You're going to want to try making all of the dishes mentioned in this! The food looks incredible and the story is so freaking cute. Ben and his friends moved into their new place. They're all trying to figure out what's going to happen next for them. He finds himself in front of a restaurant that's got nothing to do with his English degree.

A very fun read! The story tackles the struggles of leaving academia and trying to fit your education into the real world workforce. An enjoyable story, it has some really strange yet funny elements that remind you of the absurdity of the whole situation, including the characters breaking the fourth wall!!

Delightful!

I received an electronic ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Chef's Kiss is a quick and charming read with so much heart. Recent English grad Ben Cook is at a crossroads when he finds himself overly enthusiastic but apparently under qualified for all the jobs in his career path. After a series of disheartening interviews, he lands a preliminary job at a local restaurant and must pass a series of culinary challenges to secure it. But along the way he has to wrestle with his warring desire to pursue work in the career path he initially planned, or decide to pursue a growing passion. Add in the complication of Liam, a dreamy chef at the restaurant, and the choice is further complicated.

As a recent English lit grad myself, I saw so much of myself in this story and I couldn't help but relate to Ben's struggle between expectation and warring passions. The series of interviews he undergoes are all so entirely realistic that I've sat through some of them. I particularly loved the relationships Jones cultivated between Ben's group of friends, who helped keep the Ben's character centered while also spurring forth his growth throughout the story. They were so lovingly crafted. That, and throw in the delightful absurdity of a taste testing pig and a beautiful art style, and I was completely hooked. I flew through this graphic novel and had so much fun doing it. I would recommend Chef's Kiss to anyone who's looking for their place in the post grad world, but also for anyone who is looking for just a really light and fluffy way to spend a couple hours.

This was very cute and I really wish I'd loved it, but it was a tad too silly for my tastes. It's also crowded with too many characters, and while I really liked the central conflict (Ben's career choice pressure) it felt very surface-level and underdeveloped. (That yoga scene was wayyy too long for the length of this comic.) But the artwork is adorable, the layout is clean, and some of the dialogue was quite funny. 2.5 stars

TW: overbearing parents, unemployment

So very fun and cute. I had a great time and it was the perfect refresher to read right before a month of horror.

4.5 stars.
Thank you so much Netgalley and Oni Press for this e-arc.
Ben Cook just finished his English degree on university and now is looking for a job. But no one will hire him unless he has professional experience first, so Ben has to look for whatever job he can get now to make some money and keep looking for his dream job. He stars working on a restaurant where he meets Liam, one of the chefs there. His work there makes him question everything he has prepared for and to decide what path he wants to follow now.

This was such a beautiful, heartwarming graphic novel. I wish it was longer! The illustrations reminds me of some the modern Marvel comics, realistic and visually amazing.
The story focus mainly on cooking and friendship and I really liked that but I wish it had focused more on the romance. There is some romance though and it's so cute! I really ship this couple and smiled like a dork while reading this comic.
The friendship between Ben, Liz, Rachel and Tom was so adorable! I love a good group of friends that are like siblings. I really liked that they were so supportive of each other.
The ending was short and I really wished there was an epilogue. I know this is a standalone comic but I'm crossing my fingers so there will be a volume two focusing on Ben & Liam relationship and Liz, Rachel and Tom careers and lives.
I really recommend this beautiful graphic novel to anyone! It's tagged as New Adult because of the "after university" life but you can read it as a young adult since it's G rated (all audiences).
Can't wait to read more of this author!

This was so good! I had a blast reading this amazing graphic novel about young Ben, recently graduated from college and trying to make his way in the world. Nothing goes as planned, but he stumbles upon a restaurant job, a cute chef named Liam, and an even cuter pig named Watson! This was a heartfelt story about finding your passion, being there for your friends, and falling in love. Perfect for fans of the Heartstopper series!

Ben is trying to find a job as a writer after finishing his English degree. He quickly learns this is harder than it seems. He decides to settle for working in a restaurant until he finds something better. There he meets Liam...

super quick easy and fun read. The book was very quirky — this is probably the first time I use that word in a positive way. I love the concept of new adult comics. The entire story was quite relatable, but written in a fun way. Oh and I absolutely LOVE Watson. The only thing is that I wish the story was longer, because I NEED MORE!!!!

This book is an absolute delight! It does an excellent job of capturing what the first phase of adulthood is like, as people navigate jobs, friendships, and relationships. It is beautifully drawn and the characters and the story are charming.

Highly recommended!

I received an ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for a review.

Chef's Kiss was a cute queer story about a post grad man unable to find a job in his field of study. The artwork was attractively done, and the panels easily flowed together without being cookie-cutter. I enjoyed seeing references to how difficult it is to get a start in most industries, and the difficulties one might might experienced with wanting to please one's parents. The MC, Ben, was likeable, but a bit bland. The side characters have some variety, but are mainly there to fill space outside the main storyline. Overall, this was enjoyable, but not nuanced. Readable, but not something I would re-read.

Appealing art and storyline will be compelling to a gen z audience but maybe not by millenials... it remains to be seen.

Chef's Kiss was a perfectly delightful read. It follows college graduate Ben Cook as he attempts to make it in the writing world... and ends up in the restaurant business.

The illustrations were absolutely gorgeous, and I fell for Ben and Liam right away. However, the real showstopper was Watson, the adorable food critic, who also happens to be a pig. The addition of his character to the graphic novel was an interesting choice, but it was a wonderful way to embed some humor into the story.

The story itself is completely relatable for many people, including me; Ben, a recently-graduated English major, goes to 17 different interviews trying to get a job in the writing world. When every job requires at least a few years of experience, though, it can be hard (if not downright impossible) to be hired. At wit's end, he stumbles upon a "Help Wanted" sign on the outside of a restaurant and feels compelled to apply. His life changes as he meets Liam, Chef, and a whole other cast of characters that make him feel at home.

While I enjoyed reading this graphic novel, I was a bit thrown off by the toxic atmosphere that Chef creates in his kitchen. The hazing Ben must go through was not entirely enjoyable for me to read, even though I'm sure it was meant to be a silly, humorous addition to the story. And the lack of resolution with his disappointed parents was... well, disappointing. Lastly, I have to address the romance. The slow burn between Ben and Liam was TOO slow! I love how well they got to know each other, but I was bummed about how little we got to see them actually together.

Like I said- this book was perfectly delightful! Its gorgeous illustrations and delicate handling of serious topics made it stand out to me.

Special thanks to NetGalley for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

Chef's Kiss is a cute, bite-sized little graphic novel about a jobless writer who stumbles upon an opening at a local fine dining establishment run by a callous old chef and his pig Watson. (I'm so serious, the premise is amazing.) While he trains under the mentorship of the restaurant's unreasonably attractive sous chef, things start to heat up in the kitchen in more ways than one.

I absolutely loved the art style of this book. It's so well drawn I had to stop and really look at some of the pages to fully appreciate them. The characters are lively and unique, the settings are perfectly designed — really, the atmosphere is there. But the story itself was kind of flat, and I felt the ending was rushed and abrupt. It's very much a complete and total happily ever after, which can be nice depending on where you are in your life, but it didn't really do anything spectacular for me. I loved the experience of reading this story, but probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if it were a traditional novel or short story.

I do recommend this, if only for Ben Cook's adorableness, and since it's such a short read it's pretty inconsequential. So much work clearly went into it that I think it's worth supporting the artists and author.

It's soooo heartwarming, cute and adorable. The kind of book you can read confortably in a couch with a hot drink, and ans smile from page one to the last. Almost everybody is well meaning with Ben, and seeing him being this young and shy guy lost in adulthood is relatable.

Chef's Kiss is a wonderful graphic novel about a young man finding his way in his life and career. Our main character always thought he would be a writer, but he struggled to find any work in the writing world. One day, he sees an advertisement to work in a restaurant and he applies, thinking that it will just be a stop-gap job until he lands a job in his field.

Chef's Kiss was so fun to read. I loved each of the characters, they all had such big, vibrant personalities and were such a joy to read. I picked this one up amidst a very stressful and busy time in my life and it just brought me so much happiness and peace.

It's definitely one I think will stick with me, and I urge anyone to pick it up for a quick, fun, adorable romance.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this graphic novel in exchange of an honest review.

This delightful graphic novel that takes place in that awkward period of life post-college. The story follows Ben Cook, a recent English major college grad, who is feeling a bit lost after school. He's dealing with heavy personal and family expectations while experiencing the excitements and disappointments of navigating the adult world solo for the first time. He stumbles into a restaurant job, and discovers he loves the work . . . and well, there's also this adorable co-worker. The story includes lots of fun banter between roommates and co-workers. Yet, you get a sense of something deeper -- the roommates support and care for one another, and restaurant co-workers are tough, but ultimately kind. This sweet coming of age/romance graphic novel has heart and humor. What a gem! Hand to fans of Bloom and Heartstopper.

A sweet story, perfect for fans of Check, Please! All the characters were distinct and I could tell them apart in the art. The pig bit was kind of odd. The characters are post-college, so I'm not sure where I'd put it--YA seems most likely, but usually that's for high school age. But my small library doesn't have a lot of readers for the adult graphic novel section. I think I wanted it to be longer.

This was a really freaking sweet new adult graphic novel about young (gay) love, earnest nerds, and finding your passion in unexpected places. I particularly loved Waston the supertaster pig with an immaculate palate. Not only was he cutely drawn and amusingly characterized, but he added a huge dash of whimsy to an otherwise fairly realistic (and at times slightly depressing) story. The balance between love, whimsy, and the realistic grind of finding a job in the world today (or, well, a non-COVID world, so not exactly the world today) worked well, and the ending was a delight.

Fresh out of college with an English degree, Benji is desperately trying to find a writing job. After countless rejections he decides to take any job he can to earn money. He tries out a cooking gig and discovers that he really enjoys it. It might also help that the sous chef is super hot. There's also a pig who judges whether Ben's food is worthy.

I thought this was a really cute story about self discovery and finding one's way in the world despite expectations of others. Watson the pig was also an interesting touch. All of the secondary characters were great and many of them added comedic relief. The artwork was outstanding.

This was fun!
I binged this in one sitting and it was hilarious and super cute. I did find it a little slow in sections but overall I really liked it - despite the cheesiness😂
Watson is my hero!
3.5