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dreezy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
Minor: Biphobia, Blood, and Car accident
atreegrowsinbooks's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
AHHH I loved this book! I think I liked this one just slightly better than its sequel (I read them out of order but you can really read them in either order).
I loved the banter between characters, especially between Simone and Ray. At first Simone got on my nerves. It first appears that she has somewhat of an ego, but we soon learn that she's of course a flawed human and doesn't like change to her workplace. They also struggle with changing pronouns for Ray when Ray comes out as enby at work. Simone struggles with misgendering at first, and those bits are really enjoying. I get that when Simone first meets Ray, they haven't come out so their pronouns are unknown. But, I am glad that the misgendering doesn't take over the story. The slow burn between Ray and Simone is SLOW. You almost don't notice it until right at the end. Personally would have liked a little more burn.
I wish that we got a dual POV in this story, because I'd really like to hear what is going on in Ray's head. We don't get a ton of inner thoughts from them, and I think the story would have benefited from their perspective a bit more.
I thought it was really interesting to have a top surgery be a main plot point. I enjoyed that there are people around Ray that root for them and are on their side.
Also it goes without saying, but this story was very funny. I laughed so many times. I think the funniness also benefited from having a great narrator! Overall such a cute story, would recommend for those looking for diverse queer romances.
I loved the banter between characters, especially between Simone and Ray. At first Simone got on my nerves. It first appears that she has somewhat of an ego, but we soon learn that she's of course a flawed human and doesn't like change to her workplace. They also struggle with changing pronouns for Ray when Ray comes out as enby at work. Simone struggles with misgendering at first, and those bits are really enjoying. I get that when Simone first meets Ray, they haven't come out so their pronouns are unknown. But, I am glad that the misgendering doesn't take over the story. The slow burn between Ray and Simone is SLOW. You almost don't notice it until right at the end. Personally would have liked a little more burn.
I wish that we got a dual POV in this story, because I'd really like to hear what is going on in Ray's head. We don't get a ton of inner thoughts from them, and I think the story would have benefited from their perspective a bit more.
I thought it was really interesting to have a top surgery be a main plot point. I enjoyed that there are people around Ray that root for them and are on their side.
Also it goes without saying, but this story was very funny. I laughed so many times. I think the funniness also benefited from having a great narrator! Overall such a cute story, would recommend for those looking for diverse queer romances.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Medical content
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual content
pingwoh's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
is it good? no not really
did i enjoy it? yes
if you want to read about test kitchen romances and almost over-the-top kinds of villains (and a questionable understanding of youtube virality) then this is for you
did i enjoy it? yes
if you want to read about test kitchen romances and almost over-the-top kinds of villains (and a questionable understanding of youtube virality) then this is for you
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism and Lesbophobia
grace_b_3's review against another edition
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Transphobia, and Medical content
g_c_geeks's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A cute queer romance, and I loved Ray and the filming crew. But, I didn’t love Simone, and didn’t entirely believe the chemistry between the two. I feel like their relationship and feelings kinda came from nowhere?? Oh well, still enjoyable enough, with some nice messages about being yourself and standing up for what’s right.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Transphobia
albare's review
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
rockcommander's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
adorable! grumpy type A chef x sunshine extrovert kitchen manager was a very cute pairing and i found this book very readable and entertaining even though there was very little smut (until the end) . always impressed when a romance novel can stand on its own without smut.
it could be a little cheesy at times, and the transphobia got a little intense. but overall pretty good representation of trans stuff and good examples of how cis people should (& shouldn’t!) manage their emotions. the food all sounded delicious and i loved lisette and simone and ray :)
it could be a little cheesy at times, and the transphobia got a little intense. but overall pretty good representation of trans stuff and good examples of how cis people should (& shouldn’t!) manage their emotions. the food all sounded delicious and i loved lisette and simone and ray :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Abandonment
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Racism
booksandcurlz's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Chef's kiss was a really cute book. This book was genuinely the slowest burn romance that I have ever read, which is fine. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and their quirks. The banter between the main characters was funny, and I loved that he "flaws" of one character was learning to navigate around putting her foot in her mouth.
If you are looking for something lighthearted, with witty banter, then this might be for you.
If you are looking for something lighthearted, with witty banter, then this might be for you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Deadnaming, Sexism, and Transphobia
chrisb913's review
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia
sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
challenging
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
3.75
There were lots of things I loved, including Ray as a whole, an enby love interest, the found family, exploration of gender and performative workplaces, the food descriptions, and top surgery representation. I felt a lot of this was done well and I was invested in that part of the story. However, some things didn't sit great with me. In particular, I didn't particularly like Simone as a character and this this would've been amazing from Ray's point of view. Simone's early inbuilt prejudices against herself and Ray were never completely addressed, which I felt cheapened some of the discussions around misgendering and transphobia/homophobia, and she was also just kind of rude a lot of the time for no real reason. She did get a character arc and these behaviours stopped but I felt that she never really took responsibility for the fact that she was doing these things in the first place, which would've made it better for me. This took me out of the romance and meant I didn't care too much for it by the end. In saying this, it felt like the romance was a small portion of this story overall, so I did have an enjoyable time overall and the more I think back on this, the more the good parts stick out for me over the parts I didn't enjoy as much, so I'm sitting at about a 3.75 stars at the moment. I would recommend this if solely for the representation of an enby love interest!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Minor: Alcohol