Thanks NetGalley for sending me an advanced copy to read and review!
This was adorable! Whacky, funny, relatable, a little weird at times, but just such an easy comfort read all round. And you better read it with a snack because it’ll make you hungry.
4 stars

This book was cute. Really, really cute.
We follow Ben, a recent English college graduate, as he tries to get a job with no job experience. Yep, hell itself, basically. He has some really supportive friends and a highly pressuring family, and he thinks he wants to work in something related to writing or reading. But the only job he gets is in a really peculiar restaurant where every new dish is tasted and approver by an endearing pib named Watson.
Also, Ben is gay and quickly develops a crush on his coworker Liam, and is adorable.
The only thing that I didn't really like was how descriptive it was of all the food and the cooking. I mean, I know it's important for the character, but as a reader I don't like finding so much descriptive text in a graphic novel.
But I really liked the story and characters anyway.

This was so cuteeeee. I have such a soft spot for stories that have to do with cooking and baking, so I am not surprised I loved this.
The colours and art style were super nice, they made me feel happy just by looking at the pages. The food looked super tasty and I really enjoyed the character design. The pg was the cutest thing ever and I honestly would read a graphic novel about him.
In general, the story was heartwarming and wholesome, while also dealing with a topic which is very close to me, that is what should you do once you’ve graduated? How many of your choices are actually yours and how many are influenced by outside factors, be it your parents or social pressure?
The characters were also nice and they all had a personality, even if of course some had more than others, seeing as we are following Ben’s adventures. I would love more books in this series, companions about the other characters and an actual sequel would both be nice.
I highly recommend this graphic novel if you liked Bloom or if you are looking for some new adult comics, as it is a target often forgotten by the publishing world. It’s nice to read about children, teens and full grown adults, but sometimes I need to see characters in their twenties, struggling with life like me, to feel represented. Yay to more twenty-somethings in fiction.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC, can’t wait to buy myself a finished copy.

This book was an absolute goddamn delight.

Ben Cook is a recent college graduate who is struggling to find work. When he ends up getting employment at a local restaurant with a boss who has completely inane requests but also a hot sous chef, he works hard to figure out what he really wants to do, and maybe the path he's always gone down isn't what he really wants.

The art for this is amazing. I loved the friends' stories (all of them! They were all so wonderful!). The co-workers were a delight. THE PIG. THE FUCKING PIG (the line "He was bitten by a radioactive reviewer" got me to laugh out loud on the subway). So much about this book was really quite a treat.

I had a few lmao world building moments because Ben's parents show up to argue that they spend so much money for a lucrative career in...publishing? They definitely have connections, but out of all the things, they picked /publishing???/ That also got me to laugh.

As a graphic novel, some of the text felt too long, if that's a thing. It definitely felt like reading a short novella and despite the beautiful art, kind of pulled me out.

Also I usually dislike co-workers to lovers stories because what! if! Something! Goes! Wrong!!!! but Liam was lovely. I really liked him and Ben together. But I wanted a little more of Liam and his backstory but what we got was nice.

And finally, while I loved the ending (so cute!) it wrapped up really neatly. I left wanting more.

But overall, a super adorable graphic novel that I will 100% be buying when it comes out !

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

CHEF'S KISS is an incredibly adorable graphic novel about Ben Cook - he grew up being pushed into the writing industry, and now that he has graduated, he cannot find a writing job. After taking a probationary chef job, Ben gets to know the sous-chef Liam and himself a bit more...
CHEF'S KISS is one of the best new adult novels I have, let alone one of my new favorite graphic novels. The illustrations are magnificent, bringing to mind FLAMER and BLOOM. The food made my mouth water and the cute queer romance made my eyes join in. Please read CHEF'S KISS if you are a fan of graphic novels, food-related stories, and queer romances.

Sigh. Chef's Kiss is pretty to look at (art below) but it's really shallowly developed. The opening scenes consist of Ben moving in with three roommates shortly after graduating from college. He applies to and interviews for lots of writing and editing jobs before stumbling upon a job opening at a nearby vegetarian restaurant. Thus begins a drawn out plot in which Ben has to cook three existing dishes and develop one new one for the restaurant and get approval of the chef's pig, Watson.


I was excited for Chef's Kiss because I love romance comics and have a restaurant background and hey, there's a pig! But the reality is that the story is boring and the romance is nearly non-existent. The creators clearly loved writing and illustrating the cooking scenes, but that's not what I thought I was signing up for and it took me two weeks to read a 160 page graphic novel. Not ideal. As for the romance, it's between Ben and the sous-chef, Liam. One of my issues with Chef's Kiss is that the power imbalance is never addressed. Liam is a few years older than Ben and he's Ben's direct supervisor. I guess they're not together until Ben passes his tests and is officially hired, but to not mention it at all in the entire book felt wrong. I spent years working for crappy bosses who hooked up with all the staff to think this is a non-issue. Most of those people (everyone I'm thinking of is a woman but I'm sure it's not limited by gender) were in low-paying, part-time jobs with no security or benefits. After the relationship/hookups ended, they often felt they couldn't stay employed at that restaurant and left. Surprising no one, the sous-chefs, pastry chefs and exec. chefs never left for the same reason...


Then again, the romance isn't the focus of this comic. If post-college coming of age plots and cooking are your jam, you might like this a lot!


***

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher for review.

This graphic novel is ADORABLE! Ben is a recent college grad who is trying to find his career, but is struggling to choose between what is expected of him and what he really wants for himself. An adorable cast of friends, queer romance, and a feisty food tasting piglet?! I’m all in. I really love the message of this book, and the focus on friendship. And of course I would read an entire series of books about Ben and Liam! I don’t pick up a ton of graphic novels, but I’m so glad I got this one, it was such a quick but fun read, thank you to Netgalley for the Arc.

What I loved about Chef's Kiss is not only the gorgeous illustrations, but the way that it felt so utterly relatable. We have these ideas about how our future will be when we graduate. Then we see others living the dreams we all talked about and then we look at our life. We wonder what happened. And Chef's Kiss presents not only a realistic look at this situation, but also a journey to finding our passions and unexpected joys.

Chef's Kiss is a celebration of finding our joy. Of realizing that not everything is direct and that the journey can sometimes show us more about who we are. Additionally, Chef's Kiss is charming from the beginning, it has a PIG! The character relationships are quirky and hilarious. I just want to spend so much time with them!

4 sweet stars

This story is about. He lives with Rachel, Liz and Tom. Ben is originally a write, but he can't seem to get a job, so he ends up getting a job at a restaurant. Here he meets, Liam who is the souschef, and Emily and Mal.

While this story was so cute and sweet. It had some very hostile environment at the restaurant, that I didn't really like. The owner and headchef was a bit of an ass in the beginning, but in the end he ended up supporting Ben and his dream. And I really didn't like Ben's parents at all.

Thanks to netgally for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review

This was a really cute graphic novel with beautiful art and engaging characters! I have rounded up from 4.5 - I would've liked a bit more of an ending - but still a great read

What a cute story! I loved this so much. This slice of life story and the characters are so relatable.

Join Ben as he sets out after college to figure out what he wants to do with his life. A daunting task if there ever was one. After getting rejected by many professional level jobs in writing, he decides to answer a help wanted sign at a restaurant. What started as a hobby and fun pass time quickly turns into a passion - and its not just the hot guy Liam making it so.

The characters are all facing new and uncertain futures. Some of them have gotten their dream job right out of college, some decided to stay in college, and others are pursuing interests outside their original majors and disappointing parents. But such is life! I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book and watching as each character stumbles through life's many challenges, figure out who they are, what they want, and fall in love.

Super cute story and the art is really nice to look at. 10/10 would recommend several times over.

This was so dang cute. From the first sentence to the final panel, I was entertained and invested. It reminded me of Food Wars a bit. I loved the journey Ben takes for his passions.

The pig is my favorite character.

This was a fast and fun read! Ben and his friends are all ready to enter the “real world” except that Ben can’t find a job as a copywriter to start his career as a writer. He accepts a job in a kitchen to hold him over and falls for the job and the dreamy sous chef Liam.
I loved the characters and the illustrations. I did occasionally find some scenes to be a bit long winded but overall a cute and sweet story.

*ARC given via Netgalley, thank you!*

This was very cute. We follow Ben Cook as he tries to find a job in writing, but is unsuccesful. On a whim he takes a job at a restaurant, and seems to fall in love with cooking.
I really enjoyed both the art and the story, and I'd definitely read a follow up to this purely for the food, romance, and for Watson. I'd also love to learn more about Ben's three roommates, because I'm curious about their personalities as welll.

Thanks again, Oni Press!

This was such a cute story. I'm new to the world of graphic novels, and this is a great addition to the one's I've read. I really enjoyed that it wasn't just a fully white group of people and the comedic use of the head chef pig was really well done. The relationship between Ben and Liam was so adorable and showcased a cute side of the gay experience, uncertainty if the other person is gay or not, pining away, and the moment of realization that "oh, they are gay". Overall this graphic novel was a nice quick read, and I hope there's more to come from this series!

This was such a cute and delicious graphic novel. It's not usual reading about characters who just finished college and are starting to move into the world of work and responsibilities.
Ben's journey is not different from the one if many people who studied one thing then got passionate about something totally different. He was kind of "forced" to look for job outside what he studied because everyone want experience but how can you get experience without people giving you a change to earn this experience? It's messed up! So yeah, he ended up training as a cook and he loved it! He is talented and isn't afraid to take risks.

I really enjoyed it and the romance side was small but still very sweet!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

If Milo from Atlantis was a chef and gay(er) (let’s be real, he had ✨bi✨wife✨energy✨).

Okay…what is up with Watson the pig? Because I am kind of obsessed with him and his owner… I loved their little side story. It made me laugh. 11/10.

I really liked the art style. It complemented the story well and was super cute.

The transitions between scenes seem kind of abrupt especially when someone is cussing out the main character mid task and then the next page is of the gang at a German themed restaurant drinking beer.

Even though the romance was really cute and thoughtful, I wish there was a tad bit more moments between the two where they actually get a second to flirt. If there was more, then it would have made his parents claims about him only wanting the job because of the love interest somewhat true. Instead, it seems odd that Ben would even entertain that train of thought, because at that point the time spent with Liam is equal or even less than the time he spent with the other characters.

I also feel like Tom didn’t fit in well. Maybe if him and Rachel had been more involved/spent more time with each other then it could have paralleled how well Ben and Liz get along. I did really like their friendship. I appreciate that Ben and Liz both put in effort to make sure the other person was happy and supported and that it wasn’t a one-way street.

A delightful, breezy title perfect for teens and adults. Chef's Kiss follows Ben Cook as he navigates post-college living while starting a new job as a cook. The main conflicts are relatable for older readers and educational for high school and college aged students. The struggles between friends, parents and oneself during a time of change is deftly handled with humor and charm.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a copy of this! I was super excited to read this because it looked amazing (both the artwork and the synopsis). I enjoy reading this type of graphic novel so much! That said, and regarding the content of the story, this book was super fun to read! I saw myself reflected in the main character so much; an english degree and barely any experience in the real world. I am glad it ended up working for him!!
The characters were super likable and the pig was the best! The illustrations looked amazing and the food looked so delicious.

2.5 stars. I received an ARC of this graphic novel through Netgalley.

I really enjoyed aspects of this: the art style was fun, it was easy to read and digest, and it had a few sweet moments between friends and mentors. I also thought the creation of the different dishes was creative and exciting and definitely made me wish I was able to eat them. One of my main issues was that a lot of the characters felt one note. The friends/roommates Ben lived with all felt like a copy and paste of each other and each of the chef's at the restaurant also felt pretty surface level.

I also felt like a few of the scenes were too long and other scenes weren't long enough. For example, the scene with the explanation of the pig between the owner of the restaurant and Ben felt out of place and the yoga scene was boring and tonally off compared to the rest of the story. I loved the scenes with Ben and Liam and I wish those would have taken up that extra space and allowed for more character development.

Overall a quick and fun LGBTQ+ read. I definitely would recommend this graphic novel to people who love food and the process that goes into making food!