The Slow Burn

Loved this page turner! The characters were interesting, the romance heartwarming and the plot was such an entertaining read.

I really liked this one! The scenery and personality of the town was really enjoyable. The side characters and storylines were an asset to the book. Kit wasn’t your typical damsel in distress. Readers might not like her because of that but I found it endearing. I liked that she was tall, strong, blunt personality, dedicated to her work and reserved in relationships. She had some significant personal growth that was cool to see. My two complaints - Kit mentioned she was the person she was due to being a chef very often. Sure, I’m guessing there’s an argument to back that up but it was brought up more than necessary. Second, for as lusty as they were for each other I didn’t feel the tension and angst as much as I hoped. This was single POV so maybe that contributed to the low tension/angst. I saw a review referencing the open door scenes and I have to clarify - sure, they are open door but in my opinion they are not explicit (I wished they were more but that’s just me). I know sex scenes are very subjective but I was surprised by it so thought I’d address it.

I was uncertain about The Slow Burn, by Ali Rosen, before reading it. I’ve never liked any travel memoir with a romance - Eat Pray Love was a DNF for me. This book, however, is magical, and made me want to plan a trip to Italy. Rosen creates a beautiful, complex love story between two characters who complement each other perfectly. I fell in love with Kit and Nico as they fell in love with each other. Kit Roth is an accomplished Michelin-starred chef in New York City whose life has imploded. Her restaurant burned down and her boyfriend broke up with her in the same few days. Faced with a few months of nothing to do, she lets her best friend Anita convince her to spend the time working in her Nonna’s restaurant in an Italian village. She finds herself doing grunt work in the kitchen, enjoying delectable pastries every morning at the local bakery, and quickly makes friends with locals Emilia and Nico. Kit and Nico are instantly attracted to each other, and their personalities mesh so well. Kit has always thought of herself as driven, tough, and focused solely on her career and professional success, but Nico finds a way to break through and care for her. His gentle spirit and her fierce nature fit perfectly together. They treat each other with such devotion and tenderness. She is leaving at the end of the summer, so they know their relationship has an end date, but they still connect deeply on many levels. I absolutely loved this book. Kit’s character evolves during her stay in Italy, and she learns to accept and take care of herself. The joy she and Nico experienced together was really beautiful to witness as a reader. I am now committed to reading all of Ali Rosen’s other work, and want to try all of the recipes she provided at the end of the novel. Thank you to Ali Rosen, Berkeley Publishing and NetGalley for this book. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. I love the way Ali Rosen writes. It's so descriptive, you can almost feel like you're there. More like watching a film than reading a book. Absolutely loved Nico - basically, the perfect man. Loved the character growth for Kit and LOVED all the side characters! This was definitely a SLOW burn. A little too slow and choppy in places, otherwise I'd have rated this 5 stars. Perfect ending. Perfect beach read, but really, recommended for any time of year.

The Slow Burn by Ali Rosen will make you want to book a trip to Italy or at least go to a good Italian restaurant to eat some pasta! The book starts with lots of drama, a fire in Kit's restaurant and her long-term boyfriend breaks up with her. Needing distance and distraction, she agrees to work for her best friend’s pasta-making Nonna in the Italian countryside. I don't want to give too much information about the plot so I will write about the things I enjoyed in the book. First, I could tell the author visited Italy more than once and she is very passionate about the food and culture. I loved the setting of a small village with very interesting secondary characters like Nonna Emilia and Anita. Second, the plot is mainly about Kit finding herself and taking a break from being a famous chef, but we do have a romance plot with Nico who is such a great hero. I love his passion for growing olive trees and making olive oil and how loyal he is to his roots, Third, Kit is not your average FMC and that's why I loved reading about her so much. She is far from perfect, she is straightforward and she isn't afraid of hard work. She does need to find a work life balance and her time in Italy makes her rethink how she can do it back home in NYC. Overall, The Slow Burn is the perfect combination of emotional moments, funny moments and some sexy moments. As a reader I felt like part of Kit's journey and I loved learning new things about food, farming and small town in Italy countryside. I was laughing out loud but also had tears in my eyes a few times and for me that's the sign of a great book!