Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Hot Mess by Emily Belden

***Thank you to Harlequin/Graydon House Books and NetGalley for the ARC with the understanding that any review provided will be my honest opinion of the book.***


My Thoughts:

Allie Simon is a social media director who values hard work, friends, and family. She's worked hard to save money and get her career established in Chicago at the ripe old age of 25 she's managed to put $31,000 in her savings. She then finds hot, up and coming chef Benji Zane while monitoring her company's social media feeds. A few flirty messages later and she ends up on a date with him that leads to a hot hookup. It all starts so casually that Allie finds herself ignoring the many stories that surface about Benji's drug habit. This all changes one night after a particularly bad time for Benji. He goes on a cocaine bender and the next thing Allie knows, Benji has announced to the whole world that Allie is his girlfriend and then shows up at her apartment announcing that he is going to quit using cold turkey and moves in with her. Flash forward a few months later and Benji has been offered the deal of a lifetime. There is a big time investor looking to open a restaurant with Benji as the chef. The only catch is he needs to come up with 10% of the cost to become a partner.
This story had me feeling very frustrated with Allie as the main character. She is indeed a "hot mess" and I found her sort of hard to relate to. The way that she almost seems like she has no control over her own life drove me insane but I also have never been in a situation with someone like Benji. I did enjoy the book overall. I really liked watching Allie can her confidence back and end up taking charge and embracing the changes in her life due to her relationship with Benji. I really, really liked the fact that Allie, her new chef, and her partner become a trio of independent, successful business women. I would give this 3 out of 5 stars.