Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy!
I thought this was incredibly cute, and had me laughing out loud several times.
The characters were great, and I especially loved the housemate Tom. He has his priorities straight. 🤣
A very cute little romance with some delicious looking food.
Definitely recommend.

What an absolute treat! I loved everything about this graphic novel. The story, characters, love, and food were fun to read. I found it relatable because I find myself in Ben. Struggling to know who you are as a person after graduating from post-secondary is always so tricky. It was nice to see Ben finding his passion but not letting go of his old ones. Chef's Kiss was such an excellent novel to read in a day. The illustrations were phenomenal! The detail in the dishes was a great touch. The characters were also all so loveable, especially Watson. I would highly recommend this to all my friends wanting to read something sweet and short.

There were only a few spelling errors here and there!

4*'s.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy in return for a fair and honest review. This has such cute art style, such a relatable premise and was super easy to get invested in. Not to mention all the descriptions and depictions of food actually had me starving by the end! I wish there was a touch more romance but overall and cute and fun queer graphic novel!

It was alright, the illustrations were good. The story too but it wasnt anything mind blowing either

Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez

**Special thanks to Oni Press and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

This book is for anyone who felt lost after they graduated college, and struggled to find their path, and for everyone who needs a little joy in their life. Read this book!

The premise & comps: Fresh out of college with a degree in English, Ben struggles to find a job that doesn’t require unrealistic amounts of experience. (How do you find a job to gain experience, if every job requires experience?!?) When he lands a job in a restaurant, instead of a writing gig like he’d been going for, and it goes surprisingly well, he feels torn. The book lived up to and soared beyond the premise, and was exactly as sweet and fun as I expected.

Rating: 5 🌟

Characters: The cast of characters was lively and well-developed, which is especially impressive considering the sheer size of the cast and the length of the story, less than 150 pages. The protagonist, Ben, is relatable to any young/new adult that is somewhere around the “choosing your path for the rest of your life” stage, whether that be choosing your major as a college freshman or being fresh out of college. The love interest is sweet and the chemistry between the two characters is well developed, even over the short story. The head chef is a bit of an archetype of an angry but well-meaning chef, and I found his character endearing.

Topics/Themes: The story deals with the quarter-life crisis so many students experience after graduating college, suddenly struggling in a job market with odds that seem stacked against them.

Plot: The plot was paced well, and definitely served as the feel-good story I was hoping for. I found the story to be impressively in depth for the length, finding myself wanting more story not because elements were lacking but simply because I enjoyed what I had read.

Conclusions: Overall, I appreciated how hopeful the novel was, even as its characters struggled post grad. Additionally, the central friendship was funny and sweet and showcased the value of a good support system. The random silly plot points (chefs' adorable pet pig?) were cute and I found that they added a fun aspect to the story. If you are looking for a feel-good (and funny!) story about finding yourself and your passions and seeking support from friends, you need to grab a copy of this book!

While the art for this graphic novel was absolutely lovely, I wasn't able to enjoy the story that went along with it due to the formatting of the comic, if felt like it was missing pages. But still beautiful art and what seemed like a sweet story.

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.