I began the book being half in love with it already, and I won't lie, the first few chapters did live up to it.
Everything became so unsatisfactory in the second half, though. Many tears of disappointment.

The romantic interest is more of an unpaid therapist than a partner by the end. His main defining character trait is "kind person with empathy" who is hopelessly in love. The banter was nice, the MC was nice, their interaction were NICE. I wanted so much more, though???? The ending is very convenient, with no resolution of the actual conflicts in the book. There is a ton of great build-up that doesn't pay off very well.

HOWEVER, all the scenes surrounding their area of work, the restaurant, their dreams and ambitions (for 70% of the book at least) were quite fun to read. The love story was cute. I enjoyed the secondary characters thoroughly. The setting could have been cliché but somehow emerged as lovable and fun, and left me wanting more.
This was a debut afaik, so I'd probably give the author another chance with their next book.
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved reading this book. It was a comfort book to read on rainy days while reading tea or coffee. I finished this book in just three days. I liked the way Clarie and James relationship took place how Clarie became independent and stayed on her p values .
The fact that I loved the most was the cooking terms were explained at the start of the chapter.

*thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the eARC*

As someone who went to culinary school, I was so very excited to pick this up!

Things I Liked:

-The story’s portrayal of working in a restaurant and working with its vendors: While it’s definitely a more glamorous portrayal in some scenes, the core idea of it is still the same. I liked the book showing how many restaurant pride themselves in working with seasonal ingredients, work with certain vendors, and also that rapport that you usually would have with your usual suppliers. I also think the discussion they have about going with the tried and true and innovation was also quite interesting, it’s something many chefs grapple with and it is a delicate balance. The book did good in showing glimpses of these aspects

-The slow burn between Claire and James: this story really promises a slow burn with much waiting and it was quite good. I did like seeing that slow build in their relationship as they started off not on the best foot, to friends, to more.

Things I Did Not Like As Much:

-How fast everything seemed to progress right after they got together: For all the amazing slow burn, it seemed that once that was over, the plot was moving lightning fast which in contrast to how slow the burn was, felt a bit jarring.

-The final confrontations felt a bit underpowered: As much as it’s really not meant to be a fight or be super dramatic, it would have been nice to see a more satisfying final conversation between Claire and the people back home. Obviously it’s not always realistic, but for how terrible they were built up to be, it would have been more satisfying to see a real conversation where Claire is able to show how she’s let go of the situation.

All in all, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story. Stories in the restaurant industry aren’t always the most sexy to write, but the story was able to take it and make it into quite the interesting romance.

It’s not often that I can say that I loved everything about a book. But I did with this one! It is such a great book and so much more.
Claire moved to Paris to work as a sous-chef in an up-and-coming restaurant in the trendy part of Paris under the tutelage of one of the greatest chef there is. So it already got off on a good start! She works hard and really doesn’t want to muck it up. But then James is added to the team as the new head chef. He’s brilliant but doesn’t acknowledge Claire most of the time, or only critiques her.
So this book is kind of a dish, too. The author not only blends the perfect ingredients like the fun and excitement of cooking amazing dishes with the dynamics in the restaurant and Claire’s personal history. Because along the way, there are little hints that all isn’t well in her past. She doesn’t like her family, she fled to another country and avoids driving in a car as much as possible. Waitlyn Andrews masterfully blends this all together to a perfect story, the perfect five course meal with every dish or course or turn of the storyline an joyful experience.
You know that feeling where you are so invested in a fictional character and things take a particular turn that you wish didn’t happen? No such thing here! The book isn’t slow but the pace is perfect and the story realistic. You see Claire grow, overcome her issues and I loved the way that was handled.

I love Theo from the market.
<He reminds me of what a grandpa should be: worn hands, weathered face, gruff on the outside but soft as a ripe persimmon once you get him talking.>
I love the setting of the restaurant.
<i>The whole dining experience is an experiment in top-down hosting. I’m a server, bartender, and chef all in one, so I interact with each patron from start to finish, and the patrons can see into the kitchen as we work.</i>
I liked Claire explaining different wines. I like reading about all the different food combinations! There’s so much research in the restaurant business!

I love Evie the energizer bunny.
I love that James’ parents are famous cooks and that they are so lovely!
And I loved James Sullivan. He is incredibly supportive of Claire, giving her all the space and independence she deserves but at the same time he's always there for her, anticipating every fear or need, and he’s just perfect! He’s patient, caring, emphatic, smart, thoughtful and just a dream of a man. (In my mind he wasn’t a blonde but had brown hair, but that’s just me.)
<i>I had superficial friends, and they never seemed to know me the way James intuitively has figured me out.</i>
<i>…just the fact that he doesn’t pry or ask more questions about my past shows just how stupidly he’s in tune with reading me.</i>

Of course any other person would just have blocked Henry’s number and have a serious once-and-for-all talk with their mother to stay out of it all. But story-wise it makes sense to keep it in, also the whole wedding invitation (which I expected from the start). But I love how it was handled in the book: perfectly! Not cheesy but perfectly.

It is an easygoing, sweet book but the writing is amazing! It is not a heavy book but I was impressed with the insights and deep thoughts you come across every now and then. And it is just a lot of fun! The way she described the football match, the various dishes, James and Claire watching people pass by…
<i>The best gift reading gives to me is not the over-inflated sunshiny rainbows I claimed the other day when talking to James. It’s empathy. Reading gives you a rare insight into the motives behind why people do what they do, and since I’ve started devouring books at an insatiable rate, I feel like I have more capacity for understanding why people act in certain ways. When you take that empathic ability and apply it to people-watching? Endless entertainment.</i>

Please do yourself a favor and buy this book. You will love it! Of course it will make you want to go out to a great restaurant and have a wonderful meal. But you will want to go home quickly to finish this book. And then you’ll feel like Claire in the book:
<i>I go to sleep that night with not only a satisfied stomach but a satisfied soul.</i>

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and I am grateful for the opportunity. All thoughts and opinions are my own. And I can highly recommend this book and have pre-ordered my own copy on Amazon. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

For some reason, I saw the title "Yes, Chef" and assumed I was getting an enemies to lovers romance that invoked the spirit of The Bear. That isn't what this is, but there was a lot of potential here! Let's talk about it.

Claire Richards has shirked her cheating ex and her family and their fortune to chase her dream of working as a chef in France. With her family's influence, she's worked in a Michelin star restaurant, but she desperately wants to make something for herself and she wants to do that by helping a restaurant get its first star - something that seems feasible when Chef James Sullivan shows up and she's tapped to be his sous.

I want to be clear, when you read this, you will probably be very hungry. I found the food aspect of this book to be well-written and done by someone that obviously loves to eat.

I also want to be clear - there's no enemies to lovers, here. If anything, it's like... confused, lack of communication people. Which made it really hard for me to see the chemistry blossom or even exist between these two. Claire went from annoyed that she's being ignored by James to completely in some kind of lust and... I'm not sure I ever saw enough of James to justify the attraction.

I also didn't realize that this was a closed door romance which is... fine, but for me, I did feel as though it came off a little preachy. I also don't even know why or how James had feelings because it didn't really seem like he was interested in Claire in any capacity until he was.

The restaurant stuff, the behind the scenes of prepping dishes was really fun, but ultimately I think there were some strong pacing issues and a lot of side plots I thought could be fleshed out better.

Cute and romantic book. Loved that the relationship progressed and the majority of the book was with them spending time together with a lot of dialogue. The author did a very good job talking about their professions as chefs which kept me interested.
Claire’s character grew throughout the book. Finding her independence from her family and past hurts.
Loved how James took care of her through her issues showing that he cared even though he was tough with her at work.
James was the brooding grumpy guy in the beginning but didn’t understand why all of sudden he started cursing when they got together. Seemed out of character and not necessary.
The ending seemed rushed to get to the HEA with everything falling into place. Wish Claire and her mother had more of a reconciliation at the end. Claire's mother was really not nice to Claire throughout the book so she needed to grovel a bit. More of a conversation between them to express her feelings to her mother. I enjoyed this book and would definitely read another book from this author. I received this book for my honest opinion.

Claire hops over to France to be a sous chef at a restaurant on its way to a Michelin star and can’t wait for the experience. Enter in James another American who comes from legacy chef parents to run the kitchen. James is standoffish and gives little feedback to Claire, but will it stay that way or will they be forced into something more?

I loved this book and didn’t want it to end. The development of characters were fantastic and I was rooting for them every step of the way.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy

Thank you to Net Galley for letting me read this book.
I loved, loved, loved it. Such a fun story and anything about Paris and cooking gets me immediately invested in the story. Great characters and story. I live near Napa and the very famous restaurant and I loved how the author writes about the Napa Valley. Plus, I have never been to Paris but know enough that what she's writing about like the cheese monger is so right on. This is a must read.

Yes, Chef follows the story of Claire. A talented chef who recently escaped from her life to Paris to fulfill her dream of earning a Michelin Star. Her routine is interrupted when a new head chef, James, is hired at her restaurant. James is talented and culinary royalty and is helpful to everyone. Except her. As the two are thrown together can they overcome their differences and reach their goals??

This book was about ten levels of sweet. Claire is such a fun, complex character. It was amazing to see her make the decisions she needed to and how she found her own home with those decisions. And James becoming such a golden retriever boyfriend was so funny to me.

I loved this book. Thank you Netgalley and Waitlyn Andrews for an advanced copy of this book!

❝I love you, you weirdo.❞
❝I love you too, Chef.❞

If the author's husband is anything like James Sullivan then she needs to share.

I'm not a big fan of these romance books with cartoony covers and cliche scenes but this was so good. And it was well-written.

There are so many categories of fictional men. There's the sweet guy, the cute guy, the nerdy guy, the bad boy, the hotheaded guy who hates everyone but her, and many others. But what tops them all is the respectful guy.

❝...if you need time, then you need time. Just know that I don't need time, but I'm willing to wait.❞

This man is unreal. (Yes author, I know he's your husband, but still.) The entire time I read this book, all I could think of was "me and who?" And I now believe that such romances do exist and now I'm going to go cry because I'm not Claire.

Thank you NetGalley, and thank you Waitlyn Andrews, for this book and the opportunity to be able to write this review.

This was such a fun, foodie romance. I loved the slow burn and the development of feelings on Claire’s part. I wish we had James’ POV. While the ending was very rushed, and had a lot going on, I was still satisfied with the HEA. A great debut!

Rich with likable, believable characters and an engaging plot

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the arc of this book

Yes, Chef
By: Waitlyn Andrews
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Spice: 1.5 out if 5

Well after reading Yes, Chef I have made the decision that a trip to Paris is in the near future for me. I have never wanted to curl up in a cafe, sip espresso while simultaneously eating a croissant more than I do after reading this book. After a terrible breakup Claire leaves the comfort of her Michelin star restaurant and the family winery in pursuit of her own star in beautiful Paris. James, a well known American chef, invades Claire’s perfect Paris bubble when he is hired on at her new restaurant. Tensions begin to boil as these two are forced to work and live side by side. Will Claire’s past come back to haunt her or will she make a clean break from the life she left behind?

This Grumpy/Sunshine Rom Com really drew the reader into the fine dining world behind the kitchen doors. Firstly, I just want to give a big congratulations to Andrew’s on their debut novel. Secondly I will say this story left me with mixed feelings. I so desperately wanted to love this however, I do feel some parts dragged on a just a tiny bit. This is a closed door romance, but some of the pet names were a bit much although I really loved Claire and James connection. Overall, Waitlyn was able to create a love story that really had me intrigued from the start. I immediately went to my kitchen after finishing this feeling renewed and inspired to cook again!

*Thank you to NetGally for the free e-copy*

Between this book and MasterChef, I have spent the past week constantly hungry.

SUPER cute - although I wish that James explained why he was so standoffish with Claire in the beginning because that was never explained, I loved how easily they transitioned into friends and more. It was like that myth(?) about how frogs won't notice they're boiling if you're slowly turning up the heat - they were friends and growing more comfortable with each other, and then boom, they're basically dating.

I will say it became a bit too cheesy for me near the end and in the last chunk, their relationship was extremely rushed.

But the dynamics between them and how constantly they were talking about food/in the restaurant - so the chef/Michelin star dream isn't just a random plotline to throw the two together - clicked so well that it was fun to read.

thank you Netgalley for the free copy

I was provided with an eARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Waitlyn Andrews.

If you are in search of a quick, sweet romance read, look no further. The burn was slow, the backdrop of Paris was romantic, and the characters were likable.

For me, the characters fell a little flat, but they were still enjoyable to read. I normally read dual-POV romance and would have liked to read some in

Loved this book!! This was such a good and fun read.
Totally fell in love with Claire and James❤️
They have such an amazing bonding 💗

I loved the buildup of their friendship before they went further. I enjoyed how supportive Josh was of her. They way he called her 'baby' is one of my favorite minor tropes.

Claire loves her job at a one Michelin star restaurant, and her family-owned winery but needs to get away from her family and her ex-boyfriend ASAP. She decides to move to Paris with the main goal of turning Teaks into a one Michelin star restaurant. When not working she experiments with new recipes with a side of running and reading. She enjoys her job and loves her perfect little Paris apartment, and then everything changes when James Sullivan comes to work at Teaks as her boss.
James and his family are well known in the culinary world, and he already has a star under his belt. Yes, he’s intimidating, but he is also tall and handsome and throws Claire for a loop. They have a bit of a rough start, but they slowly develop the sweetest friendship and work together well in the kitchen. James is her biggest supporter and will do anything he needs to help her achieve her goal. But they also have undeniable feelings for each other. The question is will they let their feelings get in the way of getting the star?

The description and the cover of this book had me intrigued. I thought I was about to start a really wonderful read. Sadly, this book was merely passable. It was long and it just seemed to dragged on. I kept expecting something intriguing and thrilling to occur, but it never actually happened. I thought the character development was lacking. It seemed strange how quickly the main male character fell in love. It was a strange shift and It was weird when he called her "baby" all of a sudden. It felt forced and unnatural. The entire conclusion felt unnatural and rushed. 2.5 ⭐

Book Releases August 3, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and Waitlyn Andrews for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I found it very readable and compelling, the storyline and characters made me want to know what was going to happen next. I liked the way the author chose to reveal information organically, instead of infusing all the backstory through exposition. I find that usually creates a more interesting storyline, and it did here.
Two main things kept this from being a five star read for me: One, I personally enjoy spice in my romance. Here there is none. For some people that’s going to be a draw, but for me it’s not. Two, I’m not a huge fan of using psychological diagnoses offhandedly as a shorthand for certain behaviors. For example, James is referenced many, many times throughout the book as being “a little bit OCD”, or “having OCD tendencies”. I find this annoying, as it was an opportunity to provide representation, but instead it just perpetuates stereotypes.