Overall: 3/5 Stars

I'm not sure what I was expecting at first but this book actually surprised me. It's cute, it's whimsical, and it's really weird. Having cheese come to life as hot men was not something I was expecting but it was a quick, fun read. I was pleasantly surprised!

This was really fun and quirky! I was immediately drawn to the very unique premise, and the promise of lots of cheese puns and sex. This did not disappoint! I was also pleasantly surprised that there was a really good depiction of a narcissistic parent and Violette's journey to break free with the help of her sexy were-cheese men.

Light, sexy and silly with lovable characters... and yes, it's cheesy! LOL!

A Why-Choose (reverse harem) Shifter Rom-Com where the Female Main Character's multiple male love interests turn into cheese when the sun comes up? Why the heck not? LOL!

Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to get a reviewer's copy of Ellen Mint's Why Cheese. The cover art intrigued me and I chuckled when I read the book's description. What you see is definitely what you get. Perfect if you are looking for a light, yet saucy read that isn't afraid to delve into the realm of the ridiculous. Hahaha! I was thoroughly entertained.

The characters are adorably lovable, the sexy scenes are hot and the plot is perfectly cheesy. I was sometimes distracted by the writing, not quite able to keep up at times, having to re-read certain passages because things didn't seem to add up but overall, I had no issues with the quality of the writing.

Spice level: I'd give this book a 3 out of 5 hot peppers. Descriptive sex on page, gradually working your way from M/F, all the way up to M/M/M/M/F during which there is M/M physical interaction. Pleasantly surprising, the sex doesn't overpower the plot which was one of my main concerns going in.

Triggers and warnings: Parental mental abuse. I wasn't expecting to be triggered by a RomCom but the Mom, and the female main character reacted to her, was too much for me. I had to skip a few pages towards the end. Adult readers: 3-way, 4-way and 5-way descriptive sex, involving all partners actively engaging with one-another.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing a free ebook arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I think I've made myself a new goal: to read the strangest romances out there and review them. Being a lover of cheese myself (not like this, though), this one caught my eye while browsing the "read now" section of NetGalley. Now, please, explain to me why I was utterly charmed by this entire book? It's great. It's got great mental health representation. LGBTQ+ representation is also present. Each character is entirely their own with vibrant personalities. And as for why the characters are were-cheeses (yes, you read that right, cheese shifter romance happened, y'all)... made sense. I have to say it... if you too are out reading 4-5 pepper rated romances that are just weird... this one is great!

Why Cheese? By Ellen Mint
Rating: 3/5

This book is odd, whimsical, dramatic, and funny. If you think the sound of a few men cursed to be cheese during the day sounds interesting, you'd be right! The main character Inherits a cheese shop from her uncle who has passed. She uncovers a hidden basement and things get weird.

I would recommend this book for those who are less judgey and want a fun, steamy read. There are some awkward/cringe parts but I read books like that all the time and enjoy them despite it. Don't take life too seriously!

#WhyCheese #NetGalley

I can't say how much this book made me laugh and let me tell you I'm a huge why choose fan but dear ahahahh definitly wasn't expecting the only think I can say is that I did a lot of fun reading

This is the first book that I have read by this author, I don’t think its going to be my last this was a read that I didn’t know that I needed. I’ve read books about men turning into other animals but when I read, they turn into cheese men turn into cheese… yup you read that right. I was thinking going into this was going to be an interesting to see and was going to be a DNF but it actually was the complete opposite. Violette gets ownership of her uncle’s cheese shop when he passes. She has plans to sell the shop but when four men Cam, Roq, Cheddy and Brie come into her life to hopefully chance her mind? This was one that kept me on the edge of my seat. This has a lot of cheese puns that were laugh out loud moments. I need to go and see what other books this author has that I can read.

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes, HFN
POV: single 1st person POV (FMC)
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: death of a family member (recounted), emotional abuse, mental health (OCD, anxiety, self-harm), Munchausen syndrome by proxy (not called out by name but… come on), slut shaming, fat shaming, body shaming, bullying, overbearing/narcissist parent, curses, grief, religious trauma
standalone: yes
final thoughts: okay so given what this book promised to give (a satire why choose romance about 4 men who are cursed to be cheese during the day), it was actually good!
The characters were well thought out and were easily distinguishable even though we are introduced to 7 characters in chapter 1 which was impressive. Overall, the story had me on the edge of my seat and had depth other than cheese tasting. The shifters have been together for hundreds of years and, as time goes on, they have to find someone they can trust to keep their secret and keep them safe during the day- will Violette be able to help them and keep their secret or will the possibility of selling the shop for millions be too good to pass up?
The MMCs have 4 very distinct personality traits (and character art at the beginning of the book!!) that coincide with their names/cheese types
- Roq is an acquired taste and very serious
-Cheddy is a crowd favorite and life of the party Himbo
-Cam is a smooth charmer who flirts his way into and out of every situation
-Brie is a softie who is a shy wallflower looking for his place
Through their years together they’ve made it through the nights by “comforting” 😉😏 each other which leads to multiple sword-crossing scenes throughout the book.

Expect lots of cheese puns and overall food humor that is sometimes cringy, but overall the experience was so unique and funny that I couldn’t put this book down so this 3.5⭐ gets rounded up to a 4 for ✨vibes✨

Be warned that for such a silly book there are some significant triggers that take up most of the plot.
1. The mother in this book was an absolutely domineering beast and cut down the FMC Violette at every opportunity.
2. Violette has pretty severe OCD that comes out in compulsions, intrusive thoughts, and skin scratching/harming.

read this book if you love
🫡 big MMC
🍪cinnamon roll MMC
🎣 fish out of water
😳 forbidden lovers
🏝️ forced proximity (the MMCs live in her shop)
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 found family
😡 grumpy/sunshine
🤫 hidden secrets
😏 kinky (public threesome)
🌈 LGBT+ representation
🪄 magic (curses)
💖 paranormal romance
🐺 shifters
💔 no third act breakup
⚔️ why choose (MMMMF)
💼 workplace romance

Why Cheese? by Ellen Mint
emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0 stars

An advance copy was provided by NetGalley and Victory Editing. All opinions expressed are my own.

When Violette inherits a cheese shop from her great-uncle, she just wants to sell it and use the proceeds to build a life away from her controlling mother. Then she meets four naked men it the shop the first night after she arrives. They tell her they are cheese-shifters, cursed to be cheese by day and men by night and convince her to keep the shop open long enough to sell off the remaining stock so they can afford to find a new… arrangement. Hy-jinks ensue.

The title drew me in and the humor kept me going. The puns. The delightful characters, the cheese! Mixed in is a pretty traditional Why Choose romance, some suspense, and some pretty real mental health rep. I loved Violette and her cheese-men and was there for every moment.

I ended up reading this one anyway because I didn't want my feedback ratio to be bad here on NetGalley. This was very creative and would be a good book for the right reader. I originally was not going to read, because I realized from the beginning it had tropes I was not a fan of.

A funny, lighthearted book with amazing cheese puns - the names are hilarious!! What more do you need?

I wanted to like it but I just couldn't get into it. I saw a bunch of reviews that it was funny so I figured I would give it a try. The book wasn't bad at all but I just like my h with some backbone and I felt like the men were just all different stereotypes. The premise is definitely a different take on the RH genre so would recommend at least giving this a try based on that fact.

I must admit that the concept of this book sounded a bit "cheesy", but I can tell you after reading the book that there might be tons of cheese puns, but the story is amazing. All of the men are great. Each had their own personally that I loved. Although, I will admit that reading this book did make me hungry for cheese and as cheese fan I was not mad about this.

The guys are Brie, Cam, Cheddy and Roq. Brie is soft spoken and a bit shy. Cam aka Camembert is a flirt. Cheddy aka Cheedar is kind of the peacemaker, and his personality is between Cam and Brie. Finally, there is Roq aka Roquefort, he is grumpy. Yet, when he breaks, it is oh so good.

I love that Violette only questioned her sanity for a brief period and then accepted the situation. Every night that the guys would transform into men from cheese, got me excited. All I have to say about this book is Why Cheese?, Why Not. I am gouda for this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Victory editing for allowing me to ARC read this book for my honest opinion.

Honestly, I laughed was to hard at this. The cheese pns where on point. A rom com with the right amount of Rom and the right amount of Com. The play on words "why Cheese" had 2 meaning. .. why did the author choose cheese and ... "why choose" RH... I love it. I give it 3.5 but for star rating sake I'll bump it to a 4.

Why Cheese? By Ellen Mint
Rating: 3.5/5

Violette Reely cautiously steps into her great uncle’s abandoned cheese shop, only to dart back out in a panic moments later. Who wouldn’t be startled by the sight of a hidden basement, concealed beneath a trapdoor? At first, it seems innocuous, with only cheese wheels and an old chest. But in a blink, four naked men emerge, chasing her out the door.

As bizarre as it sounds, once you wrap your head around the fact that these guys are, quite literally, were-cheese, the situation becomes oddly enjoyable. It's equal parts spicy and awkward, yet strangely endearing—a perfect blend of absurdity and sweetness. Despite the madness of it all, it turns out to be a surprisingly fun experience.

If you're seeking a lighthearted, whimsical, and steamy read, then I wholeheartedly suggest this book for you.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Victory Editing Netgalley Co-Op, and the author, Ellen Mint, for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I got lured by so many great reviews that promised a good writing style (which it was) and phenomenal characters (which they could have been).

However, if this book is meant for a certain type of readers, I am not one of them.

Because, WHY CHEESE ??? Seriously !

This book made me so unconfortable. There is nothing I can tell about it but it was so cringy (because no, having four very hot men "in love" with you doesn't make it lovely !). It was painful to end but I did it so two stars for this.

Thanks to Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing an eARC in exchange for a honest review.

I loved everything about this. Rom Com books aren't usually my favorite, but after reading the description I couldn't pass this up and I was not disappointed. The humor was super cute and the characters were fun and distinct. Chapter names are all cheese puns - it's fantastic. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Have you ever wanted to read a cheese shifter romance - dont lie we all want to read the books! i knew this book would be a riot.... but this was something and more! so so much more lol. This was a book i didnt know i needed! but i am so glad i read it. really enjoyed this book and make me cry with laughing but it was a really fun book to read!! you wont be disappointed. This will be an experience you wont want to miss!!!

If I could give this book 0 stars, I would, but I can’t so I’m giving it 1. I literally dnf’ed this book 4 pages in. I could already tell I wasn’t going to like it. It literally just depicts her walking into this cheese shop that she’s inherited while being overly dramatic about her phone ringing and comparing a spider web on her breast (her left breast specifically) to, let’s say, the substance that comes out of male genitalia WHILE on the phone to her MOTHER. As soon as I saw that, I was putting it down. 1 star, absolutely not

Violette Reely inherits her great uncle's cheese shop, and when she goes to inspect it she gets the shock of her life finding four young and beautiful men inside.

I've decided to pick up Why Cheese? in order to read something spicier than my usual romance novels, but I had to skip some scenes that were too out of my comfort zone.

It was overall a good and enjoyable read.
I liked the characters, I could feel their attraction, chemistry and also their agony and distress.
I was so pleased with the ending I would have read more of it.