Such a cute and wodnerful story! It's very good at describing what it feels like just getting out of college and struggling to get a job that matches with the degree you just earned. I felt all of those no your not qulified enough/don't have enough experience from those interviews. Ben Cook, yep gotta love a name that goes with the story, was so desperate for a job he started appying for anything and came across a restruant that was hiring. The cute guy behind the counter Liam, the sous chef, let Ben know it is an on the job training and no prior experience needed perfect! The catch though is a 3 weeks testing period to see if Ben has what it takes to live up to the head chefs standards but most importantly to the official taste tester. Ben learns to love cooking and romance is in the air with the cute Liam helping him out along the way. I cannot say enough about how utterly cute this book is! The story is nice and has some twist, like Ben's parents wanting him to go into writing, the thing he majored in and boy what that a roller coaster of emotions. The art is also really nicely done and the food looks so go I was drooling. Get this book if you like cute romances, food, and the post college experiece!




* I received an eARC/e-galley of this book via Netgalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

Very cute graphic novel about finding a job after college, standing up for yourself, and cooking! I definitely recommend this title. It will definitely make it to the shelves of our public library, and I know it will be well-read!

I have a few mixed emotions with this book. I’m not sure if I loved it, but I had a good time overall.
The characters for me are not so memorable and although I did identify with some of the situations that happened there, especially with the professional paths, I felt that something was missing. I’m not sure if that was because I didn’t read the final version, or if it’s going to continue but it just felt a bit off. The story had a lot of skips and I’m not sure what happened.

One thing I can tell for sure is that I LOVED the piggy story. At first, the character felt weird but that part was very funny and definitely the best part of this book. Only for that part, I would recommend it to everyone.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for this ARC.

I greatly enjoyed reading this. The art, characters, dialogue, the story itself! Definitely a book I'll be adding to my personal collection and recommending being added to the library I work at.

Okay, I LOVED this! I was laughing the whole time, between the characters being self-aware, the dialogue and jokes, and VLAD THE INHALER, I'm totally sold! The art was expressive and bright and the characters were well-rounded, lovable, and relatable. I also really appreciated the text choices; the highlighted bubble and the use of font changes (like bold, italics, uneven lettering) worked well to convey different feelings and emotions. Also, as a vegetarian, I appreciate the food choices, they look like they taste amazing! (I would even be interested in a recipe or two if possible.) Reading this was amazing, *Chef's Kiss*

Thank you NetGalley, Jarrett Melendez, and OniPress for the ARC.

Let's be real. The romance was adorable, but come on. Watson! That cute little pig came and stole the entire show! The art style was pretty, and I loved the characters. The cooking and food had my mouth watering! When this is published, I will be buying it for my personal collection for when I need a cute and cozy romance.

What a sweet romance this was. A very relatable book, through and through: Melendez perfectly captures so many different experiences here: struggling to find work after college, living inside your own head, navigating family expectations, and falling in love. I found the depiction of that post-college experience-- that heady mélange of vulnerability and invincibility-- to be very poignant. Our protagonist, Ben, is deeply relatable and extremely likeable, and he is surrounded by an array of friends and roommates who both support and challenge him. The art is beautiful and the writing superb-- every character is rendered unique and layered and interesting. Loved this!

I received an e-copy of this on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel follows graduates starting their lives in the real world. Ben is the odd one out of his group - moves into apartment jobless and can't find his way into his field. Then he spots a hiring sign for a restaurant with no experience needed. There he meets Liam😍 and is hired under the agreement that if he passes each weeks ‘test’ of making something from the menu and the pig eats it then he survives another week. Ben has very controlling parents who believe that they decide their child’s career path and what’s best for them and are trying to get involved in everything. Will Ben follow his parents wishes or follow his passion (and heart).
This also had a very cute ending and I’m very happy with it and enjoyed this. I think I’ll pick a physical copy of this up at some point in the near future.

One of my favourite graphic novel of this year!

Its sweet, adorable and the same time manages to send a message to the youth, that sometimes it's fun to follow an unexpected path in your life. All the characters are amazing and play an important role throughout, but I don't think anyone can beat Watson!

And if a pig is my favorite character, you can imagine how much fun this book is!

Thank You NetGalley and Oni Press for this ARC!

This was a cute LGBTQ+ book about finding your passion. We all have dreams and aspirations but sometimes they can suffocate us. Our main character loves writing but gets stumped when he can't land a job in the field - he does however finally land a job at a restaurant with a really hunky sous chef.

Finding a passion - a passion for cooking.

Thank you to OniPress for sending me this ARC.

Okay this was really stinking cute!! Ben is such a sweet little bean, he deserves nothing but happiness!

I was really drawn in from the first page. We are introduced to the cast of characters on the first page – 4 friends who are moving in together after entering a new chapter of their lives. Ben Cook is job-hunting as is struggling to find something as an aspiring author, when he stumbles upon a restaurant that is hiring. The rest is history! The art style is also wonderful, it’s really pretty! And all the food, yummm. This was all in all a really cute graphic novel about drifting after getting your degree, feeling torn between parental expectations and a job that turned out to bring more joy than you even thought possible. The romance was also so cute and wholesome. But my favourite thing might have been the friendships between Ben and his friends.

I highly recommend this! Especially if you enjoy graphic novels and stories about finding yourself after finishing school.

This story was super cute! I loved all of the characters and I hope there are more to come from this group. The art is so well done, it's vibrant and has a great comic feel. I'm definitely going to purchase this for my library and I hope to see more from the author and artists.

It is such a cute and fun book! super easy read and I would give it to my young teen cousins to read. I think some bits are particularly long and I would avoid the use of the word 'senpai' it seems a bit cringe-y and I don't know actual people my age who talk like that (but I could be very wrong).

I liked the pacing and I wish there was some sort of end bit where he spoke to his parents.

This was so cute! We all know how I feel about cooking and baking books and to have it in a new adult graphic novel was extremely fun to read. I loved all the characters and we really were able to get a sense of who each character was which is a big feat for 160 page graphic novel.

I unfortunately really didn’t connect with this book for two main reasons.
It uses a lot of humor that isn’t my sense of humor, so the funny moments felt annoying or nonsensical to me instead of funny like they were intended to and like they might be to someone with a more similar sense of humor.
I also really couldn’t connect with the characters. This is partially because some aspects were supposed to be funny, but I also missed reasons why the characters did what they did. You only ever really got that for Ben, the main character, and his motivations and characteristics didn’t make sense for me. For example he stays home to practice cooking for his job instead of celebrating his friend’s promotion as he claims to have no idea what he is doing, but within a week he massively improves that recipe in a way none of the professional chefs could come up with. It didn’t feel believable that anyone could improve that much that fast.

A gorgeously illustrated graphic novel about finding your way in the world once you have graduated and it's time to take the next step.
After running face first into the reality of all new graduates - every entry level job needs experience, Ben Cook takes a job in a quirky kitchen with a sexy Sous chef. It was never the plan, or the dream, but sometimes life takes you places you wouldn't expect.

This novel has it all: beautiful artwork, droolworthy food, a sweet as pie romance, and that heartwarming feeling of finding your way in the world with the support of your friends.

This was an absolute pleasure to read, which I heartily recommend to lovers of a visual romance. If they ever did an animated or love action adaptation, I'd be there for that too!

A beautifully illustrated story filled with loveable humour and characters I’d love to be friends with.

No one knows exactly what’s in store for them, especially after graduating from university. When Ben Cook finds himself failing to get anything close to his dream editing job, he takes a chance on a kitchen in order to make a wage. But what he finds there is the passion his life has been missing and it doesn’t hurt that there’s a very charming boy determined to see Ben succeed.

For a story filled with quirky elements like a taste-testing pig and Ben’s “fairy conscience”, it was remarkably relatable. The tension between Ben and his friends is only natural for a tight group all being pulled in different directions and equally wanting the best for each other while making sure not to leave someone behind to settle. I would love to see more of all of these well-rounded characters. Not to mention the deliciously drawn scenes filled with sweets and treats enough to make the reader ready to eat.

A wonderfully honest story that is sure to leave readers hungry for more, in every sense.

I have been looking forward to getting to this graphic novel on my TBR for some time, and genuinely it lived up to my own hype as it brings together some of my favourite things, food, cute romance and incredibly intelligent pigs.

A range of diverse characters set the scene for Ben who after many years of studying something his parents want him to study, he then chooses something he wants to study for himself and finds his feet in a kitchen full of really well-crafted characters and a friendship group of people I’d like to hang out with.

Maybe I am a little biased, but I loved all the women that surround Ben in this comic, Liz, his best friend since he was a kid, Rachel talking in ye olde English and Emilia who has no chill and I love her for it. The romance story burns through the first volume and is done so well to not overpower all the other stories being told with his friends – with such a big cast, the balance is kept incredibly well throughout I think and I hope we get to see them grow as this comic goes on.

Accompanying this great story is such incredible art, this comic will have the same effect as watching Bake Off does, you will need a snack, cake, anything edible next to you, while reading this.I need ‘tart me up’ right now in the great words of a chef.

A great first volume, I’d love to read more soon!

Chef's Kiss was a fun graphic novel with a lively art style and cute romance. The characters were charming and seem like the kind of people you'd want to be friends with right after college. I think readers will appreciate the book's messages about being who you are and living life on your own terms - the quote "I know [my parents] gave it to me, but I'm the one who has to live this life" will really stick with me. I don't think this is meant to be a realistic depiction of restaurant work (though the food looked delicious!), but it's some good escapism we can probably all use these days. The conflicts were easily resolved in a way that seldom happens in life - again, sometimes it's nice to read a story where everything turns out better than expected! I think this book fits well in the new adult space and would be great for fans of queer characters finding a happy ending.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.
This was a very fun read and I really enjoyed it! The characters and the story was great. I liked how the character’s struggles were real, the pressure to find a job and your parents. I would recommend this to everyone looking for a cute quick read!