This book was fine, just not for me. It was a light fluffy read, but there are certainly better options out there.

Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for an e-arc of Tacos for Two! I love You've Got Mail, so I was immediately attracted to the premise of this book: two strangers get to know (and start to fall for) each other online, while they unknowingly compete against each other in real life. It's a good set up, but this time it just fell flat for me. I did not care for Rory at all. I understand people have trust issues, but she jumped to the wrong conclusion about 50 times too many for me. I did like Jude for the most part, but SPOILER WARNING I couldn't get past him clearly using Rory and her cooking expertise to open his own food truck. I mean, what else would you call it? But the author sort of brushed in under the rug of "misunderstanding" and "Rory not trusting". That kind of irked me the whole time. Also, the first half of the book had almost no mention of faith or religion, but the second half was littered with it all of the sudden and it didn't feel authentic. It just felt weird. Overall, it was just ok. I finished it, but it's nothing to write home about (or bookstagram about lol).

I went into reading this book assuming that it would have more depth than a traditionally romcom and this is what I got. It's a book you want to curl up with and relax with. It was cute and entertaining and I enjoyed it.

My favourite character was a side character called Hannah. She was smart and knew her self worth, making her a good example for others. While I liked the main characters, there was times I just had to shake my head at the heroine and wonder if she didn't need a little counselling to get over her trust issues.

I got this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed it - read it in an afternoon and came away feeling like it was a good use of my time. I've also ordered it for my library.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for mu honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and Revell for making that happen.

Generally speaking, I love You've Got Mail and I love books based on the premise. However, this one didn't quite do it for me. The competition between Rory and Jude felt forced and honestly was more because of Jude's dad and brother. While there are certainly manipulative people in the world, it felt like Hollis Strong was a mustache twirling villain - exaggerated and unnecessarily mean. But I suppose that they needed an external force to get the ship going.

Even Rory and Jude's relationship was rocky at best. I wasn't entirely sold on it as it happened on page, and honestly just felt like everything was tied up too neatly at the end. But overall, it wasn't a bad book. Just very solidly middle of the road for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Revell for the advanced copy of this book!

Tacos for Two was such a sweet, easy and enjoyable read that has opened me to a new author that I am sure to read more from. The enemies to lovers trope worked really well here, and I really loved both Rory and Jude and was really rooting for them.

This book was more than just a romance, as it dove into the complexity of life choices, and family drama that added a nice level to the story.

In a modern update of 'Shop Around the Corner,' we follow the lives of Jude and Rory in small town Texas. Jude is a lawyer who is unhappy with his projected future...he wants to cook. Rory has inherited a food truck that she doesn't feel qualified to run. They meet each other on an online dating app, but then they also meet each other in real life when Jude asks Rory for cooking assistance. Following along the plot lines of 'You've Got Mail,' and "Shop Around the Corner,' Rory and Jude explore their friendship and potential relationship through various lenses as the story progresses. This is a cute, light read that will leave you wanting tacos!

A fun, hearty romcom inspired by "You Got Mail".

⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 rating.
I definitely picked this book up for its fun and vibrant cover, it instantly caught my eye but ended up really enjoying the story.

The story has two POVs and centers around Rory and Jude.

Rory has inherited a Mexican food truck from her Aunt BUT Rory hates cooking. She has a passion for event planning but wants to make her Aunt proud by making the food truck successful, whilst supporting her cousin with special and her head chef. Money is tight but the annual food truck festival is coming up and this year there is a cash prize competition for the best truck to win!

And Jude Strong, a soon-to-be lawyer who hates working under his father and brother's shadow and wants to find some passion in his life by getting his own food truck. He strikes a deal with his father, if he wins he can leave the law firm, if he loses then he has to take the bar.

Both Rory and Jude become locked in a battle of the food trucks, with the only thing keeping them both sane is the anonymous dating site they are both on...

I enjoyed this book, I LOVED the You Got Mail references and part of the storyline that was taken as inspiration as it is one of my all-time favourite films. The food talk always had me hungry, however, I found it a little slow in places and Rory could be a little annoying!

I recently read Betsy's book "The Key to Love" so when I saw "Tacos for Two" I knew it would be another great read. I enjoy Betsy's writing style.

Rory inherited her aunt's food truck but it's not doing too great. Winning the upcoming competition should allow her to pay off some debt and have a bit leftover.

The book kinda disappointed me in that Rory didn't love owning the truck and didn't really know how to cook. I'm not sure why anyone would leave a food truck to someone if they didn't enjoy it. You would think that having helped her aunt run the food truck, she'd have learned at least the basics of making tacos. Maybe not be great at it, but she wouldn't be clueless. That part just struck me as weird.

I loved the tension between Rory and Jude and also the relationship between Rory's chef and his wife.

Overall, a good read and likely a book I'll read again.

My Thoughts:
One of my absolute favorite movies is You’ve Got Mail. I mean, what’s not to love? It’s a story featuring love letters, secret identity, and one of the best enemies to lovers plots ever created. So when Tacos for Two was introduced to me as a story inspired by my favorite movie, I was sold. And I was NOT disappointed.
Not only is there PLENTY of You’ve Got Mail vibes to excite any fan, but Amant managed to put her own spin on it. She shakes things up, veering from the movie plot, and making a beloved story even better.
I do want to point out the casual mentions of alcohol. As a dry Baptist, I find it off-putting for Christian characters to drink. That being said, the characters weren’t drunk. But back to the gushing …
The pair had great chemistry together! These two knew how to fight and how to fall in love.
The secondary characters were just as charming. Hannah was by far my favorite. It’s always refreshing to see characters “out of the norm” and Hannah, I believe, had Down Syndrome.
This really is a lighthearted read and one that I’ll likely read again.

Rating and Recommendations: I’m giving Tacos for Two 5 stars. I highly recommend it to those looking for Christian Contemporary Romance.

~ I received a copy from Revell. All thoughts are my own. I was not compensated for this review or required to give a favorable one.

This book wasn't what I was expecting but it was so entertaining! I didn't know that it was a type of ' you've got mail' trope but it was very well done in my opinion. The banter online was so fun and I think the author showcased how we often only show one side of ourselves online. for better or worse this is a real issue in today's world.
The chemistry of the characters felt very real to me and I really loved the angst of remaining "faithfull" to thier online person, it was so sweet to watch.
The only part I didn't like was probably the closest thing to my personality.......need to work on that.
I have a hard time with characters that get super antagonistic, or downright mean, for a relitivly minor issue. That said, I don't think it was unrealistic for the character, it was just a point that the one character got on my nerves.
Yet there has to be conflict.
I enjoyed this one very much! Looking for a sweet rom com that makes you hungry? grab this one!
I recieved a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. all opinions in this review are my own and honest.

Tacos for Two is an funny, heartwarming romance that also tells the story of what happens when you leave behind your expectations and follow your dreams. With a great spin on the classic You've Got Mail for the food truck set!

Rory Perez inherited her beloved aunt's food truck, despite the fact that she can't cook to save her life. She's struggling to keep her aunt's legacy and their Latin heritage alive while also providing for her cousin. The main highlight in her life is the messages she's exchanging with anonymous online dating site, where the focus is on communication and not photos (hello You've Got Mail, with lots of movie quotes and references being shared between the two 👌). Her connection with her match, who she's been communicating with for a few months brings her a lot of comfort, but she still hesitates to meet him and take their relationship to the next level. When the opportunity to enter a local food truck competition comes about, she sees it as an opportunity to save the business and put herself out of her comfort zone, both professionally and personally. But what Rory doesn't realize is that her greatest competition is about to become the wealthy son of the town's prominent lawyer, Jude, who's trying to break out from under his manipulative dad's thumb, and just happens to be the man she's been following in love with online! Not realizing they are the same person, she's torn between her attraction to Jude in person and her connection with her anonymous man online, all while balancing the burdens and obligations of business, family, and personal growth.

I loved this spin on the modern classic You've Got Mail! I thought it was a wonderful balance between Jude's and Rory's personal stories with their shared story together, all with a great supporting cast of characters and lots of hilarious and heartwarming scenes. The only thing missing for me a little bit more steam/chemistry between the pair. And the epilogue felt a little rushed. But if you love You've Got Mail, Simmer Down, To Sir With Love, or Tweet Cute, this one is for you!

Thanks to Betsy St. Amant, Revell, and NetGalley for providing a free digital advance copy in exchange for my honest review. I'm looking forward to the next one!

A wonderful contemporary romance you won’t wanna miss.

It has a great plot, enjoyable characters and the writing is so fresh and clean you will read it in no time.

This was cute and fun and I had an amazing time reading this since it included my favorite trope. 100% recommended.

Okay, so evidently the past few days have not been great for me reading wise. While I was fairly excited for this one, and it seemed promising initially, I ended up wishing it would just finish already. But let's take it from the top, shall we?

The premise of the book seemed very interesting. If you've watched You've Got Mail, you pretty much know exactly what you are getting yourself into. Online, they are falling in love; in real life, they are sworn enemies. Now, remove the Nora Ephron and Meg-Ryan-and-Tom-Hanks charm, and you have Tacos for two!

Basically, the main problem I had with this book, was that it was extremely hard for me to imagine the two protagonists as a couple. Aside from their socioeconomic differences (more on that in a second), it just seemed like their communication types and skills were completely incompatible. Rory always just assumed the worst about everyone, while Jude constantly just said the wrong things. It wasn't just an issue of oh-no-their-jobs-and-circumstances-force-them-apart. They, quite literally, could not communicate for the life of them. Their initial, online romance was fairly cute, I'll give them that. But it all went downhill once they met in real life.

I also think that the author herself could have handled some things better. Firstly, I thought it was a bit weird that Jude's race and the fact that he was a wealthy white man trying to open a taco truck - versus Rory being Mexican - were barely even mentioned and largely swept aside. Even Rory being only a quarter Mexican and the scattered, not at all natural, Spanish thrown around the novel made me think that perhaps another food choice would have been a better fit for the author and the book.

Even Hannah's character felt a bit too much like checking a box, another responsibility for Rory to bear and a compass of honesty and morality for the rest of the characters, who, unfortunately, had little life or agenda of her own. Most of the side characters, in fact, felt a bit too two-dimensional and very underdeveloped. Like, I would pay someone actual money to explain to me all the scheming of Jude's father and the point behind it. I guess the story just needed a villain, and, oh well, he happened to be there.

Overall, I think it's fair to say I wasn't a big fan of the book. I did enjoy the actual writing style, however, so I might be giving the author another chance in the future.

** An ARC was provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. **

Taco ‘bout cute romance! 🌮

Rory is a woman with some trust issues. Understandable as you get to know her story. But she’s taking some risks — she is online chatting with a guy who GETS her and running her Aunt’s food truck.

Jude comes from a well-to-do family, but of course, they are kinda nuts. Jude just wants out of the family biz and to venture into something he enjoys; paving his own way! He also met a girl who GETS him online.

How do their stories coincide? Read this book to find out!

This read was unique and just plain adorable. I kept asking myself and prepping myself for what would happened when the two met in person — and how it played out was perfect! It didn’t follow the traditional path of this type of trope, which I loved.

There were themes of redemption and forgiveness woven from beginning to end, and they character growth (Rory’s in particular) was phenomenal.

I recommend this cute, fun romance to anyone looking for an easy read with depth to it. Oh, and if you have a love for Mexican food & romance…THIS IS FOR YOU.

Tacos for Two is a well written and entertaining romance. Great plot and character dynamics. I highly recommend this book. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

I quickly got into this book from the very beginning! There were so many references to the movie “You’ve Got Mail”, but I had never seen it before, so I ended up watching it about a quarter into the book. I’m just glad I did, because it was a cute movie and so many things made sense about the book. This is pretty much a modern take of “You’ve Got Mail”, but with taco food trucks! Both main characters, Rory and Jude, chat through a dating app where no pictures or personal information is provided, but they are food truck rivals in person not knowing who they really are. It was so good and I was invested! There’s so many similarities and references to the movie, and I wouldn’t have noticed unless I watched the movie so I’m glad I did!

There is Down syndrome/disability representation which I really liked. I will say there was some misunderstanding and miscommunication between the two main characters, and some parts were just a little bit slow, but overall I enjoyed reading.

Warning: this book will make you hungry!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Tacos for Two publishing date is October 12, 2021!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

I finished it reluctantly…. I found this story to be bland. There is no chemistry between the two main characters, and that’s just really unfortunate because the premise was good. Their romance at the end of the book was just kind of not believable based on the entire rest of the story for me, and I just found myself not caring about any of the characters at all. I really tried.

Rory is suddenly in charge of her late aunt’s food truck. The problem is she can’t actually cook… But knowing she needs the money to keep her and her family afloat and respect her aunt’s wishes, she continues on and enters the town’s food festival in hopes of winning the cash prize. Just when it wasn’t hard enough, one of her customers, Jude, decides to start his own truck and suddenly Rory has another rival. What Rory doesn’t know is that the man she has been talking and venting to on a dating app is actually him! That’s right, we have a You’ve Got Mail situation here!

In short, this book is a cute and easy read. Rory and Jude had strong personalities and had enough “real” issues in their life that help ground the story in reality a bit more. Rory did tend to get on my nerves, but all of the yummy food descriptions kept me sane. There are definitely some unrealistic parts of the storyline, but with a romantic comedy, I think that is to be expected. I should also mention that this is a very low-steam book for those who do not like any 🔥 in their romances!

Read this book for yourself when it is out October 1st!

⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

Mein Leseerlebnis

Eigentlich hat die Geschichte alles, was ich an Liebesromanen mag. Es gibt interessante Charaktere, eine frische Idee als Basis und spannende Entwicklungen. Leckeres Essen, für mich bitte ohne Koriander, kommt noch dazu. Doch leider ist der Funke beim Lesen nicht übergesprungen.

Beim Lesen spürte ich nur wenig Interesse an den Charakteren und ihren Geschichten. Dabei hatten sie je viel zu bieten. Aber irgendetwas am Schreibstil und der Konstruktion der Charaktere passte leider nicht zu dem, was ich beim Lesen bevorzuge, was mich fasziniert und wunderbar unterhält. Ich kann leider nicht genau sagen, was mich gestört hat, da es nichts gravierendes und extrem auffälliges war.

Manchmal breche ich Bücher ab und habe keinerlei Bedürfnis sie weiterzuempfehlen, aber manchmal ist es so wie mit “Tacos for two” und ich bin mir ziemlich sicher, dass zwischen anderen Leser:innen und dem Roman die Chemie stimmen wird.

Schade, dass es für mich nicht gepasst hat, aber so ist es leider manchmal.

- abgebrochen -

Für wen?

Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, dass die frische Geschichte vielen Leser:innen gut gefallen wird. Schaut unbedingt in eine Leseprobe rein, um ein gutes Gefühl für den Schreibstil und die Charaktere zu bekommen. Passt beides für euch, könntet ihr mit dem Buch viel Spaß haben.

Wow! This was such a treat to read! I really liked the plot with Rory (who owns a food truck but cannot cook) and her biggest rival, Jude! They are both smart and feisty characters and I loved them together! I don't always enjoy reading about family drama, however I loved the personal growth of all the characters and seeing them develop over time. Also, I enjoyed reading about the side characters.
I also absolutely loved the cover - how cute!