Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
This book has the most generic cover and title of all time BUT now that I've read it I can confidently tell you that it's about two people falling in love on a competitive cooking show! Before you ask, yes they're both into food play. Happy Pride!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
Cheesy in the best sense, literally cheese talk all through. The fact that this is a love story with a non-binary character who uses they/them pronounce — chef’s kiss.
Dahlia just finalized her divorce and is about to go bankrupt, so she decides to reinvent herself and signs up for a reality cooking show. She falls on her face on day one of filming she realizes things might not go as planned. London on the other hand just announced their pronouns on television and is worrying about how everyone including their dad will react. The last thing they want to do is think about is the klutz sharing a cooking station with them.
I really wanted to love this but sadly, I think it was just ok. Overall a very cute concept but for some reason, it fell flat. The characters were enjoyable and the romance was cute but I only cared about what was happening when they were directly interacting. The side characters are weak and I didn't care about what was happening during the competition at all.
The smut was pretty hot, which thank god for that at least. I think if you enjoy cooking or reality tv you might enjoy this more than I did. Something I did think was great it the representation, I feel Anita handled topics such as transphobia and misgendering very well. I would probably give this two stars but because of the way gender is represented in this book I am rounding up.
I really wanted to love this but sadly, I think it was just ok. Overall a very cute concept but for some reason, it fell flat. The characters were enjoyable and the romance was cute but I only cared about what was happening when they were directly interacting. The side characters are weak and I didn't care about what was happening during the competition at all.
The smut was pretty hot, which thank god for that at least. I think if you enjoy cooking or reality tv you might enjoy this more than I did. Something I did think was great it the representation, I feel Anita handled topics such as transphobia and misgendering very well. I would probably give this two stars but because of the way gender is represented in this book I am rounding up.
Cheesy in the best sense, literally cheese talk all through. The fact that this is a love story with a non-binary character who uses they/them pronounce — chef’s kiss.
Around 630pm today I finished dinner and thought, “I’ll read the first few chapters of this book.” It is now 1041pm and I read it. The whole damn thing. In one sitting.
This book is an unbelievable breath of fresh air. Anita Kelly has created a wonderful world infused with a cooking competition, romance, the pressures of living up to your own (or your families) expectations, and I just want more.
London and Dahlia are both contestants on Chef’s Special which in concept sounds a bit like Chopped meets Master Chef? (I’d watch this in real life, obvi).
The story explores London being out as non-binary and the pressures they face from their dad as well as an unwelcoming contestant. Dahlia, a recently divorced queer woman who finds herself drawn more and more to London as the story progresses. It’s funny, witty, charming, and heartfelt.
An absolute delight from cover to cover.
This book is an unbelievable breath of fresh air. Anita Kelly has created a wonderful world infused with a cooking competition, romance, the pressures of living up to your own (or your families) expectations, and I just want more.
London and Dahlia are both contestants on Chef’s Special which in concept sounds a bit like Chopped meets Master Chef? (I’d watch this in real life, obvi).
The story explores London being out as non-binary and the pressures they face from their dad as well as an unwelcoming contestant. Dahlia, a recently divorced queer woman who finds herself drawn more and more to London as the story progresses. It’s funny, witty, charming, and heartfelt.
An absolute delight from cover to cover.
Another pride month read. Still not my usual kind of book but good to see a NB protagonist.
this book was overall… fine. appreciated the nb rep but that was def the highlight of this work. reasons for my rating:
- insta love as fuck. what do you MEAN they competed on a cooking show together and admitted their love for one another within a few weeks?!
- each character’s POV felt superficial to me. i felt like kelly could have delved into london and dahlia’s respective pasts, traumas, etc a bit more. even london’s relationship with their family didn’t feel… fleshed out enough. and this is coming from someone who read ben and julie’s books already
- if a cooking show is going to be the setting, involve it a bit more! i feel like the charm offensive did much more thorough work of incorporating the logistics/background of a tv show, while this one felt like a half baked (pun intended) attempt to frame the story
- i’m already not a fan of PDA but the fact that these two were physical with each other (in varying degrees) in such public places (INCLUDING ON SET?) and then were surprised when people knew about their relationship? oh please
emotional
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
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No