It's no secret I'm a sucker for anything that involves restaurants and I'm a double sucker for anything about people who work in restaurants so this was right up my alley. Unfortunately because it was published when restaurants were still kind of very much in flux I feel this slip through the cracks and I wish it hadn't

Liked the fast pace of the book as well as all the behind the scenes. It didn't stand out amidst the many books that do this type of expose but it was a fun read. Way too many names to keep track of though!

This was a really great book! I didn’t know anything about the B&B restaurant group in New York (and around the world) but learned a lot about the company and the role of an executive assistant for someone who is the face of many restaurants and a leader in the hospitality industry. Kim shares her successes and personal challenges throughout her almost two decades working for the restaurant group in some capacity and the impact this work had on her social life, finances, mental well-being and even her physical health. The story is easy to follow and there are lots of interesting experiences and events explored. I am very thankful for netgalley and the publisher giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy, and for introducing me to a wonderful book I may have not otherwise had a chance to read!

I really enjoy reading memoirs of jobs that I don't do and over the years have ready many written by people in the restaurant industry - mostly as chefs and servers. I really appreciated learning about Reed's experience at Babbo - as a hostess, working the reservation phone line and then for a long time being the executive assistant for Joe Bastianich.

There are times that I think she held back a little - I wish she had really gone there a little more. But I really enjoyed learning about her experiences. I loved learning more about places/things I know - a little behind the scenes from before Eataly was open or her involvement in writing Bastianich's Master Chef behind the scenes blog entries.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook and Hachette Audio for the free audiobook. The audio narration was great and I loved hearing the author's story directly from her.

Workhorse aptly describes Kim Reed's life in the restaurant world first as a hostess/reservationist at NYC's Babbo and later as the executive assistant to restauranteur, Joe Bastianich. The majority of the book details Reed's job working for Bastianich, an almost Jekyll/Hyde type of boss who swings from demanding and quixotic to compassionate and fun. Yet, Reed becomes addicted to her work and all that it entails. Working incredibly long hours with basically zero time for herself she relishes being Bastianich's "one-stop shop" -- an addictive role for her. Until it becomes too much.

Reed provides an incredibly detailed look into the restaurant world, though at times, I found the book weighted down with too much information and a long cast of characters that could be hard to keep track of.

As a reader, you root for Reed as she comes to realize that she's put herself on hold for so many years and her eventual realization that she is her first priority. I would like to thank #NetGalley and Hachette Books for the opportunity to read and review this electronic ARC.

Reed has an incredibly engaging writing style, truly bringing the restaurant world to life in this read--with all its foibles, highs, and lows. I've eaten at Eataly and enjoyed perusing Spain...A Culinary Road Trip after visiting there myself, and of course, am fairly aware of Batali's fall from grace. So, I was curious to pick up the read and get an insider's perspective. It really opened my eyes to even more than I could have guessed, on all the levels.

This became a DNF for me due to content (language, intimacy, etc.) not in line with my personal content policy. The language I expected, to a point, but it ultimately became too much for me personally.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Kim Reed was a recent college graduate who was a social worker and hostess at the famous Babbo Ristorante a place that is part of Joe Bastianich vast empire and also one Chef Mario Batali work places along with being a partner with Joe. The author takes this hostess job in the last part of school to help her make bills. This place is one of the places in New York that famous stars and people in the know go to be seen. You want a reservation you have to book it a month ahead. Kim is good at performing her job and when the opportunity comes along to be an executive assistant for Joe Bastianich she jumps at it and why not this will help pay down the student debt and will come with some amazing perks. This is the main focus of this biography the 8 years Kim spent in this position. She is very good at her job but this comes at a cost in her personal life in her love life and developing friendships. It is amazing to read about the various parts of the Bastianich empire along the way and culminates with the recent news concerning Mario Batali. This is a good four star read. Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for an ARC for a fair and honest review.

For fans of food competition shows or someone who wants to escape their life and travel along a different path. I enjoyed reading this one, and was a great escape.

I really have been enjoying smart relatively younger women writing in the memoir category...it’s so refreshing to get insight into a generation
I am not part of.. All along I was hoping Kim would quit her job and decide social work was really valuable. I guess broke antiheroines only survive in fiction. I admired her for actually surviving the celebrity chef world and wondering why it is so compelling and addicting. Kim writes
well and food journalism seems made for her. I am sure she will be smart enough to find just the right business environment to utilize her
skills and sustain a balanced life. Great book that explores women in the workplace contemporary themes and challenges if you want
to take it in that direction or not.

I've worked in some form of Executive or Personal Assistant role for more than ten years, so I know the ins and outs of the job like the back of my hand. I've worked in a variety of roles for UHNW (Ultra-High Net Worth) individuals and families, influencers and celebrities, and Co-Founders and CEO's across the fashion, entertainment, and technology industries all over the world. I was drawn to Workhorse mostly by its description, hoping to find it relatable, and also hoping for an glimpse behind the doors at places like Babbo, Eataly, and the other wildly successful Joe Bastianich backed businesses.

I could really relate to a lot of Kim's writing in Workhorse, seeing many of my own qualities and same work ethic within her. Early on in the book, she manages to capture the essence of what I imagine Babbo to be like, in its completeness. My imagination was running wild conjuring up images of the excitement building in the celebrity filled dining room each evening, the constant chaos in 'the pickle', the personalities of Mario and Joe.

Throughout the book, the reader will follow Kim from her days working as a social worker to her evenings and weekends as a reservationist and coat checker at Babbo, all the way to Rome and Milan, as she undertakes the job of being Joe's right hand woman, mingling with Italy's upper crust. This book gives fantastic insight into the working of an assistant, especially one working in the UHNW category for a well-known individual. Kim did a really great job conveying the accuracies of the position, the thrills, chaos, and complete unpredictability that such a job title carries.

She manages to paint an excellent picture of her surroundings throughout the book, and is truly able to take the reader on a journey with her as she jets around the globe working for Joe.

Although the book talks about many of the glamorous aspects of the role, like flying around the world and attending once in a lifetime events, Kim is also realistic in describing the downsides like the long hours, isolating social life, the heart palpitations, and the ungratefulness of others.

This is a fantastic book for all the assistants out there, it's highly relatable, well written, and an easy, enjoyable, and engaging read.

This memoir of working as a member of the Babbo restaurant crew and then as a personal assistant to Joe Bastianich (co-owner) was one of the most remarkable books I've read this year. I know nothing of the restaurant business or working as a personal assistant but this book made me feel like I did, and pulled back the curtain on both. To me, it was a combination of Kitchen Confidential (Anthony Bourdain) and Sweetbitter (Stephanie Danler), and the writing is on par with both. I didn't want this book to end.

This is very interesting reading--half memoir, half coming-of-age tale. There is a lot of detail that creates a vibrant sense of place and time in the author's stories. Very recent events are covered which make the story feel fresh and immediate. The author's world is one I'll never travel in, but she made it accessible and didn't go for easy answers and conclusions. The story, environment, and people involved are messy and complex, which feels authentic.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!