This book will make you swooooonnnn.

I love Stef but Mallory is equally special, this only shows what a great job Campbell did in bringing two complex characters alive.

Stef, a passionate chef, aims to showcase her culinary skills through YouTube videos, after a blunder in a competition makes her an internet meme. She's hoping that talented filmmaker Mallory Radowski will help push her food content. However Mal who suffers from anxiety can seem standoffish and is incredibly particular when it comes to food.

While the two are both attracted to each other, they must figure out a way to work together to achieve their individual dreams. This story really takes you on a journey of growth, respect, love and understanding between Mal and Stef.

Its a slow burn, but worth it. I truly felt like i was in the book, in every scene, feeling everything Stef and Mal was going through.

Mal's anxiety was written really well, it was heavy and real and you can see the impact of it in how Mal reacts and lives her life. Nan really smashed it out the park with this book.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I can't quite explain why but I struggled to get through this one. The writing was good, and there was humor, and spice, and banter. However, something just didn't click for me to fully enjoy it. I will say though, I did like the characters.

I think that Mallory and Stef are really unique, both having their own individual quirks and struggles. Although, as someone else said in their review, it did seem a bit far fetched that Mallory could be comfortable going on television and eating a new food when her anxiety issues seem so intense up until that point in the book.

Overall, this book isn't my favorite of Campbell's, but even though it didn't work well for me, I still think a lot of people will really like this one. 3.7/5 stars rounded up.

Stef, a talented chef, finds herself trying to rebuild her career after her big emotions turn her into a meme. Mallory, an uninspired filmmaker, struggles to navigate society with her burden of anxiety. When a mutual friend introduces them and they start recording cooking videos for YouTube together, us readers get to watch a beautiful, real, raw, authentic relationship unfold and bloom.

I seriously really loved this book. I LOVED how Campbell portrayed anxiety - I saw so much of myself and my own experience with generalized anxiety in Mallory. I also loved getting to see Stef and Mallory navigate getting to know each other - they had REAL conversations that weren't necessarily "fun" or "dramatic" but its so incredibly important to see healthy communication.

Pun not originally intended, but a thousand chef's kisses to Campbell and Hot Honey Love 👩‍🍳💋

I liked this novel a lot. There are several things going on at once which I like. Both protagonists had their own things going on in addition to their shared plotlines, which made the story and characters feel a lot more real. In addition to cooking and YouTube, this novel spent a lot of time on one of the characters anxieties, which were handled well. There were several elements to this plot which were fairly original (in my experience) so this novel was a different and refreshing experience. I would recommend this novel for sure. I am rounding up to 5-stars because we can’t give partial stars, so consider it a low (but still earned) 5-stars.

Very minor spoilers below (nothing that the first two chapters doesn’t reveal!):

Highlights:
-The big standout, in my opinion, was the representation of anxiety in this novel. not only was it a realistic and accurate representation of how it can affect someone, but it was presented in a clever way that I think would be easy to understand for someone who doesn’t experience it (not that I would know as anxiety and me go way back). This was a much larger focus of this novel than I expected it to be but I didn’t mind in the slightest as it was done well; it significantly influenced the plot of the novel and was treated sympathetically in the text.
-I particularly like the representation of someone who has experience dealing with anxiety and demonstrated these skills and techniques. The character identified catastrophization and other problematic thought patterns, name-dropped cognitive behavioral therapy, and generally demonstrated that the author knows what they are talking about. The depiction of anxiety as a lifelong-companion that needs to be managed was perfect.
-Any novel that directs characters to therapy gets bonus points from me!
-Competence as a kink? Yes please.
-These characters were incredibly sweet together. They were supportive and adorable and it was heartwarming. When things were going well, they also had great chemistry together!
-The relationship didn’t fall into formulaic tropes in terms of progression or timeline. So many novels follow identical structures, so it was delightful that this one didn’t!
-Apparently, I really like reading about people loving food. More than once I was hungry while reading but my subconscious thought food was coming because I was reading about cooking. Food wasn’t coming though. Interesting experience.

Nitpicks:
-Mallory’s endless and repetitive negative self-thoughts got frustrating to read, and ill say it again, repetitive. That said, this was a very accurate depiction of what living with that kind of anxiety feels like. Her negative self-thoughts were irrational, which was frustrating, but those kinds of thoughts ARE irrational. From a narrative point of view, I disliked it as it felt like bad writing (she was so dense to what other people were actually saying!) but in actuality I know that it was excellent writing and incredibly accurate to the real-world experience. Sometimes reality makes for unrealistic fiction. I wanted to comment on this as I can easily see it annoying readers, but it didn’t count against the novels score because it was ultimately very realistic.
-This couple absolutely suffered from a lack of communication at times, which is one of my most disliked tropes. Some of this could be attributed to the anxiety issue and gets a pass, but not all of it. This knocked the novel down a few pegs for me, but I still liked it enough to round up to 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This review was left voluntarily.

Slow burn but just at the point I was getting a bit impatient for the mains to connect a bit more, they did. Up to that point I had been interested because little by little they were finding their way to each other. I was learning a wee bit about the barriers one main had, and wanted to find out more. I did, and that’s when I felt pace was beginning to stutter, but the writer moved things forward. Around 70% I felt there was another stutter. Again, the writer did a lovely thing with potato chips, but this time a bit behind the pace stutter. Nearly a 4 but the pace faltered too many times for an upgrade. Especially as when they did finally work things out I was a bit “ok” rather than savouring every detail. In the end I was a bit glad for them, but glad it was over… Those bits were nearly a 3. Having said that I really liked one mains attitude with her nemeses towards the end. Also the family day and epilogue.

Stef is a chef who a contestant in a cooking show but became a laughing stock when she had meltdown after the star of the show cruelly berates her. Now she working at dead end job because no one would take her seriously after what happened on the show. Mallory is videographer filming weddings it’s not what she wants to go but it’s pays the bills she has anxiety is shy struggles with touch and is an incredibly picky eater which is why she was reluctant to help Stef at first. Stef and Mallory working relationship is a success and their show becomes a hit as they grow closer romantically it did drag a bit because they both assume what the other was thinking instead of talking to each other but other then that overall good read.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Mallory with her bees in Hot Honey Love is one of the most intense mental health representations in romance books I've read. Stef, for the most part, was very supportive and understanding friend, co-worker and, in the end, lover. Because Stef wasn't perfect and didn't do or say always the right thing made her more real and relatable.

Hot Honey Love is a romance about dreams, emotions, growing, learning, and respect. And it is hot.

This was a lovely, fresh take on an opposites attract romance.

Following an emotionally disastrous appearance on a cooking show, no one will take Stef's skills seriously. She's stuck working a dead-end job, wondering how she can ever be taken seriously as a chef again.

Mallory is working as a videographer, filming weddings. It's not the filmmaking career she dreams of, but it pays the bills.

When she's approached to work with Stef to film social media content to help her public image, she initially hesitates. Not because she doesn't want to extend her artistic talent or earn more money, but because she has a terrible relationship with food.

Although attracted to each other, is a relationship between people whose love languages are opposed possible?

Stef is a hugger who seeks touch frequently. For her, food is love.

For Mallory, touch is not something she is comfortable with until she knows someone extremely well, and she will only eat the same foods. With contact and food wrapped up so tightly in her anxiety, she feels isolated and unsure why anyone as wonderful as Stef would want to be with her.

As the relationship between Stef and Mallory develops, so does their understanding and acceptance of each other... but is it enough to build forever on?

Mental wellbeing and food issues were handled well in the story, and the normalisation of having a less-than-wonderful relationship with food was a blessed relief.

The gentle exposure to both touch and food, as they're associated with more healthy and positive experiences, is a balm to anyone who has struggled similarly.

Overall, this was an adorable and lovingly cute F/F HEA romance that handled sensitive topics very well.


*I received an advance reader copy for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review*

This was a good read! I really enjoyed the plot and the characters. The story was well written and engaging. I would definitely recommend!

What a story. The layers that kept getting peeled back had me thinking about it all day and night when I wasn’t reading. Absolutely loved both MCs. The way Mallory’s anxiety was written was unlike any book I’ve read, and the sensitivity and care from Stef was perfect. So badly want all her recipes and to watch both the Hot Honey Love YouTube channel and Mallory’s movie. Absolutely recommend this book. It’s so much more than what meets the eye. Oh and the steam, be ready for it...

I loved the growth the characters showed through out the book and the redemption the story gave them. It was fun to read and see the main characters grow individually and as a couple.

There were parts of the story that dragged but that was more an issue with what I like to read then the writing.

Definitely worth a read for anyone that likes seeing a redemption story and two good people falling in love.

Thanks to NetGallery and the published for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Stef Lombardozzi begins the story as an up and coming new chef on the rocket ship to stardom as a contestant on “Kitchen Ballers”. Unfortunately, during the first episode, she ends up in tears after the star of the show cruelly berates her. She is laughed off the show and Kitchen Bawler becomes one of the most popular memes, chasing poor Stef through her life for years. It shoves her right off her path and all the way from Mousselline in Manhattan to Pasta Palooza in Hoboken. One fateful night, the bartender at Pasta Palooza introduces Stef to Mallory, who went to Tisch with the bartender. Mallory is an extreme introvert with a severe anxiety disorder. She lives a mostly self-contained life where she eats the same foods, works on the same stop-motion film from college, and is employed as a wedding videographer. Very vivacious Stef is a jarringly bright light that stabs its way into Mallory’s drab world. As they embark on the creation of Stef’s comeback cooking videos, they change each others lives (and romance ensues). Nan Campbell books are always so well written and Hot Honey Love is no exception. The opening scene introduces us to golden retriever Stef in all her optimistic, go get ‘em glory. In just one single scene, Campbell shows us all of the highs and lows of Stef’s personality and makes her an incredibly sympathetic character. By the time the Kitchen Bawler meme is introduced, it’s almost impossible not to sympathize with Stef. Mallory, on the other hand, is a completely different matter. I have to admit, that at first, it was not very easy to like Mallory. She is rigid and standoffish. While I had confidence that she would, I was curious as to how Campbell would redeem Mallory’s character and somehow still endear her to readers. It did not take Campbell long to begin that transformation. By the time the reader gets to the part where Mallory’s past is revealed, she is such a loveable character that the way she was treated is infuriating. I never should have even remotely thought of doubting Campbell’s skill. Speaking of skill, one of Campbell’s strengths is the depth of research that she does. Mallory’s anxiety, and the depiction of it, is incredibly vivid. I asked and yes, she took the time to research and sought out sensitivity readers to ensure accuracy. That level of dedication led to a character that is memorable and heartbreaking and frustrating and so amazingly real. Campbell created two incredibly dynamic characters. She took these two so dissimilar people and made their coupling seem inevitable as they complemented each other perfectly, even though they should not really fit together. There’s angst, but not the kind that fills the story and frustrates the reader. Campbell nimbly braids the angst into the traits of her characters. They don’t have a miscommunication or something silly like that. The main reason for any disruptions on their pathway to true love has its inception in the personality traits of Stef and Mallory that Campbell had fully established. You understand what puts Mallory into her defensive position. You know why Stef holds on. It’s refreshing to have that approach. It also made the book whiz right by. I didn’t realize that I was almost at the end until I hit the epilogue.
I think that the best part of this book is that you follow along with each step in their everyday lives and become engrossed. As you go through the story, it’s not hard to root for Stef and Mallory to succeed in everything from love to business. And they do, which seems inevitable, but wonderful at the same time. The story leaves you happy to have traveled this path with Stef and Mallory and delighted that they are happy in life and love. I read the last line with a smile on my face. What a great love story.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley.

Right place at the right moment. That's how Mallory and Stef end up meeting and collaborating. Problem is, how can a chef collaborate with the only person who won't even try her food? Can Mallory and Stef work around each other? Are they willing to compromise for the sake of their growing attraction? How much is too much when it comes to love?

Well-developed characters with real personalities and quirks that remind us that even in fiction life isn't always rainbows and butterflies and that the key is to find a way to accept each other. Makes a really nice light read and give us hope for a HEA.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

Not a bad read. The middle was dragged out and I felt like it could have had a more satisfying ending, the communication between the mains was a bit obnoxious.
A solid 3 stars

First up the communication style drove me insane however it’s how me and my wife are, she’s autistic and I’m a huge over thinker and emotional so it made me realise how infuriating it is lol.

I enjoyed the book as a whole, I did feel it dragged on a little in the middle as it was just a back and forth and I think I’d of enjoyed it more if it was each POV for a chapter instead of both mixed into one however the writing style does make sense to do it that way

I enjoyed how the relationship grew although it did feel unlikely that Mallory would be able to just jump on the live TV after being too anxious to do a video which she edits and could always edit herself out if she didn’t like it.

Overall a great book :)

*full disclosure I was given this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley*

In Hot Honey Love by Nan Cambell we are introduced to Stephanie and Mallory. Stephanie was an up-and-coming chef whose career stalled after an embarrassing cooking competition moment turned her into an internet joke. Mallory is a filmmaker, currently working as a wedding videographer. Stephanie, to change her image on the internet, employs Mallory to help her create an internet cooking show. Stephanie is outgoing, affectionate, and loves food. Mallory has anxiety, is shy, struggles with touch, and is an incredibly picky eater. Despite their differences, Mallory and Stephanie work well together and their show is an instant success.

The characters of Mallory and Stephanie were well developed. Their backstories were interesting. The chemistry between them came through and didn’t feel forced.

I appreciated the representation of anxiety in this book. Nan Campbell did a good job describing Mallory’s anxiety. In addition, the book showed the impact anxiety can have on a relationship for both parties. I found the struggles of both characters as they tried to navigate their feelings as they related to Mallory’s anxiety very relatable and honest.

I did feel that the lack of communication between Mallory and Stephanie dragged out longer than it should have. They both spent too much time assuming and in their own heads. Also, for a book that did such a great job with anxiety representation to start by the end it felt like Mallory’s anxiety was almost a non-issue. This did not feel like an accurate portrayal of managing anxiety.

Overall, there were several things to enjoy about this book, but the ending just wasn’t satisfying.

Thank you NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books, and Nan Campbell for the ARC.

2.5 stars

Nan Campbell is one of my favorite Bold Strokes Books authors. This is a rare miss for me.

I love food-based books, and I love mental health rep in stories, so this had all the ingredients of a promising start with Stef as a chef and Mallory as an anxious videographer. I liked the first half with them getting to know each other and starting to make cooking videos together. But then Stef starts pushing against Mallory's boundaries and not really respecting what Mallory is telling her.

The lack of communication drove me wild. They kept assuming something about the other (which I expect from the anxious one but not the talkative one) and when they did talk about something, it was only ever halfway. The treatment of Mallory's anxiety wasn't great either. It read like Mallory "suddenly got better" because she loved Stef, but that's not how mental illness works. Props for positive therapy encouragement, though.

I'd gladly give Campbell another try, but I can't say I'd recommend this one.

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

On paper, I love everything about this - food as a love language, reconnecting with what about your craft brings joy, falling in love with someone through their passion for their craft. And for the most part, that is what happens and for the most part, it's cute and sweet.

The problem for me falls a lot with the treatment of Mallory's anxiety around food and eating. As a dual PoV, we spend a lot of time in her head and see just how uncomfortable she feels with things outside of her control or expectation. Which then makes it very jarring when all of Stef's attempts at courting her go along the same route - assuming what she is going to do is what Mallory wants or would like, without asking, despite the fact that Mallory has told her that she should just ask what Mallory likes or wants to do. Instead, Stef keeps on making assumptions and just presenting Mallory with things, forcing her to make decisions and make comments that have no good way of landing, instead of listening to what Mallory is telling her. We know that food is Stef's love language and she wants to care for the people she loves by feeding them and providing for them, and as a chef she has to know that there are all sorts of particular eaters and how sensory an experience eating can be. It just feels like a constant hurdle or that they can't "really" be together if Mallory doesn't eat her food, and it's something to fix about Mallory, rather than a ground for compromise. And then when Mallory does eat it, it's treated as just that - a hurdle gotten over. It just left a bad taste in my mouth, and unfortunately, while a lot else about their relationship is very cute and supportive, that's prevalent enough that the bad taste never really leaves.

This is a unique take on an opposites attract trope, featuring Stef (a talented chef whose love languages are food and touch) and Mallory (a closed off, self-described anxious, picky eater). Both main characters were super endearing to me. Communication, problem solving, and personal growth were key for both of them, and I loved seeing them learn to meld around each other’s needs and wants. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a low drama, low stress but highly emotionally driven read.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.