What a great graphic novel! This short read shows the struggles that young adults have as they graduate from college and struggle to find their footing in "the real world."

Ben has done all of the right things: he went to college, he participated in extra-curricular activities, he's applied to countless jobs. Despite his best efforts, Ben has found that he's apparently not even qualified to collect garbage. As he struggles to financially support himself while keeping up appearances for his parents, he realizes that perhaps his passions lie in a different career path: cooking.

How will Ben's parents deal with this sudden life change? Will Ben successfully complete the cooking challenges at the restaurant, including impressing the most unusual food critic? Is his attractive coworker interested in him? Be sure to check out this book to find all of the answers! Here's hoping that this story will be made into a series. That would be *chef's kiss* wonderful!

<i>Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This was so cute! If you’re looking for a super lighthearted queer read full of fun characters, yummy food, and an endearing pig, this is for you! <i>Chef’s Kiss</i> is a quick read, but worth every page. There’s a little sprinkle of friend and family problems, but otherwise, this will put you in a good mood.

This wasn't bad! I thought the art style was super detailed and gorgeous and the storyline was intriguing. I love books, especially graphic novels, about cooking and this showcased that element really well. The romance was present but not overpowering the story. I also liked the dynamics with Ben's roommates and thought their dynamics were interesting, overall I'd recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this graphic novel.

This book is one of those times I wish GoodReads had a half-point feature. I'd have given this book two and a half stars since it felt very mid. I'm going to break my review into pros and big con since that seems the best way to do this.

Pros: I loved the relationship between Ben and Liam. They were extremely cute and I wished we saw more dates/fluff, but alas, this was the story of them getting together and not their continuing relationship. I also loved the food. It was obvious the author is passionate about cooking and it was great to see that passion reflected in the writing. This is one of those stories where I would've loved to have recipes included the back like a cozy mystery! Additionally, Watson the pig was a bizarre addition to the cast of characters yet I would die for him and now want a Watson of my own.

Con: Ben's job search felt half-hearted and not realistic. This was my biggest issue with the book. Speaking from personal experience, I couldn't believe he gave up finding a job in his field after only three weeks. I took me six months to get a part-time job as a public librarian, and I graduated with a 4.0 from my master's program with professional experience. I don't know if the author decided to cut out the extra time since it wouldn't make for a good read, but the bleak truth is that it often takes much longer and the job you get is not worth the wait e.g. not full time, no benefits, etc. I guess what I'm trying to say is: I would've liked to see more depression. That's right. I think I'm justified in saying this, though, as a young woman who's recently gone through a similar experience.

Overall, I do recommend this book wholeheartedly, and I plan to purchase it for my library (where I thankfully now have a full-time job). I just think it wasn't meant for me.

4.5/5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Oni Press for providing this e-arc!

This was a charming quick queer graphic novel that charmed me with its premise, age range, art style and other elements that make this a worthwile read.

The conflict was well paced and was fascinating enough to not annoy me which is something a book can easily do lol.

LOVE that it's a stand alone with a nice ribboned end. Loved the pig as well. Also what a lovely fvck you to English majors.

Okay, I wasn't sure how I would feel about this but I loved it! I'm already looking forward to a sequel.

This graphic novel is a great light romantic comedy! The art style is nice and flows well for the slice of life story portrayed. The story follows life after college, and the struggle of finding a job post-graduation, and as a senior in college with my own graduation fast approaching in May, it was a well-timed read. The representation of friendships between the roommates, and the plotline of Ben straying from his original plan of being a writer to grow into his own while cooking created a story and characters that despite the short length I found myself truly caring about. The comedic elements of the pig and the banter between characters were a perfect garnish to the main course of the story. Overall, a very enjoyable and funny read!

This was such an adorable book! All of the characters were well developed, and the overall vibes of the book were amazing. Both the story and the illustrations were beautiful. I will definitely be recommending this to everyone when it comes out, and I will be on the lookout for more by this author in the future. Can't wait to purchase a physical copy!

The storyline was engaging, but I felt like there was WAYYYY too much dialogue on page... on every page. Because of this, visually, it was tiring and at times I didn't want to continue.

And also, there is very little romance despite the name.. all in all, it took me 20 days to finish a 125-page graphic novel..

thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What can be said about this graphic novel that isn’t already described in the title? Chef Kiss is a story about Ben, a fresh graduate with an English degree finding himself in a chef position in a quaint restaurant after a series of failures in his job-seeking attempts. Having to navigate pleasing the demanding owner of the establishment and his almost sentient pet pig, the narrative follows as Ben attempts to lie to his parents, balance friendships, and manage his crush on his supervisor. As he becomes more invested in this job, Ben begins to question his career path and the future that lies ahead of him.

Let me start off by saying that the art style is absolutely perfect. It captures the hilarity of Ben’s circumstances and the chaotic youth of fresh graduates. I love the attention to detail in all of the panels, with obscure character reactions or aside comments that infuses the graphic novel with so much personality. Obviously, a huge aspect of this book is food and I think Danica Brine and Hank Jones’ illustrations really make this graphic novel what it is. Every frame is as enticing as the last, pure explosion of entertainment and art.

I liked the progression of narrative throughout the book, especially the fact that Jarrett Melendez drew different plot points from the various relationships from Ben’s life, and not just have a singular focus on the romantic subplot. Ben’s friendship with his roommates are so endearing to read and applauding complex, given such limited pages for them to develop. That is not to say that Ben and Liam’s relationship was not the star of the graphic novel (if one were to exclude the pig that literally reached enlightenment by the end of the plot) - their dynamic is good fluffy and wholesome content. There is just something inherently tender to cook in each other’s company and the beautiful artwork depicts this intimacy beautifully.

If you’re looking for a sweet queer graphic novel that’s full of delicious food and found family, then Chef’s Kiss is absolutely the book for you. I love this book and getting to follow Ben as he tried to find a copywriting job after graduating college, only to stumble upon an unexpected opportunity to take his passion of cooking and turn it into a career. As someone who also struggled to find their way in young adulthood and ended up in culinary school, I found this story relatable, down to the crazy chef and fierce friendships you make when working in a kitchen.

Beside the story, I also loved the art in this book. All the food looked delicious and everything was so fun and colorful. This is definitely a book I’ll be recommending to everyone and shouting at them until they read it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC of this book!

Graphic novels and queer romance are my two favorite things so when you add them together I’m basically in heaven. Chefs kiss was an adorable and laugh out loud story about Ben Cook who starts a job at a restaurant. Shenanigans and romance ensue and it creates a wonderful story that you truly enjoy reading. I really enjoyed this novel, I wish I was a bit longer but I wish that for every book!

Also posted in goodreads1

I loved this amazing graphic story!!.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

This isnt a bad graphic novel, but its not what I was expecting. It sounded like it was going to be romanced focused, but theres very little romance here and what there is I found rushed and lacking chemistry. And this book is very goofy which isn’t my taste, it was jsut hard to get into the story when it is so ridiculous. I can see others loving it, but it didnt fit my expectations

Beautifully drawn and a great story - just what I was hoping for from this graphic novel! Ben, a recent college grad, is trying to find a writing job and keeps getting rejected. His roommates and friends are all having more success than he is, and he's worried he'll have to move out if he can't find work. But her serendipitously sees a "now hiring" sign in a restaurant with the magic words "No experience necessary," which he welcomes after being rejected from 17 writing jobs for having no professional experience. A cute sous chef, a weird manager/head chef, and a quirky staff (including a taste-testing pig), and the challenge of building on his basic cooking skills has Ben engaged in a way that he wasn't expecting. Afraid to disappoint his parents, who have pushed him to find work as a writer, he lies and says he's found a copywriting job. As he continues through the cooking challenges that will help him secure the restaurant job, he ignores his parents, struggles to balance the new job and his friendships, and tries to figure out if cute sous chef Liam is also gay and if so, is he as into Ben as Ben is into him? With the help of a little romance, friends, and a challenging career opportunity, Ben ultimately works toward figuring out not only who he is but also who he wants to be.

Chef’s Kiss. Was beautifully illustrated with a meaningful plot line. The casts was well rounded in ethnicity and sexuality.

I enjoyed watching each characters achievements grow even though our main focus was on Ben’s journey and figuring out his path of after college.

The hint of romance throughout the book leading to the Big Bang at the end was so we’ll paced and not over done.

Overall I’d read this again and any that came to follow it.

The only downfall is that some the lines seem very stiff. And just needs some tweaking.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Chef's Kiss is a graphic novel where Ben, the main character, has to find his way after college. He starts looking for a job related to his passion for reading and writing, but since he has no luck he decides to take on the challenge and to start working at a restaurant. It turns out he has some talent in the kitchen and he really enjoys cooking. I really appreciated how Ben stood up for himself and spoke his mind about what he wants to do, it was really important.
I was expecting a bit more romance, not gonna lie, but what we got was still cute.

Ben is moving into a new apartment with three friends. All of them are trying to find their way in life. Three of them just graduated college and two of them have new jobs. Ben just graduated with a writing degree and spends a week interviewing but everyone wants experience. How is he supposed to get experience if no one will hire him? On his way home, discouraged, he sees a sign in a window for help wanted with no experience needed so he goes in to see about it. Turns out it's a job for a restaurant cook and the sous chef just happens to be Ben's type. The rest of the story follows Ben's journey trying to decide what he wants to do. It's a great story for anyone who has just graduated because they will be in the same boat as well. The illustrations were really good and easy to follow. I was interested in this title to see if it would work in my YA collection. While it wouldn't hurt I think the mention of bongs by one of Ben's roommate's is a bit inappropriate. All the swearing is censored and there's nothing else inappropriate.

This was a really cute story with really cute art. I do wish the characters had been a bit more fleshed out, but over all this was some great fluffy gay romance.

I requested "Chef's Kiss" because I really loved the cover art style and when I read the synopsis I was ecstatic not only at the themes it would feature but the fact that there was a gay main character comfortable with his identity, which I found really refreshing.

If you are looking for a cute queer read, a beautiful graphic novel or just something fast and uplifting, you should definitely pick this up.

Chef's Kiss follows a recently graduated college student that after finding it impossible to be hired without any kind of experience or resorting to nepotism, starts working at a restaurant as a chef in training. There he meets a great group of passionate people, a grumpy boss and a possible crush which makes him start questioning the future he thought he wanted.

Along with the more serious themes such as the pressures of being a young adult struggling to balance a personal life, do meaningful work and find themselves at the same time, what I really liked in this book was how the main character was surrounded by such good people and how all these characters supported each other and forgave one another whenever one of them fell short.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for this DRC.

Rating: 4/5