Comfort Foods by Kimberly Fish is an intricate and well-written novel about two adults wrapped up in the chaos of their lives and the power of social media, who manage to find love in each other anyway. It follows Lacy Cavanaugh, an Instagram star who after a media disaster has to move to the small town, Comfort, to work on the local newspaper, and Rudy Delgardo single dad and head chef at Stella, pursuing his dream to get his restaurant to the top.

Lacy and Rudy have a lot of chemistry and their romance is a slow burn in the best way possible. While the romance is the center of the story, there is a lot happening in both protagonists’ lives. As such, we see many parallel narratives unfold which bring important and riveting character development. The narration is very detailed. It alternates between the two main characters, and it is so well- written that I felt I was inside the characters’ heads. Therefore, every fleeting thought and interaction is immensely interesting to read. The supporting characters are intriguing in their own right and bring a lot to the narrative. The relationships are developed in a low-key manner but manage to rise in importance until the emotional weight becomes evident. I surely wasn’t ready for some of the developments of the book, but the result is no doubt beautiful. Over its 300 pages, we accompany many events, conflicts, and the main couple’s ever-growing affection for each other. More often than not, they complicate their interactions more than they should, but it’s all due to the nervousness their feelings create. It’s a dynamic that can be a little bit irritating, but entertaining nonetheless.

Comfort Foods unites the best from romance, drama, and humor to deliver a story so full of details and authenticity it is easy to believe it could have happened in real life. This is highly entertaining romance novel that fans of contemporary love stories will devour.

Pages: 387 | ASIN: B08KVNWV94