Oh my god, this book! Seriously, it is so swoon-y and romantic and frustrating and heartbreaking and funny and joyful. All the things. I stayed up way too late finishing it, but I simply could not put it down. The MCs both carry heavy baggage, and they both have to fight so hard for what they want, so when they finally get it, it’s unbelievably satisfying. I can’t wait for more from the author. Thanks to SMP for the arc.

A cute, sweet, opposites-attract foodie romance full of reader favourite tropes and lively dialogue between a “chaotic” chef and the order-loving ghostwriter of his first cookbook. Attraction is quick but appreciation develops slowly as the pair gets to know each other beyond surface level, probing into complex family struggles, shelved career aspirations, and the challenge of caring for oneself while also caring for others. Chamberlain balances the tough stuff with lots of yearning gazes, sexy thoughts, and multiple public declarations of love that will have fans of the trope grinning ear-to-ear. I enjoyed the thematic thread about food as care and the nod to found family near the end, and the cat was a fun addition to the cast of characters.

I thought this was well done for a debut! I really enjoyed how much depth these characters had. They had a fun banter, but they were also characters that had been through a lot and that really added to the relationship. I think this one is perfect for romance readers, and of course readers who enjoy a good slow burn.

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain

Kieran is an up-and-coming chef who just won a reality tv cooking competition. Ellie is hired to be Kieran's ghostwriter for his first cookbook. They are so different, but just what they need for each other. I loved these characters so much. The author wrote both of their stories of growth and healing with such care that my heart was full of all the feelings as Kieran and Ellie navigated their individual paths to the point where they were able to come together as soulmates. I loved the dual points of view. I loved the food and the description of Kieran's restaurant. I want to experience a place like that in real life! I loved that this was a romance with a slow burn. Not every author gets the slow burn right, but Sarah Chamberlain did an outstanding job.

My sincere thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Slowest Burn and give my unbiased opinion of it in this review.

I don't really know how to describe my feelings about this book. It has everything I should love about a book from the tropes to the characters to the emotion and depth, but there was something major missing. I think the way the MMC was described from the very start had me struggling to connect, which is rude of me because I am VERY well aware that it is what's on the inside that counts. The writing felt a bit slow as well and the switching of POV multiple times per chapter was tough.

Overall, I really wanted to like this book. I truly did enjoy the story and I wish I had a more concrete reason as to why it didn't resonate with me.

This is an enemies to lovers story about Ellie, a ghost writer, and Kieran, a famous chief who is looking to write his first cookbook. Immediately Ellie and Kieran get off on the wrong foot and I loved their snarky banter in the beginning. This is a slow burn of a book for chemistry but it is worth it to keep reading.

Thank you St. Martin's press and Netgalley for the advanced reading copy.

Yes. Thats all I could think when I finished this. Just, yes yes yes.

It’s not secret I love a food centric book and the way both food and cooking was at the heart of this one would have probably won be over all on its own. But what really sealed the deal for me were the side characters and the way they were fleshed out enough with roles relevant to both the plot and the MCs.

The way the MCs were treated at times, especially the FMC, gave me a bit of second hand anxiety but strengthened my desire for them to come out on top, together. And the way they did so by the end really made me smile.

Sarah Chamberlain, you’ve got yourself a new fan.

RIYL Cathy Yardley’s Do Me a Favor or Role Playing, Love & Saffron, and/or Ruth Reichl’s The Paris Novel.

Such a good book. I went into this one slightly blind- I knew it was a HEA but wasn't fully aware of the tropes. This book covered several heavy topics and the author did an excellent job navigating them in my opinion. I appreciated the FMC's growth through the book. As someone who currently lives near The Bay, I loved reading about all the familiar landmarks. I would highly recommend this book and will certainly be reading more from Sarah. 4.5 stars for me!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC! Pub date: 9/24

I am all for a slow burn romance, but wow this was painfully slow. The title should have warned me, and yet I had higher expectations! I am all for a chef novel, but the romance element here was significantly lacking.

Chef Kieran O’Neill is riding a wave of fame after winning a reality TV cooking competition. His team has hired a ghostwriter to help him publish a cookbook to capitalize on this momentum. The only problem? He has made a horrible first impression, and now she hates him. To get their creative juices flowing, they’re sent off to put their differences aside and get the book finished. But as they work together on making the book shine, their own romance begins to build.

I think my biggest problem here was that I didn’t love either of the characters and never felt connected to them. It felt like Kieran would be a big-ego, difficult to deal with know-it-all, while Ellie was a woe-is-me, let me shoulder everyone else’s burdens without telling them I am struggling, type of girl. These are quite possibly two of my least favorite types of characters combined into one.

The redeeming quality here is the cooking aspect. As someone who loves to cook and experiment in the kitchen, I could at least relate to that aspect and found myself salivating over some of their recipes. I really hope the published version of this comes with a few recipes!

While I think this book could have been shorter, I did enjoy it very much.

I particularly like a dual POV so you get both the woman and man's perspective, especially in an enemies to lover story like this. I think Kieran made a great romantic lead and was a bit unusual as he wasn't tall, dark and handsome, just handsome I suppose and I appreciated how he's overcome is challenges with ADHD.

Ellie was complex as well though her story was a bit darker in my opinion as widow grappling with the demands her very clingy mother-in-law.

I like how both characters backstories with their unsupportive and toxic parents affected them.

Overall, the book was engaging with likable characters and a nice bit of spice.

This contemporary opposites-attract romance pairs a rising-star chef, Kiernan, with a cookbook ghostwriter, Ellie, to write his first cookbook. Both are struggling -- Kiernan with self-doubts rooted in his fear of never fulfilling his family's expectations and Ellie with grief over her husband's death -- and initially, they clash but after finally settling into a solid working-relationship, the possibility of another kind of relationship begins. I enjoyed the San Francisco setting and the behind-the-scenes look at writing a cookbook. The combination of the grief storyline and the ghostwriting storyline reminded me a bit of Ashley Poston's "The Dead Romantics," and I would recommend it to fans of that book.

This was such a cute and sweet book. The blend of romance, tension, and drama was perfect. I loved the playful banter between the two main characters and how different their personalities were, but how perfect their chemistry was. This was a sweet quick read, that had swoony moments, emotional moments, and inspiring moments. Keeping me eagerly turning each page!

Slowest read ever. I did not jive with this book what-so-ever. I found it extremely lacking and hard to read. I almost put it down because it was that lackluster. I wanted to love it but it just wasn’t for me.

Read this if you like:
•mental health rep
•a slow burn
•forced proximity

This book was cute. The characters fit together so well and it all felt magical. Thank you SMP for the eARC!

Ellie is a widowed cookbook ghostwriter (who knew that was a thing before now, not me!) dealing with one of her most frustrating clients. Kieran is a up-and-coming chef who just won a reality cooking show and has people pushing him to make the most of it. When they finally start learning how to communicate with each other, sparks start to fly. But they both have other issues pushing on them including family and past hurts and insecurities.

When I absolutely love a book, I generally will not sleep until I finish it. That's what happened with the Slowest Burn.

At first, I didn't see any way Ellie and Kieran could possibly work - not even romantically. I couldn't see them working it out to make a peanut butter & jelly sandwich together let alone working together to write a book. But the title of the book is so clever because not only does it refer to cooking, it's exactly what happens with Ellie and Kieran. To use another food reference, they finally relax enough to start peeling away layers of the onion to see what lies underneath.

Neither of them had a great family life. Ellie has to navigate what she thought a perfect life would look like versus what it actually looks like and Kieran has had to learn pretty much on his own how to deal with ADHD. Ellie has the shadow of a dead husband she thought was perfect but was actually not and Kieran has never had a serious relationship. On top of that, both want to reach a next level in their careers, but aren't certain how to or confident enough to really try.

This is one of those books where the characters faults and strengths compliment each other. I think those books are so great because they show how great a truly supportive partner can be, and that there may be someone out there who can meet you where you are and even make you stronger. It also shows that love and relationships are often not perfect and there are healthy ways to compensate for your parter.

And can I just say - the going "downtown" scene? Brilliant, beautiful, HOT. Will live rent-free in my head forever. Men please read immediately (women or nonbinary folks too if this is your thing! I just assume the worst of men hahaha,)

Pre-order this book now. The romance is heartwarming, the overcoming is beautiful, and the descriptions of food make it the perfect book to curl up with on a fall day.

Apologies if some of this is rambling and nonsensical but this is what a great book does to me, too many feelings, not enough words.

A big shoutout to NetGalley & SMP for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The cover of this one is what immediately drew me to it, it screams fall and love! How could I not?

Here’s what I liked about this one:
•The mental health representation in this one is incredible, our female MC is so understanding and patient once she understands our male MC and his struggles with anxiety and dyslexia.
•The rawness of what Ellie has been through and what’s she’s still going through felt so real.
•All the food references and recipes - made me want to cook and bake everything. I’m here for it!!
•There is a cat soooo duh 😻
•The spice was spicing! But done well!

What I didn’t like:
•By the slowest burn they really meant it lol. The first 25% of this book was pretty slow and some chapters are kind of long.
•There was a TAB but it kinda felt necessary but still 😕
•A lot of the side characters suck lol. And I felt like we didn’t get closure with Ellie’s brother?


Overall this is a fun and tension filled romance book with lots of characters working to be a better version of themselves!

Out Sept 24th!!!

Top ghostwriter Ellie Wasserman has not taken any chances since becoming a widow She's lived a safe, comfortable life, writing for others and living with her in-laws.. Meanwhile, up-and-coming chef Kieran O'Neill has been under pressure to make most of his new found popularity after winning a reality cooking show. While he feels most at home in the kitchen, he doesn't know what direction to go for his cookbook.

I really liked the main characters and felt invested in their story. (Seriously though, I didn't want to put down the book!) Ellie and Kieran were true enemies to friends to lovers. Once they put their differences aside, they were magic in the kitchen and helped each other grow. Ellie's life became little more interesting, and Kieran saw a new perspective on food as a love language.

What to expect:
> Enemies to lovers/ workplace romance
> Forced proximity
> Fake dating
> Loss/Grief
> ADHD representation
> Jewish representation
> Food as love language