This was a really sweet and fun book with delightful characters. The story was enjoyable and endearing and it was a fun time to read.

Relevant and relatable, particularly to post-graduates in search of a career. Touches on the absurdity of a job hunt and how employers expect candidates to have some form of professional experience for an entry-level position. A catch-22 situation that eliminates many opportunities for college-educated persons.

An enjoyable narrative that focuses on the difficulties in discovering what you want to do as an individual. Choosing to accept a job that you never intended to have does not necessarily mean you have failed. Emphasizes that it is perfectly acceptable to postpone efforts to apply your major into actuality. Take the time to find what you want to do and to reflect on what brings you joy as a personal passion as opposed to a passion that contributes to happiness in the working sphere. Loved the friend circle and the support they offered one another as well as their success in communicating their thoughts and feelings.

All-in-all, I found this book to be equal parts sweet, cute, and life-affirming. As a recent college grad., it's very easy to relate to Ben and his difficultly finding a job. Don't even get me started on theses "entry level" jobs all wanting you to have like 2-5 years experience. Like, how am I meant to get experience when nobody will hire me because I don't have experience? So seeing Ben's struggles to find his place in the world after graduating from college was very affirming to see. As a whole, this book is very sweet and wholesome and the art is amazing. I can very easily see this being a comfort read for a lot of people. Fans of the Heartstopper books should give this one a go, it fits the queer, wholesome, graphic novel with the MC trying to find themselves vibes. Alternatively, this one might vibe with those who feel like they're right outside the age range to really enjoy Heartstopper as the characters and their experiences in Chef's Kiss are those of mid-twenties adults rather than high schoolers.

My only qualm that I will raise is that the title and summary of the book kind of allude to this being relationship/romance heavy and it really wasn't. I'd say Ben's struggles to find his place and the actual cooking itself were far more in focus than the relationship element. While this may not usually be a problem, I just felt like it should've been more emphasized given the overall tone that the potential reader is presented with prior to ever picking the book up. I would love for a sequel that focuses more on the relationship development that we didn't get very much of in this book.

Overall, like I said earlier, I think this one could be a major comfort read for a lot of people. The content is wholesome, sweet, and fun, with just enough new adult anxiety to feel relatable. Plus, the artwork is very realistic in a way that appeals to me; it's very, very well done (plus they made Liam hot, which I respect). I read the ebook, but I am very much considering buying a physical copy to put in my hoard, just because this feels like the kind of book I'd like to have in my grubby little hands to read again someday.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC.

I loved Chef's Kiss so much, all of the characters were engaging and fun and unique, and it was so much fun to spend time in Ben's world that I wish it was longer. My only real criticism of this book is that I wish it was longer, or adapted into a series. It feels like we're just getting to know everyone and just getting invested in the story when it ends.

This was an adorable graphic novel with great representation (gay and BIPOC characters). The main character, Ben was really sweet. This was such a nice read! There are some trigger warnings.

this was so adorable!! I'm going to start with my only criticism for this graphic novel and it's the head chef's behavior which was just mean. Other than that, I adored it, the relationship was extremely sweet and the book managed to be comforting while also not following a traditional romance plot line. Whole heartedly recommend! 4.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. Chef's Kiss is a queer, cute graphic novel. I love following Ben's character. We follow Ben Cook who just graduated college and is on the hunt for a job that has anything to do with reading and writing. "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?"

The art style is cute, and I enjoyed the story. Ben is a great character.

Are you a college graduate and find yourself confused as to what path to take after leaving school? Do you take the traditional road and delve into a job related to your course or jump into whatever jobs are available? Well, this is exactly the dilemma the MC, Ben, faces in Chef's Kiss. A recent English graduate, he finds that he doesn't really know what he wants to do and after seeing a “Now Hiring—No Experience Necessary” sign, he takes the plunge and dives into the world of cooking.

Chef's Kiss is a delightfully queer graphic novel that honestly almost gave me toothache with how sweet it was. The romance between Ben and Liam was definitely a slow burn but seeing their relationship develop was such a treat. But beyond their relationship, Chef's Kiss is very much a story of how Ben grows into his person and learns to face challenges. It was fascinating seeing him find inspiration and creativity in the trials presented to him and in those difficulties bloomed a passion for cooking. Though I will say that I didn't particularly appreciate how toxic the head chef of the restaurant was (especially since Ben had zero professional experience) and how he literally did a full 180 by the end of the book. Nonetheless, I truly enjoyed Chef's Kiss and I look forward to more of Melendez, et al.'s works. (Shout out to Watson for being an absolute ray of sunshine!)

This was an ARC received from Netgalley.

This was cute, kind of in the vein of Giant Days. Four recent college grads rooming together and trying to find their path, with focus on Ben Cook-the protagonist. Ben got his Bachelor's in writing and communication but he's having a hard time finding paying work. His friends seem to all be doing great while he's getting desperate for paying work. So when he stumbles on an ad for a new chef with no experience needed he thinks, "Well, I've always liked to cook and I'm pretty decent at it." so he applies. He has to go through a pretty rigorous test making certain recipes and coming up with a new one to showcase over several weeks and these have to be approved by Watson-the head chef's pig... Meanwhile, his parents have been on his case about work, if he's found anything, what he's doing, ect. So he tells them he got a job copywriting, at least until he can possibly land this position as a cook. Of course, it isn't complete without Ben crushing on Liam, the attractive sous-chef.

I liked that this was a light-hearted story about not knowing what you want but about following your heart and trying new things. Expectations can weigh heavily and it's hard to do what you want when you try to be considerate of everyone else's feelings before your own.

This charming coming of age story had the perfect amount of romance, self-discovery, and drama. Newly graduated, Ben realizes his professional plans aren't going to make it in an industry that wants more experience than he has. Starting a role in a restaurant teaches him new skills and confidence. With the help of his friends and his crush, he's able to carve a new path for himself and find joy in it. Watson the pig is the best character, even if Ben is rather gullible about his story. While I would love to read more about these characters lives, Chef's Kiss is perfect as a stand-alone graphic novel.

Such a fun graphic novel, full of witty humor. I am huge foodie, so this one instantly stood out to me. Super easy to fly through this one, and kept you captivated the entire time.

Very cute! Lovable characters and story and a great one to just fall into for a couple hours. JUST SO CUTE. I just gush when I talk about this one.

The story was cute, but I got a little bored as I read it. It seemed to drag out bits that should have been shorter and I don't feel we saw enough of the relationship developing, it seemed a little instalovey

I loved the inclusion of the recipe at the end.

Ben, a writer to be is looking for a job that matches his interest, but by chance he found a job as a cook where he has to prove his knowledge of cooking. The funny part is that he has to be approved by a pig, not the main cheff.
It was a little predectible but funny.

Ok, but I LOVED this graphic novel. Not only is the art... ahem... CHEF'S KISS (see what I did there?) but the story has a lot of heart and depth. It's basically a story abut growing up and finding an unexpected path for yourself. Great mix of side characters too!

This is generally really cute and very relatable, but it felt like the story was lacking something. There is a lot of pining throughout, and even though it is a relatively short graphic novel, it felt like it went on for ages.
There were some really funny bits, and as I said, very cute.

This is a fun read and absolutely adorable artstyle!

The premise was solid and the pacing was just right (although i'm a little confused about the whole thing with the pig and the borderline bipolarity of the headchef/owner).

I really enjoyed Ben and Liam's friendship, and budding romance and though I wish more was done to develop Ben's backstory (his family being there felt unnecessary to me) but overall it's fine.

Highly recommended and I'm looking forward to read more books from this author.

This book made me swoon it was so cute, the art style just made it all the better. This is a story I kinda needed to read at the moment I’m in my last year of college about to go to uni and I’m deciding what I want to do with my life, so watching Ben go through the same was really nice to see. I loved his group of friends and the new friends he made along the way. The chef is really a cuddly bear and you can’t tell me otherwise. Also Watson is by far my favourite character just cause he’s amazing.

This was a weird book, y'all. Not unenjoyable, but there was like, a pig who was basically a food critic? And a kid who goes from being a journalist/writer to being one of the top chefs at this restaurant? Wild. It was gay though so that was appealing and fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really loved the characters and how the romance developed. The pig character was brilliant but there was also quite a bit of suspending our disbelief xD I did think it was a contemporary going in but that was not the case. I appreciated stereotypes being viewed from a different lens (stoner character). I appreciate the variety of diversity within this. The discussion between passion and needing financial stability was absolutely wonderful and something that resonated with me at the time, including having more than one passion and wanting to explore the different facets of your life. My main takeaway that hit me hard was that your degree does not define you! I needed this at the time and loved the way that it was addressed.