Love à la Mode is just so darn stinking cute. It is one of those books that constantly hits you with moments that will make your heart melt like the ice cream on the front cover. There’s just enough angst and drama, to make the whole thing sweeter.
Summary
Rosie Radeke firmly believes that happiness can be found at the bottom of a mixing bowl. But she never expected that she, a random nobody from East Liberty, Ohio, would be accepted to celebrity chef Denis Laurent’s school in Paris, the most prestigious cooking program for teens in the entire world.
Life in Paris, however, isn’t all cream puffs and crepes. Faced with a challenging curriculum and a nightmare professor, Rosie begins to doubt her dishes.
Henry Yi grew up in his dad’s restaurant in Chicago, and his lifelong love affair with food landed him a coveted spot in Chef Laurent’s school. He quickly connects with Rosie, but academic pressure from home and his jealousy over Rosie’s growing friendship with gorgeous bad-boy baker Bodie Tal makes Henry lash out and push his dream girl away.
Desperate to prove themselves, Rosie and Henry cook like never before while sparks fly between them. But as they reach their breaking points, they wonder whether they have what it takes to become real chefs.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this free book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Love à la Mode is a book for those who want a book with high stakes cooking, romantic drama, and two cute protagonists who are struggling with their own recipes. It’s hard to write a review for a book like this where I just feel like my heart is one mush of happy emotions afterwards. There are real stakes and plenty of tension – in the flame and on the streets – but our two MCs bonding over a cooking magazine meet cute? Melt my cold heart.
I loved reading about baking obsessed Rosie who meets our Korean American love interest, Henry. Talk about some good looking characters who can cook up a mean three course menu. I need recipes with this book because my heart goes from swooning, to a knife edge of tension, all the way to mouth watering.
Overall,
At the same time, Love à la Mode introduces themes of friendship, challenging ourselves, and asking for help. It’s a book that allows Henry and Rosie to go on their own journeys, while interacting their lives to produce romantic tension. Because of the dual POV we have an appreciation for each of their thoughts, insecurities, and moments when they want to apologize, but don’t know how. All while being set in the picturesque Paris with savory food and delicious pastries. You really do get the best of both worlds here.
Find Love à la Mode on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound & The Book Depository.