This wasn’t my favorite. The story was just okay and the narrators were just not for me. They felt almost too smooth to go along with the story, which is weird. It also made me incredibly sleepy which made it hard to pay attention to. In the end it was really just okay.

2.75⭐
I didn't necessarily hate this book, but I didn't like it either; found it a bit cliché, & wasn't hooked either.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was a decent romance. The audio was done well, but I feel it was a little unrealistic and I just didn’t feel a big connection between the main characters. It was still a sweet romance and would still recommend it as a quick and easy listen.

Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the advanced readers copy! This audiobook made me swoon at the relationship between the FMC & MMC.

Audiobook review
The Pizza Man by Eddy Twice

Quirky romantic comedy with a touch of spice. The audiobook was easy to listen to. The story is fast-paced, light-hearted, and entertaining. It definitely did the job in making me laugh out loud. The characters are likable and the plot is really cute.

The audiobook is narrated by David Hoskin and AJ Wilder. They both have good voices and deliver the story and characters well. David Hoskin has a pleasant British accent. Both narrators are engaging.
Some tropes:
Workplace romance
Insta love
Opposites attract
UK Billionaire
Dual POV

Bella and Joe have great chemistry as opposite as their personalities are they're a great match and balance each other out. Liked how their relationship unfolded.

Thank you NetGalley and Eddy Twice for the opportunity to listen to the ARC audiobook.

I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try a different genre and book I wouldn't normally go for, but I just personally couldn't get into it. The half that I did listened to though I thought was good so I will rate it 3 ⭐️'s! I also enjoyed the narrators, but in hindsight it is just not the type of book I enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Audio ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for giving me a copy to listen and review! I enjoyed trying something different. 😊

Isabella Ann

thepaintedcaravan.substack.com

This book started out boring - the main characters have a number of chance encounters but there is no real chemistry. I could not finish the book because the sex scene was so cringeworthy. The main character, Bella, is a virgin even though she's in her late '20s. She then has sex with the other main character, Joe. She does not tell him that she is a virgin. They go on to have sex and sleep together overnight. The next morning, she discovers the sheets are dirty and quickly strips the bed of the sheets. She goes into the bathroom to try and clean them. When Joe asks if she is ok, she tells him that she is constipated. What?! First, who sleeps on wet, bloody sheets and doesn't know it?! Second, wouldn't he see blood on the condom and question it? And third, who tells their love interest that they are having constipation?! This was not a funny scene out of Bridesmaids! It was just cringeworthy!

this was a fun book, i feel the audiobook let it down a little. don't get me wrong, the narrators were amazing, but Bella's pov's recordings were a little more muffled than Joe's and i found myself having to change the volume whenever it was her chapter. there were also a few retakes that were left in that threw me off a little.

the story was pretty good, i just didn't connect to it as much as i would've liked. i liked that Joe had been pining for Bella from the start and they both got. a little flustered around each other.

unfortunately, there were some reactions Bella had to things that made me really frustrated and annoyed at her and the same went for Joe.

overall i enjoyed it but I'm not in a rush to read it again. I think I'd maybe prefer the physical or ebook in future. I do recommend this for anyone who wants a fast paced fluffy romance book.

I received a review copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions are my own.

I thought this book would have more humor in it. I found this book very dull and rather boring. The characters weren’t very exciting and the storyline was mediocre.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Bella’s had a pretty normal life, except that her boss at the advertising agency is a jerk and is making her life as difficult as possible. But when she keeps running into a hot guy from the pizza shop, their casual flirting takes her mind off all the trouble. That is, until her mom gets sick again, and she finds him down the hall at the hospital with some strangers. Bella can’t help but think he’s hiding something. Will they survive the secrets coming out, or will she decide it’s just too much to trust him again?

Eddy Twice weaves a great slow burn love story in her latest release The Pizza Man. With a relatable heroine just trying to make ends meet and a name for herself in the corporate world, and the town’s most eligible bachelor who shirks his family duties to follow his dreams, this story delivers something for everyone. With a strong theme of family ties and finding your own path, this book is about taking the chance for happiness that’s right in front of you.

I give The Pizza Man 4 out of 5 stars. I liked the plot of this book and the slow burn romance, but found it hard to look past some of the narration challenges of the audiobook. The male narrator has a British accent, while the female narrator has an American accent. At no point in this story does it specify if this novel was set in either country or why someone from one country would be in the other. This one aspect of the narration became a huge distraction for me and left me feeling like I was missing detail on these characters. It also felt as if some of the workplace storyline was forced into the narrative when the focus should have been more on the personal aspect between the characters.

I chose The Pizza Man based on the cover image when I saw it on Netgalley – I was looking for books with coral or peach colored covers and this fit the bill well. I loved the blurb by the publisher, too. One note – if you search for this title and author online, you may be taken to another book with a very different blurb that is more adult in nature. I’m not sure if that’s a mistake, or if the author has written two books with the same name, but make sure you choose the correct book.

Bella, a workaholic overachiever at the advertising agency Soft Spot Media, faces challenges due to her boss’s stereotypical horrible behavior. Amidst her struggles, she keeps encountering Joe. Joe is a sweet, helpful, and surprisingly a secret billionaire and a pizza shop owner. Their lives intertwine, and they navigate both joys and hardships. The book touches upon stroke, death, and drug use, and it is important to be mindful of sensitive readers. Will Joe and Bella’s repeated encounters mean they are fated or will their secrets drive them apart.

I enjoyed the storyline and found the characters relatable. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators did an excellent job of capturing the distinct voices of each character. If you prefer realistic stories with a touch of humor, this book is a great choice. It’s a relaxing and lighthearted listen, and I particularly enjoyed the creative ways they find each other.

This one was a pretty big meh for me. The premise sounded cute, but the execution lacked depth and layers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Sweet concept, but missing the layers it needed

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ALC of The Pizza Man by Eddy Twice, narrated by David Hoskin and AJ Wilder.

While this was a massive improvement over the first book I read by this author, it still didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The premise is charming—a work-focused woman and a carefree pizza delivery guy falling into an unexpected romance—but the execution lacked the depth and detail that would have really elevated what could have been a lovely story.

The narration was pleasant, with David Hoskin and AJ Wilder bringing a nice warmth to the characters, but I found myself wanting more emotional nuance and richer world-building to fully connect with Bella and Joe’s journey.

It’s a light, quick listen with a sweet romance at its core, but for me, it just didn’t have enough substance to linger after the final chapter.

Meet Bella and Joe.
Something is missing in Joe's life. He is in search of his starlight. He needs to fill a void that comes from being estranged from his father all these years. He puts all his time and energy into his new business and wears 100 hats to make it work.
Bella is trying to fix the cracks in everyone else's life, while avoiding her own.
Match made in heavy - Both Joe and Bella come together just when they both need that support and to see the growth they have in themselves, to live their best life. Reflecting on the past, bantering with friends and family, all while being their unique authentic self.

I was going into this with positive thoughts; however, I just could not get into it. I didn't love the narrators or the writing style. There was no trigger warnings which is a big of a red flag when discussing death of a parent. Probs wouldn't recommend this.

ALC for Net Galley and Victory Editing

This is a sweet story but I feel like there are a few misses. The book got better as the story went on but it was also very confusing at times. I had to go back the beginning and listen again because I was so confused about Joe and Bella’s connection.

I was also so consumed about her nickname. I think there are a few plot holes and also storylines that don’t seem to get wrapped up. Specifically(without giving a spoiler) what happened to his dad. It’s a freaking outrage and everyone just let it go after the moment… WTF.

I gave this one a three because there are very sweet and touching moments. The story does improve and I did enjoy the ending. It’s just a little confusing at the start.

I did enjoy the male narrator David Hoskin. He was an excellent Joe.

1.25 ⭐️ To say this book disappointed me would be an understatement. It started off with most things that we enjoy in a romance novel. We have this hard working woman who is completely undervalued at her job and this rich, hot, restaurant owner nearby. They find each other and instant sparks. Then it starts to go downhiill…

The FMC was insecure at the most inappropriate times. The first time with the bed incident— I feel like it would’ve been understandable if she was much younger but at 30, just tell the guy that the sheets got stained…no big deal. Then he CLEARLY has an emergency and rather than worrying about him and his dad’s health, she’s wondering why he hasn’t reached out. Are you serious? She even sees him at the hospital and rather than go up to him and ask how he’s doing AS AN ADULT SHOULD, she drowns in her insecurity and again, wonders why he hasn’t reached out. It isn’t until her brother tells her what happened to MMC’s dad that she chooses to care about anyone other than herself for once. THEN they’re at the funeral and is she concerned about how he’s doing? Of course not because she is so unbearable. She’s telling his mourning sister “I don’t know what we are! I don’t know if he likes me like that”. Fast forward, they have sex again, say they love each other (still 0 chemistry at this point) and later on, she is SHOCKED when he refers to her as his girlfriend. You both just admitted your love for each other, why is this a shocking moment? Disappointing story. I had so much hope for it.

The audiobook itself was certainly flawed. The FMC narrator has extremely poor audio quality. It made it really hard to enjoy the parts from her point of view. In addition, there were moments where an accent was attempted. I would prefer the story without the mimicked accents. They did not sound good. The MMC had great audio quality, but there were some parts left in chapter 34 where he was correcting himself and re-recording. I really liked his voice and he read it very well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Eddy Twice, and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

I listened to the audiobook verision of this and it was a struggle to listen to. The voice actors were not good potraying characters of the opposite gender. The book had a very cute and cheesy plot.

The Pizza Man was a really cute read overall, but I have to admit, there were several moments that almost made me DNF. The main character's immaturity and naive mindset were so prominent early on that it became hard to stay invested. She constantly spiraled into these internal monologues—wondering why he hadn't called, debating if she should reach out, and questioning whether she was just a one-night stand. It had that “main character syndrome” vibe, where everything revolved around her emotional perception of the situation. Honestly, it grated on me more than once, and I found myself rolling my eyes or putting the book down in frustration.

That said, there was a bit of growth from her by the end, and I started to wonder if the author intentionally crafted her that way to show a deeper transformation. If that was the case—well played. It ended up feeling a little more deliberate than accidental. Even still, I found myself much more invested in his storyline than hers. While she came off immature and self-centered for a good chunk of the book, he brought depth and emotional weight that kept me turning the pages. In the end, it was a light romance with some good moments, but the journey there was definitely a bit bumpy.

Poorly executed plot. I found the fmc extremely unlikeable. The crash out and attitude around her virginity was so cringy. I should have dnf after they slept together, but it was so short that I pushed thru.