Chef's Kiss

A richly-drawn and detailed visual and narrative graphic novel, really a character study through pictures. Very well done and worth reading.

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Jarrett Melendez presents a new adult queer romantic comedy with Chef's Kiss. Readers follow Ben Cook and his trio of roommates. Ben is a recent college graduate who is trapped in the cycle of needing experience for entry level work denials after job applications. When Ben stumbles upon a restaurant hiring with no experience necessary, he meets the handsome sous-chef, Liam, and begins a series of culinary challenges.

This graphic novel watered my crops, cleared my skin, and ended a reading slump. Bless up.

Melendez perfectly embodies the variety of after-college experiences in Ben and his roommates as well as the struggles of being pushed in a certain career direction by parents. The comedy was just right for me, and seems perfect for the target age demographic. The meet cute between Ben and Liam was everything I could have hoped. But really, Watson had to be the star of the show as the official food critic pig.

Illustrator Danica Brine had just the art style to complement Melendez's narrative. The style is something that pays homage to a shoujo manga style, while still being signature enough to stand out as Brine's. It is entirely well suited to a romantic comedy vibe, and her ability to illustrate not only the characters in an expressive way, but also the background and food was key in conveying this graphic novel. Supported by the beautiful coloring from Hank Jones (in a wonderfully warm and romantic palette!) and the lettering from Hassan Otsmane-Elhau, this team could not seem to miss.

Not only will I be looking for future works from Melendez and Brine, but I will absolutely be purchasing my own copy of this work as well. And likely shoving it on any of my friends that needs a serotonin boost. As one does.

I loved this! This book was absolutely adorable with the art style and the story. I loved the characters (Watson is my new favorite pig!) and the story was great. The art was really good as well. I want to sit here and gush about this for hours.
If you are into graphic novel romances in the vain of Check Please then this is for you! Its a very different story but the atmosphere is similar and it's just as sweet and adorable.

I absolutely adored this graphic novel, full of humor, warmth and romance, while all the while tackling the serious. topic of finding yourself after college.

The illustration style harmonizes well with the story being told and it will be hard for any reader not to fall head over heals in love with the characters.

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!

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.

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 such a sweet book! I found Ben to be a very relatable character for me, and amidst the soft art style, romantic bumbling, and of course lots of cooking (I wanted to try everything that Ben made!), there were strong messages about discovering the kind of person that you want to be, especially in the tumultuous time of your early 20s. This is definitely one that I'll be revisiting again and again, as a feel-good book and also to remind myself to prioritize what's important to me.

This was utterly perfect from beginning to end! I loved the characters immensely, especially Ben & Liam. I was rooting for their love story from the minute that Liam walked into the picture.

Chef and Watson were both ADORABLE! Well Chef was more Daddy than adorable!😂 But I loved them so much!

I really hope this becomes a series, because I could read about the restaurant for many books to come! Plus Liam without his shirt was not seen enough IMO! Idea for Book 2, Liam can not fathom the use of a shirt!! Health Inspector, Smealth Inspector! 🤣🤣🤣

Really adorable and easy to fly through! Was very relatable for someone who feels stuck after graduating with their degree and changes what they thought they might do. The food descriptions made me hungry and I wish there was more!

A super sweet (pun intended) graphic novel about one boy, his three friends, a surprise job, and a pig. If that doesn’t get you, what will?