Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available October 13 2020

You ever read those books that sound conceptually really fun and interesting? Then, as you read the book, you find yourself becoming more and more frustrated at the main character? You can see their self destructive behavior and in an eerie way it reminds you of your own.

All that to say Sarah Smith's Simmer Down is one of the most relatable romantic novels I've read in awhile. When Filipino American Nikki DiMarco moved to Maui to help her mother with a food truck business after the abrupt death of her father, she wasn't expecting to find love. Yet, just as Tiva's Filipina Kitchen is starting to provide real income, the truck faces opposition from the handsome yet distant Callum James. Will the heat in kitchen be too much for Nikki to handle?

Much of the book centers around Nikki's emotional state, though she seems very oblivious to it most of the time. While there isn't much comedy, I would say this is a good hearted, relaxing read that might help others identify their own behaviors in a relationship.