You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.21 AVERAGE
3.21 AVERAGE
One-line review: Sweet, fluffy (if ultimately forgettable) story about a girl who dreams being a professional chef and who ends up signing up for a reality show competition to fulfil her dreams.
Detailed review
Sophie Nicolaides has grown up working in her family's restaurant, Taverna Ristorante, which is full of hearty Italian flavours and Mediterranean flair. But she knows that there is more to life than working in her family's restaurant, that there are other flavour profiles out there for her to explore and she dreams of being a culinary superstar. However, she also knows that her father is extremely protective of his only daughter.
When her best friend Alex, whom she is developing a bit of a crush on, asks her to sign up for a reality show cooking competition called Teen Test Kitchen, Sophie knows that her father would flip out. But the show offers her a chance to mingle with celebrity chefs, with the prize of attending culinary school in Napa Valley, California and Sophie can't help but to wonder if this is an opportunity to fulfil her dreams. And, predictably, she gets into the competition and has to spill the beans to her father.
And the competition is more intense than Sophie would ever have dreamed. All the other teenage chefs are highly competent in the kitchen, including two of her new friends Shelby and Stan. Shelby is thin, beautiful and itching to get out of her small town to learn more about cooking. Stan is loud, rich and just eager to showcase what he can do in the kitchen. Sophie feels out of place, away from home and stressed out from the competition. Luckily, a cute French student at the culinary school appears to be interested in Sophie and more than willing to spend time with her.
Pizza, Love and Other Stuff that Made Me Famous is a light and sweet summer read, about a girl who learns how cutthroat reality TV shows can be. I thought that Sophie was a fun character, whose passion for cooking for easy to see and who works very hard to achieve her dreams. But I'm really tired of love-triangles in YA and there was one here between Sophie, Alex and that cute French student. I felt like there was enough going on here without the love-triangle being introduced: out-growing your parents' expectations of you, learning how to achieve your dreams and learning how to be a good friend to someone in a highly competitive environment.
(FYI: There are also recipes sprinkled throughout the course of the novel. For those who are more inclined to cooking than I am, this could be a bonus for you. Word of warning though: I haven't actually tried out the recipes for myself but they do look delicious.)
Overall, the story is sweet if ultimately forgettable.
Detailed review
Sophie Nicolaides has grown up working in her family's restaurant, Taverna Ristorante, which is full of hearty Italian flavours and Mediterranean flair. But she knows that there is more to life than working in her family's restaurant, that there are other flavour profiles out there for her to explore and she dreams of being a culinary superstar. However, she also knows that her father is extremely protective of his only daughter.
When her best friend Alex, whom she is developing a bit of a crush on, asks her to sign up for a reality show cooking competition called Teen Test Kitchen, Sophie knows that her father would flip out. But the show offers her a chance to mingle with celebrity chefs, with the prize of attending culinary school in Napa Valley, California and Sophie can't help but to wonder if this is an opportunity to fulfil her dreams. And, predictably, she gets into the competition and has to spill the beans to her father.
And the competition is more intense than Sophie would ever have dreamed. All the other teenage chefs are highly competent in the kitchen, including two of her new friends Shelby and Stan. Shelby is thin, beautiful and itching to get out of her small town to learn more about cooking. Stan is loud, rich and just eager to showcase what he can do in the kitchen. Sophie feels out of place, away from home and stressed out from the competition. Luckily, a cute French student at the culinary school appears to be interested in Sophie and more than willing to spend time with her.
Pizza, Love and Other Stuff that Made Me Famous is a light and sweet summer read, about a girl who learns how cutthroat reality TV shows can be. I thought that Sophie was a fun character, whose passion for cooking for easy to see and who works very hard to achieve her dreams. But I'm really tired of love-triangles in YA and there was one here between Sophie, Alex and that cute French student. I felt like there was enough going on here without the love-triangle being introduced: out-growing your parents' expectations of you, learning how to achieve your dreams and learning how to be a good friend to someone in a highly competitive environment.
(FYI: There are also recipes sprinkled throughout the course of the novel. For those who are more inclined to cooking than I am, this could be a bonus for you. Word of warning though: I haven't actually tried out the recipes for myself but they do look delicious.)
Overall, the story is sweet if ultimately forgettable.
For whatever reason, I loved this book. Maybe because it was about cooking, which is a passion of mine. Maybe because it was set in win country, California. Or the recipes put into it. The author had a very nice understanding of cooking which was so nice. I was expecting it to all just be thrown together. I was even surprised she mentioned cream of tartar (page 182)! That's something serious cooks would only know about. All in all, if you like cooking, and cutesy teen romance, you should read this book. It was wonderful.
Libro muy lindo, historia muy linda. No lo lean con hambre porque todo se antoja.
Originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog
You know how they say you shouldn’t go to the grocery store on an empty stomach?
The same belief could be applied to reading this book. With all the talk of grand food preparation and the recipes included after each “reality show” challenge, my stomach was constantly grumbling. (Williams included two of my absolute favorite foods too — pizza and eggs benedict!)
Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff… is a very cute novel featuring Sophie, a 16-year old who comes across as very sheltered due to her work at her family’s restaurant. She doesn’t have much experience with boys and it seems like her boy best friend, Alex, is pretty much the only solid friend in her life. (Not including the employees at her dad’s restaurant.) Instead of following in her father’s footsteps, she dreams of being a well-known chef and though she is self-conscious about her talents, she tries out for the reality show and makes it!
In ways, once Sophie makes it to California, this book reminded me of Lauren Conrad’s L.A. Candy trilogy especially when it uncovered just how “unrealistic” reality TV was. Instead of booze and boys, there’s a burn book and a few competitive moments orchestrated by the producers. Sophie is aware of what the producers of the show are trying to do — make TV worth watching and she manages to steer clear and watch what she says. (Although that doesn’t mean these people don’t twist her words when the show finally airs or she doesn’t question the loyalty of her friends at points.) I was happy to see she made two friends right off the bat — the adorable and funny Stan and the focused Shelby. She even reconnects with her mother’s sister, Mary, who owns an organic restaurant on the west coast. There is even the mysterious and European Luc, who sweeps Sophie away and causes her to question her feelings for her bestie, Alex.
Even though the book is description heavy, the pacing is still quick and I got a good handle on who Sophie was as a character. She had a great passion for cooking and she also loved her family. My one qualm were some moments that I felt were glossed over and I would have liked to have either a) more interaction or b) time not to jump so quickly. There’s some sweet innocent romance going on, for sure, (in fact it feels like these kids are 14 and not 16 much of the time) but it never overpowers the true focus of the book: Sophie venturing out on her own and figuring out how she can make the world a better place with her food.
For a feathery, fun read, perfect for the foodie or a person who enjoys spending time in the kitchen — a subject not spotlighted in many the world of YA. Let’s hear it for the pizza!
You know how they say you shouldn’t go to the grocery store on an empty stomach?
The same belief could be applied to reading this book. With all the talk of grand food preparation and the recipes included after each “reality show” challenge, my stomach was constantly grumbling. (Williams included two of my absolute favorite foods too — pizza and eggs benedict!)
Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff… is a very cute novel featuring Sophie, a 16-year old who comes across as very sheltered due to her work at her family’s restaurant. She doesn’t have much experience with boys and it seems like her boy best friend, Alex, is pretty much the only solid friend in her life. (Not including the employees at her dad’s restaurant.) Instead of following in her father’s footsteps, she dreams of being a well-known chef and though she is self-conscious about her talents, she tries out for the reality show and makes it!
In ways, once Sophie makes it to California, this book reminded me of Lauren Conrad’s L.A. Candy trilogy especially when it uncovered just how “unrealistic” reality TV was. Instead of booze and boys, there’s a burn book and a few competitive moments orchestrated by the producers. Sophie is aware of what the producers of the show are trying to do — make TV worth watching and she manages to steer clear and watch what she says. (Although that doesn’t mean these people don’t twist her words when the show finally airs or she doesn’t question the loyalty of her friends at points.) I was happy to see she made two friends right off the bat — the adorable and funny Stan and the focused Shelby. She even reconnects with her mother’s sister, Mary, who owns an organic restaurant on the west coast. There is even the mysterious and European Luc, who sweeps Sophie away and causes her to question her feelings for her bestie, Alex.
Even though the book is description heavy, the pacing is still quick and I got a good handle on who Sophie was as a character. She had a great passion for cooking and she also loved her family. My one qualm were some moments that I felt were glossed over and I would have liked to have either a) more interaction or b) time not to jump so quickly. There’s some sweet innocent romance going on, for sure, (in fact it feels like these kids are 14 and not 16 much of the time) but it never overpowers the true focus of the book: Sophie venturing out on her own and figuring out how she can make the world a better place with her food.
For a feathery, fun read, perfect for the foodie or a person who enjoys spending time in the kitchen — a subject not spotlighted in many the world of YA. Let’s hear it for the pizza!
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-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
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's a nice story. MC didn't win everything, it is a refreshing change from everything being perfect.
If this was a fairy tale, I knew who was Prince Charming.
Even an angel needs to be bad once in a while.
If this was a fairy tale, I knew who was Prince Charming.
Even an angel needs to be bad once in a while.