I really love manga and like trying new ones.
This one actually intrigued me due to the fact, that it is about food. I am just as simple as that.
But I have to admit, that I didn't love it. It was an okay story with characters I couldn't quite root for and I didn't even love the drawing style too much.

Cute concept and some nice illustrations of sweets. Part of me wanted more plot but also I kinda liked the fluffy low conflict vibe. It could have benefited from exploration of the characters internal thoughts to make the romance feel less rushed.

Then there was the chapter with the alcohol used to lower a characters inhibitions in reference to sex. Its clearly a lighthearted thing in the story and to the characters but it still rubbed me the wrong way.

The art was absolutely beautiful!
I always love a book centred around chefs/cooking and this was great.

This was a cute and adorable story with French and Japanese desert chefs. The premise was interesting and the art is really beautiful too.

It's very short manga and the relationship progressed at a rapid pace. I liked the parallels between each of their confections and the whole manga gave off café vibes.

The one thing that put me off was how Kaoru gave alcohol to Sojiru without his consent and then had sex. I felt it was unnecessary to include the sex scenes as it didn't flow well.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

I absolutely loved this MM romance.

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

A definite recommend!

I really liked the art style in this manga. It's a fun BoyLove/Yaoi comic that's sweet and also quite sinful! There is one really problematic plotline with one of the leads getting the other one intentionally drunk on alcoholic chocolates with the specific intent to take advantage of him, which was pretty yuck and sort of ruined the entire volume for me... This also could have benefited from being a 2-3 volume story instead of a one shot, so there'd have been more time to really develop the characters.

Did not enjoy this at all. There wasn’t enough story for me. I wanted to give up pretty early in reading it. Also, was very difficult to follow on the kindle. So, I do not recommend reading it on any device.

I am such a big fan of reading manga and this new story did not disappoint! I plan on keeping up with the volumes too how this story progresses. The love story is sweet and very easy to follow along. I shared the outline of the story with a few of my friends and they were all intrigued and wanting more,

I went into this thinking it was a series, but you know what? I think it's a one shot. Which is a shame because Cheri, My Destiny! gives me Gravitation vibes which means it was super cute and made me laugh quite a few times. If Net Galley allowed half stars I'd give it 4.5 just because I wish the manga was a bit longer so the relationship felt a bit more earned.

A pretty standard rivals to lovers story and I appreciate the publication of more one-shot stories (it can be to keep up with so many volumes!), but this one was kind of a miss in terms of questionable consent. It seems like a lot of Yaoi has been getting away from that (YAY!), so it's always a little disappointing when it's there, even if it's not overwhelming. This certainly has a readership, but I wouldn't necessarily say this would be a first buy for our collection.

TW: Nudes, Sex scenes

Chéri, My Destiny! by Okoge Mochino is a manga style graphic novel.
The story follows Kaoru, who opened a patisserie after studying in France, and is the head chef of his own store and Soujirou, attractive and reserved craftsman who makes the treats on offer.

The story was cute and simple. The art style too was good which went well with the storyline. The main problem was that it was extremely short with only three chapters so there wasn't room for much character or story development.

The book also features mouth watering sweets. There were no extra dramas like no love rivals, no love triangle and you already know how the story will end.

Also, be aware. There are sex scenes at the end of the book.

All in all, a short and cute BL manga

(English review below!)
☆☆☆,75 /5

C’est un yaoi très doux, une histoire mignonne autour de la confection de confiseries qui m’a faite sourire… mais qui a été malheureusement bien trop courte !
¤
"Mon chocolat est si bon qu'il te fera ramper à genoux !"

Kaoru déborde de confiance. Après tout, il a ouvert une pâtisserie après ses études en France et est le chef de cuisine de son propre magasin. Mais il y a un petit problème; ses clients sont épris d'une confiserie japonaise locale et de Soujirou, l'artisan séduisant et réservé qui confectionne les gourmandises proposées.
Convaincu que les vieilles confiseries japonaises étouffantes ne pourraient jamais rivaliser avec ses créations modernes de style occidental, il décide que la seule voie à suivre est de prouver à Soujirou que ses chocolats sont les meilleurs. Mais lorsque Soujirou accepte son cadeau avec grâce et le complimente même sur ses compétences, les sentiments intenses de Kaoru prennent un virage soudain dans la direction opposée.
¤
J’ai apprécié cette petite histoire qui m’a faite saliver avec les belles planches présentant les différentes confiseries cuisinées par les personnages. Kaoru et Soujiro sont deux personnages qui semblent bien opposés que ce soit par leur personnalité que par leur physique. L’un est blond et petit, l’autre est brun et grand. L’un est extraverti, l’autre plus discret. Également, dans leur métier, l’un tient un magasin de confiseries occidentales, l’autre tient un magasin de confiseries japonaises. Rien n’était dit qu’ils étaient faits pour s’entendre, surtout que Kaoru dénigre les confiseries orientales et qu’il ne souhaite pas que la concurrence lui vole ses clients.
Franchement, j’ai beaucoup aimé le début de l’histoire où on découvre le personnage de Kaoru, comment il se comporte avec les autres, au travail et lorsqu’il décide de mettre en duel ses créations et celles de Soujiro.
Cela dit, j’ai trouvé qu’il manquait de développement par la suite. Notamment, dans l’évolution des sentiments de Kaoru, que j’ai trouvé trop rapide. Aussi, peut-être aurais-je voulu en voir plus de cette confrontation entre l’univers des deux jeunes hommes. Ça méritait que ça dure plus longtemps et finalement, à part les bonus, le manga ne compte que 3 chapitres sur l’histoire principale.
¤
En bref, c’est un yaoi que j’ai trouvé trop court, mais que j’ai tout de même bien aimé et qui m’a emporté dans l’univers des confiseries.

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ENGLISH REVIEW:
It's a very sweet yaoi, a story about cute candy-making that made me smile ... but unfortunately it was far too short!
¤
“My chocolate’s so good it’ll make you grovel on your knees!”

Kaoru is brimming with confidence. After all, he opened a patisserie after studying in France, and is the head chef of his own store. But there’s one small problem; his customers are enamored with a local Japanese sweet shop and Soujirou, the attractive and reserved craftsman who makes the treats on offer.
Convinced that stuffy old Japanese confections could never compete with his modern, Western style creations, he decides the only way forward is to prove to Soujirou that his chocolates are the best. But when Soujirou accepts his gift gracefully and even compliments him on his skills, Kaoru’s intense feelings take a sudden turn in the opposite direction.
¤
I enjoyed this little story that made me salivate with the beautiful boards presenting the different sweets cooked by the characters. Kaoru and Soujiro are two characters who seem to be opposite, both by their personality and their physique. One is blond and short, the other is dark and tall. One is extroverted, the other more discreet. Also, in their profession, one runs a western confectionery store, the other operates a japanese confectionery store. Nothing was said that they were meant to get along, especially since Kaoru denigrates japanese sweets and doesn't want the competition to rob him of his customers.
Honestly, I really liked the beginning of the story where we discover the character of Kaoru, how he behaves with others, at work and outside, and when he decides to duel his creations and those of Soujiro.
Having said that, I found it lacking in development afterwards. Notably, in the evolution of Kaoru's feelings, which I found too fast. So maybe I would have wanted to see more of this confrontation between the universe of the two protagonists. It deserved to last longer and finally, aside from the bonuses, the manga only has 3 chapters on the main story.
¤
Finally, it was a yaoi that I found too short, but I still liked it and it took me into the world of sweets.

I love BL Manga/Manhwa so I really wanted to like this one, but this is very short book so the story was hard to follow as they kept jumping around. The drawings are pretty nice so that was a plus, but unfortunately the format on my kindle was so difficult to read that I couldn't appreciate that better. There are some explicit sex scenes (as a warning).
I probably won't be reviewing on Amazon since I gave a low star reading.

It was pretty cute, got steamy pretty fast and then it was over. I think it would've been perfect to have a bit more plot. The art was nice to watch and the characters likeable and for once it was great reading a character saying he was bi. This almost never happens in BL manga.

Chéri, My Destiny! by Okoge Mochino is a manga style graphic novel. Kaoru is brimming with confidence. After all, he opened a patisserie after studying in France, and is the head chef of his own store. But there’s one small problem; his customers are enamored with a local Japanese sweet shop and Soujirou, the attractive and reserved craftsman who makes the treats on offer. Convinced that stuffy old Japanese confections could never compete with his modern, Western style creations, he decides the only way forward is to prove to Soujirou that his chocolates are the best. But when Soujirou accepts his gift gracefully and even compliments him on his skills, Kaoru’s intense feelings take a sudden turn in the opposite direction.

Chéri, My Destiny! is a cute romance between two confection makers. I have always been a fan of the grumpy hero, and I got that here. I liked getting to see Kaoru and Soujitou get to know each other and start their relationship. I think the art was well done, and the style matched the story and offered details and emotion. I did think the ending was a little off. I liked that it surprised me a little, but thought a conversation or something added to the end would have wrapped things up a little better and felt more satisfying. I did like the little day in the life bonuses at the end, but they could have been before the ending and still fit quite well into the story and the book. Please be aware, there is some on page sex. Just so no one is caught by surprise reading in public.

Chéri, My Destiny! is a cute, fun, and enjoyable read.

First of all, thank Netgalley for providing me with this manga. That said, I clarify that my review will be 100% honest.

This manga tells us about Kaoru, a boy who owns a French sweets place, enjoys people praising his creations and praising him. One day he finds out that there is another restaurant that receives a lot of praise, and he must go find out what is the reason for such commotion.
And what has to happen happens.

Now my opinion, it is a single volume, and it is appreciated that it avoids unnecessary drama, that if I have a problem with a part of the story and that is that a non-consensual scene occurs, and that is a no no for me, hopefully those who read the manga do not take these scenes as an example or romanticize them. Leaving that aside, the story is fine, there were no love rivals, there was no love triangle that in the end you already know how it will end. the same drawing is a great plus since it is striking.

for me it deserves a 4 out of 5 stars and I remove points for that scene that is not consensual.

Story: The story is cute, I would not say the most original but a normal cute rivals to lovers. It is more of a fluffy and calming read without much deeper thoughts to take with from the story. I liked the rivals combination and the fast pace of this story. Also the light humor made it quite funny. All in all for me this was an average yaoi.
(3/5)

Art: The art inside is actually pretty different from the cover/chaptercover art I would say which mislead me a bit. But I love the coverart and I did not have any problems with the actual art, it's just a bit simpler than I expected beforehand but it was still really cute (it's just that the seme also looks more cute then hot in comparison to the coverart).
(4/5)

Content warning: Explicit sexual scenes

This was a short and sweet read that was such a delight after some rather serious books I've been reading lately. I love Kaoru - he's so hilarious - and Sojiro is a quiet but secretly sweet and passionate guy that you can't help but adore. It's such a sweet manga - no unnecessary drama, and there's an added benefit of really delicious looking goodies given that both characters run/own sweet shops. Kaoru runs a Western-style sweet shop names Bisous, while Sojiro runs the family-business: a Japanese-style sweet shop with decades worth of devoted clientele. They have very different menus but both come to realize they could learn something from the other; and of course there's the swoony love story. It happens fast - Kaoru basically falls for Sojiro the moment he sees him - but it's still a sweet story of watching the two of them get together. All in all, it's a really enjoyable read!

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

Chéri, My Destiny!, by Okoge Mochino
★★★★☆
160 Pages


This was a super adorable, sweet-as-pie story. I loved everything about it, except for one thing – sometimes the characters looked more like teenagers, and that would have been fine apart from the sexy-times.

Kaoru is a single-minded, over-confident pastry chef who makes western style chocolates. He's gutted to learn that his customers are going to another chocolate shop nearby. So, Kaoru heads to the shop to discover it sells classic Japanese sweets. The owner, Soujirou, is sweet and charming, but believes there is enough room for both their shops to succeed. Their first meeting is really funny, with Kaoru being over-confident and arrogant, then being charmed by Soujirou's innocent charms.

The relationship was quite insta-love, with Kaoru falling for Soujirou on the first meeting, though it took Soujirou longer to fall for Kaoru in return. I really loved the LGBT+ rep, and how Kaoru being bisexual, and Soujirou falling for Kaoru for his personality, was easily accepted by the main characters. How they simply accepted each other as they were. And the little extras at the end were really cute, even if only a page.

Each segment of the story – Bataille 1, 2 and 3, as well as the Bataille Finale – presented one whole story, that traversed the relationship from first meeting to being settled together in a solid relationship.

Negatives?
I didn't love the sexy times. I felt they really weren't necessary, considering how sweet the story was until that point. It would have been an awesome YA story. But, the fact some of the time, the characters looked like teenagers meant I was uncomfortable through most of those parts.
I also wasn't comfortable with Kaoru putting alcohol into the chocolates, to get Soujirou drunk, when he knew Soujirou was a light-weight with alcohol. He intended to have sex with Soujirou after getting him drunk. If it had been an accident – without knowing Soujirou was a light-weight, or without realising the effect it would have had – I could have bought it. But that made it uncomfortable.
I saw some other reviews that class this instance as their first time, but it's actually not. It's stated that they first have sex in Bataille 3, after Kaoru confesses his feelings. For that reason, and that reason only, I didn't remove a second star from my review for the whole alcohol-chocolates situation.

Overall, I enjoyed the full story and the characters. It was super sweet, charming and lovely, with minor instances that bothered me. If it hadn't been for those issues, this would definitely have been a 5* read.

The main characters and rivals - Kaoru and Soujirou - could not be more different. Kaoru is a relatively small and flamboyant patisserie, while Soujirou is a rather reserved and tall man who creates classic Japanese sweets.

"Chéri, My Destiny!" is a Boys Love manga that sparked my interest because of the premise. I expected a sweet enemies-to-lovers story (pun intended) but sadly got disappointed.

The standalone manga is full of funny and romantic scenes. However, one particular scene turned the supposedly sweet story sour (pun intended). Kaoru uses Soujirou's weakness for alcohol to his advantage by secretly adding alcohol to a dessert and serving it to Soujirou without his consent. As a consequence, they have sexual intercourse for the first time. The next scene shows both of them in bed the following morning, and Soujirou doesn't remember why he is in bed with Kaoru at first.

"Chéri, My Destiny!" uses non-consensual sex as a plot driver, which is the reason for my low rating of this manga. While the artwork is pretty and the story seems simple and cute, this manga is sadly a total miss for me, which is why I will not recommend it.

** Disclaimer **
I was lucky to receive an eARC of "Chéri, My Destiny!" thanks to the publisher - TOKYOPOP - and NetGalley. Nonetheless, this review is based on my personal opinion and written with no intention to offend anyone!