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Flavor of the Month
Charlie Stetko had a life to envy. A penthouse in Manhattan, a beautiful girlfriend, and a circle of perfect friends. Or so she thought. When her girlfriend sends her packing, Charlie ends up unemployed. Without a place to live or money of her own, she’s forced to do the one thing she vowed she never would: go back to Shaker Falls, Vermont. Back to her parents, back to the bakery where she worked as a teen, back to the small town life―and the people―she left behind.
Emma Grier thought Charlie was the love of her life until that uppity Manhattan entrepreneur swept Charlie off her feet and made her a trophy wife. Charlie left everything in Shaker Falls behind, including Emma’s shattered heart. But Emma picked herself back up and now owns a popular restaurant in Shaker Falls. As for her love life? She doesn’t need one. Something else she doesn’t need? Charlie waltzing into her restaurant to sell her the bakery’s pie.
What happens when Charlie and Emma realize their differing paths have led them right back to each other?
Emma Grier thought Charlie was the love of her life until that uppity Manhattan entrepreneur swept Charlie off her feet and made her a trophy wife. Charlie left everything in Shaker Falls behind, including Emma’s shattered heart. But Emma picked herself back up and now owns a popular restaurant in Shaker Falls. As for her love life? She doesn’t need one. Something else she doesn’t need? Charlie waltzing into her restaurant to sell her the bakery’s pie.
What happens when Charlie and Emma realize their differing paths have led them right back to each other?
240 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 2020
86 people are currently reading
586 people want to read
About the author
Georgia Beers
61 books1,504 followersLambda and Golden Crown Literary Award-winning author Georgia Beers lives in Rochester, New York. She has been writing for as long as she can remember, and published her first lesbian novel in 2000.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
March 28, 2020
Oh this is going to be a tough review for me!
You see I’m a big fan of Georgia Beers, I think I’ve almost read all her books. This one really ticks all the right boxes. You have a very entertaining romance novel of second chances, with Charlie one of the MCs being forced to go back home after a failed relationship and getting exposed to a certain glamorous lifestyle of NY, back to her small town to her ex high school love.
Everything seems perfect until you just keep not liking one of the MCs. Every single page, i disliked Charlie more and more until I just stopped rooting for her getting back with Emma. This also unfortunately ruined the romance part of the book because I just couldn’t feel it. And most importantly, I didn’t want to feel the connection.
I did however enjoy the baking, I did like Emma and I still do recommend this book. I just wanted to kick Charlie’s ass, that spoilt selfish girl :) oh well if you get to a point where you have such strong opinions about characters in a book, then know that this is a great author hahahah :)
My rating is a 3.5 and I received an ARC for an honest review.
You see I’m a big fan of Georgia Beers, I think I’ve almost read all her books. This one really ticks all the right boxes. You have a very entertaining romance novel of second chances, with Charlie one of the MCs being forced to go back home after a failed relationship and getting exposed to a certain glamorous lifestyle of NY, back to her small town to her ex high school love.
Everything seems perfect until you just keep not liking one of the MCs. Every single page, i disliked Charlie more and more until I just stopped rooting for her getting back with Emma. This also unfortunately ruined the romance part of the book because I just couldn’t feel it. And most importantly, I didn’t want to feel the connection.
I did however enjoy the baking, I did like Emma and I still do recommend this book. I just wanted to kick Charlie’s ass, that spoilt selfish girl :) oh well if you get to a point where you have such strong opinions about characters in a book, then know that this is a great author hahahah :)
My rating is a 3.5 and I received an ARC for an honest review.
April 29, 2024
Okay. Hm. Okay, so this review is long and riddled with spoilers, so buckle up. There's some race talk, too, in case that appeals (or not) to anyone. Click below for lots of words, lol.
March 7, 2020
Sloppy Seconds.
Charlie was in college and drifting apart from her long term girlfriend, Emma. They had been best friends as kids and their first everything together. But the distance was damaging and Charlie found herself infatuated with Darcy. A business woman who occasionally spoke at Charlie's school. Darcy lured Charlie away to the snobby high life of Manhattan. Fast forward 4 years and Darcy has released Charlie.
Tail between her legs, Charlie has to go back to the small town she wanted so desperately to get away from all of her life. She is back in her childhood home with the Family she rarely kept in touch with while she was wining and dining and sleeping in a NY penthouse.
This is that classic story of discovering your roots. Seeing things from a grown up perspective. Reaching down deep to figure out what it is you truly want in life.
Charlie gets an opportunity to work at a bakery and it reignites her passion for baking. And of course, this leads her to a run in with that old flame she carelessly discarded. Emma.
Although this book seems to be mostly Charlie's journey, I found myself more invested in Emma. I think this is because I didn't particularly care for Charlie. She was written as young and selfish. She only cared about her own wants and didn't pay any attention to how her actions impacted those who care about her.
Alternatively, you could tell that Emma was a really good person who had been jaded by heartbreak. You could't help but root for her happiness. The only good thing happening to her was her restaurant. Otherwise, she had been hit by abandonment her whole life. Her father who had left. Her mother who chose alcohol over her. The love of her life who dropped her for a successful business woman and a big city.
This was a good romance. It was entertaining and it made me have a multitude of emotions as Charlie floundered about and Emma warred with herself over letting Charlie back into her life. It was especially good during the tense interactions they shared early on.
I wanted to like it more, though. While it was very good, I felt like was missing something. I couldn't get beyond how it seemed like Emma was just the sloppy seconds. Like Charlie was only considering Emma because Darcy had threw her away. I wished that there could have seen where Charlie discovered that Emma was what she wanted all along. That Darcy wasn't really anything significant to her. It was alluded to in some ways, but not prominently and I think that made me feel a little bit disconnected.
This is well worth your investment of time.
I recommend to this to those who like to read romance, mistakes, first loves, second chances, baking, entrepreneurship, family issues, and pie
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
Charlie was in college and drifting apart from her long term girlfriend, Emma. They had been best friends as kids and their first everything together. But the distance was damaging and Charlie found herself infatuated with Darcy. A business woman who occasionally spoke at Charlie's school. Darcy lured Charlie away to the snobby high life of Manhattan. Fast forward 4 years and Darcy has released Charlie.
Tail between her legs, Charlie has to go back to the small town she wanted so desperately to get away from all of her life. She is back in her childhood home with the Family she rarely kept in touch with while she was wining and dining and sleeping in a NY penthouse.
This is that classic story of discovering your roots. Seeing things from a grown up perspective. Reaching down deep to figure out what it is you truly want in life.
Charlie gets an opportunity to work at a bakery and it reignites her passion for baking. And of course, this leads her to a run in with that old flame she carelessly discarded. Emma.
Although this book seems to be mostly Charlie's journey, I found myself more invested in Emma. I think this is because I didn't particularly care for Charlie. She was written as young and selfish. She only cared about her own wants and didn't pay any attention to how her actions impacted those who care about her.
Alternatively, you could tell that Emma was a really good person who had been jaded by heartbreak. You could't help but root for her happiness. The only good thing happening to her was her restaurant. Otherwise, she had been hit by abandonment her whole life. Her father who had left. Her mother who chose alcohol over her. The love of her life who dropped her for a successful business woman and a big city.
This was a good romance. It was entertaining and it made me have a multitude of emotions as Charlie floundered about and Emma warred with herself over letting Charlie back into her life. It was especially good during the tense interactions they shared early on.
I wanted to like it more, though. While it was very good, I felt like was missing something. I couldn't get beyond how it seemed like Emma was just the sloppy seconds. Like Charlie was only considering Emma because Darcy had threw her away. I wished that there could have seen where Charlie discovered that Emma was what she wanted all along. That Darcy wasn't really anything significant to her. It was alluded to in some ways, but not prominently and I think that made me feel a little bit disconnected.
This is well worth your investment of time.
I recommend to this to those who like to read romance, mistakes, first loves, second chances, baking, entrepreneurship, family issues, and pie
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
April 26, 2020
I cannot emphasise enough how an audiobook brings the written words to life by adding an extra layer to the storytelling and highlighting the feelings and emotions created by the author. That’s why it’s so crucial to choose the right narrator for the story so it makes a perfect match. There are some outstanding author/narrator partnerships in lesfic for us audiobook fans to enjoy such as EJ Noyes/Abby Craden, Lee Winter/Angela Dawe, Cari Hunter/Nicola Victoria Vincent or, in this case, Georgia Beers/Lori Prince. Perfect match in lesfic heaven.
When Charlie Stetko’s girlfriend dumps her, she is left unemployed and homeless. She leaves Manhattan to go back to her small hometown of Shaker Falls, Vermont to stay with her parents and work in the town’s bakery. There she meets again Emma Grier, her former girlfriend. Emma thought Charlie was the love of her life, that is, until Charlie left her to go to New York. Now she owns a popular restaurant in town and doesn’t want to get involved with anyone. Until the paths of life lead them back to each other…
‘Flavor of the month’ is an enjoyable second-chances, return to hometown romance with, as you can guess, a good amount of culinary show and tell. Be warned: don’t read this when hungry because Ms. Beers’s food depictions are dangerously tempting. This author really knows how to describe the sensuality of food as in one of my favourite books, ‘Starting from Scratch‘. Like in that novel, baking is a buffer and an enhancer in the relationship between the characters. Food is their safe place, their common ground, where their chemistry sizzles (pun intended). Ms. Beers is very detailed in her descriptions and the reader almost can actually taste those baking goods. They are a reading treat.
In my humble opinion, books in which food has such a prominent part should have very little angst. ‘Flavour of the month’ doesn’t shy away from important themes such as family, friendship, and bereavement, but it balances that heaviness with a big dose of comfort food. The result mirrors the satisfaction that homemade baking goods provide, a state of feel-good, contented satisfaction.
My only criticism of this book is that I felt that it ended too abruptly. I don’t think that every book needs an epilogue but this story really cries out loud for one. I recently heard Ms. Beers explaining that she sometimes prefers to end her books in ‘happy for now’ instead of ‘happily ever after’ and this novel seems to be the case. I totally respect her artistic decisions. Having said that, there are some loose ends in this story, like the subplot with Emma’s mother, that could have benefitted from closure in the form of an epilogue or an additional chapter.
As I said at the beginning, some writer/narrator partnerships are perfect matches. Lori Prince is a great voice for Ms. Beers’s stories, especially the ones that are low on angst like this one. For the dramatic ones, such as ‘Too close to touch‘ there’s always Abby Craden at hand. However, in ‘Flavour of the Month’, Ms. Prince gets the playful, sensual tone exactly right, her voices are youthful and light as the characters but she also knows when to inject emotional charge to the story. A great lesbian second chance romance audiobook with impeccable performance, 4.5 stars for the story, 5 stars for the narration. Overall, 5 stars.
Duration: 8 hours, 36 minutes
When Charlie Stetko’s girlfriend dumps her, she is left unemployed and homeless. She leaves Manhattan to go back to her small hometown of Shaker Falls, Vermont to stay with her parents and work in the town’s bakery. There she meets again Emma Grier, her former girlfriend. Emma thought Charlie was the love of her life, that is, until Charlie left her to go to New York. Now she owns a popular restaurant in town and doesn’t want to get involved with anyone. Until the paths of life lead them back to each other…
‘Flavor of the month’ is an enjoyable second-chances, return to hometown romance with, as you can guess, a good amount of culinary show and tell. Be warned: don’t read this when hungry because Ms. Beers’s food depictions are dangerously tempting. This author really knows how to describe the sensuality of food as in one of my favourite books, ‘Starting from Scratch‘. Like in that novel, baking is a buffer and an enhancer in the relationship between the characters. Food is their safe place, their common ground, where their chemistry sizzles (pun intended). Ms. Beers is very detailed in her descriptions and the reader almost can actually taste those baking goods. They are a reading treat.
In my humble opinion, books in which food has such a prominent part should have very little angst. ‘Flavour of the month’ doesn’t shy away from important themes such as family, friendship, and bereavement, but it balances that heaviness with a big dose of comfort food. The result mirrors the satisfaction that homemade baking goods provide, a state of feel-good, contented satisfaction.
My only criticism of this book is that I felt that it ended too abruptly. I don’t think that every book needs an epilogue but this story really cries out loud for one. I recently heard Ms. Beers explaining that she sometimes prefers to end her books in ‘happy for now’ instead of ‘happily ever after’ and this novel seems to be the case. I totally respect her artistic decisions. Having said that, there are some loose ends in this story, like the subplot with Emma’s mother, that could have benefitted from closure in the form of an epilogue or an additional chapter.
As I said at the beginning, some writer/narrator partnerships are perfect matches. Lori Prince is a great voice for Ms. Beers’s stories, especially the ones that are low on angst like this one. For the dramatic ones, such as ‘Too close to touch‘ there’s always Abby Craden at hand. However, in ‘Flavour of the Month’, Ms. Prince gets the playful, sensual tone exactly right, her voices are youthful and light as the characters but she also knows when to inject emotional charge to the story. A great lesbian second chance romance audiobook with impeccable performance, 4.5 stars for the story, 5 stars for the narration. Overall, 5 stars.
Duration: 8 hours, 36 minutes
April 20, 2020
Charlie Stetko and Emma Grier were everything to each other once. Best friends since childhood and later they were each other’s first loves as well. Emma thought it would be forever, until Charlie left for the big apple and forgot all about her, her family and friends. Her sole focus was Manhattan hot shot Darcy Wells who ate her up and spat her out 5 years later.
Charlie returns to Shaker Falls with a broken heart and nothing to show for after her 5-year stint in New York. Biding her time to re-group and eventually go back to either Boston or New York to find a marketing job she gets to work at The Muffin Top making pies. Making pies is what Charlie does very well, or at least used to do very well. Now she gets a chance to re-discover her passion for baking.
Charlie’s return to the nest has hit Emma hard. She has worked very hard to get over Charlie and there is still plenty lingering resentment there and we get a good dose of that when the two cross paths. This is Georgia Beers’ theme for Flavor of the Month and boy does she work it. If this book was a pie, the main ingredients for this particular batter would be Charlie’s crippling guilt and sadness mixed with Emma’s anger and hurt, courtesy of her broken heart. During the story the secondary characters make sure to top up those two components if they threaten to grow weak. So we get a lot of variations and repetition of these two pushing those buttons and trying to work through it. It was exhausting to see them take one step forward and two steps back all through the story. I felt it stood in the way of a real connection to the romance and in the end left me unfulfilled.
The baking was good and it was probably my favorite part of the book. Beers fans will find enough elements to keep them happy. I’m not sure the romance fans will either.
f/f one explicit scene
Themes: coming home to Shaker Falls, nursing a broken heart, crippling guilt, self doubt, EG's, mummy is drunk, lots of baked goods, daddy issues, the ending was abrupt, some issues were left up in the air.
3.4 Stars
* A free copy was provided by Netgalley and Bold Stokes Books for an honest review.
Charlie returns to Shaker Falls with a broken heart and nothing to show for after her 5-year stint in New York. Biding her time to re-group and eventually go back to either Boston or New York to find a marketing job she gets to work at The Muffin Top making pies. Making pies is what Charlie does very well, or at least used to do very well. Now she gets a chance to re-discover her passion for baking.
Charlie’s return to the nest has hit Emma hard. She has worked very hard to get over Charlie and there is still plenty lingering resentment there and we get a good dose of that when the two cross paths. This is Georgia Beers’ theme for Flavor of the Month and boy does she work it. If this book was a pie, the main ingredients for this particular batter would be Charlie’s crippling guilt and sadness mixed with Emma’s anger and hurt, courtesy of her broken heart. During the story the secondary characters make sure to top up those two components if they threaten to grow weak. So we get a lot of variations and repetition of these two pushing those buttons and trying to work through it. It was exhausting to see them take one step forward and two steps back all through the story. I felt it stood in the way of a real connection to the romance and in the end left me unfulfilled.
The baking was good and it was probably my favorite part of the book. Beers fans will find enough elements to keep them happy. I’m not sure the romance fans will either.
f/f one explicit scene
Themes: coming home to Shaker Falls, nursing a broken heart, crippling guilt, self doubt, EG's, mummy is drunk, lots of baked goods, daddy issues, the ending was abrupt, some issues were left up in the air.
3.4 Stars
* A free copy was provided by Netgalley and Bold Stokes Books for an honest review.
June 1, 2020
I struggled with this one, mostly because I quite enjoy this author, but the content just felt off for this book.
The premise in a nutshell: Charlie and Emma have been a couple since their teens, each other's "firsts," though their relationship had been strained when they went to different colleges. However, Charlie sees something bigger and shinier offered in NYC in the form of a rich beautiful woman and a promise of a good advertising job, and leaves Emma high and dry. It appears that Charlie did not even break up with Emma but just ghosted her. Charlie lives the high life with what sounds like a sugar mama, then is dumped spectacularly and runs home with her tail tucked in. Back to the small town she vowed never to return to, and in fact she hadn't been back in over two years to even see her family. Oh and she becomes a baker. Huh.
Emma is a chef who has moved back to Shaker Falls to start her own restaurant, and because her mom needed her. She is hurt and heartbroken from what Charlie did, and now enjoys casual flings instead of trusting her heart to anyone again. I quite enjoyed Emma, she has a complicated family and was a layered individual, seeming much more interesting than the other characters. I just wish she would have had more of a backbone. Unfortunately, the sparks between the couple were non-existent for me.
Charlie was in a word, awful. She was the epitome of selfish, following her own needs and somewhat oblivious to the trail of destruction she left behind. As a 28 year old, she gradually comes to realize her selfishness, more poignantly from other people's revelations though, but it kept getting written off as "I was 23 and made dumb mistakes." I remember being 23 and it takes a special kind of someone to disregard this many important people in one's life. She was clueless. At one point she says to her mom, something along the lines of, "you know you are like a walking cliche of a housewife right...." And the light in her mother's eyes dimmed, a second before being so proud and happy to finally have her daughter home. So yes, towards the end she has a long lovely written monologue outlying her regrets but it fell on deaf ears. I so would have wished for an entirely different ending; One of growth, reflection, and really trying to know herself rather than the usual HEA. I did not root for this couple to get back together in the least.
There were also many holes in this story. A big conversation should have happened between Emma and her mother after Emma found out about her past, but nope. Also, no resolution about her mother's drinking, which, if this is the reason Emma moved home, should have been fleshed out more. The scene with Emma's father's other family was rushed and left hanging, and guys, this was a HUGE theme. I simply could not believe that Emma's father left her, but followed her life online and never, ever contacted her. Also, the fact Emma is biracial is not revealed until what 70% in? Then we find out her father was black and left his wife who was white......just....why. Why did the author have to go there. I was so disappointed that this stereotype was brought up, and in a rather rushed manner and not handled with the sensitivity it deserves. There are just no words to describe how I feel about this.
I do feel and epilogue would have been necessary in this one. The ending was much too rushed and overall the read was disappointing, sadly. Fingers crossed firmly for her next one....
The premise in a nutshell: Charlie and Emma have been a couple since their teens, each other's "firsts," though their relationship had been strained when they went to different colleges. However, Charlie sees something bigger and shinier offered in NYC in the form of a rich beautiful woman and a promise of a good advertising job, and leaves Emma high and dry. It appears that Charlie did not even break up with Emma but just ghosted her. Charlie lives the high life with what sounds like a sugar mama, then is dumped spectacularly and runs home with her tail tucked in. Back to the small town she vowed never to return to, and in fact she hadn't been back in over two years to even see her family. Oh and she becomes a baker. Huh.
Emma is a chef who has moved back to Shaker Falls to start her own restaurant, and because her mom needed her. She is hurt and heartbroken from what Charlie did, and now enjoys casual flings instead of trusting her heart to anyone again. I quite enjoyed Emma, she has a complicated family and was a layered individual, seeming much more interesting than the other characters. I just wish she would have had more of a backbone. Unfortunately, the sparks between the couple were non-existent for me.
Charlie was in a word, awful. She was the epitome of selfish, following her own needs and somewhat oblivious to the trail of destruction she left behind. As a 28 year old, she gradually comes to realize her selfishness, more poignantly from other people's revelations though, but it kept getting written off as "I was 23 and made dumb mistakes." I remember being 23 and it takes a special kind of someone to disregard this many important people in one's life. She was clueless. At one point she says to her mom, something along the lines of, "you know you are like a walking cliche of a housewife right...." And the light in her mother's eyes dimmed, a second before being so proud and happy to finally have her daughter home. So yes, towards the end she has a long lovely written monologue outlying her regrets but it fell on deaf ears. I so would have wished for an entirely different ending; One of growth, reflection, and really trying to know herself rather than the usual HEA. I did not root for this couple to get back together in the least.
There were also many holes in this story. A big conversation should have happened between Emma and her mother after Emma found out about her past, but nope. Also, no resolution about her mother's drinking, which, if this is the reason Emma moved home, should have been fleshed out more. The scene with Emma's father's other family was rushed and left hanging, and guys, this was a HUGE theme. I simply could not believe that Emma's father left her, but followed her life online and never, ever contacted her. Also, the fact Emma is biracial is not revealed until what 70% in? Then we find out her father was black and left his wife who was white......just....why. Why did the author have to go there. I was so disappointed that this stereotype was brought up, and in a rather rushed manner and not handled with the sensitivity it deserves. There are just no words to describe how I feel about this.
I do feel and epilogue would have been necessary in this one. The ending was much too rushed and overall the read was disappointing, sadly. Fingers crossed firmly for her next one....
March 16, 2020
4 Stars for Flavor of the Month by Georgia Beers.
This is a nice, pleasant Georgia Beers second chance romance. High School sweethearts attempt to rekindle their friendship and love after going their separate ways in college.
Charlie Stetko and Emma Grier grew up together in the small town of Shaker Falls, Vermont. They were best friends since childhood and later High School sweethearts. They went to separate colleges to pursue their different interests. Charlie to a school where she could study marketing and business and Emma to a culinary school. As the years passed, it was becoming clear their career aspirations would most likely put them in different cities. Eventually, they moved on. Emma practically begged Charlie not to join and work for entrepreneur, Darcy Wells in Manhattan. Wells was known to be a love ‘em and leave them type – Charlie herself first described Darcy as having “Flavor of the Month” girlfriends. Unfortunately, Charlie succumbed to Darcy’s charms and to the excitement of working in NYC. She was doing well in marketing and also happy as Darcy’s “partner” but 5 years later, Darcy sent Charlie packing with nothing but her old car and a few clothes. Charlie has no place to go but back home - embarrassed and depressed to Shaker Falls.
Emma has also returned to Shaker Falls. She is a talented chef and her dream was to open her own restaurant. Because Shaker Falls didn’t have an upscale restaurant and to be closer to her mother, Emma opens EG’s Restaurant. Although still new, it is on the way to becoming a great success. Emma is the more interesting character of the two. She is bi-racial, although it’s not really an issue one way or another. Her Father left when she was young and her mother is a barely functioning alcoholic which was one of the reasons Emma moved back to Shaker Falls. Maybe I missed it, but I don’t remember reading how Emma was able to save and/or raise enough money to buy a building and start a new restaurant while still in her twenties. Nevertheless, she accomplishes it.
Charlie gets a job at the new local bakery and she rediscovers her love of baking that she learned at her Grandmother’s side when she was a girl. Charlie begins baking pies for the bakery using her Grandmother’s recipes and inventing new creations. Although Charlie avoided it as long as possible, it was inevitable she would eventually run into Emma – especially when she was tasked to deliver her pies to the restaurant.
I really liked how their friendship was slowly healed and you can see why they were BFFs for so long. But the question is – will Charlie stick around?
An ARC was given to me by publisher, Bold Strokes books via Netgalley for an honest review
This is a nice, pleasant Georgia Beers second chance romance. High School sweethearts attempt to rekindle their friendship and love after going their separate ways in college.
Charlie Stetko and Emma Grier grew up together in the small town of Shaker Falls, Vermont. They were best friends since childhood and later High School sweethearts. They went to separate colleges to pursue their different interests. Charlie to a school where she could study marketing and business and Emma to a culinary school. As the years passed, it was becoming clear their career aspirations would most likely put them in different cities. Eventually, they moved on. Emma practically begged Charlie not to join and work for entrepreneur, Darcy Wells in Manhattan. Wells was known to be a love ‘em and leave them type – Charlie herself first described Darcy as having “Flavor of the Month” girlfriends. Unfortunately, Charlie succumbed to Darcy’s charms and to the excitement of working in NYC. She was doing well in marketing and also happy as Darcy’s “partner” but 5 years later, Darcy sent Charlie packing with nothing but her old car and a few clothes. Charlie has no place to go but back home - embarrassed and depressed to Shaker Falls.
Emma has also returned to Shaker Falls. She is a talented chef and her dream was to open her own restaurant. Because Shaker Falls didn’t have an upscale restaurant and to be closer to her mother, Emma opens EG’s Restaurant. Although still new, it is on the way to becoming a great success. Emma is the more interesting character of the two. She is bi-racial, although it’s not really an issue one way or another. Her Father left when she was young and her mother is a barely functioning alcoholic which was one of the reasons Emma moved back to Shaker Falls. Maybe I missed it, but I don’t remember reading how Emma was able to save and/or raise enough money to buy a building and start a new restaurant while still in her twenties. Nevertheless, she accomplishes it.
Charlie gets a job at the new local bakery and she rediscovers her love of baking that she learned at her Grandmother’s side when she was a girl. Charlie begins baking pies for the bakery using her Grandmother’s recipes and inventing new creations. Although Charlie avoided it as long as possible, it was inevitable she would eventually run into Emma – especially when she was tasked to deliver her pies to the restaurant.
I really liked how their friendship was slowly healed and you can see why they were BFFs for so long. But the question is – will Charlie stick around?
An ARC was given to me by publisher, Bold Strokes books via Netgalley for an honest review
April 14, 2020
Reading about food makes me hungry. I’m naturally often hungry so it makes me even more hungry (writing this is making me hungry). I can’t even begin to explain how ravenous this story made me. It also made me happy and sad and all mushy inside.
Charlie and Emma were meant to be. They met as children, were best friends all through high school, discovered their sexuality together and should never have grown apart. Going to college killed their beautiful relationship, because LDR are hard and also, to quote Charlie, “Twenty-three-year-olds [are] stupid. And selfish”. Charlie couldn’t resist the song of the stylish entrepreneur siren Darcy Wells, who whisked her off to New York first for work, then as her girlfriend, until she got bored with her. So now Charlie is back at her parents’ in the small town of Shaker Falls, Vermont, not using her marketing degree and rediscovering her love of baking. Charlie’s betrayal broke Emma’s heart and when they meet again five years later in Emma’s restaurant, saying Emma’s flabbergasted sounds like the understatement of the year.
Flavor of the Month is not so much a second-chance romance as a story of redemption. People mess up. Charlie definitely messed up. That she realises it because Darcy gets rid of her doesn’t mean she wouldn’t have realised it on her own later on. As she says at some point, she lost herself for a while. Twenty-three-year-old Charlie reminds me of Jenna in Melissa Brayden’s Waiting in the Wings, in that she’s faced at a pretty young age with a decision whose impact on her whole life she couldn’t have predicted. I like Charlie’s rediscovery of herself. She takes responsibility for her ill-advised actions, doesn’t look for excuses. When she realises how much Emma means to her still, she doesn’t mourn what she lost but the pain she caused, to her lover and to others. She can’t erase the mistakes she made but she can decide how to act afterwards, and what matters in the present is who she becomes.
Emma’s agency in her first relationship with Charlie was entirely taken away from her, Charlie gave her no choice, but try as she might, besides small flashes of satisfaction at the karma-like situation, she can’t help wanting the best for her. She doesn’t want her to hurt, even though she hurt her.
Emma is pretty admirable, to be honest. She grew up with an alcoholic mother, without her father, she doesn’t do vulnerable. As Beers writes, “Vulnerability was not her thing. She didn’t do it well, didn’t like the way it made her feel. Weak. Exposed”. Boy, do I understand that… Contrary to what my reviews might have led you to believe, I do not do vulnerable much better than Emma. I cry sometimes, a lot more now, but as much as I can now talk – and write – about it, I don’t cry in public. Very few people have seen me cry. I think the only time I cried in front of my therapist is right after the terrorist attacks in France in 2015 (which led to my life being completely turned upside down).
My wife cries a lot, from sadness, from joy, from music. I don’t equate vulnerable with weak. For others. Me? Different story. So I get Emma on that, though she’s a much better person than I am on everything else. Also, she sounds like the best chef ever, I wish I could taste each and every dish Beers describes. I like the way Beers describes food, I already did in Starting from Scratch. I mentioned Brayden above, the bakery in this book also reminded me of Brayden’s How Sweet It Is. Brayden and Beers are pals so maybe my mind is just associating them, but there are worse authors to be compared too anyway.
There was a time when I wasn’t always sure, when I opened a book by Georgia Beers, that I was going to love it. It felt like she lost her way a little, but I had faith she’d find it back. The reviews for this book are all over the place, some readers loved it, others were very disappointed, which, once again, made me a little wary. This one has flaws (too many repetitive sentences, too many chapters ending with questions…) but not enough to mess with my enjoyment of it. I think I can now stop worrying, all the books I’ve read lately by Beers have been 4* or 5* for me. This one included.
Charlie and Emma were meant to be. They met as children, were best friends all through high school, discovered their sexuality together and should never have grown apart. Going to college killed their beautiful relationship, because LDR are hard and also, to quote Charlie, “Twenty-three-year-olds [are] stupid. And selfish”. Charlie couldn’t resist the song of the stylish entrepreneur siren Darcy Wells, who whisked her off to New York first for work, then as her girlfriend, until she got bored with her. So now Charlie is back at her parents’ in the small town of Shaker Falls, Vermont, not using her marketing degree and rediscovering her love of baking. Charlie’s betrayal broke Emma’s heart and when they meet again five years later in Emma’s restaurant, saying Emma’s flabbergasted sounds like the understatement of the year.
Flavor of the Month is not so much a second-chance romance as a story of redemption. People mess up. Charlie definitely messed up. That she realises it because Darcy gets rid of her doesn’t mean she wouldn’t have realised it on her own later on. As she says at some point, she lost herself for a while. Twenty-three-year-old Charlie reminds me of Jenna in Melissa Brayden’s Waiting in the Wings, in that she’s faced at a pretty young age with a decision whose impact on her whole life she couldn’t have predicted. I like Charlie’s rediscovery of herself. She takes responsibility for her ill-advised actions, doesn’t look for excuses. When she realises how much Emma means to her still, she doesn’t mourn what she lost but the pain she caused, to her lover and to others. She can’t erase the mistakes she made but she can decide how to act afterwards, and what matters in the present is who she becomes.
Emma’s agency in her first relationship with Charlie was entirely taken away from her, Charlie gave her no choice, but try as she might, besides small flashes of satisfaction at the karma-like situation, she can’t help wanting the best for her. She doesn’t want her to hurt, even though she hurt her.
Emma is pretty admirable, to be honest. She grew up with an alcoholic mother, without her father, she doesn’t do vulnerable. As Beers writes, “Vulnerability was not her thing. She didn’t do it well, didn’t like the way it made her feel. Weak. Exposed”. Boy, do I understand that… Contrary to what my reviews might have led you to believe, I do not do vulnerable much better than Emma. I cry sometimes, a lot more now, but as much as I can now talk – and write – about it, I don’t cry in public. Very few people have seen me cry. I think the only time I cried in front of my therapist is right after the terrorist attacks in France in 2015 (which led to my life being completely turned upside down).
My wife cries a lot, from sadness, from joy, from music. I don’t equate vulnerable with weak. For others. Me? Different story. So I get Emma on that, though she’s a much better person than I am on everything else. Also, she sounds like the best chef ever, I wish I could taste each and every dish Beers describes. I like the way Beers describes food, I already did in Starting from Scratch. I mentioned Brayden above, the bakery in this book also reminded me of Brayden’s How Sweet It Is. Brayden and Beers are pals so maybe my mind is just associating them, but there are worse authors to be compared too anyway.
There was a time when I wasn’t always sure, when I opened a book by Georgia Beers, that I was going to love it. It felt like she lost her way a little, but I had faith she’d find it back. The reviews for this book are all over the place, some readers loved it, others were very disappointed, which, once again, made me a little wary. This one has flaws (too many repetitive sentences, too many chapters ending with questions…) but not enough to mess with my enjoyment of it. I think I can now stop worrying, all the books I’ve read lately by Beers have been 4* or 5* for me. This one included.
March 25, 2021
3.5 stars
I love the way Georgia Beers writes romance. I liked this one too, though I think she had written better books. I had difficulty liking Charlie, one of the main characters. I also feel like there wasn’t a really good explanation given for the way she acted in the past, though her growth and change were depicted convincingly. The other MC Emma I liked better. That she took the loss of Charlie very hard is clear. Her struggles with Charlie’s return and what that could mean are very clear. But it’s a pity that some of the other problems in her life are just touched upon and not given more depth. Her relationship with her mother and the way she has acted is not resolved and neither are her issues with her father.
I love the way Georgia Beers writes romance. I liked this one too, though I think she had written better books. I had difficulty liking Charlie, one of the main characters. I also feel like there wasn’t a really good explanation given for the way she acted in the past, though her growth and change were depicted convincingly. The other MC Emma I liked better. That she took the loss of Charlie very hard is clear. Her struggles with Charlie’s return and what that could mean are very clear. But it’s a pity that some of the other problems in her life are just touched upon and not given more depth. Her relationship with her mother and the way she has acted is not resolved and neither are her issues with her father.
November 11, 2020
I worried during this second-chance romance that the hole Charlie had dug for herself was just too deep. As we get to know Emma and the young love that they had shared, my concern grew. And Beers digs that hole deep. Charlie was enamored with life in the big city and a new girlfriend and left Emma in a way that repudiated their friendship as much as it did their relationship. They had been best friends since very young and breaking off that way? Yeah, not a good look.
Indeed, everything we see about/from Charlie is that she's weak and selfish. And we see that it's still a thing because she's still texting the woman who dumped her horribly with "I miss you" blabber. Talk about having no self-respect. Every new tidbit we get about her relationship and time in New York reinforces how very lost and dependent she has been. There's literally nothing admirable about her or her actions in any of this background.
So I kept waiting for a reason to want Emma to get mixed back up with the hot-mess she was well-shut of already. And I wish I could report that we eventually get that, but we don't. Charlie is weak all the way up to the end with a single, last-minute moment of clarity that convinces Emma to give them a shot. I lost my last ounce of respect when
The characterization is good. Maybe too good because we get the full impact of Charlie's selfish past. The baking porn is fun, too, and there are some great side characters and Beers has a deft hand with small-town folks and their interactions. It's too bad that everything good about the story is outside of the core relationship. Anyway, I'm giving it two stars because it isn't a complete loss. It's just not a great romance.
A note about Steamy: There's a single explicit sex scene putting this on the low end of my steam tolerance. It's long and involved, but frankly, I could have done with fewer mentions of how it was just like old times and how they were always so great at the sex. It felt overdone and kind of stupid. Like, they hadn't changed or learned anything at all? Really?
Indeed, everything we see about/from Charlie is that she's weak and selfish. And we see that it's still a thing because she's still texting the woman who dumped her horribly with "I miss you" blabber. Talk about having no self-respect. Every new tidbit we get about her relationship and time in New York reinforces how very lost and dependent she has been. There's literally nothing admirable about her or her actions in any of this background.
So I kept waiting for a reason to want Emma to get mixed back up with the hot-mess she was well-shut of already. And I wish I could report that we eventually get that, but we don't. Charlie is weak all the way up to the end with a single, last-minute moment of clarity that convinces Emma to give them a shot. I lost my last ounce of respect when
The characterization is good. Maybe too good because we get the full impact of Charlie's selfish past. The baking porn is fun, too, and there are some great side characters and Beers has a deft hand with small-town folks and their interactions. It's too bad that everything good about the story is outside of the core relationship. Anyway, I'm giving it two stars because it isn't a complete loss. It's just not a great romance.
A note about Steamy: There's a single explicit sex scene putting this on the low end of my steam tolerance. It's long and involved, but frankly, I could have done with fewer mentions of how it was just like old times and how they were always so great at the sex. It felt overdone and kind of stupid. Like, they hadn't changed or learned anything at all? Really?
February 28, 2020
* I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
*Sigh* I really really love Georgia Beers as an author and she's always in my personal best five lesbian authors list.
In this book the writing is as always perfect, the emotions are there, the descriptions are as always engaging so what went wrong?
The problem for me was that I never really liked Charlie as an MC. I was excited and intrigued when I started reading the synopsis of this book but as soon as I was introduced to Charlie I felt that it would be hard for me to root for her. I was hoping that slowly slowly she would win me over but it never really happened and then the book ended. Maybe the pace of the romance was problematic and I needed more time to believe that Charlie wanted to be with Emma so much. To me it was like she was forced in a situation (by her ex gf) where she didn't have any other choice than to go back home and reconsider her life. I was left feeling that if her ex called her she would fly back to NY in an instant.
I also found Emma very weak and it was hard for me to believe how she so easily let Charlie back into her life and without even so many explanations (especially after mentioning how broken she was and for how long when Charlie left her). There are inconsistency issues and I feel that there was no real built up between the MCs.
I still recommend this book because it's Georgia Beers and it's a quality read no matter what.
*Sigh* I really really love Georgia Beers as an author and she's always in my personal best five lesbian authors list.
In this book the writing is as always perfect, the emotions are there, the descriptions are as always engaging so what went wrong?
The problem for me was that I never really liked Charlie as an MC. I was excited and intrigued when I started reading the synopsis of this book but as soon as I was introduced to Charlie I felt that it would be hard for me to root for her. I was hoping that slowly slowly she would win me over but it never really happened and then the book ended. Maybe the pace of the romance was problematic and I needed more time to believe that Charlie wanted to be with Emma so much. To me it was like she was forced in a situation (by her ex gf) where she didn't have any other choice than to go back home and reconsider her life. I was left feeling that if her ex called her she would fly back to NY in an instant.
I also found Emma very weak and it was hard for me to believe how she so easily let Charlie back into her life and without even so many explanations (especially after mentioning how broken she was and for how long when Charlie left her). There are inconsistency issues and I feel that there was no real built up between the MCs.
I still recommend this book because it's Georgia Beers and it's a quality read no matter what.
April 4, 2020
I love a character who has genuinely fucked up and gets and deserves a second chance, and Beers really makes her character work for that second chance - cue exquisite longing and a great emotional arc. Excellent writing, drool worthy food, achingly good angst, the full resonance of a romance the second time round - loved it.
August 17, 2020
I quite enjoy this book. Charlie broke Emma's heart into pieces when she was seduced to go to New York with an older woman after college. Having been born and raised in a small town, she could not resist the big city. Several years later, Charlie's left homeless and penniless when she was dumped for another woman. She's forced to return home to her parents in an attempt to rebuild her life. There, being in a small town, she meets Emma again. Emma is now a successful restaurateur while Charlie has found a job as a pie maker in the local bakery. Having a baker and a chef as main characters mean there's plenty of mentions of food and desserts. This is definitely one aspect I enjoy, being a foodie. But the main story also drew me in. Charlie knows she did Emma wrong. Emma is not sure whether she can trust Charlie ever again. She also has personal issues involving her parents to deal with. Add in small-town charm and wonderful side characters, this is a charming story involving first loves, forgiveness, and evolution of relationships.
January 29, 2022
I enjoyed this one. Listening to Georgia Beers books narrated by Lori Prince always seems to hit right, for me. I enjoyed all of the characters, I loved all of the baking and food, and the narration was stellar. I felt like mayybe it ended a little too abruptly/there were a couple of subplots that I would have liked see rounded out just a bit more (Emma and her mother, even one more maybe with Charlie and her sister) but overall I had a good time.
May 19, 2020
While reading this book "lighten up" passed my mind many times. For me, this second chance romance was a little too heavy-handed on the issue of Charlie leaving for the big city and leaving Emma in Shaker Falls. But that's what you do when you're young: you make decisions, good ones and less so. And that makes you into you. But it seemed like Charlie had committed a crime. Her sister even gave her shit without being upfront about it at first. I'm not sure after reading if Charlie broke up with Emma or that they drifted apart in a way that you just fade out and not being able to end things in a good way.
While Charlie was in Manhattan, Emma also left town and came back earlier to Shaker Falls to start a restaurant. And a pretty good one too! Because Charlie is baking pies, and Emma needs them for her dessert menu, they meet again.
In the beginning, Emma is being kind of shitty towards Charlie. She seems to think she deserves this and because of that Charlie is very uncomfortable bringing over pies to the restaurant. Of course, things develop and at one point they make a trip together that strengthens their bond.
Other themes besides the romance are a liquor induced mother and an unknown father for Emma. The bakery and what happens in there made it all a little more sunny and light.
Maybe it was the moment of reading that this book didn't do it for me. This has never happened before with a book of Beers and luckily I see a lot of reviews from people who immensely enjoyed the book. So don't hold back on my account and give it a go. Because it still is an oke read and good feelings linger.
I received an ARC in exchange for a fair review.
While Charlie was in Manhattan, Emma also left town and came back earlier to Shaker Falls to start a restaurant. And a pretty good one too! Because Charlie is baking pies, and Emma needs them for her dessert menu, they meet again.
In the beginning, Emma is being kind of shitty towards Charlie. She seems to think she deserves this and because of that Charlie is very uncomfortable bringing over pies to the restaurant. Of course, things develop and at one point they make a trip together that strengthens their bond.
Other themes besides the romance are a liquor induced mother and an unknown father for Emma. The bakery and what happens in there made it all a little more sunny and light.
Maybe it was the moment of reading that this book didn't do it for me. This has never happened before with a book of Beers and luckily I see a lot of reviews from people who immensely enjoyed the book. So don't hold back on my account and give it a go. Because it still is an oke read and good feelings linger.
I received an ARC in exchange for a fair review.
May 17, 2020
"Twenty-three-year-olds were stupid. And selfish. Those were facts."
At 24 years of age with my admittedly limited experience, I am honest enough to say that this personally so so relatable..
While in college, Charlie got caught up in the magnetic spell of Darcy (a big deal entrepreneur) and her New York City digs. She left behind her family, friends and her best friend turned high school girlfriend Emma, quite easily never to look back. Or so she thought. Fast forward 4 years..Charlie is back home to live in her parents' basement after she gets kicked out by her jackass of a girlfriend who left her with no money.. no home.. no self esteem.. the works.
Emma in the meantime worked up the culinary ladder. The head chef of her own restaurant before the age of 30. Quite an accomplishment. Though appearances can be deceiving as far her her personal life is concerned.
When Charlie walks back into Emma's carefully constructed life, the push and pull of their connection is so very intense.
I was addicted right from the beginning. Can a person truly change? That one question comes up a lot. Beers, through her characters did not hold back any punches to drive her point.
Here's one -
"You were so selfish. You just did what you wanted to do, so you could have what you wanted to have."
I mean.. ouch.
And the worst or the best (depending on your point of view) part is the person who delivers this gem.
I didn't think I'd like it but I'm glad to have given this book a shot. Not so stupid for a 24 year old, huh.
At 24 years of age with my admittedly limited experience, I am honest enough to say that this personally so so relatable..
While in college, Charlie got caught up in the magnetic spell of Darcy (a big deal entrepreneur) and her New York City digs. She left behind her family, friends and her best friend turned high school girlfriend Emma, quite easily never to look back. Or so she thought. Fast forward 4 years..Charlie is back home to live in her parents' basement after she gets kicked out by her jackass of a girlfriend who left her with no money.. no home.. no self esteem.. the works.
Emma in the meantime worked up the culinary ladder. The head chef of her own restaurant before the age of 30. Quite an accomplishment. Though appearances can be deceiving as far her her personal life is concerned.
When Charlie walks back into Emma's carefully constructed life, the push and pull of their connection is so very intense.
I was addicted right from the beginning. Can a person truly change? That one question comes up a lot. Beers, through her characters did not hold back any punches to drive her point.
Here's one -
"You were so selfish. You just did what you wanted to do, so you could have what you wanted to have."
I mean.. ouch.
And the worst or the best (depending on your point of view) part is the person who delivers this gem.
I didn't think I'd like it but I'm glad to have given this book a shot. Not so stupid for a 24 year old, huh.
March 25, 2020
Oh, my gosh, I think I gained ten pounds reading this book.
Flavor of the Month by Georgia Beers is a contemporary romance novel about second chances, forgiveness, and love…and pies, lots of yummy pies.
Our two main characters, Charlie and Emma, were best friends growing up. As teenagers they became girlfriends, but when they went to separate colleges, they began to drift apart. Charlie was lured away to New York City where she ended up a trophy wife to a big city entrepreneur. Four years later Charlie’s big-city girlfriend finds someone new to take her place and kicks her out. She is forced to go home to Shaker Falls and live with her family. The family she has pretty much ignored for the last four years. There she takes a part time job in a bakery and slowly realizes how her actions years ago have hurt her family, friends, and especially Emma whose heart was broken.
Can people grow, mature and change their ways? Can someone be forgiven for the hurt they have caused others in the past? Can love really last through pain and heartbreak? These are some of the questions answered in this book through Charlie and Emma. This is a lovely story though there is a good deal of angst running through the book. I became invested in both characters, and really cheered them on as they worked though the trauma of their past. Ms. Beers really knows how to pull your heartstrings with her writing.
I can recommend this novel to all who love a good romance.
And I really, really want the recipe for that peanut butter pie with the chocolate glaze!
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
Rainbow Reflections: http://rainbowreflections.home.blog/
Flavor of the Month by Georgia Beers is a contemporary romance novel about second chances, forgiveness, and love…and pies, lots of yummy pies.
Our two main characters, Charlie and Emma, were best friends growing up. As teenagers they became girlfriends, but when they went to separate colleges, they began to drift apart. Charlie was lured away to New York City where she ended up a trophy wife to a big city entrepreneur. Four years later Charlie’s big-city girlfriend finds someone new to take her place and kicks her out. She is forced to go home to Shaker Falls and live with her family. The family she has pretty much ignored for the last four years. There she takes a part time job in a bakery and slowly realizes how her actions years ago have hurt her family, friends, and especially Emma whose heart was broken.
Can people grow, mature and change their ways? Can someone be forgiven for the hurt they have caused others in the past? Can love really last through pain and heartbreak? These are some of the questions answered in this book through Charlie and Emma. This is a lovely story though there is a good deal of angst running through the book. I became invested in both characters, and really cheered them on as they worked though the trauma of their past. Ms. Beers really knows how to pull your heartstrings with her writing.
I can recommend this novel to all who love a good romance.
And I really, really want the recipe for that peanut butter pie with the chocolate glaze!
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
Rainbow Reflections: http://rainbowreflections.home.blog/
March 19, 2020
I believe this may be Georgia Beers' BEST book to date!
It read more smoothly than her others, the setting seemed easier to lose myself in, the angst and heartbreak, and the consequences of poor decisions were all much more believable...and her other books were really good, so you can imagine where the bar sits with this one.
A word of caution...
DO NOT READ WHEN HUNGRY
I warned you...
It read more smoothly than her others, the setting seemed easier to lose myself in, the angst and heartbreak, and the consequences of poor decisions were all much more believable...and her other books were really good, so you can imagine where the bar sits with this one.
A word of caution...
DO NOT READ WHEN HUNGRY
I warned you...
March 25, 2020
I came because of the baked goodies and I stayed for the lovely lesbian second chance romance!
Flavor of the Month is about Charlie having to go back to her town after a heartbreak and there she finds Emma, her high school sweetheart and the person whose heart she broke years ago. Now, we get to see how much they grew (or didn't) and how they react to seeing each other after such a long time.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of second chance romances but this one truly is the exception to the rule. The way these two girls handled the situation was so mature, plus you could see that there was a time when they loved each other deeply and the way they broke up is bound to have similar passionate responses.
Everything I was hoping to get from this book, was delivered! Especially those baked goodies, there's nothing I love more in books than to see people bake and describe the tasty things they prepare. It was mainly about sweet and baked things but we also got a glimpse of food cooked by a chef.
In my opinion, Emma was the most well rounded and relatable character of these two. She went through a lot of rough things but even then she would still be a nice person who cared about her business and tried to make every customer feel at home. She was the description of strong minded and dedicated. Charlie, on the other hand, was a bit dramatic and selfish a lot of times so I couldn't completely like her but I appreciate the growth we got to see her make throughout this novel.
All in all, I would recommend this book 100% to everyone looking for an adorable f/f romance where the characters are trying to step over their shared past. And also anyone who loves slow burn romances, aka the best ones!
Flavor of the Month is about Charlie having to go back to her town after a heartbreak and there she finds Emma, her high school sweetheart and the person whose heart she broke years ago. Now, we get to see how much they grew (or didn't) and how they react to seeing each other after such a long time.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of second chance romances but this one truly is the exception to the rule. The way these two girls handled the situation was so mature, plus you could see that there was a time when they loved each other deeply and the way they broke up is bound to have similar passionate responses.
Everything I was hoping to get from this book, was delivered! Especially those baked goodies, there's nothing I love more in books than to see people bake and describe the tasty things they prepare. It was mainly about sweet and baked things but we also got a glimpse of food cooked by a chef.
In my opinion, Emma was the most well rounded and relatable character of these two. She went through a lot of rough things but even then she would still be a nice person who cared about her business and tried to make every customer feel at home. She was the description of strong minded and dedicated. Charlie, on the other hand, was a bit dramatic and selfish a lot of times so I couldn't completely like her but I appreciate the growth we got to see her make throughout this novel.
All in all, I would recommend this book 100% to everyone looking for an adorable f/f romance where the characters are trying to step over their shared past. And also anyone who loves slow burn romances, aka the best ones!
March 9, 2020
Georgia Beers has put out a ton of romances. She knows what she is doing. I would have to say it's a safe bet to take a chance on reading one of her books. Flavor of the month wasn't my favorite Beers book, but it was still good. I really don't want to rehash the synopsis that the author puts out. But I do want to say this is a second chance romance. Emma and Charlie grew up together and dated it each for several years until things started to fall apart at the end of their college lives. It's the normal distance thing that happens when two people are at different colleges. It proved to be too much for Charlie who really wants to live in the big city and is easily swept off her feet by the rich woman from Manhattan. Of course things fall apart of Charlie and she has to return home 5 years (or so) later because she was dumped.
So I have to admit that I really didn't like Charlie much. But the reason I could deal with it because she is only in her mid twenties. We all had a lot of growing up to do in our 20s. Emma on the other hand was by far my favorite. She is a good daughter, talented chef with her own business and just an overall good person. Her communications skills might be a tad bit lacking but that is expected at her age (also in her mid 20s). I honestly don't know if I would have given Charlie another chance, but this is a romance so hey why not. I am glad that Charlie steps up to the plate when she needs to and that soften my opinion of her. Overall, this is a solid romance.
I rate it 3.75 stars
This arc was provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.
So I have to admit that I really didn't like Charlie much. But the reason I could deal with it because she is only in her mid twenties. We all had a lot of growing up to do in our 20s. Emma on the other hand was by far my favorite. She is a good daughter, talented chef with her own business and just an overall good person. Her communications skills might be a tad bit lacking but that is expected at her age (also in her mid 20s). I honestly don't know if I would have given Charlie another chance, but this is a romance so hey why not. I am glad that Charlie steps up to the plate when she needs to and that soften my opinion of her. Overall, this is a solid romance.
I rate it 3.75 stars
This arc was provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.
October 29, 2025
*** 3.70 ***
I enjoyed the sweet romance, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't read it in order of publication so soon after the previous ones. There are whole sentences that were so the same as in some of the previous books, that I was getting confused, thinking I had read this book before, but knowing I hadn't... Still, on its own, it was a good love story 👍🙂
I enjoyed the sweet romance, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't read it in order of publication so soon after the previous ones. There are whole sentences that were so the same as in some of the previous books, that I was getting confused, thinking I had read this book before, but knowing I hadn't... Still, on its own, it was a good love story 👍🙂
March 10, 2020
Charlie Stetko, returns to her hometown after a painful and unexpected break-up from her girlfriend. Emma Grier, the woman left behind when Charlie was swept off her feet by a successful entrepreneur and the pull of the bright lights and big city. Charlie returns home with her head down and a lack of self-confidence. She feels like a loser. She thinks she is prepared for the slap in the face comments from her friends and family when she returns. An awakening awaits her. Emma is not prepared for how to feel when she sees and interacts with Charlie. I enjoyed the food description and the supporting characters, especially Charlie's parents and sister. I wanted to embrace the read more but something held be back. I think it was the back and forth, will I or will I not.
ARC provided by Bold Strokes Books, Inc. via NetGalley
ARC provided by Bold Strokes Books, Inc. via NetGalley
March 1, 2020
I’m not sure what to feel about a second chance romance that started with A leaving B and their hometown to go with a woman she eventually fell in love with and then came back years later broken hearted and still pining for said woman, when she was reunited with B. In the most part of the book, it was Emma(B) who’s always thinking of Charlie(A) despite the massive heartbreak Charlie caused her the first time; while Charlie on the other hand was very much preoccupied with her personal failures and the broken heart caused by another woman. It just didn’t feel right. It looks pathetic, and frustrating to read. I mean how would I root for them to have a second chance when Emma was like an afterthought, an option for Charlie because Emma was there, she’s available. And did Charlie heal completely after the Darcy heartbreak? Was Emma a rebound? And did she really love Emma or just idea of Emma?
Although for all her flaws and mistakes, Charlie was supportive of Emma, I’d give her that. But I think they’re better off as friends. Emma with Sabrina was more exciting to me. The major feeling that this book gave me was cravings for pies. I had to buy one.
I love second chance romances, but this one is not for me.
Although for all her flaws and mistakes, Charlie was supportive of Emma, I’d give her that. But I think they’re better off as friends. Emma with Sabrina was more exciting to me. The major feeling that this book gave me was cravings for pies. I had to buy one.
I love second chance romances, but this one is not for me.
December 7, 2020
Ok read...
There were some flaws and some merits to this story... not gonna dwell on it too much though cos you either like it or you don’t. I liked it but not swooning over it ☺️
There were some flaws and some merits to this story... not gonna dwell on it too much though cos you either like it or you don’t. I liked it but not swooning over it ☺️
June 6, 2020
Meh, this was an okay, non painful read. The food descriptions were nice, the tension was okay and the angst predictable and doled out in measured doses.
This is told in third person, flip-flopping between the mains and I liked Emma a lot more than Charlie, although both of them come across as somewhat shallow and boring. Charlie especially bothers me, she seems very immature for a late-twenties person but manages to shine when the story demands she is capable. She spends most of the story hung up on her ex, who seems to be an older ice-queen and inevitably more interesting than whatever she’s not going on in her old hometown.
I didn’t really understand her sister’s animosity.
The timeline was odd from the beginning. If she
Cut ties with everyone the moment when she was hired by then big firm in NYC. I could understand, but the ties seemed to come off much later even two years into her new job and life. That’s normal!
And Sandy seemed to be far older than in her 40’s. She seemed at least 60 with her older persons wisdom
plus the “Silver Fox” she gets involved with later on in the story. FFS, Im in my mid 40s and I don’t have that serene older wisdom down yet. It’s not a thing.
Also, why every action had to be met by an equal
And opposite reaction of unanswered text messages and whatever was just dumb. Okay, yes, we’re hip young now and all about the phone but if my BFF meets everything I do with a shit ton of texts and voicemails (wtf??) that person is done. The story never had the person answering those texts so I guess it’s just for decoration.
My ranking: three stars
Meh.
I was given this book in return for an honest review by. NetGalley.
This is told in third person, flip-flopping between the mains and I liked Emma a lot more than Charlie, although both of them come across as somewhat shallow and boring. Charlie especially bothers me, she seems very immature for a late-twenties person but manages to shine when the story demands she is capable. She spends most of the story hung up on her ex, who seems to be an older ice-queen and inevitably more interesting than whatever she’s not going on in her old hometown.
I didn’t really understand her sister’s animosity.
The timeline was odd from the beginning. If she
Cut ties with everyone the moment when she was hired by then big firm in NYC. I could understand, but the ties seemed to come off much later even two years into her new job and life. That’s normal!
And Sandy seemed to be far older than in her 40’s. She seemed at least 60 with her older persons wisdom
plus the “Silver Fox” she gets involved with later on in the story. FFS, Im in my mid 40s and I don’t have that serene older wisdom down yet. It’s not a thing.
Also, why every action had to be met by an equal
And opposite reaction of unanswered text messages and whatever was just dumb. Okay, yes, we’re hip young now and all about the phone but if my BFF meets everything I do with a shit ton of texts and voicemails (wtf??) that person is done. The story never had the person answering those texts so I guess it’s just for decoration.
My ranking: three stars
Meh.
I was given this book in return for an honest review by. NetGalley.
August 9, 2020
Georgia is a really good writer and a long-time favorite. But many of her books as of late have become kind of cookie-cutter. Rehashes of similar stories but in different settings. They are reminding me of the Hallmark movies she's so fond of - same formulaic stories. You enjoy them, but they're not really memorable. That's the case here. The trouble is, this genre is exploding with spectacular talent who tell rich, wonderful, meaningful stories. Not all of them have to be that way, of course. There is certainly room for "movie of the week" type stories like this. But I know Georgia is capable of so much more. 96 Hours, for example, was one of her best and completely unlike the others. Too Close to Touch, Thy Neighbor's Wife. These are stories you want to go back to again and again.
One of the patterns I wish she'd get away from is when one or both of the characters are really mean to one another or are barely likable. I understand there has to be some conflict or situation that keeps them apart until they work through it, but do they have to be cruel in the process?
I liked this book. I didn't love it. And unless something changes, I can see myself gravitating more often towards richer story-telling. We are fortunate to have so much of that on offer now. But I remain hopeful where Georgia is concerned. Still a fan.
One of the patterns I wish she'd get away from is when one or both of the characters are really mean to one another or are barely likable. I understand there has to be some conflict or situation that keeps them apart until they work through it, but do they have to be cruel in the process?
I liked this book. I didn't love it. And unless something changes, I can see myself gravitating more often towards richer story-telling. We are fortunate to have so much of that on offer now. But I remain hopeful where Georgia is concerned. Still a fan.
April 19, 2020
ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
So, I’ve been up and down with Beers books of late, and this felt like that in one book. The premise here is that Charlie is returning home after a bad break up and when she gets home, she discovers her ex, Emma, has also moved back. Charlie and Emma were high school and then college sweethearts, but Charlie was seduced away by a worldly older woman (which Emma predicted) and their break up was anything but amicable.
Charlie returns home and quickly lands a job at a bakery, which puts her back in Emma’s orbit because Emma is a chef and owns her own restaurant, with Charlie supplying some desserts in her new role. Emma is not happy to see Charlie due to all the heart crushing, but the chemistry between them is still there and they both feel it.
Based on other reviews I wasn’t expecting to like Charlie, but I did. She was young and stupid and hurt people but she doesn’t shy away from that, or from apologising for it. The problem is that though the book seems to take place over a few months, and the two leads do spend a lot of time interacting, most of the interactions are superficial or involve discussions about the past. They don’t talk to each other about who they are or what they want now. Then there’s a pivotal point where Charlie steps up for Emma, and this is where their ‘new’ relationship sort of takes off, but this is at the 80% mark. So the whole ending and HEA thing just felt way too rushed.
I’d also have liked a bit more resolution around Emma’s new family connections and her situation with her mother (I mean, we don’t even see the fallout of the pivotal event with her mother, which was just weird). So, while much of the angst and hurt had me feeling ‘all the feels’, I think less time on the past and more on them rebuilding their relationship would have made this a better book. It’s probably 3.5 but I’m rounding down, because I also read Aurora Rey’s The Last Place You Look this month, which had a similar storyline, but I enjoyed that one more.
So, I’ve been up and down with Beers books of late, and this felt like that in one book. The premise here is that Charlie is returning home after a bad break up and when she gets home, she discovers her ex, Emma, has also moved back. Charlie and Emma were high school and then college sweethearts, but Charlie was seduced away by a worldly older woman (which Emma predicted) and their break up was anything but amicable.
Charlie returns home and quickly lands a job at a bakery, which puts her back in Emma’s orbit because Emma is a chef and owns her own restaurant, with Charlie supplying some desserts in her new role. Emma is not happy to see Charlie due to all the heart crushing, but the chemistry between them is still there and they both feel it.
Based on other reviews I wasn’t expecting to like Charlie, but I did. She was young and stupid and hurt people but she doesn’t shy away from that, or from apologising for it. The problem is that though the book seems to take place over a few months, and the two leads do spend a lot of time interacting, most of the interactions are superficial or involve discussions about the past. They don’t talk to each other about who they are or what they want now. Then there’s a pivotal point where Charlie steps up for Emma, and this is where their ‘new’ relationship sort of takes off, but this is at the 80% mark. So the whole ending and HEA thing just felt way too rushed.
I’d also have liked a bit more resolution around Emma’s new family connections and her situation with her mother (I mean, we don’t even see the fallout of the pivotal event with her mother, which was just weird). So, while much of the angst and hurt had me feeling ‘all the feels’, I think less time on the past and more on them rebuilding their relationship would have made this a better book. It’s probably 3.5 but I’m rounding down, because I also read Aurora Rey’s The Last Place You Look this month, which had a similar storyline, but I enjoyed that one more.
March 10, 2020
A wonderful second change romance by Georgia Beers with relatable characters and a sweet romantic story.
I enjoyed it very much and can't wait until her next novel. :)
I enjoyed it very much and can't wait until her next novel. :)
Read
March 24, 2020DNF @ 36%. First book by this author that I have not finished. Just could not get into it at all.
May 22, 2020
I love a redemption story, and this one excited me as soon as I read the synopsis. As usual, the writing is tight, and the pace is perfect. Georgia Beers knows how to make her books flow so the reader can kick back and enjoy.
The storyline itself was a good one and held its own authenticity from other second chance romance and redemption tropes.
I really loved reading Charlie’s growth from her younger self in the prologue to her now-adult attitude about life. I think the secondary characters were the stars of the show, and I particularly loved Sandy. Every time she was on the page, I wanted to be her friend.
Here’s the thing, you all know how I love an epilogue, well there isn’t one in this book, and I think I would have been ok with that if there had been two things. Firstly, I think the characters needed more page time to establish more of a connection before they rode off into the sunset. And secondly, I just felt like the ending wasn’t the ending. I went back and forth a few times to make sure my kindle had it right.
Like most second chance romance books, the chemistry is interwoven into the past love story, so it’s always tenacious with usually an undercurrent of abhorring which I think heightens the allure they have to each other. Georgia Beers nailed this with Charlie and Emma. In the moments they get page time together, it was very prominent.
This isn’t my favourite Georgia Beers book, but if you’re into redemption/ second chance romance books with a sweet romantic undercurrent, I think you should definitely read Flavor of the Month.
4 stars
The storyline itself was a good one and held its own authenticity from other second chance romance and redemption tropes.
I really loved reading Charlie’s growth from her younger self in the prologue to her now-adult attitude about life. I think the secondary characters were the stars of the show, and I particularly loved Sandy. Every time she was on the page, I wanted to be her friend.
Here’s the thing, you all know how I love an epilogue, well there isn’t one in this book, and I think I would have been ok with that if there had been two things. Firstly, I think the characters needed more page time to establish more of a connection before they rode off into the sunset. And secondly, I just felt like the ending wasn’t the ending. I went back and forth a few times to make sure my kindle had it right.
Like most second chance romance books, the chemistry is interwoven into the past love story, so it’s always tenacious with usually an undercurrent of abhorring which I think heightens the allure they have to each other. Georgia Beers nailed this with Charlie and Emma. In the moments they get page time together, it was very prominent.
This isn’t my favourite Georgia Beers book, but if you’re into redemption/ second chance romance books with a sweet romantic undercurrent, I think you should definitely read Flavor of the Month.
4 stars
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