I was able to get this ARC through Net Galley, and I’m glad I did!

At first, Kieran was almost too flawed for me. I wasn’t quite in the mood to read this. But at the end of the book, everything felt very authentic and imperfect in the best way. This is definitely a more realistic romance.

I enjoyed the secondary characters also. Some of it was a bit over the top (her in-laws, her parents, his parents) but overall it worked for me. The vibes were all there for sure. I’m a sucker for a food themed book!!

This has all the best ingredients. FMC trying to move past heartache (she’s a young widow). Neurodivergent MMC trying to be better than the people that hurt him expected. And food. And chemistry. And also a repeated one bed joke (I love it when romcoms give the reader a fourth wall breaking wink). I was a little burned out on cooking/difficult chef tropes. But The Slowest Burn had such heart for both the main characters, it drew me in. I was rooting for them (I mean it’s a romcom so, the HEA wasn’t a shock). I love that they discovered the best thing comes from blending the ingredients together. It also has a nice side character plot that reminds us some times things don’t end with marriage, but it doesn’t mean they are bad. Anyway, really liked it. Would def recommend. (I read an ARC)

I loved this? Like what?? It’s SO CUTE. This is the first book by Sarah that I’ve read and I’m so glad that I got approved for this ARC!! Please pick it up on release day!

This was charming and fun as well as heart rending. I loved the character development for both MCs and thought it was authentic. Ellie’s loss of her husband and finding love again was thoughtful and emotional. I loved how she evolved into her own voice and learned to be alone and together with a partner.

The dialogue was a bit schmaltzy some times and it really was a very slow burn! The title definitely set the expectation. :)

As a huge fan of cooking competition shows, I was excited to read this book, focusing on an up-and -coming celebrity chef and the ghostwriter for his cookbook. Both Ellie and Kieran had complex backstories that added a lot of dimension to the book and made their relationship meaningful.
3.5 ⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book!

I typically don't read books about celebrities, but the intriguing cover and descriptions caught my attention. The story follows Elli Wasserman, a ghostwriter for celebrity cookbooks, who is a widow and still maintains a close relationship with her in-laws. Her next writing project is with chef Kieran O'Neill, a winner of a cooking reality show. When they first meet, they can't stand each other, but as they work together, things begin to change.

I enjoyed how Sarah Chamberlain developed both characters and their relationship through their shared love of food. The intimate scenes were tastefully written and had just the right amount of steam. Overall, it's a charming read that will capture the hearts of romance readers.

First things first. This cover is GORGEOUS!!!!!!

I really enjoyed this book. It took a little while to warm up to Ellie and Kieran but I ended up loving them both.

This was my first book by Sarah Chamberlain and it won't be my last.

I would love to have Floyd's in my neighbourhood!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, St. Martin's Press.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this!
As a huge fan of The Bear and Top Chef, this one immediately reached out to me. A food writer is chosen to ghost write a recently awarded hot-shot chef's newest cookbook, and their story is right in the title: a slow burn. She's a widow, he's trying to find himself, and friendships, past traumas, and their professions create some palpable tension.
The chemistry between the leads is really well written, Kieran is smart and witty but emotionally scarred, Ellie is fragile in some ways but very complex in others. I really loved the backdrop set against food and the nature of recipes: both of their cookbook ideas were things I'd pick up in a heartbeat! When this finally slow burned to the steamy it was SPICY, which is a bit out of my comfort zone, but it didn't take away from the storyline. Thoroughly enjoyed this!

The Slowest Burn is a super sweet story filled with all sorts of delicious sounding food. Ellie is a widow and she is ghostwriting a cookbook for hot new chef Kieran O'Neill. They are complete opposites. She likes to be in control and he is more spontaneous. As they work together on the cookbook they begin to fall for each other but they have several obstacles to overcome if they can ever stay together.
This was a slow start for me but it picked up about half way through. I look forward to reading the next book from Sarah Chamberlain. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book for review.

Slow Burn is an opposites attract romance set in the world of high end restaurants and cookbook publishing. Two people who carry around tons of emotional baggage from their pasts, find each other and figure out how to value and share themselves. The messages were on target and the info about running a restaurant and cookbook production was interesting. I never quite related to the MCs but enjoyed the story nonetheless. The morals of the story were legit, just a little in your face. And I finally realized that I’m not a fan of the epilogue as a way to end a story and hammer again on the life lessons in case you missed them the first time. .

The Slowest Burn is a very cute story of Ellie, a recent widow and ghostwriter for, ... cookbooks (is this a thing?)
Kieran, the chef she will be assisting has some sad stuff in his past and present also that pops up as the two mix recipes and banter.
This book is a light and tame rom-com, but actually has really heavy topics weaved in nicely. Loss of a loved one, alcoholism, childhood trauma, these are all tackled while still keeping an airy feeling to the story line.
The characters feel genuine, and while there are a few typical rom-com scenarios placed, this really felt quite original. I'm food-centric and the imagery of cooking, meals and strategizing Kieran's coobook and story was really fun. Many moments felt similar to Lucy Score and Tessa Bailey books with a little less spice, which isn't a bad thing. Sometimes you need a nice happily ever after, and this is it.

A story about overcoming loss and falling in love. The story was a cute one although perhaps a little cliche but that isn’t always a bad thing. It took a bit to get into but I did believe the chemistry and enjoyed watching the relationship unfurl.

This was a cute read! It took a while for me to get into it, but I caught myself thinking about it throughout my day so that has to count for something! I thought multiple times how this book would be a cute rom-com movie as well.

Ellie and Kieran are total opposites and are forced to work together when Kieran, a chef who’s writing a cookbook, and Ellie, a ghostwriter for said cookbook, get teamed up. Initially they can’t stand each other but over time they grow to understand one another.

I didn’t expect the depth to the characters that this book brought and that was definitely a plus but I still had a hard time loving the book 100%. I think it was their chemistry- I thought they were cute together and at times could see the chemistry more than other times. It just didn’t give me the “swoon-y” feelings that I normally get when I love two characters together, but I’m glad that I read it nonetheless.
3/5 ⭐️
2.5-3/5 🌶️

4.75 ⭐️ This story of overcoming loss, finding love, and going after your dreams and aspirations absolutely captured all my attention, I couldn’t put it down! Also great neurodivergence diversity with the MMC having ADHD and dyslexia diagnoses, I feel the topic was handled with care and attention to detail.
Tropes
Grief + overcoming loss
-one bed
- forced proximity
-enemies to lovers
-neurodivergence representation
- reverse grumpy sunshine
- hint of spice!

Opposites attract in this swoony slow burn, dual POV charmer. Take one ghostwriter for celeb cookbooks, and a recent winner of a TV reality chef contest, and watch the magic unfold as the two work together on producing a fab book while working through past trauma and grief. Loved it!

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

This book truly gives the term "slowest burn" *chefs kiss* while also giving you an emotional ride with Ellie, her family story, and a love story with Kieran.  Ellie was a love and I liked her story, along with her relationship with her FIL. She's been through the wringer and I truly feel for her. Besides Ellie, the MMC was top-notch. I absolutely loved Kieran and even though it was a slow burn, every little thing about their chemistry made my heart melt. This book also hit sensitive topics but wrote about them with care and thought. If you are a fan of Chloe Leise, Elena Armas, or Ali Hazelwood, you will thoroughly enjoy it. Cannot wait to read more from you Sarah Chamberlain.

Read if you like:
-Slow burn
-Enemies to lovers
-Dual POV
-Reverse grumpy sunshine
-Forced proximity
-Neurodivergent character

3.5 stars

I liked the characters and the overall plot of this story, but the transition from enemies/rivals to lovers didn't really click for me. There was something about them not being able to stand each other to having a begrudging understanding to work together, then a time jump ahead, then they suddenly were lusting after each other that didn't feel authentic and didn't have the proper build up to make me believe it.

Overall, the book was good, just the chemisty wasn't totally believable.

— 3.5 stars ★

Thoughts Ꮺ
— This debut novel was a delight to read! I wish we could do half stars because while it wasn't a four star read for me, it was close. I wasn't expecting the amount of depth from the lead characters but was pleasantly surprised. The backgrounds from which the characters came from and how it shaped them in the present day felt natural and realistic. The themes used were complex but were explored in a careful manor that still made the book fun!

The lead characters were very cute. I loved that while Ellie is a plus size woman, her arc doesn't involve her hating her body. as a fellow plus size girly, it was super refreshing to see that! Throughout the book, she gains the confident to stand her ground and go after what she really wants. It's not a "spur of the moment" decision that we see some leads in novels make. This story progresses things along smoothly and in the end, reactions and actions make total sense!

Sometimes, I felt like tropes were thrown in just to not be explored any further. at some point, fake dating was involved and I expected it to go on for a bit longer, thinking the media might have caught ahold of the situation. It wasn't entirely a bad thing, I just liked the fake dating dynamic and had fun when they finally indulged in their wants! Along with that, I think the random time skips threw me around too much. Sometimes we'd skip a few days here and there and then we'd skip three months. Time skips are good to help reduce repetitiveness, but I would have maybe thought a quicker deadline would be fitting to help pace things along!

overall Ꮺ
— I'll definitely keep an eye out for future books by Sarah Chamberlain! This book was a super easy read and if you're a foodie - this is perfect for you.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

The description of this book was misleading and did not fit what I was looking for. That's always frustrating for the reader, and I assume also frustrating for the author.

The Slowest Burn is just that…. The slowest burn and I loved it!! This is Sarah Chamberlain’s debut and I hope to see more from her in the future. This is just the sweetest love story, dual POV, opposites attract, etc. We get the writing of a cookbook, a chef, and all the right ingredients for an easy 4-star read. Pick this one up- you’ll be so glad you did!!

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy of this book.