I’ve sworn off men. All men. Famous last words, right? You’re expecting some epic tale of reluctant love and my dramatic change of heart? Well, you’re not going to get it. I’m stubborn. And headstrong. And I’ve just survived the worst three years of my life. After escaping an abusive boyfriend to live in hostels and cheap hotels while I worked my way across Europe, I’ve come to two conclusions. … come to two conclusions.
The first? Now that I’m back home, I’m going to squander my expensive culinary degree on a food truck that caters to the late night drunk crowd.
The second? I’m going to prove to the bastard across the plaza that my street food is better than his fussy five course monstrosities.
Killian Quinn might be Food and Wine’s Chef to Watch Out For. He might have a Michelin Star. He might have every food critic in the city wrapped around his too-large fingers. But he’s also pretentious and unbearably arrogant and the very opposite of me.
So he can keep his unsolicited advice and his late night visits and his cocky smiles. I want none of it. Or him.
I want the opposite.
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I discovered The Opposite of You from Sarah MacLean’s Recommended Reads. And oh, am I so glad I did! This book was wonderful. Just an unexpected find that I couldn’t put down. A story of an abuse survivor, a warrior, a chef, chasing your dreams, finding your strength, discovering yourself again and falling in a special, unselfish kind of love. With a wonderful secondary cast, I’ve found a new author to follow!
This book was so much from and my first from this author. The snappy conflict of dialogue back and forth make for a lot of fun scenes between Killian and Vera and a very satisfying ending. Rachel Higginson
I love a really good foodie novel and Rachel delivered in spades. The authenticity of the story, of the characters, and the way that the food plays an important part in the novel pulled me in. I immediately bought the rest of the series because of it and I was not disappointed. This is definitely one I’ll be re-reading!
Contemporary chef heroine has escaped an abusive relationship and returned home to start a food truck. She falls for the gruff-but-kind chef next door who is wild about her food….and her.
4.5 Stars.
This is my second read through of this book, and I loved it just as much as the first…. maybe even more. Vera comes home to help her ailing dad and gets more than she bargained for when she sets up a food truck near her brothers bike shop. Trying to stay under the radar, she attracts more attention than she’d hoped for, and especially from the head chef at Lilou’s restaurant. Killian is grumpy and testy but he knows his profession and does it well. This book has a slow burn feel to it, on how they go from indifferent to friends to lovers. Vera also has to deal with an ex boyfriend that has a dark side and temper. I loved the interaction between Vera and Killian, their banter was brilliant. Vera and her bestie Molly have the same sense of humor that I enjoy and want from my own friends. Killian might have been cantankerous at times, but he was someone Vera learnt she could trust along with her dad, Vann and Molly. Now it is on to read the other books in this series.
A new book bestie recommended this book to me, knowing I would love it and she couldn’t have knew me better!
I enjoyed every second of this book! It had me in stitches the whole way through! The secondary characters are some of the best I’ve ever read and I’m so excited to read their books!
I’ve got a feeling this series is going to become a new favourite of mine, if the first book is any indication that is!
Killian (how sexy is that name) is a sexy af chef in a five star restaurant!
Vera is too a chef and opens a gourmet food truck opposite Killians restaurant.
All I can say is: drama! And steamy drama at that!
5* read and a solid recommendation to those who are lovers of Brittainy Cherry, Mia Sheridan, Mariana Zapata etc.
“He’d held out the person I used to be and offered it like a gift he had the right to give…”
You know that feeling when you read a book and the exact moment you finish with it you just can’t help but think “oh shot! This one is so good that now I’m gonna have to check out the rest of the books on this series”? well this was it for me, I actually started this one because it sounded so different from what I usually read, yeah it is still romance but the plot is so original; so when I finished it, that was my exact thought…now I’m bound to finish every single book in this series, and if they are as good as the first one, which I’m sure they’ll be; then I’m bound to read every single book Rachel Higginson has…so yeah that happened just in a couple of hours reading The Opposite of You, it is incredible!!!!
Vera Delane is starting to live, finally found courage to do what she loves to do; cook. And now as self-employed with a brand new food truck, she knows she has a lot to prove to herself, but being in front of the most famous restaurant in town is scary, Lilou has the one and only Killian Quinn as head chef; he’s everything she ever wanted to be, to own a kitchen and be terrifying in it.
The moment Killian Quinn saw that food truck across the street; he hated it, but one look at the owner and curiousy began to grow, he wanted to see, to taste and to know everything about Vera; but he can’t understand why someone as talented as her is just that, a food truck owner who can cook like no one else; so there must be something on the background and he’s willing to peal every layer Vera has.
I loved every single word in this book, the characters are amazing and the story is original, fast reading, nothing more to say that I couldn’t be happier to found Rachel Higginson’s books.
It is not the cover that made me buy this book, because I really dislike beards… the book was recommended in several Facebookgroups and I took a chance.
And I am happy I did. I really enjoyed this book and loved the characters.
Vera has been in an abusive relationship with a chef and after a year in Europe she has decided to open a food truck. ‘Foodie’ is parked in front of her brother’s shop and opposite 5 star restaurant Lilou, where chef Killian Quinn rules the kitchen. I enjoyed the bickering between Killian and Vera and their developing relationship. Food plays a big part in the story, just as family and friendship.
I will certainly read the next one! (2017)
Perfect amount of funny, cockiness and emotions.
Can’t wait to read more of this series.
Really enjoyed this one – so more like 4.5/5. Slow burn. Laughter. Wit. A woman overcoming. A man just loving. Great friends and family.
Well edited.
Vera’s life and dreams got derailed by a classic narcissist. Having escaped, she took a year across Europe and then came home for her sick father. A food truck offers a new dream. Too bad it is situated across the street from one of the best restaurants in the city, maybe the state. Fortunately, Vera is aiming for the late-night, bar-crawling, need-something-now crowd. Not the going-out-to-an-upscale-dinner-for-whatever-great-occasion calls for it crowd. Unfortunately, the head chef across the street isn’t too happy with her presence. Spies, secret shoppers, critiques, and unsolicited advice follow. But as the days turn into weeks, Killian begins to see the great chef hiding in the food truck. While Vera begins to see the kind, trustworthy, and safe man hiding behind the arrogant chef. But, the past won’t stay away. Will the reappearance of her ex cause Vera to run again? Or, will Killian understand and stand by her side? Where will their respective kitchens take them?
Lots of great friends, with lots of questions. What is up with Ezra and Molly? Will Vann ever find the right ‘not-so-nice’ girl? And of course there’s Wyatt. Such a great guy. Looking forward to his story too.
On a side note – this story was very encouraging. The Derreks of this world are all too real, and come in all shapes and sizes – and they aren’t all men. I know several people dealing with the effects and after-effects of this type of relationship. Thanks to Ms. Higginson for telling the story and reminding us that people like Derrek are very good at hiding who they are from the world. Thank you for Vera’s voice – helping to explain how the process worked, how she felt, and how she finally got free. Thank you for the family and friends who wanted to help and didn’t know how – partly because Vera was manipulated into not telling. And, thank you for Killian who helped Vera see it wasn’t her fault. Such a difficult thing to understand – both for the victim, the family, and the friends. Thank you.
I appreciated so much about this one, and look forward to the next. Enjoy!
This is one of the few books I’ve re-read several times. Absolutely love it.
I have to tell you I really didn’t get into this book right away, but when I did it was over. It was a fast and easy read. I fell in love with Vera the main character, she reminds me of myself. Killian took a bit longer. I was smiling from ear to ear and laughing out loud at their interactions.
It was such a heart warming book. I felt a bunch of emotions while reading. I was confused, frustrated, happy and I teared up a bit. Great world creating I pictured everything in my head like a movie. I know I’ve said that before about a book but boy this one was different. I kept guessing what was going to happen in my head but in the end it was a great story.
Fantastic read! Loved the enemies to lovers story. Absolutely loved the chemistry and banter between Vera and Killian. I highly recommend this book.
I devoured this one over the summer, and it’s so refreshingly cute, romantic, and amazing. I’m a goner for love-hate romances, and when you add in this sexy, cocky chef and the most lovable heroine (also owner of the coolest food truck)–it was a perfect match. Serious foodie vibes! I wish that food truck was real!! I WANT <3
This book was wonderful. I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. I definitely recommend this book, this author and this series.
Oh Killian. He is a perfect book boyfriend—I want one of my own!
Loved it! The tension between the H/H was delicious! Reading on in the series now.
This was a very fun book to read. I reviewed it as I finished the book.
This book desperately needed a dual point of view and more dialogue less inner monologs.
4.5 stars! This book was great! It was better than the last one (Duane, 4 stars) but not quite as good as the prequel (Ashley, 5 stars).
I can tell you right now I liked Grin and Beard It better than Truth or Beard because of Jethro’s personality. He’s my favorite kind of hero. A bit of a tortured past, grown into a good man, making amends for past mistakes, honorable, reliable, loyal, loves his family, good job, not to mention handsome as all get out! But also funny and charming and the best flirt! The flirty banter in this book is AWESOME. Flirty banter is one of my favorite things to read and Penny Reid is the QUEEN of it! If a man was ever to flirt with me the way that Jethro flirted with Sienna, he’d have me hook, line and sinker! Lock me up and throw away the key!
Sienna is probably one of my favorite heroines EVER. I loved her wit, her use of words, charm, flair, and basic bad assery as a woman who doesn’t give two $h!ts about what other people think of her, regardless of her status and fame. She’s the plus sized (which is a stretch because size 14 is more average than plus), diverse heroine I always want to be! I’m so thankful when authors write women who are taller (I’m 5’11” myself, so I don’t really consider 5’8″ to be tall, but it’s taller than most heroines I read about) and a more curvaceous woman AND when said tall, curvy heroine is COMFORTABLE with their body! I’m glad Sienna wasn’t plagued with body issues. It was refreshing!
Once again, the rest of the Winston brothers steal every scene they’re in! Ms. Reid created a wonderful family and I’m so excited to read about the rest of them!
My one issue with this book was Jethro’s insistence that they not have sex til marriage. Or should I say his personal desicion not to sleep with anyone until he was sure she was going to be his wife. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for waiting til marriage. But what I had a problem with was that, even though they weren’t doing it with their intimate parts, they were having oral and giving each other handies, and sleeping together in the nude (literally sleeping). If you’re still giving each other orgasms every other possible way, what’s the point of waiting to do it the original way? It just didn’t make sense to me.
Other than that, this book was awesome and I recommend it! Especially if you’re into tall, strapping bearded men with a heart of gold!