**Thank you to Waitlyn Andrews for an ARC of this book. These are all my own thoughts and opinions**

I am so glad that I ventured out of my typical genre for this book. The fact that this is a debut novel has me SO excited for this author.

This story was sweet, cozy and cute.

I love the setting of France and the sweet romance that slowly buds. The fact that James is so patient and kind is what every girl wants in a significant other.

I loved Claire's character. I love that we get to see her grow and work through her struggles. She is not the perfect woman and we get to see her battles. For that, I was grateful.

the book touches on mental health and how to work through past hurt and breakups. The family dynamic was also perfect to behold. I love getting the example of a healthy one and not so healthy one. And who doesn't love a couple that chooses to break cycles?

So sweet! And I look forward to reading more of her work. Highly recommend.

I was excited to read this book from the second I saw the cover and read the title, because I could immediately tell what I would read and it sounded lovely. Paris in the background, two young ambitious cooks, sexual tension you could julienne seasoned with some competitive bantering: perfect. Was this a sort of predictable, already-seen-it-before setting and plot? Of course. Especially considering I read more manga than I read books and let me tell you, the "cooking" genre on any manga shelf is filled with my fingerprints. But I don't mind reading books that I can pretty much predict the ending (HEAs, usually) as long as the ride to get there is fun. Journey over destination etc.

However, the ride was not really fun at all, and above all because of our main character and narrator, Claire. It would've been hard for me to relate to a person who feels ashamed of enjoying "My Humps" by The Black Eyed Peas anyway, but that ended up being just a speck of dust compared to the most pronounced trait of her personality by a mile: hating women. There's not a single woman in this book who is not mistreated and cussed out, and with the exception of Claire's mother, who is comically stereotypically motherly evil (which I can forgive because, come on, where would literature be without awful mothers), all the hatred is either largely unwarranted or at least greatly exaggerated. A cute waitress is called a bitch on every opportunity, her sister is a dumb spoiled brat, the only other woman who works with her is frigid and intimidating and they barely interact at all, the forceful Youtuber client is a literal prostitute, and every woman that walks within breathing radius of James, the male lead, is an overall whore. It is so tiring to read, especially when from the first chapter, immediately after James's introduction, Claire is a quintessential pick-me girl, and every single paragraph from then on is an in-depth analysis of how much she wants this man's attention, but she speaks of herself as this independent, focused, not-like-other-girls girl.

Which leads me to the zero charisma and zero chemistry of the main couple. James is introduced immediately in the book, which I disliked because I got to know so little of Claire before I was already thrown into the dynamic of their inevitable and very obvious relationship; but like I said, it's about the journey, not the destination. The thing is that their relationship arc is incredibly dull and done in a nearly teenage fashion. Claire spends page after page being purposefully unpleasant and rude to James because he doesn't fall at her feet fawning from the get-go. She overcompensates being immediately attracted to him by being cold, and she wonders time and time again why he isn't warm. Literally nothing happens to actually justify her constant irritation at him other than the fact that he is not particularly friend to this woman he just met who won't stop going against him and sneering at him and acting like his very presence is an annoyance to no end, and even when James does start to show some affection and friendliness, she continues to be turned off at the slightest turn of head or tone of voice, always convincing herself that, once he starts being nice, he's just doing it because they're co-workers, for self-serving purposes. And you'll never guess what happens to make her believe that he is actually a nice, kind and awesome dude: he rejects another woman who is a slut and a bitch! Yay! James is finally cool because he also hates promiscuous young women! And I'm not overstating it: the entirety of the build of their relationship happens in Claire's head without any consideration for his actual behaviour. While he's kind but understandably distant, he's awful, but the second he shows no interest in some bimbo with nice tits, he's a hero.

While this is a romance, and romances do tend to go down clichés, this story felt like checking boxes on a list of common events from a teenage manga, and almost all of them included some sort of chivalry, of Claire being saved or cared for or protected by - or, way too many times, dwarfed by - James, while the discourse coming from Claire about Claire is that she is a tough badass woman who needs no man, but the opposite keeps happening: she is always talking about how big he is and how petite she feels next to him, she's constantly in some sort of physical predicament that requires his care, she's always needing him. And I don't mind that, I don't mind when a female lead likes to feel like she's a precious little thing being cared for, but it's no fun at all when the female lead keeps acting like 1. that isn't happening 2. she wouldn't allow for it to happen, because she doesn't like that, and 3. she's so not like other girls who like that, because they are all sluts.

Apart from that, the shift in their relationship which turned them into lovers also felt disconnected from the actual story. It was like an on/off switch between them, with very little actual build-up or arc: again, much of it only being justifiable if you play into stereotypes of straight relationships, because it all happens inside Claire's head rather than in a palpable dimension of events. While it is obvious from James's actions right from the start of the book that he is into Claire, her behaviour towards him changes not through a nuanced development but, like, because she chose to. She decides at one point that she's gonna accept that she's into him, and that's all it takes for their thing to flourish. It just happens.

The highlights of the book for me were basically everything that didn't involve their relationship, which in a romance is not a good sign. I liked how the story was infused with culinary and Parisian trivia and I felt like that could've been even bigger, but even that felt like I was reading from the perspective of someone who spent a lot of time touristing around Paris rather than the perspective of someone who was living there and immersing themselves in the city.

Overall, I got bored, rolled my eyes a lot, couldn't root for the main character or the main couple and honest to god I think James Sullivan (which is Sully's full name in Monsters Inc, a fact that never escaped my mind while I read the book) could have done a lot better. I still don't know what he saw in Claire to fall so deeply in love with her; I couldn't, even after over 300 pages of her.

I hate when authors reference something that happened before the book in a mysterious way. When it clearly affects the main characters actions in a huge way, but it is always referred to as “the incident”.

There’s a scene where the characters go to a club and the main character refers to anything any other woman does or is wearing as slutty which makes me uncomfortable.

This book was fine until the last ~30% or so. There was a weird element of insta love where the couple went from kind of friends to literally married in roughly one and a half months.

Andrews has a way with words. You can vividly see what is happening. This is a cute read that the second follow is just as great. Andrews is a genius.

Yes, Chef was a wonderful debut novel by Waitlyn Andrews. It was a light romance based in Paris, and with chef MCs, trying to maintain professional distance. Which proved to be a bit difficult for both parties, of course!
I often find books like this lack depth but Yes, Chef was cheeky and cute, involving characters with interesting backstories and appreciated depth.
The food descriptions were to die for and I was rooting for a happily ever after ending the entire time!
Highly recommend this one to light romance lovers in need of a cute read! And have those snacks handy because your stomach is going to be grumbling!

Thank you Netgalley and Waitlyn Andrews for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

tbh i was really skeptical about this book during the first few chapters but omg this book was so good 😔👍 life would have been really nice if people like theo weren't just fictional 🫂🫂
Full review will be on my Instagram account!!

I want to do 3 and half stars for this but half stars are not an option. In the end I did end up liking the book but it was a climb at the beginning to get me there. I loved the addition of food facts at the beginning of each chapter. My favorite part of the relationship though was that they didn’t rush anything and took the time to get to know each other and learn.
In the end I do wish it wasn’t such a struggle to get into the story but I’m glad I did stick it out

A very cute and easy read except for one annoying thing from the James, the male lead. Calling Claire baby at the weirdest times and just over and over again, ugh. It’s such a juvenile behavior that I can’t take a grown man who does this seriously in any book. It always seems so smarmy and ick. To call your partner baby every once in awhile is cute, but to slide it in nearly every sentence is not my cup of tea.

For being Andrews first novel, she does a good work setting the story up, building characters and making the chemistry feel between them, my only problem came with how she introduced the characters, i wasn't that excited by it, So it took me a little to warm up to them. I liked it.

This was such a fun read- it was a rom com and foodies’ dream intertwined! I really enjoyed the build up of the relationship of Claire and James. Reminded me of something I would stumble across on Hallmark.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I thought it was sweet, cute, and literally swoon-worthy. I want a James. I liked the relationship between Evie and Claire was cute too. Overall, great! The build up was worth it, and though the ending felt a little bit rushed, it wasn't too crazy. LOVE!

oh I wish I could give this more stars. It was going well. Young chef moves to Paris Ala 'Emily in Paris' and gets to work in an up and coming restaurant aiming for Michelin stars. Another American chef comes along as head chef and turns Claire's plans upside down. There's a lot she's running away from in America and this chef brings the worst of it to the forefront.

So my problem came when we had this massive build up to a conflict that just fizzled out. The book turned into a gushy romance-fest that was a little too heavy handed and cringey for me. I enjoyed the tension the author spent a lot of time building but it all dissipated too quickly, undermining the importance of these things in Claire's life.

I absolutely LOVED this book. Paris, chefs going for a Michelin star, romance. I mean, what is there not to love? James and Claire's chemistry was palpable. I stopped a few times to re-read sections and I NEVER do that. Followed this author everywhere, and I plan to grab everything she writes from now on!

I always appreciate the effort that goes into penning a debut novel, so while "Yes, Chef!" didn't necessarily resonate with me, I believe Waitlyn Andrews has potential in the romance genre. The storyline held promise, especially with its setting in the vibrant food scene of Paris. I anticipated an "enemies to lovers" twist, perhaps influenced by the current TV landscape with shows like "The Bear", but found the progression between Claire and James to be straightforward, leaving me longing for a deeper connection and understanding between the two characters. Some pacing and structural aspects could benefit from refining, and certain portions felt extraneous. While there were moments that captured the whimsical essence of a 90's Rom-Com, at times, the narrative felt a bit overdramatized.

I also want to express my concern regarding the portrayal of James's supposed OCD tendencies. The repetitive mentions came off as a superficial characterization rather than an insightful or sensitive exploration, which is important to keep in mind when discussing mental health.

That said, every author's journey is a process, and I look forward to seeing how Waitlyn Andrews grows and hones her craft in the future.

⭐ Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5 stars | 🌶️ Spicy Rating: 0 / 5

📚 Tropes: workplace romance, WMC sworn off love

💞Read this if you enjoy:
-Hallmark movies 🎬
-Sloooooow burn 🐢🔥
-Cooking/chefs 👩🏻‍🍳🍳
-Paris 🗼
-Stories of self-growth 💪🏻

📸Snapshot:
Yes Chef is single POV story told from the perspective of Claire, a sous chef who has 2 goals: escape the toxic life she had back in Napa and work for a restaurant that earns a Michelen star. A new head chef (James) starts at the restaurant she works at in Paris, and he is gorgeous with reputation of talent the precedes him. Yes Chef chronicles Claire and James’ relationship as it goes form tense colleagues, to best friends, to loves of eachother’s lives.

💭 My Thoughts:
First, I want to congratulate the author, Waitlyn Andrews, on her first novel! Yes Chef was absolutely lovely, and I can’t wait to read more by this author in the future!!

This book gives me MAJOR Hallmark movie vibes - but elevated and not so generic. It takes a long, long time in the book for Claire and James to finally get together, and even then, there is not a hint of spice. I usually prefer my books like my food - spicy - but the sweetness of Yes Chef actually worked for me. This book was the epitome of a cozy romance, and I couldn’t stop smiling for the last 20% of the book. It gave me all of the ooey-gooey warm feels, and I loved it!

Also, I absolutely LOVED James! Usually I like my guys darker (figuratively and literally), but his blonde hair and good-guy persona had me changing my tune a bit. 😍

The only reason I took off a half of a star is because I think this book would have been even better if it was just a touch shorter. Mainly so that we could get to the romance part of the story a little faster. Other than that, this book is perfect! I will definitely be buying and re-reading when I need a dose of serotonin.

Thank you NetGalley for granting me an ARC copy of this book for my honest review!

4.5

I loved this book. It has a little bit of everything, slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers, forced proximity, one bed (granted they were together by then but still). Claire realizing that she was in an abusive relationship and being able to confront her ex and release any power he had over her was beautiful to read. Also Jamie being her cheerleader every step of the way, whether it be him realizing she needed time and giving it to her or him literally waiting on the sidelines to back up her but knowing she could hold her own, him being a golden retriever once he opened up was adorable. Their relationship was adorable and cute and the fact that they were both talented chefs who only wanted to boost each other up and not be competition was amazing. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

The book blurb hooked me immediately. Unfortunately, the story itself was not very compelling. Thank you NetGalley for the advance ecopy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Yes, Chef by Waitlyn Andrews!

I think it was a good first book for this author and definitely a cute story!

The food descriptions at the start of each chapter and a behind-the-scenes look of a chef’s life were interesting. I also liked how patient and understanding James was. I personally am not a big fan of books that aren’t spicy, so this was a little out of my element, but the slow burn (which was still pretty clean imo) made sense for what the characters were going through. I loved the supporting characters like the other chefs at work and James’ sisters. I would definitely read a book about the sisters if that’s in the works!

My only critiques are the number of typos I came across (which can easily be fixed) and how some aspects of the story seemed unbelievable. I also did not think there was a big enough conflict towards the end, which led me to skimming the last few chapters. Overall, I think it was a cute clean romance that I think people interested in food would enjoy!

I loved this book! This slow burn romance was so worth the wait! I loved the dialogue between the characters and also loved that it took place in Paris. Their chemistry was unmatched and had me kicking my legs in the air nonstop. I loved that there was so many tropes in this book and most of them were some of my favorites. The ending felt a bit rushed but only because I wanted to see their relationship as a couple more. Still really enjoyed this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Waitlyn Andrews for this ARC!