The Pizza Man had a fun premise and sweet moments between the leads. I appreciated the light, easy read and the mix of heart and a touch of mystery. While I enjoyed the overall idea, I found myself wishing for more development in the romance and characters to really connect with their journey.

Cute but Forgettable

This book was light and cute, but ultimately just okay for me. I finished it about a week ago and honestly had to skim back through to remind myself of the plot - it didn’t leave a strong impression.

The story follows Bella, a marketing consultant stuck in a toxic job she can’t afford to leave because she’s helping cover her mom’s medical expenses. Enter Joe - a pizza-suit-wearing dreamer trying to launch his own restaurant and carve out a path separate from his wealthy, overbearing family. Their worlds literally collide on the street, and from there they keep running into each other in increasingly charming, rom-com ways.

The premise had a lot of potential, and I enjoyed the neighborhood, slow-burn vibes. There were some sweet moments and good chemistry in the second half once the romance finally started to take shape. Fate definitely played a role in bringing these two together.

That said, the first half felt a bit scattered, and the pacing didn’t hook me early on. My biggest critique is the lack of character depth. Bella and Joe felt a little flat and unrelatable at times, which made it hard to get fully invested in their journey. The narration also struggled to carry emotional weight because the characters weren’t fully fleshed out.

There were also a lot of secondary characters, some of whom felt more like distractions than valuable parts of the story. It was sometimes hard to keep track of who was who and why they mattered. And on a personal note - hearing the phrase “I could care less” will always grate on me.

Overall, it’s a sweet, easy read with a feel-good vibe, but nothing I’d rush to recommend or reread. If you're looking for a low-stakes rom-com to fill a lazy afternoon, this might do the trick - just don’t expect anything especially memorable.

I sadly had to DNF this at 18%. I wasn't vibing with the characters, plot or the audio, if I'm being completely honest. I wanted to read this based off the description because it seemed like it'd be a cozy rom-com but for shorter length book, this far into it I hoped the plot to amped up. Bella's narrator left more to be desired and didn't bring the emotion that I felt her character needed. Joe's narrator was great and I enjoyed listening to his chapters.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧


The Pizza Man
Eddy Twice

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I was instantly drawn to this one as soon as I spotted the name - who doesn't need a bit of pizza in their life !?
But as soon as I saw this cute front cover too, I was completely sold!

I absolutely loved our characters, Bella and Joe.
Despite Joe's background, I found them both to be so relatable and that made it easy for me to become immersed in their individual stories and of course to root for them as a couple throughout too.

This was a bit of a slow burn, but there was so much else going on that it still felt as though I was skipping through the pages and racing towards the ending.
I just couldn't put this down.

I really liked that there was some conflict along the way, but that this didn't completely blow up.
Each event was easily explained away and that was it, sorted and move swiftly on.
I found this quite refreshing as so many romances dwell on these areas and I find that frustrating at times.

The dual pov format worked really well here and allowed us to really get to know both Joe and Bella fully.
I love getting right into our characters heads and exploring their feelings, fears and inner monologues.
The dual narration really enhanced this aspect.

It was also nice to see other family characters throughout.
These were all well developed and not just sitting around the edges of the romance.
I could see some scope for a sequel maybe?

There's a little touch of spice in here. This was well written and in keeping with the tone of the book, whilst also progressing the relationship perfectly.

A great read which I devoured in just one day.




💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

The Pizza Man was a predictable rom-com, basic at best. The storyline was heavier on the romance than the comedy (I think I laughed maybe once). An undercover billionaire who owns a pizza shop falls for a corporate girlie suffering from burnout. The FMC (Bella) annoyed me, and I wanted her chapters to come to a speedy end. I am not a massive fan of the poor me, constant negativity mentality. However, the end of the book came to a nice end, wrapping everything in a pretty bow.

I listened to the audio version of this book, and that may have been a huge downfall. The narrators had multiple accents that ended up being too much or seemed like they were trying too hard. There were a few sentences that were repeated in the audio as well. But all of that being said, I hope Eddy Twice continues to write and hone the craft of writing. There's potential here.

Bella works so hard at an advertising agency, but becomes distracted when Joe, a local restaurant owner, becomes a client. There were two timelines, which got a bit confusing at times. Joe was a great MMC - I love when he falls first!

There were a couple cringey moments (after they sleep together for the first time, angst about not being called back despite the MMC having a very good reason to be out of touch), but overall, it was cute.

The narration was excellent by David Hoskin. AJ Wilder did not always seem to be as in-character, with some variance in voice and pitch, but overall, enjoyable and fun to listen to.

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for the chance to provide an honest review in exchange for early access to this audiobook.

The Pizza Man by Eddy Twice narrated by David Hoskin and A.J. Wilder is a contemporary romance that follows Bella an overworked and unappreciated advertising agent and Joe a shy pizza restaurant owner that isn’t what he seems. The narrators really let the characters shine! However, AJ’s audio was a bit more on the quiet/muffled side which is a shame because I loved how much they made Bella come to life. While I enjoyed the narration, the story wasn’t extremely stand-out to me and some of it felt rushed at the end. The story was (no pun intended) cheesier than I’m interested in personally, but that may appeal to quite a few people out there.

The woman's recording audio quality was much lesser than the man's, which is distracting.
The writing did not appeal to me, making for an unenjoyable experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for this early copy of this audiobook.

Unfortunately for me, this was not what I was expecting and not what was advertised. I’m not sure why it says it’s a short story/erotica because it was still an almost 8 hour audiobook and there were only a few spicy scenes. I think the descriptor words on this book are off. I requested this book based off of the way it was advertised and the cute cover.

Despite the cute cover this book was pretty meh. I found myself speeding up the audio just to get it done. I didn’t care for the narrators and the books was just overall boring for me. I’m sorry to leave such a harsh review but this one just didn’t work for me.

Thank you netgalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute premise but it didn't work for me. Also I dont think the category was correct, it said novella but the audiobook was like 7-8 hours.

While this came out in June I was sent the audio from NetGalley to review. The views below are my honest opinion.

I wanted to like this story the overall plot was cute. We do love a billionaire romance. However there were so many side plots and side stories and dialogue it was confusing even with audio and different voices. It was like a whiplash telling back and forth in time to get both peoples perspective. I feel like it was super short and missing completeness for characters and back stories and instead just had a bunch of talking.

The narration wasn’t bad but I wasn’t connected. I don’t think this one was for me.

I enjoyed the story of this book. It made me think of a movie from I believe the 80’s where a pizza delivery boy delivers pizza to older women. I enjoyed the storyline and getting to know the main characters. It was clean romance. I was not a fan of the female narrator, her voice seemed muffled, something was off. Bella seemed okay but selfish at some points. Joe was hardworking! Overall it was okay.

3⭐, 2🌶️

This book was cute, but nothing extraordinary for me. I'm writing this review a week after finishing the book and struggling to remember any of the plot or dynamics of the couple.

The branding of this as an erotic novella threw me off - there were like 3 spicy scenes total (it felt like a contemporary romance) and 8 hours, which felt like a full length novel. I did ejoy both of the narrators work.

Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I found The Pizza Man bizarre, messy, and honestly a bit of a wild ride from start to finish. Eddy Twice leans all the way into absurdity, and the result is something that feels like a mix between a fever dream and a late-night comedy sketch.

The book doesn’t exactly have a traditional plot; it’s more like a chaotic string of moments, characters, and thoughts that somehow (barely) hang together. It’s messy on purpose, which can be refreshing if you’re tired of formulaic stories, but also a bit frustrating if you like things to make sense.

The humour is hit or miss—it swings between clever and cringey, sometimes in the same sentence. You can tell the author is having fun, and if you’re in the right mindset, I'm sure the reader will be as well; however, it was not for me.

Thanks NetGalley for the ALC of this book.

TW: death of a family member, family members in hospitals, workplace abuse, harassment, funeral, drugs (off-page), open-door/on-page romantic scenes.

There was a lot going on, and at times it felt disjointed. Separating the book from the narration for a moment- it was very, very hard to get into. The female narrator often felt as if she was reading off the paper at points and her dialogue delivery just felt forced. The mismatch in the female and male felt off. There was no chemistry between them, not that there has to be since it is an audiobook, but in my experience, most audiobook narrators add enough breathiness and intonation to bring the story to life. That didn't happen here. I felt nothing for any of the characters aside from, "Is it over yet?"

About the book itself:
We have Bella, an overworked & under appreciated advertising agency employee, and Joe, the owner, chef, and delivery guy for Joe's Eatery (he's apparently a great chef, and a secret billionaire).

I continued to listen to see if it would get better; spoiler, it did not, at least not for me. The dialogue didn’t feel believable or realistic. Some tropes felt forced. I think part of the issue was the structure; even though it alternated between Bella and Joe’s chapters, the narrators still performed each other’s dialogue. So Bella’s narrator voiced Joe during Bella’s chapter, and vice versa. It didn’t work.

The duality of the family members in the hospital felt forced, and too coincidental. (don't want to spoil who's who for that)
Two stars is being generous. It wasn't my cup of tea, but it might be someone else's.

I read this via audiobook which certainly helped keep track of all of the moving pieces. However, it was confusing to hear Bella as American but (to my knowledge that was never addressed). I was really hung up on it. There was a lot going on and some of my lesser favorite tropes- including a quite deeply emotional family and traumatic with out of no where spice and insta love. I did really enjoy the male narrator and the characters themselves.

I received an arc copy from NetGalley and the publisher.

I thought that this was a decent read. The narration was pretty good and kept me interested throughout.

The plot was more instalove though and I didn’t feel as much of a connection between the two main characters. It felt a bit rushed at times which confused me.

First off, there is a topic that definitely needed a trigger warning but wasn't given one. Which I personally didn't like at all.

Overall the pacing off the book was incredibly off. Some parts were too rushed and others were stretched to a level that made me want to dnf. It was also boring and predictable to a degree that made the whole book feel like an unedited first draft.
These double pov's and constantly reading the same event twice was insanely unnecessary.

For the plot itself, insta-love is an understatement of what happened here. Bella and Joe's chemistry was none existent. Some of their interactions and dialogues felt unrealistic and not relatable on levels I cannot explain.
The humor felt so forced and random it made me wanna cry.

I thought the storyline was all right but the narrators really sold this book for me. Th character themselves were at times, annoying, but the narration was spot-on

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Audio ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and the author for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one was so much better than the Makeup Girl. Even then everything was too quick yet not really?? It was a ONS?? but wasn't. Like I did like how organically everything came together yet it felt too weird? artificial? I don't know how to explain it I guess.

So Bella works as a social media marketing manager and meets Joe properly when she orders pizza for her friend and he comes to deliver it. But it turns out that Joe had already seen her and was attracted to her and was sad he didn't know who she was?

I was so annoyed at Bella for the way she was getting frustrated st Joe?? like Girl you know what is going on - seriously.... Anyways I was also annoyed at Joe for how taken for granted he was taking the whole scene to be??

The narrators were good at the characters, even though the accents sort of went in and out.