Library Book Review – You Had Me At Halloumi by Ginger Jones

GENRE: ROMANCE

NO OF PAGES: 390

📖PLOT SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS📖

When it comes to love, its feta late than never . . .

Freya Butterly has always dreamed of being a Head Chef but despite running every service at the Mediterranean restaurant, she still doesn’t get the recognition she deserves. Craving adventure and a real taste of the Mediterranean, Freya takes matters into her own hands, ditching both her job and unsupportive boyfriend, she packs her bags for sunny Cyprus in pursuit of the prestigious Golden Spoon culinary award.

As one of the seven competitors, Freya is determined to clinch the trophy and rediscover her passion for food, but what she doesn’t expect to discover is Xanthos. As gorgeous as he is charming – he’s quite the dish. Freya is instantly attracted to him, but this trip was about Cypriot cuisine, not cypriot sausage (ahem, romance) and she knows she must not let Xanthos distract her from the competition.

But if she walks away, will Freya spend the rest of her life wondering What If?

💭THOUGHTS💭

I saw this on the shelf at the library and together with the bold cover and title, I was forced in to borrowing it!

The writing was excellent. It was so descriptive and chatty. You really felt like you were there with the main character, Freya. It was also quite an emotional read and there were lots of different layers to it. As the tag line suggests it’s ‘not just a cheesy holiday romance’.

There was a good balance of storytelling and conversation. It was all from the main character’s point of view, but I didn’t mind that. The storytelling aspect was excellent in that it allowed you to get a well rounded picture of what was going on, not only by reading the main character’s thoughts but by the description of things such as the food’s taste and smells. I love it when a book describes the smell of something and with this story being based on a cookery competition I was in my element!

The chapters weren’t too long and gave the story a good pace. Some chapters were split to make them longer. I loved the little picture of the plate of food indicating the split in the chapter. I also enjoyed the chapter headings and the food illustrations surrounding them. The chapter headings gave little hints as to what to expect from the chapter, however there were a lot of curve balls that kept my interest. Sometimes a romance can be predicable and samey, but not this one. I loved the storyline and the emotion that went with some of the deeper issues explored.

The characters were excellent. I loved the main character Freya and how you really rooted for her after everything she had been through. I also loved the other competitors in the competition. They certainly added something to the tale!

Lastly the settings. They were brilliantly described and really enhanced the storyline. It definitely gave me holiday vibes.

Overall I loved this book. It covered deep issues, had plenty of drama and had a satisfactory ending. I highly recommend reading it and look forward to reading the next book by this author!

⭐Rated 5/5⭐

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