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offservicebookrecs 's review for:
Chef's Kiss
by Jarrett Melendez
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Yes
Have you ever applied for entry-level jobs that somehow also require three years of experience? If you have, you're among friends - Ben Cook, freshly graduated English major, is out of luck, quickly running out of money, and has no idea how he's supposed to gain relevant experience if no one will hire him. When he literally stumbles across a job ad that *finally* throws a lifeline to the unexperienced, he jumps ship from copywriting to cooking, and he's surprisingly pretty good at it! What he's not good at is navigating a serious crush on one of the other chefs, Liam, and as he grapples with his heart, the stresses of cooking, and his tangled relationships with his friends and parents, he finds himself at a crossroads - and must pick between the life he's planned for, or the life that's unfurled in the garden of necessity.
This was a ridiculously cute story that hard-launched me back to my early post-college and restaurant days, and if the hit of nostalgia wasn't enough, the exploration of young adulthood and making your own choices was such a pleasant surprise and really added a je-ne-sais-quoi to this cute cooking meet-cute. There was found family, the 20-something late nights and early hangover mornings realness, the fight-and-make-up that you (hopefully) learn to navigate in young adulthood, flirting, parental push-back, suspending disbelief around a semi-sentient pig, and the most delicious dishes (spoiler alert you will need to head to your nearest local eatery after finishing this book). I also loved the addition of the recipes Ben Cooked (pun intended) in the back of the deluxe edition, and I am so glad that there's another book in the works for this year because I am 12/10 ready to dive back into this cute af universe!
This was a ridiculously cute story that hard-launched me back to my early post-college and restaurant days, and if the hit of nostalgia wasn't enough, the exploration of young adulthood and making your own choices was such a pleasant surprise and really added a je-ne-sais-quoi to this cute cooking meet-cute. There was found family, the 20-something late nights and early hangover mornings realness, the fight-and-make-up that you (hopefully) learn to navigate in young adulthood, flirting, parental push-back, suspending disbelief around a semi-sentient pig, and the most delicious dishes (spoiler alert you will need to head to your nearest local eatery after finishing this book). I also loved the addition of the recipes Ben Cooked (pun intended) in the back of the deluxe edition, and I am so glad that there's another book in the works for this year because I am 12/10 ready to dive back into this cute af universe!