Summary: Lace up your aprons and preheat the oven to 350 degrees, friends! We're talking Cooking Competitions today. Holly and Devin unpack the way that a competitive atmosphere can turn up the heat on both romantic tension and animosity with two books that follow the same plot of filmed cooking competitions but land with completely different outcomes. They both agree that food adds two more senses to descriptions in books; instead of merely visual and auditory prompts, food descriptions add taste and smell to ensure the reader is immersed in the created world.

Topics Discussed:

• The Heart (3:30): Devin discussed Love and Other Disasters by Anita Kelly, a novel centering around two contestants on the cooking show Chef's Special. Dahlia Woodson is a queer divorcée starting her life over again and hoping the competition will jumpstart her new direction. London Parker is an openly nonbinary, pansexual person out to show their haters and the world that they're more than their gender identity (and that their desserts are truly the best). Her key takeaways were:

• Our protagonists are just as easy to fall in love with as they were falling in love with each other; Dahlia is spunky, energetic, and has dark flowing hair that London can't help but gaze at. London is focused, reserved, and brave in a way that will inspire any reader.
• Chef's Special, which is similar to the real shows MasterChef or Top Chef, serves as a romantic catalyst by proximity but also to add tension and uncertainty to our burgeoning love story - at any point, either London or Dahlia can be sent home.
• There are trigger warnings for transphobia, homophobia, and misgendering. Devin also wants to add more for toe sucking and sex with foods because she hates being sticky. That being said, the sex in this book is fantastic.

• The Dagger (18:42): Holly discussed The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell, a debut true crime novel that will be released on March 7, 2023. It opens on the gothic family estate of host and celebrity chef Betsy Martin, where the 10th season of the hit TV show Bake Week will be recording in the next 7 days. Betsy is faced with a massive thunderstorm on the property in chapter 1 and let's just say that things don't improve from there. Holly's key takeaways were:

• The baking show itself was reminiscent of The Great British Baking Show, and Holly thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of food and baking throughout the novel, though it is eventually overtaken by the mystery at the core of the story.
• The book peeks behind the glossy curtain of these kinds of shows and digs into the night scenes, post-filming, where the cast dine and sleep together (including all the tensions and discomfort that involves)
• The POV alternates between all the characters, which can normally be tricky for the reader. Maxwell is able to execute such that it worked for this novel, and while Holly felt confused on a few occasions, overall felt it was the best choice based on the plot.

• Hot On the Shelf (34:57):

• Devin: Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott
• Holly: Flight by Lynn Steger Strong

• What's Making Our Hearts Race (39:23):

• Devin: Snow skiing in Colorado
• Holly: Barbarian, a horror film

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