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Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Alexis Hall (Author), Fiona Hardingham (Narrator), Forever (Publisher)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,232 ratings
Editors' pick Best Romance
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Fans of Casey McQuiston, Christina Lauren, and Abby Jimenez will love this scrumptious and sweet romantic comedy from the "dizzyingly talented writer" of Boyfriend Material (Entertainment Weekly)

LGBTQ Reads: Most Anticipated Adult LGBTQAP Fiction 2021

We Are Bookish: Spring Releases to Have on Your Radar

Following the recipe is the key to a successful bake. Rosaline Palmer has always lived by those rules - well, except for when she dropped out of college to raise her daughter, Amelie. Now, with a paycheck as useful as greaseproof paper and a house crumbling faster than biscuits in tea, she’s teetering on the edge of financial disaster. But where there’s a whisk there’s a way...and Rosaline has just landed a spot on the nation’s most beloved baking show.

Winning the prize money would give her daughter the life she deserves - and Rosaline is determined to stick to the instructions. However, more than collapsing trifles stand between Rosaline and sweet, sweet victory. Suave, well-educated, and parent-approved Alain Pope knows all the right moves to sweep her off her feet, but it’s shy electrician Harry Dobson who makes Rosaline question her long-held beliefs - about herself, her family, and her desires.

Rosaline fears falling for Harry is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Yet as the competition - and the ovens - heat up, Rosaline starts to realize the most delicious bakes come from the heart.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Winner Bakes All
  2. Listening Length
    11 hours and 23 minutes
  3. Author
    Alexis Hall
  4. Narrator
    Fiona Hardingham
  5. Audible release date
    May 18, 2021
  6. Language
    English
  7. Publisher
    Forever
  8. ASIN
    B093TPQPH2
  9. Version
    Unabridged
  10. Program Type
    Audiobook
  11. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 11 hours and 23 minutes
Author Alexis Hall
Narrator Fiona Hardingham
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date May 18, 2021
Publisher Forever
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B093TPQPH2
Best Sellers Rank #108,611 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#2,224 in Romantic Comedy (Audible Books & Originals)
#14,764 in Romantic Comedy (Books)
#16,091 in LGBTQ+ Romance (Books)

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,232 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the characters fabulous, sassy, and perfect for Rosaline and Amelie. They also appreciate the witty banter, baking competition scenes, and romance angle. Readers describe the book as very enjoyable, with brilliant baking descriptions. They describe the narrator as good and genuine. Customers also mention the book has feels, awesomeness, and sweetness. They find the content original, comic, hot, and heart wrenching.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
CharactersHumorReadabilityVocabularyEnjoymentContentEmotional contentFamily relationships
28 customers mention "Characters"26 positive2 negative

Customers find the characters fabulous, sassy, and hilarious. They also say the HEA is lovely, and the romantic homage to it is charming.

"...This book is funny, sassy, steamy, and even broadened my vocabulary. I love when an author throws some less colloquial terms in there...." Read more

"...intelligent and delightful, his dialogue smart and sassy, his characters much better drawn than that of most other contemporary romance writers I've..." Read more

"...are fun and endearing and how we see Rosaline grow and be more confident was wonderful...." Read more

"...Rosaline is a sympathetic character...." Read more

22 customers mention "Humor"22 positive0 negative

Customers find the humor in the book witty, funny, and thought-provoking. They also say the baking competition scenes are hysterical and delightful.

"...This book is funny, sassy, steamy, and even broadened my vocabulary. I love when an author throws some less colloquial terms in there...." Read more

"...Hall's sense of humor is intelligent and delightful, his dialogue smart and sassy, his characters much better drawn than that of most other..." Read more

"...So the baking competition scenes are just hysterical...." Read more

"...Hall does a really excellent job with pacing, everything is whip smart and witty, especially our MC Rosaline...." Read more

22 customers mention "Readability"22 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very enjoyable, amazing, and fascinating. They also say the setting is fun and different.

"...Hall's sense of humor is intelligent and delightful, his dialogue smart and sassy, his characters much better drawn than that of most other..." Read more

"...I really enjoyed the GBBO vibes this book put off! They are fun and endearing and how we see Rosaline grow and be more confident was wonderful...." Read more

"...This was a really enjoyable read. I’m definitely looking forward to the next in this series...." Read more

"...Though happy with her life, Rosaline learns to dream again.Super fun meet cute with Alain, love interest...." Read more

12 customers mention "Vocabulary"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the vocabulary in the book brilliant, rich, and fabulous. They also say the narrator is good and genuine. Readers also say that the representation is done extremely well.

"...This book is funny, sassy, steamy, and even broadened my vocabulary. I love when an author throws some less colloquial terms in there...." Read more

"...because there are many many characters in this book but she wrote them all in so well, you definitely learn and know them all without any one of..." Read more

"...but she's also so genuine...." Read more

"I love Alexis Hall, and this book is really very well baked and presented...." Read more

8 customers mention "Enjoyment"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable, with feels and awesomeness. They also describe it as a warm hug of a book.

"...She's balanced, both flawed and fleshed out enough to feel human, like I could pop down the street and she'd greet me with a cup of tea...." Read more

"...I highly recommend this book. It’s got feels and awesomeness." Read more

"...the characters feel real like they walked in off the street, they are lovable and awkward and absolutely amazing...." Read more

"...While not a straight forward romance novel, the HEA is lovely and feels very earned...." Read more

4 customers mention "Content"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the content original, comic, hot, and heart wrenching.

"...This book is funny, sassy, steamy, and even broadened my vocabulary. I love when an author throws some less colloquial terms in there...." Read more

"...for like 80% of the book, I got a therapy session, and the leads are insanely hot. Wins all across the board...." Read more

"...prose that made me long to write as well as he does...original, comic, hot and heart wrenching...." Read more

"Warm, caring, enjoyable, not exactly a romance novel..." Read more

3 customers mention "Emotional content"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the emotional content of the book heart wrenching and sincere.

"...Overall though I appreciated the personal growth, more sincere story that she wrote after I got past prejudices built from thinking it would be like..." Read more

"...me long to write as well as he does...original, comic, hot and heart wrenching. This was too Rom-Com and didn't even seem like his work." Read more

"...Lots of humor, lots of heart, lots of big words and joyful baking...." Read more

3 customers mention "Family relationships"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides insights about sexuality and families. They also mention it's a brilliant guide in parenting and mentions love triangles.

"...There was found family, love triangles, multigenerational biological family, a brilliant guide in parenting...." Read more

"I enjoyed the LGBT representation, witty banter, slow build romance and the setting of great British bake off. Hav a blast with this" Read more

"...Hall writes with his typical humor while also providing insights about sexuality and families." Read more

an enjoyable, witty read
4 out of 5 stars
an enjoyable, witty read
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.My feelings for Alexis Hall’s Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake are complicated: some really cool things are happening but it just doesn’t totally engage my heart.Single mom Rosaline Palmer feels like she hasn’t lived up to her parents’s goals & isn’t providing the life she wants for her daughter.But she loves baking & though she isn’t fully confident in her decision she signs up for a baking reality tv show a la GBBO.The blurb clues you in to this dynamic, but on the way to production she meets Alain, a witty landscape architect. Soon after she meets other contestants, including Harry, a ripped electrician who calls her “love” until she asks him to stop & whose grammar grates on her.This is a spoiler alert but for much of the book Rosaline is interested in & involved in a relationship of sorts—including sexually—w/ Alain, when he is not, of course, the one she will end up w/.Throughout RPTTC we get glimpses that Alain isn’t the nicest person, which helps me w/ the love triangle-ish aspect.We *also* see moments when Rosaline isn’t the *nicest* person; when she shows some of her least attractive & yet also some of her most relatable qualities: her strong desire to please & to judge.While I’m a proponent of an imperfect heroine Rosaline’s portrayal doesn’t totally work for me, mostly bc I don’t think there’s enough self-awareness & reflection. That includes her snobbery...her awareness of which feels kinda surface level to me even when she’s apologizing to Harry.Still, throughout RPTTC Rosaline grows in major ways & I cheered along.In addition to Rosaline’s journey, I really like RPTTC’s wit, its gentle moments, its consideration of how others respond to Rosaline’s bisexuality, the intimacy in the sex scene b/t Rosaline & Harry. The way he encourages her to say what she wants & she encourages him to share his feelings throughout is lovely—though I yearned for more of a romantic declaration at the end.I can’t wait to see what Hall writes next, obviously. But this one just doesn’t always work for me.4 ⭐️. Release date: 5/18.CW:​​sexual assault, biphobia
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Top reviews from the United States

Hillary
5.0 out of 5 stars Minister of Sloths
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2022
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This book was flawless 10/10. There was found family, love triangles, multigenerational biological family, a brilliant guide in parenting. I stood up from my Kindle after chapter "" and said hunnie this is how we need to reach our future children. To not shelter them but include them, help them understand the world around them so they can make up their own mind. This book is funny, sassy, steamy, and even broadened my vocabulary. I love when an author throws some less colloquial terms in there. Continuing to learn while also reading something as delicious as thing romcom is a win/win. Alexis has outdone himself. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone. Please keep in mind to read the content warnings.
Snapshot -
-adorable child AKA 'Minister of Sloths'
-all the serotonin induced from watching Bake Off in written form
-learning to love yourself exactly as you are not as others think you should be
-consent king
-standing up for yourself
2 people found this helpful
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OLT
4.0 out of 5 stars Smart, funny, and entertaining.
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2021
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I wasn't exactly expecting this from Alexis Hall, the author of m/m books such as rom-com BOYFRIEND MATERIAL and the more serious Spires series. Although the heroine of this new rom-com by Hall is bisexual, the romance turns out to be of the m/f variety here and, in addition, I'd say the romance takes a back seat to Rosaline's journey to self awareness, self realization, and self actualization. Not only that, but, to a large extent, it's another kind of love story, that between single mom Rosaline and her young, precocious daughter Amelie.

I just recently finished reading another contemporary romance with a reality cooking competition backdrop: RECIPE FOR PERSUASION by Sonali Dev. Hall's similarly plotted novel here runs rings around that one. Hall's sense of humor is intelligent and delightful, his dialogue smart and sassy, his characters much better drawn than that of most other contemporary romance writers I've read.

If you read the book blurb, you'll know what the story's about. 27-year-old Rosaline, who had to drop out of medical school when she found herself pregnant at 18 or 19, is now working low-pay jobs but has an interest in and talent for baking. So she enters the Bake Expectations competition, hoping for the grand prize which will be a boost to her bank account and also to her future. Incidentally, there'll be two men (fellow competitors) who will figure as love interests: Alain, who's upper-class, sophisticated, and well educated, and Harry, a lower class electrician with bad grammar but a really good heart.

But there's so much more to this than the romance(s). It's more the personal-growth journey of Rosaline. Learning to know and value herself and what she wants in life, taking a stand against her rich,successful, domineering parents. It takes a good while and can be frustrating at times to read. You may find yourself wanting to shout at her to stand up for herself from time to time. But not to worry, the moment will come.

In addition, this story has plenty of really funny moments. So many and varied and richly drawn characters. One in particular that struck my funny bone was foul-mouthed set producer/director Jennifer, whose interactions with the competitors is hilarious. Not to mention the judges of the competition. Great parody here of competitive cooking shows. Oh, and don't neglect to check out the reading guide questions for book clubs that Hall was asked to supply. As funny, or perhaps funnier, than the book.

All in all, this was an entertaining read for me. It's hard to find intelligent authors like Hall in the contemporary romance genre.
17 people found this helpful
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Mainer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2021
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I'm a huge fan of Alexis Hall, but I found this one different in a lot of ways from his other romances, but in a good way. Rosaline drove me crazy for a good part of the book with her inability to live her own life. For all her disdain for people who questioned her sexuality, she still projects the snobbishness and class superiority of her parents. So, her choice of architect Alain over good guy Harry because he's the guy her parents would like was annoying. Also, she's fairly oblivious to Alain's machinations for a smart woman. But that's what makes it a good story, too when she finally has that 'AHA' moment.
So the baking competition scenes are just hysterical. When an author's writing makes me laugh out loud, I (and everyone around me) knows the book is great. This one made me laugh too many times to count. I'm glad the next book will also feature the judges and behind-the-scenes people from Bake Expectations because they are a hoot! It'll definitely be on my pre-order list.
10 people found this helpful
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LitShit Podcast
3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not as good as her debut novel
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2021
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Giving this book a 3.5. I was really looking forward to reading this book as I loved Boyfriend Material. If you go in thinking this book will be similar then you will be disappointed, but if you go in with the though that this book is entirely separate then it will surprise you.

This book is the story of a bisexual single mom named Rosaline Palmer who makes it onto a TV show similar to Great British Bake Off (GBBO). Her biggest support system is her ex-girlfriend Lauren and her parents are typical doctors pushing her to want more out of her life. She meets two eligible men while on the show, Alain: a landscape architect who seems charming and Harry: an electrician who is shy. Rosaline continues trying to decide which guy is right for her and what she wants out of her life as she moves along week after week on the British baking show.

First BRAVO to Alexis Hall because there are many many characters in this book but she wrote them all in so well, you definitely learn and know them all without any one of them feeling left out. She really succeeds in writing characters with mental illness so authentically and realistically.

Alain is controlling, possessive and overall using Rosaline. I really enjoyed the GBBO vibes this book put off! They are fun and endearing and how we see Rosaline grow and be more confident was wonderful. I mostly liked Rosaline as a character full of doubt for herself and what she wants for her life now that her daughter is older. She can get a bit annoying with her second guessing herself and where she wants to go but she grows as the book goes along. She is very relatable!

I will say that to label this as a romance doesn't work because it doesn't really fit the genre which truly disappointed me because it wasn't written as labeled. Overall though I appreciated the personal growth, more sincere story that she wrote after I got past prejudices built from thinking it would be like her debut book which was full of laughter and fun!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Clare Vancouver
5.0 out of 5 stars Brit not quite RomCom - Humourous (but with serious topics covered)
Reviewed in Canada on August 18, 2021
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A hugely amusing not quite RomCom novel which follows contestants in a version on the Great British Bakeoff - who compete, flirt and negotiate with life and friendships.

You quickly work out who you are rooting for, and just wait for the titular character to work everything out. I thought it was going to have the massive miscommunication giving conflict trope (the Malawi bit) - but that is suprisingly dealt with speedily.

Laugh out loud moments (and lots of them, I actually found my eyes watering with mirth, such as the tractor/bull debacle) but Hall also deals (without sledgehammering) issues of consent, bi-phobia, mental illness, fetishism, classism & mysogny.

In a novel with a lot of detailed characters I really think my favourite was the young, marine obsessed Amelie, and I found the offensive Jennifer so unprofessional that it pushed credulity that she was still in her job at the end of the novel.

BTW: don't read the PDF until the end as the book club questions are massive spoilers (but I want to be in the book club that discusses this one!)

At the end there was a teaser for another Bake Expectations novel, which I will be buying as soon as it comes out.
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JS
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute joy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2022
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Alexis Hall does it again. I loved this book and enjoyed every second. All the characters were perfectly drawn up and I couldn’t contain my laughter at many points of the story. So much fun, yet has great touching moments. Excellent! More please!
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Christine
5.0 out of 5 stars Very cute, very British
Reviewed in Germany on June 5, 2021
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I love this love letter to Bake Off and British telly. The cast of characters is totally believable as Bake Off (sorry, Bake Expectations, other baking shows are available) contestants, and Rosalie's daughter is my favourite character by far. The romance is cute enough, mostly in that I don't think they're better off single, a feeling I get quite often reading(contemporary) romance. Big plus for the recipes in the back - I feel inspired to bake again.
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Lisa Bagdan (@LisaBReads)
4.0 out of 5 stars British banter mixed with some more difficult subjects
Reviewed in Canada on May 20, 2021
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First of all, content warnings. There are more here than I think a “quirky rom-com” should have but they include bi-phobia/fetishization, attempted date rape/sexual assault, classism, excessive swearing by one character, mental illness specifically anxiety and I’m sure I am missing some. There is mostly closed door sex discussed but one scene at the end is more explicit.

So, after reading all of that, this one was actually pretty funny. The banter was top notch and I loved the setting. Baking shows are my go to comfort watch so to have a romance set in one was my dream come true.

I did read this one hoping it was going to be fun and cute and lots of happy kissing between scenes, and it wasn’t all I hoped for. But I did love Rosaline. She is a chronic people pleaser with low confidence in herself and I loved watching her grow over the weeks of the show. It did cover some heavy topics but it was also laugh out loud funny at times and the British banter was some of the best ever. So, I think if you go in with a heads up that this one is more than just fluff, you’ll adore it. Much like his first novel, Alexis Hall excels at mixing real life and fun together to defy the usual light everything is perfect and life is all sunshine and roses atmosphere in romances.
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JulesG
4.0 out of 5 stars Rosaline Palmer stands up for herself
Reviewed in Germany on June 13, 2023
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Does Hall know how to play with tropes? Yes! This novel features a love triangle, which is extremely well-executed; compared to all those cringy YA love triangles. Furthermore there's a sesquipedalian eight year old, witty banter and lots of cake since the love interests meet at a national baking competition.

Eventually this is a story about personal growth and standing up for yourself though.
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