Any book about cooking has my attention and this one did not disappoint. It was an easy and pleasant read. While the characters lacked a certain depth in my opinion, the relations which formed between them supplied a nice dimension. The main character's backstory could've been more developed to give the reader some context, but overall I think it's a nice book choice if you're looking for something light.

This was such a light and fun read. I've been gravitating towards food-themed reads recently, and this was a cute one. The characters have their roles in this reality cooking show, and I loved the relationships between the characters.

This book was a lighthearted read that deftly addressed the long-term effects of social media on teens. I recommend it to young foodies, feminists and their allies.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a very fun and easy read. I think it tried to cover a lot of ground in regards to variety of characters and stuff happening, and it didn't hit every mark perfectly - but if you go in expecting light hearted, fun, YA romantic comedy you will not be disappointed.

I loved all the food and cooking descriptions. It didnt feel like they really covered 3 weeks worth of time, and sometimes the food parts were glossed over when I wanted more details, but it is definitely a book that left me hungry and made me wanting to have more fun in the kitchen!

The commentary on reality TV and what goes on behind the scenes was very interesting, and at times I wish we got a little more information (I was holding out for a reunion with Adam where he reveals what he refused to do!) but over all it was well done. Even knowing from the book description not to trust people, I totally fell for some of the pretend.

I did have to suspend a little disbelief for how quickly some relationships formed, even on a friendship level. Though I get that in some environments connections are made quickly and strengthened by shared experience, it was a lot for just 3 weeks!

Anyhow, in the end I believed the chemistry, I believed the outcome, and I just really enjoyed all the tall about food!

Where There’s A Whisk is a light romance story with a guaranteed happy ending. Though it sets up a lot of drama, the results are very light tension with good resolutions for pretty much everything. Peyton is a compelling character, one you can see in many different stories: poor, with a somewhat broken home life, working at a diner with very few friends and family to support her. She gets a chance at a teen cooking competition and suddenly, she can finally see an escape, a way to pull herself up and succeed. But what is scripted and what is not? Does everyone have a role to play? Has the winner been determined before they’ve even started? And does Peyton even stand a chance when it seems like everything is against her?

The novel is very light and I have to keep that in mind for my review. Characters, worldbuilding, and plot don’t hold up compared to a heavier novel. Though this book is technically 400 pages, I read it over the course of about two hours, due to the spacing and simplicity of the plot. Time passes very quickly, jumping from challenge to challenge. At first, their challenges are described in more detail, Peyton chopping ingredients, setting timers. There isn’t any insight into her thought process other than her, at first, having no idea what to make, and then it comes to her and she’s presenting something to the judges. I wanted more insight into her ideas and how she came up with them. Competitions become even more glossed over as time passes, with the host presenting the challenge, the competition happening, then the results being presented. I have no faith in Peyton’s baking, though that’s her strength. Plus, towards the end, there are too many baking focused challenges for me to believe in her potential success.

Peyton brings up her family and her background a lot, but there isn’t any true sentiment or emotion to back it. There’s no emotional call home to her mom, or letter, or any of the usual family involvement you might see in a cooking competition. Like, usually, the family comes to the final round of a long format competition, to congratulate or comfort the winner or loser. There was none of that, yet I get the impression that Peyton’s mom is still alive, though her father is in prison. The other characters are literal stereotypes, perhaps picked for the show because they fit those stereotypes. But the author also chose to write them this way. Even if they show some degree of depth later, these stereotypes stuck with me in a negative way.

Where There’s a Whisk is a very quick read with some fun moments and dialogue. It fails at providing a realistic story with real depth, for me. And it could really use some more food love. I feel like a cooking competition book should make me hungry, especially for food I’ve never had before. It really doesn’t glorify or respect food in the way I feel it should. The food was just a convenient plot point. The target audience is clearly younger, despite the fact that the main characters are all recent high school graduates. I would place this at middle school, or early high school, for reading comprehension and depth. With a happy ending, it will uplift those who read it, and give them hope for a happier future.

I have recently found out that I love a reality tv setting in books so luckily I had requested this a while ago to read now. Sadly enough I wasn't that big a fan of it. I'm starting this review off by saying this book wasn't bad at all, so don't get me wrong. It's an entertaining read and I absolutely flew through it. The reality tv show framing for this story was indeed a lot of fun and I like that it was never really predictable. Honestly, with a little work this book could have been a five star for me. I feel like you can tell this is a debut. The characters could use some more depth. The romance could have been worked out a little bit better and the pacing was a bit all over the place. I think with just a bit more experience all of my problems with it could have been resolved. I would have also liked a bit more of the competition. We never got to see what the other contestants made and for a lot of rounds we weren't even properly shown what our main character made and the judging was excluded a lot of the times, just leaving us with the position in the ranking our mc ended up in. But yeah, I ended up being a bit dissapointed by this book but I can definitely see the potential in it and I am curious to see where this author will go next.

I really enjoyed this book! The story had a cozy feeling with a few twists thrown in. I would love to see this storyline continue in some way. If you are a fan of cooking competitions on tv then this is the perfect book to choose.

If you are a lover of food shows like I am, then this book is for you! It's like a backstage pass to the food network! I loved this unique plot as well as the cast of characters. I'm also a sucker for characters who are actively following their passions and being on a tv competition show definitely brings in the passion factor. I found the book to be cute and a quick read.

Review to come on Blog on October 23rd (and somewhere around that also on other places).

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.


Things I was a fan of:
😍Peyton was such a fun and interesting character. Yes, she was very insecure, but I love that she slowly got stronger and more confident. That she stepped up. That she never gave up no matter what was thrown at her. I loved that she spoke up in later parts. I loved seeing her explore New York and discover that there is a better future for her in store. That she is getting chances and that she has to take them. That she can be more then what people assume about her, that she is trailer trash.
😍All contestants except for Dani (duh) and I am still unsure about Adam. But I did like the rest of the crew and see what they made and what made them tick. They are a fun cast and I found myself rooting for them~
😍The food/the cooking. The food made sounded just so good that I wanted to step in. OK, it would mean asking very specific questions on what is in the food (allergies yay…), but I would love to dig into several of the things that were made or that the teens tried while in New York. I loved that these kids knew so many things just out of memory. I mean, I know quite a few recipes, but I just wouldn’t be able to make things like they did. I would definitely need cook books or notes or other things to help me.
😍The reality show. While I also have some negative points for that, I did enjoy quite a lot of elements. The challenges, the Landmark challenges, some of the extra stuff that made things a tad more difficult (had such a big laugh at the tiny kitchen).
😍New York! A city I would so love to visit one day… but probably never will given how the world is burning. But I had fun wandering the city with the teens, see them do all sorts of fun things and visit all sorts of landmarks and events. Definitely loved the zoo and the cute lemur!
😍Romance. Yes, I am not a fan of the love triangle. But there were elements there that I liked, especially those developments much later in the book. I won’t tell much more than that, but yes, I was squeeing in delight at the things that happened. FINALLY!
😍Loved getting background information on various characters. Always love it when characters get developed more and not just the MC.
😍The ending was just so sweet and fun!
😍The tradition the group started after the first elimination!
😍The rooftop moments.

Things I wasn’t such a fan of:
😑Angelica. This judge was just horrendous and I really wonder why she hated Peyton so much, I mean she reacted fine to most of the other contestants it seems, but she was constantly bitching about Peyton. And she didn’t even try the food, or only mouse bites which is just not enough if you are doing a good honest judging.
😑Love Triangle. Yes, I would call it that. People who have read my reviews and know me for a bit longer know I am never a fan of those things.
😑Dani. OK, that changed a bit at the end, but for most I just wanted to throw a few pies at her face for each comment she made. Little prissy princess. Bah.
😑I wasn’t a fan of how manipulative things were in the competition. I get that this is a reality show and we all know how messed up those can be, but I had hoped that with a teen reality cooking show things would be a bit kinder and friendlier, but this was just horrendous at times. They went very far at times and I just found a lot of things unfair.

Also, while I did love seeing Peyton lose at times, get close to elimination, because it just made it a bit more real, it never felt like a threat. I mean, she is the MC. I mean, I knew from the start that they wouldn’t eliminate her from the show, not until the finals at least. So yeah, I like that the author tried adding some tension, it just never felt like tension. Hope that makes sense.

Despite those points, as you can see I did have plenty to love and I am really happy I requested this book. It took me a bit long to start reading it, but I am happy I finally took that leap and started reading it. It was fun. There is romance. Food. I just cannot resist a book about reality shows. I would recommend it.

Peyton Sinclaire has made it all the way to New York City to compete in the Top Teen Chef competition, where the winner will win a full-ride scholarship to one of the best culinary schools in the country. She needs that, because her parents are not in a position to pay for her to go. She made it onto the show and traveled all the way from her aunt’s trailer in Florida and the truck stop where she waits tables to cook and bake her way to her future.

But standing in her way are all the other contestants who want that scholarship too, and the producer of the reality show, who wants Peyton to serve up drama along with her dishes. Peyton wants to win solely on her merits as a baker, but the producer wants to show her as the underdog, as a rags-to-riches teenager who uses anything she can to get ahead. But Peyton doesn’t feel like that’s true. She does want to win, but does she want it enough to portray herself as someone she isn’t?

For their first challenge, the young chefs are tasked with creating a 3-course meal that showcases who they are for the three judges. Peyton reaches for her Florida flavors for inspiration and creates a meal like she’s never made before. But going before the judges, she realizes that she’s going have to work extra hard to please them. While two of the judges liked some of her ideas and loved her key lime pie, the other judge was extremely critical and questioned why she was even in the competition. She came in last, meaning that she would have a penalty in their next challenge.

But most of the other competitors were encouraging to her, and she started making some good friends. While there was that one young chef who took “mean girl” to another level, Peyton finds enough strength within herself and gets enough good advice from the rest of her competitors to fight for another shot. As the chefs spend the next three weeks together, going around New York City for the cooking challenges based on iconic landmarks and cooking from the inspiration they find, Peyton finds herself growing as a chef, as a friend, and as a person.

But as the days go by, and more of the chefs are eliminated, will Peyton be able to stay in the competition until the end? Or will she get eliminated and have to move back to Florida, back to her aunt’s trailer, back to waiting tables in the diner?

Where There’s a Whisk is a delicious novel of competition, cooperation, and figuring out who you are. Author Sarah J. Schmitt has constructed this world that shows the inside world of a cutthroat cooking competition while also creating a diverse group of teenaged chefs who all have an agenda and bring something different to the story.

I am a cooking show nerd. I love them, and I was really looking forward to reading this. And I thought it served up an amazing story, interesting characters, fun behind-the-scenes drama, and a really convincing cooking competition. I loved just about everything about this smart ya novel, and I really hope that other cooking show nerds (of any age) find that it fulfills their appetites for drama too.

Egalleys for Where There’s a Whisk were provided by Running Press Kids (Perseus Books) through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Trying to escape her thankless diner job in her small hometown of Florida and her 'poor, troubled' background, Peyton garners a spot in Top Teen Chef. The reality competition offers a scholarship to a prestigious culinary school. But she learns the hard way how much of reality TV is actually 'real', and that she has to fight for her place not only with cooking.

Throwing us into the competition right away, this grabs our attention and grounds us along with the protagonist about what really goes into shooting a show like this.

Love, love, love Peyton's bit of sass and humor. Also that she is down to earth, with a big heart and still trusting after what life has thrown at her in the past. And of course she's the one you want to root for. Who doesn't love an underdog? She has one of those great 1st person POVs that allows you to know the protagonist but you still feel like you are part of the whole story and not just watching it unfold.

Sometimes Peyton's naivete gets on your nerves. You know she asks the questions to further our assessment of what is going on, but it's not always needed. Things go get better in that department when Peyton 'wakes up' to how the game is played. I enjoyed how her character grew and matured. Also the drama was a little tamer than I would have liked in parts. But that twist was excellent.

Fun and delightfully cutthroat, with yummy food, and original concepts to the show, this is a quick enjoyable, adorable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Running Press for the early e-ARC to review. I would say my rating is more like a 3.5 because it was so engaging and drew me in, but also had some strange pacing and attitude issues that dulled my overall experience.

I really love the style of this book being a weekly teen cooking competition reality show, and the story builds quite like an on-air series. (and I flew through the book like a Sunday morning food television watching session.) First, we meet the characters by all their basic stereotypes and least-interesting things about them, like their names, menu repertoire, and where they're from - but it takes a lot of getting to know them to uncover their more dynamic and real personalities behind the production casting. The show style is also a lot like your favorite kids' cookoff + America's Next Top Model apartment + GGG last-minute grocery shopping twists. It definitely kept me reading to find out what would happen next - and if you like these type of shows you will also enjoy this! It's very authentic to its inspiration and feels like a deeper dive into the genre.

I would say that this format falls to almost all of the same shortcomings as reality TV does too, though: it's very info-dumpy to meet every character at once as they enter the kitchen's swinging doors, and you're not sure what information will actually be useful to the plot later. For a show that centers around cooking, the dishes themselves are nearly cut out - there's so much build up to challenges and suddenly we're finding out who's going home and everything moves onward in a flash like chapters of exposition never happened. It's like this on shows too though, like 10 minutes of footage of someone peeling zucchinis and suddenly we're inexplicably jetting off for a challenge sponsored by the producer's restaurant.

I also found our main character, Peyton, to be the least interesting of the bunch and easily the least likeable. I'm not in the camp that leads have to be endlessly likeable but she's quite literally the center of everything, and competing on a show to have people like her and believe in her culinary abilities and I don't see any of that happening on the page. People are incredibly kind and welcoming to her at every step, and so willing to give themselves to her advancement, and she doesn't give any of that energy or effort back. I didn't care if she won or lost, and I didn't have much faith in her food - I actually thought early on that she must only stick around in the competition for at least some time because who would narrate the book if she was kicked off in week 1? She also is presented as someone eager to learn at any chance, but I don't often see that. I found her attitude of "why is this person talking to me?" and "ugh they're talking my ear off about history" to be so strange, but then I figured it must have been a plot device to give more information without there being even more info dumps - like if Peyton asks about Ellis Island, it's an opportunity for the author to give a richer history instead of just going on a tangent about it.

Where There’s A Whisk by Sarah J. Schmitt is a story about a cooking competition that definitely brings the heat. I enjoyed the tension that follows as the main character must choose between following the storyline the producers have written for her or staying true to herself and risking elimination. The main character is also passionate about cooking, and each of the challenges in the competition are vividly described. This is a great read for those looking for something fast-paced read with plenty of drama.

When small-town chef Peyton gets the opportunity to compete in a reality TV cooking competition, she jumps at the chance to pursue her dream and earn a scholarship to go to culinary school. When she gets to the set, however, she realizes that reality TV isn’t as real as it may seem as the producers of the show have carefully laid out a rags-to-riches storyline for her to follow, planning to exploit her hardships for views. If Peyton doesn’t comply, she will be sent home, in turn giving up her dream. As the competition becomes even more intense, Peyton must decide how far she is willing to go to win.

❀ DYNAMIC MAIN CHARACTER

Peyton is a dynamic character, and I enjoyed reading about her passion for cooking. She has a hard life with her father in prison and her mother unable to work, but I admired how she stands up for herself and is unwilling to be turned into a sob story for TV. Peyton also has such a strong determination to prove herself, and she really develops throughout the competition, becoming more confident in her cooking. The other competitors are also well-developed, and I enjoyed reading about the relationships they form throughout the competition.

❀ VIVID DESCRIPTIONS

As a big fan of books about food and competition, I was looking forward to seeing what kinds of challenges this one would include. It lived up to my expectations, and I was impressed by the level of detail that went into each challenge. I especially enjoyed the landmark challenges, where the characters explore New York for inspiration. The vivid descriptions of each aspect of the show make the competition feel more realistic, and reading this book felt just like watching an episode of MasterChef.

❀ ENGAGING STORY

Where There’s a Whisk by Sarah J. Schmitt is an engaging and high-stakes story that is sure to make readers’ mouths water. I loved reading about the behind-the-scenes elements of the cooking competition, and it is easy to feel the main character’s passion. The challenges are also described in detail, making the competition jump off the page. Fans of shows like MasterChef will not want to miss this one.

I had a hard time getting into this story, but I think that could be because I am not the intended audience for this book. I can imagine that there are lots of young chefs out there who would devour this book. The story was sweet and engaging.

I was provided a copy of this book on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was absolutely adorable. It was the perfect blend of plot and romance. I was invested in the love triangles while also being equally commited to the characters and their individual challlanges. I loved the cooking show, and how well it was written. I felt like I was right along with Peyton, feeling her suspense and panic.
Peyton is an awesome protagonist who's easy to relate to, she has good morals and a strong narrative, and overall she was funny and interesting. The other characters were equally fleshed out and interesting which is really cool to see, as a lot of novels only prioritize personalities for the main few.
THE ROMANCE. It was adorable. I love cute romance stuff that isn't too overwhelming, and this was the perfect amount, honestly. Fake dating tropes, missed opportunities and so much more.
The writing was fantastic as well, easy to understand but also just really strong and interesting. I also loved the incorporation of Pop culture like the waitress and Hamilton. The waitress incorporating was so clever honestly.
Please do yourself a favor and read this book

I would like to thank Netgalley for the ARC.

The beginning was a bit meh for me and I was confused because of the number of characters introduced, but in the end, it's not that catastrophic as I thought it would be.
Yes, there are many cliché scenes that make you roll your eyes, but it's a cute read and it's YA, so it's not that sophisticated and so I'm trying not to be too hard on this book.

The writing is not that special, but it's very easy to read and you can definitely fly through the book in a day or two without a problem.
The theme of the cooking show was really fun and I think the author did a great job of portraying the atmosphere during these competitions, but sadly, I have read a book with a similar theme recently, and the book was amazing, so it's really hard not to compare the two.

Overall, I liked this book and I would recommend it to someone who just wants a quick sweet contemporary read.

Unfortunately I couldn't get into the book. I picked up this book because I generally enjoy stories that involve cooking/baking. I didn't feel like I could connect with the characters and most of all I felt like the story was dragging.
Even though I'm not much of a fan of this book I will still recommend this book to my students. Just because I didn't enjoy this book doesn't mean my students won't either. My students can form their own opinions on how they feel about this novel.

3.5 rounded up.

i don't think this book was what i was expecting at all. that being said i wasn't necessarily disappointed. it was a fun, drama filled fast paced ride of a book and i enjoyed that. it just felt slightly lacking and in parts i just wanted more.

THINGS I ENJOYED
- this book did have drama between the characters, despite them being friends and i did love how that worked and how the reality tv drama aspect played into it. all in all, it was rather entertaining to read.
- the characters were fun. especially the side characters, they were the best. i loved their banter and their dynamics with one another and like always, the side characters carried this book. even though they didn't get enough page time.
- the writing style was light and easy to read. it wasn't hard to get into and was very fast paced and sometimes ( mostly ) that's exactly the type of book i need, so i appreciated that.
- the romance was also really cute, though i do wish we had seen more of them and seen their relationship develop more ( the main couple iykyk ). but they were cute together and that scene in his uncles shop!! a trope i love very much, that's all i'll say.
- food. just food. the descriptions of food. i LOVE. also now i want macarons <3

but while i liked a lot of these things, a few go hand in hand with things that i didn't like as much.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE SO MUCH
- the biggest one is definitely the backstories. the author kept describing little hints from peyton's backstory, yet we never actually got the full story?? same with a couple of the other characters. i would have loved to delve further into their lives, as i feel like it would've given them more depth. but we barely scratched the surface of what could've been really interesting.
- alongside that, at times the characters seemed very stereotypical. i didn't grow to fully care about them and i just wish more time was spent on them and developing them.
- as i've already mentioned, i wish the romance was also more developed, because it seemed rushed and all over the place, and while they were cute, it seemed very fast - like a middle school relationship, at times.
- the actual cooking in the competitions was never actually properly described, after the first challenge. i don't really know why, but this bothered me. so much time was spent on the other aspects of this book and not enough on the actual cooking and judging. it was all rather 'i'm going to tell you what happens and dump the entire challenge on you in one page.'

while a lot of this book was interesting and fun, a lot of it was also bland and so, i honestly am conflicted on my rating. but three and a half stars for hakulani, malik, dani and inaaya.

I would like to thank Sarah J Schmitt and Netgalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange of an honest review. Where there’s a Whisk follows Peyton’s point of view as she navigates the tough competition, she faces on the cooking show Americas Top Teen Chef. Peyton has struggled all her life growing of poor and finally she sees her happy ending. All she has to do is win Americas Top Teen Chef to get a full ride scholarship to the top culinary school in America. But after all it is a reality show and Peyton now must not only navigate the kitchen filled with weird challenges but drama as well. I honestly adored Where There’s a Whisk the characters were original and thought out. I enjoyed that the characters contributed so much to the story but were also very well developed and all had different backstories and reasons for wanting to win Americas Top Teen Chef. However, at times the character’s lives seemed to focus / revolve around Peyton’s life more then I liked. Putting that aside the characters were very good. The plot is really where the book shines through. I have not read nor heard of books that have even a remotely similar plot. The twist was done in a way where they weren’t rushed and squeezed into the end. But paced throughout the book at a reasonable and enjoyable pace. The world building was something I was worried about in the beginning because as a contemporary I was worried it would glamorize a number of things. However, it pleasantly surprised me, and it truly showed the reality for many with many different characters all with different backstories. Although Where there’s a Whisk is a book about cooking even I who isn’t the most skilled in the kitchen could understand it. The way it was explained was done in a way where I didn’t feel like a baby being taught but done in a natural way. I recommend Where there’s a Whisk to anyone who enjoys a light fast paced read.

This was the opportunity of a lifetime! Peyton was plucked from her small-town existence and given the chance to compete for her future. As one of the people battling for the title of Top Teen Chef, Peyton had to show her acumen in the kitchen, but she must also decide how much of herself she was willing to compromise to win the grand prize.

I must preface this review by sharing my love for cooking competition shows. I am NOT a huge reality show fan, but competitions always win my attention and being a foodie myself, food competitions tend to be tops for me. That said, the competitive aspect of this book was probably my favorite part. I loved all the challenges and reading about what they did and what they made. I also had a great time cheering for my favorites and experiencing those highs and lows with them. The addition of the landmark challenges which took us to different famed NYC locations made it even more fun for me as a native New Yorker.

Schmidt also played to the uglier side of reality TV. The “packaging” and scripted side of reality shows was quickly acknowledged. It’s always interesting to see that aspect of it, and you would like to think it doesn’t exist to that great extent on a competition show which should be based on talent, but we all know the possibility exists. I liked that Peyton wouldn’t allow them to exploit her past even if it could give her an edge. It was easy to see how important and vital this competition was for her. Her father in prison, her mother unable to keep a job, she was living in her aunt’s trailer while waitressing at a local diner. Just scraping by, Peyton didn’t have many opportunities like this, and that made me want to root for her.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was throughly entertaining, and the combination of low-drama, romance, friendship, and cooking was a successful one for me. The feel-good ending was the icing on this light and fluffy cake which left me feeling all the sunshine and rainbow things I adore.