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kelly_e's review
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."
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."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dysphoria, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Sexual content, and Medical content
Minor: Alcohol, Classism, Cursing, and Panic attacks/disorders
arlangrey17's review
funny
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? Yes
5.0
I loved this! T4T! Food romance! Fake dating! So many good things. I enjoyed but didn't love Chef's Kiss, so I was a little wary of this one, but I absolutely loved it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
jazhandz's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Sexual harassment and Dysphoria
sarahyjackson's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Dysphoria, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual harassment
Minor: Deadnaming
starrysteph's review against another edition
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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Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Transphobia, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
missb_reads's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This story was so sweet and charming, I couldn't get enough. I loved Chef's Kiss, but this story brought a whole new level to my love for TJ Alexander's writing. Luna was such a fun side-character in the first book, and seeing her get the romance of her dreams was truly swoon worthy. The relationship between Luna and Jean-Pierre was sweet and challenging and created space for each of them to be more of themselves. What more could you ask for?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Sexual harassment
gummifrog's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
God I loved this book! Not only is it deeply refreshing to see trans characters take the spotlight for a romance in a way that feels natural and respectful, but this book is a damn good romance to boot. JT Alexander is extremely talented - the sexual and romantic tension is palpable on every page, the food writing is exquisite, and Luna's interior dialogue is hilarious and relatable. I highly recommend this for a fast read, especially if you need something to lift your spirits!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Transphobia and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual harassment and Emotional abuse
uranaishi's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Body shaming, Violence, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Transphobia
Minor: Abandonment, Blood, Dysphoria, Medical content, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
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