When Charlie's relationship falls apart along with her career and rest of her perfect life in Manhattan she retreats to her home town of Shaker Falls, Vermont. Even though she swore she'd never return she finds herself right back working for her famil's bakery. Emma was crushed when Charlie was swept away by that suave city slicker and has done the work to rebuild her life in Shaker Falls focusing her energy on her successful restaurant. She has no need for love. Her life hits a bump when Charlie comes to her restaurant to sell pies from her family bakery.

Beers is a master of sweet romance with solid tension and she makes Charlie work for this second chance. This a great second-chance small-town romance with the added benefit of pie.

Georgia Beers is one of my favourite authors. And kudos for writing a character so explicitly that I found myself seething at Charlie. Oh, it is so gratifying to hate Charlie. I experienced a whirlpool of emotions and had to tell myself to breathe easy before laying down thoughts on this book. We all love to hate a “Charlie” in our lives, prodigal daughter, the recklessness of her behaviour resulted in years of pain and agony for those she left in the aftermath of her selfishness, she did not deserve a second chance with the people she flamed at the expense of her foolishness. Now, these are strong sentiments. And rightly so especially if it’s a fantastic author guiding you through the lines. Ok, I know, I know we have to be forgiving, I mean even the author wrote that in her acknowledgements right? Before I started the book I was puzzled why she said it was a book on forgiveness. And now it’s hit me. Ouch! So I scrambled to ponder, what if it had been me who made mistakes? Would I beg for a second chance? You know you would. And if so, I guess if you are looking for a reprieve of some sorts, or you need an affirmation that even the worse of us deserves a second chance or a happily-ever-after. This is your book.

I just reviewed Flavour of the Month by Georgia Beers. #NetGalley

Georgia Beers never fails to write a fun, if predictable, love story. Her characters are relatable and easy to like, the love story is captivating, and it's not surprising that once you pick up her books, it's difficult to put them down. I breezed through "Flavor of the Month" and enjoyed every minute of it. I do wish Charlie had to work a little harder to regain the trust of the people she had hurt - everything seemed a bit too easy for her when she returned home. Even her conversation with her sister comes about with little tension and is quickly resolved. Overall, it's another win for Beers.

The premise of this book is second chance romance. You have Charlie who leave her high school sweetheart for another woman and the big city. Emma is of course heartbroken, but I don't get why she held a candle for Charlie all this time. I mean it just seemed like stubbornness on her part. Get over her already, but I guess it was a good thing she never got over Charlie because of course once Charlie comes back into town they pick up right where they left off.

I did not love this book, I thought that it ended too quickly and the author could have done more to talk about the relationship after Charlie came back to town. Charlie and Emma are fine characters in the book, but there wasn't anything there to make me continue thinking about the story after it is over. Even as I am writing this review all I can think is that this was a very mediocre read. It was fine, but it was not the best Beers I have read, and I have read all of her books.

I wish there had been more with the mother, I felt like Charlies sister and her father got a one on one moment with her, but she never had one with her mother which left the story feeling unfinished and unevenly written. I also don't really enjoy second chance romances, but this one did not feel like one. It felt like both characters had never really moved on and were just waiting until they could get back to each other.

Read this if you like Beers it is stereotypically her, it is a slow burn and there is only one love scene in the entire book which also may have contributed to my like of this book, but it was an excellent love scene, so well written.

So many second chances in this story. Second chance at love, career, life, family. Georgia Beers has quickly become a favorite author of mine and this story didn't disappoint. It's funny, sweet, sexy, emotional, and more all rolled together in a great package.

Charlie and Emma made such confusing feelings for me. I was angry at Charlie for most of the book. It took time to root for these two. And writing Emma as such a kind heart didn't help either. Georgia Beers certainly knows how to keep you on toes.

Charlie Stetko and Emma Grier were everything to each other once. Best friends since childhood and later they were each other’s first loves as well. Emma thought it would be forever, until Charlie left for the big apple and forgot all about her, her family and friends. Her sole focus was Manhattan hot shot Darcy Wells who ate her up and spat her out 5 years later.

Charlie returns to Shaker Falls with a broken heart and nothing to show for after her 5-year stint in New York. Biding her time to re-group and eventually go back to either Boston or New York to find a marketing job she gets to work at The Muffin Top making pies. Making pies is what Charlie does very well, or at least used to do very well. Now she gets a chance to re-discover her passion for baking.

Charlie’s return to the nest has hit Emma hard. She has worked very hard to get over Charlie and there is still plenty lingering resentment there and we get a good dose of that when the two cross paths. This is Georgia Beers’ theme for Flavor of the Month and boy does she work it. If this book was a pie, the main ingredients for this particular batter would be Charlie’s crippling guilt and sadness mixed with Emma’s anger and hurt, courtesy of her broken heart. During the story the secondary characters make sure to top up those two components if they threaten to grow weak. So we get a lot of variations and repetition of these two pushing those buttons and trying to work through it. It was exhausting to see them take one step forward and two steps back all through the story. I felt it stood in the way of a real connection to the romance and in the end left me unfulfilled.

The baking was good and it was probably my favorite part of the book. Beers fans will find enough elements to keep them happy. I’m not sure the romance fans will either.

f/f one explicit scene

Themes: coming home to Shaker Falls, nursing a broken heart, crippling guilt, self doubt, EG's, mummy is drunk, lots of baked goods, daddy issues, the ending was abrupt, some issues were left up in the air.

3.4 Stars

* A free copy was provided by Netgalley and Bold Stokes Books for an honest review.

Happy for Now?
Charlie and Emma were high school and college sweethearts until Charlie was lured away to the big city by an older woman who offered her a job and eventually herself. After several years Darcy kicks Charlie to the curb and she is left with no choice but to return to the small town where she grew up. She never expected to find Emma there too…

This book is well written, but let’s face it, everything Ms Beers writes is. It is an emotional second chance romance full of love, angst, self-doubts and regrets as well as hope and determination. I liked the story, it was sweet and adorable but it didn’t feel complete. There were no real dates, the hours they work are too different, Emma’s mom is also a problem BUT if you look at this as a “leave it to you to imagine the ending” love story, it works pretty well.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So, I’ve been up and down with Beers books of late, and this felt like that in one book. The premise here is that Charlie is returning home after a bad break up and when she gets home, she discovers her ex, Emma, has also moved back. Charlie and Emma were high school and then college sweethearts, but Charlie was seduced away by a worldly older woman (which Emma predicted) and their break up was anything but amicable.

Charlie returns home and quickly lands a job at a bakery, which puts her back in Emma’s orbit because Emma is a chef and owns her own restaurant, with Charlie supplying some desserts in her new role. Emma is not happy to see Charlie due to all the heart crushing, but the chemistry between them is still there and they both feel it.

Based on other reviews I wasn’t expecting to like Charlie, but I did. She was young and stupid and hurt people but she doesn’t shy away from that, or from apologising for it. The problem is that though the book seems to take place over a few months, and the two leads do spend a lot of time interacting, most of the interactions are superficial or involve discussions about the past. They don’t talk to each other about who they are or what they want now. Then there’s a pivotal point where Charlie steps up for Emma, and this is where their ‘new’ relationship sort of takes off, but this is at the 80% mark. So the whole ending and HEA thing just felt way too rushed.

I’d also have liked a bit more resolution around Emma’s new family connections and her situation with her mother (I mean, we don’t even see the fallout of the pivotal event with her mother, which was just weird). So, while much of the angst and hurt had me feeling ‘all the feels’, I think less time on the past and more on them rebuilding their relationship would have made this a better book. It’s probably 3.5 but I’m rounding down, because I also read Aurora Rey’s The Last Place You Look this month, which had a similar storyline, but I enjoyed that one more.

First off, I would like to thank NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books, and author Georgia Beers for providing me with an ARC of this novel!

What a wonderfully beautiful love story about second chances and forgiveness. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is as a lesbian to find a book so well written about a lesbian couple. Charlie and Emma were such a fun pair to follow along with as they found themselves. I loved this story’s progression, and the character development was one for the books. Not to mention the sexual tension and amazing food, too.

I have never read Beers before, but I think I’ll be looking back at some of her other novels to read!

Thank you again to those named above for the chance to read and review this ARC!

When I saw Ms Beers had another book on the market I was truly tickled seeing that so far I’ve read and enjoyed all her other books. This one is all right but not what I’ve come to expect from Ms Georgia.
Emma Grier grew up in the small town of Shaker Falls and like most young people she could hardly wait to move on. Perhaps to a city where she could find work in a restaurant, seeing that was what she always wanted and trained for. She also thought her girl friend would be with her on this journey but when the time came Charlie decided she would take the offer Darcy Wells gave her. Meanwhile Emma was crushed to think Charlie was going on without her. She goes in another direction, working as a sous chef. But that didn’t last as long as she would have liked, her mother, a chronic alcoholic, needed her home. When she returns she buys herself a restaurant where she could do what she loved all the while looking after her mom.
Charlie Stetko also grew up in Shakers Falls but unlike Emma she had a more traditional childhood. Like Emma, she also likes to bake, especially pies but instead of following Emma she goes to another college where she gets a degree in marketing. The worst part was being separated from Emma, they grew up together and both thought they would always be together. But spending so much time apart wasn’t working so when she got the chance to move to New York with Darcy that’s exactly what she did.
When Darcy drops her, Charlie has no place to go but home. There she finds Emma who has worked hard getting over Charlie and the last thing she wanted was Charlie back in her life.
Ms Beers books are always nicely paced with enough little twists and turns to keep you turning the page. Not one of her best but still this one had me going back to see where these characters were going and to be honest I still enjoyed reading ‘Flavor of the Month’ and I’m pretty sure you will too.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

Can someone change? This is the question that is tackled in this offering by Georgia Beers. Charlie and Emma were best friends and first everything but when Charlie got the opportunity to leave the small town that they grew up in, she left for the big city. Emma was left behind with a broken heart. After losing her job and her life in New York a few years later, Charlie returns to her hometown and finds that Emma is a successful chef and restaurant owner. Circumstances allow and push them to re-connect but the question still remains on whether Charlie has changed and whether she would get a second chance to make better decisions this time around.

This was a good read. As usual, Georgia Beers does not disappoint in writing an engaging story. There were a few answers that were not provided; such as, why did Emma's mom not allow her Dad to be in her life? Overall, I enjoyed this story.

This book was heavy on the idea of “change.” Can people truly change? Can you make up for your past mistakes? The relationship between Emma and Charlie began as kids and grew into a love of a lifetime that is until Charlie left to pursue her dream of living and working in NYC. Putting her business degree to use in a marketing career is everything Charlie thought she wanted. Living the small town where she grew up in the past was also part of that dream. It’s not until she is forced back that she truly looks at the past 4 years of her life and asks herself some seriously hard questions. This book was very emotional. The characters of Emma and Charlie were relatable and believable. The reader was invested immediately. I enjoyed the supporting characters as well.

Both women have people who will watch their back, people who will give them advice and tell them when they’re about to make a mistake, and people who will still love them enough to let them go ahead and make some whoppers. No one blows smoke up their asses or tries to hide the fact that they’ve got to face the past and then decide what they want. Emma and Charlie have to make choices and no matter what they do, the people in their lives let them know they love them. Charlie’s family is wonderful and I enjoyed their interactions. Emma has had a harder row to hoe and I do wish that she had been given the chance to work out her new family relationship a bit more.

Neither Emma nor Charlie are perfect. One thing I noticed and thought felt real is that at first, Charlie still misses her ex even though Darcy did her wrong. Feelings can’t and aren’t turned on or off in an instant and it makes sense that Charlie still has to sort the remains of her just-ended relationship. I also liked seeing the women at their jobs. Emma loves to create dishes for her restaurant and feels at home in her kitchen there. Chopping vegetables and pounding flat chicken breasts also helps her deal with her frustrations and anger. Charlie does love to bake pies but she also casts her business trained eyes on her boss’s bakery and immediately begins to see ways to improve things – though she does restrain herself from being the Millennial who starts her first day by mouthing off about how to change things.

Brava for Emma that she hasn’t carried a torch for Charlie for four years. Yet the way their relationship ended has affected how Emma views dating which is something else she has to come to terms with. But yay that neither Emma nor Charlie are out for any revenge. Charlie hadn’t wanted to come home and has to face the guilt about that. She also wanted to leave quickly but when the chance arrives, does some soul searching about what she really wants. Emma still feels a lot for Charlie but when they might rekindle something, she has to decide whether or not she’s going to risk all that pain again.

The story plays out quietly and gently. It feels grounded in reality. Nothing felt either dragged out or too rushed. I did feel that Emma was left with a lot of loose threads in her life that I wish had been dealt with more. I appreciate that both women were given time to process their past feelings and become comfortable with their potential future. When they made their choice and declarations, I felt that they were thought out and this time they were ready. B

Beers is a notable writer in the lesbian romance genre and readers can usually expect a consistent and enjoyable story when one picks up her books -- believable characters, excellent writing, and interesting plots.

What started out as great read with an abundance of potential felt rushed towards the end with a mediocre end for the two main protagonist.. Side characters aren't as explored and their stories are left hanging with the responsibility of imagining their end left to the reader.

While there's a happily ever after for the two leads, much of it felt anti-climatic with no concrete or realistic idea as to how they will move forward with the realistic challenges ahead. I understand romance genres are often left to some suspension of belief, but this was above what is usually the norm for the genre.

Still, I'm thankful for the read and am grateful for Netgalley for the opportunity of an advance copy.

I'd give it 3.5 stars for being ok, not great, but enjoyable enough. With the writing and character interaction giving it an extra half star.

Aaaah, I love me some Georgia Beers goodness. Reading her books, this one no exception, feels like coming in from the cold rain, snuggling in front of the fire place. It's relaxing and cozy and just plain awesome. In addition, this book has pies!

The characters are heartbreakingly real and the story is very sweet.

This story is about the decisions made, how they affect oneself and others, taking on your own guilt and learning to forgive. Because there is a lot of this in the book, a bit of everything, on the part of the two women and their environment.

Charlie and Emma are two women who had a relationship in their teenage years, in a small American town. Charlie, after finishing university, decided to start her professional career in New York, following a woman, Darcy, who left her a little spellbound when she gave some master classes at her university. And this decision meant the breakdown of the relationship between Charlie and Emma, with the consequent suffering mainly for Emma.

Several years have passed, Emma is now an excellent chef who has worked for great restaurants and reputed chefs but has to return to her hometown to take care of her struggling mother. And Charlie also returns to her hometown, despised and somewhat humiliated by the Darcy woman.Emma can't stop thinking about the way Charlie behaved, so when she finds out that she's back, she doesn't even want to think about resuming their relationship.

But cakes, pies, spaghetti, and all kinds of food seem to conspire to get them to try again.
And in the midst of their personal issues, some new ones appear that the two of them must face, some together some separately, but that will have a lot of influence in the decisions that they must make. And that journey has been quite interesting to follow.

A beautiful second chance love story about forgiveness and finding one’s self.
Charlie and Emma were each others first everything, until they went to separate colleges and grew apart over the years until Charlie broke Emma’s heart to move to New York for a job and a woman. Three years later Charlie is forced to come home and face the consequences of her choices both to others and herself.
I loved Charlie’s redemption story, she has to face the pain she caused and come to terms with the choices of her youth, she must learn and grow. Hers is a story of self discovery, she must decide what she wants and who she wants to be.
Emma is perfection. Charlie’s rejection wrecked her and she spent years trying to move past the hurt and anger. She became emotionally detached from relationships to save herself from hurting again. She has to learn if she can forgive and if she is willing to let Charlie back into her life again risking getting hurt all over again.
I loved the progression of the story. Charlie’s homecoming brings many issues to the surface and starts her on that journey of self discovery.
The characters were absolutely perfect. Great development, relatable, and supremely lovable.
The chemistry between Charlie and Emma was amazing. You could feel the genuine and easy connection that still held strong even through anger and distance. They were friends before they were lovers, so they know each other inside and out and gravitate toward one another. They had such a natural and loving soul mate level connection that was undeniable. I loved the pacing of their new relationship, rebuilding trust and reforming their easy and natural relationship took time and didn’t feel rushed.
The final pages were heart meltingly perfect and completely satisfying. Beers' wrote a fantastic, sweet, and beautiful emotionally driven story sure to please.

Not one of Beers' better books, I felt like she phoned it in with this one. The characters nor their relationship was developed enough for my liking. Charlie was very wishy washy and pitiful, while Emma was just angry and combative; they both existed on a one dimensional plane. It felt like 80% of the book was conflict, contrived chemistry that was carried over from their past and then they 'get together. There just wasn't enough communication and intimacy to draw me into the romance.

This book for me was an up and down read. I find it confusing when you start a book by an author who you always enjoy the read and love their characters to find you do not like the first character that the book was following. I couldn't work out if I was the problem or if Charlie really was unlikable and if that was done on purpose. Charlie was a struggle to enjoy at first I did find as I continued to read she started to grow on me a little but no where near what I would normally like with Beers characters.

I found the story had a good foundation but didn't delve in deep enough to really have me fully invested. There was a lot of different stories to follow with many unfinished which I found frustrating. I felt a lot of the story covers fluff that doesn't really matter but never really answers or work through the character development.

So I enjoyed parts of this story but didn't enjoy other parts, so like I said at the start up and down read.