Thanks to NetGalley, Oni Press, and Jarret Melendez for the opportunity to read this graphic novel. I was given the opportunity to receive an advance copy for this book and will be sharing my honest opinion about it.

I was so invested in the whole story. Not only the characters are extremely relatable, but the whole story line was really interesting as well.
This is the perfect example that even though you major in something it doesn't mean you have to pursue it for the rest of your life. What's important is to do what makes you happy and if you're an English major who wants to be a chef and feel the happiest when working in the kitchen, then do it!
Ben's friends were also so nice. The whole group's energy was incredible. And the diversity in the book was really appreciated.
The pig was weird for a moment but somehow it just seemed to fit the energy of the novel the more I read it. The Chef could've been a better person but as someone who worked in a restaurant before, I know how some things go and therefore I can't really judge him for such attitudes.

I recived an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of this book.

This graphic novel was SO CUTE. The story follows Ben Cook, a recent college graduate who is struggling to find a job in the field of writing. After countless dead-end interviews where experience is required, Ben all about gives up. Open to anything, he stumbles upon a job as a chef and meets a cute guy in the process. SWOON. But that's not all-- he has to undergo tests to ensure he is right for the position.

So what does Ben do? Cook, of course! No spoilers, of course, but let's just say there's a little bit of romance and a large smattering of yummy looking foods. All in all, such a fun, quick read. Easily four stars!

I received an advance copy by NetGalley for reviewing purposes.

Ok, so this comic was on my wishlist for a while now and I was really excited to be able to read it early! It was very relatable, all the what ifs and the struggles of the first job, trying to win the experience you need to get a chance to win the experience you need.
I liked how in the end not everything sounds perfect, Ben probably will have to work on his relationship with his parents, but that's fine. I also loved how he figured out how to do both of his passions work with each other. A really cute comic, love it!

Thank you net galley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review
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This book was a little difficult to get into, probably because of the dense style in which it is written. However, once I got into I fell in love with it. I loved Ben as the main character so so much he is truly one of the most wholesome and adorable characters out there. I loved the friendship group /coworker banter aspect of this novel, all of the characters were so fun and enjoyable. to read about.
As someone who doesn't typically enjoy graphic novels, I think this book has convinced me to pick some more up because this was so freaking cute and so much fun to read.

This was a cute read!
The MC,-Ben is going through something i think most graduates face when done with school....the dreaded job search that needs 'Job Experience'. After being rejected by even the weirdest job, Ben Stumbles on a cook position that might just save him from employment. BUT! He has to overcome the grumpy head Chef, win over the literal pig critic and charm the hot chef! How will he fair.?

I loved reading this comic the art was so good. I liked Ben and the people from the restaurants characters, however his friends not so much. I think the story line was relatable and i found aspects of it (the pig and Ben's Blushing at the hot chef with tattoos) Cute. This is a fun read i recommend people to check out.

This was such a fun read! Ben's struggle to get a job in writing is painfully relatable, making me really feel for him, but I also think it's wonderful to see stories showing how life can take unexpected turns and that it might not always be such a bad thing.

The friendships were what really sold this for me personally (I would also like to give an honorable mention to Watson the pig for being the absolute star of the show), and I think the overall sweet nature will appeal to a lot of readers out there. The illustrations are also wonderfully executed, they really draw you in and made the characters come to life.

Some parts felt a bit far-fetched or overdramatic, but nothing bad enough to ruin the overall experience.

Highly recommend this to all you romance-readers out there!

A really cute and fluffy graphic novel! It required a little suspension of disbelieve with Ben being able to improve every recipe, like he cooked better than the chefs themselves. But there's the whole adorable pig thing, so if you accept that, I guess you accept everything else.

all the stars! i LOVED this. plot? entertaining. characters? good. art style? phenomenal. cute animals? yes. slow burn romance? yes yes yes yes yes!

This was overall a super cute read! I loved the art style, in particular the colouring. I think the romance between Ben and Liam was adorable, and I really enjoyed being able to see Ben's shy nature and slight awkwardness when he was around Liam. Very endearing.

There were some elements that didn't quite hit home for me, but overall a fun, quick read that I would happily suggest to others!

I received the arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

this was a very cute idea that felt very relatable to new adults (especially the woes of recent graduates struggling to get a job or finding out that your path in life is not necessarily going to take the shape you'd imagined), i liked seeing ben figure out his place and how to stand up to his overbearing parents.

the chef was eccentric (who has a pig as test taster?) but he was very disrespectful of potential new employees and while it was a bit funny how he changed ben's name weekly (bart, blair, bran), he had a temper and i thought for sure he'd punch ben during one of his challenges.

the weekly challenges and their results felt a little repetitive after the first two. ben always nailed them or improved something they never thought of, so he didn't really have any setbacks (except for the last part where his parents came and ruined the atmosphere).

liam, the mc's love interest, was dreamy and fairly supportive. i was expecting a bit more on the romance front because the whole was-it-a-date-or-not thing could've been more developed. ben's fantasies (and his reactions to them) were pretty fun haha.

in the end, it was an enjoyable read.

AWWWW!!!! This was so sweet! I was not expecting to love this so much 💖

Ben is fresh out of college and dealing with the biggest struggle this generation of new adults and graduates are facing. "I'm sorry, you need at lead [x] years of experience for this position."

Oh, that hit home, especially since I've only just now found a job after nearly a year of searching (with a master's degree and three years of experience in the field) and have been told the same. exact. thing.

Ben, I feel your pain.

But Ben catches a break when he spots a sign advertising for a job with no experience required. His new job? Assistant chef. Definitely not the job he was hoping for but he has bills to pay and his very attractive coworker makes the sacrifice worth it. 👨‍🍳💋

And as Ben learns the ropes and starts to prove himself to his new boss (and the boss' adorable taste-testing pig 🐷), he starts to discover that the things he thought would make him happy and successful might not be the only things that will bring him joy.

There is so much I loved about this book! The story was so sweet, the characters relatable and very modern, and the issues incredibly relevant to today's 20 somethings.

Ben's roommates are a fantastic and varied group of people. Everyone is dealing with post-college drop in their own way. I really appreciated the author addressing "personal passions versus parental expectations" because it's something all young people have to face at some point. Whether you're like Rachel and they don't care enough, or you're like Ben and they care too much, or somewhere in the middle, the way others think your life should go and the way you choose to go often don't line up and it can be a struggle.

Ben and Liam's relationship was incredibly well-done. Starting off slow and growing into mutual attraction the more confident Ben grew in the kitchen and in life.

The illustrations and coloring were some of the best I've seen in new books lately. I will definitely be checking out more by the people who worked on the art in this book! The drawings are detailed and the colors crisp, the overall style was incredibly delightful to look at and matched the tone and maturity of the story perfectly.

Chef's Kiss is a deliciously queer (get it? delicious?) graphic novel about the struggles of new adulthood, finding what makes us happy, and food fit enough for the finest of pigs.

Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Pig: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I liked this book. The main character was very relatable, and the art style was nice, but I prefer my graphic novels to have less text. I like it better when the story is mostly told through the art. Still, I enjoyed this. The romance was really cute, and I particularly like the yoga class scene. If you’re into comics I’m sure you’ll enjoy this book.

This was such a cute and funny story, the growth the main character goes through is very relatable. The artwork is wonderful as well. 10/10 would recommend!

My first LGBTQ+ read of the year and it was a great kick-off! Ben is such a relatable character. A mountain of books and stress about the future and adulting what more could I ask for from a character as lovable as this one. It felt like a real experience, Ben graduates from college and then places won't hire him due to "not having enough experience" and he finds something he's passionate about.

My only wish was that I wanted the book to be longer so that each milestone or conflict could have more page time.

Overall the book was funny, fun had amazing characters and the cutest pig I'd ever seen!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4499868202

Absolutely delightful graphic novel about a college graduate who's life takes an unexpected turn post-graduation. A story about the different types of love we find in life, following your passion, and navigating adulthood.

A must read for fans of Check, Please.

This book is absolutely adorable both in story and in the art! (And the pig!)

My favorite romance books either take place in a bookshop or a bakeshop, and this graphic novel checked all the boxes. A fun new adult romance in the form of a graphic novel, which will appeal to a whole different audience of my customers. I'm excited to be able to recommend this book and add it to my Valentine's Day displays. Totally worth the afternoon and evening you will spend reading this.

4 Stars

To be published on 1st March 2022.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free copy.

Chef’s Kiss is a lovely story with nice characters and fun aspects. It definitely made me hungry and I loved the foodie moments. Also obviously loved the pig. The romance is a very soft aspect of the graphic novel that focuses on self discovery.

It definitely touches something that many of us can relate to – the pressure of finding the right job and realising how difficult it is, how doing your best at school is simply not enough anymore. Some of us will be employed before we graduate, some will struggle as every entry level job looks for someone with years of experience. And let’s not start with the other question – do we even want to do what we studied for? I related to Ben’s struggle a lot.
Some of us know who we are since we are young, some struggle to realise for a while. And there is the pressure of seeing others succeed, of parents having expectations. Chef’s kiss definitely was spot on here.

Now for the few problems;
While I enjoyed the art style, I felt it was sometimes missing the right facial expression.
The jokes weren’t that funny – the conversations were quite stiff and lecture-ish and so were the characters – it all felt a little cardboard cutout which made it difficult to care or get attached. Some of the moments felt unnatural.
Also I loved the pig but… it was a a little bit “huh?”

I think Chef’s Kiss needed… more. Either to be more funny or more loveable or with more focus on romance or more on friendship or characterisation? I guess it focused on the message which was great and relatable but only that and a slight taste of everything else was not enough.

I’d still recommend it for a nice evening read.

This was just so stinking cute!!!
The characters are all fantastic. Watson is just perfect.
The friendship's in this are so adorable and sweet.
It's relatable and well written. Such a treat from the first page! Warning it will make you hungry, so have a snack ready to go. The ending was just the cherry on top of the cake.

LOVED IT!

**this was given to me by Netgalley**

Barely out of college, Ben is ready to start his career as a writer. The only trouble is, no one hires him without experience. When he finds a sign outside a restaurant everything changes. The problem turns out to be when it becomes more than a fill-in job. Now he has to figure out who he is and what he wants to do with his life.

This graphic novel is gorgeously drawn and the illustrator focused plenty of attention on the food scenes, and all the coloring and sketching are stunning.

One thing that was not to my total liking was the restaurant owner's anger and grumpiness towards Ben; it seemed very forced, it came out of nowhere and seemed like it was unpleasant for no reason. Similarly, the conflict with Ben's parents also felt like it came out of nowhere, and escalated very quickly.

Characters:

I liked Ben Cook and related to his passion for reading and writing, as well as his fear of not living up to his parents' expectations. And seeing the way he was nervous about Liam made me laugh.

As for the secondary characters, I would have liked to see more character development. We don't know much about them and they are pretty one dimensional.

Pacing:

I found the pacing of this book to be a bit fast and by the same token, it failed to fully develop the characters and even make the ending somewhat rushed. Also, the romance felt very underdeveloped. But overall, I enjoyed the experience of reading this novel.

Good Points:

The one thing I did enjoy was reading about the difficulty in getting a job after college. The standards for college graduates are ridiculous and it's as if they are not meant to have lives until they retire.

I give it this rating mainly because of how much I loved the drawings and for relating somewhat to Ben.

This graphic novel was very cute! It was a heartfelt story with delightful characters, beautiful art, delicious food (my personal favorite), and queer rep. It's a short and adorable read and I recommend it.