I loved this one so much! I loved the delicious Jewish fusion recipes and the high stakes competition. The romance felt like a sweet side plot and I loved it. Very satisfying! Recommended!!

there's too much words that aren't necessary. i'm 50% in and i am NOT feeling it. i can't relate to the characters. i'm so sad.

Sadie on a Plate is Amanda Elliot’s debut adult romance novel and it is an absolute delight. It follows Sadie who is making a name for herself as a rising star in Seattle’s culinary world. That is, until a very public breakup with her famous chef boyfriend gets her blacklisted from pretty much every restaurant in the area. When we meet Sadie, she is sure her career is over and is reeling from the loss until a stroke of good fortune lands in her lap – she has been chosen for a coveted spot on the next season of the popular reality TV show, Chef Supreme. If Sadie can perform well in this competition, she can get her career back on track.

I love a good underdog story so I was rooting for Sadie to kick butt in this competition. Sadie is smart, sweet, talented, and resilient and I just really wanted her to prove everyone wrong since there have been some folks in her life who don’t think she has what it takes to succeed. I was also rooting for her to hit it off with Luke, the sexy seatmate she meets on her cross-country flight, because she deserves someone better in her life than her ex. Even though Sadie and Luke have major chemistry, however, there’s one major obstacle to any possibility of a happily ever after for them. When Sadie arrives at the Chef Supreme studios, she learns that Luke is actually one of the judges so he is off limits unless she wants to be disqualified.

While I really enjoyed the forbidden love element of their relationship because it added drama and suspense, not to mention longing looks from afar, the romance does not take center stage in this story. Instead, it bookends the main focus of the story, which is actually the competition itself. If you enjoy reality TV cooking shows like Top Chef, you are sure to enjoy the competition scenes in this book. Between the delectable descriptions of each dish Sadie and her fellow competitors created, to the tense competitive atmosphere, it truly felt like I was watching a cooking competition. The entire cast of secondary characters was great, but I most enjoyed following Sadie as she came up with so many creative ways to show that Jewish cuisine is so much more than just latkes and pastrami. By the end, she had me wishing she really did have a restaurant where I could partake of her delicious sounding creations.

I would have liked a little more focus on the romance, but honestly, watching Sadie come into her own and grow both on a personal level and as a chef was more than enough for me. I would highly recommend Sadie on a Plate to anyone who enjoys a good underdog story with a side of romance and to fans of reality TV cooking shows.

DNF'd this one at 30%. I was really interested in the premise and it sounded like it'd be up my alley, but I just couldn't connect with the voice. The pacing felt a little too off and the first date had no chemistry between the love interests. I was especially hoping for more tension between the love interests once he became a judge but it just wasn't there for me sadly.

If you are a fan of TOP CHEF this book is for you. This book was just so good. The romance was a minor plot but the story worked as is.

After a brutal break up with her former boss, Sadie Rosen is trying to re-create her career as a chef. She’s stunned and thrilled to be offered a spot on a successful cooking reality TV show, Chef Supreme. If she can win the top prize, it could jump start her career and maybe even get her a restaurant of her very own.

Sadie lives in Seattle but she has no problem getting on the next plane to New York for the TV show. She immediately hits it off with the man sitting next to her, Luke Weston. Unfortunately, due to the TV show’s rules, she cannot have any outside contact for the six weeks the show will be filming. Not the best way to start a new relationship, but she hopes he will wait for her.

When she arrives on the set for her first day on the show, she’s more than surprised to learn who Luke really is. She vows to solely concentrate on the competition but it’s very hard to ignore Luke.

This is women’s fiction at its finest. Often in these types of books, I want to shake the main character because she does ridiculous things. That’s not Sadie. She knows what she wants and knows what she needs to do to get it. She’s not overpowering. I found her to be delightful, sweet and a little vulnerable.

The sparks fly whenever Luke and Sadie are alone. The entire cast of characters, are well developed and come to life. It’s a quirky group, but each one has their own personality. I wouldn’t mind some sequels involving several other members of the supporting cast.

This story is a fun and delicious ride. It’s one of those “feel good” type of books that I didn’t want to end. I enjoyed my time with Sadie and her friends and I hope I get another chance to visit with them again.

Warning: This book could be dangerous to your diet. There were so many delicious-sounding foods being prepared by these amazing contestants. I could practically taste each dish.







FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The first line of the blurb of Sadie on a Plate reads as follows: A chef’s journey to success leads to discovering the perfect recipe for love in this delicious romantic comedy.

It’s a cutesy opener to introduce the theme of the book, a pun on the fact that it’s about a chef. Here’s the problem though. While the book did make me laugh in parts, thereby earning the comedy label, I’m more reluctant to label it a romantic comedy. Is there a romantic storyline running through the book? Absolutely. Does it culminate in a HEA? You bet it does! BUT. Is romance the driving force of the plot, the central theme, the storyline on which the entire premise of the book rests? I’m….not sure.

Titular character Sadie, currently unemployed and believing herself to be unemployable in the Seattle restaurant scene due to EVENTS (more on that later) is thrilled when she’s cast as a contestant on the tv cooking competition show, Chef Supreme. On her flight out to New York, she finds herself attracted to her seat mate, Luke, and they share a very fun evening ending in a kiss before heading off in separate directions. Sadie makes it clear that she’s very interested but also will be unreachable for reasons she cannot divulge due to a NDA for the next few weeks. Cue to the following day when Sadie and her fellow contestants are on set for the first time and there’s Luke…one of the judges on the show.

This book is one of several I’ve read in the past few months that takes place within a cooking/baking competition but is the first one I’ve read where the romance is between a contestant and a judge while the contestant is still competing. The premise was really interesting with a built-in conflict and interesting power dynamics. However, I can’t help but feel that this is more of contemporary fiction with a romantic subplot that is not the main impetus of the book.

Sadie, who loves to cook the Jewish food she grew up with but with a modern, upscale spin on it, has serious self-confidence issues. She doubts herself, her abilities as a chef, and because of her past trauma relating to her former boss who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend, she seriously doubts her future in the profession she’s chosen.

While the book does feature a romantic storyline, it’s more of a subplot than anything else. I cannot conceive of Luke as a main character in this novel – he’s very much a side character. Instead, this book is really about Sadie and her journey, a journey of self-discovery, of realizing she’s good enough and worthy of being in this competition, of figuring out who she is and who she wants to be, and ultimately about finding her place in this world. That part of that journey also ends with her finding love seems more like happenstance rather than the event that drives the narrative forward.

However, that’s not to say the story itself is terrible. I’m always fascinated by cooking and baking competitions and tend to love books that take place behind the scenes of one. Chef Supreme seems a bit like Top Chef and the author even namedrops several well-known real chefs in the book, which I found to be unusual. I love a book with a competent heroine and Sadie excels at her craft.

There’s also a host of side characters (namely the other contestants), many of whom make quite an impact on the book. It’s very much an in-depth look at life behind the scenes of a reality cooking competition with all the different personalities forced to share a New York apartment for the duration of filming the show.

When the dark moment comes regarding what happened to make Sadie leave Seattle, it may trigger some people so I’m going to lay it out.

Spoiler..
All in all, it’s an ok story about finding yourself and realizing your self-worth. If it’s going to be called a love story in any capacity, then it should be one that’s really about Sadie learning to love herself. I don’t think the term romantic comedy reflects this book accurately. At best, it’s romantic fiction and that’s ok. Again, that’s not a diss on the book but fair warning to readers to not expect this book to deliver on what’s being promised.

Content Notes: Sadie’s ex-boyfriend/former boss shares nude photos of her without her consent, there’s some fat shaming language, Luke’s father who is also a famous chef, seems hypercritical of ethnic cuisine, one of the contestants seems a bit sexist/misogynistic

I absolutely love books featuring chefs! My lack of culinary skills does not stop me from appreciating the drool-worthy recipes these characters dream up. After getting fired from her last chef job, Sadie is looking for redemption by competing on a well-known chef show (think Top Chef). The day she is set to arrive, she meets a dreamy man on the plane who takes her to this delicious hole-in-the-wall restaurant and sparks fly! Unfortunately won’t be able to see him for the next few weeks while she films the show. But that’s not the last Sadie will see of Luke…

This story was a lot of fun. There are so many contestants vying for the title of Chef Supreme, and the competition is fierce. Sadie hits it off with a couple of contestants right off the bat, and there are some who give Top Model vibes. You know “I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to win.” It was nice to see Sadie’s relationships change and grow throughout the story, and the competition really helps her come out of her shell a bit too. I loved that the friendships she made felt true and they all encouraged each other even though they were all fighting to win.

The only think I found frustrating was the romance aspect. I almost wish it wasn’t even included. The competition was fun enough without the weird, semi-relationship forming between our love interests. There was chemistry at first, but their dynamic changes the instant Sadie enters the competition. From there, they have stolen moments that seem to progress the relationship more quickly than is believable and Sadie continually makes self-destructive decisions in pursuit of their relationship. There were several instances I wanted to yell “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” With the information we were given and the moments they had together, I just didn’t really feel the romance.

Other than the lackluster romance, I had a good time reading Sadie on a Plate. The competition was the best part of the book and I love how it all played out. The contestants were diverse, talented, and threw some big surprises!

This was such a fun one!! It just came out on Tuesday 3/15 so defs pick up a copy or add this to your library hold list! Thank you @berkleyromance for sending me an eARC 💓

I read this on never ending travel day to Spain and really enjoyed it! I would say this is more of a contemporary fiction with a romance than a romcom but it so delivered on all the incredible food descriptions! I learned so much about Jewish food - it made so hungry while reading 🤤

Read if you like
🍳 Top Chef
🍳 FOOD
🍳 Jewish representation
🍳 Flight meet cutes
🍳 Food competitions

Do you watch Top Chef? I am a fan of all things Bravo and Top Chef is one of my favorites. I have seen every season and I have seen every season, even if watching it makes me hungry.

Sadie on a Plate by @amandapanitch is the story of Sadie, recently unemployed and cast on a competitive cooking show very similar to Top Chef (without Padma and Gail!) to showcase her modern take on traditional Jewish food. I loved this book and I loved Sadie. I loved her drive and determination, I loved her empathy and compassion, I loved her commitment to tradition and her grandma, I loved her snarky and sarcastic sense of humor. I loved that this book had so much inclusion, diversity and representation. I laughed, I swooned, I sighed and I cheered. The cast of characters on the show with Sadie were the perfect amount of quirky and entertaining and the romance was the perfect amount of sweetness to give us all a new book boyfriend. Oh, and it made me crave some kugel and babka. Thank you so much to partner @berkleyromance for my gifted copy.

You know that I started reading this book as soon as I received it. Like how can I resist reading it? It's an adorable read that made my day much brighter and lighter.

Sadie has always been going through a struggle even since she lost her job. But she doesn't need to worry since she has the opportunity to compete in a tv competition. That doesn't mean she won't have shenanigans along the way. She is kinda prone to shenanigans in her life, including her dating life.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It definitely made me appreciate how much I am not in the dating scene at the moment. But it also made me appreciate home cooked meals. There were so many delicious meals mentioned that it made me hungry. Keep snacks in hand while you read this book.

𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵, 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦!

I love cooking shows and I had so much fun with this story. Fast paced from start to finish, full of banter, sweet moments, likeable characters and yummy food. A great read for fans of cooking shows.

Thank you Berkley Romance, Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this gifted copy.

Sadie on a Plate by Amanda Elliott released March 15, 2022.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘓𝘪𝘵, 𝘙𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘴, 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

I have never wanted a TV show out of a book more. A couple of days after finishing this book and I want to reach for my remote to turn on the next season of this "Top Chef" show and I can't!
Sadie is fired from her job in a prestigious restaurant in Seattle and doesn't know where to turn for her next gig. A few weeks into unemployment, she receives a phone call inviting her to be on the next season of a popular cooking show. It's a dream come true and she's crossing her fingers she can bring her reputation back to life by performing well. Meeting Luke on the plane ride to New York is the cherry on top until she discovers who he is.
This is much more than a romance - in fact, I would have loved to see more of their relationship on page - as the focus is mainly on Sadie's journey. The story is easy to consume and told in single POV.
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This was a fun read about a cooking show and even though I'm not a foodie, I really enjoyed reading all the descriptions about the food. I think, all in all, I was a bit disappointed by this book because I was expecting a lot more romance. This felt more women's fiction than romance because there really wasn't much. I found myself getting pretty bored with the different cooking challenges and the ups and downs that came with that. It didn't feel like there was enough other stuff going on to keep me interested.

I love watching the Food network and any and all cooking shows especially a cooking competition!
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If that is your jam this book is for you.
Sadie’s work life was up in flames after a public breakup with her boss, a famous chef. She was the talk of the Seattle restaurant world but before she knew it her luck was about to change.
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She was picked as a contestant for Chef Supreme, her favorite cooking show! She couldn’t believe her luck. Even luckier was meeting a handsome man on the plane sharing a memorable afternoon, promising to talk again in 6 weeks.
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Of course, nothing goes as planned. I loved the behind the scenes of a cooking show, the drama and of course the food!
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This book is out today!
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Thank you @berkleyromance for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Welp, this was an absolute DELIGHT. It’s a Top-Chef inspired story where our MC, Sadie, is a competitor on “Chef Supreme” and she cooks Jewish-inspired foods with a modern twist. Here are some of the things I loved about this book:
👩‍🍳 Sadie’s growth: It’s a romance but really it felt like contemporary fiction with a side of romance, since Sadie herself and her growth was the focus of the book. I loved seeing her make mistakes then learn from them, and learn to take charge!
💕 The romance itself was adorable and felt like a cherry on top of the already wonderful story (no steam, but tons of chemistry!).
🥘 All the foooood! Oh my goodness, my mouth was watering the entire time I was reading. I loved getting to meet all the competitors and their cooking styles and influences.
✡️ The Jewish-ness of it all! As a Jewish reader, I really connected to all the Jewish food she was cooking, but what I connected most to was her keeping her family culture alive through food. The people may be gone, but this is how we remember them.

Thank you so much to @berkleypub for the e-ARC. I’m so glad this one is now out for everyone to enjoy - I will absolutely be buying a final copy, I need to add it to my shelves. 😊

Sadie on a Plate is fun and delightful contemporary romance that revolves around Sadie taking part in a cooking show and regains her confidence, friendship, and love by the end. The story is about food (be prepared to read with full stomach), Jewish representation, friendship, passion, love, and struggle of women in food industry.

Writing is engaging, flavourful, and entertaining. The story is written in first person narrative from Sadie’s perspective. Her voice is fun and witty that making story more entertaining. The setting of New York and cooking competition kitchen adds its own charm.

The plot is great. I enjoyed the beginning of the story introducing Sadie, how her boss firing her over a message, five weeks ago, affected her confidence and her dream to open her own restaurant. When she gets email about getting a spot on the next season of her favorite TV show, Chef Supreme, it provide opportunity she needed to make her dream come true. On plane to New York, she meets a handsome, lovely, half Korean chef with whom she feels an instant connection but she can’t talk about Chef Supreme because of contract and cannot meet or talk for next six weeks, but when the same person turns out to be one of the judges of the show, it raises another problem as, “Judges and contestants aren’t supposed to fraternize.” It was fun to see if Sadie wins the show or not, will she get sponsors to open her restaurants or all the dreams will be squashed by her feelings for the Judge.

Like all cooking shows you have watched on TV you can expect drama, bickering, fights and disagreements, the villain of the show and favorite chef of the show but above all there is forbidden romance between a contestant and the judge. 12 contestants, 3 judges make interesting cast of characters. I binge read this book and finished in a single day.

Sadie is great throughout the book. She is talented, passionate chef who worked hard to achieve her dream. I felt sad for her when she lost her job and her dream and confidence. She felt vulnerable and wasn’t comfortable talking about what happened but I liked she grabbed opportunity to be part of her favorite show, took it as a climbing ladder and refused to look back. I enjoyed how slowly she regained her confidence, realized she was letting that one person and one incident rattle her head, and learned to get over her insecurities. Along with that she mended her relationship with her old colleague who was also participant in show. I liked how this show not just became important for her career growth but also personal growth.

Luke was lovely in the beginning but the way he rejected Sadie on the first day of show, made me rethink about him along with Sadie. I figured quicker than Sadie which side of him was true. He is fantastic judge and person who wasn’t comfortable with camera on him. We also see daddy issues here. His father isn’t likable person who is food snob and was forcing his own beliefs and dream on him and Luke, who feels helpless going against him and open his dream restaurant that represents his Korean culture and roots. I liked how being with Sadie gives him support and courage to stand up against his father and do something he loves and is passionate about.

I enjoyed secondary characters, especially those 11 contestants (not Including Sadie here) and some of them learned and grew along with Sadie. 4 Joes and how they were nicknamed by other contestants made me laugh. There is Nia who is all about statistics, measures, and recipe follower who learned to cook from heart. I also liked Kaitlyn. At first, I believed Sadie and thought she was plasticky and selfish, might create trouble for her but I was surprised how different she turned out. I enjoyed how Sadie mended things with her and how supportive they became. There is Kel who is gender neutral and preferred to be called they/them and was great chef, and there is Megan who is lesbian. It’s a lovely diverse group and made me smile reading about them.

The best part is how cooking industry is represented and also the cooking show. We see the struggle of women in industry that believed women are cooks and men are chefs, made women work harder, and looked down on them. We also see how contestants were playing media to stay longer on show, not just thinking about what they cooked but how they behaved and looked on camera that producers will approve and audience will love. I also liked another angle of it showing the discomfort of camera on them all the time and how exhausting it was for characters to be part of the show. I also loved how this show was about representing contestants’ particular type of food which is another best part with so many types of cuisines included.

I don’t know much about Jewish culture, I only read it in books but I never read any book that represented Jewish food and that too so well. There is also Korean cuisine, Appalachian, Japanese, Californian, Filipino, and eclectic cuisine. I was googling all dishes as soon as I read about them. Author has written all the food descriptions and how characters made them fabulously. It was mouthwatering to read all the dishes even though I’m little hesitant when it comes to trying new food.

Romance is okay, not bad but I just wish there was more romance. Readers who prefer less romance, more plot and character will love it but romance readers won’t be happy with that lovely beginning giving promise of forbidden romance but then plot and cooking show taking over for most of the book. There are scenes between Sadie and Luke, it sure builds understanding between them, they get to know each other more but true romance came after climax.

Climax is predictable but interesting. I was expecting Sadie’s past coming back. It was interesting to know what exactly happened and how it will affect her position in show, who would support her and what she will do next. There is a lot happened after this and yet it never felt rushed. It was great to see how much Sadie grew and of course I was expecting her to do something stupid but I liked the way things were wrapped up. I loved author kept the end realistic, uplifting and feel good.

Why 4 stars-

Like I said I wanted more romance in the book.

Overall, Sadie on a Plate is delectable, hearwarming, dramatic, entertaining, and fast paced forbidden contemporary romance that food lovers wouldn’t want to miss.

I highly recommend this if you like,
Food
Cooking shows
Fast paced gripping plot
Drama and entertainment
Different types of food
Jewish female character
Biracial hero
Diverse cast
Forbidden romance (between contestant and judge)
Clean romance
Adult book for young audience (there is just a kiss, no sex)
Flirting through food
Less romance more plot and characters
New York setting

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

Don’t sleep on this one! I adored this fun, entertaining, quick read.

why my nose was in this book:
my favorite show is Top Chef, so this story was like reading a new season, which was so much fun, especially getting the inside scoop on contestant lives and forbidden romances
I appreciated the big nods to former Top Chef moments (i.e. that damn pea puree, mustache Joe)
The forbidden romance between Sadie and one of the judges (gasp!) was exciting to read because they had a connection before the show started filming and the will they/won't they tension was particularly frustratingly enjoyable to read
The challenges were a creative spin on quickfires of Top Chef past with the same issues - get it on the plate!

Sadie on a Plate is marketed as rom-com, but it is not. It's women's fiction with a smidge of romance. I really enjoyed it, but I wanted more romance. There is zero steam and only a couple of kisses. Sadie on a Plate is a book about personal growth, pursuing dreams, and lots and lots of food. This book should not be read on an empty stomach. I would recommend this book to readers of women's fiction, foodies, and people who love cooking competitions. Also, it has a Jewish rep and an LBTQA+ rep.