A review by starrysteph
Chef's Choice by TJ Alexander

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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