Hey heyy, book friends! I am back again with yet another arc review! I am actually so proud of myself. I am tackling my arcs and Netgalley shelf and actually finishing books before they are published!!!
So now that we have gotten that out of the way, I am ready to share with y’all my thoughts on Simmer Down by Sarah Smith!
Synopsis:
In this finger-licking good rom-com, two is the perfect number of cooks in the kitchen.
Nikki DiMarco knew life wouldn’t be all sunshine and coconuts when she quit her dream job to help her mom serve up mouthwatering Filipino dishes to hungry beach goers, but she didn’t expect the Maui food truck scene to be so eat-or-be-eaten—or the competition to be so smoking hot.
But Tiva’s Filipina Kusina has faced bigger road bumps than the arrival of Callum James. Nikki doesn’t care how delectable the British food truck owner is—he rudely set up shop next to her coveted beach parking spot. He’s stealing her customers and fanning the flames of a public feud that makes her see sparks.
The solution? Let the upcoming Maui Food Festival decide their fate. Winner keeps the spot. Loser pounds sand. But the longer their rivalry simmers, the more Nikki starts to see a different side of Callum…a sweet, protective side. Is she brave enough to call a truce? Or will trusting Callum with her heart mean jumping from the frying pan into the fire?
First, I would like to say a big thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I have been in a rom-com mood lately, so when I saw this title on Netgalley I was all for getting lost in a love story. I will fully admit that I was not a big fan of the last book by this author, Faker, but I was definitely willing to give her next book a try. I am so glad that I made that decision, because this book did not let me down!
This book provided me with one of my favorite rom-com tropes, enemies to lovers! Something about a good hate to love story just makes me so happy inside and I think this one was really well done.
Nikki, the female lead, came off as an authentic, genuinely relatable character. She puts family at the forefront of her life and is willing to do anything for her mother. Callum, the male love interest, came off a little brash at the beginning but by the end of this book I was ready to steal him for myself!!
Something I really enjoyed and appreciated about this book is that it is more than just a romance. It also weaves in a story of grief and learning how to cope with losing a parent. I felt this topic was done extremely well, while also showing how each person in a family deals with grief in different ways.
The only part of this book that really wasn’t for me was the fact that it is only told from just Nikki’s POV. If you have been following our blog, you know that Thi and I both crave a book with dual POVs. I generally think this brings so much more to a story, especially a romance!
Overall, this is definitely a book I would recommend to anyone looking for a quick and fun, steamy romance!
Book Details:
Title: Simmer Down
Author: Sarah Smith
Publication Date: October 13, 2020
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
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