Thank you to NetGalley and Bramble Romance for the eArc!

I was recommended this one by a friend I trust wholeheartedly because it has a type one diabetic character and jumped on the opportunity to apply for this arc.

This was a fun read with a wonderful representation of T1D and loved the authors note at the end explaining Cynthia’s connection to diabetes.

Here is what you need to know:

Ellie Pang is a 28 year old with Type one diabetes who is ready to see if she can make it on her own after a proposal gone awry. She declines the “man of her family’s dreams” to choose something that is more authentic to her. (I mean who is truly ready to marry someone after 2 months?!?) But with her rejection of George her family also cut her off unless she changes her mind.

Ellie, who is not content with being under the manipulative thumb of her family any longer moves across the country to finally fulfill her dream of opening a bakery. But as she makes the move across she comes into contact with someone she hasn’t seen in 10 years- Alec Mackenzie, her brother’s best friend and the first man to break her heart. Will Ellie finally be able to make her sweet dreams come true? Or will it all be burnt to a crisp?


My thoughts:
The T1D portrayal was near perfect! And the way Cynthia educated readers through the process felt seamless and authentic. I enjoyed the book overall but it felt cheesy at times, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but might not be for everyone. Also the drama between the family was at an all time high! And love the growth that Ellie showed throughout the book.

Overall I would recommend to a person that likes romance who is interested in learning more about diabetes.

Spice: 2 open door scenes

I really enjoyed this story! I liked the story line and the characters are really entertaining.

Ellie is tired of her parents micro-managing her life, her job, her diabetes, etc. She packs up and moves to the opposite side of the country to escape them. She buys a bakery unseen and when she gets there, finds it is in really bad condition. However, her brother's best friend, Alec, is in the same town and helps her. He's in need of a fake girlfriend and she needs construction help he can give her. They decide to work together for both their benefits and soon a real romance brews up.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Awesome romcom by this debut author that just came out May 6! Definitely check this out if you love a good enemies to lovers trope. Brilliantly written characterization of Type 1 diabetes in the FMC. The banter was witty and it has a good conclusion. I know it left me wanting more and hoping we get a sequel for some of the supporting characters! I could see this developing into a great romcom trilogy. The writing flowed smoothly and it was such a fun, easy read. Perfect vacation read for this summer. You will fall in love with the main characters and the supporting characters. I just wish I had some of the recipes mentioned in the book!

Ellie Pang has a micromanaging family and type 1 diabetes. Her parents orchestrate a public proposal that goes humiliatingly viral, so Ellie moves across the country to open a sugar-free bakery. The storefront needs major renovations, and the only one who is available to help is her brother's best friend, Alec Mackenzie. The problem is, he broke her heart ten years ago. As awkward as that feels, Alec has an awkward need of his own: a pretend girlfriend to help him with a business deal. But as the two fake date, Ellie realizes some feelings never really went away.

Ellie's mother isn't just micromanaging her; she's regulating every potential aspect of her adult life and treating her as a mentally damaged and disabled woman. She wrangled the proposal for business prospects, paid off her boss to fire her and force her into the family fold, and belittled every attempt at independence in the name of their Chinese Indonesian heritage. That's beyond the pale and nothing like traditional filial piety that her mother used to control her. As damaged as the storefront property was that Ellie leased, I was proud of her for breaking free to establish herself. She tried to be independent, but of course, her supportive brother asked his best friend to look after her and help, since he owned a property management company in the area. He was looking into a lucrative business merger for his company, but was uncomfortable with the single CEO asking him for dinners. Hence, the fake dating trope we love so much.

Along with the usual complications of fake dating with real feelings present is Ellie's type 1 diabetes. Her sugar drops are a concern, and we see the various responses to her condition. Her mother considered her incompetent and fragile, one character was condemning and disgusted, and Alec tried to learn more, but was still panicked. It is an illness to consider in her everyday life, but it is simply another facet of her that doesn't change who she is. Ellie has great strength of character, not just for addressing the reality of her physical life, but for the emotional strain of her family, starting her own business,s and the relationship. I really liked her throughout the novel and kept cheering her on. I think you will, too.

This was so so cute 💚 I loved the story about how Ellie followed her dream and found independence along the way. She knew what she deserved from the beginning and I love that in an FMC. An inspirational story. The banter and bickering between Ellie and Alec was so good! The way he cared and wanted to learn about her diabetes was so sweet 🥹 Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and this story did not disappoint. The adorable cover drew me in - but I enjoyed this even more than I expected to! I love the diversity and this is a great book to start off AAPI month with.

Thank you NetGalley and Bramble and the author for an arc for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

This is currently a standalone romance book told in the first person of Ellie.

I enjoyed Ellie’s perspective on what was going on. She was a little dramatic with her humor, which was funny for me, and it all stemmed from genuine feelings. I liked the author’s writing style for her and I didn’t miss Alec’s perspective.

Ellie has Type 1 Diabetes. I appreciate how it was weaved into the story and how other’s ignorance about her experience with her diagnosis didn’t deter her from what she knew she could do or be.

I’m Ellie’s mom’s biggest hater. I don’t blame Ellie for the choices she made.

This is a fake dating story between people who have history. The fake dating moments were cute. The banter and “hatred” between Ellie and Alec was fun. I felt the chemistry. I don’t know how I feel about how some of it played out in the end because I understood both side.

One of them was flip floppy that part of it didn’t land for me the way a will they, won’t they usually does for me.

I really liked the bakery setting and how that played out. I also liked Ellie’s relationship with her brother and her brother’s girlfriend, her best friend.

Read this for:
🧁 Fake dating
🧁 Brother’s best friend
🧁 Childhood crush
🧁Type 1 Diabetes rep
🧁 Bakery Owner x Construction Company Owner
🧁 Starting over in a new town

OVERALL

Overall, I give this a 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend this for fake dating and bakery lovers and anyone who is a fan of humor. I want to go back and read more from this author.

3.5 stars

From the get-go, I thought that I was going to love this book.
I really loved the diabetes representation, especially since it specifies the difference between type 1 (which Ellie has) and type 2. It was an element that was consistent through out. It wasn't Ellie's whole character, but it was obviously something that made her, her. (I will say that there was one part here she changes her pump and sensor and the author describes how the metal needle has to come out of her body, and then the new needle stays in. The needle does not stay. Just like an IV. It facilitates the plastic tube, but comes out.) There is quite a bit of abelism related to her being diabetic too, just FYI.

However, no matter how much I enjoyed that, the romance wasn't my favorite. I thought that there were too many weird secrets that didn't need to happen. I wanted more from the actual romantic interactions between the characters. This is a fake dating/second chance romance, but I didn't feel like we got to actually experience the growth between them.

Also, Ellie finds a couple new girl friends early on in the book, but instead of their friendship growing, they felt like they were only there for Ellie to talk about her relationship problems. We never hear them talk about anything else. AND the dialogue between them felt like a couple's therapist. It was too on the nose for me.

I think that the author's writing style was every easy to read and I will definitely check out more in the future. For a romance, that part was just a bit lacking for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exch

3.5⭐
Genre ~ multicultural romance
Setting ~ Washington
Publication date ~ May 6, 2025
Publisher ~ Tor
Est Page Count ~ 325 (30 titled chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 10 hours 36 minutes
Narrator ~ Eunice Wong
POV ~ single 1st
Featuring ~ debut, small town, fake relationship, forced proximity, slow burn, roommates to lovers, enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend, best friend’s sister, minimal steamage

Ellie (28) has had enough of her OVERBEARING mother, who is not only mad that she didn’t marry a man she doesn’t love just because of his family connections, but she also got fired her from her job. Wow, what a supportive mother, not! She takes the cake and there's definitely no sweetness in it.

Now is as perfect a time as any to move across the country, purchase a storefront and follow her dream of owning a bakery. Unfortunately when she arrives she discovers the store has recently been ruined from a storm. Luckily though her brother’s best friend, and her childhood crush/enemy, Alec, lives in town and is in the construction business. They work a deal ~ he’ll find her contractors and she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend in order to close a business deal.

Some of the recipes she makes sound super duper scrumptious. I want to try them all. All sugar free and low carb since she has type 1 diabetes. It’s apparent the author is knowledgeable on the topic as we get the ins and outs of what it’s like living with it, and that’s confirmed in the author's note.

I was really rooting for Ellie to succeed because I've never been so happy to see a character leave their family behind to follow a dream. Well really just her mother because her brother was perfectly fine and supportive. Although I tagged this as brother's best friend/best friends sister that trope isn't explored as they typically are.

I did like Ellie & Alec together to an extent, but I really wish this was dual POV, so that we weren’t just assuming Alec’s feelings. Also, I wouldn’t have minded some flashbacks to when they first met 20 years ago to get a glimpse of their crush on each other. This would have made me feel their connection slightly more. A little too slow burn for me waiting for them to figure everything out, but all works out as we know it would.

Overall, a well written debut. I enjoyed the friendships Ellie made with Kim and Jenna and it’d be nice if they got their own books. Alec's friend, Rob, sounds like a nice fella, too.

The way Ellie and Alec had me giggling throughout Salty, Spiced, and a little bit sweet!
Ellie, as child has had to navigate through the stigma, comments & life changes of her new diagnosis of diabetes. This hit close to home, between parternal grandparents & my partner, I see & hear the criticism, the obstacles with food, diet choices & insulin adjustments made to be able to enjoy things in take without an issue or second thought. Ellie prided herself as a teen, baking delicious treats that were heathy and diabetic friendly. A little closer to normalcy.

Ellie’s strained relationship with her parents, mainly mom, and the interference in her life has become enough. Moving across country to try and make a new life for herself that she has control over, she finds herself in Port Benedict. She has her sights and goals set on a Bakery where she can sell her diabetic friendly/heathy treats to all. She’s got the perfect, beautiful location but after a storm..the store needs a bit of work to say the least.

In comes her sworn childhood enemy, her brother’s best friend, Alec.. to the rescue, that she first unwillingly wants to take. The two strike a deal, Alec will help Ellie out with the damage to her store as long as Ellie pretends to be his girlfriend. The line between hate,fake dating “in love” & reality starts to blur reaaaally quick!

The slow burn, the anticipation, the true feelings coming out had me reeled in completely! I was swooning, I was giggling at their banter, I was yelling at my screen telling them to just profess those feelings already!! You get allll of the good tropes.. enemies to lovers, brothers best friend, slow burn, fake dating, diverse characters. The blend of important, hard topics like difficult family dynamics and expectations , life changing diagnosis’, while having a great balance of lightheartedness, comedy & beautiful romance rising was the cherry on top.. this romcom was a beautiful read! *Chef’s (or better put..) Baker’s kiss* 👩🏻‍🍳💋🧁☕️

Thank you Netgalley and Bramble for the chance to review! ❤️

My goodness Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice by Cynthia Timoti was absolutely delightful, and a captivating page turner!
Timoti's writing is a perfect mix of character, setting, love and laughter. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these characters.
I just found the whole book really interesting and charming.
A wonderfully written romantic comedy.

This is the perfect read to get you out of a reading slump.. which I was currently in. So thank you so much NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Bramble for giving me the opportunity to read and review Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice.

This book has a ton of my favorite tropes.. childhood crush, brother's best friend, enemies to lovers, crazy banter, and don't let me forget... only one bed!

I loved how strong of an FMC Ellie was. Not only was she forced to deal with the challenges associated with having an illness, but she was also faced with constant parental and societal pressures! She continued to push through, stay true to herself, and believe in herself throughout the entire book -- which made me love her so much more.

I love that she got to accomplish her dreams of owning her own bakery. How she took the setbacks and used them as a driving force to make her dreams become a reality. I really loved that for her.

I also love that Alec learned to embrace his fear of failing Ellie to become her number one supporter!

This one is definitely worth the read.

Childhood crush (who broke her heart) meets brother's best friend in this story about two people who fake a marriage in order to help each other's business... only old feelings are coming back and what started off as fake is beginning to feel very real. Ellie Pang has lived under the constant control of her wealthy family, who have been micromanaging her her entire life ever since she's been given her type 1 diabetes diagnosis. She's tired and wants to be free especially after her parents orchestrate a public proposal with their business partner's son that goes humiliatingly public. oh and she finds out that her mom paid her boss to fire her... from the job her mom paid to get for her. Ellie decides to run off and start her own business , a bakery, far away from her family's reach... but it's not as easy and the only person who can help her is Alec Mackenzie, her brother's best friend and her childhood crush who absolutely broke her heart ten years ago when he told her he didn't have any feelings for her at all and left. Now he offers her help in exchange she'll be his pretend girlfriend so he can cement a business deal... yet the more time they spend faking affection the harder it begins to separate acting from the very real romance they feel. When I tell you I just didn't care for this romance at all, there barely was any romance and the heavier focus was on the T1D storyline, which is fine but I was expecting a bit more. Ellie isn't a likable character and Alec is not a great love interest at all. I felt zero chemistry between them and honestly, didn't really believe their romance. I wish I could have liked this more but unfortunately it just kind of felt bland to me. I do think if you like stories about T1D characters you should absolutely give this a try though!

Release Date: May 6, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Bramble for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I really appreciated the type 1 diabetes representation in this one. I have several family members with the diagnosis who are so excited to pick this one up! I loved ellie and Alec together, their chemistry was fantastic and I really like seeing their individual character growth.

⭐️4.5

Debut novel alert—and it delivers! Cynthia Timoti’s *Salty, Spiced and A Little Bit Nice* is a charming, funny, and heartwarming read that blends the perfect recipe of romance, resilience, and representation. From page one, I was hooked by Ellie, our spirited and determined FMC who’s not only navigating life with type 1 diabetes, but also trying to reclaim her dreams after one too many sabotages from her overbearing mother.

When a viral proposal turns into a viral disaster, and she’s fired from her job (yes, thanks to mom), Ellie packs up what little savings she has and heads out to start fresh—ready to open her dream sugar-free bakery. The catch? There’s a literal tree through the roof. The silver lining? Alec, her childhood crush and her brother’s best friend, swoops in to help... but he’s got a business favor to ask in return. Cue the fake dating trope (swoon)!

Their chemistry? Delicious. The fake dating? Adorably messy. The tension? Spicy and so satisfying. Alec learns the ins and outs of type 1 diabetes to show up for Ellie in thoughtful, meaningful ways—even when she insists she’s got it handled. Between a steamy shower scene, a scary hypo, and a twist I didn’t see coming, I was flipping pages late into the night.

I especially loved the story’s honest portrayal of chronic illness and how Ellie fights to stand on her own two feet—even when the bakery flops at first. While I would've loved to see her business thrive on grit alone, the clever use of her viral fame felt authentic in today’s world. And Alec? His grand gesture (with cookies!) was perfectly sweet.

The epilogue ties everything up with a pretty bow, making this debut a standout. Cynthia Timoti is one to watch—this book has the heart, the heat, and the humor.

Sweet with a touch of spice, just like the title promises. Highly recommend!

What a debut novel! Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice is a delightful rom-com that blends down really sweet (😉) moments with a lot of cultural depth!

The FMC is Ellie Pang, a young woman with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who has an ultra controlling family and pressures her to marry someone that “fits” into their expectations. To escape her controlling family's expectations, Ellie runs away and plans to open a sugar-free bakery on the West Coast. Complicating this plan is our MMC, Alec Mackenzie, her brother’s best friend and former crush. Throne back together again, our MCs need each other’s help for their businesses, leading to a fake-dating arrangement that blurs the lines between pretense and genuine affection. I really loved their relationship and the quirky side characters that added some humor along the way!

As a T1D myself, I was SO impressed with this author’s dedication to “get it right” and the care and attention to detail that was written in Ellie’s voice about T1D. And Alec learning all he can about diabetes to support Ellie - SWOON!! 😍

Thank you Netgalley and Bramble Romance for an advanced reader copy of this book!

💉 T1D rep

👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏼 fake dating

🎭family drama

👩🏻‍🍳 baker/foodie FMC

👬brother’s best friend

🛁 bathroom scene

📻 grand gesture

eARC from #torpublishing #bramble and NetGalley

First, as a T1D of 29 years…this was one of the better on-page representations I’ve read: the misinformed general public that can’t believe you’re diabetic because you “aren’t old enough,” the subsect of people that think you can’t do or eat something because of the diabetes, the chip on your shoulder to prove you are capable despite the extra burden of manually performing a vital organ’s responsibilities all day everyday…

This one also gave major butterflies as Alec and Ellie have a history of being from same community: Alec is Ellie’s brothers best friend from childhood, and now there is a bit of a forced proximity, enemies to lovers thing going on!

The banter and tension were both well done, and there were multiple forms of conflict that felt big while not being the “annoying” third act break up we all love to hate.

I recommend this one if you’re looking for a sweet, semi-spicy romance!

Reading debut novels, you always wonder if an author has truly found their voice or if it will evolve with their next book. For Cynthia, she nailed it - don’t change a thing! The push and pull of her protagonist, coupled with the supportive, endearing, and comical personalities of her secondary characters - every part of this novel held my attention right to the very end!

Having Type I diabetes should not define you! Easy to say - but try telling that to Ellie Pang’s parents. From the moment she was diagnosed, she’s been treated like a frail piece of glass, and she’s had enough. While Ellie has endured plenty from her family, the humiliation of a failed proposal that’s gone viral, paired with losing her job - both thanks to her mother (who refuses to forgive her for saying no to the country’s most eligible and desired bachelor) - has pushed her to her breaking point.

Swearing her brother to secrecy, Ellie decides to move clear across the country to start fresh and finally make her dream come true: opening a bakery featuring low-carb, sugar-free desserts. Everything seems to be on track - until she opens the door to her dream location and finds herself staring at a tree!

As if that isn’t bad enough, her call for help to her brother somehow brings her face-to-face with her worst enemy - the man who tried to kill her ten years ago. Alec is the last person she wants to see, but, unfortunately, he seems to be the only person who can help with her disastrous store situation and her newly revealed homelessness. The catch? She has to pretend to be his girlfriend to help him close a business deal.

Almost certain she won’t last a day, let alone a few weeks, Ellie reluctantly agrees to the charade for the sake of her dream. What she doesn’t expect is to rekindle a long-buried fantasy that could change everything.

Ellie’s sarcasm was, without question, the highlight of this book. It didn’t matter if she was dealing with Alec, the store, or her friends - her quick, sharp quips kept a smile on my face from start to finish. Next on my list of favorites were the pros and cons lists. Cynthia handled these perfectly, introducing the concept early on but using them sparingly enough that they never became tiresome or overdone.

Beyond the humor, the overall structure of the story felt so natural. I honestly wasn’t sure how things were going to unfold. While parts of the plot had the slow-burn feel, it was Alec’s hot-and-cold behavior that kept things unpredictable and, at times, outright frustrating. Each time you thought their relationship was moving forward, Alec would take an enormous step back, leaving both Ellie and the reader exasperated.

Cynthia kept the book tastefully steamy, striking just the right balance. While there were definite hot and heavy moments, she kept the descriptive language restrained, making the intimate scenes short, sweet, and more figuratively vibrant than overtly graphic.

While the book delved into the theme of being defined by your limitations, its deeper focus was on the lasting impact of parental control and the weight of their choices.

Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice took readers on such an incredible journey! Watching Ellie’s transformation was nothing short of inspiring. She started as a caterpillar, completely under her mother’s control, and blossomed into a stunning butterfly, vibrant and free. Her journey of self-discovery - finding her self-worth, cultivating genuine friendships, and finally stepping into the fierce, unapologetic Ellie 2.0 - was a triumph to behold. Her story is a powerful encouragement to any reader who needs that final push to take back the reins, silence the critics, and live life to its fullest.

Spoilers have been removed.

SALTY, SPICED, AND A LITTLE BIT NICE -- Cynthia Timoti
Bramble
ISBN: 978-1250343475
May 6, 2025
Romantic Comedy

Port Benedict, Washington – Present Day

Ellie is trying to start over in a new town while temporarily living with a man from her past whom she once had a crush on. After accepting his help, he asks her to be his pretend girlfriend so he can close a business deal. How can she pretend to be in love with him when she hates him after he rejected her ten years ago? Or will the attraction return?

Ellie Pang has the most annoying parents as they attempt to control her life in every way they can, including orchestrating a public marriage proposal from the guy she had gone out on a couple of dates. She turned the guy down, much to her mother’s displeasure, but the video of the failed proposal went viral on social media. Then, her mother paid her employer to fire her, with the objective that Ellie would come work at the family company. Ellie has had enough. Without telling her parents, she leaves New York City and ends up in Port Benedict, where she plans to open a bakery that caters to diabetics like her. Ellie had learned when she was a child that she was Type 1 diabetic, and since then, her parents had always hovered over her as if she was an invalid.

Ellie arrives to discover that a recent storm had damaged the store she bought sight unseen, including a tree through the roof. There’s no insurance and no one available to do repairs for weeks. Frustrated, she calls her brother, and he recommends someone local, who shortly shows up. It’s Alec Mackenzie, her brother’s best friend, and the guy Ellie had a crush on until he abruptly left ten years ago after breaking her heart. No way does she want him to help her. But she has no choice, and with limited funds and no place to live, he offers her a room at his house temporarily. Soon, Ellie’s dream of a bakery is going to be fulfilled, but will she survive living with the annoying Alec?

Ellie is part of an Indo-Chinese family, and her parents are wealthy. For this reason, her mother wants to choose who Ellie will marry, and George, the son of a business associate, is picked. For most of her life, Ellie has had to reject her parents controlling her life, especially since they treat her like an infant who can’t stand on her own two feet. The diabetes diagnosis was especially difficult as Ellie adjusted to the realities of her future. She has a good handle on it now, but it doesn’t change her mother’s mind. Meanwhile, Alec was part of Ellie’s childhood since he was her brother’s friend. But after a particularly bad diabetic episode, she saw her dreams of Alec paying attention to her crash when he rejected her and left town. Now she is forced to relive what happened. She hates Alec. Or so she thinks.

Alec owns a construction company and arranges for the repairs on her shop. She is also living under his roof and despite his insistence that they would barely see each other they do run into each other. After she learns about his paying some of her bills, she is angry. She wants to stand on her own two feet. Then he offers her a chance to “repay” him. She can pretend to be his girlfriend for a few weeks while he closes a deal with a handsy owner. Ellie isn’t sure if she can hide her attraction to Alec, but she agrees.

There is plenty of bickering and bantering in the deliciously fun SALTY, SPICED, AND A LITTLE BIT NICE. Readers will enjoy the tenaciousness of Ellie while watching her try to ignore the fact that she’s still attracted to Alec. He wants to help her, despite her stubbornness. Who will win the battle in the end? We can only hope it leads to love. Sit a while and enjoy the entertainment in SALTY, SPICED, AND A LITTLE BIT NICE.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Enemies to lovers • childhood crush • fake dating • diverse representation • diabetes rep • Snarky FMC, “it’s always been you” •
I actually enjoyed meeting Ellie and Alec. Turning down a proposal and fleeing her controlling parents, Ellie moves across the country to start her dream of opening a bakery. She finds herself needing help - enter childhood crush Alec. The two strike a deal to fake date in exchange for each other’s help. The rest is history. Funny, sweet, and heartwarming. I’m happy for the both of them for overcoming the challenges and doing what’s right and healthy for themselves.

4.25/5 stars

Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice by Cynthia Timoti is a romance between Chinese Indonesian, Ellie Pang, and her older brother Eric’s best friend, Alec Mackenzie. They’ve been estranged for ten years once Alec left Ellie after a medical incident, only for him to walk back into her life at Eric’s urging as Ellie steps into taking charge of her life by moving across country to open up her own bakery, away from her overbearing parents and their pressure of who she’ll marry and their expectation and demand of working for the family business.

Older brother’s best friend is one of my bread and butter elite tier tropes, and this book had me eating out of its pages in the same way I wished I could be eating literally any and all of Ellie’s baked goods. I have been in a lowkey reading slump, but this story defied that. For as frustrated as I was about internally shouting at the characters to just!! talk!! to each other!!! I had so much fun reading this book.

But really— it was in fact frustrating reading Alec’s mixed signals. I understand he needed time to grow and develop as a character, but man there were times when I wanted to (lovingly) shake some sense into him. Yet reading his journey into doing his own research and really taking initiative to learn what to cook and how to cater to and take care of Ellie and her diabetes made my stomach swoop. That!! is what I love!! in reading love interests in romance novels!!! (and honestly what I can only hope for from a partner in real life.)

While I am neither Indonesian nor Chinese and while there is no single way to live any one Asian American experience, I found that as a Filipina American, I could relate to some of the cultural values that Ellie was raised with, specifically that I was also raised to always and unquestioningly honor and respect one’s elders— much to the challenge of American-born-and-raised third culture kids. Similar to Ellie, I have also gotten into arguments with my parents when I’ve felt barreled over by certain expectations and differences in opinion, much to my parents’ chagrin, for they believed me disrespectful for simply questioning and having different beliefs. I’m lucky that my parents have never come close to the level of way of Ellie’s mother’s manipulation— all I’m saying is that I relate; I understand her in a very specific way, and despite the discomfort in vulnerability for feeling exposed in this way, I felt *seen.*

In the same way that there is no one way to be Asian American, there is no one way to experience disability, chronic illness, or type 1 diabetes, I felt that Timoti really took care with Ellie and living with diabetes. I absolutely loved that Ellie stood her ground on being able to take care of herself, especially when so many of those close to her acted in ways that never took her own choices into account. (Side note: shoutout to Nick Jonas, Ali Hazelwood’s Love, Theoretically, and this book for giving names, faces, and stories to people living with type 1 diabetes.)

Also!! The food!! I loved reading all of Ellie’s baked creations, and I especially loved reading all the Indonesian food. Food is such a major component of all cultures, and I loved feeling like Indonesian food and the *love* for Indonesian food was shared with me by way of reading this book.

I’m looking forward to reading more from Cynthia Timoti! Thank you, Netgalley and Tor Publishing | Bramble, for the ARC!