Thank you ECW Press and Netgalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. 
Twenty-something Ruthie receives an inheritance after the passing of her beloved Bubbe. She decides to use the money to quit her job and follow a lifelong dream to go back to school to become a chef studying French cuisine and pastry.
This book, written partially in a diary format, was funny, lighthearted, inspiring, infuriating, chaotic, and chock full of food, recipes, and technique. 
Ruthie has two love interests during her year of learning and self-discovery, and neither of them are great choices. They do make for some juicy and fun diary entries.
The standouts and my favorite elements in this book are the unwavering friendship and support from her "Ride or Dies" Trish and Lilly, and the wealth of information about French cuisine. (Including a multitude of amazing recipes at the end of the book). 
I did enjoy this book, but would have loved if the love interests had taken more of a back seat and it had focused on more of Ruthie's growth, the importance of friendship and the struggles of a female chef in a male dominated industry. 
Overall, this was a delicious, easy, and lighthearted read.

I enjoyed reading this book; it had so much food that it warmed your soul. Ruthie inherits some money after her grandmother passes away, and she finally decides to follow her food dream by going to a French Cooking School. She is also secretly looking to find love in the city of love itself. Nevertheless, she meets Jeff. But things aren't a cakewalk.
Alongside her friends, Trish and Lilly, will Ruthie be able to find the love she deserves and also fulfil the food dream that she's grown up with? That's what this book is all about. Thanks, Netgalley, for the book. It was a funny and light read.

Overall, Off Menu by Amy Rosen was as light and fluffy as some recipes described in the book, and since I love books about food and foodie fiction, this hit the spot. When I read Ms. Rosen’s bio at the end, it all made sense! She’s written several cookbooks and owns a place in Toronto, where the story takes place.

Written as a diary, the main character, Ruthie Cohen, leaves her dead-end data entry job and, using her inheritance from her beloved Bubbe (grandma) Bobby Grace, goes to cooking school to learn/master French cuisine and fulfill her dream of becoming a chef. Kudos to her, right? Unfortunately, for most of the book, Ruthie comes off as an immature, self-absorbed, whiny, and often insufferable 27-year-old who, while having a good palate and sense of taste, has lousy taste in men. I would have taken a hard pass on both Jeff and Dean! I kept thinking that when it came to relationships, Ruthie acted more like a teenager than someone nearing 30. Good thing her two BFFs, Lilly and Trish, are there with reality checks and to pick up the pieces.

I related more to the late Bubbe Bobby Grace (I’m old enough to be Ruthie’s Bubbe, but I wouldn’t have been nearly as patient with her as her Bubbe was). I kept hoping that at some point Ruthie would show some strength (chutzpah), grow a spine, and take control of her life.

Having said all that, I still liked this often humorous story, particularly the scenes at the cooking school, at a cooking competition, and when Ruthie and Trish go to Paris, Some characters, especially Chef Antoine at the cooking school, and Pete, Ruthie’s boss, stood out. I recommend Off Menu, especially to anyone who likes food fiction and a sprinkling of wisdom from a loving grandma. Besides delicious descriptions throughout the book, the author includes recipes at the end. And yes, there is a website for her cinnamon buns! Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for the opportunity to read the ARC. I’m happy to provide this review, and all opinions are my own.

I would like to thank Net Galley and ECW Press for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. From the blurb, this seemed liked the kind of book I would love. Ruthie quits her job as a data entry and uses her inheritance from her grandmother to follow her passion, and enroll in cooking school. The blurb promised Bridget Jones like vibes and hilarity. There were neither. Ruthie is unlikable. Her friends not much better. It was annoying, and just not for me.

Off Menu by Amy Rosen is a lighthearted tale about Ruthie, a young woman who following an inheritance from her beloved Bubbe Bobby Grace, decides to follow her passion, give up her corporate job and embark on a career as a chef. She uses part of the inheritance to enrol in culinary school where she meets the charming Jake, an ex musician who is practically perfect in every way, if it wasn't for his model gorgeous girlfriend. To further complicate matters she is still holding a torch for Dean, the man she met while on holiday in Thailand with her best friends six months earlier.
Written as a series of diary entries we follow Ruthie on her journey to achieve her culinary dreams while juggling her complicated love life and making sure she is being a good friend too. This format actually worked quite well, it kept the story flowing while giving the reader a really good way of measuring how much time is passing, and making it feel like we get a really good insight into Ruthie's thought processes and emotional state, even if it did make her come across as pretty unlikeable at times. The author has done a wonderful job of making sure Ruthie has a very distinctive voice and it really helps to bring the character to life. I also thought that the way the author portrayed how complicated and messy relationships could be was very relatable but for me the romance plot was the weakest element of the book, I did not like either of the love interests, the friendship between Ruthie, Trish and Lilly was a far more interesting relationship. Food and food descriptions make up a huge chunk of this book, so be prepared to get hungry while reading, the good news is there are some recipes at the back of the book so you can cook along if you want to.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book - Ruthie's story was fun, romantic and a great journey of self-discovery and finding your truth.

After her bubbe passes away and leaves her a small inheritance, she decides to follow her heart and attend culinary school. There she meets a fantastic new guy she teams up with as a kitchen partner, but soon she's feeling more. And then Dean comes back into her life, he was a vacation fling she wanted to last longer.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Off Menu by Amy Rosen pairs food and romance.

The book centers around 20-something Ruthie Cohen, is a data entry clerk for a second tier movie app. She spends her days thinking about the amazing meals she will make her besties, Trish and Lilly. She also spends a significant amount of time pining over Dean, her vacation fling from 6 months earlier.

Her grandmother Bobby Grace passed away, leaving her $62,873 along with instructions to use it. During a Prosecco fueled night with her friends she decides to turn her passion for cooking into a career. She signs up for culinary school and meets her cooking partner Jeff.

Jeff is a super hot (and taken) musician that takes up space in her head beside Dean.

I love the diary entries in the book, that format definitely made it feel more of a personal story.

Thank you to Amy Rosen for partnering with NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Off Menu publishes June 17 2025

"Off Menu" is a generally delightful book that chronicles the main character Ruthie's journey through culinary school, serving feasts for the senses with detailed exploration into cooking techniques, history and food overall. As a food lover, this was a joy to read. Ruthie, on the other hand, has more ups and downs than she bargains for, with her entanglements with the already-coupled-up Jeff and old-ish vacation flame Dean. I love Ruthie's voice through her diary, and the book is downright hilarious at times. The relationships in the book can be messy and thorny (not a fan of Ruthie being interested in a guy who already has a girlfriend) though I suppose that is also realistic. While it does end on a good note, I wish it didn't end so abruptly; there could easily have been more pages or even an extra chapter to cap things off.

I had high hopes going into this one and it fell a bit flat. Seems others agree.

The idea, the diary style, all of it such a great idea but just poorly done. I also could not connect with the main character, Ruth. I found myself rather annoyed with her at times. I love the idea of her finding passion in food with her friends, the friendship between her and the other two girls was so wholesome but the rest of it was just meh. The romance didn't romance for me at all either. I hate a love triangle, neither of them really gave anything.

Not for me, but happy I gave it a go!! I definitely think this has it's audience.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

"Pastry is not for you.  I have told you this many times before.  It's your timing, your instincts, your sense of taste..."

You could say the same about our main characters love life - she has none of these things when it comes to men either.

I'm disappointed that this book could have been about a strong women changing careers from an inheritance and breaking into the mail dominated industry of cooking. Instead this is mostly about her horrible taste in men, and her deciding between two mid guys (both of which are a bad choice).

I think the diary writing stunted this book and it could have been so much better.  It made for an unreliable narrator - and also an insufferable one.

I think this either needed to be mostly about her cooking and her career or should have gone messier to how these men ruined her career and stole her talent and money.   But it's just a story of a spoiled brat who got everything handed to her and kind of squandered it.

I struggled to get into this story, I think the diary entry format is not my favourite and I didn't immediately warm to Ruthie. I did love the premise though of her taking the opportunity, thanks to Bubble, of using her inheritance to change her career and follow her passion of food. The recipes and food descriptions were great and she had lovely friends. Jeff immediately gave me the creeps and I was not a fan of her obsession with him- he was clearly not going to be a great guy if he was willing to cheat on his girlfriend! I stuck with it and there were bits I found amusing, but overall a bit forgettable I'm afraid.

A fresh story about looking for purpose, love, friendship and family. It was like a mixed up diary and chapter book that was sometimes hard to follow because of the choppiness. Once you learn the writing style and identify the characters you can get into the story. Light and quick for a beach or rainy day.

I love the idea of this book. The execution? Not so much. The main character, Ruth, is truthfully just awful. If you’ve watched SATC and your favorite character is Carrie, you’ll love Ruth. She’s self centered and there feels like there is absolutely no character growth. There really doesn’t feel like there is a strong plot to this book at all. There was a lot of potential to go so much deeper into the characters and explore and really make us feel for Ruth, but instead I didn’t want anyone to win here and I felt that Ruth got everything that was coming for her. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book, it was just not for me.

Fun and light read about Ruthie, who is in a dead-end data entry job. In her spare time, she loves to whip up delectable food creations to share with her best friends, Trish and Lilly. When her dearest Bubbe Bobbie Grace passes away and leaves her a five-figure inheritance, Ruthie decides to follow her heart, quitting the dead-end job and enrolling in culinary school. Once there, Ruthie learns a lot more than just the techniques of cooking. Fun book, a bit of a rom-com. Great recipes included throughout and the recipes are repeated at the end of the book.
Many thanks to author Amy Rosen, the publisher, and to Net Galley for the free e-book copy of Off Menu in exchange for my honest review

This book was such a pleasure to read. Part romance, part foodie-heaven, and always full of friendship, the story was fun, captivating, occasionally tense. Ruthie Cohen, using an inheritance from her beloved Bubbe Bobby Grace, signs up for French Culinary School. While learning the ins and outs of French pastry and savory food , she falls in love with her kitchen partner. Chaos ensues when Ruthie discovers someone close to her has stolen the rest of her inheritance. Searching for a new opportunity gives Ruthie a chance to work hard and develop her own style of cooking and rediscover the true importance of her two best friends.

If Off Menu were a dish, it would be something like truffle mac and cheese: rich, comforting, just a little indulgent—and exactly what you want after a long day.

Ruthie Cohen is chaotic, lovable, and just the right amount of unhinged when it comes to romance and life choices. I adored following her as she stumbled (sometimes literally) through culinary school, career pivots, grief, and ahem two extremely distracting men. Dean has that swoony nostalgia vibe, while Jeff—ugh, Jeff—is the walking “what if” you know you shouldn’t fall for but kind of want to anyway.

The friendship between Ruthie, Trish, and Lilly was one of my favorite parts—warm, witty, and filled with enough group texts and brunches to feel like my own friend group. And the food descriptions? Mouthwatering. Like, don’t-read-this-while-hungry level good.

It’s not all soufflés and smooches, though. Ruthie’s grief over Bubbe Bobby Grace is quietly powerful, and her journey to figuring out what really lights her up in life gives the book a sense of purpose beyond the rom-com chaos.

Why not five stars? The love triangle didn’t totally sizzle for me—both guys had their moments, but I never felt that lightning-bolt yes, him moment. Still, Ruthie’s growth (and the way it wraps up) made me smile.

Perfect for fans of messy millennial heroines, found family, and stories that remind you it’s never too late to start fresh—with a glass of prosecco in hand, of course.

Not for me ! I tried to get into this book and I couldn’t ! I had to dnf ! Thank you met galley for giving me the chance to read this

I adore food writing and this book did not disappoint. Not only did it have mouth watering depictions of cooking, menus and dishes but they were woven into a beautiful story of friendship and self-realisation! I cannot recommend this book enough! The diary entries were such a fun format for the book too and you felt the same urgency and drama as the reader when she had nipped to the toilet to scribble in another entry away from the party. I loved the friendship between the three girls. It felt so real and relatable which made the ending even more perfect!

Ruthie is the main character of the story and she is uncertain of what she wants in life. When her grandmother passes away and leaves her a generous sum of money, Ruthie decides to quit her corporate job and enroll in culinary school. She has some interesting relationships which I felt took away from the book.
What I did like was depiction of food and the process. I also felt like the cover of the book was very eye catching and perfect for a light romance read about cooking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amy Rosen for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.