I'm not a huge fan of social media influencers and don't follow any, but I do love a good cookbook. So I was interested to see what this book held and I found it was a cute book that had a few nice recipes and ideas for small meals but I wouldn't have a book like this on my cookbook shelf.

Not a cookbook for everyone but followers of social media may get more out of it than those who like food and cooking and like trying new things.

Thank you NetGalley and Cider Mill Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The concept of the 'Girl Dinner' from Social media has become a great favourite for those cosy easy nights in. This was a great selection of ideas for plenty of no/low cook, easy meals that would be perfect. Great for the bougie instragrammer in your friend group.

As someone who followed the girl dinner trend, I love the idea that food doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated, and therefore was excited to try this book. I liked some of these recipes, but unfortunately wasn’t a fan of the ones involving any sort of leftover because well I would have to make something first that provided said leftovers.

Recipes to note are:
One Night in Oaxaca - easy to do but packed full of veggies and flavor.
Bougie AF - a pasta dish that will be a staple this winter when I want something warm and comforting
No Clucks Given - fun take on chicken and waffles

Ultimately I think they could’ve played this book up more as a hostess/lifestyle book because as a cookbook, it fell short.

This is an interesting look into small plates. The book sanctions the fact that you don't need a huge meal to satisfy. Many of the instructions are for combinations you may have done before, but many have new ideas for satisfying hunger. Some of the recipes have ingredients that are not readily available in your average grocery, some ingredients are expensive and some (although convenient) are not very nutritious.
The authors live in Northern Virginia , close to the D.C. area and have access to more gourmet ingredients than others in the country do.
The book is a good mouth-watering look at some good food. The photography is excellent.

Thank you NetGalley and Cider Mill Press for this eCopy to review

Girl Dinner invites you to turn your snack cravings into a culinary revolution. Inspired by TikTok’s hottest trend, this delightful cookbook offers easy, indulgent meals that require no cooking skills. Whether you’re a busy woman on the go, a student seeking quick meal solutions, or simply someone who appreciates casual cooking, you’ll find a treasure trove of recipes to suit your needs.
Inside, you’ll discover:
75+ delicious recipes for snack plates and bites.
Instagram-worthy photography that will make your mouth water.
Quick, easy, and cost-effective meals perfect for weeknights.
A celebration of the joy of eating, turning the ordinary into something extraordinary

So, if you’re ready to elevate your snack game, “Girl Dinner” is your go-to guide. From figs and prosciutto to bagels and smoked salmon, this book offers a delightful reprieve from life’s hustle and bustle

Less of a cookbook, more of an inspiration for fantastic snacks and dinners, I loved this book! It focused a lot on how to upgrade super simple snacks/meals you probably already make yourself. Ie. boxed mac and cheese from a fancy glass lol. There were also some very easy recipes for quick bites that seemed delicious. I think this book perfectly captured the vibe of the "girl dinner"

Thanks to NetGalley, Jamison Diaz-Imlah, and Cider Mill Press for the chance to read and review. My thoughts are my own. Thanks!

Interesting idea and the title and concept had me intrigued, but I feel like it wholeheartedly missed the mark.
The spirit behind 'girl dinner' and the huge take-off on social media was the element of simplicity. I understand the desire to want to elevate these 'picky' dishes, but in doing so it completely invalidates the original meaning.

The moment I saw the title and description of this cookbook, I knew I had to try it out. A cookbook for people who lowkey don’t want to cook, but still want to enjoy a flavorful, aesthetically pleasing, and balanced meal? Perfect! I am not a particularly experienced or enthusiastic chef, but I do, you know, have to eat, so I was hoping this book would give me some ideas for future Girl Dinners.
There are some truly excellent combinations in this cookbook. The “little plates” meal suggestions sound incredibly appetizing, and I think those recipes are perfect for nights when you’re in the mood for a tiny bit of everything—something sweet, something savory, something salty, and so on. There are also some great suggestions for elevating dishes so something basic like a quesadilla or a salad feels a little more decadent and interesting.
Unfortunately, some of the recipes are just… straight up not recipes. I can appreciate the attempt to incorporate boxed or frozen ingredients, but if the “recipe” for a meal that ostensibly contains potstickers and a dipping sauce is basically “heat up frozen potstickers, pour a dipping sauce from a jar,” then we’re starting to run into some issues. One of these recipes is literally boxed macaroni and cheese. Like, the kind with the neon orange powdered cheese in a packet. And the instructions are to follow the box. And then put it in a wine glass to feel fancy. Like, what? That’s something I might be amused by someone lauding as a “recipe” in a joke video on TikTok, but it’s not what I’m coming to an actual cookbook for, no matter how much I might dislike cooking.

As a chronically online millenial, I was already familiar with the "Girl Dinner" trend when I requested this book. I was curious as to what the content of this cookbook might be, since "Girl Dinner" at its core is a quick, easy, unpretentious -and sometimes even a bit embarrassing- meal that girls usually cook for "themselves".
This book really reminds me of the countless Tiktok posts that filled my FYP not so long ago, and it reminded me of course of my own girl dinners (and yes, dessert for dinner counts as a full meal).

The first time I browsed through this book, my opinion was mostly positive : it's aesthetically pleasing, the recipes are well explained, the instructions easy to follow ... And unlike most cookbooks, this one won't lie to you regarding prep time (yes, it can take up to 15 minutes to make a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel), many thanks to the authors.

However, I ended up realizing that had an issue with the very concept of the book. If "girl dinner" is all about girls/women cooking for themselves, then I feel like that last chapter, "Good Company", was off topic. It really seems contradictory to make it about "other people" and / or to put so much emphasis on the "visual aspect" of the dish, when girl dinner is also a way for lots of women to free themselves from the "cooking duty" and show that given the choice, many of us would glaldy eat like teenage boys every day of the week.
I wouldn't necessarily buy this book or gift it to my friends and family (unless I wanted to give it to someone who doesn’t know how to cook, or someone who's going to college far from their family ...), but I'd be curious to see other works from the authors, since they seem to be decent recipe developers.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me access to this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I saw a critique about this book complaining about the cringe-y Gen Z phrases throughout the book, and honestly, I don't mind it, given you should know what to expect when the book is called "Girl Dinner".

Similar to the same review making that remark... my one dislike of this book was the "Nostalgia, Refined" dish recipe: just mac and cheese served in a wine glass. Maybe I should have expected it, as I've already said regarding the Gen Z slang. But the idea was a little lackluster. I was OK with low-effort snack board-style things since that shows pairings... but the only thing here is the change in the vessel the food was being served. I won't deny it probably would be considered girl dinner... but maybe if they said something like "add pepper" or "add a dash of mustard," it would've made me notice the oddness of the recipe a little less. It could have even been just a page of "single ingredient meals" towards the end as its own section, and while it would've been the same technically, I might have seen the point because then you could be like, "These could be combined in small quantities to make girl dinner!"

Anyway, the pictures were good, and I think the writing accompanying the recipes added some value. It's sometimes very formal and sometimes super casual and pop culture-y but it's got some charm like girl dinner does.

First of all the format for this book is a little off putting and some of the recipes are laughable. There’s a Mac and cheese recipe where it tells you to make box Mac and cheese and put it in a fancy glass like what bahahaha. 2 stars for making me laugh.

Girl Dinner has tried to cash in on a viral trend, but it doesn't hit the mark. There are some decent ideas in here but the book is mostly a random collection of meal suggestions that range from super easy freezer meals to time-consuming recipes that somehow still count as "Girl Dinner." Honestly, with so many simple meal ideas out there for free, it's hard to justify spending money on a book such as this that tells you to make some American version of box mac and cheese. You're better off just scrolling through the TikTok hashtag!

Girl Dinner is an absolute gem for anyone who loves indulging in creative, easy-to-make meals. The Bougie AF pappardelle dish is a standout—elegant yet effortless and bursting with flavor. This book has quickly become my go-to for no-fuss, delicious plates that always feel like a treat. I highly recommend it! This would be a great gift book for 20-something girls or newly singles.

Not sure if it's because of the app but the formatting of this book is really off putting and makes it hard to connect which recipes are which photos as they're all on different pages. The white letters on black background is also not my favorite for a book.

The recipes themselves weren't super interesting to me, though I love that boxed mac and cheese featured in there.

Cute girl dinner ideas with some inspiring plating ideas to make your girl dinner look fancier that it actually is! Some of the recipe names were inspired by pop culture (Love this for me) or were pretty funny (Broke Madame). It's a cute quick inspo book for anyone looking to make a simple and light dinner with just a few common ingredients.

This is a really neat cookbook! I like how this gives advice for different dinner scenarios (romantic, sophisticated ,casual). The recipes are simple and the ingredients are easy to find (for most people). The recipe names are also great. The recipes I'm most excited to try are 'A Summer's Day', 'Sunday Kind Of Love' 'Apres Apple Picking' and 'All I Care About Is Pasta and Like Three People'. Special Thank You to Jamison Diaz- Imlah, Cider Mill Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great cookbook! There are so many fun "Girl Dinner" meal ideas and I love that there are pictures to go along with everything.

While there are a couple of nice ideas in this cookbook, it's largely a disjointed collection of things to eat attempting to capitalize on the viral social media trend of "girl dinners." The recipes span from storebought freezer meals to spending two hours preparing a steak with sides. Yes, apparently two hours counts as a "snack plate or no cook meal."

The vast majority of the book is proportioned for solo diners, so this might be an okay gift for someone very new to cooking that largely just wants ideas for what to eat. Thing is, there's no shortage of low effort meal ideas out there. Do we really need to spend $20 to be instructed "make a box of Kraft mac and cheese"? The authors of this book seem to think so.

I think the concept of this book is very sweet and perfect for the newbie cook or someone who struggles to think of meals to put together.

Sadly as a Brit, some of the food included isn’t commonly available here but there are some good inspo ideas for meals.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for my ARC

The authors had a nice idea with this book however the recipes leaned towards more charcuterie board style recipes than anything I’d necessarily call easy enough to throw together for “Girl Dinner.”