Simmer Down
By: Sarah Smith
Published Year: 2020
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 336
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): In this finger-licking good rom-com, two is the perfect number of cooks in the kitchen.
Nikki DiMarco knew life wouldn’t be all sunshine and coconuts when she quit her dream job to help her mom serve up mouthwatering Filipino dishes to hungry beach goers, but she didn’t expect the Maui food truck scene to be so eat-or-be-eaten—or the competition to be so smoking hot.
But Tiva’s Filipina Kusina has faced bigger road bumps than the arrival of Callum James. Nikki doesn’t care how delectable the British food truck owner is—he rudely set up shop next to her coveted beach parking spot. He’s stealing her customers and fanning the flames of a public feud that makes her see sparks.
The solution? Let the upcoming Maui Food Festival decide their fate. Winner keeps the spot. Loser pounds sand. But the longer their rivalry simmers, the more Nikki starts to see a different side of Callum…a sweet, protective side. Is she brave enough to call a truce? Or will trusting Callum with her heart mean jumping from the frying pan into the fire?
First Impression
I honestly don’t remember my first impression of this book very well so, that probably doesn’t say much. The cover is cute, but I don’t know if it’s one I’d pick up based on that below. I was ultimately drawn in by the summary which sounded cute and I liked the fact that it focused on Filipino cuisine.
What I thought
Uh… well… the idea was cute?
Nikki runs a food truck with her mom in Hawaii. Callum parks his food truck next to hers one day. When Nikki goes to tell him that it’s an unwritten rule to park that close to another truck, he goes off on her and they immediately become rivals. Their rivalry comes to a head with the Maui Food Truck wars to determine who gets to keep their truck on that spot. Of course, in the midst of that they fight their attraction to each other.
Like I said, the idea was cute, but the execution was very lacking. The writing and character development was… not great. When Nikki meets Callum he’s all nice and has “kind eyes”. The minute she says that he’s not supposed to park next to her he turns into a raging ball of fire who immediately slams doors. The change of character gave me whiplash. Then, just ask quickly, they’re friends with benefits and in love with each other. Because of all of this back and forth it made the chemistry between the two main characters a little hard.
Since I liked the story itself I was able to finish the book. I liked the rivalry between food trucks and I liked Nikki’s family drama. I want to say I liked the characters but they really didn’t have much substance. Nikki was pretty decent but sometimes her attraction to Callum confused me. I also didn’t like the problem that splits them up partway through the book. It just seemed a little lazy.
While this isn’t the worst book I’ve read, the writing was just too poor to get over. I was interested enough to finish the book, though I will admit I skimmed bits of it. I would recommend skipping this one, even if you are looking for a light read. There are much better ones out there.