Book Review: The First Taste by Annah Conwell

Book Review: The First Taste by Annah Conwell

Earlier this year, I reviewed the first two books in Annah Conwell’s Sweet Peach series and had nothing but good things to say. Annah has been working hard to put out new books and solidify her writer’s voice, and each story in the series has been a happy discovery. The third novel in the series, The First Taste, features the friends-to-lovers story of chef Sophie and surgeon Bennett, and I am here for it.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

I can’t believe my best friend wants to be my fake boyfriend… My long-term boyfriend just broke up with me, and I swore off men for the new year because of it. So, when I need a date to appease my mother during her southern society events, I’m forced to look into boyfriends of the fake variety. Bennett is quick to jump to the task. And the more time we spend together, the more I realize why I had a crush on him years ago… But if I’m breaking my man ban, I want it to be for the real thing. The kind of forever I don’t know that Bennett can give me. His girlfriends don’t last long if you can even call them girlfriends. Risking our friendship is one thing, but risking my heart? I don’t know if I can do that. 

The First Taste is a friends-to-lovers, fake dating romcom filled with tension, pining, and sweetness. It has all the sizzling chemistry you love, without any explicit scenes. Check out this third book in the Sweet Peach Series, a four-book standalone series based around best friends in Georgia.

MY THOUGHTS:

First of all, I must declare that friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite romcom tropes. There’s just something so natural, so real about it. Especially when the two main characters are best friends. From childhood. Swoon!

There’s a lot to love about The First Taste (TFT). I adored Bennett from the very moment we met him in The Love Audit and greatly anticipated reading about his pursuit of his lifelong best friend, Sophie. The fake dating set-up is plausible, and it gives Bennet the perfect opportunity to show Sophie what a good boyfriend he could be as he attempts to move out of the friend zone.

Some of my favorite things in The First Taste:

Bennett is perfect book boyfriend material. I loved the way he cared for Sophie and encouraged her to see she was worthy of being loved just as she is. He always had her back, especially when defending her to and from her mother. It also melted my heart how he slowly reoriented his life (like finding a new job with better hours) to make room for a future for Sophie and himself, even before he confessed his feelings to her.

Sophie was Bennett’s biggest cheerleader. She showed him appreciation and affection through cooking for him (it’s her love language and Bennett is a frequent recipient of that) and pranking him. Sophie was a complex character, a complete boss when in the kitchen (or her food truck), but in relational issues outside of friendship, she lacked self-esteem. Her journey to becoming more comfortable in her own skin was sweet and relatable.

The drawn-out, building tension between Ben and Soph was primo, especially because of how well they knew each other as friends since childhood. The slow burn between them and that first kiss, whew!

I believed Sophie’s gradual growth and development of confidence in the face of her mother because of Ben’s support. And the healing arc between Sophie and her mother was good, it felt real. Things weren’t perfect or completely fixed, but they were moving in a positive direction. Their troubled mother-daughter dynamic gave me Lorelai-Emily Gilmore vibes.

Bennett’s family was delightful. I loved how much they adored Sophie, not only as Bennett’s best friend but even more so when the couple began to date. Bennett’s family served as another “found family” for Sophie besides her besties to supplement what’s missing from her own blood family.

The only aspect of TFT that I felt slighted on was the conflict before the happily ever after. I would have liked a little more tension, giving readers palpable will-they-or-won’t-they angst before the happy ending. But the book was enjoyable even with the lighter conflict, and I do adore an HEA.

I look forward to the final novel in the series, The Last Play, which will tell MJ and Bash’s story. I can’t wait to get to know Bash more because the glimpses of him in TFT point to another fantastic book hero from Annah Conwell.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Annah Conwell is a sweet romcom author who loves witty banter, sassy heroines, and swoony heroes. She has a passion for writing books that make you LOL one minute and melt into a puddle of ‘aw’ the next. You can find her living out her days in a small town in Sweet Home Alabama (roll tide roll!) with the love of her life (aka her husband), Ryan, and her two goofball pups, Prince and Ella. 

She loves coffee, the color pink, and playing music way too loud in the car. Most of the time she’s snuggled up under her favorite blanket on the couch, reading way too many books to call it anything other than an addiction, or writing her little hopeless romantic heart out. Learn more about Annah and her books on her website.