Sweet and optimistic. I appreciate that extra drama wasn’t shoehorned in just to make it follow the formula. The editing slipped a bit as the book went on, which was distracting, and the lack of sex a bit of a shock lol. But a very well-imagined family life for the characters and good writing made this an utterly pleasant journey around Paris and the culinary world.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy!

Yes, Chef is a delightful, witty romantic comedy that will warm your heart and transport you to the romantic streets of Paris. The reader follows Claire Richards, a talented young chef who is determined to steer clear of romantic entanglements, societal pressures, and her own self-doubt. As she embarks on her professional journey in the city of love, her world takes an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with James Sullivan, the new head chef at her restaurant. James possesses all the qualities Claire finds unappealing in a man: arrogance, demanding nature, and undeniable attractiveness. However, as they collaborate in the kitchen, Claire gradually discovers that there is more to James than meets the eye. Beneath his striking exterior (of course) lies a kind-hearted, talented, and food-obsessed individual.

Andrews uses well-chosen details to bring the Parisian setting to life. The tantalizing food descriptions found throughout the book will leave you craving a trip to your nearest French restaurant, bistro, or boulangerie.

What sets Yes, Chef apart from many other romances is its refreshing absence of a predictable third act breakup. Instead, it offers a slow-burn love story that will have readers cheering for Claire and James with each passing chapter. The romance unfolds gradually and sweetly. (Closed door.)

In a nutshell, Yes, Chef is undeniably a feel-good read that effortlessly combines sweet romantic comedy, setting, and gastronomy. The "Happily Ever After" will leave you more than satisfied, but you may find yourself checking ticket prices to Paris and craving a croissant. And, for sure, it will have you adding Waitlyn Andrews to your must buy list.

DNF- I tried really hard to read this, but I just coudnt get in to it. I didn’t relate to the characters and the formatting was really strange online. Maybe this is resolved on a kindle? I did try to give it a chance though!

James has very easily become one of my favorite ever book boyfriends! The chemistry in this book was to-die-for, with a slow burn romance that never dragged or rushed ahead. I could so easily imagine this book becoming a gorgeous rom-com movie.
Especially loved how deeply passionate every character was, the way that the restaurant industry and food seems to be more than a hobby, but a soulmate connection.

A fun, light-hearted read which gives hope for true love even to the most cynical of us... Although outside my regular genres, this was a happy, fluffy romance like the romcoms of yore. Set on the beautiful backdrop of the Parisian food scene, it didn't demand too much from a reader and just let me go along for the ride. A nice, easy, summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Waitlyn Andrews for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As someone very interested in cooking and food, I was excited to read this (especially just after watching The Bear). Unfortunately, that's where the excitement ends. The novel reads like a teenager's fantasy, complete with the 'bad guy,' the 'evil mom,' and the gorgeous 'knight.'
It is implausible that Clarie, a culinary school graduate, and Michelin-star wannabe, wouldn't know what apples to use for a tart, was clueless about Jamie's intentions, or would spend more time worried about him than her career. The book's storyline is basically one cliche after another: the horrible ex, the blonde with him is his sister, the brooding jealous love interest, both families are successful, rich, and from the food industry, etc.
Finally, as a foodie, I was really hoping for something more sophisticated than apple butter and chocolate mousse. It did not appear as though much research at all went into Michelin stars or the type of food one would expect to find at such an establishment.

⚠️TW: panic attacks, mention of abuse, ⚠️

Thanks to NetGalley and Waitlyn Andrews on the ARC for Yes, Chef!



Forced proximity ✅ not only at work but apartments as well! They will learn to like each other whether they want to or not.

Family drama ✅ maybe not a favorite trope, but definitely one I understand and can relate to very well.

Slow burn ✅ waiting and waiting for them to acknowledge their feelings..

"Enemies" to friends to lovers ✅ I wouldn't necessarily say they were enemies at first, but definitely unfriendly for the most part.

He falls first ✅ kinda.. I mean, I think they kind of fell together, she has just been fighting and denying her feelings.

Workplace romance ✅ "don't have a messy breakup"

Closed-door romance ✅ it's not my cup of tea. I prefer all the smut and all the spice, give me literally ALL the details. But I'm sure there are many people who prefer it to fade to black.

HEA ✅ my favorite part of a rom-com, the happily ever after ❤️



💭 Overall thoughts:
My second book about culinary delights in the past month. As far as first books go, this one is cute. I really enjoyed the start of it, and the details she uses when describing the background. However, the ending of the story felt a bit rushed. I think they could have gotten together a bit sooner, or even had a time jump before what happens at the end. IDK, maybe I'm just weird. Also I would have enjoyed it more if it had dual perspectives so we could actually see James' side of things. I'm going to give it a 3.5/5 ⭐


👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼 characters:
Claire: organized, self-aware in recognizing her fears of not doing something correct, introvert, low maintenance, jealous, a bit delusional denying her feelings, oh I just want to hug her after finally hearing what happened,

James: sounds attractive enough, he's already starting to care, caring in a way I don't think he wants to be, a smidge territorial, protective, respects boundaries, affectionate



⚠️ SPOILERS IN FORM OF MY PLAY-BY-PLAY THOUGHTS AND QUOTES ⚠️

Maybe Chef James has heard of Claire before?

Very interesting restaurant, having the chef also be the waiter to their tables..

He put a straw in someone's drink to try it? I'm hoping it was a different glass and not one that was going to the customers.. 🤢

Why is he singling Claire out by not trying any of her stuff? Again my thoughts are that he knows of her..

As someone who has epilepsy and has seizures randomly which causes other people to have to do things I am capable of doing, I feel for her when she passed out from cutting herself.

Was Claire in a car accident? Is that the cause behind her car aversion and her bum leg when she runs?

Her mom pisses me off. She meddles too much.

Fucking Henry. I bet her mom is partially to blame for him telling people they are still together.

James was only holding back because he assumed she was still with Henry...

Something about a man taking care of a sick woman pulls at the heart strings. I knew I was going to marry my husband when we took care of me when I was sick.

They have at home strep tests? That would be super convenient.

🤦🏼‍♀️ I always thought it was daggummit, I didn't know it was dadgummit..

Did Henry cheat on Claire with Rachel?

She better bring James to the wedding. Let him piss Henry off.

Is the petite blonde James is with his sister? Or is he on a date?

Ope, it's got to be his sister, she said "familiar blue eyes" which I'm taking as she has James' eyes.

Yesss!! Sister! And he told her that Claire was the best. I love it!!

I think he goes still at hearing Claire say she's not with Gabe for 2 reasons, 1. He's had it wrong because he assumed they were together and 2. She said she doesn't date guys from work.

Evie is trying to play matchmaker 😂

James is falling head over heels watching Claire interact with his sister.

I love how comforting James is with Claire, how calming he makes her.

James doesn't understand what a Charlie Brown Christmas tree is??? 😲

Things are about to get real while she spends the holidays with the Sullivans.

This book makes me hungry for gourmet food, which I don't believe I've ever had 😂

He. Called. Her. Baby.

He doesn't want her to wear makeup because it'll cover her freckles. Cute

First girl he's ever brought home ❤️

What's James' fascination with 3? He always squeezes her 3 times..

My heart broke when she told him the story of Henry and the accident.

Dating someone a month isn't too early to know you love them.. I knew I loved my husband BEFORE we were even officially dating.

He wants to build a restaurant with her 🥲

Girl is drinking!

I realized while reading this, I'm not a fan of the term baby. It's not attractive to hear someone say that.

Him squeezing her 3 times was always his way of saying "I love you"?

I'm going to be honest.. the romance moved so slow at the beginning I was enjoying it, BUT the ending seems so rushed. I don't love it.

My stepdad proposed to my mom with a 50¢ machine ring. It was sweet.

"I confirmed your dad would be in the hospital two more nights" ... There is no way to possibly know that. Any number of things could happen between now and then.



💬Quotes:
"You are a badass—if you don’t mind me saying—and what you do, you own. I’ve never met someone more capable.” - James

"I just want you and me to do what we’ve been doing. I don’t want to hide you." - James

"It's worth it. You're worth it." - James

*Review Note: Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy! Which from what I understand was not the completed polished version that was published. This review is based on the unpolished version.*

A cute romance set mainly in the City of Love. I loved meeting all the characters, and I wished at the end there would have been a bigger send off from one place to another. The book did have a very conversational tone and while I think it was still being edited, the acknowledgments hint that the story was written in 14 days. There are parts where that is very evident to me. I don’t mind closed door romance but at times the events were oversimplified and the narrator tended to repeat herself quite a bit.

Debut author Waitlyn Andrews knocked this one out of the kitchen! Yes, Chef is unmistakably a rom-com and a feel good page-turner. Goal oriented chefs Claire and James work at an up and coming restaurant in Paris, the City of Love and are looking for that coveted Michelin star but get gobsmacked by love despite their best efforts to avoid a relationship.

James and Claire are from successful, dynamic, yet totally opposite types of families which play significant roles in their lives. He comes from a loving, playful, supportive family of restaurateurs while her parents are work and society driven vineyard owners who try to manipulate her into marrying a jerk who is very much like her parents. You will meet their siblings (Melissa, Evie, and Lucy) and coworkers who contribute their own playful dynamics. Long story short, love prevails and you won't be disappointed.

Rumor has it that Waitlyn Andrews is already planning book two featuring Amelia Greene, Claire and Evie's favorite romance author.

4/5 stars
Thank You, Netgalley for the eARC of Yes, Chef by Waitlyn Andrews

I love the food aspect of this book and everything else about the book. I also enjoyed the main characters throughout the whole book.

Overall great debut novel

Netgalley provided this after the publication date, so I will be reading it soon. I can't wait to read this as the author's husband's book review for it on Goodreads is what intrigued me initially.

unfortunately I think this book just wasn't for me. The writing felt very repetitive. by about 15% in I feel like I'd read the same scene over and over again.

Wow! What a story! I definitely had fun with this book!
I learned much about culinary arts and some terms from memory have even come back from when I was in school!
I think I'll have to grab the print version so I can get the many recipes that are in here!
What I didn't like was the insta romance between Claire and Jason too fast and much too soon! They should've gotten to know one another better in my opinion.
The cover is cute! It's what made me want to read it and now I'm a foodie fangirl of foodie rom coms! Such a fun read and I got to "Paris " without leaving home.
This book will make you laugh out loud in certain places and in others make you shake your head.
This book will make you drool after all the delicious food and leave you wanting more!
I hope this author writes another one! Just absolutely delightful!
5 stars for a wonderful journey in culinary arts romance and an awesome trip to Paris! What more could one want?!
I highly recommend this book!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own!

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity.*

Claire Richards has worked HARD to get where she is. After making the decision to forge her own path, Chef Claire leaves the sun-soaked Napa Valley behind and stuffs herself into a tiny, Parisian apartment oozing with charm. She's made a name for herself at her new job as a hard working creative type, someone unafraid of a challenge and willing to think outside the box. However, when the legendary Type-A Chef James Sullivan starts running the Teaks kitchen, the tension between the two can literally be cut with a knife. Claire suddenly has to share her beloved morning routine with the very person who seems to hate her the most, unless... he doesn't actually hate her at all?

Pros:

- I loved James Sullivan. He was charming, funny, and overall just the classic Boy-Next-Door romantic lead (at least part of the time). His family was hilarious, and I'm dying for a sequel starring his pediatrician-sister living her best life in Rhode Island.
- The overall setting was fantastic! I loved the market, the apartments, the truffle farm, the city, the restaurant-- absolutely everywhere Andrews took the reader felt really well developed and stunning.
- Theo. I absolutely loved that cheese monger and wish I had my own grandpa-esque French man that provided me with the perfect cheese (and advice) every time I asked.
- I may be in the minority, but I also appreciated the waiting-until-marriage aspect. The decision wasn't religious based (at least not overtly), and I always enjoy representation in "pop-culture" books for people who have decided to wait for whatever reason.

Cons:

- Claire is weirdly jealous of every single woman to interact with James Sullivan, from the get-go. Some of this can be explained, but there was so much bitterness and unnecessary monolouging about the "green slime" of jealousy it felt overdone.
- As much as I loved James, he was so hot and cold it was honestly confusing. He was rude to Claire from the beginning (and then had the audacity to be confused when Claire points his behavior out... multiple times) and pretty much consistently switches from warm and loving back to Mr. Iceman until the last quarter of the book. It's exhausting, and no wonder the romance is such a slow burn!
- The speed of Claire and James' relationship was absolutely breakneck. Once Claire decides she's ready to be officially with James, they get married in little over a month-- right after her own sister's wedding. It felt like the classic puritan-culture marriage where they get married super fast just so they can have sex, which I'm sure isn't what the author was intending, but is definitely how it came off. Do people get married after mere weeks of dating? Sure, especially if, like the characters, they had a wonderful friendship to build off of, but it all felt a little... unnecessary. I would have much rather had an epilogue of them getting married at the truffle farm (or Teaks) after a year or so.

Overall, I did really enjoy YES, CHEF. It was fun, and a really strong debut from author Waitlyn Andrews. This is a great option for someone wanting a slow burn, will-they-won't-they featuring lots of food and wine!

Yes, Chef is the perfect book for anyone who is looking for a romcom and is curious about what happens inside a restaurant kitchen!

This takes place in Paris, where we follow Claire as a new chef in a Restaurant, and at the same time, we can be part of her healing process with the support of one of the most charming MMCs, James -a book lover too-.

But this is not only a love story, but a foodie one! In this book, is pretty easy to be part of the "Michelin star" goal of the kitchen team, and even though it has a lot of relationships going on, inside and outside the kitchen (like the ones with the suppliers), all of them were interesting and let you be even more part of the book and the situations it gives. So, every part of the journey is lovely.

So many things make Yes, Chef an amazing story, but my favorite part is the fact that every chapter began with a dish recipe! That made me learn so many terms I didn't even know I wanted to know!

This book had me giggling soooo much. Would definitely recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and Waitlyn Andrews for the copy.

I would like to thank netgalley and the author for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and am grateful to the author for sending a final copy of the book after listening to reader feedback.

This was an interesting novel. It was a slow burn, closed door romance based in Paris but the main characters were Americans. I liked how the chapters had culinary terms or dishes and the defintition included at the start.

Thank you Net Galley. This was a sweet debut novel, with mineable characters. The strength of the book was definitely in the food and restaurant descriptions, and loved reading about Paris and Napa. I definitely struggled with the relationship, which I found to be slightly unbelievable and cheesy. That said though, great work for a debut novel. 3/5

Claire Richards picks up her life and moves abroad landing a job at an up and coming restaurant in Paris, Teaks! She settles into life as a Parisian enjoying a croissant and espresso every morning and going to the market before work. Claire’s routine gets turned upside-down when Chef James Sullivan takes the role as the new head chef of Teaks. Claire has sworn off workplace romances, but the City of Love has other plans.

I loved this book and couldn’t put it down!!! There is something special about a romcom based in Paris. Yes, Chef was the perfect cozy story and it will make you want to book a flight to Paris! This read will give you all the 90s rom com feels and I would LOVE it if they turned this one into a movie!

I can’t believe this was a debut book and I am excited to see what Waitlyn Andrews comes up with next!!

Thank you, NetGalley and Waitlyn Andrews for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Yes, Chef released August 3, 2023 and is currently available on Kindle Unlimited!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖: Yes Chef by: Waitlyn Andrews | 📅 Pub Day: OUT NOW!!!

Finally finally finally getting around to rating this book! This book was such a winner for me and re-ignited my love for all things Paris and French!

Random little tidbit about me, is that I took French from age 11 to my senior year of college and I loved every second of it! I also worked at the Canadian-American border and often used my fluent French (at the time I’ve lost my edge a little since) to translate or give directions to French Canadian travelers. My dream is to one day get to France. But, until then I have books like this one to get me through!!!

Back to the task at hand😂

Yes, Chef was a cutesy foodie romcom that really showed the inner working of the culinary industry! I really loved the gritty real life portrayals of all the main characters’ relationships! And I being a professional baker (@thatveganbakingbetch 😂 who has people feral over my cinnamon rolls I’ll include pics) the cinnamon roll MMC was precious👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

If, or should I say when, you all read this book expect maximum cuteness and maximum fun!

4.50⭐️

Special thanks to the author and netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book!