The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett: Romance Review

synopsis

Amy will do anything to keep her failing restaurant alive. This means keeping absolute control over what’s happening in every aspect of her business, including the kitchen. Sophie, a former food TV competition finalist, bringing her fans and connections might help the restaurant. But Sophie has just figured out that she’s queer and now has an attraction to Amy, despite her frustration over Amy’s take-charge personality, making things a bit complicated. A new food TV show could get the restaurant the exposure it needs, but Sophie doesn’t love the idea of getting involved in that world again. And Amy and Sophie will have to come to a truce to save the restaurant and find success.

review

A fun, foodie workplace romance.

First off, I absolutely love foodie romances and the setting and premise of The Romance Recipe is no different. Food is, unsurprisingly, a central component of the story, and I feel that the choices gave us a lot of insight into the characters and who they are, as well as their background. We got samples of the need for homey comfort food for Amy and the tastes of Montreal for Sophie. The other characters in the book also really rounded out the story; it felt much more realistic since we caught glimpses of other people in minor and major ways throughout the book. I think the final large component that I really enjoyed was the overall plot. This story was very character driven, and not as focused on the plot around the TV show and that potential conflict as I expected, which I think made it a more interesting book.

In term of things that I didn’t enjoy so much, the biggest issue was the third act breakup and other issues that happened between Amy and Sophie. Both of them, especially Sophie, talked about the importance of good communication for both business and personal relationships. They repeatedly touted the value of talking about their challenges, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. There are even times when they congratulate themselves on their honest dialogue. But that’s all a lie. They aren’t openly communicating at any point, and every one of their problems stems from this lack of talking about their thoughts. Communication issues in romance stories are a pet peeve of mine, and this component of this book is the main thing that pushed my rating down.

in conclusion

Overall, if communication issues are not a deal breaker for you, I think you’ll enjoy this story. It was a fun foodie romance and a quick read, so it’s definitely worth a try! I also think I’ll be trying out some other Ruby Barrett books, since the writing kept me engaged throughout the story.