A Sweet Mess

April 13, 2020
Lee (Temporary Wife Temptation) whips up a sweet but uneven rom-com that plays out on the set of a cooking show. Baker Aubrey Choi has a one-night stand with Landon Kim without knowing he’s a food critic, and Landon pans Aubrey’s bakery without knowing she’s the owner after a mix-up leads him to choke on a gummy worm in a Bundt cake. To apologize for his hasty judgment and possibly business-ending review, Landon gets Aubrey a spot as a guest star on a cooking show. Landon and Aubrey must share a villa during filming, and despite their efforts to stay friends, neither can forget their one-night stand. Lee grounds this classic will-they-or-won’t-they in cultural specificity, but the facile use of common ethnic stereotypes (“When she smiled, her almond-shaped gray eyes tilted up in the corners, adding to her ethereal beauty,” she writes of Aubrey) will disappoint readers hoping for fresher characterization from #OwnVoices fare. Though the lavish descriptions of gourmet desserts are mouthwatering, the overwrought writing slows the pace and lessens the impact of key emotional moments. Foodies and rom-com readers not particular about their prose will gobble this down, but others may find it tough to swallow. Agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary.

June 1, 2020
After a cake mix-up leads to a bad review of her bakery written by prominent food critic Landon Kim, Aubrey Choi's business is in peril. She's stunned to discover that Landon is none other than her scorching one-night stand. When he learns of the bakery's error and potential damage to Aubrey's career due to his critique, he finds a way to make it up to her: he invites her to be a guest baker on his friend's TV show. The filming takes place over three weeks, and when they end up sharing a villa for the duration, it becomes increasingly harder to keep their interactions professional. Is a relationship worth the risk to their reputations? This dreamy romance is set in small California towns that ooze charm. Lee's mouthwatering descriptions of food, beer, and wine are just as alluring as the couple's spicy mutual attraction. Delightful secondary characters round out the story; although the pair struggles with messy family relationships, they each have fun and supportive friends. Lee's lush romance is a delectable delight.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)