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A review by lbarsk
Chef's Kiss by TJ Alexander
3.0
So right off the bat let’s just say this — Ray is an eminently charming love interest. If someone made me a sexy balsamic reduction and invented a digital media cooking show for me to do with them so that we could both succeed together, I’d be ALL IN. I love the way Alexander wrote Ray and they just sparkled.
My issue is with Simone, whose narration was just slightly too prickly for my taste. I get wanting to have a cat/dog romance, and I get wanting to show perfectionism making sparks with chaos, but it just felt a little alienating for my taste. I *also* get wanting to show a realistic version of “cis person has trans friends but sometimes still makes mistakes and is willing to learn and do better for those friends and her love interest,” that’s certainly true to life, but those scenes were just a tad cringey for me.
HOWEVER, at about 30% in I did feel that the story got its feet under it and picked up, both steam-wise and fun-wise. And gosh, by the time Alexander gives us the road-trip (MAKING PERFECT PIES— I am taken out back and thrown into the ocean) and Simone caring for Ray post-top surgery, those are great moments. So all in all solid! Just some tone struggles. Also, I would point interested parties to a certain pairing on Ao3 but… I think we all know about that if we’re reading this book. Ray if you’re real and out there in the world please come kiss me, I make a mean challah and could learn to love beer for you.
My issue is with Simone, whose narration was just slightly too prickly for my taste. I get wanting to have a cat/dog romance, and I get wanting to show perfectionism making sparks with chaos, but it just felt a little alienating for my taste. I *also* get wanting to show a realistic version of “cis person has trans friends but sometimes still makes mistakes and is willing to learn and do better for those friends and her love interest,” that’s certainly true to life, but those scenes were just a tad cringey for me.
HOWEVER, at about 30% in I did feel that the story got its feet under it and picked up, both steam-wise and fun-wise. And gosh, by the time Alexander gives us the road-trip (MAKING PERFECT PIES— I am taken out back and thrown into the ocean) and Simone caring for Ray post-top surgery, those are great moments. So all in all solid! Just some tone struggles. Also, I would point interested parties to a certain pairing on Ao3 but… I think we all know about that if we’re reading this book. Ray if you’re real and out there in the world please come kiss me, I make a mean challah and could learn to love beer for you.