Chef's Kiss

Chef's Kiss

  • Downloads:1676
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2022-03-12 08:51:46
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Jarrett Melendez
  • ISBN:1620109042
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

Watch things start to really heat up in the kitchen in this sweet, queer, new adult graphic novel! 

Now that college is over, English graduate Ben Cook is on the job hunt looking for something…anything…related to his passion for reading and writing。 But interview after interview, hiring committee after hiring committee, Ben soon learns getting the dream job won’t be as easy as he thought。 Proofreading? Journalism? Copywriting? Not enough experience。 It turns out he doesn’t even have enough experience to be a garbage collector! But when Ben stumbles upon a “Now Hiring—No Experience Necessary” sign outside a restaurant, he jumps at the chance to land his first job。 Plus, he can keep looking for a writing job in the meantime。 He’s actually not so bad in the kitchen, but he will have to pass a series of cooking tests to prove he’s got the culinary skills to stay on full-time。 But it’s only temporary…right? 

When Ben begins developing a crush on Liam, one of the other super dreamy chefs at the restaurant, and when he starts ditching his old college friends and his old writing job plans, his career path starts to become much less clear。 

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Reviews

Sadie-Jane Alexis Nunis

This graphic novel is so adorable, I squealed with happiness when I got to the end。Liam is hot and what a dream。Watson。。。 I so want a Watson!!Thanks to @NetGalley or I never would have gotten round to reading this。Adorable story, fabulous art。 Golly, all those dishes look amazing。Thanks to the wonderful publisher for letting me get a review copy in exchange for an honest review! Woohoo

♦ Diana ♦

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for an e-ARC of Chef's Kiss by Jarrett Melendez in exchange for an honest review。This was my first graphic novel and it was really adorable, realistic, detailed and beautiful! Story and scenes were funny, romantic and passionate, yet some parts, due to dialogue, felt bit cringy and rushed。 I wished for Ben to have more progress towards his own dreams and needs, not so much as romance。 It would be also great to have more backstory or at least insight of Ben's Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for an e-ARC of Chef's Kiss by Jarrett Melendez in exchange for an honest review。This was my first graphic novel and it was really adorable, realistic, detailed and beautiful! Story and scenes were funny, romantic and passionate, yet some parts, due to dialogue, felt bit cringy and rushed。 I wished for Ben to have more progress towards his own dreams and needs, not so much as romance。 It would be also great to have more backstory or at least insight of Ben's friends (more Liz, please) :)Overall this was a quick read, plot was there, Ben was lovely, his friends were supportive and understanding, and every time when I read something food related, I wanted to run to my kitchen。 Thank you! 。。。more

Melisa Longhurst

OH。 MY。 GOSH。 The cuteness that is this book - I cannot even handle it! The art style is so good - the artist is really great at depicting the emotions and personalities of the characters, which I was at first concerned about, but was quickly reassured。 The journey of self-discovery that the main character went through during this book reminded me of my own, which made this book all the more fun。 I'm SO glad that this was a graphic novel - I can't imagine absorbing this story any other way。 The OH。 MY。 GOSH。 The cuteness that is this book - I cannot even handle it! The art style is so good - the artist is really great at depicting the emotions and personalities of the characters, which I was at first concerned about, but was quickly reassured。 The journey of self-discovery that the main character went through during this book reminded me of my own, which made this book all the more fun。 I'm SO glad that this was a graphic novel - I can't imagine absorbing this story any other way。 The premise is so familiar, yet the details make this story fun and unique in a way that I have not yet experienced in either a regular or a graphic novel。 This book is so fun - my only regret is that I want to see the relationship blossom more, so I'm REALLY hoping that there is a sequel planned for the future! I also loved the cooking details - the way the food and the cooking process was written about made me feel like I was working in a kitchen right alongside Ben。 I'm not a professional chef by any definition, but judging by what I've seen on tv, the cooking, food combinations, and flavors seemed pretty legit ha ha。 Overall, this book was an absolute delight!!! Definitely recommend!I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more

Ames

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC。After he makes his parents proud by graduating with an English degree, Ben searches for work in writing。 When he's turned down for every job he applies for, he lies to his parents about a copywriting job and finds work to pay the bills at a local restaurant with an eccentric owner and a gorgeous chef, Liam。My favorite thing about Chef's Kiss was the beautiful art style and the restaurant scenes! Ben is put through challenges before he can join th Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC。After he makes his parents proud by graduating with an English degree, Ben searches for work in writing。 When he's turned down for every job he applies for, he lies to his parents about a copywriting job and finds work to pay the bills at a local restaurant with an eccentric owner and a gorgeous chef, Liam。My favorite thing about Chef's Kiss was the beautiful art style and the restaurant scenes! Ben is put through challenges before he can join the team and I loved this! It was so much fun to see what challenge he'd face, what dish he would make, and how the mystery judge (don't want to spoil who that is。。。) would rate his dish。 However, I did find a lot of the cooking scenes, especially his practice runs, to be tedious and draggy。 It goes through each and every step of the entire recipe, pages and pages of cooking one dish。 This makes sense for a book about a budding chef, but it did not appeal to me。 The same thing happens toward the end of the book when one of Ben's friends teaches a yoga class。 Again, pages and pages writing out each and every pose, going through the entire class。 I felt like these things could have been edited down to a few pages to flow a bit better and offer time for other aspects that were rushed and given far too little time on the page like the romance!Ben falls for Liam almost immediately。 Sadly, aside from pining on Ben's part and a never again mentioned moment with Liam, we never really see their relationship go anywhere until an abrupt ending。 Their relationship was a big factor in my choice to read the book and I was left unsatisfied with the small amount of romance in a book entitled, Chef's Kiss。Overall, I would still recommend this book especially if you like to cook or like to see recipes laid out in books。 If you're looking for a queer romance, you won't find much here。 。。。more

Kiera Beddes

Um。。。this was the cutest thing ever。 I was smiling during the whole thing and I giggled several times。 I loved Ben and I loved Liam。 My only complaint, and it is a MINOR one, is the climactic fallout with the parents didn't seem realistic and felt a little forced。 But everything else was absolutely delightful。 I loved the emotional maturity of the main character。 I loved the found-family feeling of his roommates and his co-workers in the kitchen。 I even loved the quirky taste-tester pig, Watson。 Um。。。this was the cutest thing ever。 I was smiling during the whole thing and I giggled several times。 I loved Ben and I loved Liam。 My only complaint, and it is a MINOR one, is the climactic fallout with the parents didn't seem realistic and felt a little forced。 But everything else was absolutely delightful。 I loved the emotional maturity of the main character。 I loved the found-family feeling of his roommates and his co-workers in the kitchen。 I even loved the quirky taste-tester pig, Watson。 It's a feel-good, upper YA/new adult queer rom-com about yummy food and finding your place in the world。 FYI: I received a digital copy for review purposes。 。。。more

Kathy

Okay, this was super adorable, and the only thing I didn't really like is how I couldn't sample all the delicious sounding vegetarian dishes they were making。 I enjoyed that this had a couple of "wtf" curve balls but the characters just went with it。 This graphic novel is sweet and savory。 Okay, this was super adorable, and the only thing I didn't really like is how I couldn't sample all the delicious sounding vegetarian dishes they were making。 I enjoyed that this had a couple of "wtf" curve balls but the characters just went with it。 This graphic novel is sweet and savory。 。。。more

De'Siree Fairley

This was very wholesome and sweet。 I would have liked a little bit heavier romance and more familial drama but this was a nice read

Riven

One of the CUTEST graphic novels i’ve read in a very long time。 Fast paced, real, humorous。 Everything in my personal opinion was perfect。 Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this before it’s release day。 I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy and reread and cherish it!

Lottie Oliver

This was so cute。 The art style is beautiful and the colours are perfect。 This tackles some really apt problems about not just university or finishing education but about working life。 How yes your all this time into university but nothing is quite like experience but if you cant get the job you can’t get experience。 How we can be influenced by our base nature but sometimes that puts us in a greater area than we thought we would be。 I loved the way it tackled the problems in a really straight up This was so cute。 The art style is beautiful and the colours are perfect。 This tackles some really apt problems about not just university or finishing education but about working life。 How yes your all this time into university but nothing is quite like experience but if you cant get the job you can’t get experience。 How we can be influenced by our base nature but sometimes that puts us in a greater area than we thought we would be。 I loved the way it tackled the problems in a really straight up form and I just think this story was so simple it was brilliantly put across。 Sometimes its just the delivery that makes the difference。 Thank you NetGalley for the proof。 。。。more

Seven Avery

Ok so we all know I'm a big fan of graphic novels。。。 but no。 I was talking to a friend about this book and they were right。 The art style is amazing, like--bravo。 BUT the comedic style in line with the art style? I'm sorry I just didn't like it。 It was so hard to read。。。 It was just an。。。 um。。。 interesting graphic novel。。。 Ok so we all know I'm a big fan of graphic novels。。。 but no。 I was talking to a friend about this book and they were right。 The art style is amazing, like--bravo。 BUT the comedic style in line with the art style? I'm sorry I just didn't like it。 It was so hard to read。。。 It was just an。。。 um。。。 interesting graphic novel。。。 。。。more

Coco Harris

I had really hoped to love this more than I did。 An adult graphic novel centered around cooking, a queer main character, and postgraduate group of friends。Things that I loved: the romance was very cute and I loved the group of friends each guy had。 Friendship was a central arc and I thought it was done well with ups and downs。 The cooking and food scenes were amazing, and the graphic novel included recipes at the end that in 100% planning to cook! I also enjoyed the fact these characters are pos I had really hoped to love this more than I did。 An adult graphic novel centered around cooking, a queer main character, and postgraduate group of friends。Things that I loved: the romance was very cute and I loved the group of friends each guy had。 Friendship was a central arc and I thought it was done well with ups and downs。 The cooking and food scenes were amazing, and the graphic novel included recipes at the end that in 100% planning to cook! I also enjoyed the fact these characters are post-grad and the plot is centered around them transitioning from students to employees。 I enjoyed this age range and would like to see more contemporary graphic novels in this bracket。 What I didn’t love: the main chef and the entire pig element was just weird。 It aged down the feel and was an odd plot line for me… no way a head chef doesn’t taste test dishes and then to add the pig element and weird back story… it was not my cup of tea。 Ben’s parents were also kind of awful and it didn’t get wrapped up with them at the end。 I also found the drinking and drunk interactions forced and those scenes weren’t my favorite。 The illustrations were really nice and high quality。 I had a few transitional issues moving between panels but it wasn’t a huge deal。 This is a dialog heavy graphic novel, so it took a little while to get used to the style。 While I didn’t love this one, I didn’t hate it either。 Thank you to Oni Press for a free copy in exchange for an honest review 。。。more

Orinthia Lee

I really really like this book。 An absolute delight! I was very invested with all characters here。 Ben could represent every young people who are still confused about what they want to do for their life, such as career。 Not only that, but I also love how Ben got friends who are loyal and very supportive to him when his parents are not。 That little piggy Watson is also cute and funny。 A great touch to this story。 Watson made me want to try every food Ben cooked。I recommend this book so much。 Swee I really really like this book。 An absolute delight! I was very invested with all characters here。 Ben could represent every young people who are still confused about what they want to do for their life, such as career。 Not only that, but I also love how Ben got friends who are loyal and very supportive to him when his parents are not。 That little piggy Watson is also cute and funny。 A great touch to this story。 Watson made me want to try every food Ben cooked。I recommend this book so much。 Sweet, warm, and nice story with an outstanding art style。Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for providing me this wonderful ARC! 。。。more

Trigger Warning Database

Trigger & Content WarningsAlcohol consumptionEmesis

Melanie

4。5 StarsThank you to Oni Press for an advanced copy of this book。 I can't wait to hold the physical copy in my hands!A recent graduate from college, Ben Cook is looking for any job to do with his English degree。 But nowhere is hiring without experience, until he lands a job at a restaurant。 The owner is a bit eccentric but one of the chef's there, Liam, is absolutely dreamy and Ben decides to take this as a temporary position while he searches for something in his field。This book is perfect for 4。5 StarsThank you to Oni Press for an advanced copy of this book。 I can't wait to hold the physical copy in my hands!A recent graduate from college, Ben Cook is looking for any job to do with his English degree。 But nowhere is hiring without experience, until he lands a job at a restaurant。 The owner is a bit eccentric but one of the chef's there, Liam, is absolutely dreamy and Ben decides to take this as a temporary position while he searches for something in his field。This book is perfect for fans of Check Please and Love & Other Disasters! It is an adorable graphic novel with beautiful illustrations and hilarious text。 The main character is complex and well-developed and he is surrounded by a diverse cast of friends and coworkers--including the "food taster" at the vegetarian restaurant: Watson the Pig。This book doesn't take itself too seriously and there are times where you have to suspend your disbelief, but it also does a great job of dealing with the harsh reality of trying to find a job in your field post-college and the criticism that can come from well-meaning but not very understanding parents。 The romance in this is slow and sweat and the friendships are adorable。 I definitely recommend this graphic novel!Content WarningsModerate: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, and Vomit 。。。more

Joyfully Jay

A Joyfully Jay review。 4 starsChef’s Kiss is a charming graphic novel with bright colors, good character design, and good flow and pacing。 Ben’s inner thoughts about Liam’s smile, his hotness, his shoulders are done with curly, pink-toned bubbles to separate them from the normal white, crisp lines of conversation。 Drunk Ben’s speech bubbles have green foozles and wavy, wandering lines to indicate wavy, wandering thoughts, both of which are really cleverly done。Read Elizabeth’s review in its enti A Joyfully Jay review。 4 starsChef’s Kiss is a charming graphic novel with bright colors, good character design, and good flow and pacing。 Ben’s inner thoughts about Liam’s smile, his hotness, his shoulders are done with curly, pink-toned bubbles to separate them from the normal white, crisp lines of conversation。 Drunk Ben’s speech bubbles have green foozles and wavy, wandering lines to indicate wavy, wandering thoughts, both of which are really cleverly done。Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here。 。。。more

James

I LOVE THIS BOOK HERE IS LINK TO IT ON IF WANT TO IT CHECK OUT https://amzn。to/3tpr5jZ I LOVE THIS BOOK HERE IS LINK TO IT ON IF WANT TO IT CHECK OUT https://amzn。to/3tpr5jZ 。。。more

Stephanie Cover2CoverBlog

review coming soon。Visit www。cover2coverblog。blogspot。com to see it first。 review coming soon。Visit www。cover2coverblog。blogspot。com to see it first。 。。。more

Jude

At first glance I thought this was going to be a romance because of the title, but Chef's Kiss reads more like a coming of age story and I like that a lot more。 It was nice to see a graphic novel about someone in their twenties since most graphic novels are about kids or teenagers。 I think a lot of people in their twenties can enjoy this。 It's a quick read about the struggles of adulthood, and figuring out what you truly want to do。 The protagonist, Ben Cook finds himself caught between two pass At first glance I thought this was going to be a romance because of the title, but Chef's Kiss reads more like a coming of age story and I like that a lot more。 It was nice to see a graphic novel about someone in their twenties since most graphic novels are about kids or teenagers。 I think a lot of people in their twenties can enjoy this。 It's a quick read about the struggles of adulthood, and figuring out what you truly want to do。 The protagonist, Ben Cook finds himself caught between two passions and is unsure of what he truly wants in life。 He is faced with the pressure that comes with unemployment but all that changes when he gets hired as a chef。 While this is a fun and cute story I found that there were continuity issues when it came to the characters。 The conflict that occurred with one his friends felt abrupt and out of character。 I feel like it was meant to move the plot forward, but I don't think it added much。 And while the romance in the story was hinted at the development felt rushed towards the end of the book。 Overall though I think it's a great book that many people would enjoy especially since the artwork in it is amazing。 I love the style。 It was really nice to read about someone in my age group dealing with the struggles of finding work, living independently and just navigating life in general。 I hope it encourages publishers to create more graphic novels geared towards adults。Thank you to the publisher, Oni Press and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review 。。。more

Beth Dettman

This was a very cute new adult romance。 I liked the story and illustrations, but I would have liked to get to know the characters a little better。 It was short, so I know they can't do too much, but it left me wanting a little more。 This was a very cute new adult romance。 I liked the story and illustrations, but I would have liked to get to know the characters a little better。 It was short, so I know they can't do too much, but it left me wanting a little more。 。。。more

Dini - dinipandareads

Give me a second to be corny here but。。。 Chef's Kiss was *chefs kiss!*What an utterly delightful graphic novel and one that I'm sure I'll return to time and again when I'm looking for an easy, comforting, and feel-good read! I absolutely ADORED it!Thanks to Oni Press for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! 5 pig-tastic starsThe minute I saw this cover I just knew I had to read it。 The artwork was fantastic and is one of my favourite styles of graphic novels/comics。 I Give me a second to be corny here but。。。 Chef's Kiss was *chefs kiss!*What an utterly delightful graphic novel and one that I'm sure I'll return to time and again when I'm looking for an easy, comforting, and feel-good read! I absolutely ADORED it!Thanks to Oni Press for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! 5 pig-tastic starsThe minute I saw this cover I just knew I had to read it。 The artwork was fantastic and is one of my favourite styles of graphic novels/comics。 It reminded me strongly of the Archie Comics that I used to read as a teenager, albeit with a lot more dialogue; still, I enjoyed the conversations and how they contributed to Ben's story, even if at times some of the frames felt a little crowded with text。 The art managed to accurately capture the characters' many facial expressions and convey what they were thinking and feeling at a given time, for example, all the blushing Ben did whenever Liam was nearby! 😂The story itself was just as wonderful as the art and I think a lot of people will be able to relate to Ben's situation, whether you're a fresh graduate or not。 I, for one, have been in his shoes so I found it very easy to empathise with his post-college and parental situations。 Ben's a fellow book nerd who was set on a writing career until he kept getting rejected for that catch-22 reason of being passed on for not having enough experience while being denied the opportunity to get the experience he needed。 He lucks out when he comes across that restaurant gig and as the story progresses you can see just how happy it makes him and how passionate he becomes about cooking。 This was such a feel-good story about finding your way in the world and learning about what makes you happy, even if it's not what you initially planned for。 That's life, right?It was such a pleasure to read about Ben, his roomies/college friends, and the chefs! I loved the friendships Ben had with his roomies; Liz was the serious childhood bestie, Rachel was the dreamy, hopeless romantic and Tom was the tech geek and stoner, and despite being so different from each other, they meshed so well together and were a great support to Ben and his dreams。 I also really liked the way the restaurant chefs rallied around Ben and became his 'restaurant crew'。 Is it a little wild that a taste-testing pig with immaculate taste buds makes the final decision on who does and doesn't work at the restaurant? Sure。 But I absolutely adored Watson and his relationship with the head chef, even if he (the chef) was a bit of an arse at the beginning。 Honestly, all of the characters in this story were fantastic and had well-defined traits that set them apart and I want *more* stories with/about them! Also, there's a dash of romance in this that was so sweet and was (again) *chefs kiss*! 😉Overall, this was an absolute treat to read and I would highly recommend it if you're looking for a wonderfully illustrated graphic novel about new beginnings and finding your way in the world, with wonderful characters and great friendships that are sure to make you smile! 。。。more

ClaiBokish

Thanks to NetGallery for the ARC。 This was another one of my most anticipated reads for 2022, and I’m happy to said that I really liked it。 The art is beautiful, I love that it's all in color and that it has a good amount of dialogue。 I feel that I tend to gave higher rating comics and graphic novels more easily, but it makes sense to me, it's hard to develop a good story and characters only through drawings and dialogue, they deserve a point for that。 The story is quite simple, but very easy to Thanks to NetGallery for the ARC。 This was another one of my most anticipated reads for 2022, and I’m happy to said that I really liked it。 The art is beautiful, I love that it's all in color and that it has a good amount of dialogue。 I feel that I tend to gave higher rating comics and graphic novels more easily, but it makes sense to me, it's hard to develop a good story and characters only through drawings and dialogue, they deserve a point for that。 The story is quite simple, but very easy to enjoy, it's cute, funny and relatable。 Despite having its serious moments, it doesn't feel like an emotionally demanding read, which I loved。Ben and Liam are so cute, and the friendship dynamics between the characters are great, this is the kind of short story that anyone would love to read between heavier books。 Definitely recommended。Spanish- Gracias a NetGallery por el ARC。 Esta era otra de mis lecturas anticipadas del 2022 y me gusto mucho。 El arte es precioso, me encanta que sea todo a color y que tenga una buena cantidad de diálogos。 Siento que suelo más fácilmente ratings más altos a los comics y novelas gráficas, pero para mí tiene sentido, es difícil desarrollar una buena historia a través de solo dibujos y diálogos, se merecen un punto por eso。 La trama es bastante simple, pero muy fácil de disfrutar, es lindo, divertido y relatable。 A pesar de tener sus momentos serios, no se siente como una lectura que te exige mucho emocionalmente, lo cual ame。 Ben y Liam son muy lindos, y la dinámica de amistad entre los personajes es geniales, este es el tipo de historia corta que cualquiera amaría leer entre libro más pesados de digerir。 Definitivamente recomendada。 。。。more

Serena Blackter

♤ rating: 4。5/5♤ review: let me start with, if you are here for tragic, twists and turns, then leave cause this ain't for you。 Chef's Kiss is graphic novel with straight up fluff and reality。 It shows the actual face how hard it gets to find a job and also whag friendship means。This manga starts with Ben and his 3 friends moving in together。 While the centre of focus is Ben, I loved to see some aspects of the friends lives as well despite it being a short read。 I loved Ben as an character and al ♤ rating: 4。5/5♤ review: let me start with, if you are here for tragic, twists and turns, then leave cause this ain't for you。 Chef's Kiss is graphic novel with straight up fluff and reality。 It shows the actual face how hard it gets to find a job and also whag friendship means。This manga starts with Ben and his 3 friends moving in together。 While the centre of focus is Ben, I loved to see some aspects of the friends lives as well despite it being a short read。 I loved Ben as an character and also Liz, but I thought there could have been more story to Tom cause he looked someone I'd hang out well with (like free food, let's goooo)I absolutely loved all the food scenes, i am a foodie, and seeing them in books is always nice。 The romance isn't that of a big part in here, its more like the reality of life。 The plot won't move as its rather short (or maybe I'm used to reading long mangas) but then also it's catching in it's own way。 All the characters were fun to read about, but Watson was the best (only if you knew)。。。 and also the dramatic story about him has me crying。。。♡ Thanks netgalley for the gifted copy of this! 。。。more

nikki

i super love the art style。 it was definitely the selling point。 another thing i loved is the raw depiction of how it's like to be a degree holder but not able to use it, especially for newly graduates。the next best thing is the two friend groups - ben's college friends and his colleagues from the restaurant。 the romance, on the other hand, i felt was underdeveloped。 which was why i didn't enjoy the ending。i would recommend this graphic novel to people who enjoy food and making food。ARC provided i super love the art style。 it was definitely the selling point。 another thing i loved is the raw depiction of how it's like to be a degree holder but not able to use it, especially for newly graduates。the next best thing is the two friend groups - ben's college friends and his colleagues from the restaurant。 the romance, on the other hand, i felt was underdeveloped。 which was why i didn't enjoy the ending。i would recommend this graphic novel to people who enjoy food and making food。ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Annie

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Chef's Kiss is a sweetly humorous slice-of-life NA graphic novel based around the everyday life of 20something Ben Cook written by Jarrett Melendez。 Due out 1st March 2022 from Oni Press, it's 160 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook (comiXology) formats。 This is such a sweetly romantic book。 Being a middle aged curmudgeon, I'm usually not such a fan of NA romance titles since I'm a few decades outside of the target audience, but thi Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Chef's Kiss is a sweetly humorous slice-of-life NA graphic novel based around the everyday life of 20something Ben Cook written by Jarrett Melendez。 Due out 1st March 2022 from Oni Press, it's 160 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook (comiXology) formats。 This is such a sweetly romantic book。 Being a middle aged curmudgeon, I'm usually not such a fan of NA romance titles since I'm a few decades outside of the target audience, but this one was exceptionally good。 Protagonist Ben is shy and just beginning to find his way after university and is living in a houseshare with his 3 friends。 Despite applying for lots of jobs in his field, he's had a fruitless few weeks on the job front when he stumbles into a job training in a local upscale vegetarian restaurant。 It doesn't hurt that there's a cute chef working in the same kitchen。 The character driven plot arc includes a seriously irascible head chef, an ensemble cast of coworkers and friends, and an adorable (actual) pig called Watson。 The plotting is tight, and the dialogue is very well done and believable。 The pencils, inking, and lettering are clear and precise。 It's easy to read and well done all around。 This will absolutely appeal to fans of light romantic manga and NA graphic novel romance。 There is no explicit content whatever。 Four and a half stars。 Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more

Alan D。D。

Buen día, gente bonita。 Espero que estén de humor para un cómic tan divertido como tierno, y una dosis ligera de drama。 Hace mucho tiempo que quería leer algo sobre la vida de los universitarios recién graduados, así que no lo pensé dos veces cuando me crucé con Chef's Kiss, de Jarrett Melendez。 ¡Gracias a la editorial por enviarme una copia a cambio de una reseña honesta a través de NetGalley!La historia es bastante sencilla: conocemos a Ben y a su grupo de amigos cuando empiezan a buscar emple Buen día, gente bonita。 Espero que estén de humor para un cómic tan divertido como tierno, y una dosis ligera de drama。 Hace mucho tiempo que quería leer algo sobre la vida de los universitarios recién graduados, así que no lo pensé dos veces cuando me crucé con Chef's Kiss, de Jarrett Melendez。 ¡Gracias a la editorial por enviarme una copia a cambio de una reseña honesta a través de NetGalley!La historia es bastante sencilla: conocemos a Ben y a su grupo de amigos cuando empiezan a buscar empleo luego de terminar sus estudios, cosa que me encanta。 Buscar trabajo es ridículamente traumático, y me vi en muchos de los diálogos de Ben, exhausto por no conseguir nada。 Es uno de los problemas más grandes que hay en el mundo de hoy, y aunque son escenas cargadas de humor negro, la frustración es palpable。https://tintanocturna。blogspot。com/20。。。Good morning, beautiful people。 I hope you're in the mood for a comic that's as funny as it is cute, and a light dose of drama。 I've wanted to read something about the life of recent college graduates for a long time, so I didn't think twice when I came across Chef's Kiss, by Jarrett Melendez。 Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley!The story is quite simple: we meet Ben and his group of friends when they start looking for a job after finishing their studies, which I love。 Looking for work is ridiculously traumatic, and I saw myself in many of Ben's dialogues, exhausted from achieving nothing。 It is one of the biggest problems in the world today, and although they are scenes full of black humor, the frustration is palpable。https://tintanocturna。blogspot。com/20。。。 。。。more

LGBT Representation in Books

Trigger Warnings: Drinking, throw-up, drugsRepresentation: Gay, BlackChef’s Kiss is a graphic novel about Ben, a recent grad who has to figure out what to do with the rest of his life。 While his parents insist that he uses his new writing degree, Ben struggles to find work until he lands an opportunity at a vegan restaurant。 Over the next few weeks, Ben must compete to earn the position, lie to his parents, and figure out what he wants in life, all while working next to a very handsome man!This Trigger Warnings: Drinking, throw-up, drugsRepresentation: Gay, BlackChef’s Kiss is a graphic novel about Ben, a recent grad who has to figure out what to do with the rest of his life。 While his parents insist that he uses his new writing degree, Ben struggles to find work until he lands an opportunity at a vegan restaurant。 Over the next few weeks, Ben must compete to earn the position, lie to his parents, and figure out what he wants in life, all while working next to a very handsome man!This eARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 This book was so cute! I love the simplicity of graphic novels while they still balance a full story and in depth characters! I really enjoyed the storyline and the “fantasy-esque” feel with the inner fairy and the pig origin story。 The story is sweet and sincere, with humor thrown in along the way。 I love a happy ending and was glad to see Ben and Liam finally kiss。 I felt the characters as a whole brought a very mature light, despite Ben and his roommates being recent grads。 I also loved the development with Ben’s confidence。 The story felt real and relatable for anyone who has gone through that after college phase。 I thought the illustrations were on point and really brought a lot to the plot。 。。。more

Krista

This is a gorgeous graphic novel that touches on the uncertainty and lack of direction for many new grads post-college。 The illustrations are beautiful and the storyline is cute and sweet, with just enough touch of silly。 The characters are fun, and this is altogether just a fun and enjoyable, fluffy read。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

the_litterature

Chef's Kiss, by Jarrett Melendez, is a coming-of-age graphic novel about a new college graduate named Ben, who moves into an apartment with 3 of his closest friends as he tries to navigate the world of job hunting。 As he goes to job interviews with his resume in hand, he quickly learns that he needs job experience to get a job with his degree, even when it's an entry-level position。 After an afternoon of fruitless job hunting, Ben happens upon a restaurant in need of a chef。 Down on his luck and Chef's Kiss, by Jarrett Melendez, is a coming-of-age graphic novel about a new college graduate named Ben, who moves into an apartment with 3 of his closest friends as he tries to navigate the world of job hunting。 As he goes to job interviews with his resume in hand, he quickly learns that he needs job experience to get a job with his degree, even when it's an entry-level position。 After an afternoon of fruitless job hunting, Ben happens upon a restaurant in need of a chef。 Down on his luck and in desperate need to feel like he isn't a failure, Ben goes inside, where he meets Liam, a handsome sous chef。 As Ben fights to prove himself in the professional world, he also has to deal with the disapproval of his parents, and the growing pressure he feels from watching his peers succeed。As someone new to reading the graphic novel format, I found this storyline to be creative and fun。 The art was well done; colorful and detailed。 I did have some difficulty following the dialog but again, as someone new to this format, I'm still learning how to navigate it。 I did find the storyline with Watson to be a bit odd at first but it did add a fun element to an otherwise serious storyline。 On a negative note, I will say that I was disappointed by the lack of romance。 The romance ended up being more of a side plot, which would've been fine but the title of the graphic novel is Chef's Kiss, and with Liam introduced fairly early, I thought this was going to be a queer romance-centered story, which it was not。 Despite that, I found the story to be incredibly entertaining and relatable。 I was caught off guard that although it is a graphic novel, there were still some great conversations to be had on the experiences of fresh college graduates and how getting a job straight from college isn't always the feat to accomplish。 。。。more

Opal Edgar

A cute new adult comic talking about the trouble of getting your first job with no experience and discovering what you want to become。 Because of the cover I kind of expected a little fantasy/supernatural, but no。 A very adorable, if predictable romance, but that will talk to people who are about to step into the working world, or just took that big leap after uni or are feeling as if they just haven't found their way just yet。 Not quite for me, I'm not in that age group anymore, and I'm not a r A cute new adult comic talking about the trouble of getting your first job with no experience and discovering what you want to become。 Because of the cover I kind of expected a little fantasy/supernatural, but no。 A very adorable, if predictable romance, but that will talk to people who are about to step into the working world, or just took that big leap after uni or are feeling as if they just haven't found their way just yet。 Not quite for me, I'm not in that age group anymore, and I'm not a romance reader。 I love foodie books though, so I thought it would talk to me。。。 but not really either。 I found it a little annoying how Ben who spends his life in books can suddenly cook better than people who have studied cooking and spent their lives improving that art。 It felt a little disrespectful to people of the industry, suggesting that anyone could do it within a week and belittled their training。 I'm sure that wasn't the spirit of the book, but it just came across like that to me。。。 The colours are beautiful, in soft pastel tones and lots of blushing, the illustrations are a little too classic comix for my taste, but lots of people love that clean style so I'm sure many disagree with me and find it very clear and easy to read。If you are looking for another feel-good graphic novel after finishing Pumpkinheads you might want to try that one。 。。。more

Katherine

This was really cute! I really enjoyed watching Ben learn things in the kitchen。 I enjoyed Ben's friendships。 Liam was the perfect love interest。 I hour that Ben's parents come around。 Great art and plot! This was really cute! I really enjoyed watching Ben learn things in the kitchen。 I enjoyed Ben's friendships。 Liam was the perfect love interest。 I hour that Ben's parents come around。 Great art and plot! 。。。more