This book was absolutely fascinating to read. I love a memoir from someone in such a unique and niche world like the restaurant business in NYC. I loved the way she told the stories in each chapter - she was honest, even when it meant not being the best version of herself. She was raw and open about what it is like to work in such a male dominated field, especially in the mid 2000s. Not only do you get stories about the author herself, but of who she meets along the way (good AND bad), and each chapter ends with a unique recipe, which is such a sweet add-on.
Highly recommended!

Pre-Read notes

Sirens and mermaids are my favorite mythological creatures, so this was an obvious choice. I requested and received a digital copy, and then I was sent a widget for the audiobook. I'm really enjoying Hart's style and the audiobook narrator's delivery.

Final Review

Review summary and recommendations

Well, I definitely liked this book! Weyward wasn't a favorite for me, but this is one suspenseful, Gothic, beauty of a book. The twist surprised me but it was well-plotted and fitting to the story. The themes Hart visited here, such as violence against women and children, mental health stigma, and forgiveness in broken, toxic, or dysfunctional families made for a gripping story.

I was so fascinated with the characters belonging to the contemporary timeline. You could comfortably call this book character driven, and Hart provides characters with depth and complexity. I was so fascinated in learning more of the sisters' story that I hardly even noticed the plot, which didn't move much from beginning to end.

I recommend this one to readers of magical realism, contemporary mythology, suspense, or women's fiction. Also, fans of human transformation in metaphor and the flesh, captivity (this word represents a fabulous leit motif that operates throughout the book, from beginning to end, and complex female characters.

Reading Notes

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. The opening of the audiobook, with the music, which is haunting and gorgeous, sets a mood for the book. On the audiobook, the author reads her own introduction about some of the history she discovered in her research but didn't include in her story. I highly recommend.

2. Some gorgeous descriptive writing here, which I remember about Weyward also. A prickle starts at the base of Lucy’s spine. Maybe it’s the knowledge of what the water would do to her skin. She imagines the waves lapping at her like tongues, stripping her of flesh until she is nothing but bone, gleaming white. p37

3. I think it's challenging for writers to juggle both alternating perspectives and multiple timelines without affecting clarity, but Hart manages this technique well.

4. I'm so happy that this book takes on the experiences of students who accuse their classmates (or teachers) of SA. Trigger warning for SA, rp, and victim suppression. When she sought help through the proper channels, the procedures, no one gave her a gold star or thanked her for asking nicely. Instead, they wanted her to keep being nice, to put Ben’s feelings—his reputation, his future—above her own. They wanted her to go away. p131

5. Capture. It’s the perfect word, isn’t it? You paint them and it’s like you own them, like you’ve taken their soul from their body and put it right there on the canvas. p153 I love the repeated use of the word "capture" in the text. This doesn't always work, but it does here. I love all the subtext Harr builds into this word.

6. I love sister stories. I find if very moving when the depicted relationship demands a dreary tone, like it does here, with the sisters being separated. She will stand here, her hands on Jess’s artwork, as if she can soak up her sister’s thoughts. p208

7. "...So, he’d put his hands on the button of my jeans, and kiss my neck and beg for more, and I’d say no, even though sometimes I felt like it’d be easier to say yes. Just give in, I’d think. Get it over with. It can’t be that bad. But still, there was that little seed of fear.” Hart writes brilliantly about what it means to be a young girl.

8. I wasn't much for the plot here, but I also thought that didn't matter because of how well all the elements came together. The climax itself is wonderfully fantastical and fulfilling and I think it strengthens the plot, as it gathers up many ends here at the climax, which is my favorite place in a plot to receive new information that settles a question or conflict. The denouement is too late. She does a great job with this.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. Hart's definitely wrong about tongue-rolling being entirely genetic, it's not. A simple Google search would have revealed this. But she pils all the eggs in the plot basket on that pseudoscientific idea. *edit Yeah she already knew this lol, but if this point bugs you, i encourage you to keep reading!

2. I nodded, but I couldn’t stop trembling. He got me a glass of water from the art room’s clanking metal sink, and while I drank he put his hand on my shoulder, just for a moment. I was wearing a long-sleeved top under my school uniform, stiff and probably stinking of sweat, but I still felt an almost electric charge, as if his bare skin was touching mine. Then he took his hand away. p153 The main character of this book, a teenage girl with few quality connections, befriends her teacher, a man in his thirties. I love how Hart handles this relationship, gracefully depicting how the very nature of their relationship suggests impropriety, even where none exists. It's as though Hart is saying, I know you're squicked out by this friendship, but that's a you problem.... until it's not. Perception is often flawed.

Rating: 🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🧜🏽‍♀️ /5 sirens, not mermaids!
Recommend? yes!
Finished: Mar 19 '25
Format: digital, audiobook, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🪢 alternating povs
⌚️ alternating timelines
🙎‍♀️ girl's coming of age
🕰 historical fiction

Thank you to the author Emilia Hart, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for advance digital copy and an advance audiobook of THE SIRENS. All views are mine.
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I have a love-hate relationship with restaurant memoirs. They are so often filled with stories of abuse and large male egos when they could be inspiring. That said, I appreciated Hannah's perspective and story about "growing up" in the culinary world. I think I am over restaurant industry tell-alls. I think the abuse and toxicity should be called out, but it feels like there's a line between calling out the behavior and toting the abuse for your own gain. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, but I do feel that parts of Hannah's story were included for shock. Still I really appreciated Hannah's writing and humor.

A new memoir from a female sommelier is coming out this week, "Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly," by Hannah Selinger.

Thanks to the publisher, Little, Brown & Company, for gifting me an advance reading copy via NetGalley.

The author shares her experiences in restaurants, both as a server and eventually as a sommelier, in New York City during the early 2000s. She worked for chefs Johnny Iuzzini, Bobby Flay, David Chang and others. The #metoo era encouraged her to write this memoir and share her own stories of harassment, toxicity and trauma. This book shows an inside look at how difficult it is for women working in the restaurant industry.

I wasn't sure I was ready for another restaurant/wine world industry "tell-all" book, since the most recent book I'd read, Victoria James'  "Wine Girl" was so depressing and discouraging. But I found myself immediately engrossed in Hannah's story as she, new to the restaurant industry, threw herself into the mix and learned daily lessons, tips and tricks on navigating her job and the industry. She shares that she loved her jobs and felt addicted to the restaurant industry.

We follow Hannah's adventures at restaurants including The Grog, Bar Americain, BLT Prime, Jean-Georges, Sea Grill, Momofuku, Resto, and Nick & Toni's. 

Throughout, I cringe with sympathy for Hannah when she makes a mistake, when something bad happens, every time a chef calls her an idiot, or a restaurant patron is rude. I feel relieved when a kind co-worker takes her under his wing to help her learn about wine.

I eat at restaurants near daily, and always enjoy the virtual peeks into the back of the house operations, as well as the the behind-the-scenes drama in these industry memoirs. There are revelations, anecdotes and tales about restaurant diners, food writers, critics and celebrities, including Steven Spielberg, Bill Clinton, Jeffrey Steingarten, the Zagats, Frank Bruni, Gael Greene, and disappointing accounts of Christina Tosi's unkind behavior.

But the book is about Hannah, not a list of names to drop, and I enjoyed watching her learn to stand up for herself and go in a new direction. 

Each chapter ends with a recipe, from a Bourbon and Bundt cake and White Burgundy Braised Chicken to Farfalle with Mushroom Cognac Sauce and Bittersweet Chocolate Cream Pie. If your book club reads this book together, you'll have plenty of recipes to choose from to bring to your book club evening.

I found it easy to read through this interesting book in one sitting. It will likely make you hungry for good food and thirsty for wine while you read, too.

Hannah Selinger graduated from Columbia University but found herself working as a server at a hometown dive. She eventually moved back to New York and found employment at some of the most trendy, high-end restaurants. First working as a server, then "cellar rat" (stocking the wine cellar) and eventually as a sommelier. Envious? Well, you shouldn’t be.

Selinger exposes the toxic culture of the industry in her memoir Cellar Rat. She maintains that she changed many of the names of the people and establishments. Since I was not familiar with the New York dining scene, I googled the head chefs and restaurants that she mentioned. I found that she didn’t conceal their identities and what I discovered was shocking.

She never knew what the next day would bring. She thrived on the unpredictability of the restaurant business and found it thrilling and intoxicating. As a cellar rat and sommelier, she loved wines but hated the erratic personalities of management. On the romantic front, since her work was non-stop, her only relationships were at work. She now realizes that she was naïve and susceptive to the advances of unavailable, predatory men. Misogyny was prevalent, which didn’t surprise me in the early 2000’s but the rest she endured certainly did.

Why did she stay in the restaurant business for so long, enduring such emotional abuse and random dismissals without notice? This is essential information, and you’ll find out when you read the book.

"Cellar Rat is a page-turner that is difficult to put down". An original recipe related to the story is included at the end of each chapter. That’s just a plus. More importantly this opened my eyes to a life and subculture I was totally unaware of.

What I also appreciate is that she admits that a few of the dismissals were of her own doing and mistakes. She also admits that she grew up financially stable and had a financial support system when she needed it. She acknowledges that most restaurant workers aren’t afforded that luxury.

"Cellar Rat" will force you to look at the high-end restaurant industry differently. Selinger maintains that these abuses still occur today, and it is her mission to expose them. I think she succeeds in that.

(This review will be posted on UnderratedReads on March 25.)

ARC Book Review!

Cellar Rat by Hannah Selinger

4.5 / 5 ⭐️

If you enjoy reading memoirs I highly recommend Cellar Rat. It was exceptionally interesting to read about this woman’s experiences in the New York restaurant industry but what really got me was her descriptions of pain, suffering, and abuse. She frequently talks about how when people are in toxic or harmful environments it takes a while for that person to realize it. The parellels of different traumas were expertly executed.

I do wish she had talked a bit more about the ins and outs of her sommelier career but overall it was a beautifully written book about growing up, realizing ones own truths and humanity.

This book is for you if you like :

Memoirs
Fine dining
Realism

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#book #bookstagram #booklover
#arcreader #booknerd #romance #bookstagrammer #bookaddict #booksbooksbooks #bookish #prettygirlsreadbooks #mustread #kindle #kindleclub #kindlewhitepaper #nerdfam #sunnybabepr #fantasybooks #fantasynovelseries #fantas#catloveryreads #bookbuddy #bookcat #introvert #morallygrey #touchheranddie

Selinger takes us through how, despite wanting to be a writer, she accidentally stumbled into a career of being a server and later a sommelier in the restaurant industry in New York City. She rubbed shoulders with David Chang, Bobby Flay, and Johnny Iuzzini, and recounts how much she loved being a server, but also how much damage it did to her mentally. It was fascinating to read, especially about the abuse and misogyny that runs rampant in the industry, despite all the cozy Food Network show portrayals. Highly recommend this one!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Cellar Rat by Hannah Selinger.

This is a memoir about a young, hopeful, writer who turns to the fine dining scene in NYC as a way to make ends meet. It's an interesting look into what it takes to become a trained server in a 3 star Michelin restaurant. It's not just a college job, it takes a tremendous amount of training and discipline. Her sumptuous descriptions of the food and drinks had me longing for an experience that is reserved only for the elite.

I can't help but feel that a portion of this book was reserved for the author to get her literary revenge on the people in the biz that did her dirty. The (now celebrity) chef that was responsible for her firing. The dessert chef that made everyone a cake for their birthday except her. And while, yes, not cool, the overuse of their full names made it clear that she wasn't leaving until the world KNEW. But, who's to say that I wouldn't have done the same thing. Get your justice girl!

A great autobiography about life in the underbelly of the restaurant beast. Funny, sad, poignant and a great read.

I love all things restaurant, chef, and insider info. This was very much all about the early aughts heyday of celebrity chef's gone bad culture. Selinger worked at some of the restaurants in NYC and experienced terribleness of the underbelly. I didn't love her choices but appreciated her story telling and pacing. I am curious to hear what the chefs she calls out have to say about this memoir. I was most surprised about her accounts of Christina Tosi.

3.5 stars but rounding down.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy Little, Brown and Company and Netgalley.

Most of us go out to eat at some point. We enter restaurants with expectations in terms of food, drink, and service, yet often don't think about those who work hard to ensure our good meals. Recently shows like The Bear have offered a fictional insight into the restaurant kitchen.

Author Hannah Selinger fell in love with the restaurant business and went on to work at many top restaurants with many well-known chefs. Here she recounts some of her experiences. In addition, Selinger shares details of her biography.

The restaurant world comes to life in these pages. Readers experience both the front and back of house. They may feel differently the next time they go out to dine.

Some reviews have noted the author's tendency to apologize for her "privilege." If this will put a reader off because of its tone, fair enough. Others may enjoy this account even taking note of the disclaimers. Also be aware that the author describes her book as "creative non-fiction" so not necessarily all factually true. That said, readers can tell that Selinger considered writing as a career since she tells her story well.

Foodies will decide if this is of interest to them. It just may be.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this title. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, I couldn't make it past the prologue. The book immediately became political with the author apologizing where she went to college, for being a straight woman, for having privilege and money and mentioning Gaza. ... Life is too short at this point. It really is.

There are hundreds of books I could read right now and I just cannot read this one based on her apologize-for-existing prologue.

Maybe in a decade I'll be ready to listen to her apologize through 300 pages.

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown & Company for an e-copy of CELLAR RAT to review.

I DNF'd.

Cellar Rat, by Hannah Selinger offers and inside look at the author's experiences in the restaurant and wine industry, although her perspective felt a bit harsh at times. The tone might appeal to readers who enjoy a no-holds-barred take on workplace dynamics. That said, the recipes at the end of each chapter were a nice touch.

As one who loves a well crafted meal, as well as a fine vintage of wine, I was immediately drawn into this book. Though it's not about how to prepare a fine cut of beef or serve a fancy Old World wine, you will find mentions of such things along the way. This is a memoir of the author's experience in the restaurant world with the majority of it being in what is referred to as Fine Dining. Most of these restaurants are in New York City, most of which you may be familiar with, if only by name and reputation. Some of the owners and chefs may also be familiar to you. If not, it won't limit your enjoyment of this book.

The author, Hannah Selinger, is quite passionate about her involvement in wine and food being her totally committed career, even though sometimes that career doesn't take to her quite as well as she would prefer. But from my limited involvement and knowledge of the restaurant world, that seems to be rather common. Hannah takes you through her entrance into this world, from beginning to end. She's a Columbia graduate, so she knows how to tell a story so that you can easily become committed to seeing this book all the way through to the end. She shares her emotions of both love and heartbreak. Some of that is due to her career while some involves the various people in her life whom she has encountered. Much of it is very relatable. At least, it was for me.

Honestly, I really enjoyed this book, even when I felt sad and angry at some of the abuses and loses that the author shares with us. It also reminded me of how I much prefer the life at the table or bar rather than anything involving the back of house or waiting tables. Nice to know of these things, but it's not a world that I want to be a part of. But reading this book makes me more sensitive as to what the various employees go through to try to eek out a living in such a specialized culture. With that said, I still love that world and very appreciated Hannah sharing her experiences with us.

This book annoyed me. First of all, the author felt the need to acknowledge everything negative and apologize for it. She apologizes for Columbia University, for being a straight white female, for being comfortable financially, and for telling her truth. She also then, consistently highlights her privilege while apologizing for it. It’s way too much.

She seems to enjoy being part of the conversation around David Chang. A quick Google of his name brings a lot of results directly naming her. I don’t know why this is so important to her that she needs to keep beating the dead horse. Her story is out there, there’s nothing new in rhos book.

The recipes were nice, but other than that, I can’t recommend this one.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I love a good behind-the-scenes memoir and enjoyed this one. I've seen a couple of reviews that say CELLAR RAT didn't bring much that was new to the table, but I think that misses the point of memoir. This is Selinger's story of *her* life in the restaurant industry, and her particular take is what interested me. There are some amusing reveals (such as what a terrible tipper Gwyneth Paltrow is), and some not-at-all-funny accounts of toxic behavior and abuse. But overall, rather than exposé, this is a memoir about why someone might remain enmeshed as long as Selinger did in an industry that seems to beat down so many who love it.

Thank you to #LittleBrown and #NetGalley for the DRC of #CellarRat. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This is a good "behind the scenes" memoir of the restaurant industry circa early 2000s New York City. Selinger spent her 20s working at various "celebrity chef" restaurants in NYC. What makes this memoir different is she was "front of house" - a server and then a sommelier - but still experienced the toxic, misogynistic behavior we've all heard about in restaurant kitchens. Selinger muses on why she stayed so long while taking ownership of her actions. Her appreciation for the food and wine shone through and including a recipe with each chapter was a nice addition.

Overall, a good debut and nice addition to the "food memoir" sub-genre.

3.5 stars

Much of what Hannah writes about doesn't come as a surprise after reading and watching other tell all stories about the restaurant business. She writes of being dedicated and going above and beyond and yet when Hannah, like all of us, makes mistakes she is fired, almost never given a second chance (which seems like the norm in this business.) The abusive work culture seems to be addictive to many and especially Hannah. She writes of other behaviors that speak to her addictive behavior (limiting food, excessive running, etc.). Like all good "Tell All" books, she blows up the public personas of several famous chefs such as, David Chang, Christina Tosi and Johnny Iuzzini, all of which I will never look at on TV the same now. So disappointing but not surprising I suppose.

I am so glad she pursued writing over the restaurant business as she has a way with words. The book was a bit slow for me at first but picked up in the last 25%. I found it clever that she place a meaningful recipe at the end of each chapter. I think the title is perfect and the cover eye catching.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley in exchange for my review. I have been unable to include the URL from Amazon.

3.5 stars. I have mixed feelings about this one. At first I was really into it, and there is something so interesting about the world of restaurants. I wanted to read this book because I read the author's article about David Chang after Carla Lalli Music shared it on her Instagram. I love the takedown of a famous bro, and I was hoping to hear even more in the book. Selinger is a strong writer, and she painted a picture of a fraught and problematic industry. The tone was pretty dark overall. But she didn't go into things as much as I wanted her to; I was often left with the feeling that we were missing something--which could be an echo of her own confusion in some of these moments? She also used the word "trauma" a lot, and while she shared some things that were certainly traumatic, it was used to the point that it felt buzzword-y. After reading the book, I also wonder about the people around her, especially the ones without the amount of privilege she had. She talks about a few people, but this is very much a memoir about one person's experiences. Overall I do think this was an interesting read, and I can see why Selinger has gone on to become a successful food writer, but the book as a whole ended up feeling a bit uneven.

I LOVE books about working in restaurants. There's this whole world we never see when we dine out, even though it is right there in our faces the whole time if we know what to look for. It also fascinates me because it is a job I could never do. I am not a people-person and would never have the patience. That's also why I always tip at least 30% because I can't imagine a worse job. Yet I am still drawn to books about that job because it is a whole world of its own.

It should not come as a surprise to anyone that the misogyny is as common in the food industry as it is in literally every other aspect of our every day lives. But that's not all this book is about. It's about being drawn into a world you had once never considered but grew to love, only to find it rejected you time and time again - and the personal growth (and stumbles) that come with that kind of pain.

The author truly started her career in the food industry after graduating from Emerson with an MFA. She'd previously worked in a pub in her home town between undergrad and grad school when she was still not sure which direction her life should go. But the industry would not let her go and after Emerson she threw herself right back into the fray.

This was the era of the so-called "bad boy" chefs. Personally, none of that era ever appealed to me, this explosion of celebrity chefs and cooking shows. I don't enjoy shows about restaurants and cooking. I don't like to cook, it's not fun to me, I don't want to see the food prepared. I am much more interested in the culture of restaurants. But people were willing to accept the volatile personalities because it made for good television; why wouldn't a chef be a total psycho? But the thing that always gives me pause is, if those chefs were willing to show the world that side of themselves on film, how much worse was it when the cameras weren't rolling?

Selinger had many roles throughout her time in the industry. She began as a server at Bobby Flay's Bar Americain. She didn't even last two months on the job, but she quickly moved on to another, and another, and another. The author began the journey to becoming a certified sommelier (something else I am SO OBSESSED with) and would reach the pinacle of her career as the beverage director for David Chang and Momofuku.

Along the way, there were many ups and downs. Selinger learns the difference between fine dining and fine fine dining, has to decide if reporting thieving managers is worth the risk, and tries to figure out why she stays in an industry for so long that tries to break her, over and over.

At times, it is almost painful to read. Selinger was drawn to the food industry after that stint between Columbia and Emerson. She's not an idiot, and she KNOWS how terrible it becomes for her. How stressful it is to be on eggshells all the time, never knowing when the boss might make an example of her.

And yet, she stayed. For years. Exactly why she did so is something the author explores, and there are quite a few times where she realizes it's time to go, but then decides to stay. Just one more job.

I loved the breeziness of the book, despite it covering such serious issues within the food industry. It felt like having a conversation with a friend who keeps going back to a who you know is no good for her, SHE knows is no good for her, yet nothing changes.

At the end of each chapter, the author includes a recipe that fits the content and theme of said chapter. Someone who is much better in the kitchen than I can attempt them though, as I have no skill in that department.

I also loved the fact that she named names. She lays bare the chefs on powertrips with out of control egos, because they found the magic key of making extraordinary dishes that were as beautiful to look at as they were delicious to eat. I had to Google a couple of the names, but many you will recognize if you were awake in the early 2000s to be bombarded by this era of chefs - Bobby Flay, David Chang, Johnny Iuzzini. Big surprise that so many from that time have been outed for their disgusting behaviors becuase they thought they were untouchable.

Highly, highly recommended.