N. G. Peltier

Love is a piece of cake, right? For the first time in forever, lifelong rivals Cherisse and Keiran are back in Trinidad at the same time. And while Keiran may have the most swoonworthy smile, he's also the most annoying man Cherisse has ever met. Unfortunately, avoiding him is impossible. With Keiran's close friend getting ready to marry Cherisse's sister, he's just been made the best man to her maid of honour . . . Keiran doesn't know what to make of Cherisse. She might now be a successful pastry chef but to him she's always been a stuck-up brat who seeks attention, even as he secretly harboured a crush on her. Now it seems he can't escape her. But despite their antagonism towards each other, things turn heated after one rainy night and the pair are forced to figure out if they can survive the countdown to wedding day, without this turning into a recipe for disaster . . .

Sweethand

Charlsy Sekyere

⭐️3.5

A perfectly fine book with a gorgeous cover and for the most part a lovable, diverse cast of characters that mesh perfectly well together, despite at times feeling entirely too long, perhaps due to the third act breakup/conflict that presents itself so late in the book, which, I must add, was resolved quickly and led to a very rushed ending.

The enemies-to-lovers trope, despite being one of my favourite tropes, wasn’t done the best due to how stupid it was for Cherisse and Kieran to not like each other at the start, something that was never fully developed (a huge parallel to how well developed and strong the cast of characters were) and felt, dare I say, childish and unwarranted. Nevertheless, once you move past this, you can definitely see Cherisse and Kieran's chemistry (mostly sexual chemistry, but at least they have some chemistry, despite being mostly physical) and banter.

As a whole, it's a decent romantic book.

Fun and sexy. Great characters and a cute story. I appreciated having a main character who was bisexual, but not portrayed in a way that felt simply performative on the part of the author. It was frustrating seeing the third act break up coming from a mile away, but it felt realistic and got sorted out quickly. I look forward to reading more books in this series. 

The narrator for the audio felt a bit stilted, but wasn't bad exactly. I listened at 1.5x speed and it didn't feel rushed at all.

Amanda

Fun and sexy. Great characters and a cute story. I appreciated having a main character who was bisexual, but not portrayed in a way that felt simply performative on the part of the author. It was frustrating seeing the third act break up coming from a mile away, but it felt realistic and got sorted out quickly. I look forward to reading more books in this series. 

The narrator for the audio felt a bit stilted, but wasn't bad exactly. I listened at 1.5x speed and it didn't feel rushed at all.

Sampurna Saha 

The love interests just did not spend enough time with each other for me to understand why they even liked each other in the first place. Also reading this over the span of a month might have affected what I felt but I just know this is something I will instantly forget.

Dee B. 

Hate to love is my weakness. Add in familiar locations, dialect and steam? I'm instantly invested. A better rtc

sydney

absolutely obsessed with this. kieran my bi king

Aditi

I liked both the main characters, Cherisse and Keiran on their own and together. The pacing of this book did not work for me at all. I couldn’t buy into the progression of the main relationship. The third act conflict, which you can guess from the start doesn’t happen until the last chapter and the resolution was obviously rushed. I thought there was enough time to bring it up sometime sooner so that the grovelling and forgiving could be more believable. I didn’t really care about any of the side characters, they weren’t very memorable to me. There’s a lot of casual queerness which I appreciated and all the food descriptions were great but that’s kinda it.

Cat H

I don't normally read romance, and when I do, I usually spend time nit-picking everything that annoys me.
This is not the case with Sweatband. I enjoyed this story from start to finish! I loved the characters, the slow-burn (a.k.a. pinning), the enemies-to-lovers, and the setting. There is cake, great friendships, and a cat named Jello! 
There isn't a lot of steamy scenes (which is a bonus for me but I can understand everyone has different tastes) but that works for me!
*also, great LGBTQ+ rep.

Very fun and easy to read! This is just what I needed after reading something much heavier. I love the enemies to lovers trope!

It was very interesting to read a romance from both perspectives and I loved that it had a diverse cast of characters. There was a lot of pop culture references and slang throughout the book that made me cringe a little, but I was able to look past it. 

Overall, I think if you’re looking for a light, 

 romance to pick up - then this is a great choice.

Alli

Very fun and easy to read! This is just what I needed after reading something much heavier. I love the enemies to lovers trope!

It was very interesting to read a romance from both perspectives and I loved that it had a diverse cast of characters. There was a lot of pop culture references and slang throughout the book that made me cringe a little, but I was able to look past it. 

Overall, I think if you’re looking for a light, sweet, & a little spicy romance to pick up - then this is a great choice.

always, annej 〄

After a public meltdown over her breakup from her cheating musician boyfriend, Cherisse swore off guys in the music industry, and dating in general for a while, preferring to focus on growing her pastry chef business. When Cherisse's younger sister reveals she's getting married in a few months, Cherisse hopes that will distract her mother enough to quit harassing her about finding a guy, settling down and having kids. But her mother's matchmaking keeps intensifying. Cherisse tries to humour her mother, hoping if she feigns interest in the eligible bachelors she keeps tossing her way, she'll be off the hook, but things don't quite go as planned. Turns out for the first time in ages, she and Keiran King, the most annoying man ever, are on the island at the same time. Avoiding him is impossible, especially when Keiran's close friend is the one marrying her sister, and he's the best man to her maid of honour. Keiran doesn't know what to make of Cherisse now. They've always butted heads. To him she's always been a stuck-up brat who seeks attention, even while he secretly harbored a crush on her. Now with Cherisse's sister marrying one of his good friends he can't escape her as the wedding activities keep throwing them together. When things turn heated after a rainy night of bedroom fun, they both have to figure out if they can survive the countdown to wedding day, without this turning into a recipe for disaster.

Michelle Xu

I almost always give 3 ish stars to books where I only like one side of the couple. In this case the award goes to Keiran for carrying this book. I felt like some of Cherisse’s animosity towards him, especially for the first half was so unwarranted. I never understood why she hated him. Keiran teased her but was never rude and when he fell for her he was so sweet, patient, and kind. The entire middle of the novel was fun and sexy. I liked seeing the two of them work together, their chemistry, the angst, etc. i liked their banter in real life and via text. I also liked that they both got to show each other what life was like for each of them and take each other out of their comfort zones. The sexy times were Hot too 🥵

For me I had a rough time getting into the novel due to Cherisse’s personality, then I really enjoyed the entire middle of the book, but the last three chapters were some of the most disappointing. I could see the conflict coming a mile away. While I agree it was Keiran‘s fault for not communicating, I thought the lead up and fall out from it was too anticlimactic. I also didn’t get why it became like “you can’t just say sorry, you have to put action to words” and then his action had nothing to do with the issue. Typically when someone says show me don’t tell me, they mean they want the apology to show real change in their character. Did Keiran hide something? Then he should take actionable steps to prove he is trustworthy, not just go a sing in front of people. I just can’t believe the conflict occurred I. The second to last chapter then they solved it in a dumb way in the very last chapter. If the last three chapters had been different, I would have overlooked the slow beginning and given this 4 stars tbh

Sofie

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook!
_____


  She’d never hated the nickname she’d been dubbed with by her fellow foodies on the island. Sugar Queen. She liked it. The print and online magazines she’d been featured in used it all the time. Hell, she’d rolled with it all the way and plastered the damn nickname all over her bio on her website and social media accounts.
Except when Keiran said it in that smirky, condescending tone—then she hated it.


Cherisse and Keiran are childhood nemeses. So when Cherisse's sister Ava gets engaged to Keiran's best friend, she should have known he's be involved in the wedding. But she never would have guessed he'd be the Best Man to her Maid of Honour. Now they have to plan all the pre-wedding activities together, and the tension from their childhood rivalry has morphed into something more... sexual.

WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU!! Okay, I loved the first, like, 80% of this book. It was sexy. It was fun. The chemistry was great, the island was atmospheric, the Caribbean culture was vibrant, and the side characters were fun.

But then the "big conflict" that tears everything apart comes around and it's so... boring. Like, the main point of contention was laughable. I won't spoil anything, because I really do feel like it's a sweet read (lol) but man, all that amazingness comes to a halt... for that. It was hardly even a big deal.

But let's talk about the good: That cover is GORGEOUS. Our MCs were fun. We got ✨pining✨. The smut was tame but still pretty hot. The characters were fleshed out, strong, and meshed so well together. That wedding slumber party seemed like a BLAST. The cast of characters is also so diverse, with not only queer rep, but a bi main character!

The narrator of the audiobook was SO GOOD (if a bit slow; I ended up listening in 1.5x speed just for the audiobook to sound normal. However, I don't think that's an issue with this reader, since I've noticed that ALL the audiobooks I've listened to sound really slow when it's on default speed). I've noticed narrators will try to change their voice for every character in a book, and I LOVED that Chrystal Bethell didn't do that. I had no problem following who was talking, and honestly it's always a bit off-putting when a narrator will change their voice to be more masculine or feminine based on the character speaking in the novel. 

3.5 stars rounded down. It's listed as "Island Bites #1 and I definitely enjoyed the book enough to continue the series when it's out :)

Rebeka Scherman

It was an okay read, I wish that the plot would have been more exciting, more lively.
Read it if you want to get an insight of Trinidadian culture, cuisines and some heartwarming moments!

Cheryl Hedlund

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for an advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review. 

This is a lighthearted romcom with a food theme set on the island of Trinidad. Growing up in a tight-knit group of friends, Cherisse and Keiran never got along with each other. Mostly giving each other space and when that didn't work, trading verbal barbs for fun. Cherisse is a semi-celeb baker who provides deserts and sweet showpieces for events. Keiran is a well-known music producer on the island. It is quite awkward when they are the best man and maid of honor for Cherisse's sister's wedding. They have to plan a special joint bachelor/bachelorette party for all the friends on both sides to celebrate together. Yep, forced proximity and a little bit of enemies to lovers. The banter is fun and the chemistry is quite steamy. Keiran is bi and there are other LGBTQ+ characters as well. The group of friends is supportive and full of personality. This is a delicious confection. Sweet, but not overly so. The strong island vibes make this perfect for a breezy summer vacation read. Enjoy with the cocktail of your choice. You might want a little cake after.

Estefany 

Es una historia con temática enemies to lovers muy entretenida. Vale la pena leerlo.

b.andherbooks

A fun and delicious contemporary romance set in the Bahamas, featuring an upcoming dessert chef and caterer and a music industry pro who try to resist their attraction as they prepare for Cherisse's younger sister's wedding.

Great food descriptions and a lovely sense of place, an excellent summer read.

Aliyah Manji

First of all, let's just talk about this cover. This cover is *perfection* I *dream* about this cover. The art style, the colours, the drawing, all of it is just *chef's kiss*. This is hands down the most gorgeous cover ever.

The book was also very good!! The 2 MC's were POC's, which I loved, and it was also good representation. It's an enemies-lovers story, which was so cute, and the plot was also great. Def recommend!!

Jo H

This book has a couple of things that I'm never usually bothered about; 
* hate to love trope
* foodie aspect
and it sold me on both!

The banter (esp. between the two MCs) was superb, the casual queerness of multiple characters (including the bisexual MMC) was to die for, the family and friend dynamics were interesting and the whole vibe was fun. The writing was fantastic and the slow burn from 'lifelong' mutual hate to feelings was palpable and when they did finally get it on... whew!

Also, Keiran (apart from a few terrible 'jokes' early on which were hurtful to Cherisse and his very foolish third act lie by omission) is such a sweetheart! He is no alphahole and is happy to let Cherisse take the lead when she needs to (including in the bedroom... or the closet!) which is always such a treat for me. He is not afraid to show his vulnerability, and neither is Cherisse, but I LOVED her potty mouth! That woman knows how to spout off and she had me cackling at times. Cherisse is also a very dedicated to her craft which really can be considered her calling, and this book is also competence porn for baking. As I love this aspect of characters when it's included in romances, that really sold the foodie part of it to me. 

The slow burn did perhaps last a bit longer than it needed to, Cherisse held out on admitting to her feelings a bit too long and the feelings between them turned to declarations of love a bit quickly, but other than that this was such a great romance. The secondary characters were fantastic too, and I can definitely see the scope of what this series could be. I can't wait to read more about these characters and the author period. 

AND it gets bonus points for being a Caribbean story, set in Trinidad, with Trini characters (of different ethnicities) by a Trini author.

Lacey

For an enemies to lovers romance, I never really got why the MCs here hated each other. I loved the Caribbean setting with the wedding and the foodie aspect (the heroine is a baker) but sadly wasn't all that engaged with the romance, which was slow and dragged out.

Kate

A funny, sweet, sexy and hunger inducing childhood-rivals-to-lovers foodie romance with wonderfully casual queer rep and a super fun friendship group. a brilliantly entertaining read.

Sweethand

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