How to create The Slowest Burn; start with a base of opposites-attract, add a friendly helping of forced proximity, a splash of whitty banter, and pull it all together with the charming writing of Sarah Chamberlain.

The push and pull love story between Ellie Wasserman and Kieran O’Neill in The Slowest Burn will capture your heart. Ellie, a talented ghostwriter who is learning to find joy after loss, crosses paths with misunderstood, quirky chef, Kieran, who is out to prove he’s more than what the media has portrayed him as. The pair are thrown together to write Kieran’s debut cookbook.
The snark begins to flow the moment the two meet; I was at the edge of my seat awaiting the moment Ellie and Kieran would begin to see each other in a new light...when they would start to peel back the layers of one another and connect on a deeper, more emotional layer.

I appreciated the mental health angles thought out this novel, from both main character’s POV. It was exciting to experience the moments of self discovery alongside Ellie and Kieran, not to mention how freeing it was to see the pair break free of the “chains” holding them back in life.

I cannot express how easy it was to fall in love with Ellie and Kieran, and The Slowest Burn as a whole. I’m looking forward to what Sarah Chamberlain writes next and will be first in line to scoop it up!

A big thank you to Sarah Chamberlain, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC

I should have been more self-aware when choosing this book, slow burn is not normally my favorite trope. When they describe it as "The Slowest Burn," they truly mean the slowest burn imaginable. This was a charming and delightful story, perfect as a light, fluffy, and predictable palate cleanser. The pacing was undoubtedly slow, but this contributed to the exquisite build-up of tension throughout the narrative, making it top-tier in that regard. The anticipation was skillfully drawn out, and when the story finally delivered the "spice," it was definitely worth the wait.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

this book was a good read! I enjoyed the general premise of the story as well as some elements of the characters. the overall romance was definitely a slow burn, but I wasn’t super convinced by the characters and didn’t love their chemistry. but the book did delve into some deeper topics that I found insightful!

I appreciated how the main character, Ellie, was in a phase of her life I don’t read a lot about. recently widowed, she is going through a lot as she rediscovers her identity, and I did like this exploration within the book! Kieran was not my most favorite mmc. he annoyed me a lot in the beginning of the book, and although I did start to like him more as the story progressed, I just could fully wrap my head around his character.

overall, I did like some of the book but there were certain parts that dragged a bit for me and didn’t fully get me invested in the story. while this book wasn’t for me, I do think it might be great for others so I still recommend giving it a try :)

Cute cooking romance, definitely felt the slow burn. Wasn't ever convinced by this couple, however. I don't mind opposites attract, but never at any point did I think these two would work out. Like, in real life, they already broke up. Grabbed this on Read Now, thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read!

Love, love, love! Slow start but wow, I loved these two so much. What was broken and scarred and how they fit. Do not miss this one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a cute book about a slow-burn romance!
Has some really spicy scenes! Ellie and Kieran have great chemistry. Nice summer romance novel.


Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins for this eArc!

This was a slow book (no pun intended) and I found the characters to be blah. Ellie was over the top dramatic and Kieran just dull. Their backgrounds and back stories I felt were a bit chaotic and I’m not sure really helped the story. It felt like a lot of the subplots just fell flat too. The gist was Ellie is a ghostwriter for Kieran’s cookbook (winner of a cooking show).

I genuinely really liked this one! Sometimes slow burns aren't fun and done well and just rushed at the end, but this one did it really well in the amount of pages it had. It's definitely a cleanser read, just a silly filler between reads. It's also, at the end of the day, a cheesy rom-com. I always appreciate the setting being in the Bay Area!

Now one thing about me is that I love a slow burn so I could not resist this book once I saw the title.

This story follows Ellie and Kieran. Ellie is a young widow dealing with grief and she is a cookbook ghostwriter. Kieran is a chef who recently won a cooking competition show but he struggles to focus. They immediately clash as Ellie has everything in her life planned out while Kieran isn’t someone to think too far ahead. As they work together they settle into a tentative friendship that begins to blossom into something more.

The emotions of this book felt very real to me. Ellie and Kieran struggled with figuring out who they were. Ellie lived with the weight of her dead husband and her fear of failure while Kieran viewed himself as a constant disappointment. They’re both afraid of the unknown and together and separately they have to work to change it. They both are flawed characters who come together to make something beautiful.

If you’re a slow burn lover I’d highly recommend.

Now this is a culinary romance that sizzles! “The Slowest Burn” by Sarah Chamberlain is a delectable feast of longing, banter, and gourmet cooking, served with heaps of spice and a cherry on top. It’s a happily ever after that will leave readers craving seconds.

Meet Kieran O'Neill, a talented chef who should be on top of the world. He's just won a cooking reality TV show, is about to open his own restaurant, and has secured a high-paying cookbook deal. But there's one problem: his ghostwriter, Ellie Wasserman, is the most uptight, humourless woman he's ever met. Ellie, a thirty-year-old widow, is barely holding it together. She's living with her needy in-laws, helping her little brother navigate adulthood, and ghostwriting Kieran's cookbook. As their deadline looms, the heat between them builds, and they find themselves caught in a deliciously slow-burning romance.

Who doesn’t love a fake dating trope?! The chemistry between Kieran and Ellie crackles from the moment they meet. Their fake dating escapades are both hilarious and heartwarming. The title says it all. The romance simmers, building anticipation until it reaches a boiling point. Prepare for swoons!

If you've ever fantasized about dating a celebrity chef, this book delivers! The culinary world comes alive, and you'll practically taste the dishes as you read. Chamberlain deftly explores grief, family dynamics, and second chances. Kieran and Ellie's vulnerabilities make them relatable and endearing. From Kieran's quirky sous-chef to Ellie's meddling in-laws, the secondary characters add flavour and depth to the story.

“The Slowest Burn” is a delightful blend of humour, heart, and heat. Chamberlain's writing is as smooth as a perfectly crafted sauce reduction, leaving readers hungry for more. Whether you're a foodie or a romance enthusiast, this book will leave you satisfied and craving dessert.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Such an apt title for this book! Ellie is a widow stuck in a safe life - living with her deceased husband’s parents, working as a ghost writer for celebrity cookbooks, and just afraid to take risks. In comes Kieran - up and coming chef who brings heat, tension, chaos, and ultimately - LOVE - into Ellie’s world.

This is definitely a slow burn with some really good romantic chemistry. The scene where they ultimately get together was 🔥! But there’s also a lot of substance here as well, and some pretty strong themes related to loss and moving on.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press from an advanced copy of this ebook. 3.5⭐️

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain was a cute and refreshing read. The story between Ellie and Kieran was truly as the book title implied - a slow burn but a very satisfying burn still. I connected really well with Ellie because she was selfless and was going through grief while at the same time taking care of others. It was realistic as I know many people are like this sometimes - they take care of others and forget themselves. It was great to see her progress and how she gained more confidence and started to think about what she wants with the help of Kieran, who was a wonderful MMC. He was going through his own problems being a celebrity chef and we see him grow into acceptance of himself and grow emotionally.

Overall, I liked the book. It was a good balance of romance, slice of life and opened my eyes to some aspects of ghostwriting and cookbook writing that I didnt know before. I love that its dual POV (which I love) as I read through their thoughts to heighten feel the tension between the leads. The banter is also great.

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book!

I couldn’t get into the story just as I thought. Not disappointed but need more depth, I think. I can't remember when was the last time when I read a book in which the whole plot was 100% equal to what was written in the blurb and nothing more. There was no surprise there, no resolution to any of the plot threads and the whole story was blatantly predictable and painfully dull.

This book definitely lives up to its title. I really enjoyed the duel POV along with the banter throughout the book. I look forward to reading more by Sarah in the future!

This was such a cute, sweet romance! I loved that the characters in this romcom had depth and complexity. There was a wonderful inclusion of neurodiversity and the chemistry was believable and unpredictable.

I absolutely picked this book because it had a cute cover, and after reading the excerpt on what it was about I thought it sounded interesting. I’m glad I took a chance on a new author’s debut book.
The writing style of this book reminded me a lot of Tarah Dewitt. There was a lot of imagery and it felt very decadent, especially the parts that talked about cooking and food. I truly think this is more of a love letter to food than a love story between the main characters. It has great vibes and I liked that the characters were opposites working together.
The characters’ voices were a little off for me, and I can’t really put my finger on why. I felt like the dialogue was sometimes not realistic sounding and the characters didn’t seem like real people at times. I also felt that the male MC was kind of juvenile and immature. Combining that with him being really short and having ADHD had me picturing a teenager in my head, which threw me off a bit. Eventually I had to force myself to picture Shaun White so that I wouldn’t keep feeling like Ellie and Kieran were 15 years apart in age. The theme of grief helped give the story some depth and I liked all the side characters that helped along the way. At times the story felt a bit long, but for the most part I was interested and engaged. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in the future and enjoyed this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I devoured this book in one sitting. "The Slowest Burn" is an adorable and emotional dislike to love, forced proximity, opposites attract romance with about a chapter's worth of fake dating; perfect recipe, in my opinion. Our mmc Kieran is a recent cooking show champion in need of a ghostwriter for his cookbook. Ellie the fmc is the ghostwriter assigned to help.

There are so many things to love about this book, but the best is easily the character development. Both Kieran and Ellie have issues from their childhoods they are working on. They grew as people together, but didn't make each other their entire world. It was incredibly well done.

I'm also just obsessed with Kieran, who is the sweetest baby ever. There were a couple times I had to scream into a pillow over something he said or did,

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. I will definitely be recommending this book to others.

Ellie es escritora fantasma, su esposo murió hace unos años y todavía lo extraña, vive con sus suegros.

Kieran es un chef, ganó un concurso y para aprovechar su popularidad tiene que escribir un libro, pero es disléxico y por esa razón busca un escritor fantasma.

Cuando se conocen, ella a piensa que es flojo y mediocre, pero necesita el dinero y tiene que aguantarlo, él piensa que ella es soberbia.


Al principio me cayó mal Kieran porque es un chismos, me molestó su reacción al enterarse de la muerte de Max, o sea el tipo se la pasó preguntando detalles de la muerte. Luego me cayó mejor, pero no logró caerme bien.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie is a ghostwriter for cookbooks and Kieran is her latest celebrity chef project. They couldn’t be more opposite and can’t get along at all. She is still healing from past trauma and doesn’t want to let anyone into her life beyond a professional level. After a forced weekend away and a faked date to appease family, they begin to realize there might be more there than they originally thought.

I took a chance on this book based on the fact that I enjoy cooking shows and several of the tropes here. However, the title should have given me a big clue. It was a very slow read to the point that it felt much longer than it was. There were too many things going on and too much family drama and difficult characters on both sides. While I can appreciate representation and heavy topics when done well, here it felt like there were too many and it just took away from any romance that could develop. I also struggled to like the MMC after some of his initial behavior. I acknowledge that this book was just not for me but would probably appeal to other readers. If you enjoy a very slow building romance, a focus on family drama/grief/family dynamics, or plus size/ Jewish/ ADHD representation, then this may be a great book for you!

Thank you to the author and St. Martin’s Griffin for the early digital copy and opportunity to review.

This was a beautifully crafted slowburn/opposite attract romance. The banter between the 2 main characters was excellent. I liked experiencing their fights as much as much as I liked experiencing their love. I love the way the author showed the complicated, sometimes unhealthy familial relationships that people can have. And I really loved how honest and blunt each of our main characters' respective friends were with them.There was no sugar coating, and there was no placating. They were supportive but honest, and sometimes we need that in our lives. It was a really good read that I enjoyed all the way through.