Erin La Rosa’s For Butter or Worse is a cute, if predictable, entry in the kitch lit genre. Chef Nina Lyon finds herself where she never could have imagined: successful restaurants and a gig on a Food Network-esque cooking competition show have made her a household name. But her nemesis and fellow cooking show judge Leo (of mass-market restaurant fame) gets under her skin.
When both find themselves off the show, Nina’s publicist suggests they enter into a mutual arrangement in which Nina and Leo keep up the pretense that they are dating. The fake dating trope is a well worn entry in the romance world. The begrudging chemistry between Nina and Leo is palpable, and the story plays out - no spoilers - as you might expect. La Rosa imbues Nina and Leo with the standard qualities but brings depth by trading points of view each chapter and letting the audience into each of their minds. That technique leaves room for the reader to exclaim in disgust, ‘you are both getting it all wrong, just be honest about your feelings!” as all good romance novels do.
Cooking and kitchen puns abound and I pride myself on having enough background knowledge to understand them without the help of the google machine. La Rosa has a keen eye for building tension, even if, at times, it feels as though it goes on a little too long. You cannot help but root for happily ever after. Or, beautifully baked after all.
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