I smiled from beginning to end reading this. The illustrations are gorgeous, and I love Ben and Liam, they are absolutely adorable. You can't help but want them to get together.

Winston obviously stole the show, but all of their friends were so sweet.

The whole concept of the restaurant and the challenges were too cute for words. The 'Bee' had me laughing out loud, as did Winston's 'background' story! Definitely a feel good story with characters who will steal your heart.

I'm desperate to read more now, please?!

4.5 stars

I really liked this! It was super cute, about Ben Cook who wants to become a cook (sort of). Watson the pig was great, and I love his “origin story”, I was cackling!
There isn’t a lot to say about this, without spoilers, as it’s pretty short.
I liked the artwork, I liked the story. I liked that the characters are actually wearing hairnets, which almost NEVER happens in food related media.
Also, Kevin Wada did an amazing varient cover, you can find it on his Instagram (apparently I can’t include a link in this review).
If you like cute, queer comics with cute, queer chefs, this is definitely for you. 😊

Sweet read about a recent college graduate facing the realities of adult life. A little wordy, but cute art and a wholesome vibe make it a safe, charming read for younger teens as well. Would recommend.

"Chef's Kiss" is a beautifully illustrated tale about Ben trying to figure out what he wants to do in life. After college, sometimes the job hunt is brutal, just like it is for Ben. That, however, was probably the most realistic part of the book. An amazing job falls in his lap that he just happens to be great at. A beautiful boy just happens to be already working there. He shares an apartment with three other hyper-quirky friends, but money isn't an issue even when he's looking for work. And to top it all off a pig? It was certainly a cute story about following your passions. But things were just slightly too fantastical for me to really get into the story.

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read Chef's Kiss before release. I enjoyed this, it reflects upon the real life difficulties in getting a job after you graduate and ending up somewhere you would not normally be. Really enjoyed the plot, the characters and the art style. Cannot wait to see what comes next

There were some aspects of this book that I really enjoyed. The art was a style I liked and I was a big fan of the pig (as well as the fact that the restaurant was veg). Our MC is likable enough and Liam is certainly dreamy. I think most people who enjoy a little gay romance and/or cooking manga/comics would enjoy this. I liked it and will recommend it, but I wasn't blown away by any of it.

Oh this was FUN. As a new(ish) adult aged-reader, it's been exciting to see more books and comics working within the "New Adult" genre (age-range?). Ben and his friends feel so viscerally like people I knew when we had just graduated college. There's an uncertainty that's familiar with a lot of YA/coming of age narratives that's allowed a little more depth given the realities of leaving college "becoming" an adult. CHEF'S KISS balances these questions of being an adult and navigating friendships post-college with Ben's whimsical crush on Liam. Their interactions are funny, in part because of how relatable Ben's flustered reactions to Liam's... well, everything, is.
The art feels polished, and I think the style is something that will appeal to a lot of shojō manga readers; the boys are Very Pretty, and the blushing is very apparent! As a comics reader, though, I feel like the lettering doesn't quite match the vibe of the art, it feels a bit too blocky and old school comics to me.
CHEF'S KISS appealed to me from the moment I read the description, in part because I'm always on the lookout for opportunities to think about FOOD. Food and falling in love? Even better. Overall, this is a fun and cute read – if this were a real life narrative.... well, I wouldn't want to work in an environment where my job was dependent on a pig, but it would make for a hell of a good story!

Queer graphic novels can be a perfect warm hug - and this was no exception.

Ben and his friends Rachel, Liz and Tom have just finished college, are looking for jobs and have moved into their first house together. But finding work in writing and publishing is a challenge for shy English Lit major Ben, and he finds himself interviewing for a kitchen position at a very quirky restaurant. Although sous chef Liam catches Ben's eye, he soon finds that he loves the chance to cook creatively, but that is not the future that his parents had in mind ...

This is a really lovely story about young people learning how best to support each other through the next step in life, of discovering your own dreams and standing up for what you want in the face of expectations.

The story is short and sweet - a perfect cosy read for a cold winter's evening. Some parts are a little superficial, and I'd have liked to see how Ben chooses how to communicate with his parents moving forward, and more from Tom's character than just likes free food, works in tech and is a stoner.

But both the food and the illustrations have that perfect cosy Ratatouille vibe, where you just want to head off to the kitchen and make something delicious and warming.

The pig is also a very cute addition - participating in the story just like you'd expect from classic tv anime.

I received an eARc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Loved loved LOVED this graphic novel so cute and couldn't finish it fast enough. Cant wait to read more from this author.

Loved the graphics and design of this book. This book had the potential of being a great story, but felt kind of underwhelming, as not much was really going. I really wanted more of the main character Ben’s love interest with Liam. I did really like Ben as a main character and his struggles, definitely related with him on that. Also his relationship with his friends. Overall it was a nice story, but wish we had gotten more. Maybe a sequel?

Finished reading 18 January - 7 February 2022

Less than 5-word critique; adorable, relatable, funny and entertaining.

It's been SO long since I have read a graphic novel (I'm looking at you, Tintin) and this one is my favourite queer romance graphic novel so far. Ben is a young man who wants to have a writing job but unfortunately every interview is a bust. Until he comes across this one restaurant, no experience needed, and things change as he starts to intern there with the help of the handsome and friendly Liam.
The visuals are absolutely stunning.
The characters are fun and relatable. Good character development.
Great dialogue.
Beautiful and original story (I mean come on, a very cute pig for a food critic? How adorable is that?)

Recommended to those who enjoy;
*Queer romance
*Reading about cooking
*Cute friendships
*20something people figuring out what they want in life

A sweet and inspiring graphic novel about figuring out what really makes you happy. Lovely illustrations, and although some of the story got bogged down by the details of each recipe and a yoga class, I enjoyed reading it!

Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this beautiful graphic novel!

Chef’s Kiss is just too wholesome. There’s so much going on in such a short amount of time, so many layers to this story and these characters, even the side characters, and I really loved getting to know them.

I was so proud of Ben for putting himself out there and making choices for himself and no one else. It’s not an easy thing to do and I really just wanted to hug him.

And I loved his chemistry with Liam! They were so cute together, dancing around each other, uncertain what the other wanted and really just wanting the best for each other. The way Liam went out of his way to help make Ben comfortable was just adorable. Heart eyes for days.

I really hope we get to see more of Ben and Liam in the future!

This was a super cute comic about finding and pursuing your passions - with a little dose of gayness. I loved Ben, and it was lovely to see a story about him and his career path with his love interest as a side story, instead of the main one. There were a lot of secondary characters in this one, which I really liked. They were super cute and well-thought-out! I don't think the fairy/internal monologue thing was necessary at all, it kind of pulled me out of the story a bit. But everything else about this was so sweet!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez is a delightful and engaging graphic novel. It’s just the right amount of sweet and cute without crossing into saccharine. Highly recommend for an afternoon’s relaxation with strong storytelling, vibrant images, and feel good vibes!

Chef’s Kiss is a little graphic novel about roommates in a very classic comic book style. There are speech bubbles and clean lines throughout the book. Now, I don’t know much about comic books, but this looks like a superhero book from my dad’s collection. It’s not a style for me! It’s also very old-style comic book in the fact that it censors all swears? And this book is meant to be adult or at least new adult, so it doesn’t make sense why swears would be censored. The main character also only reads books that are available in the public domain, or so old that they aren’t copyrightable, which sure is weird! (His favorite books are 1984, Brave New World, and another that I forget. Come on, dude! Haven’t you heard of the Hunger Games? There are people using laptops and tablets in this book so I know it’s not set in the 90s!) Despite this, there is a vibrant cast of characters and the portrayal of working in a kitchen is both incredibly idealized and exactly right. Honestly? This is like a comic-book adaption of a gay romance light novel, and it’s kind of exactly right. Five stars. You didn’t see that one coming, did you? Neither did I.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was super cute. Ben Cook wants to find a job in writing but stumbles upon a job at a restaurant in total desperation. He cooks multiple challenging dishes over a series of weeks and feeds them to a team of chef’s and one very gifted taste testing pig. Throughout his cooking journey he struggles to consolidate who he has always wanted to be with who he really is.

While the story was cute, I do think it lacked some originality. I found the art style to be abrasive and would have liked something a little less sharp for such a sweet story.

Chef's Kiss is an adorable story. It follows Ben, who's just graduated with a degree in English and is completely unable to find a job in his field. In desperation, he takes a job as a restaurant, and finds he enjoys the work (and the handsome chef) more than he anticipated.
It's a cute romance, but it also portrays Ben's struggle to figure out if the life he'd always planned for is really the life he wanted.
This story has a great cast of characters, lovely artwork, and is a delightful read.

I desperately wanted to like this and I didn't.
The art work, coloring, great. The characters, their world, their interactions and dialog... not so much.

Incredibly unrealistic storyline of a student deciding his career path isn't what he wants and is going to become a chef... by walking in to a restaurant with a help wanted sign. Followed by being put through a ridiculous series of challenges to please a pet pig...
All while drooling over his possible future co-worker, which screams problematic. Not cute, not dreamy.

I was so hopefully for this story, only to end up feeling not okay about it.

**Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

Oh my gosh! This book!

I loved everything about this book - the plot, the characters, the artwork!

I especially loved the character development for Ben as well as his relationship with Liam.

Basically this book is teeth-rotting sweet!