Hi, there readers! July has been a busy month, but it’s almost over. I’ve been sitting on my For Butter or Worse Review for quite some time, so I’m happy to get it out there finally. Let’s jump in!
Quick Synopsis
An enemies-to-lovers mash-up of THE HATING GAME and THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF, in which two rival hosts of a massively popular cooking show have to fake a relationship to save their careers after an explosive on-air fallout, only to find their feelings for each other becoming real.
About For Butter or Worse
Title: For Butter or Worse
Author: Erin La Rosa
Rating: 3 Stars
CAWPILE: 6.1/10
Genre: Romance
Content Warnings: Sexism, online abuse, gaslighting, abuse (mentioned), anxiety, parental death (mentioned)
Format: eARC
Publisher: HQN
Date Published: 26 July 2022
Goodreads Description: They go together like water and oil…
All chef Nina Lyon wants is to make a name for herself in the culinary world and inspire young women everywhere to do the same. For too long, she’s been held back and underestimated by the male-dominated sphere of professional kitchens, and she’s had enough. Now, as co-host of the competitive reality TV series The Next Cooking Champ!, she finally has a real shot at being top tier in the foodie scene. Too bad her co-host happens to be Hollywood’s smarmiest jerk.
Restaurateur Leo O’Donnell never means to get under Nina’s skin. It just seems to happen, especially when the cameras are rolling. It’s part of the anxiety and stress he has come to know all too well in this line of work. So nothing prepares him for the fallout after he takes one joke a smidge too far and Nina up and quits—on live TV.
To make matters worse, the two are caught in what looks like a compromising situation by the paparazzi…and fans of the show go absolutely nuts. Turns out, a “secret romance” between Nina and Leo may just be what their careers need most.
Now all they have to do is play along, without killing each other…and without catching feelings. Easy as artisanal shepherd’s pie. Right?
I received a review copy from Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.
Purchase Links
For Butter or Worse Review
Characters – 6/10
I would like to point out that this review might be a bit rant-y. A lot of this book hinges on Leo, our male lead, being downright sexist towards Nina, our MC. I was so annoyed at Leo the whole time, it feels like I know nothing about Nina. Leo and his sexism overshadow much of Nina, which I think is a bit ironic considering what this book wanted to do.
I did like the anxiety rep though. Living with anxiety can be soul-destroying, and I think the author handled it pretty well.
However, I didn’t like either of the characters to be honest. It almost felt like the author didn’t want them to be together either. There just wasn’t enough chemistry between the two of them, and the way Leo treated her in the beginning, was just such a turn-off.
Atmosphere – 7/10
I would have liked to be more submerged in the world of reality TV and restaurants. Overall though I feel like the author did a really good job of setting the scene, and the stakes for both characters were high.
Writing – 7/10
The writing wasn’t bad, but it doesn’t stand out either. Unfortunately, I have a feeling I won’t be able to remember much of this book in six months’ time.
Plot – 6/10
For Butter or Worse has your standard romance plot, nothing too new. I liked the fake dating, but the ending dragged. I get the characters were supposed to sort out their issues, but the pacing just seemed weird.
Intrigue – 5/10
Alright, let’s talk about the conflict in this book. At this point third act conflicts are a staple of the romance genre, but this was more like a 2/3s conflict. There is zero communication and it leads to so many major misunderstandings I started to wonder if the author really wanted the characters to be together. I get that humans cannot communicate, but for once I’d like to see a third act conflict not hinge on this trope.
Enemies to lovers is rising as a rom-com trope, and here’s my issue with it. In fantasy books, there’s more separation from reality. Chances are very low that I would meet a 1000-year-old man that can summon shadows and force me to be his Sun Summoner.
However, with rom coms, it becomes more real. I could meet Leo at any given point. The “enemies to lovers” part of this book was Leo being sexist, and in my opinion, abusive, towards Nina. Every single woman knows how that feels. So to me, this isn’t an enemies-to-lovers situation I can root for, because it’s closer to real life.
I know it’s still fiction, but there are so many different ways they could have been enemies. The way he acts toward her in the beginning is SUS, and I struggle to get past that. Yes, it’s just a book. It’s probably not as serious as I’ve made it in my head. But I think romance is a great place to have these conversations. The characters need to sit and have a discussion about their behaviours and address it. It does happen, but there’s room to grow.
Logic – 5/10
I did fly through this book, even though it gave me a slight headache sometimes. It’s not a bad book, and maybe I am being too critical of it. However, I was expecting a fun enemies-to-lovers and got hit with a lot of sexist crap, which is exhausting to deal with.
I realise asking romance to be more critical and asking it to be light and fluffy at the same time is contradictory, but here we are. There has to be a balance between your elements if the main plot point of your book is something half the planet experiences.
Also, here’s a radical thought I had at 2 am because my ADHD wouldn’t let me sleep. Maybe if we stopped using the miscommunication trope and actually started giving people the language to have real conversations with, we’d communicate better. If romance books can help people spice up their sex lives, surely they can help people become better communicators?
Enjoyment – 6/10
I realise I’ve once again given a bit of a contradictory review. I highly encourage you to check this book out though, and let me know what you think!
Chat with me about For Butter or Worse
Did you enjoy For Butter or Worse?
If you enjoy my content, please consider supporting me!
Pin This!
One thought on “For Butter or Worse Review”
Comments are closed.