Books about cooking competitons are my bread and butter (pun absoluetly intended) and so I could not wait to read this. As excpeted I gobbled this book up quickly, loving the characters, competition, and the bonus of Brodaway being mentioned multiple times. This addition to one of my favorite micro genres was chef's kiss.

I loved this one!
Good writing, good story, good characters
If you like YA book, you will love this one

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

This book was so much fun! After finishing one reality TV book (Attached at the Hip), I knew I needed another. And I was correct!

I somehow finished this book in 2 days, which is unheard of for me. And it’s 400 pages! Who am I!

As a person who loves competition food shows, this book was everythinggg. I was watching 24 in 24 last night and it just made me want to keep reading.

However, this book will also make you hungry.

This book has a relatively large main cast: 8 contestants, 3 judges, 1 host, 1 producer, and more. Yet I never got any of them mixed up (except the two food truck guys, but they barely count haha). All of the contestants have such memorable attributes and personalities (partially due to their “role” in the show, but I digress). And they all have such diverse backgrounds!

This book also mentions Hamilton/Waitress/Broadway multiple times. It’s great.

Anyway, all this to say, Paulie is an icon. We have to stan.

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

Foodie romances are one of my insta-intrigues so I was so excited to get my hands on this. Unfortunately this just could not hold my attention and didn’t work for my tastes.

Pretty standard reality show narrative here. We're revealing how these shows manipulate and take advantage of people then adding in some formation of community and the idea of being true to yourself and your dreams in spite of the judgement of other people. Superficially interesting but lacking in depth.

This was really great! I loved the setting of the show and the different relationships throughout the book! The writing was really great

Just like any survival/competition reality show, this book is also falls under the "guilty pleasure" umbrella.
It was so binge-able, I flew through the pages to know what was going to happen. However, in sudden moments of clarity, I would just ask myself, what the heck am I reading?
It honestly felt like a cooking show in a book form, everything is dramatic, but extremely superficial. The characters were just thay, characters. They lacked any depth and purpose.
It was basically the main character narrating her experience being in a cooking show, how the production goes, the secret instructions for the contestants, the arrogant judges, etc.
I think the pace helped with the readability, everything was happening so fast that it leaves you with so little time to digest each part and actually see how lacking it is.
It was a nice experience, perfect for when you're in a reading slump, however, if we are talking substantial content, and actual plot and storyline, this one is definitely not it.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Yes! This book was everything.

Food Network food challenge shows, for teens, and with all the behind the scenes drama. I am a sucker for all those shows on the Food Network. The second all the behind the scenes -- the storylines that were made to make people love or hate each character, etc. -- started, I knew I'd be in for a good read.

Six teens go in for a cooking challenge. Only one can win. Some of the things our main character, Peyton, created were so basic and didn't even really fit the theme(s) but I tried to look past that.

At first, it was just a fun getting to know each other and friendships (and enemies) being made. Then things start really picking up with the drama. I didn't agree necessarily with how some of it played out because it felt reminiscent to my high school days (I can't say without spoilers) and I'm harboring those feelings. However, I know it all tied together excellently.

Lots of drama, fake-ness, and competition to be the best. If you like competition shows, drama, with a little bit of romance . . . you'll have to read this one!

The last thing Peyton Sinclaire wants is to be stuck in her small town for the rest of her life waiting on tables, so when she’s accepted on the show Top Teen Chef it’s her chance to escape and fulfil her dream of attending culinary school. Nothing comes easy, but she’s determined to prove to the world that she deserves to win.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a fun, light-hearted read. The cooking challenges throughout the book were exciting and I liked the variation of tasks as well as all the fun locations visited during the competition. There was also a little sprinkle of drama that kept things interesting.

Regardless of my enjoyment, there were a few things that irked me. Firstly, most of the characters were stereotyped based on where they came from and their race. Small comments were made throughout the book reminding us of this to the point it became quite redundant (and unnecessary). I also had a difficult time telling the characters apart because there wasn’t anything particularly unique about their personalities. This was especially the case for all the male characters, who were all just ‘nice’. I think it would have given the book more depth if these characters were fleshed out more.

After the halfway mark a lot of the challenges were skimmed over and felt rushed. There were two double eliminations, the first one was fine, but I do feel like the second one was used to hurry the book along. Things just got a lot vaguer. I wish we got to see the judges' reactions to all of Peyton's dishes and had more insight to the judging/elimination portion of the story. A lot of the time the reader is just told ‘this person won, this person was eliminated’ and it did make me feel a little disconnected from the narrative. I’m invested in the competition, I want to see what the judges say, have them talk about all the different flavours and textures of a dish- what works and what doesn’t.

Overall, it was a really sweet book, and I had a good time reading it. There were just a few things here and there that could have done with a little tweaking.

I an unable to review this title, as it was archived before I had a chance to download and read it. This feedback is only to stop this title from adversely affecting my netgalley feedback rate. If in the future I have the opportunity to read this title, I will post a proper review here.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This book really captured the feeling of a reality tv cooking show, including the mouth-watering food descriptions, quirky characters, and (manifactured) drama. While fun I didn’t find this to be much more than fluff and the ending felt very stilted to me. Still, this is a great choice for someone looking for a light read!

Stars- 5/5!

** I received a free advanced copy from the publisher and have chosen to leave a review**

Overview-
Peyton Sinclaire wants nothing more than to escape her life as a diner waitress in her small, North Florida town and attend culinary school. Top Teen Chef, Food TV's new show that pairs reality TV drama with a fast-paced culinary competition, is her ticket out of her boring future. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make her dreams come true and Peyton is determined to prove to herself, and the world, that where you're born does not determine where you can go. However, once on the show, Peyton quickly discovers that there is more to the competition than just a well-seasoned dish.
As things start to heat up on and off the set, Peyton will have to prove to the judges that she deserves to win while trying to untangle what is real and what is scripted drama, and decide what she is willing to risk to win before her dreams end up on the chopping block.
Review-

I absolutely loved this book, it was the perfect mix of love and competition! Peyton was a loveable character who was easy to relate to and one you can root for in this twisted competition. I absolutely loved the representation of curvy girls in this book and POC love interests; it really added to the story to make it more relatable. Plus the drama and swoon-worthy chefs added that perfect reality tv drama aspect!
If you are looking for a light engaging read- this is it!

If you are interested in more reviews and bookish content, follow me on Instagram @3am_bookmarks!

ARC copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Where There's a Whisk is a cute and fun read! It's about a group of teens who are compete in a reality cooking show. I love watching reality cooking shows so this book was definitely up my alley. I really enjoyed reading this book.

Cute Cute Cute Cute! This story was very fun! I loved the reality show aspect of it complete with the betrayal and manipulation!

It's been a long time since I read a book featuring a teenage protagonist. This book is about our protagonist, Peyton, who is participating in a cooking competition. With the spate of cooking reality shows that are super popular, I'm sure this book will find popularity as well.

3 stars.

Where There’s a Whisk is a cute, YA contemporary centered around a teen cooking competition. We follow Peyton, a small-town southern girl, as she competes against seven other teens for the chance to win a life-changing culinary school scholarship. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I loved reading about the different cooking challenges the teens faced during the competition. However, there were a few elements of the story that I just wasn’t the biggest fan of, or that felt underdeveloped.

First, the love triangle – in my opinion, it really wasn’t needed, and it took up pages that could have been used to further develop the details of the competition. Second – I really hated one of the judges of the competition, Angelica. I think the book would have been stronger without her character, especially as we don’t really receive any good explanation for her actions and feelings toward Peyton. Third – sadly, many of the other teen characters felt underdeveloped as a whole, and I didn’t feel any real investment in their storylines as a result. Fourth – I wish that the competition was more defined as either a baking competition or a cooking competition. I didn’t understand why Peyton was the only passionate baker out of the eight contestants, and I honestly feel like she wasn’t the best fit for the Top Teen Chef show. Finally – I found the ending of the book very underwhelming. I would’ve loved a “Where Are They Now?” section focused on not only all the teen competitors, but also the other influential adult characters, such as the three judges, the host, and the producer of the show.

I still think this story will be a good fit for teens who also have a love for cooking or baking… or for those who are just obsessed with watching the Food Network! It’s a fun and fast read that has a lot to offer. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book. (Apologies for the delayed review!)

Peyton Sinclaire can't quite believe that she is a competitor on the TV show Top Teen Chef. The winner will get a full ride to any American Culinary Institute and for Peyton, it would mean the chance to leave her family troubles and small town life behind. The story starts right in the midst of the action, as Peyton walks on set for the first time and the camera crew captures her reaction to the beautiful appliances and fully-stocked pantry. They also record her walking right into the swinging doors that lead to set.
We all know that reality shows are not all that real. Peyton and her fellow competitors know that too, but they are trying to impress the judges, impress the audience, and maybe even make a friend or two along the way. The show begins with eight competitors and each one has a type--one is a vegan surfer boy, another is an Italian teen from New Jersey, and there is even a girl whose family is cooking royalty. While it might seem a bit obnoxious to have such obvious types, it certainly rings true for a reality show where each contestant would be encouraged to play along with a specific narrative.

Sarah Schmitt does a great job of writing characters who want to be authentic, but also want to win a competition where perception is at least as important as your plating skills. Their frustration is palpable when they are required to act in ways that aren't natural to them, and Peyton is the most devastated of all when she discovers the show will be portraying her as the "rags to riches" girl whose father is in jail.

Sometimes you need to read a book that my dad would call "fluffy;" the stakes are relatively low and you know that everyone will learn something and end up with a somewhat happy ending. This story is fun, moves quickly, and the reader truly feels that they are on set alongside the teens, scrambling to finish each challenge on time. If you love binging The Great British Baking Show or trying to perfect your pie recipe on the weekends, Where There's a Whisk is the perfect book for you.


Where There's a Whisk
By Sarah J. Schmitt
Running Press Kids October 2021
400 pages
Read via Netgalley

A very cute YA fictional cooking show drama! I find myself enjoying books that use the reality TV show trope. This was just. The lighthearted novel I needed!

I knew when I requested any early copy of this book it could go one of two ways, either I would love it or I would hate it. So colour me surprised when I felt neither of those feelings for this book. This was a run of the mill average romance story, with a side of cooking, and a side of main character I didn't really jive with.

Going into this book I knew three things, it was a romance, it was set during a cooking competition, and that it was some sort of rags to riches story. It was all those things or at least partly, the two love interests was okay but not really necessary. The whole cooking show aspect was written like the reader would be shocked to know that they are 100% scripted but anyone who has watched an ounce of reality TV could tell you that. As for the rags to riches part, it was more rags to struggling student by the end. While I'm glad the finally happens how it does, I was just okay with this book.

If I pick up more from this author in the future it will really have to be something that peaks my interest.