A PopSugar Must-Read for October!In this finger-licking good rom-com, two is the perfect number of cooks in the kitchen. Nikki DiMarco knew life wouldn’t be all sunshine and coconuts when she quit her dream job to help her mom serve up mouthwatering Filipino dishes to hungry beach goers, but she didn’t expect the Maui food truck scene to be so eat-or-be-eaten—or the competition to be so smoking … the competition to be so smoking hot.
But Tiva’s Filipina Kusina has faced bigger road bumps than the arrival of Callum James. Nikki doesn’t care how delectable the British food truck owner is—he rudely set up shop next to her coveted beach parking spot. He’s stealing her customers and fanning the flames of a public feud that makes her see sparks.
The solution? Let the upcoming Maui Food Festival decide their fate. Winner keeps the spot. Loser pounds sand. But the longer their rivalry simmers, the more Nikki starts to see a different side of Callum…a sweet, protective side. Is she brave enough to call a truce? Or will trusting Callum with her heart mean jumping from the frying pan into the fire?
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Simmer Down by Sarah Smith was such a sweet and sexy enemies-to-lovers romance that I couldn’t put down–neither could the foodie in me nor my hopeless, romantic heart take it!
The story begins with Nikki DiMarco. She left her home state of Portland, Oregon and moved to Maui, Hawaii to be with her parents. Nikki is 29 and has been running “Tiva’s Filipina Kusina”, a food truck business for one year now with her mother. In doing so, Nikki is fulfilling her father’s last wishes before his passing. Presently, she struggles to find her footing in the everyday workings of running a food truck. Regardless of the downs she experiences, Nikki is determined and has put her heart and soul in making sure her father’s dream lives on.
Nikki soon realizes she has competition in her usual parking lot. A food truck named “Hungry Chaps” run by Callum James and his brother Finn has parked in her spot. From that moment on, it’s a sort of food truck wars. Nikki tries to make Callum’s time miserable. They go back and forth pranking the other, and even their spats get streamed and shared on social media making them very popular. Soon, Nikki and Callum are approached by a popular food vlog critic, telling them about the upcoming food festival.
Both food trucks enter the Maui Food Festival. Winner gets $20,000, a spot in commerical, and parking dibs on Makuna Road. Let the games and falling in love begin!
“How could I date the man who could put me out of business? And that’s not even the worst part. The worst part is that I’m so into Callum, that in the right weak moment, I might actually choose him. A weak moment a lot like this one, where I’m tucked against him in the dark, surrounded by his mass, protected, his entire body feeling like home.”
This book was truly so much fun to immerse in. I loved the whole Filipino culture mixed with the British foods. My foodie heart was in heaven and who doesn’t love a good food truck joint! I’ve been dying to try a Korean taco truck but they’re based in Chicago. One day, one day, but until then . Also, experiencing Hawaii through the characters’ eyes was a true thing of beauty and made me excited to visit someday!
As always, I love Sarah’s writing style and her characters are my favorite kind of heroes and heroines. I especially loved the kitties!! But the biggest reason I downrated this novel was due to the unnecessary drama with our main characters! Honestly, it seemed as if the drama was constant the last one third of the novel. It all worked out in the end… but still it was a tadbit too much. Atleast for me. But no matter, I definitely enjoyed this book just as much as I did Faker. I recommend it 100%!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*
Simmer Down
BY Sarah Smith
Simmer down by Sarah Smith is a delectable and delightful read about competing food trucks in Maui between spicy Nikki Di Marco serving up Filipino dishes up against the enticing Callum James serving up British food in this fun and feud filled rom com. I just adore Smith’s writing style and she completely whisked me away to my mother’s kitchen and the beautiful beach side of Maui. This was the perfect read to start my year off right. An immersive read, a mother’s delicious home cooking, an appetizing rivalry only to see sparks fly in this amazingly hilarious read I thoroughly enjoyed.
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of SIMMER DOWN and it was a truly wonderful escape read. Nikki was a likeable, relatable and authentic heroine whose motivations made me root from her from the very beginning. Callum was a sharp, sexy hero and Sarah Smith did a great job of unravelling his true (sweet, protective) colors as the story developed.
From the first chapter Nikki and Callum’s interactions were fraught with sexual tension and great banter! I found myself devouring this book in just one day. It’s a perfect enemies-to-lovers read, hitting all the right notes for the trope. It’s sexy, it’s funny and it has just the perfect amount of emotional moments and angst. I LOVED it.
And I have to mention that I loved Maui as a setting. Sarah Smith really brought Hawaii to life.
Now a 1-click author for me, Sarah Smith is a true talent. Fantastic writing, great characters, and sizzling chemistry make this contemporary romance a MUST READ.
Don’t mind me, Simmer Down by Sarah Smith is just another romcom that I thoroughly enjoyed! I loved the banter between Nikki and Callum, and there is much hilarity that ensues when both of their food trucks are parked next to each other. I loved the mix of serious moments with humor, and there were many times I had a smile on my face but also tears in my eyes. Don’t worry, there are a bunch of laugh-out-loud moments too!! There are quite a few characters that will burrow their way into your heart, and as is the case with most romcoms, not many I didn’t like. I LOVED the relationship between Nikki and her mom, and it felt very authentic and real which made both Nikki and her mom very relatable characters. So many times, my mouth was watering thanks to the food in this book too, and you probably shouldn’t read it on an empty stomach. It made me want to try practically every dish mentioned, and I also just love food trucks in general, so it was fun to have that in a book.
And can I also just mention how much I loved the fact this was set in Maui? I have never been there, but I loved Smith’s descriptions of the landscape, and it made me want to go there even more than I already did. The biggest thing that dropped this down a star for me is that the miscommunication Nikki and Callum experience seemed just a touch dragged out when I would have liked them to figure it out sooner. I think this would make an adorable movie though, and it would be so fun to see it on TV. If you want an audiobook recommendation, then I will also say that Simmer Down is great on audio. Donnabella Mortel narrates and she is yet another new-to-me narrator that was very pleasing to listen to. I loved her voice and thought it was spot-on for the character, and she helped me be even more connected to both the characters and the story in general. This was a really fun enemies-to-lovers romance and if you love romcoms it is definitely worth checking out.
The writing was solid, but I just couldn’t muster enough investment in the characters or the plot to keep reading.
The name of this book couldn’t have been more perfect! A beautiful, spicy, romcom. You won’t be able to put this book down!
This book had everything: a heart-melting hero, laugh-out-loud moments, family drama, and delicious food all wrapped up in a lush, tropical setting. Fresh, fun and utterly addictive.
A powerhouse romance with a perfect melange of spicy banter, lush scenery, and passion!
Sarah Smith delivers a story and characters to root for! Simmer Down is full of love and food (which is love), and you’re sure to crave more with each page.
This food truck romance serves up an enemies-to-lovers story that is spicy, salty and sweet. Delicious!
Cute and fun! This reminds me of The Hating Game meets food truck owners which is just yummy! I love reading about food, seeing characters actually eat, and I loved the side characters, especially the mom and kitty. Definitely recommend picking up this author’s romance – both I’ve read have been so fun.
SIMMER DOWN by Sarah Smith is a contemporary romance set in Hawaii and uses an enemies-to-lovers trope about food truck owners in direct competition with each other.
The story opens with Nikki DiMarco and her mom struggling to make their food truck profitable. They finally have a space to park, and in comes British food truck owner Callum James and his brother trying to squeeze into their space.
Over the next third of the book they try to out-prank each other, and it’s all caught on video and put on social media. I really enjoyed this part of the book, but the last third in particular, dealing with Nikki’s motivations, bothered me a lot. She came off as childish and cruel the way she treated Callum. I also felt her reasoning was silly and really stopped the flow of the book for me and why I gave it a 3.5 rating. But it was good writing and a fun read, especially if you love a romance set in Hawaii.
I love a good rivals-to-lovers story. Nikki moved to Maui and is helping her mom fulfill her late father’s dream of running a Filipino food truck in Maui. Along comes Callum James, the rude British food truck owner who doesn’t respect her request for him to move his truck away from her spot. Of course, they both are initially attracted to each other but refuse to admit it out of sheer principle. As their rivalry escalates, so does their desire for each other. In order to follow the rules of the Maui Food Festival, they keep their steamy “rivals with benefits” arrangement a secret. To me, it seemed a little far-fetched that two adults can’t hook up because of a food contest, but the sneaking around is what made their romance exciting. As a result, their moments alone are steamy!!
Lots of delicious food is mentioned and I enjoyed reading about chefs improvising and creating delectable dishes. I also appreciated the references to familiar places in Maui.
It’s always great to see cultural diversity in books. Overall, I thought this was a fun and fiery steamy romcom.
Simmer Down has a lot of elements that set it apart from the typical girl-meets-boy storyline:
1. Food trucks in Hawaii
2. Filipino + British food
3. An occasional nude beach
All of the above plus a healthy handful of other fun details adds up to a fun read that I finished in a little over a day. Solid 4 stars for this well-written vacation away from the snowy Midwest!
Sarah Smith’s new romance Simmer Down is such a fun read. Featuring rival food truck chefs in Hawaii, this story gave me such enjoyment. The romance is believable and endearing. The food references made me hungry. And the setting made me long to travel. This book was just full of so many high notes for me. I really loved what the author did with character development. Even the secondary characters are vibrant and fully formed. Of particular note is the lovely relationship between the heroine and her mom. It totally warmed my heart. I highly recommend this story.
This was an adorable hate to love romance that was very sweet. It was a solid 4 star read for me.
This book was a fun food related hate to love read. It was an easy read that I breezed right through. The book had fantastic banter and very apparent chemistry between the characters. It was sexy and silly and kept my attention. I loved that it wasn’t a heavy read so I got exactly what I was hoping for with it. If you liked Faker, you will like this read.
I’m all for no-brainer choices when it comes to picking my next book. Having read and loved Faker, I knew I couldn’t pass up on Simmer Down. Sarah Smith brought that same effortless and whimsical flair to her second novel and threw in some amazing food, and what I got was a mouth-watering romance in what sounds like idyllic paradise.
Nikki runs a popular food truck with her mom of whom she’s fiercely protective. It was her father’s dream to own one but that never came to fruition until after his passed away. The food truck’s success is a way to keep her father’s legacy alive and be close to her mother so she can keep an eye on her. As she’s pulling up to her usual spot one morning, she sees another food truck in their vicinity. One of the silent rules of food truck vendor etiquette is you don’t infringe on someone else’s turf. Callum, the owner, doesn’t take Nikki’s attempt at a welcome or her guidance seriously and so ensues one of the most ridiculous turf wars. They do silly things to sabotage each other – nothing harmful, just annoying enough to grate on the other’s nerves. The locals eventually catch on when one of their very pubic blowouts goes viral. Callum rebuffs any attempt at civility from Nikki. In the midst of this, they both enter the Maui Food Festival where recognition and a massive amount of money are on the line. They also strike up a private agreement that the winner has the right to permanently keep their food truck in the coveted spot.
I’m a sucker for rivals who become lovers and Simmer Down absolutely delivers on that. I like the process of uncovering the reasons why initial meetings don’t go off well, and it’s usually because of misconceptions. Nikki and Callum are adorable once they start flirting freely, and let’s not forget the food! Oh my god…the descriptions made me so hungry! I really just wanted to be there and taste all the Filipino cuisine that Nikki and her mom were cooking up. I also loved when Nikki and Callum started to work together, melding their experiences to create some exquisite meals. Their different styles in action showed how simpatico they could be.
The story hits a bump for me toward the end when Nikki’s tendency to self-sabotage by jumping to conclusions and making rash decisions becomes a redundant occurrence. It felt a bit irksome to read it happening repeatedly in a short span of time. At least they’re resolved quickly.
Simmer Down is warm and delightful, and ultimately it’s a loving story about families healing and coming through difficult times together. The food truck world is equally fascinating as are the vendors who live the life 24/7, it seems like. And what’s not to like about the setting of Hawaii? There’s plenty to love in this so don’t miss out!
*ARC generously provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
Your Malibu Beach Vacay, all in a book!
SIMMER DOWN is a winner, y’all. Sarah Smith has cooked up a perfect dish of food, family, and romance all set against Malibu’s food truck scene.
I love Nikki and feel for her as she works through her personal/family issues. The need to be strong and always in control when she’s hurting inside makes her relatable and lovable. Her LI Callum… ladies, all I can say is, HE’S MY BOOK BOYFRIEND! 😉
This book will touch your heart and ignite your passions all at once. Do not miss it!
Nikki moved to Hawaii to help her mom when her dad became ill and eventually passed. She is helping their retirement dream of owning and running a food truck – Tiva’s Fillipina Kusina. Things are good but tight, but Nikki has an end goal of winning a food competition and the prize money that comes along with it.
But all of that goes haywire when another truck – Hungry Chaps – is butted up to her area. Callum and Nikki are instantly attracted to each other and just as instantaneously butt heads. All their arguments lead to uploaded videos, which brings them more attention. Now they have a wager, whoever wins the food competition, the loser has to leave the area.
I adored these characters. I loved watching them go from hate to simmering heat to a blazing inferno. So what happens when the contest is over? You’ll have to one-click to find out.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary arc in exchange for an honest review.
Simmer Down by Sarah Smith is a fun enemies to lovers romance. Niki DiMarco runs a food truck in Maui with her mom. One day she finds their favorite parking spot invaded by a new truck run by Callum James. And wooo, do the sparks ever fly.
I loved that this book is set in Maui and involves food trucks. Fun fact about me – my cousin actually owns a food truck on Maui! Needless to say this was a book I had to read. It was fun to get a behind the scenes look at the food truck business and touching on topics such as parking etiquette and how the food is prepped.
I also loved the characters in this book. Niki and Callum are both giant forces of nature. Niki is a Filipina who has moved to Maui to help her mom start up her food truck. (Let the craving for Filipino food begin!). Callum is English and helping his brother start his food truck focus on English pub food. The focus they both had on family really resonated with me. I also enjoyed their antics and the tricks they would play on each other. And boy do the sparks fly once these two connect!
If I have a criticism of the book it is that I feel like the conflict in the book was prolonged. I just wanted to see these two together and moving on with their lives already.
I highly recommend this book to foodies or people wanting a little dash of Hawaii in their lives. The book has some steam so I wouldn’t recommend it to those who enjoy fade to black romances.