Love from Scratch

This is the second book in a series and focuses on Ethan, a movie star, and his chef turned dog sitter, Hazel.

I loved Ethan in the previous book and was really keen to see him get his Happily Ever After.

Hazel is a bit prickly in the beginning which is a perfect foil to Ethan’s charming personality. She’s not impressed by his status and he finds that refreshing. She’s also attractive in an unconventional way. Not too polished and totally authentic.

I love Italian food so all I wanted to eat while reading this book was pasta. Be warned, you may get the urge to cook!

This was a really fun read. I liked this author. She writes dialogue well and these two characters has plenty of chemistry.

Steamy without being too blush inducing as well.

I received an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a fun read with lovely characters, a charming setting and plenty of cute animal moments. While it is a true romance, it avoids some of the annoying tropes by injecting some realism into the decision making by the characters, which is very refreshing. A perfect book for lying on the beach or sitting on the plane on the way to your next holiday,

I absolutely adored this book! It was the perfect light hearted romcom with its heart in your mouth moments waiting to see how Hazel and Ethan would get their happily ever after. Special mention of course to Kevin the car (whose attitude is 100% all cats everywhere) and Harry the dog who chewed too much but won hearts anyway. I haven't yet read Sit Stay Love despite having it on my shelf but will definitely be looking forward to going back and reading that story as well.

A delicious rom com featuring a celebrity pairing and reverse grumpy/ sunshine and he falls first tropes. I was prepared not to like up and coming movie star Ethan but I was once he stated he didn’t want to be typecast as the ‘rom com animal guy’ I was sold! I liked that he was down to earth despite his fame and seemed genuinely nice. Hazel was also a great character. I loved that she was a chef and lived in a tiny house. Their banter and chemistry was amazing and there was definitely some spice- both varieties!

I liked that both characters had their own issues to work through- Ethan his fear of dogs and Hazel trying to find a new job and get her cooking mojo back. A perfect mix of romance, humour and something a bit more meaty to keep you engaged. I’m keen to go back and read Amy’s first novel Sit Stay Love now.

This was so cute - a lovely rom com with reverse grumpy/sunshine vibes! Ethan is down to earth and Hazel was full of life. I liked how both characters worked through their own challenges - combined with a mix of romance, humour and adorable animals

Love From Scratch is absolutely adorable! It follows Ethan, the movie star that we met in Sit, Stay, Love.

I really enjoyed the story progression and Ethan's character development in this second book. I loved Hazel and Ethan's chemistry, but my favourite characters were definitely Harry and Kevin.

I also liked the theme of overcoming adversity in the book. Hazel is currently working as a dog sitter, despite being a prominent chef, due to a bad experience with a customer. She struggles to reignite her passion for cooking, until she meets Ethan. Ethan also struggles with his past experiences with dogs, and finds that talking about it and being honest with himself helps him to overcome it.

I really enjoy Amy Hutton's writing, it's fun and easy to read. She also writes great banter, and threads her books with an Australian humour that I love. Super interested to see if there's another book to come, I want more Violet.

Big thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for the eARC.

Love From Scratch was a beautiful light hearted read. I read it in 24 hours! I really enjoyed the reverse grumpy / sunshine feel to this book, the MMC had some serious golden retriever energy!

There was a strong theme of overcoming adversity in the book. We learn that both Ethan and Hazel's have things they are trying to bury in the past, but together, with eachother, they tackle them and chase down their dreams.

This was my first Amy Hutton novel, you definitely doke need to read her earlier novel to love this one!
I really enjoyed the writing style, the characters were complex, and I really loved their chemistry and banter!

Big thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for the eARC

I really enjoyed this book. It was predictable and cute but had me engrossed for what I knew would be the outcome. This is in many ways an old fashioned romantic novel away from the violence that we see so often. Sit back. Put your feet up and enjoy the magic of love

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.

Holy wow!!! “Love from Scratch” is a delightful rom-com that seamlessly weaves together humor, charm, and heart. At its core, the story revolves around Ethan James, a charismatic actor on the brink of a career-defining movie shoot, a cute dog named Harry who I have fallen in love with, and Hazel, a recently unemployed sous chef with a sarcastic wit and a grumpy cat named Kevin.

The premise is simple yet captivating: Ethan needs someone to care for his anxious dog, Harry, during filming, and Hazel, in desperate need of employment, reluctantly takes on the task. From the moment they meet, sparks fly between Ethan’s flashy charm and Hazel’s no-nonsense attitude, setting the stage for a series of hilarious misunderstandings and witty exchanges.

But perhaps the true scene-stealer is Kevin the cat, whose inexplicable fondness for Ethan adds an extra layer of intrigue to the plot. As Kevin’s affection for Ethan grows, so too does Hazel’s curiosity, leading her to question whether there’s more to Ethan than meets the eye.

As the story unfolds, readers are treated to a rollercoaster of emotions, from laugh-out-loud moments of hilarity to heartwarming scenes of connection and romance. With its witty dialogue, engaging plot, and memorable characters, “Love from Scratch” is a must-read for fans of romantic comedies and anyone in need of a feel-good escape.

Well, this was fun!
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an eARC of Love from Scratch.
Ethan James is an Aussie actor and heartthrob. Hazel Conor is a down on her luck chef.
When Hazel is employed as a dog sitter for Ethans dog, Harry, sparks fly, partly due to Hazel's cat, Kevin, falling for the movie star.
It was great to see that Hazel is no pushover and treats her career with serious consideration.
Will they get the happy ending they deserve? Read it yourself to find out.

All I knew about this book before reading was that there was a cat. That’s all I needed. But I really enjoyed reading the book, I loved the characters (the animals the most too. Kevin is the best).

I love reading books set in Australia and I’m glad this is another one I’ve come across.

The MMC sounded soooo dreamy and I think I want one.

I love that the FMC is a tall goddess with amazing kitchen skills and it made me so hungry reading this book. I also learnt a fact about heritage tomatoes which was cool.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this!

I really enjoyed this book! If you like light-hearted, easy to read rom-coms, this may be for you. I enjoyed the characters (including Harry the dog and Kevin the cat, whose attitudes are spot on) and had a few laugh out loud moments that I wasn’t expecting. I’ll definitely be reading this one again!

Hazel has moved to the Gold Coast to recover from a traumatic incident that caused her to lose her chef’s job in Sydney and to search for another suitable job to get here career back on track. She takes on short term work as a dog minder to Ethan, a star, while his latest movie is being filmed on the Gold Coast.

Hazel is disdainful of Ethan, regarding him as superficial like many famous people. He is pleased to find someone who is not fawning over him and is not impressed by his fame. Soon they discover that there is more to each other than they first realise.

The standard of writing and the characterisation is very good. Unlike many novels where the heroine is petite, Hazel is six foot tall which gives rise to some amusing exchanges such as Ethan’s comment that he can look at her from his six foot four without getting a crick in his neck and when Hazel rescues him from a gaggle of teenage fans one of whom asks if she is his body guard.

On the whole the book is readable and entertaining. My only criticism is that it is a shade too long. It is cut above the usual romance novel.

I wanted to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.

Ethan and Hazel couldn't be further in career paths. He's a budding movie star and she's a down on her luck chef. While Ethan is preparing to film his next movie, a sequel to the hit romcom 'Sit, Stay, Love', he requests some professional pet minding assistance for his dog Harry. While interviewing potential candidates, he is introduced to Hazel, and from then on their lives become acquaintances to friends to head over heels for each other.

When going into this, I didn't realise this novel was a sequel, and even if I hadn't known, it reads perfectly as a stand alone. I loved Ethan's character, I loved Hazel's character and together I loved their banter. They sounded like a genuinely fun couple to write and it made me very happy to see Ethan find love after his supposed shafting for another man in the first instalment.

There were some issues towards the beginning of the book with how choppy I felt the writing to be. It didn't seem to flow very well and was quite robotic in tone. However, as the novel progressed, I noticed this less over time as more dialogue was introduced into the book. Amy has a great way with writing characters conversing and I found myself laughing with all of her characters witty comments.

I would also really like to personally thank Amy for giving her characters a pet name and NOT OVERUSING IT! It's a huge peeve of mine and the nicknames felt really sweet, deliberate and personal. As they should!

I did at times think the editing might have chopped off bits of the story haphazardly. We would be reading about one scene and immediately the following paragraph could be hours or even the next day later. It was quite jarring and took me out of the book. This book is split POV, but not per chapter, so both characters perspectives and described events are concurrent.

Overall it was an enjoyable read and I would totally recommend it to anyone who loves a cosy and light-hearted romance.

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.

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.

⭐⭐⭐⭐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!

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.