Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

Chef's Choice by TJ Alexander

10 reviews

eatallthestars's review

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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? It's complicated

4.75


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kelly_e's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Title: Chef's Choice
Author: T.J. Alexander
Series: Chef's Kiss #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: May 30, 2023

I received a complimentary eARC from Emily Bestler Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Comical • Tender • Delicious

📖 S Y N O P S I S

When Luna O’Shea is unceremoniously fired from her frustrating office job, she tries to count her blessings: she’s a proud trans woman who has plenty of friends, a wonderful roommate, and a good life in New York City. But blessings don’t pay the bills.

Enter Jean-Pierre, a laissez-faire trans man and the heir to a huge culinary empire—which he’ll only inherit if he can jump through all the hoops his celebrity chef grandfather has placed in his path. First hoop: he needs a girlfriend, a role that Luna is happy to play…for the right price. She’s got rent to pay, after all! Second hoop: they both need to learn how to cook a series of elaborate, world-renowned family recipes to prove that Jean-Pierre is a worthy heir. Admittedly, Luna doesn’t even know how to crack an egg, but she’s not going to let that—or any pesky feelings for Jean-Pierre—stop her.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I adored the plot of book one, Chef's Kiss in this series, so I was eager to receive an ARC of Chef's Choice. I was definitely expecting the same foodie vibes and queer representation. In fact, this is the first trans/trans romance I've read that has been traditionally published.

T.J. Alexander has delivered complex main characters yet again. Luna and Jean-Pierre are complete opposites, and I appreciate getting two different takes on the trans experience. In my opinion, a dual POV structure would have served this story better. Getting JP's inner dialogue would have given this story another layer and there were so many times I was curious to get into his head.

While I really sunk into their developing friendship, the budding romance felt too predictable, and not necessarily all that believable. There were also too many competing storylines. Because of these two factors I didn't feel a full fledged investment in their story. As this book tackles many plotlines, it got bogged down at times. A bigger focus on the actually cooking challenge would have allowed for a smoother reading experience.

Although Chef's Choice is technically part of a series, it could easily be read as a stand-alone. Overall, the story was just okay, yet what I really appreciated was the representation and the open door sex scenes. I will continue to add T.J. Alexander's work to my TBR in the future.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fake dating enthusiasts
• readers looking for a queer love story

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"That is black-and-white thinking, and I live in a world full of color." 

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shaunashares's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


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the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5


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rabelais's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No

1.75

 Of course there's transmisogyny *when the author is intending it to be trans-positive*. That's what you get when an author who isn't a trans woman writes a trans woman character. Luna was more full of a character in the first book, and doesn't have much depth here. Her existence within all relationships is transactional, which is really gross.

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wureads's review

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funny lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Honestly, I don't have many words for this book. Each of the characters had their own reasons to be hated, but Jean-Pierre was probably the best written. I felt that most of the drama in the story was unnecessary and unrelated to the actual plot, other than the 'fake-dating' trope. Luna's character was mostly flat; she acted indifferent or spiteful toward Jean-Pierre until the last 4-5 chapters. There wasn't really a smooth or heartfelt transition from fake-dating to real-dating, it just sort of happened. The last maybe 10 chapters were entertaining and finally found their way to the main plot point, which made it somewhat easier to get through. 

All-in-all, this book was just not for me. In my opinion, it truly felt like I was reading a poorly written Wattpad fanfiction. I can see how some audiences would enjoy this style of writing, as it does feel very YA oriented- save for the two sex scenes. The spice was probable a 3 out of 5, nothing too crazy or detailed, but it didn't completely skip some details either. 

I do have to mention that this is the first adult romance novel I've read, as I'm mainly a suspense and mystery reader. Although I struggled to get through this book, I do think that seeing more LGBTQ+ representation in books is amazing. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes this writing style and trope, but again, it just wasn't of my taste. 

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jazhandz's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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sarahyjackson's review

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A wonderfully thoughtful, expansive, romantic book. A slower burn than I typically enjoy but I was so grateful for TJ Alexander’s really generous treatment of cis characters/readers. 

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starrysteph's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This was so charming!

We follow Luna, who has just been fired from her already-slightly-demeaning office job in NYC. She’s got a great friend group and a lot of dreams, but is worried she won’t be able to afford rent. That all changes when she has a chance encounter with Jean-Pierre, the French heir to a massive culinary empire. But to get his fortune, he’s got to a) cook his snobby grandfather’s renowned menu and b) get a girlfriend. 

Jean-Pierre makes Luna an offer she can’t possibly refuse: a massive amount of money (as in, a sum that would make Luna’s dream of becoming a yoga teacher and running a center in the Catskills very possible) in exchange for pretending to be his girlfriend through the end of the competition. And as the pair learn to cook from the ground up, they also lean into each other and discover some very real feelings.

Luna & Jean-Pierre are both trans and both have incredibly different experiences with and opinions of identity and queerness. They talk a lot about different aspects of privilege (financial privilege and how that relates to the trans experiences comes up a lot). They share heartwarming moments of understanding and also respectfully challenge each other and learn and grow. 

There was a really fun & earnest cast of side characters as well. I loved all the friendships highlighted - and really, the friends-who-become-family. Luna has an incredible community. We also witnessed the highs and lows of parental figures, whether they’re well-meaning but clueless or aggressively ignorant and toxic.

While all the dialogue felt very sincere and real, the relationship as a whole felt surface-level to me. I would have loved the arc of the story to have shifted a little faster so we could have deeper conversations and get to know them a bit more as a couple. Luna went from 0 to 100 really quickly (from a strong dislike to battling intense romantic feelings).

I think it was also tricky to not really hear more of Jean-Pierre’s perspective at the end (not necessarily a POV chapter, but even just to hear him express to Luna what was going on in his head - he went through SO much growth). 

Chef’s Choice was often delightfully silly and I had some laugh-out-loud moments. Overall, I had a great time reading!

CW: transphobia, body shaming, toxic relationship (with family), sexual harassment, dysphoria, blood/injury (very brief), sexism, explicit sexual content

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uranaishi's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75


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