Its cute and quirky and had me falling in love with all of the characters. The art is wonderful and really help highlight the story. As someone who has just graduated from college, it's scary to find oneself in the world. Like what comes next and all of that. This story gives that validation of whats coming next and not having to follow all of the steps of the recipes to go next.

Ben Cook is a recent college graduate with an English degree. When he can’t find a job in publishing after weeks of interviews, he finds a restaurant that is hiring with no experience necessary. It doesn’t hurt that Ben also likes the cute sous chef who interviews him. Ben must do a series of challenges to prove to a tough critic that he has the skills to work there full-time.

I loved the quirky characters in this story. All of them, even the minor characters, had distinct personalities. There was also a pig, named Watson, who was just adorable.

The one thing I didn’t understand was why Ben had to do weeks worth of challenges for this job. He didn’t spend time actually working in the restaurant. He had to work on one dish a week to perfect it, but it seemed more like a training program or school rather than a job.

Chef’s Kiss is a cute queer graphic novel!

Thank you Oni Press for providing a copy of this book.

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! Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A cute and fun graphic novel with great rep!

The main character, Ben is a bit geeky and awkward but adorable!
He’s a relatable character, that has finished college and struggling to find a job after finishing his English degree. (Hits way too close to home haha)

The food aspect of this graphic novel was awesome! I felt genuinely hungry at times. I like the whole dynamic between Ben and the other chef’s. (Apart from the scary head chef)

There’s not only a bit of a slow burn romance (LGBT) but there’s a huge focus on friendships – which is nice to see! The romance actually isn’t a massive part of this, at least in my opinion. It takes a while for any romance to happen. It’s more about Ben learning about himself and where he wants to go in life; while dealing with pressures from family and juggling his friends and new friends.

Illustrations: GORGEOUS!
I love the art style here. It reminds me of older comic book and cartoons drawing style.

Overall, definitely worth picking it! Light fun read that does deal with some deeper topics. A well balanced story!

Absolutely loved this sweet and fun graphic novel. The art is so beautiful and intricate, I wanted to bake & cook for hours after reading this one. Loved the characters and their friendship, envied their put together life and also their struggles. It was easy to get lost in the way the feelings developed between Ben and Liam. I felt sorry for all the hardships Ben felt and the lack of understanding from the parents. I will get a copy of this one. I need to have it on my bookshelf.

This graphic novel is so adorable, I squealed with happiness when I got to the end.

Liam is hot and what a dream.

Watson... I so want a Watson!!

Thanks to @NetGalley or I never would have gotten round to reading this.

Adorable story, fabulous art. Golly, all those dishes look amazing.

Thanks to the wonderful publisher for letting me get a review copy in exchange for an honest review! Woohoo

This was such a sweet and adorable read. I’m grateful for the opportunity to read this. It was just what I needed.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Now that college is over, English graduate Ben Cook is on the job hunt looking for something…anything…related to his passion for reading and writing. But interview after interview, hiring committee after hiring committee, Ben soon learns getting the dream job won’t be as easy as he thought. Proofreading? Journalism? Copywriting? Not enough experience. It turns out he doesn’t even have enough experience to be a garbage collector! But when 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?

When Ben begins developing a crush on Liam, one of the other super dreamy chefs at the restaurant, and when he starts ditching his old college friends and his old writing job plans, his career path starts to become much less clear.

This graphic novel was everything! the art and the plot was the cutest thing ever. I loved the artwork in this novel and thought it paired perfectly with the novel. This was a cute graphic novel and I highly recommend picking this up!

TW/CW: Vomit, unemployment, overbearing parents

What can I say? This book was almost everything I needed right now.

Recent college graduate Ben cannot find a job, of any sort, for the life of him. He doesn't have enough experience at... anything, apparently. Until one day, he runs across a restaurant with a sign that says they're hiring - with no experience needed.
Ben mostly cooks at home, but figures it's worth a shot - even if his parents will be unhappy, and it's not exactly what he'd planned, at least it’s a job.

“You. Are not. A failure.”
“Then why won’t anyone hire me? I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do. Study, get good grades, do extracurriculars… and for what?”

If you're anything like me, the above quote and the whole premise of the book hit very close to home. College feels like a waste. Why even go through those 4+ years?

But this book tells you why.

“There’s nothing crazy about figuring out what makes you happy and deciding to pursue whatever that ends up being.”

It's not all about going to college to get a job in that field. Sometimes, you can love something so much (in Ben’s case, reading and writing), but that doesn’t mean a job in that field is meant for you. Sometimes you’ll discover another passion, like Ben does with cooking. Knowledge is never a bad thing, so the experience isn’t something to regret – like Liam says, figuring out what makes you happy is the important part.

Okay, one last quote that made me feel better:
“Do what you have to do until you get what you’re really looking for.”

As someone who has basically been living by “I’m only doing this until I can get the job I really want,” it was so refreshing to see that validated in the media I consume.

In all, this book is a breath of fresh air… most of the time. While Ben’s story is Relatable™, his friends left me wanting more. Two of them promptly got amazing jobs before graduating or just out of college. Not that that isn’t what SHOULD happen – but in a story about a graduate struggling to find a job, it felt like a bit of a slap in the face. Especially when I’ve known people in those fields who struggled to find jobs just as much as Ben.
Quick Q: how do all of these fresh graduates + a student afford THAT apartment??? Where are they living? I need to move ASAP.
Also, wow, wish I had rich parents who agreed to pay for my apartment and bills for a bit. And had connections.
Basically, the characters felt like they struggled, but never really were in danger of losing everything, so it fell a bit flat at times.

Now, I can’t end this review without mentioning the romance. It’s cute and the panels with just Liam and Ben ~just hanging out~ are my favorite (the sunset? The final page? STUNNING.). I wish we’d gotten a bit more development between them than just “omg hot guy at work and we both happen to be gay” but. It is what it is.

I love love LOVED the end. He gets to have the best of both worlds. It's what he deserves.

Last but not least – Watson, the pig? An icon. Would read a book just about him.

Quotes are from an early copy and may not reflect the final version.

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for an ARC of this!

OH. MY. GOSH. The cuteness that is this book - I cannot even handle it! The art style is so good - the artist is really great at depicting the emotions and personalities of the characters, which I was at first concerned about, but was quickly reassured. The journey of self-discovery that the main character went through during this book reminded me of my own, which made this book all the more fun. I'm SO glad that this was a graphic novel - I can't imagine absorbing this story any other way. The premise is so familiar, yet the details make this story fun and unique in a way that I have not yet experienced in either a regular or a graphic novel. This book is so fun - my only regret is that I want to see the relationship blossom more, so I'm REALLY hoping that there is a sequel planned for the future! I also loved the cooking details - the way the food and the cooking process was written about made me feel like I was working in a kitchen right alongside Ben. I'm not a professional chef by any definition, but judging by what I've seen on tv, the cooking, food combinations, and flavors seemed pretty legit ha ha. Overall, this book was an absolute delight!!! Definitely recommend!

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

After he makes his parents proud by graduating with an English degree, Ben searches for work in writing. When he's turned down for every job he applies for, he lies to his parents about a copywriting job and finds work to pay the bills at a local restaurant with an eccentric owner and a gorgeous chef, Liam.

My favorite thing about Chef's Kiss was the beautiful art style and the restaurant scenes! Ben is put through challenges before he can join the team and I loved this! It was so much fun to see what challenge he'd face, what dish he would make, and how the mystery judge (don't want to spoil who that is...) would rate his dish.

However, I did find a lot of the cooking scenes, especially his practice runs, to be tedious and draggy. It goes through each and every step of the entire recipe, pages and pages of cooking one dish. This makes sense for a book about a budding chef, but it did not appeal to me. The same thing happens toward the end of the book when one of Ben's friends teaches a yoga class. Again, pages and pages writing out each and every pose, going through the entire class. I felt like these things could have been edited down to a few pages to flow a bit better and offer time for other aspects that were rushed and given far too little time on the page like the romance!

Ben falls for Liam almost immediately. Sadly, aside from pining on Ben's part and a never again mentioned moment with Liam, we never really see their relationship go anywhere until an abrupt ending. Their relationship was a big factor in my choice to read the book and I was left unsatisfied with the small amount of romance in a book entitled, Chef's Kiss.

Overall, I would still recommend this book especially if you like to cook or like to see recipes laid out in books. If you're looking for a queer romance, you won't find much here.

Okay, this was super adorable, and the only thing I didn't really like is how I couldn't sample all the delicious sounding vegetarian dishes they were making. I enjoyed that this had a couple of "wtf" curve balls but the characters just went with it. This graphic novel is sweet and savory.

First of all, thanks to netgalley for the ARC of this!
I thought this was pretty cute. The art style was nice and the story went well with it. I had a good time. My only problem was the format i did read it. I think I’m meant to read graphic novels in physical form.
Overall, I would give it a 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for an e-ARC of Chef's Kiss by Jarrett Melendez in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first graphic novel and it was really adorable, realistic, detailed and beautiful! Story and scenes were funny, romantic and passionate, yet some parts, due to dialogue, felt bit cringy and rushed. I wished for Ben to have more progress towards his own dreams and needs, not so much as romance. It would be also great to have more backstory or at least insight of Ben's friends (more Liz, please) :)

Overall this was a quick read, plot was there, Ben was lovely, his friends were supportive and understanding, and every time when I read something food related, I wanted to run to my kitchen. Thank you!

Chef’s Kiss is as an adorable, somewhat magical slice of life story that follows a recent college graduate that finds himself in a completely different job than what he studied for in school. After many failed attempts to find a writing job due to no work experience (hello he was just a student?!), he stumbles across a cafe that is hiring and doesn’t require precious experience! Enter a fun cast of eccentric yet loveable chef’s that teach our MC that it’s okay to try things new and do things you love. It also helps that there’s a hunky chef too; hello love interest! I particularly enjoyed the somewhat magical pig that the head chef has be the final test for each cooking challenge. Such a delightful read!!!!

This was adorable! If you're looking for a lgbt graphic novel you don't want to miss this one.

Chef's kiss follows Ben as he is trying to figure out what he wants to do in his life. He's looking for a job, any job really as he becomes more and more desperate. However, he lies to his parents and say he has found a writing job like he's always wanted. But every interview is a failure and eventually he finally manages to get a cooking job, he'll have to do some tests because the boss is a bit picky (you'll see what I mean when you read it ahah). However, with the help of a handsome chef, Ben will become more confident in the kitchen. The romance is pretty sweet and I was rooting for them.

<i>(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

This was so cute. The art style is beautiful and the colours are perfect. This tackles some really apt problems about not just university or finishing education but about working life. How yes your all this time into university but nothing is quite like experience but if you cant get the job you can’t get experience.

How we can be influenced by our base nature but sometimes that puts us in a greater area than we thought we would be. I loved the way it tackled the problems in a really straight up form and I just think this story was so simple it was brilliantly put across. Sometimes its just the delivery that makes the difference.

Thank you NetGalley for the proof.

Thank you Onipress and Netgalley for an advanced copy.

This was such a cute and beautiful book. You will become so invested in Ben and his story, which is totally relatable in every way. His journey of trying to decide what his future will be when everyone else around him has it sorted already. The rest of the characters become so loveable as well, and who doesn't adore a cute pig. If graphic novels are something you love, this is one for you.

I really enjoyed this, it was a perfect easy read, heartwarming but also dealt with issues that a lot of young adults face. Watson was really the star of the whole story

I really really like this book. An absolute delight!

I was very invested with all characters here. Ben could represent every young people who are still confused about what they want to do for their life, such as career. Not only that, but I also love how Ben got friends who are loyal and very supportive to him when his parents are not. That little piggy Watson is also cute and funny. A great touch to this story. Watson made me want to try every food Ben cooked.

I recommend this book so much. Sweet, warm, and nice story with an outstanding art style.

Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for providing me this wonderful ARC!