I was very lucky to get my hands on a sneak read of Amy Hutton’s latest gem, Love From Scratch, dropping June 5th! My first digital read and what a way to kick it off! 📱

After bingeing thrillers and heavy hitters, this warm, fuzzy rom-com was exactly what I needed in my life.

Amy describes her books as funny and uplifting, emotional and a little steamy. Tick, tick, tick and TICK!

Cute boy-meets-girl story? Check. Witty banter? Double check. Relatable characters? Triple check! (Hazel and Meredith's friendship is pure gold).

Add in the bonus of an adorable puppy and cat duo where I may, or may not, have finished the novel and gone straight to my local pet adoption website looking for my own Harry! 🐶🐱

While it was a light hearted read, it covered some important topics really well - tackling disappointment, resolving family conflicts, managing relationships and how easy and quick we can be to judge people.

This was a fun, feel good read that not only had me giggling and wanting to adopt a new pet, but also reevaluating my TBR pile – more rom-coms, please! 🌈📚

This is a fun story. I will wait until after it is published to show a photo and give a quick review on my social media.

Aimed at a much younger age group than me, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The two characters are both very likeable and the plot does have some believable twists and turns.

Terrific genre fiction and it will be popular. It served as a fun light read for me that took me onto film sets and into kitchens. The sex scenes were well done but a bit long for me!!

If you are a fan of Grumpy/sunshine, you will adore this book. It’s amusing and heartwarming and you will probably fall just a little in love with Ethan yourself.
Kevin the cat is the archetypal aloof cat, yet he’s kittenish with Ethan. Is Hazel the only one who doesn’t fall for Ethan’s charm? What if two ambitious people want their careers and love? I enjoyed it.

This book is written for a very specific audience and that audience is just not me.

The plot has potential with two ambitious people chasing their careers leading them to different places but the storytelling was so bland and by the 102nd mention in what felt like every second chapter of deep blue, ocean blue, sparkly blue, sky blue, blue blue eyes (cos both mc’s have blue eyes) and long long legs, tall frame, have you seen supermodels? Runway not magazine, long legs, did I mention she has long legs? Long legs - What could have been a fantastic story about chasing our dreams became more about how they looked, his collagen skincare routine and going out for runs… tbh I should have just DNF and moved on.

Then there’s all the unnecessary filler dialogue, had I skipped a few pages, we would still be at the same place and this is not a long book.

Overall, the characters weren’t interesting, the banter was boring and there’s no spice.

It was at least easy to read, I didn’t hate the book & I did like the nickname Nut for the fmc named Hazel

cawpile rating | 6.00 (equates to 3 stars)
thoughts | ✧Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Aus for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.✧

I’m not going to lie… the best part about this book for me was the animals. Kevin and Harry absolutely stole the show! I need to read more books that involve animals as side characters, because they put a smile on my face the whole way through!

I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it. I found myself cringing more often than not and I felt like our FMC, Hazel, was missing a bit of substance. She came off as quite a judgemental, angry person. I don’t blame her though when the people in her life (*cough cough* her sister and best friend) believe she’s not worth being ‘girlfriend’ material. Or at least that’s how it came across.

On the other hand, I did really enjoy our golden retriever type MMC, Ethan and his dog, Harry! He was hilariously charming.
Over all, Love From Scratch was a fun, easy and quick read!

Hazel Conor is an out of work chef, with a grumpy cat called Kevin, who is pet sitting to pay the bills. Ethan James is a movie star on the verge of making it big and needs a full time dog minder for his anxious dog, Harry, while he shoots a film in Queensland. Hazel isn’t easily charmed by Ethan when she takes on the job, but Kevin and Harry begin to change her mind about him. Hazel and Ethan have to manage their feelings for each other whilst their careers pull them in opposite directions.

This was a super cute, lighthearted romcom that was well written, well paced with realistic dialogue and characters. The third act break up made sense and was almost sweet, although it was maybe resolved too easily. I liked that both characters were ambitious and didn’t give up their career opportunities for each other. I liked that Hazel was tall and this was referenced throughout - refreshing when a lot of romance novels put a focus on describing the FMC as tiny compared to the MMC.
I signed up for this ARC when I saw there was a cat involved and I was so happily surprised by this book by a local Sydney author!

Chef Hazel and movie star Ethan never expected to cross paths but with help of Kevin the cat and Harry the dog they will set you on a cosy story of their journey. This was a lovely read and hard to put down. It was warm and welcoming as well as an easy read.

As a newcomer to Amy Hutton's literary realm, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the sheer brilliance of her storytelling. I didn’t realise this was the second book in the series about hunky Ethan James but it is not necessary to read it as this could serve as a “stand alone” and you can still admire the masterpiece! However - if you want a better background and understanding of the charming main character and his down to earth and slightly complex backstory, it might make reading this book even better if you start there!

The writing style was a feast for the senses, the characters rich and multifaceted, and the chemistry between them crackled with an electricity that kept me eagerly turning each page. I adore a book with sheer good banter and this had the perfect amount!

The book's delightful concoction of reverse grumpiness and sunshine, expertly mixed by the author, gave it a unique flavour

Within its pages, I discovered a tale woven with the threads of resilience, as both Ethan and Hazel grapple with their pasts, seeking solace in each other's company as they bravely confront their demons and chase after their aspirations.i loved the originality of both characters- they were not stereotypical and each had their own quirks and not just a chef and movie star but personality with a punch!

Not to mention the adorable element of pets to appeal to dog or cat lovers- it caters to both!
An added bonus of being an Australian reader was of course appreciating the local mentions and being able to picture exactly the landscape of where this was taking place on the beautiful Sunshine Coast.

A heartfelt thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for granting me the privilege of delving into this enchanting world ahead of its release!

Well that was the most purrfectly cute romcom I have read in a while! The two main characters give literally black cat and golden retriever ( or in this case loveable jack Russell) energy.

What do you get when you combine a heartbroken actor and a down on her luck chef turned dog sitter? You get a lot of sassy banter, charming behaviour, animal antics and just a bit of soul searching and maybe even love? Some of the highlights of the story for me were:

- Kevin the cat, he ishis own vibe and I'm here for it!
- He falls first and hardest
- Reverse Grumpy x Sunshine
- Great Spice 🔥
- Fun banter
- Absolutely loved the little bits of Aussie slang I spotted throughout.

2.5 ⭐️

This book follows movie star Ethan and pet sitter Hazel in a sweet Aussie romance.

♥️ The good:

I liked the Aussie setting being an Aussie myself, I want to read more books where I recognise the place names and culture.
Kevin (the cat) and Harry (the dog) were the stars of the book. I too get personally offended when my cat likes someone more than me 👀

😞 The bad:

I don't think this book was for me.
I never really cared about either Ethan or Hazel, I didn't find either to be likeable so I was never invested in their romance. I'm also not a fan of instalove, they were both so into each other so quickly and I've never been able to relate to that. I thought Hazel came across as quite rude and Ethan lacked depth.

If you like a book with a cute and silly plot and funny pets as side characters this one may be for you!! It was just not for me unfortunately 😭

Thanks to NetGalley and Amy Hutton for providing the arc ♥️

First off the bat, if you haven't read Sit, Stay Love than you might want to do yourself a favour and give it a read and it has mentions through this book about some things from the other book. But could also read this as a standalone.

Thank you Simon and Schuster and netgalley for giving me a chance to read an ereader arc of this book.

This romcom was so cute, I was cheering on Hazel and Ethan's relationship the whole time, the banter that they both had in this book was great and I loved how they're pets knew that they would like each other. Hazel's grumpy to Ethan's sunshine was definitely the right amount and the nicknames were spot on.

Firstly I love that this book is set in Australia. I love that there is a cheeky cat that is the exact description of what a cat should be. I love opposites attract. I am a new fan of Amy Hutton and I am adding her to my must read along side Christina Lauran and Paige Toon.

This book is quirky, cute and funny. You will laugh out loud wherever you are. a great follow up to Sit, Stay, Love. Ethan and Hazel are hard not to love.

The Perfect rom com that ticks all the boxes in the best possible way. It has a naughty little dog that you can't help but love and a feline too. The romance is swooning as the Tv series kicks off so does the plot.

I enjoyed this light, funny and entertaining story!

The characters were unique in their own way, especially Hazel who is a chef turned dog minder due to her past experience.

I love that it is set in Australia being an Australian. I love the integration of Australian culture in the book.

Though I would’ve preferred more conflict across the book, the books was entertaining enough to keep me engaged all throughout

I can’t wait for more new things from Amy!

⭐⭐⭐⭐½

What a beautiful book! Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the Advanced Reader Copy.

I loved this book. I didn't know Love from Scratch was the second in a series, but thankfully it could be read as a stand alone. The romance was swoony, the characters flawed but loveable and the story was great. There was a small section in the middle where the story did slow down a little for me, but it picked up again quickly.

I loved the grumpy vs sunshine dynamic between Hazel and Ethan, and I really enjoyed that both characters were equally ambitious, and equally unapologetic about that fact.

As a fellow cat mum, I also loved the anguish that Kevin the cat put Hazel through. I've included the quote below to demonstrate what I mean 🤣

' 'You're really sweet, aren't you, Kev?' Ethan said.
'No, he's not sweet at all,' Hazel countered.
Who did this guy think he was, marching in and declaring that her cat was sweet? Her cat was an arsehole.'

Such a fun book, and I need to get my hands on the first book in the series now!

I only found out after reading it that this book is actually a sequel, but I feel like it made complete sense as a standalone novel!

The characters in this one just did not do it for me, I was annoyed by both of them and struggled to root for their romance. And as much as I do love a ridiculous premise and unrealistic plot, I need to love the characters to make it work and unfortunately I just didn't get that here.

The writing style makes it easy to read, and I did get through it quite quickly! But I was never particularly enjoying the experience as I was too busy hating on both of the protagonists.

This was an entertaining book. It’s a light, easy read that keeps the pages turning as we see what will happen between the heart throb actor and the chef turned dog minder.
I didn’t realise this was a sequel until after I started reading it, but it stands alone easily. It has plenty of humorous moments, and its fair share of romance too. The characters are likable and any book that includes a dog and a cat has to be good, right? For a light hearted read, this is the one to pick.

Almost wanted to bail when I started reading and found it was third pov, so glad I didn't!
I really fell in love with this story and the characters.
I love it when you get to read about the friendship and bond that characters build before moving to *sealing the deal* 🤣
The additions of Kevin and Harry were to die for!
The only thing that did get me with this read was I got stumped, more than once, was the little scene jumps from one sentence to the next. Might just be cause I'm not used to reading third pov style.
But I really loved this happy read!

Thank you once again for the opportunity to read this ARC via NetGalley and the author Amy Hutton.

This book offers a cute and refreshing read, that will leave you feeling happy once closing the book. Ethan, a movie star, finds himself in need of someone to care for his dog as he embarks on a new film project. Enter Hazel, a talented chef, who steps in to assist.

Set in Australia, the story involves the inclusion of adorable animal companions, aka Harry and Kevin. Their presence adds a bonus to the already sweet story.

Blending humour, animals and romance this book is a perfect choice for those seeking a light-hearted rom-com.

Scheduled for release on June 5th, it's definitely worth adding to your TBR.

This was my first book by Amy Hutton and it certainly won't be the last!
The blurb about a cat called Kevin sucked me in as my Dad's name is Kevin!
I also own a black cat so this was the perfect story for me.

I absolutely fell in love with Hazel and could totally relate to Kevin and his antics.
What a little cutie Harry sounds and his owner Ethan sounds just divine!

I loved every bit of this story and could actually visualise the Sunshine Coast settings as I live in Brisbane and frequent that area often.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.