Review by Stacey O’Carroll
Author: Amy Hutton
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
RRP: $32.99
Release Date: 5 June 2024
“It was like he was in one of those videos that freeze-frame at the exact moment of disaster, while a voice brightly states, ‘Yep, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I ended up in this situation.’”
Can a naughty dog and a moody cat help their owners fall in love? In Love From Scratch, the follow-up to her debut, Sit, Stay, Love, Northern Beaches author Amy Hutton gives movie star Ethan another chance at love with the aid of two mischievous pets. While the character of Ethan appeared in Hutton’s first novel, Love From Scratch can be read as a stand-alone romance story.
“She shuffled in her seat. Hadn’t he been flirting with her, too?”
Hazel has escaped an embarrassing incident on Sydney’s Northern Beaches to Queensland, where she avoids returning to work as a chef and instead runs a dog walking business. She spends her days walking other people’s dogs and returning to her tetchy cat until Ethan hires her to help look after his dog. In typical romantic comedy fashion, or Jane Austen style, Hazel misjudges Ethan as a typical self-involved movie star. When Hazel begrudgingly cooks dinner for Ethan one night, sparks begin to fly. But as luck would have it, both characters are due to leave Queensland for amazing career opportunities that will soon tear them apart and put a time limit on their romance.
“Kevin padded across the couch cushions, turned, flicked his tail and pointed his butt directly at Hazel’s face.”
Kevin the cat was a standout character with his pretentious and sometimes rude behaviour. These feline idiosyncrasies will be well known to cat owners. His antics were hilarious, charming and very realistic. It is easy to see Kevin lying on the couch whilst Hazel is at work plotting how to get her together with Ethan.
Hutton has crafted two main characters who have an undeniable chemistry on the page. As such, readers won’t be able to stop turning the page to see when Hazel and Ethan finally admit their feelings for each other. Although Love From Scratch is a relatively short novel, the story is not lacking. In fact, I found the epilogue unnecessary and a little bit cringe. While adhering to genre conventions and tropes, especially in the romance genre, is expected by readers, sometimes wrapping everything up in a bow rather than leaving some aspects to the reader’s imagination can destroy the ending.
“The swish of the warm summer breeze dropped to a whisper, the chorus of summer bugs lowering their chirps to a hum.”
Before writing her novels, Hutton worked as a television producer and writer, and her insider knowledge of film and television production adds to the authenticity of Ethan’s world. There is a screenwriting touch to Love From Scratch that would make a film adaptation seamless. The characters, situations and furry sidekicks are so vivid on the page that it is hard not to imagine the novel as a romantic comedy film. Love From Scratch is a bright, fun and delectable romantic comedy that provides the perfect escape from the stress and grey of our day to day.