Chef's Kiss is cute and the artwork is amazing, it's genuinely so gorgeous. The story is a little bit ridiculous but it works and it's a fun, sweet queer graphic novel. I didn't totally buy the romance and felt it was missing some chemistry but it was decent and Ben's friends are great.

Overall all this is a fast, quick, cute little gay graphic novel and worth the read.

So cute! Chef’s Kiss has it all… A cute story, good relationships and characters, amazing art, a pig that determines your fate… What more could you want?

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We have to start with the fact that this novel was one of the nicest and most heartwarming novels I've read this year, it grabbed me from the beginning and kept me that way until the very end.

A quick recap, our main character Ben has just graduated as a writer and starts looking for a job related to that, but he will encounter the reality that you need work experience to be able to get a job, I know, real life crisis. That sucks.
Suddenly he finds this restaurant that hires with no prior experience and decides to give it a shot, and from this point on everything starts to flow.

I really loved Ben and his group of friends, although I have a little problem with Liz, I mean at a certain point I saw her as a red flag, I didn't like her attitude at certain times. But other than that I think everyone was awesome and supportive with Ben.

If we talk about the restaurant well we have their manager, who truth be told was very hard on Ben and a bit abusive but he redeemed himself in the end, there is Liam and he was also one of my favorite characters because of the cute way he treated Ben and constantly encouraged him, the rest of Ben's mentors in the kitchen were also amazing and I feel like they are all a very nice family.

Now we must talk about the best character of this story, Watson the piggy, god this character is impossible not to love from the beginning people, he' s so cute and all his scenes made me laugh so much, I think now I need more of him, because seriously he was so amazing and the "origin story" they gave him was very original and had me laughing for a long moment.

We know that Ben from the beginning is gay and has a crush with Liam (I would be lying if I said I didn't because Liam is hot, and Ben too so they were a very attractive ship), seeing how this little crush was developing was very nice, following their little dates kept me smiling and I think they were beautiful.

Finally we have to talk about how delicious the food looks inside this graphic novel, god I'd be lying if I said I didn't crave everything they presented because it really did look yummy, and as they were preparing the dishes it only made my hunger grow. Right now I would die to try some of Ben's final dish, Watson now I envy you, you lucky piggy.

At the end we have a plot twist that even though I could see it coming, I was surprised by the way they handled it, I hated Ben's parents and their victim complex at that moment, I hate that kind of manipulation towards their children, and the crisis that Ben had after that was understandable, although I was afraid for his decision because even I was doubting which would be the best option.

And with a beautiful scene we conclude the story and also this review, I say again that it was a super nice graphic novel and easy to read, ideal to get out of a reading slump or to have a good time, although if you're going to read it I would recommend having some snack on hand because it will really make you hungry while reading.

Final Rating: 4.5 stars

Thanks to Oni Press for making this book available to me via #Netgalley

This is a cute story of a newly graduated English student who is just realizing how hard it is for him to get a job when even entry level jobs require prior experience. He is living with a bunch of his college friends when he decides to find another job while he still hunts for his 'dream job'. This is when he finds a bakery looking for staff, the only entry requirement for the job is to satisfy/please the palate of the head chef's pig!

He slowly falls in love with another chef, Liam and we get to see him navigate his search for fulfilment and the calm that his job with Liam gives him.
I really loved seeing the diverse range of characters. It is quick rare, actually. Loved it!

This was absolutely beautiful.

It is a cute and wholesome graphic novel, I fell for the characters and I lived the story firsthand as if I were truly there.

Also we love representation! A fun and cute queer rom-com I will be buying a final copy of!

This was an adorable graphic novel. The romance in it was sweet and not overwhelming to the story. I loved that it focused on a male protagonist as he found his passion and learned to be true to himself. This would be great for my older high school students as they are feeling out the idea of college, trade schools, and figuring out what they want to do with themselves. The art work was great. It really fit the story. And I loved Watson! That pig was perfect.

Fresh out of college, English graduate Ben Cook is having a tough time finding a job that would, well, justify all the money that went into his education. But with rejection after rejection from every job, Ben stumbles upon a restaurant that just so happens to have an open position.

Spoilers ahead.

Plot and Pacing

This book was so freaking adorable and wholesome that I couldn't stop smiling my face off the second I opened it. I've come to realise just how big a role food plays in my day so reading about people who were genuinely passionate about the culinary sciences was perfect. I'm a bit conflicted on the plot. While I thoroughly enjoyed every panel of this gorgeous comic, I felt the tension and stakes could have been raised. Ben struggles to find a job and, as he puts it aptly,

"How are you supposed to get experience when nobody will hire you unless you have experience?!"

It's SO true. The standards for college graduates are ridiculous and it's like we're not meant to have lives until we retire. And there are so many paradoxes when it comes to finding your first job like the one quoted above. It does sometimes feel like everything is stacked against us. This was resolved fairly quickly when Ben just happened to find the job at the restaurant. I thought it might have been more interesting to really lean towards Ben's struggle and not just have opportunities fall into his lap. Even the whole not telling parents thing didn't seem like high stakes. I could understand why Ben did it, I would have maybe done something similar, but they just managed to land him an internship at the top literary magazine? Just like that? If his father had so many connections, why couldn't Ben have used them fresh out of college?

I do agree with Ben's decision to juggle the two jobs together and when he was debating his options, all I could think was, "¿Porque no los dos?" because I'm guessing the internship won't be a full-time gig and neither will the restaurant.

Regarding the romance, I totally swooned over Liam and I loved how flustered Ben got around him. The two of them were so cute together!

Characters

I loved Ben Cook SO much and could relate to his passion for reading and writing. And his fear of not meeting his parents' expectations. Also, the way he would get nervous with Liam really did make me laugh and I swear I blushed several times from secondhand embarrassment.

Liam was supermegafoxyawesomehot. Like, when I saw the panel where he's first introduced, my jaw actually dropped. I would have liked to see more character development for Liam. We don't really know much about him other than how attractive he is and that he got tattoos in honour of his Danish grandfather. The same goes for the other side characters. Ben's flatmates were quirky as hell but quite one-dimensional. Rachel had this Shakespearan phase she was going through which I was glad ended quickly because I did NOT like reading her giant blobs of text.

Chef Davis seemed a bit like a toxic person at the start but I did like the way he stood up for Ben in the end. Also, his story about Watson being bitten by a radioactive creature was hilarious.

Writing Style

I know I've been overly critical of this comic but I genuinely did enjoy it and devoured it in one sitting. It's light, fluffy and super cute! I love slice-of-life and it was refreshing to see a story focused on people in their twenties rather than high school students having love lives I definitely wasn't mature enough to have when I was in high school. I really hope there's a sequel!

Chef's Kiss is a big dose of nostalgia for my early twenties, when I was living with friends and generally freaking out about what I was going to do with my life (and how I would afford it!). I feel like I look fondly back on that time of roommate shenanigans, all of whom were taking different approaches to their post-college lives and trying out new things (spoiler alert: liberal arts school isn't exactly good at telling you what to do next).

This cute and .colorfully illustrated graphic novel focuses on Ben Cook, who graduated with an English degree but can't seem to find anyone to hire him on without "real life experience" -- which hah! he can only get from being hired. This leads him to try out his hand at cooking for a restaurant run by an overbearing Chef who has a penchant for hiring awesome people, including handsome and helpful Liam. There are a number of cooking tests that Ben must pass to come on full-time, and thru the montage of scenarios you get to meet the other members of the crew, as well as the resident taste-testing pig, Watson.

I loved the story and the characters, but found the tone a little bumpy. There are some very serious moments in this graphic novel, and also variety in the characters' personalities. I've seen a few people mention the Chef, who seems to run a very toxic workplace sometimes, and is supportive in others. Liz, Ben's childhood best friend, also felt inconsistent to me. The two have some conflict that felt both very familiar to me in my own friendships, as you try to navigate supporting each other while also pursuing your own interests, but also overly fraught. Maybe I just wanted this book to be a little bit lighter than it was at times!

This is certainly one of my most anticipated 2022 graphic novel releases -- and for everyone else who is obsessed with the number of cooking-related romances that have come out in the last few years, you will easily fall in love with this one as well. Thanks to NetGalley for the early review copy, all opinions are my own.

A sweet New Adult romance with beautiful art! I enjoyed all the immersive food elements of this story that were brought to life by the warm and cozy color palette. I wanted a little more character development for the characters, particularly the love interest, Liam. Overall, I enjoyed this story and think it's perfect for new grads looking to find their way in the world!

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free graphic novel*

"Chef's Kiss" is about 20-something Ben who has just finished studying English and is looking for a job, but is quite unsuccesful. When he is hired at a local restaurant and he meets cute Liam who also works there. Ben is very undecisive about the future but a gifted chef in the kitchen. What will he do?

Graphic novel was *very* cute, gay, and it made me so hungry! The drawings of food looked so delicious, almost as bad as Studio Ghibli food! Would've loved to have a recipe section though.

If you're looking for something sweet and want to see mouth-watering drawing of food, this graphic novel is for you!

4 stars because the story was pretty predictable

"Chef's Kiss" is a graphic novel about aspiring writer Ben as he moves in with his best friends. Ben struggles to find a writing job since every place looks for people with experience, something newly graduated Ben doesn't have. After another failed interview, Ben stumbles upon a poster for a restaurant hiring people "no experience needed." As Ben enjoys cooking, he applies for the position and becomes a cook in training. The new position has it's upsides: the free food and the really cute chef Liam, but it also has it's downsides: Ben told his parents he got a writing job. What will happen when they find out the truth?

I really enjoyed this book! The story was well written and even though there were many characters, they were easily distinguishable. The relationships between Ben and his friends as well as Ben and his new friends (and Liam) felt genuine and organic. The art style is also really good!

Something I would've loved to see was more about the restaurant. I assumed we'd get more scenes of the hectic restaurant life with a lot of orders and a lot of stress cooking. Instead, a lot of the restaurant scenes were Ben and another chef alone in the kitchen. It felt like the restaurant was abandoned in a way, no customers, no more chefs cooking for the customers etc.

Chef's Kiss by Jarrett Melendez is a beautifully drawn graphic novel filled with a progressive plot and humorous narrative. It was fun to read, and the characters were distinguishable through the pages. A perfect book on self discovery.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC

Everything about this was cute, the story the characters and especially Watson the pig. Loved it.

This was the perfect LGBTQ+ graphic novel about uncertainties of life after college. There was lots of diverse characters which we love to see!!

Ben, a newly graduated English major, is searching for a job with little luck. He stumbles upon a job that doesn't require experience, and begins his journey towards figuring out what he actually wants to do.

My only gripe about the story is the Watson sub-plot - it was a little too surreal for my taste, despite the drawings of Watson being absolutely adorable. Everything else in the comic was based in reality, so to have a pig that judges food was a little out of left field. Otherwise, this story was delightful - cute, romantic, and delicious.

This was a really cute gay romance graphic novel! We follow Ben who’s struggling to find a job because everyone (even the trash workers) require you to have years of experience to even get halfway through an interview and although I live in a small town and don’t work or didn’t finish college, I feel like for big cities this is probably correct. Anyways, to the book review. I both loved and didn’t love this. The parts I specifically didn’t love is the kitchen, It was way too toxic for my liking and really soured my enjoyment and overall rating for the book. It was pretty much a toxic “relationship” until the end which I just couldn’t get on board with. Other than that, It was a really enjoyable read and I wouldn’t mind getting to know the roommates and their story more!

I picked up Chef's Kiss as it looked like a sweet, comforting read with a food theme... it fit the bill perfectly! I really enjoyed this graphic novel, there were highs and lows and a dash of romance. It fit the underused new adult range perfectly with characters fresh from college who were struggling to find employment and impress their parents. I would definitely read more books by this author, Chef's Kiss had a quirky edge to it that I wasn't fully expecting but it definitely made the story unique!

This Graphic Novel deserves 10 stars! Omg, it was so adorable, I love Watson the taste tester pig. And to watch Ben go through the freshly graduated from college panic, of how to find a job and is what you got your degree in really what you want to do with the rest of your life was "Chef's Kiss"! Heartwarming and definitely worth everyone picking up.

Chef's Kiss perfectly captures the pressures and anxieties after leaving college: having all answers, finding your dream job, the expectations of instant success. Ben, the main protagonist begins training as an assistant chef after a disappointing job search, failing to find a writing job that would meet his overbearing parents' approval. His new career path completely changes his perspectives, helps his confidence, and he even finds romance along the way.

I really loved reading this- it was such a sweet graphic novel that balanced all the romance/graduation/adulthood themes together. The visuals and artwork were vibrant and detailed, and how could you not love Ben's adorable colleague, Watson! I connected with the characters instantly, despite the length of the graphic novel; their was so much depth and care in the details of their lives, relationships and growth over the course of the narrative.

I hope that there's a sequel or an opportunity to see these characters again, it was such an enjoyable read! Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for this digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

OK I loved this so much I couldn't put it down once I started it. The characters were adorable and realistic. Ben Cook, the main character, was especially relatable and I was invested in his story arc. It had heartfelt, aspiring friendship goals throughout. The art was clear, bright and colourful, it conveyed the story beautifully.

Ben and his friends have just moved in together after finishing university. Ben majored in literature and is job hunting with no experience in the literature world. He stumbles across a wanted ad and applies and this is where we follow his story through his career choices, family relations and changing friendship dynamics. Oh, and there is a pig.

The only thing I wanted more of was the friends' stories. Hopefully that will come with further issues. Would definitely recommend this comic.

Super sweet MM romance with food! The writing was accessible and fast paced and the art was just adorable! Would recommend this to anyone 16+ who loves a romance with food! ❤️