I really wanted to like In Good Company, but unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me. What started out with a promising premise—a private chef working for her ex’s billionaire brother in a luxe summer setting—quickly unraveled into a surface level, lust heavy story lacking in emotional depth, meaningful romance, or believable character development.

Let’s start with the biggest issue: this book felt more like a set up for future books and a nostalgic reunion for previous characters than a standalone romance. Cal and Lucy’s relationship never felt real to me. It was all attraction and heat, but no genuine connection. We’re told they fall in love, but I never saw it happen. Their conversations lacked substance, their connection felt forced, and their supposed emotional bond came out of nowhere.

Lucy is deeply insecure and incredibly frustrating to follow. She constantly puts herself down, calls her lifelong passion for cooking a “silly hobby,” and martyrizes herself over her family’s business, but without any logical reason. How do you know for seven years that you’re expected to take over the family business and not learn anything about it? It made her character feel wildly inconsistent and hard to root for. Also, she’s a chef who doesn’t wear a hairnet at catered events, and her “star” dish is chicken parm. That’s about the extent of the culinary detail in this chef 
centric romance.

Then there's Cal. We're told he’s respected and powerful, but nothing about his behavior reflects that. He’s mostly a sad, lonely guy who reads more like a placeholder than a swoony billionaire love interest. His big third act moment? Lying in bed, depressed, because Lucy dumps him over an avoidable, self imposed situation. It felt melodramatic and unearned.

The third act conflict was, frankly, pathetic. Lucy’s dramatic exit, Cal’s overreaction, and the convenient intervention by side characters to "fix" everything? It felt lazy. And don’t even get me started on the sudden mention of Lucy’s brothers 70% into the book. Their deaths are randomly inserted for drama, but add nothing meaningful to the plot or character motivations.

Charlotte, the quirky side character, was a lot, and not in a good way. It’s obvious she’s being set up for her own book, probably with Jude, but her antics and crude dialogue were more annoying than charming. The constant cameo parade of past and future characters took up way too much space and pulled attention away from the couple this book was supposed to be about.

The setting had potential—a billionaire’s estate in the Hamptons, private kitchens, upscale events—but it all felt wasted. Most of the story happens in Cal’s kitchen or house. Any “forbidden” tension because of Lucy’s past with Cal’s brother? Nonexistent. There were no real stakes, no true barriers, just a lot of waiting around for a spark that never really came.

Lastly, the writing itself just didn’t do it for me. It was very tell don’t show, the dialogue felt stiff, and the pacing was off. For a book marketed as a slow burn, it lacked angst or buildup. And for all the luxury and passion promised in the blurb, it delivered very little in terms of emotional payoff.

This was not my first book by Kat Singleton, and while I’m open to giving her another chance, I don’t think I’ll continue with this series. With how much of this book was focused on cameos and setup, I feel like I already read the next installments before they’ve even been released.

TL;DR: In Good Company had a decent premise but fell flat due to underdeveloped characters, a rushed and unearned romance, and writing that prioritized setup for future books over the story at hand. I expected more.