Vanilla

by Rosemary Victus

463 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 14, 2026

Reviews

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance copy via BookSirens in exchange for my honest review.

This book should be renamed to "Someone Please Buy Sam a Pair of Glasses”

If you are looking for a quick, engaging romance that will also simultaneously cause your blood pressure to spike, Vanilla by Rosemary Victus is the book for you. I went into this expecting a cute, light read and left needing a prescription for high blood pressure medication.

Our main characters, Kalie and Sam, both come with some heavy-duty baggage. Kalie is hiding out from a viral social media meltdown (relatable), and Sam is recovering from being dumped by his ex, Grace—who, for the record, sounds like an absolute nightmare of a human being. Because of this, Sam is incredibly self-conscious and timid.

And by timid…….. I mean legitimately blind.

The sheer amount of times I yelled "SHE LIKES YOU, DUDE!" at my kindle is deeply embarrassing. On New Year's Eve, Kalie practically throws herself at him, and Sam is just sitting there thinking, “Wow, what a nice, platonic friend.” He thinks she’s just helping him practice talking to women. Meanwhile, she’s desperately trying to drop hints. Someone call the eye doctor, because this man's dense-ness knows no bounds.

My internal monologue for 80% of this book:
Sam, she could be standing under a giant neon arrow pointing directly at her vag, and you would still ask if she wanted to play checkers.

Just when you think they might get it together, the miscommunication hits a peak. Kalie finally confesses her true feelings, and what does our boy Sam do? He fumbles the absolute hell out of it. He throws a fit, gets mad, and claims she led him on. I have never wanted to physically reach into a book and shake a fictional character more in my entire life.

The Verdict?
Aside from Sam's agonizing blindness—and a slightly over-the-top, almost weirdly intense fixation on the descriptions of Sam’s body (we get it, he's a bigger guy, let's move on… this is honestly what dropped it from a 4 star to a 3 for me)—I was completely hooked. I didn't expect to get this invested, but I couldn't put it down.

I would honestly love a sequel just to make sure Sam hasn't accidentally wandered into traffic, or better yet, a spinoff about Anie, who definitely stole the show as a side character.

Read this if you want:
A fast, fun romance.
To scream at your Kindle.
High-stakes oblivious-guy energy.

[Sutarsha Banerjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the Author and BookSirens.

Ahhhhhhh! To the Author, why is Sam soooooooooo loving and caring? I should not feel something for Sam, but I am feeling a lot for him.

And damn, the character development happened, it's crazy. The supporting characters are the best! I hate Dan, but in the end, even I forgave him. Or maybe not. Whatever.
I love the everything about this book!!!
Is this feeling even normal???

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanilla (with Sprinkles) by Rosemary Victus is a sweet, fun romance that delivers plenty of charm along with its spice. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the characters and the way their relationship developed throughout the story. There’s a nice balance of romance, humor, and emotional moments that kept me turning the pages. The characters are easy to root for, and I especially liked watching them navigate their feelings while still keeping the story lighthearted and entertaining. The food and cozy touches added an extra layer of sweetness that fit the overall vibe perfectly. If you’re looking for a feel-good romance with engaging characters, plenty of chemistry, and a little extra spice, this novel is a fun choice. Overall, Vanilla (with Sprinkles) was an enjoyable read that left me smiling when I reached the end.

I received an ARC copy from Pen Pinery Thank you for giving me the chance to read this novel and share my honest review of the novel

[The Book Ssirren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this a door because I laughed way too hard at this lunacy. Kalie was a doll. I loved how hard she tried with Sam. This man 🤦🏽‍♀️ let me tell you…it was painful reading this because of how dense this man was. I mean, I get it. Sam just got dumped by his girlfriend of five years, he’s almost thirty, and he’s chubby…so what, I’ve seen worse and women throw themselves at men like that. Kinda like Kallie is doing. And our oblivious Sam is too dense to notice. Dude needs to wake tf up. I kept going because I had to know when, if ever, he was going to pull his head out of his rear and. I mean this girl could’ve walked down the street naked, with a big sign that said, “Sam, I want to :!$;().” And he still wouldn’t catch a clue. But again, this was hair pulling funny. And I had a great time reading it. Minus the few brain cells that died with this one.

[Rimma Mi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of this book and I loved everything about it. It's quite a fast read, voicey and funny with a good amount of heavy themes that mention mental health and perhaps even the struggles of undiagnosed neurodivergence.

Sam is pretty shy and insecure and obviously pretty bad at reading social clues. Kalie is the embodiment of hypervigilance to a point it hurts. They both have so much to learn from each other. While reading their story I felt closer to the real life of real people than many books I've read in a long time.

[Luna Tyck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Pen Pinery for the ARC of this book!

4.5⭐️

Sometimes it can feel like all fat-forward romance is “plus sized girl + guy with six pack”, so this sweet and spicy book with a big guy & girl unlearning her own body struggles is a lovely treat. The characters are great, the chemistry is off the charts, and I cried at the end. Only taking off a half star because the last 3/4 up to the finale can drag a bit - it felt like things could have been resolved sooner, or cut down at least a little.

Highly recommend!

[Renee collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and Pen Pinery for this amazing read!

I absolutely loved this story and the characters the banter was amazing. This is my first read by this author and it definitely won’t be the last.