REVIEW: "Love From Scratch" by Kaitlyn Hill (Romantic Comedy)

LOVE FROM SCRATCH by Kaitlyn Hill
	Publisher: Delacorte Press Genre: Romantic Comedy Publication Date: April 5th, 2022 Standalone: Yes
Categories/Tropes:
Rivals/Enemies to Lovers, Sweet Romance, Viral Sensation, Creatives (Chefs)
Other Books By This Author:
Description from Publisher:
This summer, Reese Camden is trading sweet tea and Southern hospitality for cold brew and crisp coastal air. She's landed her dream marketing internship at Friends of Flavor, a wildly popular cooking channel in Seattle. The only problem? Benny Beneventi, the relentlessly charming, backwards-baseball-cap-wearing culinary intern—and her main competition for the fall job. Reese's plan to keep work a No Feelings Zone crumbles like a day-old muffin when she and Benny are thrown together for a video shoot that goes viral, making them the internet's newest ship. Audiences are hungry for more, and their bosses at Friends of Flavor are happy to deliver. Soon Reese and Benny are in an all-out food war, churning homemade ice cream, twisting soft pretzels, breaking eggs in an omelet showdown—while hundreds of thousands of viewers watch. Reese can't deny the chemistry between her and Benny. But the more their rivalry heats up, the harder it is to keep love on the back burner...
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
So this was so ridiculously cute that I can't even describe how ridiculoualy cute it was! I absolutely loved how vulnerable, genuine, and real Benny was. Alpha males are so not at all my thing. Gimme the incredibly sweet guy with a sense of humor and mischievous twinkle in his eye any day! There were a lot of conversations in this, especially between Benny and Reese. I loved getting to see them actually bond and share their stories and pieces of themselves. This doesn't always happen in rom coms, but I firmly believe that the best romance is between people who TALK. The only real criticism I have for this was that certain messages got a bit heavy-handed at times. Did we really need a conversation about feminism where Reese is getting solid advice to take a turn to "Check your orivilege, White Girl"? I didn't disagree with tbe messages, but they fell flat because they came out of nowhere. There was also some political commentary that was unnecessarily petty (Natalie has dumped guys for being "Republican'"? Why?). That said, none of what Reese had dealt with and was frustrated by felt disingenuous. Women shouldn't have to just deal with sexist idiots, but it's just something that happens. Putting a fine point on some of it felt like the right thing to do. The chemistry between Benny and Reese was sizzling, but very sweet (it's a big deal for Benny to take off his shirt). Reese's hangup with that felt a bit less understandable, but maybe that was also just me wanting more. All in all, I really enjoyed this. The characters, the chemistry, and tne fun were all so wonderful I could barely set this down.
My Source: I borrowed this via Kindle Unlimited. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author: Kaitlyn Hill
Kaitlyn Hill is a writer who lives to tell love stories and make people laugh. While books make up most of her personality, Kaitlyn also enjoys messy reality TV, has never met a tea she didn't like, and thrives on overly ambitious home improvement projects. She resides in Kentucky with her real life romance hero. Find her on Instagram and TikTok @thekaitlynhill and at thekaitlynhill.com.

REVIEW: "To Sir, With Love" by Lauren Layne (Romantic Comedy)

TO SIR, WITH LOVE by Lauren Layne
	Publisher: Gallery Books Genre: Romantic Comedy Publication Date: June 29th 2021 Standalone: Yes
Categories:
Enemies to Lovers, Alter Ego, Creatives, Digital Meet-Cute, Nice Guy
Other Books by Lauren Layne
Description from Publisher:
Love Is Blind meets You’ve Got Mail in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy following two thirty-somethings who meet on a blind dating app—only to realize that their online chemistry is nothing compared to their offline rivalry. Perpetually cheerful and eager to please, Gracie Cooper strives to make the best out of every situation. So when her father dies just months after a lung cancer diagnosis, she sets aside her dreams of pursuing her passion for art to take over his Midtown Manhattan champagne shop. She soon finds out that the store’s profit margins are being squeezed perilously tight, and complicating matters further, a giant corporation headed by the impossibly handsome, but irritatingly arrogant Sebastian Andrews is proposing a buyout. But Gracie can’t bear the thought of throwing away her father’s dream like she did her own. Overwhelmed and not wanting to admit to her friends or family that she’s having second thoughts about the shop, Gracie seeks advice and solace from someone she’s never met—the faceless “Sir”, with whom she connected on a blind dating app where matches get to know each other through messages and common interests before exchanging real names or photos. But although Gracie finds herself slowly falling for Sir online, she has no idea she’s already met him in real life…and they can’t stand each other.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
I am an absolute sucker for stories where people communicate online/through letters/texts without quite realizing who they are talking to. When I saw that this involved two people falling in love with one another, twice, I had to request it on Netgalley! This is a story of Gracie, a woman who has been running her family's champagne shop basically by herself, with little help from her brother or sister (with all of the pressure of keeping it going and few perks). She quit persuing her dream of being an artist to take it over, making the stress that much harder. The only thing that she really gets to do for herself is create alcohol-inspired art to sell in a section of the shop, hoping to turn more of a profit. A joy in her days is also sending messages with the man she met on a dating app, known only as Sir, who is only a friend since he is in a relationship. Enter Sebastian. Big Box competition looking to buy her family shop out. But she doesn't know that when she meets him on the street... feels a connection... and then meets his gorgeous and friendly girlfriend. It's only later, when he comes into the shop that she realizes who he is. From then, these two butt heads several times, and the banter is a lot of fun. They have fantastic chemistry and you just want them together. Sebastian keeps popping up places, and into the shop, and Gracie can't help but start to actually like the guy. I loved them together, as friends, and the "Sir" part was also a delight. The moment that Sebastian realizes what's happening is pretty cute, as are all of his actions from then on. He's definitely not the alpha male type (anyone who has read my reviews knows the Nice Guy is my favorite!), and you seriously can't help but swoon a bit. He gives advice to Gracie about what to do with her feelings for Sir, and then is just really a sweetheart. This has a very "You've Got Mail" vibe, but I'd say it works well standing on its own.
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and my 100% own.

About the Author: Lauren Layne
Lauren Layne is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including Hot Asset, Hard Sell, and Huge Deal in her 21 Wall Street series, as well as her Central Park Pact series. Her books have sold more than a million copies in nine languages. Lauren’s work has been featured in Publishers Weekly, Glamour, the Wall Street Journal, and Inside Edition. She is based in New York City.

REVIEW: "The Accidental Text" by Becky Monson (Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy)

THE ACCIDENTAL TEXT by Becky Monson
	Genre: Rom Com/Contemporary Romance Publication Date: January 6th 2021 Standalone: Yes
Categories:
All the Feels, Sports (leisure adventure sports), Nice Guy
Other Books by Becky Monson
Description from Publisher:
Wrong number. Right guy? Once upon a time, Maggie Cooper lived for adventure. Jumping out of planes was child’s play. Now she can’t even work up the nerve to ask out her coworker. For a bit of self-therapy, she begins to text her recently deceased mother’s phone—the only problem is that the number has been reassigned and for weeks she’s been unknowingly texting a stranger her deepest thoughts and feelings. There have also been some not-so-deep texts, like the ones about her appreciation for her coworker’s butt. When Chase Beckett, the unsuspecting stranger who has more in common with Maggie than he’d like to admit, texts back, Maggie is beyond mortified. But message after message and night after night, Maggie realizes that Chase’s wit, charm, and advice are exactly what the doctor ordered. Is it enough, though, to get her back up in the sky? And what about her heart? Can she risk taking a leap of faith for the man on the other end of her accidental texts?
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
This made me cry!! This is a story about Maggie, who lost her mom, who was also one of her best friends, and is trying to keep herself from falling apart. One of her main coping mechanisms is texting her feelings to her mom's phone. Which is working okay until she realizes that her texts are actually going to a live person who is a complete stranger... A complete stranger who happens to be a guy, who loses his own mother not long after he reveals that Maggie has been texting HIM. They rely on one another for comfort and solidarity, as well as advice and eventually companionship. The way that grief was handled was really, absolutely wonderful. The emotions of every character, even the supporting characters, felt so genuine. It also made me laugh and smile, a lot. The dynamics between Maggie and her siblings, and with Chase and Hannah, also felt very real, and the humor was a nice balance to the heavier emotions. The chemistry between Chase and Maggie was also palpable. I loved them together! They were there in support, as well as to push each other to do what they needed to do. They were just so darn cute! The only thing that I wanted that this didn't have was a bit more sexy times between these two, but, alas, it's a sweet romance. ;)
My Source: I borrowed this using Kindle Unlimited to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author: Becky Monson
By day, Becky Monson is a mother to three young children, and a wife. By night, she escapes with reading books and writing. In her debut novel, Becky uses humor and true-life experiences to bring her characters to life. She loves all things chick-lit (movies, books, etc.), and wishes she had a British accent. She has recently given up Diet Coke for the fiftieth time and is hopeful this time will last... but it probably won't.