Cooking competitions are my favorite type of reality TV, but there have been so many rom-coms focused around cooking competition shows lately that I almost passed on reading Sadie on a Plate. I’m so glad I didn’t.

Clearly Top Chef inspired, Sadie on a Plate follows the titular Sadie, recently single and unemployed, as she gets selected to compete for Chef Supreme, and throughout her experience on the show. Sparks fly between Sadie and her cute seat-mate, Luke, on her flight from Seattle to New York, but when he shows up the next day as Chef Supreme’s new judge, Sadie has to balance her attraction to him with her vision for the future.

Because Sadie puts her own needs first (in the best way possible) the romance in Sadie on a Plate is minimal, but the chemistry between Sadie and Luke still sizzles. Sadie’s cooking style is elevated traditional Jewish cooking, and the descriptions of the food throughout this book made me feel like I was binge watching Chef Supreme (and made me hungry).

I loved Sadie’s creativity, drive, and commitment to cooking the food that made her heart sing, and loved the way that she carried the voice of her grandmother with her. Sadie doesn’t need anyone else to save her, and it’s only through her relationship with herself that she recovers from an internal crisis of confidence.

I loved Sadie, the side characters (Elliot even gives us a villain(ish)). In addition to a Jewish lead and a Korean love interest both focused on cooking food connected to their roots, there’s diverse rep in the side characters including a nonbinary character, lesbian and bi characters, and Black characters who bring to light ways that racism within the competitive cooking world has pigeonholed their cooking. Elliot’s writing is full of humor with just a bit of snark, and I couldn’t put this one down.

Fans of cooking shows, good food, and mutual pining should pick up this low-steam gem of an adult debut from Elliot. I’ll be looking forward to reading more from her in the future.

Thanks so much to Berkley/Jove for putting this one on my radar and for an advanced copy to review via Netgalley. All opinions are my own. Sadie on a Plate is out tomorrow, 3/15/22.

I love watching cooking shows and reading romcoms, so this book was a natural fit for me!

This was an entertaining book to read because of the behind the scenes goings on at the Chef Supreme cooking show. Plus I loved the description of Sadie’s background and her modern twist on traditional Jewish recipes.

The chemistry between Sadie and Luke is instantaneous. When they go their separate ways, I missed the romantic tension between them. They are apart so much that it made this book less about the romance for me.

If you enjoy cooking shows, delicious-sounding food, and a light romantic storyline, then this is the book for you!

I have posted this review to my Goodreads account (link provided) and will post it to my Amazon and Instagram accounts during publication week. I will update my links to reflect these reviews when they are posted.

This was a really fun book; a meet-cute and a television cooking show combined! I was so pleased by all the character diversity. If there were anything I'd change about the book, it would be much, MUCH less food description in the final chapters. There was a LOT happening there, and the food was the least important bit of the climax.

If you love cooking competition shows, then you’ll love this book.

Sadie is a chef and enjoys making traditional Jewish recipes. She has been recently fired from her job, so she applies to be a contestant on Chef Supreme, a cooking competition show.. She selected and on the plane to NYC she has amazing chemistry with her seatmate, Luke. They spend some time in the city prior to her arrival to the show, The next day, Luke is on set as a judge. In order to win, Sadie must put her feeling aside and focus on the grand prize.

This book has some great Jewish presentation and food. The competition was the main focus of the book and I felt the stress and intensity of the environment throughout. I loved getting to know Sadie and loved that the side romance with Luke didn’t get in the way of the competition and her goals of winning. The other contestants/characters where also a lot of fun. This is was a sweet closed-door romance filled with a lot of amazing, mouthwatering food.

A huge thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first read of March and wow what a way to start the month off strong!
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I absolutely fell in love with this book and finished it in one sitting! The cooking show setting made everything feel much more high stakes with a behind the scenes feel that makes you feel so connected to the characters. ⁣
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Sadie is Jewish American and seeks to show the world that Jewish food is more than bagels with lox - and does so wonderfully! - especially after her ex-boss left her blacklisted from all the restaurants in Seattle. Aside from Sadie though, there was a whole cast of diverse chefs each seeking to showcase their cultural foods. I dare you to read this book and not leave hungry! Though it was clearly still a competition, I really liked watching true friendships blossom between the cast both during and after the show!⁣
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I do feel I need to mention that this book isn’t really a romance. This story is more about Sadie’s own journey, and the romance, though sweet and endearing, felt like more of a secondary plot point. That being said, I did still enjoy the stolen moments between Sadie and Luke, and the HEA was perfect!⁣
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I cannot wait to read more from this author!⁣
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#bookstagram #books #sadieonaplate #berkleyromance #berkleypublishing #jewishbooks

I was very invested in the romance. Like 5 star invested. Loved both characters. Skimmed through a lot of the food show part (details of what ingredients she picked out, what judges thought etc). A little too heavy with those details. I would definitely read this author’s next one.

I am so excited to be on the blog tour for Sadie on a Plate

Sadie’s dream is to own a restaurant with modern takes on Jewish cuisine. But after getting fired due to a public breakup/humiliation, it doesn’t seem like she will ever have the opportunity to pursue that dream. Until she gets a call to go on the popular TV show, Chef Supreme. On the plane, she meets Luke, and has amazing chemistry with him right off the bat. She plans on contacting him after filming isomer and she has her phone back, but guess who is the show’s new judge… In order to save her career, thy have to ignore that chemistry but can they do it?

This book was light on the romance and heavy on the cooking competition and I adored every second of this story. I love a good cooking show and this book felt like watching one, only I was somehow even more invested in Sadie’s journey than I am when I watch the shows. The food descriptions were mouth watering and I especially enjoyed seeding how Sadie connected with her culture and her grandmother through her food. I adored the diversity in the characters and their cooking styles and am now intrigued by so many new foods I’ve never tried thanks to this book. Sadie was a great heroine. I loved that she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and her passion for her food. I also adored Luke and how they ended up supporting each other (and that ending was the sweetest).

Huge thank you to Berkley for the advanced copy!

This debut by Amanda Elliot was a real treat! Randomly, I've read a lot of baking/cooking competition romances so I was curious how this would stand out and it did in a delicious way! I don't watch cooking competitions but after reading this book I definitely want to. Sadie is an up and coming chef in the Seattle restaurant scene. When she has a public breakup and is fired by her boss, she is left not knowing what to do but ends up getting called to compete on her favorite TV show, Chef Supreme. When she flies out to NYC, she ends up meeting Luke and having a fun day with him before starting her 6 week stint on the show, with no phones or ability to communicate with the outside world. Unbeknownst to Sadie, Luke ends up being one of the judges!

This was such a charming read. I'm a huge romance fan but I felt like the romance in this book took a back burner to the cooking competition and I'm surprisingly not upset about it. I loved the way the story unfolded and the relationships formed. The secondary characters weren't explored too deeply but yet I felt like they were great friends. This was a sweet story with enough yummy parts to pull it together to make a great story. I would say don't expect your traditional romance for this story. It's not that but there is a secondary romance that I enjoyed. Now I want to go cook something delicious from my heritage!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Read this if you like:
👩🏼‍🍳 Masterchef or Top Chef
👨🏼‍🍳 Cooking shows in general
🏆 Rooting for a character(s) during reality competition shows
🍱 Talk of food/ restaurant dishes
💛 A cleaner/light underlying romance

Book Review:
I really, really, loved this one! It was such a cute a lighthearted read. I absolutely loved the journey and following Sadie through the cooking competition. At times I was wishing for more romance, but the way it was set up, that wasn’t possible, but I did love what we did get of Sadie and Luke.

I wish we would have gotten alternating POV in this book, and I feel it totally would have worked with the plot and wouldn’t have made it overlapping and repetitive.

The connection between Sadie and Luke was so steamy and I absolutely loved the subtleties of the way their romance was written in even through the story was really about Sadie coming into her own and finding who she was as a chef…

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Books for the ARC of this book! I am so thankful to obtain a copy to read in advance of its release!

I really enjoyed this one! Sadie is the type of hilarious hot mess I love reading in RomComs. She was such a fun character to follow. I especially loved the cooking reality show setting, it made me want to find and binge more cooking competition shows after reading. This book also made me extremely hungry with the way all the different types of foods are described. Also, when her love interest Luke turned out to be one of the judges, I'm pretty sure I squealed out loud. I loved seeing their relationship grow despite the odds stacked against them. Overall, this was such an enjoyable read and I can't wait to see what else Amanda Elliot comes out with next!

Adorable and charming. A delightful escape. Just what a rom com should be. Amanda Elliot did a great job.

After being fired and pretty certain her entire chef career has imploded, Sadie receives a call to join the famous cooking competition show, Chef Supreme. On her flight from Seattle to NYC, Sadie meets an intriguing and handsome man in-flight, a man who had chef hands like hers, and indulge in a fast and unique connection--Luke. Because of a nondisclosure and no contact for 6 weeks, it turns out that Luke is a judge for the competition. With eyes on the prize, Sadie must focus on proving to herself and everyone that she's an excellent chef. But, will this attraction to Luke get in the way?

Perfect for foodies and fans of the show TOP CHEF, SADIE ON A PLATE was a humorous, engaging story that heavily focused on Sadie's culinary journey through the various challenges in Chef Supreme. The creative recipes and their execution, multicultural representation of various delicacies were the main events with a side of romance. I wished there was more romance, tbh! I wanted more of Luke! I still enjoyed Sadie's narration, her POV, and all her quirks.

As a huge fan of Top Chef I really enjoyed this Sadie on a Plate. It was a great behind the scenes look of filming a realty show while also living your life and going after your dreams. Sadie grew a lot by the end and that’s really what this book was about. Don’t get me wrong, the romance was cute and fun in a forbidden sense, but it was not the star of the story. The real star was finding out who you are and how strong you are. Add it to your TBR, especially if you like cooking shows and behind the scenes type stuff.

Sadie is funny, lively, but sometimes I felt she get the tendency to get lost in her head and make assumptions, like with Kaitlyn.

But, as far as the romance goes, I didn't buy any of it. I mean, except for the beginning, Sadie and Luke almost didn't have any conversation or interaction that would convince ME they were in love.

Anyways, I really liked the writing style and I really enjoyed the whole Chef Supreme competition. It felt like I was really there, watching everything live. I loved all the contestants (well, except maybe Vanilla Joe). The queer representation was amazing and the whole focus on Sadie's Jewish heritage too..

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for both an advanced copy of Sadie on a Plate as well as a free copy of this book. #Partner

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pub Date: March 15, 2022

I enjoyed this book so much! I have not been captivated by the entire cast of characters in a contemporary romance book in a long time, and this book pulled me right in. I loved Sadie and Luke from the beginning. I'm not normally a big fan of the instant-love trope, but I really enjoyed that Sadie and Luke connected over their shared love of something initially rather than just their instant shared love for each other. I thought the scene where Sadie and Luke visit the speakeasy at the beginning was so cute, but it was really the scene in the bathroom between them that sold me on their relationship. I felt Sadie's anguish after being confronted by Derek, and I also felt Luke's comfort as he leaned against that stall door, giving her the care he could in that moment. I would like to think that what he did was something that some of my male friends would do for me, too (offering comfort in an impossible situation).

I also really enjoyed the cast of characters in this one. I liked the representation they offered; various sexual orientations and gender identification was well-executed in my opinion, giving all readers a chance to see themselves in the story. I wasn't a super fan of the male bros in the story, but I think that was the idea. :) Overall, I felt like the cast meshed together so well, and I would love to see this story brought to life in a rom-com style TV show that I could binge. All the characters had a nice story arc I thought, and I especially liked that Katelyn and Sadie made amends in the book instead of being adversaries for the whole book (even if that was a one sided hatred in the end). This story reminded me a bit of Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, but honestly, I liked this book so much better. It was better executed (IMO) and the story had a much better flow to it. And, I learned so much about Jewish style food in this book! I'm so intrigued by some of the dishes that Sadie cooked as well as the food that was described at the Korean speakeasy.

There were a few things that bugged me, though. I wasn't a big fan of Sadie's inner monologue and self-hate rants she went on. I think I understand what point they were supposed to prove to the story as Sadie grew into her confidence, but at times, it got a bit tedious to read her self-deprecating thoughts. I did like her inner conversations with her grandmother, though.

Overall, this book was fun and VERY engaging. I read this book in less than 24 hours, and I enjoyed every page. I'm already looking forward to Amanda Elliot's 2023 book (the finished copy has a preview of this book in the back!)

Such an amazing book filled with mouthwatering food. This book is about a woman who is offered a spot on a food competition show where she meets a guy who turns out to be the judge on the cooking show. I really enjoyed the concept of this book. I have always watched baking shows on Netflix and let me say that this book is basically that but with romance and focuses on one MC. The pacing was great with a good story plotline. I enjoyed how most of the book took place on the show. Also there is a great amount of diversity in this book and you get to learn about different cultural foods. I didn't have any problems with the overall writing of the book.

The main character in this book is Sadie who is Jewish and makes Jewish food which sounds so good! She just broke up with the chef which went viral but was offered a spot on the show. She is funny and a character that everyone will love. I enjoyed her character development in this book from how she started to how she ended. Our main side character is Luke who is the judge on the show and the guy she met on the plane. I enjoyed his character as he also had a goal he needed to achieve in his career. I love how the characters were passionate about their cooking career and I was here for it. There were many other side characters in this book that I enjoyed and were great supporting friends. The romance in his book is instant love and forbidden romance. I have to say that the romance wasn't my favorite as it was very rushed and not much development.

The ending was well done but I was kind of disappointed with how the romance played out in this book. Though I enjoyed all the yummy described foods in the book which made me hungry throughout the book. Overall this was a great read but I really wish the romance was better because of the way the story was playing out. Overall I recommend it and if you are a person who needs a "food show" with a judge and a contestant falling in love then this is for you.

Sadie on a Plate was my first book by Amanda Elliot. I loved the cover and that it was set in Seattle and that's why I originally requested it.

I did love certain parts of this book, including the cooking competition, which was fun to read. However, I felt like there was very little romance in the book.

This book was so addicting. Like a really good appetizer, I could not stop myself from devouring it. Just absolutely delightful.

That said, it IS super predictable. Almost painfully so. There was not one thing that truly surprised me (except maybe how nice and likable Kaitlyn ended up being 🤣). However, the amount of predictability doesn’t really affect my view of romances. It’s a genre that is predictable in nature.

What I weigh in the realm of romance is how I felt while reading. During Sadie on a Plate, I felt joy, hopeful, empowered and just overall satiated. I connected with Sadie pretty well and really felt with her during all the triumphs and downfalls. The romance was also very believable and relatable to me and I adored it. I would highly recommend this book!

Perfect for fans of cooking competitions! Sadie's excited to appear on Chef Supreme and she's also a bit excited about Luke, who she meets on the plane to New York. She tells him she won't able to see him for the next six weeks but.....Yep, there he is in all his inked glory when she arrives at the show. Sadie's determined to cook Jewish dishes during the competition and spends a lot of time thinking and perfecting her recipes (I got hungry). This is, in fact, as much about the food as it is the romance, which simmers more than boils. That said, I liked this for Sadie, Luke, and the others. Elliot tells the story with a good dose of humor and it's clear she likes her characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Entertaining read.

Thank you @berkleyromance for a copy of Sadie on a Plate. I am becoming a fan of cooking competition and romance combo.

I enjoyed how Sadie and Luke met and their amazing day. I appreciated the Jewish representation and how Sadie knew her brand.

I wanted more romance between Luke and Sadie and under their current situation could not showcase more of it. I am not a huge fan of Insta love and this was just a tad too instant for me.