The premise for this book is great, set in a restaurant and a surprise meeting after a one night stand. Gabi and Ainsley have a easy next day farewell, Until they meet again later as 2 halves of the team that’s going to run the restaurant while transitioning from Gabi’s dad to Gabi’s management. But then the plot takes a strange turn for me, why would Gabi find out about this arrangement like that, especially when her father is a nice guy. And the twist with the contract, that makes so little sense, as does the resolution. If you’re willing to overlook these things, then the rest is a decent read. 3.5 stars

First book by this author, but won't be my last.

Gabi is all set to take over her family's restaurant when her dad retires. At the party, she fully embraces that fact, until her dad states that Gabi will be running the kitchen and someone else would be running front of house. Gabi is pissed and even more thrown off when it's none other than the woman she'd had a one night stand with the night before.

Ainsley is consultant who comes in to help get the restaurants back on track, but really is there to smooth things over for a few months. She doesn't expect Gabi to be the daughter and their one night stand has to be forgotten as she's there to work and that's all.

Easier said then done. It's start off frosty then they warm up to each other and so on. There's a lot of back and forth. I had a feeling about the company before it was revealed but it was set up nicely. I loved the family culture and togetherness, it was written very well. I enjoyed the chemistry between Ainsley and Gabi as well.

This read like a one night to forever kind of trope, but also a little enemies to lovers as well. I would recommend this book as a light angst, feel good book that makes you hungry.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was a bit concerned starting this because from the blurb it is a one night to forever and I know from past experience I enjoy intimate scenes when there is a relationship rather than just lust. I needn’t t have worried. The writer handled this well. In fact a great first chapter that has me settled down to quickly read the rest.
I knew from the synopsis there would be a misunderstanding but delighted it wasn't silly and wasn't actually between the mains. The story was well paced and at no point did my attention wander. 3.5 rounded up because it held my attention and I loved some of the lines.
Don’t be like me and read this when no access to food and also expect to have a very strong notion for Italian food by the end!

**1.5 Stars**

Sighhhh, I really wanted to love this one but it was just way too silly hallmark cliché for me. The whole premise was very Gordon Ramsey but make it a romance but the way everything unfolded just seemed so ridiculous.

The story starts with Gabi's father retiring from the family business and Gabi preparing to take over managing the company, only on the night of his retirement he announces to the whole party Gabi isn't taking over but instead some woman named Ainsley (who Gabi had a one night stand with) from a management company is. He then defends this by saying;

A. he never actually said she could take it over, she just assumed. Bro she's your chef daughter who left her high-paying NYC restaurant job to come back to the family business, it was a fair assumption and you could have at least TOLD her this privately instead of having her find out at the same time as everyone else.

B. He says while she's good in the kitchen she's incapable of managing the restaurant and alludes to a situation where she went ballistic in the dining room in front of customers. We later find out this was one isolated incident where Gabi's girlfriend brought her affair partner to the restaurant to have dinner together and to dump Gabi at the same time.... but yeah this is definitely proof of Gabi's inability to run the restaurant.

So Gabi has to stumble along working with this new manager (who she's happened to have sex with) and the whole thing is just a mess. There's no chemistry at all between them and the constant back and forth in whether they hate each other or not is never tense and sexy it's just kind of schizophrenic.

We then find out that oh Ainsley isn't actually from a management company at all, Gabi's father signed a contract without reading it whatsoever or talking to his family or a lawyer about it and ACTUALLY, it's a company that helps fix up and then buy out restaurants and he's agreed to sell it to them - and this dude had the guts to say Gabi wasn't cut out for management.....

Gabi cracks it at Ainsley who then gets mad that Gabi is mad at her, before realising "oh yeah it is kinda weird Gabi kept talking about taking over the business when she knew it was being sold, I guess THAT'S why she's been so stubborn". The fact that she never figured this out herself and it took till Gabi confronted her about it for her to realise Gabi was totally in the dark is INSANE, talk about being dumb good god.

To make it up to Gabi, Ainsley decides to... renovate Gabi's office? The office she's only going to have for another month because she's about to have her family business sold out from under her?? And Gabi is happily accepts this

(bro what is going on fr I'm so confused).

Ainsley then tries to argue with her boss about how what they're doing is immoral (girl this is your whole job how are you THIS in the dark about how it operates), her boss bizarrely agrees to cancel the contract as long as she resigns? But Ainsley is like woah no thanks I don't like her that much!!!

But turns out she does, cause she goes back and ends up agreeing to resign so that Gabi's family can keep ownership of the restaurant. We find out later that the supposed reason for this was because the Boss and Ainsley were in a brief relationship which she ended and so the boss was pissed at her and purposely tried to sabotage her management of the restaurant (she literally sent s girl to be hired as a waitress as a spy??) so that she could get rid of her.

Which makes ZERO sense whatsoever because the relationship between Gabi and Ainsley would probably have been enough to fire her if they had policies about fraternizing with clients but ALSO if she was so hellbent on revenge why would she agree to back out of the deal and let Gabi (her ex's new girl) keep the restaurant?

The one thing I did really like was the focus on family and culture, it definitely read like an authentic Italian family running a restaurant, and it gave me a hankering for some vegan meatballs (which I sadly didn't have).

Anyway, that's the end. Truly this would probably make a great hallmark movie because they are so cringe and cliché that it helps you suspend disbelief and just enjoy a silly little goofy time, however, in book format, it just didn't work for me.


Thank you to Netgally and Bella Books for an arc in exchange for this clearly very honest review

I am a big fan of books set in restaurants but unfortunately this one didn’t work for me. I really liked Ainsley as a character and rooted for her, but couldn’t warm to Gabi who came across as quite immature at times, and her hot-and-cold behaviour made her actions seem inconsistent. I couldn’t feel invested in the relationship because of this, and the fact that we didn’t see the leads’ first meeting didn’t help. The storyline about the father and the contract and Ainsley’s ex was just too far fetched to be believable. However, the pace did pick up significantly and the story got a lot more interesting after that revelation and I enjoyed the last chapters a lot more.

Enjoyable characters and a fun work place romance. Lots of food and it made me hungry while reading!

4.5 stars

Don't read this while hungry!

Gabi is all set to take over the family restaurant when her father retires, but little does she know he's hired a company to come help with the transition. In walks Gabi's one-night stand, Ainsley, and she's the new management consultant.

I usually feel a bit weird about workplace romance because of power imbalances, but since Gabi and Ainsley are technically on equal footing, there was no power imbalance between them. I liked the neighborhood feel of the story, and even the side characters were vibrant. I thought I knew where the story was going, but I was still surprised by the twist.

I definitely recommend if you want a lighthearted foody romance. And now I'm craving Italian food...

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

After a celebratory one night stand, Gabi D'Angelo is finally taking over her family restaurant after her Dad is retiring. However, her Dad throws her a curveball by hiring a business consultant to streamline their operation.

Who, it turns out, is her one night stand, Ainsley Becker. Who thinks SHE is now the boss. Oh dear....

Good read. The mid-book complication is foreshadowed, and the book is fun and has good sexy bits. I liked the cast, and there's a good mix of romance and drama.

4 out of 5 stars.

Gabi and Ainsley find out that after a very enjoyable night together, they'll now be running Gabi's family restaurant together.

With this opening, I worried that the story would just trundle along the typical tropes... but I was gladly proven wrong!

There are some twists and reveals that added complexity to our main character's journey... because the path to love never runs smoothly!

Overall, this was a fun and feelgood story that also included some amazing sounding Italian dishes. Be prepared to feel hungry!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

gabi was feeling on top of the world .... her dad was about to retire and she was going to be taking over the business ... all of her dreams were coming true

and if the one night stand was anything to go by she was very lucky indeed.....

what she wasnt expecting was for her one night stand to be named as front of house manager as she was named head cook....

what gabi didnt know or her father was what exactly he had signed and that was going to bring a whole heap of trouble their way

if only she could stop sleeping with her...

why do i always end up hungry whilst reading a book from this author... but i have to admit the attraction between these two was funny to watch looking forward to reading more from this author

I really enjoyed reading this enemies to lovers story. The whole love story setting in an Italian family restaurant in Portland. Gabi a chef and Ainsley a restaurant consultant and of course they butt heads until they don’t and focus on a bit of love as well. Some more romance would have enhanced the story further, perhaps adding a few additional scenes more focused on that part but overall a good story.

A lot of description about cooking great Italian food so I am now really inspired to try cooking some of the dishes mentioned.

I was lucky to get a chance to read an ARC of this book via NetGalley.