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Steeped
Dreams are brewing, romance is blooming…
Chloe has enough to worry about—a seriously unrequited crush and the looming dread she’s miles behind her peers just two years out of college—but tasking herself with winning the most prestigious tea brewing competition no one has ever heard of? While trying not to fall head over teapot for the charming movie star who’s putting her insecurities to the test?
Things are going to get heated.
"Deftly plotted with equal parts humor and lyricism, Sophie Berti's Steeped is a joyfully tender story about learning to yearn for the things that matter most. Brew a pot of your favorite tea, settle into a clawfoot tub, and let this book carry you away — you won't regret a moment spent in this gorgeous novel." — Bestselling author Rachael Herron
“Sophie Berti’s books are positively delightful, start to finish. Her charming, endearingly flawed characters feel like dear friends, and their narratives and escapades are guaranteed to keep you turning the pages well past bedtime."— Kelly Hudson, Author & Creativity Coach
Chloe has enough to worry about—a seriously unrequited crush and the looming dread she’s miles behind her peers just two years out of college—but tasking herself with winning the most prestigious tea brewing competition no one has ever heard of? While trying not to fall head over teapot for the charming movie star who’s putting her insecurities to the test?
Things are going to get heated.
"Deftly plotted with equal parts humor and lyricism, Sophie Berti's Steeped is a joyfully tender story about learning to yearn for the things that matter most. Brew a pot of your favorite tea, settle into a clawfoot tub, and let this book carry you away — you won't regret a moment spent in this gorgeous novel." — Bestselling author Rachael Herron
“Sophie Berti’s books are positively delightful, start to finish. Her charming, endearingly flawed characters feel like dear friends, and their narratives and escapades are guaranteed to keep you turning the pages well past bedtime."— Kelly Hudson, Author & Creativity Coach
271 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 17, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 11, 2024
Lovely read. Can’t wait for Sophie’s next book!
November 28, 2024
Grab a cup of tea, or several, and settle in for this fun read. Berti does a good job of showing the messiness of life and emotions, all while adding some laughs and good feels. Definitely recommend to those who feel caught up in the race!
November 20, 2024
Chloe feels like she’s falling behind. Rather than having a career like her roommate, she works at a failing tea shop. Rather than having a boyfriend, she has an unrequited crush on a guy from college. (In my opinion, this guy has made it very clear that he just wants to be friends, but I guess Chloe just doesn’t see that. It just didn’t make sense how she seemed to be so convinced she would end up with him when he made it pretty clear that was not even on his mind.) In a spiral over this crush being in a relationship with someone else, Chloe hooks up with some guy solely because he’s not her crush. Surprise, he’s a movie star! Of course, she’s going to try and not fall for him because, in her mind, he’s simply not her crush.
While Chloe’s life seems to be falling apart, she learns of a tea competition and decides to enter. She puts a lot of value on winning this competition and being titled a “master brewer,” even though it doesn’t seem to have any real benefit. This competition is immediately more important than finding a job to replace the one she’s about to lose due to the tea shop closing…which is a choice…
I really didn’t love this book 🥴 It was frustrating that Chloe seemed to be so upset about how behind she was in life compared to her peers, yet she’s pining after a guy who had friend-zoned her SO clearly (calling her “friend” or “buddy” or even flat out rejecting her when she had asked if they could ever go on a real date), entering a competition that has quite literally no prize other than bragging rights (I guess? If you can say that being called a “master brewer” is bragging rights), and not even trying to look for a job to replace the one she’s literally been given an end date for.
I also thought the way she got upset over a movie star having fans was weird. She gets so mad that he greets/takes pics with fans in public but…how he chooses to deal with those situations is up to him? She doesn’t know him so I guess I thought it was weird she would assume he would entirely change how he deals with fan interactions for a girl he literally has known for like…a couple of days max?
A big part of why this took me so long to read is simply because I found it boring for at least the first 60%. I continuously skipped over tea descriptions because they just became too much. I get that Chloe likes tea. I understand she’s insecure about her abilities. I just didn’t need to read a hundred different tea-making descriptions and how Chloe is super unsure about her blends or thinks someone else is so much better than her.
If you really like tea, you’d probably enjoy this. It just seriously was not for me. I couldn’t get into it like I usually can with romances. If the long, drawn-out tea descriptions had been less frequent or the characters had been less cringey, I think I would’ve liked this a lot more! It just felt like this could have been about 100 pages less.
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*
While Chloe’s life seems to be falling apart, she learns of a tea competition and decides to enter. She puts a lot of value on winning this competition and being titled a “master brewer,” even though it doesn’t seem to have any real benefit. This competition is immediately more important than finding a job to replace the one she’s about to lose due to the tea shop closing…which is a choice…
I really didn’t love this book 🥴 It was frustrating that Chloe seemed to be so upset about how behind she was in life compared to her peers, yet she’s pining after a guy who had friend-zoned her SO clearly (calling her “friend” or “buddy” or even flat out rejecting her when she had asked if they could ever go on a real date), entering a competition that has quite literally no prize other than bragging rights (I guess? If you can say that being called a “master brewer” is bragging rights), and not even trying to look for a job to replace the one she’s literally been given an end date for.
I also thought the way she got upset over a movie star having fans was weird. She gets so mad that he greets/takes pics with fans in public but…how he chooses to deal with those situations is up to him? She doesn’t know him so I guess I thought it was weird she would assume he would entirely change how he deals with fan interactions for a girl he literally has known for like…a couple of days max?
A big part of why this took me so long to read is simply because I found it boring for at least the first 60%. I continuously skipped over tea descriptions because they just became too much. I get that Chloe likes tea. I understand she’s insecure about her abilities. I just didn’t need to read a hundred different tea-making descriptions and how Chloe is super unsure about her blends or thinks someone else is so much better than her.
If you really like tea, you’d probably enjoy this. It just seriously was not for me. I couldn’t get into it like I usually can with romances. If the long, drawn-out tea descriptions had been less frequent or the characters had been less cringey, I think I would’ve liked this a lot more! It just felt like this could have been about 100 pages less.
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*
September 29, 2025
Steeped is an enjoyable contemporary romance novel which does not lean on many of the popular romance troupes. Chloe is a recent college graduate working a dead-end job at a failing tea house. While she loves tea and her job, she is insecure about falling behind her peers who have higher paid “professional” jobs. She throws caution to the wind and hooks up with a charming man without knowing he’s a famous movie star or living with her former college crush, turned successful tech-entrepreneur. Chloe is often her own worst nightmare letting her insecurities get in the way of her relationships and her tea brewing competition.
I appreciated the author’s ability to describe and explain tea, which brought Chloe’s passion to life and helped anchor the story. While I found Chloe’s behavior and decision making cringe worthy, it is likely because I both remember my early 20s and know how untethered those first couple of years post college can be. Despite this I found Chloe somewhat relatable and sympathetic character.
Overall, I think reader’s who enjoy tea with a side of romance, all of which is largely behind doors, will enjoy this low stakes, tender escapist novel, by debut author Sophie Berti. I am grateful to BookSirens and to the author for providing me with this free advance review copy of this book; I have read and honestly reviewed this book voluntarily.
I appreciated the author’s ability to describe and explain tea, which brought Chloe’s passion to life and helped anchor the story. While I found Chloe’s behavior and decision making cringe worthy, it is likely because I both remember my early 20s and know how untethered those first couple of years post college can be. Despite this I found Chloe somewhat relatable and sympathetic character.
Overall, I think reader’s who enjoy tea with a side of romance, all of which is largely behind doors, will enjoy this low stakes, tender escapist novel, by debut author Sophie Berti. I am grateful to BookSirens and to the author for providing me with this free advance review copy of this book; I have read and honestly reviewed this book voluntarily.
January 16, 2025
not my genre, but I took a chance and really enjoyed it. I knew I enjoyed it when I got choked up a few times. Always a good indicator.
I can’t believe how much time and energy goes into writing a book. This one showed me how difficult it really is. Word after word after word how do they do it? I enjoyed it more in some parts than others, but I enjoyed it overall. Thank you.
I can’t believe how much time and energy goes into writing a book. This one showed me how difficult it really is. Word after word after word how do they do it? I enjoyed it more in some parts than others, but I enjoyed it overall. Thank you.
January 25, 2025
I got to read an advance copy of Steeped and it was amazing. A perfect combination of funny, romantic, and fun. The plot moves the story forward in a well-paced and interesting way. The main character is both relatable and unique. Great story.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews