Wow!! Okay so this is Slow Burn done right. In all honesty, the burn was really really slow, and I actually enjoyed it a lot. Great plot and the loved Sarah’s writing style. I love when books have background stories and reasons for characters being how they are today. The narratives were done really well. The cute gestures throughout the series really had my heart. I really really enjoyed this one. Slow burn and a cute love story. What more could you want. Definitely recommend.

Kudos to the author for going non-traditional romance mmc. I pictured Kieran as a smaller version of Eddie Redmayne. Character descriptions aside, the author definitely made me feel the feels in this book, mostly anger and sadness. I felt Ellie’s frustration and anger while trying to work with Kieran as well as the overall sadness from a lot of the characters. I was just missing the love feels. I could get there kinda with Kieran, but Ellie’s felt more like acceptance than love. I just think the love story missed the mark a little. The Slowest Burn was a slow read too. I received this as an ARC, so maybe some of these will be corrected before publishing. If not, this is a library rental.

Thank you St.Martin’s Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain
Pub Date Sep 24 2024

Ellie is a 30 year old widow. Ellie resides in a small house behind her inlaws home. She is used to living a quiet predictable life with dreams of one day owning her own home as well as writing her own cookbook.

All that changes when she is hired as a ghostwriter for Kieran O’Neill's cookbook. They instantly butt heads as they're as opposite as two people can be. Kieran just won a TV cooking competition and is scared at failing.

He has been diagnosed with ADHD and is a recovering alcoholic. I really liked the character development of Ellie and Kieran, of how they begin to understand each other and how they both end up growing together.

They both work together in developing recipes for the book and discovering that they have similar passions to and interests. After finally letting go of expectations and rule following, they were able to discover what was truly important.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain
Ellie is a 30 year old widow living with her in-laws. She is hired as a ghostwriter for Liam's cookbook and doesn't like his attitude. Liam just won a TV cooking competition and feels like a joke. He hopes writing a cookbook will let everyone knows he is a serious chef and a capable adult. He wishes his ghostwriter would cut him some slack. This is an enemies to lovers slow-burn romance.

This book had a lot of depth. Ellie keeps her life routined and her world small to feel safe. She chose the safe, doting guy, allowed herself to be made over into a lady by his mom, and hides herself away living in a guest house and writing for other people instead of herself. Liam is a neurodivergent (ADHD/dyslexic) recovering alcoholic who has never fit in with his upper class family. He is trying to find his place in their world rather than varving out his own. Like many novels, this book was written as a a dual pov. But the voices of each of these characters were so distinct; without looking at the chapter headings you could tell who was telling the story.

Loved:
Neurodivergent, LD, plus-size, aromantic, Jewish, BIPOC, queer representation!
The strength of the main characters' voices
The slow burn of it all
How each character grew
The best friends!
Ben
Purchasing the bespoke suit

Didn't love:
The mother in law- a little cliché

This was a good book that you don't want to put down. I was rooting for Liam and Ellie on their own and together. 4 stars
Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain follows Ellie, a ghostwriter whose focus is solely on cookbooks, and Kieran, a Michelin star chef, as they work together to write an upcoming cookbook. Obviously, drama ensues, and after realizing their attraction for each other the two are pulled together in a hilariously and heartfelt way that tugs at the heartstrings.

I was pleasantly surprised by the pace of the story and how entertaining it was to read. Normally it takes me a few chapters to get into a story and its universe but with this one, it was exceptionally easy to imagine myself watching everything unfold as if I were there. The plot itself was so unique that by the end I was wishing there was more so I didn’t have to stop. Highly recommend!

The slowest burn is sure right. This book took me a while to get into, and only held my attention sporadically. It didn’t feel like much of a slow burn between the characters, it felt more like a slow moving book where the pacing was off.

Some scenes felt underdeveloped, like the fake dating. It seemed glossed over and too big of theme to haphazardly throw in and then quickly move on from. Some parts were a little too cliché for me, like the mirroring of scenes from each perspective when they were talking about their unrequited love for each other.

Overall, I thought the characters for the most part were endearing and the storyline was interesting, it just moved at a weird pace. I would only recommend to fans of romance novels, anyone who likes an enemies to lovers trope and a slow burn will like this book. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this book in exchange for an honest review!

3.5🌟

The Slowest Burn is a slow burn romance about Ellie who is a ghost writer for cookbooks and Kieran who is a chef. Ellie and Kieran are paired up to write Kieran’s cookbook forcing them to work closely. They spend a lot of time together walking through different recipes for the cookbook, in which they slowly open up to one another. There were some parts in the story that I felt were a bit slow, but were necessary for the overall story. The chemistry between Ellie and Kieran is undeniable. Kieran was so attentive to wanting to know every single detail about Ellie.

I liked seeing Ellie’s growth within the story. She’s someone who’s been through so much and constantly putting others feeling and wants before her own. Her friendship with Nicole was everything, I love how they were always there for one another and the constant support.

Overall The Slowest Burn was a cute and enjoyable read!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC! 

Pub Date: Sep 24 2024 

The gradual burn of opposites attracts is my fav. One told in dual POV? Woof.

Our main characters Ellie and Kieran are brought together to create a cookbook. While Ellie is order, Kieran is chaos. Each also have a lot to unpack. There’s grief, parental abandonment, emotional abuse/manipulation, and neurodivergence. Despite these difficult subjects, Ellie and Kieran discover how to compromise, adopt new perspectives, and enjoy each other's company.

Chamberlain’s writing incorporated a harmonious balance between challenging topics and a romantic element. She made space for hardship, reflection, and growth. Not only did I really enjoy The Slowest Burn, but it also made me absolutely ravenous. Need their cookbook stat!

What a sweet, slow burn love story. I really enjoyed to chef and cookbook aspect of the book. I can’t wait for more from this author!

"The Slowest Burn" by Sarah Chamberlain serves up a delectable slow-burn romance with a unique twist. Ellie, a widow and talented cook, finds herself paired with Kieran, a Michelin-starred chef with ADHD, to work on his upcoming cookbook. Despite their differences, sparks fly as they navigate their professional collaboration and personal struggles. Chamberlain crafts heartfelt and relatable characters, delving into themes of grief, mental health, and personal growth with sensitivity and depth. The plot unfolds at a satisfying pace, blending humor, steamy romance, and emotional depth. While some may find the ending a bit too perfect, overall, "The Slowest Burn" is a delightful read that leaves you craving more from this promising debut author. Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

NO RESERVATIONS meets P.S. I LOVE YOU in this sexy tale featuring a hot Michelin-starred chef and his ghostwriter as they learn to work together for his upcoming cookbook.

This book had such heartfelt and real characters. Ellie Wasserman had always been the primary caregiver to her younger brother as they were growing up and he was the main reason why she learned to cook in the first place. For Ellie, cooking is love. Now, after the death of her husband, she is having a difficult time keeping both herself and her in-law’s afloat, and cooking Shabbos dinner doesn’t seem to be quite as healing as it once was. Keiran O’Neill is the newest hot up-and-coming chef after winning a reality television competition, but he can’t help but feel the pressure. He has struggled with his ADHD and the mounting pressure from his estranged family for years; he just wants to feel like he’s accomplished something he can be proud of.

This book had great pacing, a surprise fake-dating plot, and amazing storytelling. I highly recommend this book and it has it’s perfect happily ever after just as any romance book should. I admit the last few chapters were almost maybe “too perfect” for my tastes though. The whole book felt so realistic, and then the end wrapped everything up in a tight little bow. Regardless, I’d do anything to read more of what Sarah Chamberlain has to offer. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Title to the T.
This was a savory, slow burn if I do say so myself. Ellie and Kieran were a joy to read. They might fall along the line of enemies to lovers, but HONEY! They were sweet, fiery, and painfully relatable. There was banter, humor, grief, and just the right amount of spice that created a beautiful story all around. The side characters were funny and brought an extra little sizzle to the story.

I love everything about this book. As a widow myself, I really related to Ellie. I also love a good book about FOOD! Thank you to SMP for this copy.

Please be ready for a SLOW BURN but img did it have me kicking my feet turning the pages and getting out of my reading slump! This book is a perfect book to binge in a day and has amazing chemistry between the characters. Highly recommend to my fellow slow burn lovers!

The Slowest Burn is appropriately titled because it is indeed a slooowwww burn! Ellie is the ghostwriter for Kieran’s cookbook and they couldn’t be more opposite. This “opposites attract” book took me awhile to get into, but I appreciate that it dug deep and didn’t skirt around mental health issues that came up in the story. Not the beach read I was hoping for, but I still enjoyed it.

Took a break from piling-up library holds to take a chance on a debut ARC that I figured could be read in a day. I recognize this for the gamble it was. I like to live dangerously.

I liked the setup. She: widowed cookbook-ghostwriter. He: chef with dyslexia and ADHD. And it was fine. It’s not great, it’s not that deep, but it’s harmless. It for sure needs some editing.

Review: I was so glad I got approved to read this! @sarahchamberlainauthor did a great job with this one!

Not going to lie, I couldn’t get into the book for the first few chapters. I don’t know if it was because I was still in a thriller mindset but after chapter 3, I was completely hooked. First of all, I loved the premise. A ghostwriter who is type A with a chef that is all over the place writing a book together. It didn’t seem forced, it was a natural chemistry. What I loved is that these characters that depth, they had issues to work through, and they dealt with real world problems unlike some of the rom coms I read. It makes it so much more relatable.

I thought the plot was well developed and loved hearing about all the recipes and seeing their love grow. I also loved that the main characters weren’t the typical players, they weren’t the conventional characters that were 6’4 built or a skinny athletic woman. It felt real and made me rethink my current career because I would love to ghostwrite a cookbook (despite my cooking skills being lackluster)!

If you are looking for a wonderful rom com with some depth- look no further! It has it all- a friends to lovers trope, character depth, cooking, and good dialogue!

The book comes out September 24, 2024! Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

When Sarah Chamberlain says she's serving a slow-burn romance, believe it is a SLOWW burn romance~
Kieran is chatoic, where Ellie is no-nonsense: you can imagine the clash of those two personalities...

Love that we saw the characters dealing with past trauma in order to find happiness. Spicy sceenes were alright, the sweet romance was satisfying enough to make up for it. Enemies to lovers with a culinary twist --- I'm a huge fan!

Sarah Chamberlain's debut novel whips up a scrumptious romance that's all about finding the right mix. Ellie and Kieran are a classic case of opposites attract—they start off clashing in the kitchen, with her being super organized and him all over the place. But as they're forced to spend time together, the sparks really start to fly, turning their sharp banter into something unexpectedly sweet. The book nails the emotional depth, making you root for them as they tackle their personal hang-ups. With plenty of humor, some seriously steamy scenes, and loads of heart, this book is perfect for anyone who loves a good rom-com that feels like indulging in your favorite comfort food. Super enjoyable and totally heartwarming!

4.75 stars!

This was JUST what I needed after a few heavy historical fictions and "women's" fiction. It was light and fun, but still dealt with some serious issues. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is I thought it lagged a tiny bit at the end. Opposites attract, forced proximity with some neurodivergence and grief mixed in. I plowed through it in less than a day. Perfect pool read!

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review