Member Reviews

**3.5**

**Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc**

This was a really fun story that also touches upon some important topics. Ben has recently graduated from college and cannot find a job that has anything to do with his degree. Interview after interview has been a fail because everyone wants him to have more experience. I think this is something that so many people experience fresh out of college. It is beyond frustrating, but completely relatable! I think one of my favorite parts is the pig! It was such an odd concept but brought a great source of humor to the plot! I really liked the artwork, and I will be purchasing this book to my collection!

I did find a few parts to drag a little. For example, at the Yoga studio, I felt all the Yoga talk was too long and did not add anything to the plot.

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Rating: 4.25 leaves out of 5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Genre: Romance
Type: Comic
Worth?: Yes!

First want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read for free in exchange for a honest review. I wasn't too sure how this story was going to go but I loved it. You see the struggle of the male lead and figuring himself out after graduating. What I really wish there were more of was the romance aspect of the book. It seemed to kind of build but it was faint and then at the end they hit you with it. I would have liked to see more build up so we could build our own connection with it as readers.

I really hope there is another volume coming out. I enjoyed the ride of the story!

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Chef’s Kiss is an adorably human take on finding yourself and your dreams. The characters are real and lovable and the plot is light but realistic. Filling the journey of Ben, a young writer, who finds a temporary job cooking. You’ll be cheering for Ben along with his friends and hoping he makes the right decision.

Although I will not be adding this book to my curriculum, I will definitely be buying a copy for my classroom and recommending it to students. This story is universal and one we all need to hear. Because sometimes it takes time to find what you love.

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This was adorable.
A relatable main character with a character arc that was easy to understand and connect to. A fabulous and supportive group of friends that won't hesitate to call one of their own on his bullshit when he's not being so nice. A swoony love interest that made for a charming romance. Great humor and overall fun.
I absolutely loved this.

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

This was such a delightful read! It feels like a warm cup of tea and being wrapped in a cozy blanket!

As someone who is queer and 20-something, and freaking out about life - this graphic novel caught my attention immediately. This is a story about Ben, who recently graduated, only to find out that he is underqualified for all of the jobs he applies for. The employers are all looking for someone with experience, and he has none. Feeling desperate he gets a job as a cook (no experience needed!), intending for it to be only a temporary solution. But life is often unexpected, and he finds himself rethinking his career path.

First, I have to mention, I absolutely loved the art in this novel! While I loved the story as well, a big part of a graphic novel is the art style, and I thought it was amazing. The illustrations are lovely, the overall color palette is great, and the art just adds so much warmth and loveliness to the story.

As I mentioned, I found this story very relatable and the characters seem very authentic. Alongside Ben, we follow his friends, with who he lives, and I enjoyed their relationships so much. They all seem like wildly different people but despite their differences, they are very supportive of each other and always looking out for their friends. They all seem like interesting and well-rounded characters.
Ben also meets people at his new restaurant job, and I very much enjoyed them too. We first meet Liam, the sous-chef, who Ben is immediately interested in. Their interactions and relationship overall are very cute and I was so happy reading about them. The romance is not the main focus, but I loved their dates and I thought they were really cute. The rest of the restaurant staff is great, they are warm and supportive of Ben. Even the chef, who at the beginning seems unfriendly, ends up being there for Ben when he needs it. And I absolutely loved Watson the food critic (who is also a pig).

This is a fun and quick read about growing up and figuring out where life will lead you. Ben starts the novel looking for jobs related to his English degree and ends up getting a job at the restaurant, which is a complete 180. It also deals with expectations, as Ben's parents put a lot of pressure on him to find a job in his field and "not waste his life". I think Ben goes a long way, even though the novel is short - from someone who is terrified of what comes next, to someone who knows what he wants. I think his relationships with friends also mature with him, and he learns to be happier.

This was a very cute book, with a lovely romance sprinkled in. I do wish the novel was a bit longer, as I definitely wanted to read more. I would wholeheartedly recommend this, especially if you're looking for something short and sweet!

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Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Chef's Kiss was an absolutely lovely read. From the amazing illutrations, to friendships, and to delicious food, I had so much fun reading this! The story's pacing was a little fast, but it matches the cute and light heartedness of the novel. highly recommend!

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This is the cutest graphic novel I've ever read! It's such a sweet story; the characters are incredibly complex and real, the drawings are amazing and the writing gives the best companionship.
I love this story. - I mean it's food and gay - it doesn't get better than that.
My biggest pet peeve is how much some things were explained. if you skipped them the story would be the same.
Overall a great experience.
4.5/5
Maria Lourdes.

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I enjoyed Chef's Kiss so much! As a recent graduate, the beginning definitely resonated with me. The plot was engaging, and the romance was super cute to follow. And of course, Watson the pig had to be one of the best parts. The art work was very beautiful as well. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, uplifting story to read.

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The initial dilemma was pretty great and realistic, but I in my opinion the development and the end of the story was too predictable. It would be better if it was a little longer.

The art style was quite nice.

Overall was enjoyable, if it's gay I'll read it. It's a 3.5/5 for me.

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Huge thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for sending me a digital reviewer's copy of the book.

It was a cute graphic novel and I overall enjoyed it, it's short, fast paced and it is more about discovering yourself and what you want to do with your life more than a love story.

Ben is 22 years old and has just graduated from college, he sends job applications everywhere and tries to get a job related to writing or reading, which is what he studied for. But every single place requires him experience (as a college student trying to find a job, I can relate to Ben's frustration), then he sees a restaurant that says they're employing people with no experience required. Since he really wants to start getting some money and it's not that bad at cooking, he makes an impulsive decision and applies.

And then he meets this super hot and cute guy called Liam that works there and Liam becomes his new crush. So now, Ben is caught in between many things, his parents pressure to find a job according to his career, Ben finding out that words are not his only passion and this whole thing with Liam are just confusing him more. Plus, THERE IS A PIG INVOLVED HERE. It's a pig with a refined taste and Ben has to cook for Watson, the pig, and if Watson approves his food, then Ben can get the job.

It was fun, it's a light and easy read that it's more about finding yourself, what you like and friendship. The love story is more like a side story.

My favorite quote:
“What is stupid is making teenagers decide what they want to do for the next fifty years for work when they barely know who they are as people.”

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Reading Chefs kiss has been an absolute delight. There were so many great parts in the story as well as the illustrations.
I loved Ben’s character arc. I am just sad the book was so short. I wish there was more of Liam. There was hardly anything about him. I hope the authors and illustrators decide to make a series out of this with different characters.

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I wanted to love this book so much, the premise seemed like it was right up my ally. But I found the humor was awkward and the art style was too stiff to match the energy, so it was a very cringy read. There was hardly any romance in the novel and most interactions felt so unrealistic.

The main character was very bland. He had hardly any personality and that sucked me out of the story. The roommates were even worse, any potential to be explored was taken away by the fact that we hardly saw them. Tom was the only character that didn't get on my nerves, and frankly he's responsible for one of those stars. The love interest had even less personality and it was hard to root for a relationship where I knew nothing about him.

This book had so much potential. It might have been the moment a character only spoke in Shakespeare quotes or when a pig finds inner peace and starts meditating that I realized there was no way I can give this book a good rating.

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Oh my god, I really loved this book. I felt like I would from the moment I saw the cover, but I could not have anticipated how much. For starters, it has a similar tone to some of my other favorites, like Bloom and Check, Please!, while also having its own voice. It follows a young, recently graduated English major, Ben, who stumbles upon a cooking job when he fails to find a writing position. He's a hobby chef with promise, and of course it doesn't hurt that one of the restaurant's chefs is a very cute guy. There's a surprisingly large cast for a graphic novel, but it works perfectly as you get glimpses into Ben's personal and professional life and the ways they mingle and sometimes conflict. Ben has a supportive friend group who help him decide whether he's ready to set aside his previous career goals to pursue something new and exciting. The writing is tight and the use of visuals is superb. This is a story that thrives in graphic novel form and is just so satisfying to read. I appreciated how the moments of tension about Ben's career path allowed the story to dig deeper into the flaws of expecting people to only want one career and, importantly, to know exactly what they want. I think a lot of people could benefit from seeing Ben's story and from enjoying both its lighter and heavier moments. Overall, a fun and delightful read that I want to make all of my friends read.

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This book is so cute. It's mostly fluff with the tiniest bit of angst to keep the story moving along. I'm always a sucker for a found queer family, and this did not disappoint.

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I received an ARC from Net galley in exchange for an honest review. As soon as I ordered this comic I was a little hesitant, because I thought it would be a comic that would only talk about cooking, and this is not a subject I like very much. But the story delivers much more than that. It talks about the young adult situation coming out of college and the pressure of getting a job with lots of experiences, and that sometimes not everything you've chosen as your career is what you are that makes you happy. And that it's okay for you to change halfway and find yourself again. I'm 22 I'm in college and sometimes I think. That's why I found this comic to be a very important and extremely cute comic because Ben, the restaurant staff, his friends, the pig are too cute and wonderful.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with an ARC for a honest review.


As cheesy as this is Chef's Kiss was Chef's Kiss.

We follow our main character Ben after college looking for a job in writing but no one will hire him as previous job experience is required. So when he comes across a restaurant hiring cooks with no previous experience necessary he applies. It was supposed to be temporary until he found a job in writing but Ben is enjoying his time at the kitchen so he has to figure out what he actually wants to to and not what was expected from him. It doesn't help that Ben has developed a crush on his mentor Liam.

If I'm being honest Chef's Kiss caught my attention because of the beautiful cover and I am happy to say that it was absolutely incredible.

There is not a thing I didn't like, except maybe I wish it was longer. This was such a cute heartwarming graphic novel.

I loved the way characters were written and the story itself was done really well. I couldn't help but smile throughout most of the book.

What I loved the most was the artwork, the way characters were drawn and how the food looked absolutely delicious.

If you are looking for something adorable and fluffy to make you smile I highly recommend Chef's Kiss.

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I really enjoyed reading Ben’s story. Its so sweet, fun and adorable and you’ll immediately love the characters. It shows the story of a young guy with a degree but zero experience to get his dream job. However he’ll end up working at a restaurant where he learns new skills and meet new people. You surely don’t want to miss this if you love a short graphic novel with beautiful illustrations that represent true friendships, romance, cooking and real life problems.

Thanks so much to Net Galley and Oni Press for the digital copy.

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First off, Ben and Liam are *chefs kiss*. The art was amazing, I really liked the depiction of food. The ending was EVERYTHING!!!!!! Was it cliche, yeah. Do I care, not at all.
(Arc from Netgalley)

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This was a short and sweet graphic novel that quickly got me attached to the characters.

Premise: College graduate Ben Cook is struggling to find a job related to his passion for reading and writing. After countless interviews with no callbacks because of his lack of experience, Ben jumps at the chance to work in a kitchen in order to land his first job.

The plot and characters themselves were very relatable and the art was gorgeous. The format and layout of the graphic novel itself got confusing sometimes and I felt that there was an overload of text on some pages.

However, I loved the expression of chemistry between Ben and Liam and their moments were so precious. The constant talk of cooking techniques made me zone out and skim the text at times but I think this graphic novel could be a very enjoyable read for anyone.

Big thank you to Oni Press and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book!

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From the start I thought the premise of Chef’s Kiss was very cute. I really liked the art style and found it super engaging. All the characters were unique and identifiable at a glance (which isn’t always the case). They did a great job with the food related panels and capturing the experience of cooking in a very visually satisfying way.

There were some solid sections throughout about the struggles of life after college and how much pressure is put young adults which was nice. I also enjoyed the parts about Ben (the main character) considering different professional possibilities and what that meant for him. Ultimately though, the standout figure was definitely Watson. His panels were adorable and I liked how playful they were. It was a fun use of an unexpected character.

Unfortunately, I didn’t love the story as a whole. It felt very cramped - both character wise and plot wise - for the three week timeframe. Some of the characters - mainly women - were very overdramatic, which was made more apparent because the dialog is rather rigid at points. It felt like they were trying to tackle a lot in a small space but there were also parts that were unnecessarily drawn out, so it was a bit disconnected in that respect.

If the story sounds interesting to you I’d say give it a try! It was a cute read, just not for me in the end.

Disclaimer: I received this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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