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With or Without You
New from Eric Smith comes a delightful YA rom-com about two teens caught in the middle of their families� orchestrated rivalry between their Philly cheesesteak food trucks.
All’s fair in love and (food truck) war.
Everyone knows Jordan Plazas and Cindy Ortiz hate each other.
According to many viral videos of their public shouting matches, the Plazas and Ortiz families have a well-known food truck rivalry. Jordan and Cindy have spent all of high school making cheesesteaks and slinging insults at each other across their shared Philadelphia street.
But the truth? They’re in love, and it’s all just an act for the tourists.
When the fake feud lands them a reality tv show pilot, Jordan and Cindy find themselves having to lie on a much bigger scale. Trappedbetween pursuing their dreams or their love, can they find a way to have their cheesesteak and eat it too?
All’s fair in love and (food truck) war.
Everyone knows Jordan Plazas and Cindy Ortiz hate each other.
According to many viral videos of their public shouting matches, the Plazas and Ortiz families have a well-known food truck rivalry. Jordan and Cindy have spent all of high school making cheesesteaks and slinging insults at each other across their shared Philadelphia street.
But the truth? They’re in love, and it’s all just an act for the tourists.
When the fake feud lands them a reality tv show pilot, Jordan and Cindy find themselves having to lie on a much bigger scale. Trappedbetween pursuing their dreams or their love, can they find a way to have their cheesesteak and eat it too?
368 pages, Hardcover
First published November 7, 2023
35 people are currently reading
9,945 people want to read
About the author
Eric Smith
21books892followersEric Smith is a Young Adult author and literary agent living in Philadelphia.
His next book, Jagged Little Pill: The Novel, a collaboration with Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody, and Glen Ballard, will be published with Abrams in April 2022. It’s an adaptation of the Grammy and Tony award winning musical.
His latest books include You Can Go Your Own Way (Inkyard Press) and the acclaimed anthology Battle of the Bands (Candlewick), co-edited with award-winning author Lauren Gibaldi. It’s currently being adapted for film by Playground Entertainment.
His novel Don’t Read the Comments was a YALSA 2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults selection. The paperback is out now.
He has short stories and essays in the anthologies Color Outside the Lines by Sangu Mandanna (Soho Teen), Body Talk by Kelly Jensen (Algonquin), Allies by Dana Alison Levy and Shakirah Bourne (DK), All Signs Point to Yes by Candice Montgomery, cara davis-araux, and Adrianne Russell (Inkyard), and Adoptee to Adoptee by Nicole Chung and Shannon Gibney (Harper).
His other books include the IndieBound bestseller The Geek’s Guide to Dating (Quirk), Inked (Bloomsbury), the anthology Welcome Home (Flux), and contemporary fantasy novel The Girl and the Grove (Flux).
His next book, Jagged Little Pill: The Novel, a collaboration with Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody, and Glen Ballard, will be published with Abrams in April 2022. It’s an adaptation of the Grammy and Tony award winning musical.
His latest books include You Can Go Your Own Way (Inkyard Press) and the acclaimed anthology Battle of the Bands (Candlewick), co-edited with award-winning author Lauren Gibaldi. It’s currently being adapted for film by Playground Entertainment.
His novel Don’t Read the Comments was a YALSA 2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults selection. The paperback is out now.
He has short stories and essays in the anthologies Color Outside the Lines by Sangu Mandanna (Soho Teen), Body Talk by Kelly Jensen (Algonquin), Allies by Dana Alison Levy and Shakirah Bourne (DK), All Signs Point to Yes by Candice Montgomery, cara davis-araux, and Adrianne Russell (Inkyard), and Adoptee to Adoptee by Nicole Chung and Shannon Gibney (Harper).
His other books include the IndieBound bestseller The Geek’s Guide to Dating (Quirk), Inked (Bloomsbury), the anthology Welcome Home (Flux), and contemporary fantasy novel The Girl and the Grove (Flux).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
November 7, 2023
Did Not Finish � 53% (150 pages)
While on my hunt to find the perfect rival chef romance, I stumbled upon With Or Without You by Eric Smith. Convinced solely from the cover that this book must be the book of my dreams, I requested an ARC, desperate to read Jordan and Cindy’s story.
It wasn’t as good as I hoped.
With Or Without You tells the story of two rival cheesesteak trucks and the teen owners who are in love behind the scenes. I thought the idea of this Romeo-and-Juliet-esque story would make for an interesting plot, expecting to see conflict come up time and time again while the characters hid their romance from the world, but I instead found a story where I was practically begging for these two to break up.
Let’s start with a little bit of an introduction to our characters. Jordan is a boy with dreams to travel the country in his food truck, setting up shop wherever he pleases to sell his cheesesteaks with his girlfriend, Cindy. He’s weirdly possessive about the way people enjoy their food, making for a character I wasn’t sure I could cheer on as he demands only the classics, with no substitutions and only the highest quality ingredients.
On the other hand, Cindy doesn’t care too much about food or policing the way people eat. Her hobbies mainly include watching reality TV and talking on the podcast she does with her best friends, and her biggest dream is to go to college in her hometown, returning to the friends she recently moved away from.
The red flags were already popping up in this story simply from the characters� introductions, but I continued on.
As we get further into this story, we learn that the fake feud Jordan and Cindy put on in front of their cheesesteak customers is popular enough that the two get scouted for their own reality TV show. In this TV show, they have to do many things they don’t want to do (such as show personal, deep, emotional wounds for “drama� and compete in a cooking competition they don’t even want to join), all to appear in a show they don’t even particularly want to be a part of.
As I said, I really wasn’t a fan of the relationship between Jordan and Cindy, nor how they didn’t communicate their plans and wishes with each other. Throughout most of the book, I was questioning why these two were even together, and whether or not it was better for them to break up by the end.
But the event that ultimately got me to decide not to finish this book appeared about 53% of the way through (or 150 pages).
You see, there’s this boy. An assistant working on the TV show who is interested in Cindy. She thinks he’s cute, which is all fine and dandy to me so long as you’re just looking.
But then he asks “is there� a someone?� As in, are you dating anyone?
And Cindy responds “no,� fully aware that she is dating Jordan. Has been dating Jordan since before the book started. And has absolutely no reason to be lying to this new boy.
I will put up with a lot in books. I’ll keep reading an ARC, even if I hate it, just to tell my thoughts on the book as a whole and be truthful to my audience.
But even my standards are higher than what this book was giving me.
While on my hunt to find the perfect rival chef romance, I stumbled upon With Or Without You by Eric Smith. Convinced solely from the cover that this book must be the book of my dreams, I requested an ARC, desperate to read Jordan and Cindy’s story.
It wasn’t as good as I hoped.
With Or Without You tells the story of two rival cheesesteak trucks and the teen owners who are in love behind the scenes. I thought the idea of this Romeo-and-Juliet-esque story would make for an interesting plot, expecting to see conflict come up time and time again while the characters hid their romance from the world, but I instead found a story where I was practically begging for these two to break up.
Let’s start with a little bit of an introduction to our characters. Jordan is a boy with dreams to travel the country in his food truck, setting up shop wherever he pleases to sell his cheesesteaks with his girlfriend, Cindy. He’s weirdly possessive about the way people enjoy their food, making for a character I wasn’t sure I could cheer on as he demands only the classics, with no substitutions and only the highest quality ingredients.
On the other hand, Cindy doesn’t care too much about food or policing the way people eat. Her hobbies mainly include watching reality TV and talking on the podcast she does with her best friends, and her biggest dream is to go to college in her hometown, returning to the friends she recently moved away from.
The red flags were already popping up in this story simply from the characters� introductions, but I continued on.
As we get further into this story, we learn that the fake feud Jordan and Cindy put on in front of their cheesesteak customers is popular enough that the two get scouted for their own reality TV show. In this TV show, they have to do many things they don’t want to do (such as show personal, deep, emotional wounds for “drama� and compete in a cooking competition they don’t even want to join), all to appear in a show they don’t even particularly want to be a part of.
As I said, I really wasn’t a fan of the relationship between Jordan and Cindy, nor how they didn’t communicate their plans and wishes with each other. Throughout most of the book, I was questioning why these two were even together, and whether or not it was better for them to break up by the end.
But the event that ultimately got me to decide not to finish this book appeared about 53% of the way through (or 150 pages).
You see, there’s this boy. An assistant working on the TV show who is interested in Cindy. She thinks he’s cute, which is all fine and dandy to me so long as you’re just looking.
But then he asks “is there� a someone?� As in, are you dating anyone?
And Cindy responds “no,� fully aware that she is dating Jordan. Has been dating Jordan since before the book started. And has absolutely no reason to be lying to this new boy.
I will put up with a lot in books. I’ll keep reading an ARC, even if I hate it, just to tell my thoughts on the book as a whole and be truthful to my audience.
But even my standards are higher than what this book was giving me.
December 19, 2023
no character has ever annoyed me as much as cindy has
rtc
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February 20, 2024
"I feel like� *sighs* I don’t know, maybe in another life we’d be friends, right? We both love food, we both love cooking. Our families have similar stories about why we’re here. We lost our urban farm, his family lost their diner. Why not, you know?"
thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
I feel like this book was made for me. I love food, I love a good secret relationship story, I love reality TV... As a kid, I saw a Travel Channel show about Philadelphia and the fact that this one cheesesteak restaurant they were showcasing made a huge deal out of ordering properly really stuck with me and made me fear that if I didn't order exactly correctly (wiz, witout), I would be banished from the city. I've never even been to Philadelphia.
This book was made for me because it combines all of those things -- Cindy and Jordan are two teenagers that live in Philadelphia and each work in the food trucks their families own. Cindy's family focuses on high quality ingredients and tries to put a healthier spin on their cheesesteaks (inspired by their past owning an urban farm in Boston before they sadly had to give it up for financial reasons before moving to Philadelphia) while Jordan's family makes the classic steak, cheese, and onion sandwiches (very much influenced by the fact that the family used to own a diner in Philadelphia before they had to close down due to rising costs and slowing business).
In true fashion, the two families can't stand each other. Their food trucks are parked nearby each other and Jordan and Cindy will make a scene and really put on a show of their rivalry for the tourists that line up to get their choice of sandwich. But when the two of them aren't calling out the window to each other, they're secretly in love and the rivalry and delicious food attract the attention of a reality TV producer who wants to make a show around their rivalry as each family competes in a Philadelphia-area food truck festival's competition.
This book was so cute and fun to read. It alternated between Jordan and Cindy's POVs and there were occasional confessional interview transcripts from each of them inserted as they talked about what was going on and tried to really play up the rivalry between the two of them. Eric Smith's writing is really engaging and he made reading their story and the reality TV confessional segments so much fun.
I enjoyed the way that the story really showed how difficult being on reality TV can be and how much things can be twisted and pieced together to make people appear differently than they are in real life and how things can be played up and made so dramatic to be interesting on TV. While the reality show was a focus of the book, it was more about the way that being on the show impacted Jordan and Cindy's relationship. I liked that, but I was hoping for more about the show in some way, but I did enjoy the way it was incorporated into the book.
The main thing about the show's involvement that bothered me was the fact that Cindy is introduced as being a huge reality TV fan -- she and her friends even have a rewatch podcast for a Real Housewives-style show -- but she seemed really taken aback by the way that the show works. I feel like in the modern day, most people know how scripted a lot of reality TV is and I feel like someone who is into it to the degree that Cindy is would be less shocked by how sleazy the producer is and how much they were trying to push a narrative.
There were a few little side plots that annoyed me and that I felt like weren't really necessary and just kind of took up space, but I recognize that those parts () being annoying to me was a personal preference. I just felt like they didn't really add much to the story and during the scenes that focused on them, I found myself just wanting to get back to Jordan and Cindy and the reality show.
I loved the way everything came together in the end. I felt like the end of the reality TV subplot was slightly rushed and just kind of ended without a lot of closure, but the rest of the story had a really cute ending that tied everything together.
January 21, 2024
there’s a bell of shame for mushrooms but no one cares about CHEATING? absolutely not
they should have stuck to the romeo & juliet inspo and kept them apart
these humans are like? 18ish years old??? and i’ve seen middle schoolers making smarter decisions
girlie, if 25k is life changing, and the show pilot pays you $10k, I’d be like HELL YEAH GIMME
and if 25k is life changing & you buy $1.2k truffles to only sell if $7 a piece? and u didn’t even come first?? so you got $10k in prize money?? AND SPENT MORE THAN 10% IN COSTS??!
these people seriously shouldn’t be running any sort of business
also btw there’s spoilers, trust me i’m doing y’all a favour you don’t want to read this
they should have stuck to the romeo & juliet inspo and kept them apart
these humans are like? 18ish years old??? and i’ve seen middle schoolers making smarter decisions
girlie, if 25k is life changing, and the show pilot pays you $10k, I’d be like HELL YEAH GIMME
and if 25k is life changing & you buy $1.2k truffles to only sell if $7 a piece? and u didn’t even come first?? so you got $10k in prize money?? AND SPENT MORE THAN 10% IN COSTS??!
these people seriously shouldn’t be running any sort of business
also btw there’s spoilers, trust me i’m doing y’all a favour you don’t want to read this
December 13, 2023
A food truck war between two close-knit Philly families who fake a feud to pander to the tourists has their friendship being tested in unimaginable ways as they are picked up to shoot a reality tv competition pilot. But as the show runners manipulate them, past hurts get dragged to the surface bring up real animosity.
Throw in a love triangle between their secretly in love teens who have to pretend to hate each and the new boy working on the set adds extra drama. Perfect for fans of books like Emma Lord's Tweet cute, Sher Lee's Fake dates and mooncakes or Rebecca Carvalho's Salt and Sugar. It was also good on audio narrated by Elena Rey and Gary Tiedemann. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
Throw in a love triangle between their secretly in love teens who have to pretend to hate each and the new boy working on the set adds extra drama. Perfect for fans of books like Emma Lord's Tweet cute, Sher Lee's Fake dates and mooncakes or Rebecca Carvalho's Salt and Sugar. It was also good on audio narrated by Elena Rey and Gary Tiedemann. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!
November 22, 2023
This book has such a fun premisse, but I didn't feel like the execution was quite up there. The writing felt somewhat dry to me, which made the book feel a lot less fun than it could have. The confessionals as part of the reality show were really fun inserts, and I wish the rest of the book had held on to the same level of fun. There was just so much potential that I don't feel was reached.
Want to read
April 8, 2023book named after U2 song??? MUST READ NOW.
August 14, 2024
I really did enjoy this book. The concept was hella cool and interesting. I just wished it was pulled off a bit better. If you are looking for a cute read this is the one for you
December 25, 2023
A solid 3.75 star read- I liked it and would definitely recommend it to be people who read in the more YA genre and like reality TV. The characters were likeable and it was a plot I felt like I hadn’t read before, which is really hard to find lately.
January 14, 2024
₊�
Overall Thoughts 𐙚
God I did not like this one bit... this was beyond disappointing :/ The plot was so different and interesting, and I really wish things had played out differently. I had many issues with this book which I will mention later in my review but one of the most important and vital one was believing that this two mc should not have been together in the first place. Throughout the story I wasn't able to find any ounce of chemistry between the two, the mfc has to be one of the most unlikable, annoying characters I have read about. She was just awful, selfish and.... DRUMROLLLL... one of my biggest pet peeves ever... a CHEATER?/?? how could i possibly want her to have good things when she's lying, being a hypocrite and kissing other boys? I was so ready to DNF around the 45% mark but again, I decide to keep going. It did not get better, and I really wish I had just DNF'ed it when I said I would.
Other things I did not like
� the whole love triangle situation wasn't needed
� the jealous gf scene when the gf was the one who was catching feelings for someone else
� where the plot went
� secret relationship but had no chemistry whatsoever
� ANNOYING FMC
� did not care about the MMC
Overall Thoughts 𐙚
God I did not like this one bit... this was beyond disappointing :/ The plot was so different and interesting, and I really wish things had played out differently. I had many issues with this book which I will mention later in my review but one of the most important and vital one was believing that this two mc should not have been together in the first place. Throughout the story I wasn't able to find any ounce of chemistry between the two, the mfc has to be one of the most unlikable, annoying characters I have read about. She was just awful, selfish and.... DRUMROLLLL... one of my biggest pet peeves ever... a CHEATER?/?? how could i possibly want her to have good things when she's lying, being a hypocrite and kissing other boys? I was so ready to DNF around the 45% mark but again, I decide to keep going. It did not get better, and I really wish I had just DNF'ed it when I said I would.
Other things I did not like
� the whole love triangle situation wasn't needed
� the jealous gf scene when the gf was the one who was catching feelings for someone else
� where the plot went
� secret relationship but had no chemistry whatsoever
� ANNOYING FMC
� did not care about the MMC
December 8, 2023
Based on what I've read, "Love Redesigned" by Eric Smith sounds like a fun and entertaining story with a combination of teen romance, comedic elements, and a unique backdrop in Philly's food truck rivalry. The twist that their hatred is just an act adds an interesting dimension, especially with the shift in scale when they get involved in a reality TV show. Overall, this book seems to combine elements that can entertain readers in a very enjoyable way. The combination of unique Philly food truck elements creates an interesting and entertaining premise. If you enjoy romantic stories with a twist of comedy and unique conflict, you'll likely find it in this highly enjoyable book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2023
With or Without You by Eric Smith � This is a YA romance novel that is filled with love. (and I think a lot of Eric Smith's soul, which is just pure if you don't know that already.)
It was a quick sweet read. Dual perspectives from Jordan and Cindy. If you like reality television and food trucks, this is the book for you. It’s got teen romance, a fun feud, and loads of actiony drama. I loved each character in this novel. They were all well thought out, and well developed. Every side character was a character, you know. Sometimes that’s hard to find in a novel, but Eric pulled it off very well.
This novels grammar was of course amazing. I imagine that being a literary agent, and a writer, gives you tons of time to perfect the editing process! It was a fun read. I was happy with the ending, too. So, with all that, I’d like to say that this is definitely a five star read! Pick up your copy when it comes out on November 7th, 2023!
I’d like to take a moment and thank NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Eric Smith for the ARC copy of this novel. I have provided this review of my own accord, and again, could not be happier with this novel!
April 23, 2023
"Everyone knows Jordan Plazas and Cindy Ortiz hate each other.
According to many viral videos of their public shouting matches, the Plazas and Ortiz families have a well-known food truck rivalry. Jordan and Cindy have spent all of high school making cheesesteaks and slinging insults at each other across their shared Philadelphia street.
But the truth? They’re in love, and it’s all just an act for the tourists.
When the fake feud lands them a reality tv show pilot, Jordan and Cindy find themselves having to lie on a much bigger scale. Trapped between pursuing their dreams or their love, can they find a way to have their cheesesteak and eat it too?"
I thought that this was such a cute little read. At times I thought that some of the characters *ahem* Cindy... were kind of annoying just because of some of the decisions that she would make. She seems a lot more selfish when it comes to Jordan. But what else do 18-year-olds do but be selfish? I really felt like I was transported into the story, I was that engrossed in it.
According to many viral videos of their public shouting matches, the Plazas and Ortiz families have a well-known food truck rivalry. Jordan and Cindy have spent all of high school making cheesesteaks and slinging insults at each other across their shared Philadelphia street.
But the truth? They’re in love, and it’s all just an act for the tourists.
When the fake feud lands them a reality tv show pilot, Jordan and Cindy find themselves having to lie on a much bigger scale. Trapped between pursuing their dreams or their love, can they find a way to have their cheesesteak and eat it too?"
I thought that this was such a cute little read. At times I thought that some of the characters *ahem* Cindy... were kind of annoying just because of some of the decisions that she would make. She seems a lot more selfish when it comes to Jordan. But what else do 18-year-olds do but be selfish? I really felt like I was transported into the story, I was that engrossed in it.
Read
November 1, 2023Young Adult Family, Young Adult Romance
December 4, 2023
I received a digital ARC from Inkyard Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I enjoyed this story. It had both heart, and humor.
I enjoyed this story. It had both heart, and humor.
April 19, 2023
This is about two teens whose families have a food truck rivalry. The rivalry is a driving force for their businesses, but it's also a facade. One that they keep going for the sake of their businesses since the families made up years ago. When they're approached to film their own reality show pilot, they keep up appearances which makes things even more difficult off camera.
The premise was intriguing, but it was slow and I had a hard time getting into it. We're supposed to believe that they're together and have been together for awhile. They're supposedly planning their immediate future together, but there wasn't background to make me buy into their relationship. The lengths they go (mostly Cindy from my perspective) to keep their rivalry going for the public is ridiculous and I'm not sure why Jordan puts up with it. Jordan's goals for the future don't fully make sense either since Cindy seems very insecure in their relationship from the start.
This book just wasn't for me. I could see other YA readers possibly enjoying it, although I wonder if the band references would go over non-millennial's heads.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
DNF @ 34%
The premise was intriguing, but it was slow and I had a hard time getting into it. We're supposed to believe that they're together and have been together for awhile. They're supposedly planning their immediate future together, but there wasn't background to make me buy into their relationship. The lengths they go (mostly Cindy from my perspective) to keep their rivalry going for the public is ridiculous and I'm not sure why Jordan puts up with it. Jordan's goals for the future don't fully make sense either since Cindy seems very insecure in their relationship from the start.
This book just wasn't for me. I could see other YA readers possibly enjoying it, although I wonder if the band references would go over non-millennial's heads.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
DNF @ 34%
November 12, 2023
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book follows Jordan Plazas and Cindy Ortiz, two teenagers whose families both own food trucks that sell Philly cheesesteaks and are at “war�. Jordan’s family sells the traditional cheesesteak while Cindy’s sells cheesesteaks with healthier options. On social media they hate each other but in private a budding relationship between the teens is happening.
This was such a cute read. I loved all the time we get to read about when Jordan and Cindy spend time together. It was soooo cute. I loved that Jordan and Cindy’s families stories of past hardships that led the families to running food trucks was shared. It showed while they both had hard times they didn’t give up after one thing didn’t work for them.
Thank you Inkyard Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
This book follows Jordan Plazas and Cindy Ortiz, two teenagers whose families both own food trucks that sell Philly cheesesteaks and are at “war�. Jordan’s family sells the traditional cheesesteak while Cindy’s sells cheesesteaks with healthier options. On social media they hate each other but in private a budding relationship between the teens is happening.
This was such a cute read. I loved all the time we get to read about when Jordan and Cindy spend time together. It was soooo cute. I loved that Jordan and Cindy’s families stories of past hardships that led the families to running food trucks was shared. It showed while they both had hard times they didn’t give up after one thing didn’t work for them.
Thank you Inkyard Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2023
With or Without You
By Eric Smith
November 7, 2023
With or Without You is a cute young adult contemporary book about Jordan and Cindy who both work on their family’s food trucks and both hate each other, but is that really true? Actually they are not fighting and feuding at all, it is all an act because they are in fact in love.
I love The Great Food Truck Race and this book really reminded me of it. I enjoyed all of the characters, both Jordan and Cindy were fantastic together and separately. It's Romeo and Juliet with food trucks, yes please!
Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
By Eric Smith
November 7, 2023
With or Without You is a cute young adult contemporary book about Jordan and Cindy who both work on their family’s food trucks and both hate each other, but is that really true? Actually they are not fighting and feuding at all, it is all an act because they are in fact in love.
I love The Great Food Truck Race and this book really reminded me of it. I enjoyed all of the characters, both Jordan and Cindy were fantastic together and separately. It's Romeo and Juliet with food trucks, yes please!
Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 3, 2023
i was glad to get a free arc of this from a bookstore for doing my summer reading bingo sheet. unfortunately i liked the premise alot more than the book itself. it looks like it took ages to read, but i read the first 250 pages in 2 days and then just wasn’t motivated to finish the last 100 pages for a while. to me it just felt obvious that the people who were secretly dating shouldn’t have been together, so it felt kind of silly. it was easy to read and i kept wanting to know what happened next, but in comparison to other reality tv show or food/cooking/baking romance novels i just didn’t like this one as much. it was fine but not great
November 20, 2023
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The song reference and joy With or Without You gives me every time is unparalleled. This fake enemies and rivalry, fiction and reality TV book was always destined for my TBR. Dual POV, Smith hits it out of the park again. The characters are established so clearly, so quickly, that you fall in love. I fell in love way harder and faster for one of them - I won't say who - but by the end I came around. In many ways With or Without You is about traditional versus modern and reality versus fiction.
The song reference and joy With or Without You gives me every time is unparalleled. This fake enemies and rivalry, fiction and reality TV book was always destined for my TBR. Dual POV, Smith hits it out of the park again. The characters are established so clearly, so quickly, that you fall in love. I fell in love way harder and faster for one of them - I won't say who - but by the end I came around. In many ways With or Without You is about traditional versus modern and reality versus fiction.
January 21, 2024
The way this book had me craving a cheesesteak sandwich/breakfast roll they were prompting is insane.
This book definitely surprised me but at the same time didn't since I've enjoyed this author's books before. Where it surprised me was the fact the main focus is a rivalry playing out for reality TV, an area I usually don't enjoy but this one really kept me interested.
Another factor that I enjoyed is how, instead of having two couple possibly becoming a couple, we get an established couple faking a rivalry for the camera and seeing if they'll stay together through the craziness.
This book definitely surprised me but at the same time didn't since I've enjoyed this author's books before. Where it surprised me was the fact the main focus is a rivalry playing out for reality TV, an area I usually don't enjoy but this one really kept me interested.
Another factor that I enjoyed is how, instead of having two couple possibly becoming a couple, we get an established couple faking a rivalry for the camera and seeing if they'll stay together through the craziness.
July 20, 2024
This would have been so cute, if it hadn’t been for Cindy being the most annoying character. She was just so into the drama of everything and poor Jordan just wanted to be with her and it was so frustrating! I also didn’t really understand why they were keeping their relationship a secret when even their parents and friends knew about it? It just seemed a bit pointless? However, this did have me CRAVING the food they were cooking, especially that breakfast cheesesteak, and Jordan was a character who I really liked - I just hated Cindy with a passion.
April 29, 2024
This was such an intense slog for me to get through. As a Philadelphian, I really wanted to love this one. Honestly, the premise was so promising but Cindy was so deeply unlikable. The romance felt forced, the make up was corny as hell—overall, I would rather eat this book page by page than ever read it again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2024
Cindy is toxic and exactly what you would expect from a person who is obsessed with reality TV and Housewives nonsense.
Cindy and Jordan both work at their family food trucks and have a pretty tense rivalry between them in the cheesesteak game, often filming their shouting matches and digs for social media. However, the rivalry is all ruse to keep up sales and interest... or is it? Cindy takes the staging of the rivalry a little too seriously, and I honestly don't know how Jordan put up with the exhausting drama for so long. That's right, these two are actually dating, in some sort of Romeo-and-Juliet type plot, except the families aren't really warring (or are they???) and all of their families and closest friends know about the relationship.
Eventually, they are offered a pilot for a reality TV show about their warring trucks, in which the pilot episode focuses on a local food truck competition and the two going head to head to win the grand prize. While both families could seriously use the grand prize money, Cindy wasn't even going to enter until the producers forced her to, "for the plot." The sudden pressure put on both families from the producers unearths some very real feelings between the parents and causes a rift between Cindy and Jordan as they continue to hide their relationship. Cindy takes it too far and ruins everything, honestly. While both teens struggle with communication (as teens do), Cindy is the absolute worst, purposefully not even trying to communicate her fears, feelings, and anxieties and then dumping it all on Jordan, as if it's his fault.
While I found the premise to be interesting, I found myself frequently saying "How can this book not be over yet?" It was slow and dragged in some parts. I think that if the pilot were incorporated sooner and maybe the fake feud was plotted a little differently (the families ARE feuding and the reality show unearths the relationship, as opposed to everyone trying to dupe the producers but reality TV producers are always five steps ahead of ya, you know?), the pacing might have been better and it could have held my interest better.
This is not a bad book by any means. It will interest readers looking for a light read about family, friendships, and relationships. At the end of the day, this book just really makes me want a breakfast sandwich, tbh.
Cindy and Jordan both work at their family food trucks and have a pretty tense rivalry between them in the cheesesteak game, often filming their shouting matches and digs for social media. However, the rivalry is all ruse to keep up sales and interest... or is it? Cindy takes the staging of the rivalry a little too seriously, and I honestly don't know how Jordan put up with the exhausting drama for so long. That's right, these two are actually dating, in some sort of Romeo-and-Juliet type plot, except the families aren't really warring (or are they???) and all of their families and closest friends know about the relationship.
Eventually, they are offered a pilot for a reality TV show about their warring trucks, in which the pilot episode focuses on a local food truck competition and the two going head to head to win the grand prize. While both families could seriously use the grand prize money, Cindy wasn't even going to enter until the producers forced her to, "for the plot." The sudden pressure put on both families from the producers unearths some very real feelings between the parents and causes a rift between Cindy and Jordan as they continue to hide their relationship. Cindy takes it too far and ruins everything, honestly. While both teens struggle with communication (as teens do), Cindy is the absolute worst, purposefully not even trying to communicate her fears, feelings, and anxieties and then dumping it all on Jordan, as if it's his fault.
While I found the premise to be interesting, I found myself frequently saying "How can this book not be over yet?" It was slow and dragged in some parts. I think that if the pilot were incorporated sooner and maybe the fake feud was plotted a little differently (the families ARE feuding and the reality show unearths the relationship, as opposed to everyone trying to dupe the producers but reality TV producers are always five steps ahead of ya, you know?), the pacing might have been better and it could have held my interest better.
This is not a bad book by any means. It will interest readers looking for a light read about family, friendships, and relationships. At the end of the day, this book just really makes me want a breakfast sandwich, tbh.
November 5, 2023
I thought this was a cute book, especially for young adult readers.
June 20, 2024
Meh..
December 26, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the ARC of this!
"Enemies" to lovers was an intriguing take on the typical trope, this gave modern day Romeo and Juliet vibes. I thought though, that both kids took it too far and I was never really rooting for them to go for each other. They just made a lot of complications for themself instead of fooling other people.
"Enemies" to lovers was an intriguing take on the typical trope, this gave modern day Romeo and Juliet vibes. I thought though, that both kids took it too far and I was never really rooting for them to go for each other. They just made a lot of complications for themself instead of fooling other people.
January 22, 2024
Okay, I requested this book on NetGalley because as a kid from the Philly area, I loved the premise!
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for my ARC of this story!
I will say, it was really fun to be immersed in all of the Philly hot spot mentions. I think the blue collar nature of Philly folks and our very open and honest personalities were well captured. Also I loved the emphasis and love for food weaves into the story (and of course a proper Philly cheesesteak)
This is a YA romance with dual POV, fake rivals, secret dating, and a food truck reality tv setting.
I think this story was fine enough, but there was something about the plot and how it unfolded that just didn’t fully work for me. I think the youth of their relationship and the common miscommunications suffered with young love was well captured in many ways, but the execution made it feel frustrating and irrational instead of connected and coming-of-agey.
I didn’t love the way our FMC handled her conflicts, and while our MMC could have been more communicative, I’m sad to say that I felt she handled things very poorly overall in terms of their relationship.. but also.. she’s young and that’s probably really normal?!
The ending was realistic and very sweet. I loved the friend and family dynamic, and I loved the Philly essence, but I didn’t feel particularly compelled by the love story, and so much emphasis was on the fake rivalry that the actual relationship fell flat. But also, maybe that’s just the portrayal of a young love and I’m missing the point.
I would say this is a YA story intended for the younger side of the genre, and I would say Philly kids, food lovers, reality tv lovers, and angsty romance lovers should 100% give this a try!
3/5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for my ARC of this story!
I will say, it was really fun to be immersed in all of the Philly hot spot mentions. I think the blue collar nature of Philly folks and our very open and honest personalities were well captured. Also I loved the emphasis and love for food weaves into the story (and of course a proper Philly cheesesteak)
This is a YA romance with dual POV, fake rivals, secret dating, and a food truck reality tv setting.
I think this story was fine enough, but there was something about the plot and how it unfolded that just didn’t fully work for me. I think the youth of their relationship and the common miscommunications suffered with young love was well captured in many ways, but the execution made it feel frustrating and irrational instead of connected and coming-of-agey.
I didn’t love the way our FMC handled her conflicts, and while our MMC could have been more communicative, I’m sad to say that I felt she handled things very poorly overall in terms of their relationship.. but also.. she’s young and that’s probably really normal?!
The ending was realistic and very sweet. I loved the friend and family dynamic, and I loved the Philly essence, but I didn’t feel particularly compelled by the love story, and so much emphasis was on the fake rivalry that the actual relationship fell flat. But also, maybe that’s just the portrayal of a young love and I’m missing the point.
I would say this is a YA story intended for the younger side of the genre, and I would say Philly kids, food lovers, reality tv lovers, and angsty romance lovers should 100% give this a try!
3/5⭐️
January 31, 2024
I wanted to love this book from the summary - rival cheesesteak trucks in my beloved home city - but I just didn’t.
Cindy and Jordan just never seemed like they were a good match. Too many parts of the story were too neatly tied up to get the ending the author wanted but it wasn’t right one for the characters. A massive suspension of disbelief was required to get through the book.
My biggest problem with the book though is that it reads like what it is - a transplant to Philadelphia dropping tons of Philly place names and terms to get some cred. I would’ve let it slide more but there were multiple misspellings of local brand names. (Also there were a few glaring grammatical errors but that’s on the editor)
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read and review.
Cindy and Jordan just never seemed like they were a good match. Too many parts of the story were too neatly tied up to get the ending the author wanted but it wasn’t right one for the characters. A massive suspension of disbelief was required to get through the book.
My biggest problem with the book though is that it reads like what it is - a transplant to Philadelphia dropping tons of Philly place names and terms to get some cred. I would’ve let it slide more but there were multiple misspellings of local brand names. (Also there were a few glaring grammatical errors but that’s on the editor)
Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read and review.
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