Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy.

I had a lot of fun with this book! Kieran is a chef that won a reality cooking show, and Ellie is the ghostwriter that is writing his cookbook. I wouldn't necessarily say it's enemies to lovers, but it's kind of "don't really like each other much" to lovers. They are struggling connecting on a level that is conducive to writing said cookbook, so they are sent to a cabin to spend the week together. Of course, there was some chemistry but once they got comfortable with each other and developed an understanding, things started to get a bit more tense. It didn't help that Ellie is a widow that still lives with her dead husband's parents, and his mother is still grieving HARD. She turns to Ellie more than is really healthy and Ellie is just kind of stuck in the middle of everything. Oh, and there was a fake dating (date?) situation that was super cute too.

I wanted Ellie to get out of that situation so badly so she could move on and live her life. I think Kieran was good for her, but he was struggling with his own issues. I liked the ADHD/dyslexia rep, and I also liked that it wasn't insta-love.

Overall this was a fun read! 3.5 stars rounded up.

I’m super late on reviewing this one but I received an ARV and I really enjoyed it. I liked the premise and the food porn, but more importantly I enjoyed the slow burn budding work relationship to friendship then friends with benefits then more and the even more, not without its struggles and challenge. But it was also a story of finding yourself and what you want and standing up for that and supporting your person. I thought it was definitely a great love story and an important one of how to support your partner and lift them up. It was also a way to discover love after loss and how to find yourself again! Super cute and spicy!

What a great romcom!!! I absolutely loved the characters. Although very cheesy at times, the cooking aspect and the happily ever aspect of it was light hearted and delightful. just a happy read that brought smiles to my face.

This story was an interesting story from an author I don’t know or haven’t read before! Will look at finding other things by this author. I am grateful for the early access, thank you to those that allowed it!

While this book didn’t feature the sloowestt burn I’ve ever encountered in a book, there was definitely some slow burning happening! I really enjoyed the premise of a reality tv cooking show star meets cook book ghost writer, and this was a set up I have never read about in a book before. It brought something new to the table and I enjoyed getting to read this one!

Thought this did a great job exploring grief around a deceased loved one and the different ways people are affected. Chemistry was great but sometimes the story didn't grab me as much as I wanted and I was slow reading. Would definitely try author again though.

Okay, so I wanted to love this one more than I did. It had all the right ingredients (grumpy x sunshine, foodie romance, forced proximity), but the execution was not all there for me. There’s banter, there’s kitchen tension, and there’s slow burn (like, verrrrry slow).

We have Kieran O’Neill a chaotic golden retriever chef who just won a reality TV show but has no clue how to write a cookbook. He works with Ellie Wasserman, a ghostwriter who’s super structured, emotionally guarded, and still grieving her husband. She’s here for business, not Kieran’s disaster energy. I liked the foodie vibes galore, all of the food descriptions left me hungry. I love a good opposites attract trope, a structured, guarded heroine and lovable chaotic man combo. I also appreciate the emotional depth that was given to Ellie’s grief and I thought Kieran’s ADHD was handled well, both felt realistic to me.

While I generally liked the book, the slow burn was reallll slow, even for me and I love a slow burn, but this one dragged. By the time they finally got together, I wasn’t totally invested anymore. I also wish there was more tension. It felt like they were almost there, but never quite got past friendship vibes.

It wasn’t bad, but I needed more spark, more tension, and a little less drag. If you love foodie romance and seriously slow-burn tension, this one might be for you!

Tropes
-slow burn
-grumpy x sunshine
- foodie romance
-forced proximity
-found family
-workplace romance adjacent

I thought I was going to devour this. I love a chef/baker trope, but this one let me down. The slow burn was almost too slow, mainly because for as long as it took for the feelings to develop I never really felt the chemistry between these two. The pacing was an issue overall. Some parts were really rushed, others way to slow. I wanted to love this, but I just didn't

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great book filled with multi dimensional characters set in one of my favorite areas. Who doesn’t love a romance involving cooking and personal growth?

I enjoyed this one. Ellie, our main character, is someone who feels the need to do everything for everyone because she took it on at such a young age--it was so relatable and accurately portrayed for those who have had this experience. Kieran's ADHD was described well and written in a way that was simple to grasp and see just how it can affect people for someone not super familiar with it firsthand. The food descriptions were AMAZING, and i loved that this was duh, a slow burn, but did not feel like a drag at all. It wasn't the spiciest, but the minimal spice was satisfying for a slow burn. I even appreciated that the villains were villaining. I hated Kieran's parents and brother, Hank was so freaking oblivious, as was Ellie's mother in law (I don't care what she was going through). No one was outright evil, but the privilege and ignorance they all had was villainous in itself. Overall, this was a fun one!

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain is a foodie’s dream, packed with mouthwatering recipes, sizzling chemistry, and a perfectly executed opposites-attract romance. Ellie and Kieran’s dynamic is equal parts sharp and sweet, and I loved watching their relationship evolve alongside their personal growth. The dual POV was a great touch, giving insight into both of their struggles and making their connection feel even more real.

That said, the pacing was a bit slow at first, and it took me a little while to really get into the story. I also found myself frustrated at times with how the characters acted—they didn’t always feel their age, which pulled me out of the romance here and there. But overall, if you love cookbooks, kitchen banter, and a romance that simmers before it boils over, this one is worth a read!

The premise was interesting, but the execution didn’t fully hook me. There were too many moving parts at times, making the story feel cluttered, and some scenes came off as a bit cheesy or immature. It took me longer than expected to finish (literal slow burn), but there were still some enjoyable moments along the way, and I appreciated seeing both MCs grow by the end, which is always key.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was not my kind of book - the slow burn was SOOOOOO slow. However, I felt the connection growing between the characters and the plot moved along to a lovely romance. I enjoyed it overall. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain is a captivating contemporary romance that explores themes of love, patience, and emotional healing. The story follows two characters who are drawn to each other but face obstacles that challenge their connection. As they navigate their individual struggles and personal growth, their relationship develops slowly but steadily, with moments of tension, tenderness, and understanding. Chamberlain’s writing creates a slow-burn romance filled with rich character development and emotional depth, making it a perfect read for fans of heartfelt, character-driven love stories.

This was a really easy read. The characters were engaging. I felt it dealt really well with grief and people pleasing, as well as difficult family dynamics.

I appreciated a lot about this book. It didn’t bring much new to the genre, and was somewhat similar to another book I read recently, but I did like that both MCs weren’t the ideal body size as their respective romance counterparts. He’s short and she describes herself as fat. Which is a refreshing change of pace from the 6’5 MMC and the petite, thin FMC that’s usually represented.

Ellie is a ghostwriter and widow. Kieran is a chef who just won a tv contest. They’re going to be working together to write his cookbook, but they struggle to get along. This book blew through tropes one after the other, and that made it fast paced. While I didn’t personally connect with the characters, I still appreciated them.

Besides the body representation, this book doesn’t stand out much from other books in the romance genre. But sometimes it doesn’t need to. I do recommend this for fans of the romance genre looking for a comfort read.

I tried so hard to get into this one but I struggled connecting with the characters and the story wasn’t grasping me. I know if I had continues, it wouldn’t be more than an average rating of 3 stars.

Thank you for the opportunity!

This was a really delightful read, I enjoyed how real the characters all felt and how well the author wrote in the emotional turmoil that comes with both characters' lives and situations. There were times when the characters were 'cringey' but in a way that felt authentic. Overall, a solid read.

A tale of opposite attraction and 2 characters with a lot of personal baggage. Ellie is a recent widow who becomes a ghostwriter while coping with her loss, and her in=laws. I really like her father-in-law, Ben as he gave her great advice. This definitely was a slow burn romance and was slow at the beginning but picked up nicely.

This book was cute, but drug on a little in the middle. I really loved these characters and their growth, it was so fun to watch.