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!

This was a decent book I didn’t find myself hooked like I had hoped but I’d still recommend giving this a read!

I loved this book! I have to start with my love of food and romance so this combined in a story is a huge plus for me! I loved Claire. She was an amazing chef but unfortunately had struggled at times as well. Claire goes to Paris to work as part of a team and hopefully find huge success. Now enters James! He was great as well. He of course starts off rude and cold but once him and Claire get to know each other things change.
James and Claire have this great romantic chemistry. I just loved it. Add in cooking and food and it is a win win.
Waitlyn Andrews does a wonderful job building the characters, setting the scene, and creating the romance.

I liked this book a lot and was pleasantly surprised by it. I love Top Chef and am a foodie, so this book was up my alley. I liked courtship and thought it was realistic, even for a rom-com. I'm going to recommend this to my friends and local bookstore. Thank you for the copy!!

Good food, good people and Paris in the autumntime - c'est parfait! 💙🤍❤

Yes, Chef is an impressive debut novel by Waitlyn Andrews and after just watching the two seasons of The Bear it was fun to be back in the kitchen of a restaurant - this time in Paris, though, where Claire Richards and her colleagues are working hard for a Michelin star. Enter James Sullivan, a famous chef from the US, who has managed to get the star once before. Claire and James share a homecountry but couldn't be more different in every other way - little by little they begin to work better together, though, and become friends, which is exactly what Claire needs.

There were morning walks to the market, croissants and double espressos, strolling through the parks of Paris, visits to the wonderful Shakespeare and Company, making the perfect chocolate mousse, and sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine and a good book... The only fault with this book I can find is that it made me miss Paris terribly!

This was a cute rom com. I really enjoyed the Paris setting. It was a bit cheesy and featured quite a conservative relationship, which isn't really my vibe. I was rolling my eyes a lot in the last couple of chapters.

If you're looking for a wholesome read, with not much tension or controversy, then I think you'll love this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book to me in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I understand how much work and anxiety must go into writing a book, especially for a first-time author and the anxiety that follows publication . Having said this, the book did not cut it for me. Although there were many clichés in the romance, and that is acceptable in a romance novel like this one, what bothered me were the characters . I understood where Claire’s insecurities stem from, but sometimes her whining was mildly annoying.

I have no idea how a French restaurant kitchen operates, but based on the hours I spent watching Master Chef in some of its different avatars, I would assume there is a hierarchy. In which case, I thought it would be James Sullivan’s job to micromanage.

Overall, I liked the book in parts, because of particular passages like the depiction of Paris and the food were enjoyable and the story had a good pace. I would have liked the plot more if there had been a good reason to why Claire and James got off to a bad start.

I absolutely adored this debut! As a foodie and romance lover this book was a dream. It was the perfect beach side read. I did find the chapter endings to lack some natural flow, but that is a small critique

This book was so cute and easy to read! I particularly loved all of the food descriptions. I am not from a food background but as an outsider, it seemed like all of the conversations around changing recipes and what would and wouldn’t work were authentic. It always is a pet peeve of mine when authors write about something that they don’t know and you can tell. This was not the case with this book and I loved reading about how the different characters approached food in their own way.

This was a fade to black rom-com which I don’t typically love but I enjoyed the story so much that I didn’t mind.

The one thing that sticks out to me as off now that I’ve finished is that Gabe and Evie go on their date and Claire mentions that neither talk about it and then just nothing ever comes of that and it seems odd to even have it in the story at all? it almost felt like there was a scene that got edited out but they left the first half in the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Waitlyn Andrews for sending me this eARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I loved the setting of this book! The restaurant scene was great and it was fun to get a glimpse into that life and career. The Paris setting was perfectly romantic and well-suited to the story. I enjoyed seeing the relationships unfold throughout the book but felt the end was a little rushed. Overall, a great read!

This was a very sweet romance novel with a fun connection to the culinary world. I absolutely loved the food definitions at the beginning of each chapter and the level of detail that was at times used to describe the food featured throughout the novel. The plot is simple and predictable, in a comforting way, like a warm croissant. Claire was a more than decent leading lady, although some of her "character flaws" are such repeated tropes that it felt a little stale. In contrast James was even less intriguing, with little to no backstory or driving force. A lot of the plot hinged on a level of privilege that Claire and James seem to enjoy with little concern for the reality of working in the high end culinary world, lending this to be a rom-com, missing some of the comedy elements that would have created another layer of depth to the novel, I enjoyed this as a break between a heavier thriller and before diving back into some fantasy. The romance in the book would be appropriate for older young adult readers and there is absolutely nothing graphic mentioned at all.