Scan barcode
penandpages's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism and Abandonment
napkins's review
3.0
Enemies to lovers is surprisingly hard to pull off, but especially when you've given your leads a week to meet, be enemies, and then become lovers. Even more so when there's no real reason they should be enemies. Unfortunately, that's exactly the trap Off the Menu falls into: every piece of tension feels artificially contrived and blown out of proportion, which is especially sad when there's a lot to love about the book, not the least of which is Erin and Taylor themselves.
As a food-centric romance novel, it's off the charts. It's very clear that Erdell has worked in a restaurant - food descriptions and terminology flow off the page, which really gives a sense of location for the restaurant, but sometimes it does get to be a bit overwhelming. This also means there's no makeouts in the walk-in, but we do get some great competence from Taylor in being an expediter when service starts.
Erin and Taylor together are great, but that's when they're together, which in an enemies-to-lovers premise, isn't the most amount of time. The last few chapters were my favorites for them, but sadly they're really only get those last few chapters to actually be great together. The show premise falls flat as most of the teeth of the tension is taken away by convoluted "reasons". Taylor can't talk about what she'd like to improve because the management had the staff sign an agreement banning disparaging remarks. Okay, but that doesn't prevent them from saying anything at all, which is how Taylor seems to take it. Erin also spends 2/3 of her time focusing on Taylor as the source of the problem and unwillingness to change, rather than thinking, even for a second, that it might be the owners, despite doing research. It's also unclear why the restaurant was even picked - they state multiple times that they restaurant, while not doing booming business, isn't doing poorly, the staff are all happy except with the owners, and even the food is said to be good despite the out of place menu. There's just a lot that's intended to cause tension that doesn't add up to tension just because the narrative wants it to.
Erin's side of the tension isn't much better, with a show up for renewal, but without any sense of that desperation to either change the formula or get ratings somehow until the very end, when the filming is all already over. It just all adds up to a sense of unwillingness to actually have Erin and Taylor be enemies, and possibly because their time together is so short. There's just not enough time or situations for them to move from one space to the other and build up all of those underlying feelings. Thankfully, the characters themselves are great; I got a sense of every single one, down to minor side characters, and the wide range all felt like a cohesive unit, brought together by this restaurant.
As a food-centric romance novel, it's off the charts. It's very clear that Erdell has worked in a restaurant - food descriptions and terminology flow off the page, which really gives a sense of location for the restaurant, but sometimes it does get to be a bit overwhelming. This also means there's no makeouts in the walk-in, but we do get some great competence from Taylor in being an expediter when service starts.
Erin and Taylor together are great, but that's when they're together, which in an enemies-to-lovers premise, isn't the most amount of time. The last few chapters were my favorites for them, but sadly they're really only get those last few chapters to actually be great together. The show premise falls flat as most of the teeth of the tension is taken away by convoluted "reasons". Taylor can't talk about what she'd like to improve because the management had the staff sign an agreement banning disparaging remarks. Okay, but that doesn't prevent them from saying anything at all, which is how Taylor seems to take it. Erin also spends 2/3 of her time focusing on Taylor as the source of the problem and unwillingness to change, rather than thinking, even for a second, that it might be the owners, despite doing research. It's also unclear why the restaurant was even picked - they state multiple times that they restaurant, while not doing booming business, isn't doing poorly, the staff are all happy except with the owners, and even the food is said to be good despite the out of place menu. There's just a lot that's intended to cause tension that doesn't add up to tension just because the narrative wants it to.
Erin's side of the tension isn't much better, with a show up for renewal, but without any sense of that desperation to either change the formula or get ratings somehow until the very end, when the filming is all already over. It just all adds up to a sense of unwillingness to actually have Erin and Taylor be enemies, and possibly because their time together is so short. There's just not enough time or situations for them to move from one space to the other and build up all of those underlying feelings. Thankfully, the characters themselves are great; I got a sense of every single one, down to minor side characters, and the wide range all felt like a cohesive unit, brought together by this restaurant.
napkins's review against another edition
3.0
Enemies to lovers is surprisingly hard to pull off, but especially when you've given your leads a week to meet, be enemies, and then become lovers. Even more so when there's no real reason they should be enemies. Unfortunately, that's exactly the trap Off the Menu falls into: every piece of tension feels artificially contrived and blown out of proportion, which is especially sad when there's a lot to love about the book, not the least of which is Erin and Taylor themselves.
As a food-centric romance novel, it's off the charts. It's very clear that Erdell has worked in a restaurant - food descriptions and terminology flow off the page, which really gives a sense of location for the restaurant, but sometimes it does get to be a bit overwhelming. This also means there's no makeouts in the walk-in, but we do get some great competence from Taylor in being an expediter when service starts.
Erin and Taylor together are great, but that's when they're together, which in an enemies-to-lovers premise, isn't the most amount of time. The last few chapters were my favorites for them, but sadly they're really only get those last few chapters to actually be great together. The show premise falls flat as most of the teeth of the tension is taken away by convoluted "reasons". Taylor can't talk about what she'd like to improve because the management had the staff sign an agreement banning disparaging remarks. Okay, but that doesn't prevent them from saying anything at all, which is how Taylor seems to take it. Erin also spends 2/3 of her time focusing on Taylor as the source of the problem and unwillingness to change, rather than thinking, even for a second, that it might be the owners, despite doing research. It's also unclear why the restaurant was even picked - they state multiple times that the restaurant, while not doing booming business, isn't doing poorly, the staff are all happy except with the owners, and even the food is said to be good despite the out of place menu. There's just a lot that's intended to cause tension that doesn't add up to tension just because the narrative wants it to.
Erin's side of the tension isn't much better, with a show up for renewal, but without any sense of that desperation to either change the formula or get ratings somehow until the very end, when the filming is all already over and out of Erin and Taylor's hands. It just all adds up to a sense of unwillingness to actually have Erin and Taylor be enemies, and possibly because their time together is so short. There's just not enough time or situations for them to move from one space to the other and build up all of those underlying feelings. Thankfully, the characters themselves are great; I got a sense of every single one, down to minor side characters, and the wide range all felt like a cohesive unit, brought together by this restaurant.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
As a food-centric romance novel, it's off the charts. It's very clear that Erdell has worked in a restaurant - food descriptions and terminology flow off the page, which really gives a sense of location for the restaurant, but sometimes it does get to be a bit overwhelming. This also means there's no makeouts in the walk-in, but we do get some great competence from Taylor in being an expediter when service starts.
Erin and Taylor together are great, but that's when they're together, which in an enemies-to-lovers premise, isn't the most amount of time. The last few chapters were my favorites for them, but sadly they're really only get those last few chapters to actually be great together. The show premise falls flat as most of the teeth of the tension is taken away by convoluted "reasons". Taylor can't talk about what she'd like to improve because the management had the staff sign an agreement banning disparaging remarks. Okay, but that doesn't prevent them from saying anything at all, which is how Taylor seems to take it. Erin also spends 2/3 of her time focusing on Taylor as the source of the problem and unwillingness to change, rather than thinking, even for a second, that it might be the owners, despite doing research. It's also unclear why the restaurant was even picked - they state multiple times that the restaurant, while not doing booming business, isn't doing poorly, the staff are all happy except with the owners, and even the food is said to be good despite the out of place menu. There's just a lot that's intended to cause tension that doesn't add up to tension just because the narrative wants it to.
Erin's side of the tension isn't much better, with a show up for renewal, but without any sense of that desperation to either change the formula or get ratings somehow until the very end, when the filming is all already over and out of Erin and Taylor's hands. It just all adds up to a sense of unwillingness to actually have Erin and Taylor be enemies, and possibly because their time together is so short. There's just not enough time or situations for them to move from one space to the other and build up all of those underlying feelings. Thankfully, the characters themselves are great; I got a sense of every single one, down to minor side characters, and the wide range all felt like a cohesive unit, brought together by this restaurant.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
gayanyway's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
vrkinase0411's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.25
jazzyjbox's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Reality TV and queer characters, yes please!
Taylor is the executive chef at a NYC restaurant. Erin is the host of a TV show that helps struggling restaurants, and she's slated to appear at Taylor's work. There's chemistry between them, banter, and attraction. It's a recipe for love, or disaster.
I liked the characters and the depth of their backstories. The demi rep was nice to see. This is definitely a favorite from this publisher so far.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
Taylor is the executive chef at a NYC restaurant. Erin is the host of a TV show that helps struggling restaurants, and she's slated to appear at Taylor's work. There's chemistry between them, banter, and attraction. It's a recipe for love, or disaster.
I liked the characters and the depth of their backstories. The demi rep was nice to see. This is definitely a favorite from this publisher so far.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
juliaburdacki's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for providing this DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Off the Menu by Alaina Erdell was a delightful and refreshing restaurant novel clearly written by someone who spent time in a kitchen. Chef Taylor is thrown to the wolves when Restaurant Redo host Erin walks through the door. Attraction is instant but trying to determine the shortcomings of the restaurant are incredibly difficult with Chef Taylor.
As someone who is in kitchens, the dynamic of the kitchen was beautifully described. The pace, the nuiance, the relationship amongst employees. I very much appreciated the scene relating to the reataurant cleanliness compared to health department inspection. The relationship between Ern and Taylor faced many trials but is well built throughout the book.
If you like reading kitchen or chef novels with some spice, this is your book!
Off the Menu by Alaina Erdell was a delightful and refreshing restaurant novel clearly written by someone who spent time in a kitchen. Chef Taylor is thrown to the wolves when Restaurant Redo host Erin walks through the door. Attraction is instant but trying to determine the shortcomings of the restaurant are incredibly difficult with Chef Taylor.
As someone who is in kitchens, the dynamic of the kitchen was beautifully described. The pace, the nuiance, the relationship amongst employees. I very much appreciated the scene relating to the reataurant cleanliness compared to health department inspection. The relationship between Ern and Taylor faced many trials but is well built throughout the book.
If you like reading kitchen or chef novels with some spice, this is your book!
kjanie's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
3.5
This was a highly engaging story of love caught between the crosshairs of a failing restaurant and a reality TV show. The concept of this book alone is highly entertaining, I love the idea of peaking behind the scenes of a reality show. It added wonderful tension to the story regarding what’s true in reality, what appears to be true to others and what is portrayed to the broader public. This added plenty of drama and tension to the story, making it highly engaging to the very end.
The romance between Erin and Taylor was also very enjoyable. I love when our main characters get off on the wrong foot. I wouldn’t quite say this was enemies to lovers but there was definitely a lot of butting heads and banter at the beginning, which turned into delightful sexual tension and chemistry. While the romance was fun and full of chemistry, I did feel that it became a bit repetitive towards the end with the ups and downs. It was still full of great chemistry, but neither character stood out to me individually. I wish we had more time to develop the characters on their own and with their friends (which we did get a bit I admit), because it was hard to identify them and their intentions.
Still, this was a delightful read full of fun chemistry and a tension-filled plot.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review the book in exchange for an honest review
The romance between Erin and Taylor was also very enjoyable. I love when our main characters get off on the wrong foot. I wouldn’t quite say this was enemies to lovers but there was definitely a lot of butting heads and banter at the beginning, which turned into delightful sexual tension and chemistry. While the romance was fun and full of chemistry, I did feel that it became a bit repetitive towards the end with the ups and downs. It was still full of great chemistry, but neither character stood out to me individually. I wish we had more time to develop the characters on their own and with their friends (which we did get a bit I admit), because it was hard to identify them and their intentions.
Still, this was a delightful read full of fun chemistry and a tension-filled plot.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review the book in exchange for an honest review
lildark1's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes books for the ARC.
I have an automatic love for any story that takes place in the restaurant industry and this, including the piss poor management, were pretty spot on. My one gripe was it took me a little bit to like Erin because I was a little irritated with how she was reacting to Taylor at times (like being irritated that Taylor wasn't entirely on boards with how they were coming in, taking over her office and space and almost interrogating her at times when Taylor kept freezing. also I feel like Taylor's reaction to what happened at the end was 100% valid, but again Erin was irritated), that aside though I just had to keep in mind that as a reader we know the shady shit that Taylor's bosses were up to, Erin didn't.
This only took up a few moments in the story, the rest of the time I did love seeing Erin and Taylor interact, going to work with Taylor's mom being one of my favorite scenes. I loved the crew of the restaurant and how they rallied around one another. And I love Gnocci, such an adorable fella.
Overall a really great, sweet read.
I have an automatic love for any story that takes place in the restaurant industry and this, including the piss poor management, were pretty spot on. My one gripe was it took me a little bit to like Erin because I was a little irritated with how she was reacting to Taylor at times (like being irritated that Taylor wasn't entirely on boards with how they were coming in, taking over her office and space and almost interrogating her at times when Taylor kept freezing. also I feel like Taylor's reaction to what happened at the end was 100% valid, but again Erin was irritated), that aside though I just had to keep in mind that as a reader we know the shady shit that Taylor's bosses were up to, Erin didn't.
This only took up a few moments in the story, the rest of the time I did love seeing Erin and Taylor interact, going to work with Taylor's mom being one of my favorite scenes. I loved the crew of the restaurant and how they rallied around one another. And I love Gnocci, such an adorable fella.
Overall a really great, sweet read.