Book Review: Simmer Down | Sarah Smith

The heat in this book comes from more than just the cooking! Simmer Down by Sarah Smith is a enemies-to-lovers romance set around rival food trucks in Hawaii. A fun beach read but a bit too melodramatic at times for my taste.

About the Book

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 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?

Reflection

This was a fun second act to Sarah Smith’s previous book Faker. Though the characters were new and it is a different story, there was a lot similar—enemies-to-lovers story featuring a Filipino-American leading lady who is feuding with a British white boy in a work-related conflict.

Nikki has relocated to Maui to help her parents with their dream to retire with a Filipino food truck right next to the beach. But when her father dies, Nikki and her mother are left with a stack of bills and even more grieving. When a rival food truck specializing in fish and chips sets up next to her beachside parking spot, Nikki doesn’t care how handsome the owner Callum is. She cares that he is stealing her customers with his British flare.

Soon the two end up in a rivalry that is only complicated by how attracted they are to one another. The chemistry between these frenemies with benefits is definitely heating up, but so is their feud. Until, of course, Nikki starts to see Callum’s sweeter side and begins to fall for him.

I liked the setting and the food truck scene. This was a fun theme for a romance book. And of course I love to hear about all of the food, particularly the Filipino food which all sounded absolutely incredible (hard to imagine fish and chips putting up the same competition!).

Nikki was a complicated character to like. I loved how she dropped her life to support her mother. However, I found Nikki herself (particularly in her interactions with Callum) to be annoying. She tends to jump to conclusions, complain, and not want to do anything to improve her circumstances.

Read this book for the steamy love story and the fantastic setting. A fun beach read!