3.5 stars! this was very unique! i love a good workplace enemies to lovers! it also touched on mental health which i love in a book because its relatable and showed the realness of battling a mental illness. definitely a slow burn (expected and loved) lol!

I really enjoyed the way this book subverted some common tropes I've seen in other romance novels. Kieran isn't the stereotypical alpha male at all in a way that is refreshing and so endearing. He's a chef, unhappy with his image with ADHD, sober and a bit younger than his female love interest and main character. Ellie Wasserman is a widowed cookbook ghostwriter who dreams of writing her own cookbook someday. They are both a little rough around the edges, sort of stuck in lives they don't want and unsure how to get out of them. The name, The Slowest Burn, makes perfect sense, because when they meet each other it's like a slow wake up call, igniting their change into the people they're meant to be. Kieran is a little bit younger, enigmatic and energetic but insecure from a young age, where Ellie is a little older, more reserved, quicker to quiet herself to make others happy, more scared to shine. With each other though, Ellie is fiesty and assertive, softer and more vulnerable, and Kieran is honest, caring, focused, inspired. They make each other brave, and more alive. I've said this before with other netgalley books, but I wish I would watch this book as a movie! I could picture the landscape and the meals so vividly while reading.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sarah Chamberlain for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed The Slowest Burn VERY much. If you like: dual pov, enemy to lovers, chef/ghostwriter, Top Chef style shows, parents with stupid expectations, unreliable parents, San Francisco food scene, explosive attraction and Ginger MMCs that I picture as Jeremy Allen White- this book is for you.

Both MC's have deep pasts- and I like how they were explored and how they found growth together. I especially appreciated Ellie's journey through grief- along with the guilt and obligations that get tied to it.

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.
Kieran might be a celebrity, but he hides deep insecurity and self-doubt behind his charismatic smile.
Ellie spends her life taking care of others, and as a cookbook ghostwriter, has little time to pursue her own dreams.
Ellie's newest assignment from her publisher is to bring Kieran's chaotic vision into a cohesive collection of recipes. She's not looking forward to working with someone who seems so rudderless. On paper, they should be diametric opposed. Instead, the more time they spend together the more they realize they can be the one person that offers confidence and stability.
Both characters have a tangible fragility that they only reveal to each other when they let their guard down.

This book is a foodie, enemies to lovers, opposites attract dream! Ellie is so easy to love and root for as you slowly learn about her first love and loss. Kieran is a neurodivergent lead who you can’t help but cheer on as he realizes he’s worth more than he thinks. Together, this duo will have you laughing, crying, and rooting for the happily ever after they both deserve!

The Slowest Burn was a light and frothy opposites attract romance. Ellie, a cookbook ghostwriter is neat, tidy, capable and focused on stability and making other people happy. Kieran is a bright, disorganized up and coming cook who needs to write a cookbook to cement his career as a celebrity chef. And they have to work together. In a kitchen. Where all kinds of feelings develop.

This was a sweet, charming romance novel. Both Ellie and Kieran are damaged and a bit prickly. For me, that made them more likeable because they exhibited some realistic behavior. The slow development of thier feelings was believable. I was rooting for both their individual growth and their relationship. All the food descriptions were a nice touch. A well-paced enjoyable read.

I wish there had been more details about the secondary characters -- Jay, Nicole for example -- and some storylines felt like they were left hanging. Also, I would have loved a recipe or two.

A fun read and a good choice for fans of Emily Henry and Katherine Center. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an advance copy of this book.

This relationship was definitely a slow burn, but it was SO worth the wait! I loved Ellie and Kieran's chemistry. It was Hot! And their playful banter made me smile. Kieran was funny and caring, but I think it scared him how much he cared for Ellie. He is not used to putting someone else's needs first. And Ellie is stronger than she thinks, even though she puts herself "on the back burner" most of the time.

Ellie has lived her whole life taking care of others and not herself, taking her 'responsibilities' very seriously. She practically raised her younger brother, and she cooks and cares for her in-laws since her husband died 2 1/2 years ago. Ellie is an accomplished ghostwriter who has put her dreams on hold. Kieran is the crazy, chaotic chef who won a reality food competition. He doesn't seem to have a responsible bone in his body. Now they are thrust together on a project to write his own cookbook and neither of them like it one little bit! At least at first...

I was unsure about this story the first time I heard about it, because of the food network-y vibe, but I took the chance after reading a positive review and I am glad I did! This story grabbed me right from the beginning. The first half of the book was the slowest of burns, but hopeful, and around the half-way mark the heat turned up!

I also enjoyed the characters of Jay and Nicole. They were honest and supportive best friends to the main characters. I also enjoyed the ex in-laws and the grief they worked through together. The story was told from dual POV's and I love being able to see into the main characters innermost thoughts and motivations. Their feelings were realistic and heartfelt; they both struggled with dysfunctional families, self-esteem and mental health. I was rooting along the way for their HEA!

The plot followed a predictable format, but it was unique at the same time, which I enjoyed and appreciated. It gave me what I wanted from a romcom, but it wasn't a cookie cutter plot. It checked the following boxes: 2nd chance romance, enemies to friends to lovers, opposites attract, open door romance, and even a fake dating scene (which was hilarious).

I loved every minute of this story! I highly recommend!

P.S. I really wanted to see the picnic scene on the cover enter the story, but it never did. It was a bit of a disappointment...

**Thankyou to Netgalley, St Martin's Press, and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review**

So cute and great characters and setting! Immediately hooked me and would recommend. Will be adding to our library!

Cookbook ghostwriter Ellie Wasserman and the new hotshot TV chef Kieran O’Neill are forced to work closely together to write his cook book in this poignant, slow-burn romance by debut author Sarah Chamberlain.

Ellie's life is stagnant after suddenly losing her fiance several years ago. Still living in her in-law's granny flat, Ellie's people-pleasing leaves her unable to move on as her mother-in-law's grief holds her to ransom. Meanwhile Kieran struggles with self-esteem issues stemming from his ADHD and dsylexia.

Sarah Chamberlain skillfully portrays a beautiful slow-burn romance between the two as Ellie struggles with Kieran. As their friendship develops, we see the two find solace and support in each other. Ellie examines the box she was placed in by her fiance and his parents, and finds the courage to move forward in her life. Kieran, too, loses his feelings of shame.

This book was just divine. I adored Ellie and Keiran and I really love a good slow-burn romance. Highly recommended.

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

3.5 stars rounded up.
The Slowest Burn was a sweet debut novel from Sarah Chamberlain.

Ellia and Kieran are total opposites. She's regimented and tidy, he's gregarious and messy. Neither of them are even thinking about love and romance. She lost her husband two years ago. He is focused on opening a restaurant after winning a reality TV show contest and he knows with his ADHD, love could make him go off track.

But, they are forced to work together because he needs a ghostwriter for his upcoming cookbook, and she is the best in the Bay Area. Trope check: opposites attract, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, forced proximity (with a very cute "one bed" joke), and fake dating.

I loved the food descriptions, the Bay Area representation, and how understanding these two were of one another. Also, Kieran is 5'7, so yay for short king hero! Seriously, getting a little tired of the 6'4 heroes.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

3.5 stars. This was tender and sweet. It wasn’t anything new or super memorable, but I still enjoyed it. I loved how both Ellie and Kieran‘s relationship wasn’t just about love or getting over trauma, but about really growing as better people TOGETHER and for EACH OTHER.

The reason this isn’t rated higher is I forgot who characters were — that’s either on me simply remembering or lots of characters with no strong moments/writing to really give me a chance to remember them, ya feel? I also didn’t care to read the epilogue which is always a sign to me that I didn’t fall in love with the characters.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This will be great for our summer romance table. The cover pops, and the story is an easy trope to get behind. Was it my favorite romance ever? No. But I did root for the characters and enjoyed the story very much!

First, thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced e-copy of this book!

The Slowest Burn is just that, a slow burn romance. Ellie is a ghost writer for cookbooks and Kieran is a chef fresh off a win for a cooking show. Paired together to write a book, things don't start off well. Ellie is uptight and organized while Kieran's ADHD makes it difficult to focus. Once they learn to accept each other, however, things start to look up.

This book was slow in the beginning and took awhile for me to get into. However, I loved both the characters Ellie and Kieran. I loved them unpacking each other's backgrounds and figuring out how best to help the other. There are definitely some heavy topics in here (absentee parents, death of a spouse, depression) but I think they were well done. Overall, I enjoyed the book once I got through the first maybe 25 %.

This book ticked a lot of boxes for me — I love a slow burn, books set in the SF Bay Area, and culinary romances.

Ellie is a ghostwriter who works with chefs to translate their recipes into books that will be accessible to home cooks. Her latest client, and biggest challenge to date, is Kieran, who recently won a "Top Chef"-style reality show. The problem: Kieran is a genius in the kitchen, but he can barely get it together to focus on the cookbook project. Eventually, Ellie figures out that not only does he have ADHD, but he's dyslexic, and the two develop a positive working relationship which gradually turns into a mutual attraction.

There are, of course, roadblocks galore, from the fact that they are on a tight deadline and can't afford any distractions, to their various personal issues. Most significantly, Ellie is a young widow whose husband died of an undiagnosed heart defect three years earlier. She's still living in a cottage on her in-laws' property, something that's prevented her from moving on with her life, particularly since her mother-in-law is still disabled by grief.

Along with that heaviness, there's still plenty of fun banter and some cute nods at favorite romance tropes. And like all the best dishes, there's a good amount of spice, but not too much. Fans of culinary love stories will find a lot to savor here.

The title is very suited for the story. This is a debut and I am hooked. Looking forward to more from the author. Well written with good characters.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

I thought the concept of this book was cute, I love the cover, and I was excited to read a slow burn book from a debut author, however this just didn’t land.

But, I think it will be good for others — especially those who don’t mind a bit more inner dialogue.

I knew this probably wasn’t for me early on when it took the mmc 60% of a full page to describe the fmc and it was basically along the lines of “she reminded me of my mom’s chocolate chip cookies, the ones she never let me eat.”

That’s…nice?

I also wish this wasn’t written in dual POV as I think it would have given the reader more opportunity to make their own inferences rather than having everything explained.

Not bad, not great. I am looking forward to seeing what this author creates in the future, though!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Ellie likes her quiet life. She likes order in her life. Her next client will interrupt her orderly life. Ellie grows to like him as they spend more time with one another. A good read.

It’s not just hot outside or in the kitchen, it’s getting hot and spicy amongst the pages of the Slowest Burn. Our heroine, Ellie is a widowed thirtysomething who finds herself bound to the past. Living with her demanding in-laws and with a leach of a little brother, her hopes and dreams have been put on the backburner. Her patience is tested when she’s entrusted with ghostwriting Kieran’s cookbook. Kieran has just won a reality TV cooking competition but the last thing he wants is the fame that comes with it. Their very first meeting is anything but successful and the two appear to approach life with very different approaches which leaves clashing. At the risk of missing their deadline, the two are stuck alone at Ellie’s boss’ cottage and forced to hammer out their cookbook once in for all.

The Slowest Burn is not only the title of the book but exactly how one may categorize the relationship between the two. But once that fire gets started, oh there is no extinguishing it. We get forced proximity, fake dating, opposites attracting, workplace romance, the male falls first and a neurodivergent love interest.

Chamberlain serves up two multi-faceted characters that you can’t help relating to from the onset. Both dealing with a lot of unresolved baggage from the past there is a lot for them to work through. Kieran often dabbles between alpha male and cinnamon roll energy and as a massive connoisseur of romance books, I do not say it lightly when I offer that he may be the best male romance lead I’ve encountered in a while.

Somehow amongst the passion and romance unfolding, I also learned the inner workings of cookbook writing and honestly, who knew how much went into writing one?! I have a new appreciation for the cookbooks collecting dust on the bottom of my bookshelves.

This one gets five fire emojis because stars just simply do not do it justice.

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

Dual pov, chef mmc, writer fmc, adhd, dyslexia, grief, enemies to lovers, friends with benefits, he calls her love, third act breakup, second chance romance

I am officially obsessed with chef romances.

This book has so many layers to it that I wasn’t expecting. It’s a story of complex family relationships, addiction, grief, and finding a way to love yourself when you feel unworthy. This is one of those books that as I’m reading it I’m reminded of how good a life I’ve had so far, and to take a step back and appreciate what I have.

Ellie and Kieran unintentionally rely on each other to grow as characters. They need the other to help them see what they can become and not what their families expect them to be. Being shoved in a box and not knowing how to escape it is one thing, but being shoved and a box and not knowing it is another. But they are able to see what the other needs and how they can become the best version of themselves.