I'm serious when i say i had a huge grin on my face from page one. Like: i-dont-want-this-to -end-yes-give-me-more kinda grin! The writing was easy and perfect. Both our love interest were stubborn and the tension and chemistry between them was undeniable. And i know for a fact I'll be reading this book again when I need another dose of warm, soft and fuzzy cuteness.

In this enemies-to-lovers romance two people clash over a little turf war about barbecue sauces at a farmers market. Simone and Finn can’t find the will to burry the hatchet and things escalade when their arguments don’t just happen at the small town market but on the set of reality-show, broadcasted to the whole country. When they are forced to drive together cross country to get home, they find that this road trip brings them closer than expected.

This book had a great enemies dynamic between the two main characters and a funny, entertaining story to tell. I really enjoyed Simone as the main character, she had clear motivations and was generally a person I could identify with a lot. Her desire to prove herself, even to her own detriment, and her continuous drive to follow her dreams was admirable. She was a joy to follow and watch grow throughout the story.

Sadly I couldn’t really click with the other main character and love interest, Finn. He has a sympathetic backstory and I really thought I would root for him after his introduction but I just found myself annoyed with him for a lot of the book. He was weirdly judgemental and pretends he is unsupported when he truly is just too prideful to take the support he has access to.

What also got a little too much was how (nearly) every conflict in this book is based on miscommunication or bad communication between people who should know better. It cheapened some of the really interesting problems the characters were dealing with.

The heart of the book had two people struggling to find their place in the world, wanting to carve it out all by themselves and working out how to get there. The way both of them struggle with their own problems and how after a lot of bickering, fighting and misunderstandings they manage to find common ground and the will to help the other was a compelling and interesting plot all together.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

This book was totally different to what I expected! Based on the blurb I thought we’d see a reality show unfold, and two businesses competing, but instead it was a road trip! Not complaining, I actually really enjoyed the road trip and all the forced proximity delights that came along with it.

The chemistry between the leads was excellent and you could feel the tension coming off the pages. There were some very funny laughs too, balanced against well handled heavy subject matter. The only thing that stopped this from being a 4 or 5 star read for me was that Simone felt petty and immature. We were given reasons, but I found it tough to handle. I also wanted more of the characters *feeling* for each other, not just thinking the other was hot. I found it a little slow to start.

I’m interested in checking out the other books in this series!

Great book! I love the chemistry the characters had and I loved all the tropes in this book! The enemies to lovers trope is one of my favorites, and this book does it good justice. I will day at times I wish their relationship was a bit more detailed because it felt shallow to me. However, the writing was there and so was the character development. Loved it!

I love food and enjoy a good food related story. I’m a big fan of sweet romantic comedies, but personally, I’m not a huge fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope. A lot of really mean things get said and then seemingly forgotten, which I have a hard time believing. If we ignore that though, I could taste the sauce and see the scenery and did enjoy reading this novel!

(I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.)

Road trip, rivals to lovers, forced proximity! This book was so deliciously (get it?) fun and entertaining. I wasn't sure about this book at first but the more I read, the more I become engrossed. I definitely feel like I was missing something since I read this book before I read the first, but overall. I don't think I missed anything in regards to Simone and Finn's feelings, though I do wish we got more development because their falling in love didn't feel gradual but rather unnatural at times. Their banter—always my favorite thing in a rivals to lovers story—was ruthless and ongoing, something you don't often see in books marketed as such (it's always watered down). It was a super easy to read romance and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

OKAY SOMEONE LET ME SCREAM !!!

First things first this is the cutest little enemies to lovers/reality tv / THERES (not) ONLY ONE BED (that one hurt a little bit Chandra Blumberg we may have to have words) / cooking/romance book ever! I may need to buy book 1 to get a little bit more joy in my life. I want to consume buckets of bbq sauce even though I don't even like bbq sauce.

The middle and ending of this book I loved ! I'm obsessed ! I squealed ! The friends and family of both characters were my friends and family ! I want to hunt them down and adopt them !!!! TOO CUTE !!!!

My only criticism is that at the start it was a little slow to get off the ground, the beginning part before the reality tv bit came in was a bit like molasses (bbq pun!) to get through. But after persevering I got fed well!

More food based romance 2022 I am starting this campaign now ! Its the perfect combination because you know food IS love

3.5 ⭐️

this enemies to lovers, forced-proximity, road trip book was so cute and funny. i loved the banter between simone and finn. their chemistry felt so real. also, finn’s golden retriever energy >>

i will say it felt a little long, and i would’ve liked to see more development in their relationship; i feel like we weren’t shown much of their feelings changing over time

thank you to netgalley for the e-arc :)

Oh my heart. <insert 100 big heart eye emojis> I loved this book. Chandra Blumberg is a new-to-me author, and I’m hooked.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure for the first part of this book. The set up felt a little clunky, with two competing BBQ sauce rivals taking their competition on a Shark Tank type reality show where this “enemies to lovers” couple throws down like the they’re trying to survive the first day of a prison yard battle. These two were ruthless, and hateful, and cut deep in a way we don’t actually usually see with this trope. I thought we were being set up for a reality show throw down, and instead what follows is this beautiful, heartfelt journey of Simone and Finn showing their soft bellies to one another and falling in love in a way that hurts. Because falling in love means being vulnerable, and confronting past wounds, and trusting another person, and the fact that this book took me from capital E Enemies through to this vulnerable love story is just the best thing ever.

In the things I liked column: strong heroine that goes after what she wants, a hero that has put in work through therapy on his childhood trauma, a freaking *closed door* romance that still brings heat and tension to the page, rich side characters, and one of the best romance book epilogues I’ve read.

Things I didn’t like: I didn’t read the first book in this series and I think that’s to my detriment since I struggled to connect with Simone’s feelings for a good while. While the book does a good job telling me how she didn’t feel connected to her community, I feel like I missed the why since I didn’t read the first book. With reading the novel as a stand alone, that was frustrating.

So I’m off to read the first in the series now to rectify that, because this one is that good.

I received a free copy of this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fun, quick, easy and cute read that I finished in one sitting.
It was well written with good characters that I was rooting for and a good storyline.
The characters were funny and you can't help but root for both of them to admit their attraction.
I was gripped and engaged all the way through.
I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t want it to end
I cannot wait to read more by this author.

Montlake,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to B&N, platforms, blog and Waterstone close to pub date!

I really liked the rivalry between Finn and Simone. I always love good banter and this book provided that. The miscommunication was a bit tiring at times but the ending was so cute that I don’t really care.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Rivals, Simone and Finn, want nothing to do with each other, but fate has other plans.

Simone takes over the family BBQ restaurant and wants to put her small town on the map by selling their signature sauce. Finn sells his homemade BBQ sauce hoping to kickstart his dream of opening a culinary school. Their feud begins when they meet at the local farmers market, but it all changes six months later when they compete on the same reality TV show. Will they be able to work together to achieve their culinary dreams?

This enemies to lovers, forced proximity rom-com book was such a fun read. The two main characters had fantastic chemistry, and I loved how Simone and Finn's relationship developed throughout the book and how the plot also focused on their goals and dreams. This book will be sure to put a smile on your face - Plus food and romance, what's not to love!

I look forward to other work by Chandra Blumberg. Thank you, Chandra Blumberg and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this book.

A fun enemies to lovers rom com (non-spicy) with tropes used with a twist. The story started off slow, but once things got going I was entertained. The female main character’s history and motivations were sometimes less flushed out, which was slower to draw me in. However, I was rooting for them by the end of the book. A clean HEA.

Lovely book!! I adored all that characters and the development was great throughout. Kept me wanting more. I would definitely recommend!

I mainly picked this up for the book cover but god DANG this was such a fun ride! It was great curling up in my bed while doing online school and just getting sucked into the characters’ world and their relationships

Stirring Up Love by Chandra Blumberg was such a cute and entertaining read! I appreciate books that don't immediately start with insta-love, as well as when the main characters have respectable morals and realistic lives/priorities (it makes the characters so much easier to relate to and understand)! I thoroughly enjoyed the build-up between Simone and Finn and I could totally see this being made into a sweet rom-com movie because of the enticing premise and rivals-to-lovers trope! I'd definitely give this book 4 stars as it was a light and entertaining read.

I thoroughly enjoyed stirring up love. I primarily review romance books on my blog and I lived the combination of food and romance in this novel. I thought the characters were great as well and the descriptions and storyline. Simone & Finn had me swooning and I love the way they were brought together in this story. Highly recommend and can’t wait to share a more detailed review on my blog. Will be looking for more from this author in the future.

From the author of Digging Up Love comes a heartfelt story about two rivals whose passion for food and their communities brings them together in ways they never expected.

After doing her time in corporate Chicago, Simone Blake returns to small-town Illinois to tackle a new venture: her grandfather’s barbecue restaurant. The secret, as they say, is in the sauce. Simone’s plan is to sell Honey and Hickory’s signature sauce to put her hometown on the map.

But she’s not the only one with a recipe and a plan: chef Finn Rimes from nearby Springfield has a similar vision. To jump-start his dream of opening a culinary school, he shows up at the local farmers’ market with his own barbecue sauce.

When Simone’s plan to outsell Finn falls flat, she auditions for a reality show to pitch her brand. But she’s horrified to discover Finn’s had the same idea. As Simone and Finn wage barbecue war on television, their feud turns into an undeniable attraction.

With their livelihoods on the line, it may not be so much about making the best sauce—but finding their way to each other.

4.5 stars!! This was really cute! It started off a bit slow for me, however it was a really great fix for a cute rom com type of book. I enjoyed the small town, enemies to lovers tropes, and I liked that the conflict was so wholesome (I mean, hello, BBQ sauce war? I never thought that could be this cute. If you like contemporary romance rom coms, then I would say this is a great book to pick up. This has 2000's peak rom com era vibes all over it!!