{"id":12886,"date":"2019-12-30T00:00:06","date_gmt":"2019-12-29T22:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/?p=12886"},"modified":"2023-06-14T16:04:35","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T14:04:35","slug":"sweetest-thing-natasha-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/sweetest-thing-natasha-west\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweetest Thing by Natasha West: Book Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sweetest<\/a>Sweetest Thing by Natasha West<\/strong> is a contemporary romance that takes place in a competitive baking show. If you think you\u2019re going to read this book without wanting to snack on some cake or cookies, I have some bad news for you.<\/p>\n

Robyn Vincent is high strung, has a slacker girlfriend named Alex that she isn\u2019t overly fond of, and has an okay-but-not-exciting career as an insurance agent. In her off time, she loves to unwind and get creative by baking. She\u2019s so good at baking, in fact, that people wonder why she doesn\u2019t do it for a job, but Robyn is always quick to answer that her passion wouldn\u2019t be as fun if it were work.<\/p>\n

When Robyn finds a box with an engagement ring in Alex\u2019s pocket, she panics and says she\u2019s going to apply to go on the show Bake It!. No one is more surprised than Robyn when she finds out that she\u2019s going to be a contestant.<\/p>\n

Jodie Jacobs is determined to get on Bake It! for one reason: to make it far enough in the show that she\u2019ll be able to start a baking business and make enough money to buy out her dad\u2019s old house. She doesn\u2019t care about making friends or playing it up for the camera, nor does she care if she comes across as cold while delivering derisive looks or one-word answers.<\/p>\n

Robyn and Jodie definitely don\u2019t like each other, but (after Alex is out of the way because no, Robyn doesn\u2019t cheat on her) things turn explosive one day, as they go from fighting to kissing, and more. Can they take the heat when real feelings start to grow?<\/p>\n

The Characters<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tara:<\/strong> I\u2019m a huge fan of these two. While I wouldn\u2019t necessarily call them opposites, they\u2019re not at all alike and it\u2019s so much fun to watch them go from an antagonistic relationship to a romantic one. There\u2019s one scene in particular when Jodie goes out of her way to help Robyn with a kitchen disaster that\u2019s SO cute and made me laugh out loud.<\/p>\n

Sheena:<\/strong> I loved that Robyn and Jodie each had such different reasons for entering the show and how that played off in the moments when the show was being shot.<\/p>\n

I enjoyed their chemistry and I will confess that the tinge of Ice Queen that Jodie gave off made me excited to read about her. I do love a good character with growth.<\/p>\n

The Writing Style<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tara:<\/strong> I\u2019ll admit I wasn\u2019t sure about this book at first because I didn\u2019t love anything to do with Alex. Once she\u2019s out of the way, though, I couldn\u2019t put it down. It\u2019s an adorable story that was a perfect antidote to a terrible week.<\/p>\n

Sheena:<\/strong> I didn’t have the same problem as Tara. Yes, I hated Alex, but I trusted enough in West that I knew she wouldn’t be a problem forever. I guess it just comes down to the fact that I have read so many of her books and I trust her to take me on a fabulous journey each time.<\/p>\n

The style of this book is fun, flirty and reality tv rom com. I adored every word.<\/p>\n

The Pros<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tara:<\/strong> Watching Jodie warm up to Robyn. That\u2019s my favourite thing by far because it\u2019s clearly happening against her will and it\u2019s fantastic.<\/p>\n

Sheena: <\/strong>I agree with Tara – that was definitely a highlight to the story. I also loved the details about the show. I am a sucker for a story where something is going on in the background like this baking competition and reality show.<\/p>\n

Through the show we also got to see how Jodie and Robyn reacted to being so exposed on camera and it gave layers to their characters.<\/p>\n

The Cons<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tara:<\/strong> Like I said, I didn\u2019t like the whole Alex thing. And while Robyn doesn\u2019t cheat on her, there IS a cheating thing in relation to her, so be aware of that.<\/p>\n

Also, the cover doesn\u2019t really work for me because the story keeps telling us how talented Robyn and Jodie are at baking. If someone presented cupcakes that looked like that on a competitive baking show, they\u2019d be sent home that week.<\/p>\n

Sheena:<\/strong> I see Tara’s point but I am not bothered by the cover.<\/p>\n

My biggest down side was that the cakes and breads all sounded so delicious that I took to the kitchen to bake. I am no baker, though. Make sure you have a snack while you read because it will make you hungry.<\/p>\n

\"sheena's<\/a>The Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tara:<\/strong> If you like fluffy, angst-free romances, this is the book for you! I had a lot of fun reading it and will be keeping an eye out for more books by this author.<\/p>\n

Sheena:<\/strong> I loved it. This book is as sweet as the cakes and as tasty as the tarts in the story. It’s a light, fun read with a light ice queen, sweet girl next door and terrible (soon to be ex) girlfriend to muddy the waters.<\/p>\n

I love how original the setting is and highly recommend this one. It has everything I would want from this kind of book with some icing on top too.<\/p>\n

Excerpt from Sweetest Thing by Natasha West<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u2018Texting your boyfriend to tell him you\u2019re through?\u2019 Robyn asked, her eyes on her own phone.<\/p>\n

\u2018Bold of you to assume I\u2019ve got a boyfriend,\u2019 Jodie said with a side-eye at Robyn.<\/p>\n

Robyn looked at her. \u2018Yeah, I suppose so.\u2019 It was nearly an apology.<\/p>\n

\u2018Is that what you\u2019re doing? Texting your boyfriend?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Girlfriend,\u2019 Robyn said.<\/p>\n

\u2018Jesus, I hate it when women refer to their friends as \u2018girlfriends\u2019,\u2019 Jodie muttered to herself.<\/p>\n

A cold laugh fell from Robyn\u2019s lips like a pellet of ice. \u2018I beg your pardon. My girlfriend is not a friend. She\u2019s\u2026 I mean, we live together and share a bed. Who\u2019s assuming now?\u2019<\/p>\n

Jodie looked at her freshly. \u2018Oh,\u2019 she exclaimed in mild surprise. For her joke about whether Darnell or Jen was more Robyn\u2019s type, ultimately, she\u2019d assumed that anyone as repressed as Robyn would most likely be Straighty McStraight of Straight Town. She was slightly embarrassed to be proven wrong. \u2018Sorry.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Why should it bother you that girls sometimes say girlfriend when they mean friend, anyway?\u2019 Robyn asked.<\/p>\n

\u2018Just does,\u2019 Jodie said. She could have said more, mentioned that she too was into women. But she had no desire to bond with Robyn over any overlaps of sexuality. This cab was not about to turn into a queer bakers support group if she had anything to say about it.<\/p>\n

Get This Book Online<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When you use these links to buy within 24 hours we get a small commission that goes towards helping us run the site.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Bits and Bobs<\/strong><\/h3>\n