The Romance Recipe

Barrett (Hot Copy) again tackles the complexities of workplace romance in her fun if shaky sophomore rom-com. Restaurateur Amy offered her head chef job to Sophie, a finalist from reality cooking show Pop-Up Kitchen, based exclusively on the crush she’d developed on Sophie over the course of the show. At first, Sophie drew crowds, but her shine has faded. Sophie knows she only got the job because of her celebrity, and though she would cancel all her social media accounts if she could, she puts extra time into curating the ideal feed, hoping to keep her boss—and secret crush—happy. Readers are told that each woman has feelings for the other from the start, but it’s difficult to see this in their early, largely contentious interactions. When Sophie’s ex-fiancé announces a new reality show that would mean free advertising for the restaurant, Amy and Sophie go head-to-head over whether to enter. In the process, both reveal more about themselves than either expected to, and their chemistry finally comes through. Understanding why these women are so drawn to each other may take some time, but their grounded personal and professional struggles are easy to invest in. The result is a down-to-earth queer romance. Agent: Kiana Nguyen, Donald Maass Literary. (July)