Book Review – The Opposite of You by Rachel Higginson

<— BREAKING NEWS UPDATE!!! IT IS FINALLY LIVE & THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS EVER!!!!!!! 5 STARS PLUS!!!!

The Opposite of You (Opposites Attract Series Book 1)
FIVE FREAKING SO AMAZING STARS. I’m even going to say 5 STARS PLUS!!!!! This book was my absolute reading DELIGHT and I highlighted may 75% of it. LOL! YES. IT IS ALL GOOOOOOOD!!!!! EVERY. SINGLE. PART. I have NO “issues” with this one whatsoever, and if any books existed about the other characters in this story (ANY of them!!!), I would be devouring them right now, too.

And… you guys. I just want to announce that I fell in love again. I have not had a TRUE book boyfriend in ages. Months. years? Yes. I would venture to say years. And yet I fell head over heels over the moooooodiest, most arrogant, no-nonsense jerk-face chef EVER.

Killian’s eyes narrowed, and this time when he said my name it was more of a growl than a curse.

“Vera Delane. I’ve never heard of you.”

Fire zinged through me, setting the remaining shreds of my backbone ablaze. “That doesn’t surprise me. We’ve never met before.”

His eyebrows rose in surprise but not in kindness. “Do you know who I am?”

I barely restrained an eye roll.

His name is Killian Quinn, and… I am in love. LOL!!!!!!!!!! Oh just you wait and see, my friends. Just you wait.

Maryse: I would like to announce that I’ve JUST started this one (I have an early copy) and so far, I’m devouring it!!!! I’m totally in love with this story AND the characters and I don’t wan’t to put it down. THIS BOOK IS FUN and it feels SO REAL. Like watching a movie… Perfect pacing, perfect dialogue, REAL characters and OMG I CAN SO RELATE to the heroine. Okay, going back in. I. AM. THRILLED!!!! GAH I LOVE THIS AUTHOR!!!! *squeeeeee!!*

Rachel: Looks so good!!!!

Maryse: LOL!!!! I can’t stop chuckling. This book makes me feel so happy!!! And furious but in an awesome way. Delightful. I am just freaking delighted over this one. DE-LIGHT-ED!!!!!!!!

Lisa:  I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!

Maryse: You guys are going to LOVE “The Opposite of You” I JUST KNOW IT!!!!!!!!!!!I can’t stop giggling and swooning and OMG this book is so fresh and fun, and perfect and HE IS INFURIATING and it’s so natural the way it’s all unfolding. This is going to be 5 stars I KNOW IT. I am so thrilled I can’t stand it, and I’m just devouring it. It’s… playful but emotional too. Realistic. SO real.

Amy: Ooh! And it’s Rachel Higginson!!!  I just read the blurb and it sounds like all kinds of FUN.

Jean: Ugh, The Opposite of You isn’t out yet! Not fair Maryse!

Maryse: Listen to how witty this book is.. this is just one of many lines and thoughts that just cracked me up (and I totally relate to her on EVERY level): “His other hand held a cup of coffee just like mine. Except without creamer. Because apparently, he hated himself.” <—- LOL!!!!! I always think that of those that drink their coffee black. Why do they want to hurt themselves that way??!!! And then SHE goes and thinks that.  This book is my perfect book so far. Witty, and awesome banter, and so normal and real and fun and emotional. I LOVE IT. Maryse: P.S. If it’s a series, I have a feeling it will be about other characters (which are just as prominent and amazing in this book as the main characters). I ADORE EVERYONE!!!!!

Cheryl: That’s the kinda book I want to read NOW!!! *crying*

bev: Do you see what book teasing leads to? Somebody hug Cheryl.

Maryse: Dear book buds, This book is why I read. That’s all. <3

And NO. I do NOT love the “trendy super-bearded tattooed moody bad-ass look” and yes, the cover at first made me go hmmmmm. How can I possibly fall for a trendy-lumberjack-looking guy? Not that a lumberjack looking guy is not hot. For many… that look totally IS. I get it. I can “see” it. But for me, it’s just a little… that side of too scruffy. Tooooooooooooooooo….. messy. LOL!!! I’m sorry. Beards. Just… not for me (unless it’s the whole 2-3 day scruff and then I think I’m ready for a refresh).

BUT!!! Can you imagine??? I’m not even INTO that look, and this character was so awesome, this story was so awesome, that I’m TOTALLY into him JUST as he is in all of his rugged beard-ness????!!! That means it’s awesome. This author did something BIG here.

SO what’s it about?

Vera is an up and coming gourmet chef the calibre of what we see on the cooking channel, but her future has been railroaded by her scarily abusive ex.

Breaking away and finding herself again in Europe, learning the tricks of the trade in various cuisines across the continent, she comes back with real life experience, and a dream! She’s going to open a food-truck but one that caters to gourmet comfort foods.

Foodie wasn’t going to be a leap toward greatness, but it would be a step out of hell. It would be a lunge in the direction of salvation and the redemption for my first love—food.

Good food.

The best food.

OH HOW I WISH THERE WAS ONE NEAR ME!!!!!!

I could feel my past stalking me like a hungry alligator getting ready to spring. Working somewhere prestigious was no longer an option. Pursuing my dreams was no longer possible. So I had to come up with a contingency plan—another way to do what I loved and piece together my broken life.

Why not open a food truck?

And better yet,  she’s hoping to cater to the very late night bar crowd needing some exquisite delicious gourmet greasy foods to help temper that potential hangover.

My most optimistic fantasy pictured them stumbling drunkenly in droves from the bars and clubs that dotted the trendy part of downtown.

Hungry droves.

Probably wishful thinking, but I didn’t have much to hope for these days. My endeavor with Foodie the food truck was my last ditch effort to salvage the remnants of my career that had gone terribly wrong in the last few years.

Anyway… here’s the kicker. She has no real money to rent space to park her food-truck. But her brother agrees to let her park in the parking lot of his trendy, sporty bike-store after hours. Thing is… this parking lot is across the street of THE HOTTEST most exclusive gourmet restaurant in the city. The kind that you CANNOT get reservations for ’cause they’re booked months in advance.

Lilou was the culmination of all my past dreams and forgotten ambitions. The kitchen was the best in the city. The reservation list was scheduled a month out. The wait staff was rumored to have to go through restaurant boot camp before they were even considered for employment. The owner, Ezra Baptiste, was a shrewd restaurateur famous for three successful restaurants all allegedly named after past girlfriends.

And the chef?

And the current chef? A legend in the industry. At thirty-two, he’d already earned a Michelin Star and the respect of every major restaurant critic, food blogger and worthy food and wine magazine across the country.

He’s a well known, unapologetic pr**k!!!!!! And he CAN get away with it, ’cause he’s JUST THAT GOOD. YAY US!!!

Rumored to be a total ass and dictator in the kitchen, Killian Quinn’s dishes were inspired and fresh, perfect to the point of obsession, but most of all, his refined recipes and plate presentation were copycatted all over the country.

But he’s not YAYING with us. OH HECK NO. HE can’t believe his eyes at the eyesore parked across the street.

He stared in our direction. If my neighbors in our plaza were curious about the silver RV taking up residence in front of the bike shop, splashing Foodie across the front in bright red paint was a pretty good indication of what was going on.

He pulled his helmet off and let it dangle in one hand. I flinched, taking an instinctive step back. I couldn’t make out the finer details of his features, but I hate you was pretty much written all over his squared shoulders and angry aura.

Killian Quinn knew what moved in across the street from him and it was safe to say he was not a fan.

And oh BOY does he let it be known.

I realized that this was the craziest thing I’d ever done. And the stupidest.

It wasn’t the truck that was foolish. It was opening a pseudo fast food restaurant across the plaza from one of America’s rising chefs.

And I’m stopping there, ’cause the rest is the most decadently realistic romance-ride I’ve been on in ages.

Oh my friends… what a JERK FACE he is. Oh YES HE IS. But OMG he and his crew are freaking hilarious in their antics and you can’t help but fall in love with them ALL at the same time as foaming at the mouth in fury over them. LOL!!!!!!

‘Cause they are SO endearing… and especially Killian in his own moody way. HOLY MOLY… HOLY MOLY!!!!!!!!

There is SO much more to him, and in fact, to everyone, in this story than the simple “girl meets boy” love story. This is laden in real life experiences, emotions, trepidations and angst. But NOTHING was over the top for me. It all made sense. It all progressed realistically. NATURALLY. It was one of the most DELIGHTFUL SLOW BURNS I’ve ever read EVER. It was just soooooo….. OH NO HE DIDN’T!!!!!! And then…. *swoooooooooooon* I’m in love. ………YUM!!!!!!!! IN EVERY POSSIBLY YUMMY WAY. From the food served, to the love story we get to indulge in. The most decadent indulgence but not in that “overly-sweet” way.

This book, this story, EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER and the ENTIRE PROGRESSION was just SO good, so realistic, so EXACTLY what I LOVE to read, that I fell in LOVE with this bearded, brooding, bad-ass so hard. Nope. Not “bad boy”. This guy’s got no TIME for “bad boy”. He’s full on the best of  the best and makes no qualms about it. And I believe every single word.

I know. I already said that. And now I said it twice. But you guys. YOU. GUYS. THIS BOOK IS MY ROMANCE BOOK PERFECTION. Don’t be scared. DON’T.

I know you know I tend to get extra excited over the more forbidden, or scary, or twisty-crazy book territories. I will assure you, that this one is NOT one of those. I’m NOT saying it’s sweet and safe. I’m just saying it’s… real and believable and totally addicting. I NEVER wanted to put this book down. EVER. But sometimes I had to, and when I picked it back up, I picked up my EXACT-energy level for it, each and every time. It never fizzled. It never became cliché (or at least… not over-the-top-eyerollingly kind of cliché that just makes it an exact of every other).

This contemporary romance novel stands out brilliantly amongst its peers, and is the STAR of my reading month. And year.

And now officially one of “those” forever favorites that I will always squee about. There’s just some magic about this one. This story, these characters, the pacing, the flow, the wit, the emotion and the dialogue… this author pulls it all together like it’s real life, and I’m a fly on the wall wishing I was her.

The WHOLE thing just does it for me. In fact, I’ve loved every one by this author, but I want to say that to me? This was her BEST ONE yet!!!! WOW.

5 STARS PLUS. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE!!!!!!!! And I’m announcing it now. As much as I’ve LOVED this author’s past books, this is her BEST YET. HOLY MOLY READ IT NOW. Er… or as soon as it’s live. I PROMISE.

P.S. Thank you to the author for sending me a review copy. I absolutely, wholeheartedly LOVED it.

Tagged as: 5 stars, chefs, contemporary romance, Rachel Higginson, slow burn