Cover Image: Chef's Kiss

Chef's Kiss

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I enjoyed this book! It was sweet and a comforting read after a long day! 10/10 would recommend! The characters were relatable and charming, the love story was adorable! Also, the artwork was impeccable! So many sections that I'd love to see/have prints of!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you for the review copy!

Chef’s Kiss wasn’t what I expected. I went in thinking it was going to be a realistic journey of main character Ben finding himself through the discovery of his passion for cooking, and showing him finding love. While those things did happen this was more a blend of realistic and fantastical.

Ben lands a job as a chef but the owner/head chef wants him to prove himself with a series of tests before he’s out of the trial period and an official employee. Except the chef is not the one judging Ben’s cooking. An actual pig is the judge. This is the main thing that didn’t work for me.

Another issue I had was with some of Ben’s friends behaviour. They’re all in their early twenties and the arguments they had could have been a mature discussion, instead I thought they came across as childish. That said the scenes when they were all hanging out and happy felt more natural on the whole and I enjoyed these moments a lot.

Onto more positives! I really enjoyed all the sessions Ben had with the three other chefs (although the timeline for these felt weird). The budding romance with Chef Liam was cute too and I would have liked there to have been a little more time spent on that so it felt more gradual, rather than the focus being more on the initial spark of attraction between the two then straight to dating.

This was short (only 160 pages) but if less time had been spent on the pig (and a totally random made up story about the pig) there would have been more room to develop the romance and show more of Ben’s new friendships with the other chefs as well.

I did really enjoy the artwork for this one and it was what made me decide to finish the book.

I rated this 2.5/5🌟 If the pig hadn’t had control of Ben’s career and taken up so much unnecessary space I would have rated it a whole star higher.
#NetGalley #ChefsKiss

Was this review helpful?

4.5/5 Stars. This graphic novel is so cute! It's all the love and fluff we didn't know we needed and on top of it there's amazing food involved. This novel is light hearted and fun with a small twist of romance while still dealing with tough topics. The main character grows so much throughout the novel and the supporting characters motivate and encourage the main characters growth beautifully. Overall this graphic novel is a delicious delight!

Was this review helpful?

this was SO CUTE. I did think the romance was gonna be a bit more of the plot, especially since this was my first new adult graphic novel, but I really liked the pining, and ben's friends were AMAZING. the art style in this was classic and well-done, and the dialogue was great. I found myself genuinely invested in the characters, and while there was a lot of information, it flowed really well. I think this could have benefitted from being a little longer with a few more plot points, but it was overall a really sweet and adorable read. if you're looking for an LGBT+ graphic novel that doesn't take itself too seriously, this one's great.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

3,75 stars.

I really enjoyed the story. I thought it was sweet with nice and cool characters, amazing art and it was easy to read. My only problem with it was that it was very much promoted as romance looking at the title and cover and it wasn't very romancy to me. Although I wouldn't really change the story, I feel like it should've been a bit longer with a bit more of Liam and Ben falling in love.

Like i said, that was my only problem with. I really liked all of the characters, and it was very funny and nice to read.

Was this review helpful?

4.5 stars

This was so cute! The romance was so sweet, frequently funny and all the food talk made me extremely hungry. The art is absolutely gorgeous and I’m a little obsessed with Watson the pig now.

A quick, wholesome, lovely read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I thought this was a very cute graphic novel with amazing illustrations that made my mouth water! I did think the writing was a bit cheesy at times but that didn't bother me too much because I was really invested in the story... overall I really liked it and would recommend!

Was this review helpful?

This book was so cute, it was very fast-paced and wonderfully written. The illustrations were gorgeous as well which pulled the story together. It did come off as unrealistic at times, but I felt like that just added to the story rather than pulling me out of it and made me love it more.
The only thing I didn't enjoy was how Ben's friend, Liz, reacted to Ben getting a new job and making new friends, He got the job because he had gone to 17 interviews and hadn't heard back from any of them so he was desperate, then he was on a three-week work trial to get the full-time job but she was acting like he dropped her and his future for the fun of it.
Overall I think that It's the perfect escapist book that makes you feel all the feels from the sweetness from the romance between Liam and Ben.

Was this review helpful?

I read this to try and decide where in our collection this would fit, YA vs Adult? It's really cute but pretty tame. Has the feel and art style of a YA book but the main plot/drama of the book is definitely a "New-Adult" theme. I think if I was purchasing for a high school I would go for it but for a public library I'm leaning more towards the adult collection.

Was this review helpful?

** Thank you NetGalley for Allowing me to Read this comic in advance in exchange for my honest opinion**

First things first I love the way the book starts right ion the middle of the Gangs move. It allowed us to get some insight of each character and their personalities without it being overwhelming. Ben as a character was very honest and his emotions were very understandable, his problems were not simple and in a sense they were not over complicated as they tend to happen in the genre.

I like how he went full in knowing what he wanted only to have his mind changed and his realization that he was following the wrong dream, as it tends to happen a lot in the real world I liked how the comic made people see that it’s okay to be able to change your mind about your future as you never know what your will run into, .

Over all it was a sweet comic and I would recommend to anyone who wants a light hearted read.

Was this review helpful?

I’ve been waiting all my life for a graphic novel revolving around queer chefs and I’m honestly not coping at how cute and fun this was.

Of course, I loved every second of reading this, the story itself was adorable, relatable and a little tense at points, but the illustrations were the highlight of this. The art style never changed, a lot of dedication has went into making this, and I’ve never been so mesmerised by food since Studio Ghibli. I literally just kept rereading the parts when Ben was cooking because it was drawn so perfectly.

All the characters were loveable, and I squealed when I saw Watson. That piggie can’t do no wrong.

This was a really fun, well put together graphic novel and I 100% need more.

Was this review helpful?

I'm obsessed and I NEED more! This book is literally one of the cutest books I've ever read!! I loved the characters and the art style! I feel like I really knew got to know the characters even the book wasn't that long! Liam is hot AF! Waston is everything!

Was this review helpful?

Chef's Kiss is a sweet queer romance between two chefs/coworkers. It was a short and sweet story that was a quick read. The story was sweet and draws you in especially if you like cooking. I read the book in one sitting and I highly recommend you read this book. Thank you, NetGalley for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review. Overall I give this book 4.5 stars and am rounding it down to 4 stars.

Was this review helpful?

Ben Cook is a young recent-graduate who is having hard luck finding a job. Despite numerous interviews, he can't seem to land a job in the literary world, because of the catch-22 of "You need experience to have this job, but how can you get experience if no one hires you?" This is a charming book with self-discovery as the main plot and a sweet chaste queer romance as the second plot. I personally hope for future volumes. The book leaves the reader wanting for some more character development from secondary characters such as Ben's parents or the other staff members of the restaurant, but it was still a delight and easy read.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I truly loved this book. I really liked the art style of the graphic novel. It was a cute and quick read. I would recommened it to friends.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely adored this!!! This super sweet graphic novel is about Ben, a newly graduated English student who is struggling to find a job in writing. To pass the time, he gets a job as a chef and has to prove his chef skills through a series of challenges! But there’s a twist… Watson the pig has to approve of the dishes! 👀🐷👨‍🍳

This was so funny but addressed some amazing and important topics, such as finding your place in the world, overcoming parental expectations and following your passion. 🙌

There was also LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC rep, which I bloody loved. You’re gonna fall for Ben & Liam, for sure. 💗

The artwork was stunning and the themes of friendship were strong. I absolutely would recommend this to anybody! 🙌

Was this review helpful?

Chef's kiss was a very cute and funny romance graphic novel. With a clean and nice art style that worked well with the story it felt very easy to read and I truly enjoyed it.

Was this review helpful?

4.5
I thought it was really cute. The drawings were really good, they were well done. The story flowed really well, and I appreciated the struggle to find a job. I did find it a little unrealistic that a job that involved no previous experience would make you jump through so many hoops. I've worked in a kitchen before, and it wasn't like that haha, but I enjoyed the story enough that I overlooked that.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this one. The art style was beautiful and really pulled me in. The story was predictable, but cute. I wasn't expecting...

*spoiler alert*

...how harsh and unsupportive the parents were. They were just awful. And there wasn't really a resolution there. But maybe that's just life.

Also Rachel's storyline with her relationship with her parents was just kind of a one-off. I wanted more there.

But overall, I really enjoyed this and would recommend it to friends. I loved the ending. He got exactly what he wanted and what he deserved.

Was this review helpful?

I loved the art in this and the friendships but felt that things moved very fast. I would definitely have loved it more if the book had been a bit longer.

Was this review helpful?