Tag: enemies to lovers

BLOG TOUR} A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by. Natalie Caña | ARC Review

Welcome to the blog tour for A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by. Natalie Caña!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: A Proposal They Can’t Refuse

Author: Natalie Caña

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 5/24/22

BUY HERE: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Publisher: MIRA

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Fake Dating, Childhood Best Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Rom-Com

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to MIRA for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” but make it Latinx when a Puerto Rican chef and an Irish American whiskey distiller are blackmailed into a fake relationship by their scheming octogenarian grandfathers.

Ain’t nobody got time for octogenarian blackmail, especially Kamilah Vega. Convincing her parents to update the family’s Puerto Rican restaurant and enter it into The Fall Foodie Tour is quite enough on her plate, muchas gracias. And with the gentrification of their Chicago neighborhood, the tour looks like the only way to save the place. Too bad her abuelo made himself very clear; if she wants to change anything in his restaurant, she must marry the one man she can’t stand: his best friend’s grandson.

Liam Kane spent a decade working his ass off to turn his family’s distillery into a contender. Now he and his grandfather are on the verge of winning a national competition. Then Granda hits him with a one-two punch: he has cancer and has his heart set on seeing Liam married before it’s too late. And his Granda knows just the girl… yup, you guessed it, Kamilah Vega.

If they refuse, their grandfathers will sell the building that houses their businesses, ruining all their well-laid plans. With their legacies and futures on the line, Kamilah and Liam plan to outfox the devious duo, faking an engagement until they both get what they want. But the more time they spend together, the more they realize how much there is to love. Soon, they find themselves tangled up in more than either of them bargained for.

Content Warning: Death, Illness

Kamilah and Liam were childhood best friends when a traumatic incident happened in Liam’s life and he started pushing her away. As adults they can’t stand to be around one another but everyone around them, especially their grandfathers, thinks they belong together. The scheming grandpas come up with a proposal – Kamilah and Liam have to get married or both grandpas will sell their family businesses, leaving the two with nothing. Kind of cutthroat of the grandpas if you ask me!

Kamilah is miss sunshine to Liam’s dark cloud. He’s the handsome, broody, anti-social grumpy one. Together the sparks fly and I couldn’t help root for them to have a happily ever after. Now there are other things going on in their lives. Kamilah is trying to figure out her life. She works hard at her family’s restaurant, a restaurant it seems her parents resent, but she wants to keep in the family. In fact she tries to save the restaurant all on her own and I thought it showed her love for her family but as the story continues we get to understand all the feelings the family has about the restaurant. As for Liam, he has PTSD from an incident that made him lose his father and Nana, and just trying to move on from that has been difficult. He pushes people away so he doesn’t have to feel that hurt again. Clearly these two have issues to work on and I love that the happily ever after included therapy and waiting to be better for the other person!

There were a few side characters I enjoyed a lot in this book. Kamilah’s brothers, Leo and Saint, who I hope get books of their own – Leo needs someone to take him down a peg or two haha. Kamilah’s best friend and cousins and Liam and his friends were fun. I loved that this whole cast felt like family, friends and a community. I love the puerto rican food that was mentioned and the whiskey distillery even though I don’t drink whiskey. It was lovely when they started being fused together. I also loved learning Irish American culture as well.

Honestly, I felt bad for Kamilah. Her family gave her such a hard time for her ideas. She did love her family, but they accused her of only loving herself. I just think they didn’t know how to communicate with one another. I thought it wasn’t fair that she got everyone’s anger, even if she was manipulated by her own grandpa. I know it’s supposed to be a funny story but there were some heavy moments and uncomfortable feelings when I was reading it. Like why are they pressuring her to get married and have kids? (Okay this definitely triggered me haha, I could relate big time.) I know some families believe in tough love (another trigger) but did she really deserve all of them abandoning her? It’s why I loved her brother Saint, he stayed by her side – I hope he gets a good love story.

Other than that, I thought Kamilah and Liam were cute together because they had their history. They get a happy ending, but also acknowledged they need to work on some things before saying “I Do.” I liked that.

Why you should read it:

  • childhood friends to enemies to lovers, fake engagement
  • the sense of community and family closeness, fun story
  • there is food and Puerto Rican culture, and Irish American culture reps

Why you might not want to read it:

  • maybe some triggering family moments

My Thoughts:

This lively story has a melting of cultures: Puerto Rican and Irish American. There is an abundance of family, friends, food and good times. But there are also some tough moments in this story especially when it comes to Liam’s past and the way with Kamilah tries to deal with her personal problems . The love story was cute though. Kamilah is the sunshine and Liam is the grumpy guy and I was rooting for their happy ending. I look forward to reading more from this author.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Natalie Caña writes contemporary romances that allow her to incorporate her witty sense of humor and her love for her culture (Puertominican whoop whoop!) for heroines and heroes like her. A PROPOSAL THEY CAN’T REFUSE is her debut novel.

Author website: http://nataliecana.com/services-and-pricing 

Twitter: @NatCanaWrites

Tik Tok: @nataliecwrites

Thank You, Next by. Andie J. Christopher | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Thank You, Next

Author: Andie J. Christopher

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 6/14/22

Publisher: Berkeley Books

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Enemies to Lovers

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Berkeley Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Alex Turner is never The One–but always the last one an ex dates before finding love–and now she’s determined to find out why in this hilarious new rom-com.

Single divorce attorney Alex Turner is watching reality TV when she sees her latest ex’s new fiancé picking out her wedding dress. Yet again, the guy she dumped went on to marry (or at least seriously commit to) the next person he dates after her. Fed up with being the precursor to happily ever after, she decides to interview all her exes to find out why.

Up-and-coming chef Will Harkness mixes with Alex like oil and vinegar, but forced proximity growing up means their lives are forever entwined. When Will learns Alex and her friends are going on a wild romp through Los Angeles to reconnect with her ex-boyfriends, he decides to tag along. If he can discover what her exes did wrong, he can make sure he doesn’t make the same mistake with Alex.

On this nonstop journey through the streets of LA, Alex realizes the answer to her question might be the man riding shotgun…

Content Warning: Parental Neglect

This has so much potential but it fell short for me.

One thing I loved about the story was Alex is a very successful young woman. She knows what she wants in every aspect of her life but even though she’s successful in most aspects of her life, the one place she keeps failing at are relationships. It’s totally understandable though because she never had the best childhood and her parents were hardly there for her emotionally and physically. So Alex has some things to work through. She tries to contact a few of her ex’s to ask them what was it about her that made them find someone so soon (and settle down) after dating her.

Will is Alex’s grandmother’s, step-son…yeah so it kind of weirdly makes him her step-uncle but they are NOT related by blood at all. For me, that’s still family and I wouldn’t even think about it haha, but in this story Will and Alex are pretty much the same age and very attracted to one another. They’ve kept their hands off one another for awhile – Will got married and divorced, and Alex has been dating. Will has now sworn off marrying again and concentrating on opening his own restaurant.

I love the diversity in this book. Alex is African American, her best friend Jane is pansexual, Charlee – who is Will’s friend is transgendered. I loved the scenes when Alex was with her friends, they are a fun group. I like the sparks between Will and Alex.

My issues with the story came with the writing but I had to remind myself this is an arc. There were lots of technical mistakes, like names changing: Lexi and Alex were interchanged which was awkward because Lexi is Alex’s grandmother, and Lana’s husband name changed as well. Hopefully those are fixed. Also we are in Alex and Will’s head a lot, mostly Alex’s and sometimes it slowed down the story. The story felt clunky at times, it didn’t have an easy flow to it.

Why you should read it:

  • great diversity of characters, fun friend group
  • enemies to lovers
  • Alex character growth

Why you might not want to read it:

  • lots of typos that hopefully will be corrected before publication
  • story didn’t flow easily, slow in the middle of the story

My Thoughts:

Overall I thought this one has so much potential. I like that Alex is a very successful female but she’s having problems in her love life. It’s an eye-opening journey for her and she has to find some of her relationship attachment issues. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers trope and thought she and Will had lots of sparks. I mostly enjoyed Alex’s friends who were a fun group when they were together. There were a bunch of typos that need to be fixed and the middle of the story dragged a bit but I still was rooting for an Alex and Will happy ending. I look forward to reading more from this author.

📚 ~ Yolanda

How to Be the Best Third Wheel by. Loridee De Villa | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: How to Be the Best Third Wheel

Author: Loridee De Villa

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 5/3/22

Publisher: Wattpad Books

Categories: Contemporary, Young Adult, Teen Readers, Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Coming of Age

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Wattpad Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A clean teen romance comedy about figuring out where you belong when all the constants in your life begin to change.

It’s the last year of highschool, and everything has changed . . .

After spending summer vacation in the Philippines with family, Lara returns to school eager to catch up with her close knit group of girlfriends. But within minutes of reuniting with her friends, she learns that not one, not two, but all three of them are now in relationships that blossomed over the summer. And to make matters worse, Lara’s long time frenemy, James, won’t stop bugging her in class and eventually forces her into tutoring him everyday after school.

Surviving high school was never easy to begin with, but with occupied friends, a hectic Filipino family, and her annoying childhood enemy pestering her more than ever, Lara tries to juggle everything, while trying to figure out her own place in the chaos.

Content Warning:

First off, a warning – this book does not have a happily ever after. Also it’s definitely more for teen readers.

Lara is dealing with a lot of things, and most Seniors in high school do. Her best friends came back from summer break all with boyfriends, she’s tutoring her childhood crush but now enemy James, and she’s trying to decide what she wants to do after high school.

I love the diversity and how Lara is a second generation filipino immigrant that lives in Canada. She is fluent in Tagalog which is nice and we get the Tagalog translations in English as well. I’m Filipino American, but my family speaks Ilocano, not Tagalog so I needed those translations. I totally related to some of the Filipino family dynamics, and the mentions of food was fantastic. I love how she has that family bond and also the family enemy (her cousin, Eliza). Who doesn’t have family drama?

I thought Lara and James’ relationship was funny because honestly, Lara is so dramatic. But I felt that was perfect for her character, because I remember being a teenager, and how everything was a big deal in that moment of my life. As an adult reading this book, of course I had moments I was rolling my eyes and cringing but I had to remind myself how it was in high school. I feel like lots of teens will be able to relate to Lara’s worries about her path in life after high school.

Lara’s best friends in this book was always leaving her out to dry and that sucked. I get that dating also is such a big deal in high school as well but I felt bad for Lara. It did give her more time with James though but still, I felt bad when they kept flaking on her or lying. As for the ending – I am not someone into sad endings. Is it realistic? Sure, it is, but I want my romance stories to have happy endings even if it’s not realistic, so that didn’t work for me.

Why you should read it:

  • friends to enemies to lovers story
  • diversity, Filipino-Canadian rep

Why you might not want to read it:

  • cringe inducing, eye rolling moments
  • feels like it’s written for younger teens

My Thoughts:

I did enjoy the filipino representations and that’s why I requested this book. I feel like the story definitely fulfilled that part of my expectations with the Tagalog translations and familiar family dynamics I saw in Lara’s interactions. Those parts were great. I wasn’t really into her friends ghosting her all the time. The romance was funny and cute but there was no happily ever after, which left me sad – I want a romance to leave me happy. This one would appeal more to teens and younger who can relate to Lara’s coming of age challenges.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Well Met by. Jean DeLuca | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Well Met (#1)

Author: Jen DeLuca

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 335

Publication Date: 9/3/19

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Renaissance Faire, Adult Fiction, Enemies to Lovers

All’s faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.

Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon’s family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn’t have time for Emily’s lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she’s in her revealing wench’s costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they’re portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can’t seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

Content Warning: Grief, mentions Car Accident

This book gave me all the feels! I can’t believe I waited this long to read it but I’m glad I finally pushed it up my TBR list.

There is so much to love about this story. The main character, Emily is a young woman who has moved in with older sister who was in a bad car accident and has to heal from a shattered leg. Emily helps with being a caretaker to her and her teenage niece. And when her niece wants to do the annual Renaissance Faire, Emily has to sign up as well. It’s not what she expected but it becomes a part of her, even though she doesn’t know where she will land after the fair ends.

I like Emily because she goes with the flow, and isn’t afraid to try things even though it seems not something she’d be into. She kind of threw herself into being a caretaker and then a wench at the faire and also, helping at the local bookstore. Also she doesn’t have her life put together – while helping everyone out, she’s trying to decide what to do with her future, or where she will live once her sister is okay on her own again. To top it off, she has self-esteem issues especially when it comes to guys and dating because of how things ended with her ex.

The romance is delicious because it happens to be with the Renaissance Faire’s director, Simon. Simon is an English teacher and often so put off by Emily or so she thinks. He’s more conservative and closed off than his friend, the kilt wearing Mitch! So right away, they do not hit it off but something happens at the faire…Simon plays the part of Captain Ian, and now all bets are off when Captain Ian and Emma the wench (Emily) get into their roles playing a hand-fasted couple. Talk about the tension between them! 🔥 And then when that tension finally breaks and they give in? Wow! I loved every bit of it!

Minor issues? Emily’s indecision about her feelings about Simon but only because it’s a defense mechanism for her. Her ex hurt her bad so she doesn’t want to be in any place or relationship where she doesn’t belong or isn’t wanted. She just needed to be sure Simon was sure about her. On the other hand, Simon has major insecurities too and isn’t the most social guy, like Mitch…so he jumps to some conclusions about Emily – and there you have miscommunication and misunderstandings.

This story had humor, family, friendship, grief, relationship issues, hot bedroom scenes, conflict and then a very happy ending. It has everything I want in a romance novel.

Why you should read it:

  • such a good romance with all the feels
  • the Renaissance Faire – makes me want to go to one
  • Emily’s story about family, friendship, love and self-discovery

Why you might not want to read it:

  • the only thing that may turn some readers off is the on/off indecisions of Emily about Simon – but the girl has issues to deal with because of her ex…so it’s totally understandable but if you lack patience, she might just annoy you lol…also Simon jumping to some conclusions because of his insecurities but for me it was minor

My Thoughts:

If you need a good romance book or want to read about one centered around a Renaissance Faire, then definitely read this book. It left me feeling so happy inside and that’s all I wanted. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the Book:

“I didn’t choose the wench life. The wench life chose me.”

– Jen DeLuca, Well Met

“The dead are held in such high esteem that we only remember the good things, and we not only forgive their faults but we forget them.”

– Jen DeLuca, Well Met

“Let us love you, and remind you that you’re worth it until you figure out what you’re going to do next.”

– Jen DeLuca, Well Met

“Above you are the stars and below you is the earth. Like the stars, your love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow.”

– Jen DeLuca, Well Met

Lord of Embers by. C.N. Crawford | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Lord of Embers (The Demon Queen Trials, #2)

Author: C.N. Crawford

Format: eBook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 298

Publication Date: 1/15/21

Categories: New Adult, Romance, Demons, Urban Fantasy

Once, I was a broke college student. Now, it seems I’m destined to rule as the Lightbringer–queen of the demon realm. Except I have competition in the form of Orion, the Lord of Chaos. Like me, he has been marked as a leader. We can’t keep our hands off each other, even if he swore an oath to kill me.

It seems we both want the same thing–the crown. And in this battle of wills, only one of us will be left standing.

Content Warning: Violence

This is the sequel to City of Thorns and I really enjoyed this installment. It wasn’t quite what I expected after how book one ended but I liked the direction it took.

So in this book Orion is convinced Rowan is Mortana reincarnated and he has a vow to kill Mortana. Rowan is pretty sure she’s not Mortana, but not totally 100%, she needs proof and finds it. Orion is still bent on ruling the demon realm but he does need Rowan’s help, at least that’s what she makes him think so she can stay alive.

I love Orion and Rowan’s interactions. They clearly can’t deny the attraction between them, but they also both have a desire to rule – so who is it going to be? There is tension and humor, which I enjoy. There’s also a spicy scene which was fun while it lasted.

I liked Rowan’s growth and transformation as she learns about who and what she is. I thought the introduction of Tammuz, Lucifer’s twin, was pretty cool. Tammuz thrives on chaos. She gets some time to train with him near the ending of the book and I think it will set up a good showdown between her and Orion in the next book. I love when they fight and now she can really try and kick his butt haha, or sleep with him some more. We also get to know more about Orion and his time in the dungeon.

Story-wise this took an unexpected turn into the Puritan era. But it makes sense since Orion and Rowan are demons, why wouldn’t their hell be in the time when Puritans were hanging women for being witches. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I thought it was interesting and it did help Rowan’s transformation into a stronger demon. There were some funny parts, especially with a miss Goody Putnam lol.

Honestly I didn’t care for the part in book one where they thought Mortana could be Rowan. I’m just glad that part got cleared up in this book because I was over Orion accusing Rowan of something she can’t even control – but I see why he wants to kill Mortana so…it was a dilemma for him for sure. But that whole mistaken identity thing was done in another series I read from this author, so I just want something new.

Why you should read it:

  • enemies to lovers
  • Rowan’s transformation and growth
  • demons hiding among Puritans was kinda funny

Why you might not want to read it:

  • less action than book one
  • he’s an incubus and she’s a succubus, honestly I wanted more action between them

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this one a lot and am so looking forward to see what Rowan does now after that ending!

📚 ~ Yolanda

Heartbreakers and Fakers by. Cameron Lund | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Heartbreakers and Fakers

Author: Cameron Lund

Format: hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 6/8/21

Publisher: Razorbill

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, High School, Fake-Dating, Enemies to Lovers, Coming of Age

From the author of The Best Laid Plans comes another fresh voiced, hilarious rom-com perfect for fans of Tweet Cute and The Rest of the Story.

Penny Harris just ruined her life.

As one of the most popular girls in school, she’s used to being invited to every party, is dating the Jordan Parker, and can’t wait to rule senior year with her best friend, Olivia. But when Penny wakes up on Jordan’s lawn the morning after his first-day-of-summer bash, she knows something went terribly wrong the night before.

She kissed Kai Tanaka.

Kai, her long-time nemesis. Kai, Olivia’s boyfriend. Penny can’t figure out what could have inspired her to do it–she loves Jordan and she would never hurt Olivia–but one thing’s for sure: freshly dumped, and out a best friend, the idyllic summer she pictured is over.

And despite the fact that Jordan seems to be seeking comfort (and a whole lot more) in Olivia, all Penny can think about is winning him back. Kai wants to save his relationship too, so they come up with a plan: convince their friends that they really do have feelings for each other. After all, no one can resist a good love story, and maybe seeing Penny and Kai together will make Jordan and Olivia change their minds.

But as summer heats up, so does Penny and Kai’s “relationship,” and Penny starts to question whether she’s truly faking it with Kai, if he’s really as terrible as she always thought he was, and if the life she’s fighting so hard to get back is the one she really wants. 

Content Warning: Bullying

Penny is that girl who wasn’t always popular but once she became best friends with Olivia, the queen bee at school, she’s been her number two girl and she tries her best to keep her spot. This makes Penny a follower, and not the most likable character but she is relatable because she used to be the one who was bullied. It makes sense she doesn’t want to be bullied anymore but being friends with Olivia makes her a bully too.

As far as the romance, it’s an enemies to lovers, fake-dating situation where her enemy is the one who came up with the name she was bullied with! It’s natural that Penny hates Kai, but as they get thrown together, they finally get to know one another and in essence both of them was trying to survive being picked on in school. The story has a lot of high school drama but in a way I could understand Penny’s fears. Who likes to be bullied? No one.

Penny does grow by the end of this and I’m glad about that because it was hard to watch her try to find her way back to Olivia’s side when clearly Olivia is not a nice person and a worse friend at that. I like that Kai teaches her to let go a little and not be afraid to be herself. But it’s high school and people can change.

I do like how this author writes complicated and not automatically likable characters. They are flawed, make messy decisions, they are kids in high school who think everything matters in that very moment when as adults reading we know something bigger is coming their way. Bills. LOL…just kidding, but not kidding. 😅

Why you should read it:

  • fake dating, enemies to lovers
  • you like high school drama
  • realistic characters, even though not exactly likable, relatable high school situations

Why you might not want to read it:

  • you are not into the mean girls high school drama

My Thoughts:

Penny isn’t perfect, she is friends with a mean girl, and then she becomes one of the mean girls to survive. Penny and Kai’s enemies to lovers fake-dating situation helps them really get to know each other and pushes Penny to take a good look at who her friends are, and who she is without Olivia. Navigating high school is not easy and trying to figure out who you are in high school won’t happen overnight. Most people find ourselves after high school. This was full of messy high school drama, and as an adult I enjoyed it because it’s relatable. This one would appeal definitely appeal to teen readers.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the book:

“If you make a bad choice, you have to try to fix it. You have to put in the work to make things better.”

Heartbreakers and Fakers by. Cameron Lund

“The truth is high school is such a small blip on my timeline. Life is too short to waste the whole thing worrying.”

Heartbreakers and Fakers by. cameron Lund

“Who cares if people are staring? The fact is, they probably aren’t even looking my way at all.”

Heartbreakers and Fakers by. Cameron Lund

As If on Cue by. Marisa Kanter | ARC Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: As If on Cue

Author: Marisa Kanter

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 9/21/21

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Teen, Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Contemporary

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

A pair of fierce foes are forced to work together to save the arts at their school in this swoony YA enemies-to-lovers romance that fans of Jenny Han and Morgan Matson are sure to adore.

Lifelong rivals Natalie and Reid have never been on the same team. So when their school’s art budget faces cutbacks, of course Natalie finds herself up against her nemesis once more. She’s fighting to direct the school’s first ever student-written play, but for her small production to get funding, the school’s award-winning band will have to lose it. Reid’s band. And he’s got no intention of letting the show go on.

But when their rivalry turns into an all-out prank war that goes too far, Natalie and Reid have to face the music, resulting in the worst compromise: writing and directing a musical. Together. At least if they deliver a sold-out show, the school board will reconsider next year’s band and theater budget. Everyone could win.

Except Natalie and Reid.

Because after spending their entire lives in competition, they have absolutely no idea how to be co-anything. And they certainly don’t know how to deal with the feelings that are inexplicably, weirdly, definitely developing between them…

Talk about enemies to lovers….Natalie and Reid are straight-up hating one another. At least that’s how we see it through Natalie’s perspective. Natalie and Reid have been rivals since they both started being clarinet pupils under her dad’s tutelage. The competition between them became so fierce that it included pranks and then rules to curb their behavior. Now they are both in high school and their relationship is beyond tense.

I enjoyed how this story was written – it flowed so well and the characters were really fleshed out and strong. I loved Natalie’s friends, Henry and Fitz who are amazing. Natalie and Henry’s platonic best-friend relationship is super sweet and Fitz is just fabulous, bi and a fashion trendsetter. When Natalie’s in her core group, we see her shine even when she doesn’t feel like she has a voice. There is a lot of growth to her character especially when she is forced to turn the play she has written into a musical. She is pushed past her comfort zone, and becomes aware of how intense she can be. This whole venture also makes her confront the issues she has with her dad.

The part I had fun reading about was the making of the musical, Melted. We see all the hard work that these teenagers go through with making music, auditions, and just all the effort they put in because they love the arts (music, performing, etc…). I loved how the story progressed as we get to opening night.

I really connected to the message the author was trying to convey about Natalie not knowing what to do after high school. She’s still a Junior but already she’s wondering if pursuing a passion (for example the arts) and giving it your all is a bad thing because she sees her mom, a writer, struggle with writer’s block and the emotions of trying to put out work to help pay the bills. Her dad is a music teacher and that doesn’t pay well either plus all his time seems to be devoted to the band and Reid. Natalie weighs the options of pursuing a passion or doing what other people do and find something stable and play with your passion on the side. Everyone has their own path but Natalie really struggled with her vision of the future.

Triggers: microaggressions, antisemitism

I love an enemies to lovers romance, it’s my favorite trope but Natalie and Reid take it too far. I will say, Reid didn’t do anything for me in the beginning of the story, because I was getting Natalie’s side of this story. I did not like him and even blamed him for coming in between Natalie and her dad – I was wondering what was his deal? Like lay off the animosity buddy…but then we learn more about Natalie. She’s intense, she doesn’t listen to others and she distrusts Reid. Natalie does something in my opinion, that isn’t forgivable and the fact that Reid does forgive her…he must love her a lot. But I was not impressed with her actions, though I’m glad she fixed the problem.

The issue with Natalie and her dad is a big thing to Natalie and her dad seems oblivious. Again, I didn’t like how her dad seemed to say brush off her concerns. Natalie isn’t good at communication with Reid and her father. She just wanted her dad’s attention, outside of anything to do with the clarinet/band and I can see why Natalie hated Reid for that. Natalie had to do some serious soul-searching to do on the issue and tell her dad, which she eventually does.

When all is said and done and Natalie and Reid finally communicate is when they were the best together. The pranking, the miscommunication, the distrust caused some major problems between them to the point I thought they were not a good fit for one another. It caused great tension though which is a must in an enemies to lovers romance. I did enjoy the message about career paths and fighting for the things you love and believe in. My favorite parts were just reading about the whole crew trying to turn a play into a musical, that was fun! Overall, I enjoyed the story and read it in one sitting.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Simmer Down by. Sarah Smith | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Simmer Down

Author: Sarah Smith

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 10/12/20

Publisher: Berkeley

Categories: Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Cooking, Contemporary, Adult

In this finger-licking good rom-com, two is the perfect number of cooks in the kitchen.

Nikki DiMarco knew life wouldn’t be all sunshine and coconuts when she quit her dream job to help her mom serve up mouthwatering Filipino dishes to hungry beach goers, but she didn’t expect the Maui food truck scene to be so eat-or-be-eaten—or the competition to be so smoking hot.

But Tiva’s Filipina Kusina has faced bigger road bumps than the arrival of Callum James. Nikki doesn’t care how delectable the British food truck owner is—he rudely set up shop next to her coveted beach parking spot. He’s stealing her customers and fanning the flames of a public feud that makes her see sparks. 

The solution? Let the upcoming Maui Food Festival decide their fate. Winner keeps the spot. Loser pounds sand. But the longer their rivalry simmers, the more Nikki starts to see a different side of Callum…a sweet, protective side. Is she brave enough to call a truce? Or will trusting Callum with her heart mean jumping from the frying pan into the fire?

As the title Simmer Down implies, there is some heat in this book – and I thought it was going to come from the cooking. Oh no…no, no…the heat is between Nikki and Callum who start off on the wrong foot, becoming rival food trucks due to both parking in a coveted location. Nikki was there first but Callum refuses to leave. So the pranks start between them, their rivalry even caught on social media but bad publicity is good publicity, right? The two definitely need to “simmer down” but that doesn’t happen. The heat turns up a notch when they give in and become frenemies with benefits!

I thought Nikki’s story of someone from Oregon relocating to Maui was interesting, because I live in Hawaii (Oahu) and it is one of the most expensive states to live in, if not the most expensive…so wanting to do the food truck life and getting by in Hawaii? Yikes, that is tough…but it wasn’t her dream. It was her parents’ dream to have a food truck in retirement but all of that changes when her dad dies and leaves the bills with her mom. Nikki and her mom are grieving and trying to make the best of everything but food truck life is hard.

The setting of Maui is lovely of course but the story also jumps to London for a bit, because Nikki does some traveling. It gives us a chance to see Callum in his element as well. The chemistry between Nikki and Callum are definitely off the charts. Nikki wasn’t afraid to tell him what she wanted in bed, that’s for sure! Outside of the two of them, I also enjoyed Nikki’s budding friendship with Penelope.

And the mention of some Filipino foods like pansit (why have I always spelled it pancit though??), lumpia (can’t have a family party without lumpia!), and adobo (pork is my fave though haha) was nice to sit and Nikki’s mom’s use of the word “anak” for her daughter, it means child.

Triggers: grief

I think I was expecting more Filipno foods in the story, but lumpia seems to be this family’s specialty. And it’s one of my favorite dishes, don’t get me wrong…but I felt like there was a chance to introduce readers to more dishes other than the usuals. I guess I was expecting more filipino culture in the story but didn’t get any more than what I mentioned above.

Nikki is a strong character and I loved that as an only child she dropped everything to be with her mom, but with her relationship with Callum – did she really have to jump to every conclusion, like him cheating when all she could have done was talk to him about it? Aren’t we adults here? Haha…but I get she didn’t want to be caught falling for him and getting hurt because the pain of losing someone if it doesn’t work out. We all have our issues, I get it. I know we need some drama in the story haha.

Why you should read it:

  • Maui setting, a cat, nude beaches, food trucks and food 😋
  • Rivals to lovers, they may fight a lot but that translates into a good time in bed
  • quick read

Why you might not want to read it:

  • Relationship drama that seem trivial
  • Nikki making Callum out to be super horrible when he wasn’t

My Final Thoughts:

This one is a quick read filled with food, beaches, and an enemies to lovers romance filled with some unnecessary drama. I enjoyed it for what it was and wish there was a little more about filipino culture, but I’m filipino so my expectations were a tiny bit higher than usual. It didn’t quite meet my expectations but still I thought it was a fun story perfect for a summer read.

📚 ~ Yolanda