I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It had a nice blend between drama and romance all set in a teen cooking competition. The only problem that I had is that there is a point in the middle of the book where the plot awkwardly picks up speed by quite a bit. Almost as if the author realized that the book was going to be way to long if it keep going at the previous rate. But, once I got used to the change of speed then the book went back to being enjoyable. I

This book was super cute! The whole TV competition setting was great. I am a big fan of Hell's Kitchen and Masterchef, etc. so it seemed up my alley. I love a good romance amidst a competition and this one definitely delivered!

This is a new favorite of mine. I got super "Chopped" vibes from this book. All of the characters were fantastic and the friendships they built over the course of the competition were beautiful. The producer, Caitlin, was very conniving with setting up unnecessary drama in the group. The romance between two of the characters was so heartwarming it made me feel all fuzzy and warm inside. All of the different challenges were so unique and fun to watch. Getting to hear about all of the dishes that they made was making me very hungry. This book is a definite 5 star and I most definitely will be reading the author"s first book. I'm so excited and I can not wait to get my hands on it.

I really enjoyed this book. The author does an amazing job of bringing a reality tv show to life! The story was enjoyable and fun. The writing was smooth. The characters are relatable. I was worried that every challenge in the show was going to be a play-by-play which could get old fast, but Sarah Schmitt does a good job of making the challenges enjoyable to read while also making you feel like you didn't miss a big chunk of the show. I would recommend this book to a friend.

this book was actually the cutest thing in all reality.

this book follows peyton sinclair, who, like everyone from florida, wants to escape her small town and attend culinary school. so, she attends a new tv show, top teen chef, in hopes to win a scholarship. however, she quickly learns this competition isn't as smooth as she thought it would be.

since i adore cooking shows, i instantly got this book because i assumed i would like it at least a little bit, but i ended up adoring this sweet story.


let's talk positives:

i thought the storyline was really good. i loved how much time was spent talking about the cooking and the elimination challenges. and i also loved how real this ‘reality tv show’ was. it was super fast paced, i managed to read it in one day. all the meals made had me drooling, i desperately wanted to try peytons key lime pie or her piecaken. i loved how she managed to keep it real, and how much fun she had with the elimination challenges and seeing her grow as a chef was honestly really interesting.

now, i do have some cons:

-i thought we didn't talk enough about the other characters. i wish i could have seen more of peytons friendships with malik , inaaya, or any of the other characters. and meanwhile the main competition was going on, i would have loved to see more about the other characters and what they were doing while the competition was going on.

-while it was a super fast paced novel, i would have loved more details about the competition

-in the end, they gave us one chapter in the future, but i would have loved more. the last chapter mentioned three characters but i wish they talked about more of them. i would have loved to see where all the characters ended up doing.

overall, i would def recommended for people who love reality tv, cooking shows, and contemporaries

⭐ Rating: 4.9 ⭐

This book revolves around Peyton an aspiring baker who has her eyes on the prize. The contests has a range of teenagers from different backgrounds; all brought together by a love of cooking and the chance to win a culinary scholarship.

❤️ What I Liked ❤️
Characters: I loved that we got to see characters grow and understand them from each challenge. Whilst I would have like more time with the contestants voted off towards the beginning, I did enjoy the backstories and development between more characters.
Pace: We were not stuck reading how Peyton was cooking a meal for hours each competition, instead we were given key information and were allowed to see how the characters were reacting to the time constraints and challenges in the kitchen.
Challenges: I liked the idea of the challenges and the way that they were built into the story. This enabled us to get to know the competitors more and see how they react in different situations.

💔 What I Disliked 💔
The ending: No spoilers here, but obviously the competition comes to an end and we are given one small chapter telling us what happens after. I would have loved more information to find out what characters are up to, how have they grown from the competition. Are they studying or working now? That would have been the icing on the cake to see what everyone was doing.

📖 Overall View 📖
Overall I had to give this a 4.9 because of my feelings about the ending but I really enjoyed this book. I went in expecting an average book about a contest and was very pleasantly surprised. This will be ideal for anyone who loves the Great British Bake off or Hell’s kitchen style shows.

Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Peyton is a small-town girl who got selected for a Teen cooking competition, winner will get a scholarship for a culinary school. It is the only way to change her life, back at home it isn't great. This story is a bookish form of reality cooking shows, with a lot of politics, alliances and fun.

I really enjoy cooking shows so I naturally enjoyed this book way more than I thought. I like the way all of the characters were different but kind of realistic. This book was a perfect summer read with fast pace, some cheesiness and an unrealistic story. 

Peyton is so good for a human being so I couldn't relate to her. All of the characters were full of some kind of drama that made it so fun to read it. 

This book wasn't perfect but I liked it.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review

This was fun! There were a lot of things I had issues with. For the most part, I found this to be super unrealistic. I watch a lot of reality tv. Specifically competition like reality tv. That includes shows like Hell's Kitchen, Masterchef, and you guessed it, Masterchef Junior.

The tasks and the disadvantages were way too hard for this to come off as accurate. Not even adults have had to deal with things as difficult as all the teens here did. Not even that, but Peyton was kind of picked on from the very beginning, both by cast and crew. I know there's a lot of scripting that goes into shows like these, but now way would one single person be singled out and given disadvantage over disadvantage the way Peyton was.

Despite my many complaints, and trust me I had many, I actually really enjoyed this? I don't know, it was fun and silly and cute, and I never once wanted to stop reading it, so at least there's that lol. I really liked how the last chapter wrapped things up, and I'm glad Peyton got the ending she deserved with the people she grew to really care for

This book was absolutely adorable and I loved it. The characters are complex, even for teenagers, and seeing how they take on the cooking challenges and the show drama. Reading about the New York landscape and the fun they have together even with show drama was enjoyable and made me reminisce about my own trips to New York. Staying true to yourself no matter what people try to force you into is the perfect theme for this book.

Loved this book set in a cooking show/reality show hybrid! To be honest now I really want to be able to watch Peyton's season as a viewer. And eat her piecaken.

Peyton is cast in a cooking competition show with other recently graduated seniors, competing for a chance to win a spot at the American Culinary Institute. When Peyton has the poorest showing in the first round but doesn't get sent home, she realizes they are there for more than just their cooking skills -- the drama, backstory, and personalities are all reasons they might stay on the show... or if they don't comply, kicked off.

I liked how Peyton was able to control her destiny on the show, and grow as a chef! She also makes the most of every Landmark challenge, which made me like her more as a character. I thought it was all a lot of fun, from the cooking, to the sight-seeing, to the love triangle. It makes me not want to go on a reality show, but at the same time, the trade-off is that their lives all changed after the show in ways they never thought possible.

The author does a good job highlighting the class differences between Peyton and some of her friends, and how that shapes their relationships to cooking and the future.

I still have lingering questions about what the drama was with the judges.

Overall, would recommend!

I loved every little bit of this Young Adult Fiction set in New York, USA. It is reality tv in book format, following the antics of young cooks, fighting their way to the big prize. I have not read fiction for a while, not being inspired by adult romances, crime stories, horror, or sci fi. I was partly inspired to find books that my teenage nieces and nephews would enjoy. Also the title inspired me to find out more, because I used to be a chef with my own business.

Now officially retired, It has not stopped my love of good writing, cooking and cooking competitions. Where There's a Whisk, was a page turner from the start, full of wonderful well rounded characters, with opposing forces that you only usually find watching reality tv. A clever plot with totally surprising twists and turns and a few tears, that kept me rivited until the end. I would buy her books for myself! I messaged the author to tell her I love her work.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Book Group for an uncorrected advance copy. The review is an honest opinion and completely my own.

Peyton Sinclaire is about to make all her dreams come true. The aspiring baker has been chosen to appear on Top Teen Chef where she will compete to with a scholarship to attend culinary school. But the world of reality tv is cutthroat and all the goings on behind the scenes are more complicated than making the perfect soufflé. Peyton must decipher what's real and what's not if she had any hope of taking home the title of Top Teen Chef.

This book read like a Hallmark movie for teens. Lots of cooking, baking, and exploration of love. Overall I thought the story was very cute. Peyton was a likeable main character. I felt like all of the other characters were pretty one dimensional, though. Reality tv is a crazy business and I felt like that really come through the page. Mostly the book made me hungry. lol

I was provided this book to read in exchange for an honest opinion. I'd like to thank Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC.

#wheretheresawhisk #netgalley

Find a place where your passion is valued.It will be worth it

The first part of the book was a solid 4 stars,it was cute and it flowed well but at the end I decided to lower the rating at 3.

I liked that it shed light to reality shows.We all know of course that they're fake and that the contestants are playing a role but I hadn't really considered it that much before reading the book.

Probably my main problem was the pacing.I thought it was too fast.Obviously it wouldn't be practical for it to have a slower pace as the book would be 700+ pages since we're talking about a Master Chef Teen edition but maybe the eliminations could have lasted longer instead of being mentioned in a single line followed by "We hugged them and they left".

I also would prefer that we could get to see more of Peyton and Malik's friendship,maybe Peyton and Dani growing a bond together,heck even she and Hakulani could remain friends after the end of the show.Didn't care about the love story.

Going back to my first point,I found the ending moving fast.

Overall,it was okay.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

This book was really cute! As a fan of Chopped Junior and Cutthroat Kitchen (basically any cooking competition ever), I felt so compelled to read this one. And I didn't regret it a bit.

First, let's begin with the cover. I thought the cover was adorable. I love the animated style and could readily imagine an animated tv show based on the book. The title was equally as cute (even though it's not the primary focus of the book, nor has a really deep meaning).

The plot. I really liked the plot. It was straightforward, which is great to prevent confusion. You follow Peyton throughout her competition. I was a little sad though that there were no descriptions of what the other contestants made. I think because of that, it was hard to evaluate whether Peyton's dishes were good or not. I think more food would have made it even greater. But the competition was there, there was romance. Altogether, a cute plot.

The characters. You can really tell the development of Peyton as a character. I think she gained more depth especially in the face of a mean girl. But something about all of these characters made me think middle grade read rather young adult. But that didn't take away from the rest of the book too much.

Overall, a really cute read. Not too surprising but the romance added a little spice and I think it was a relatively short read that made it worthwhile.

I was lucky enough to be able to read an ARC of this book, and I am not disappointed! I don't wan't tp give too much away, but it follows a group of teenagers competing for a scholarship at culinary school on 'Top Teen Chef', a reality TV show. The plot was so intriguing, and this story was filled with drama, friendship, and even a little bit of romance. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and I finished the book in less than a day because it was that good. This book is perfect for younger teens/tweens who are just getting started in the YA genre, but also for anyone who wants a sweet, fast-paced story.

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read an e-ARC of this book in exhange for a review!

This was such a sweet and fun story!

One of my favourite things about it is the way it handled the topic of reality tv. It showed that things aren't always the way they seem, and that there's always things happening behind the scenes as well. We might not think of it when watching reality tv - but how "real" is it really? It's an interesting topic!

It starts off a bit info-dumpy when introducing all of the characters, but I think it works. After the first meeting, everything is more fast-paced. Almost too fast at some points. I wish I could have seen more of some challenges, and I almost missed some of the eliminations because they happened too quickly...

I wasn't a huge fan of the romance to be honest. It just didn't work for me. I didn't dislike it, I just didn't find it interesting. Additionally, I didn't exactly love the characters either. Same here, I had nothing against them - I just didn't fall head over heels for them. They didn't stand out enough for me to do so. I didn't even connect much with the main character... And the insta-friendship felt a bit odd too. I understand that you grow close in a situation like that, but wouldn't you feel a bit more awkward in the beginning?

There were some grammatical issues here and there, but nothing that can't be fixed. It's only an ARC, after all.

Now, there was some cultural representation in this book. I cannot speak about it - about whether it's handled well or not - because I'm neither part of those cultures nor have enough knowledge to do so. Instead, I will leave the reviewing of that to people in (or is it of? My English fails me tonight...) those cultures - they will doubtlessly have more valuable opinions than me.

And finally, the best part of it all - THE COOKING!!! Reading this book made me hungry. Like, really hungry. I had dinner in the middle of reading it, but after finishing it now I'm honestly craving some dessert.

Overall a sweet book, which was just what I needed today. If you like cooking shows, drama, and sweet friendship, you might like this book!

I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did. It was SO cute & I couldn’t put it down. I found myself rooting for all of the characters and loving the dynamics between them all, trying to figure out what was real and what was reality television acting, right along with our main character. I absolutely loved the ending and the way New York staples were woven in. I definitely recommend if you’re looking for a cute YA, that will keep your attention and get you invested in the story and the characters right from the start.