A super cute and fun idea that has lots of pictures for me to enjoy, essential for any cookbook! Lots of fun meal combos for a single meal to be enjoyed. I love this kind of food inspo!

I always find it hard to make dinner and thinking of ideas is the main struggle. So this is definitely going to help me plan dinner better, easier and quicker.

Girl Dinner is an interesting well curated collection of planned(ish) spontaneous no-cook dinner plates with serving suggestions by Alejandra & Jamison Diaz-Imlah. Due out 13th Aug 2024 from Cider Mill Press, it's 208 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

This is a very well photographed appealing instagram style guide to quick/instant/no-cook meals. This is primarily marketed for and aimed at younger readers, singles, students, and don't-have-time-to-cook folks. It's full of cute chapters: Quick comfort, Glow-up, What's the vibe, and Good company. Recipes rely heavily on premade instant ingredients and no-shop pantry staples.

Recipes are listed with a short intro, ingredients in a bullet list, followed by general assembly instructions. There are plates which rely on some odd pairings frozen mac'n'cheese bites, frozen broccoli & cauliflower blend, and ketchup (one of the odder combos), but many more traditional offerings.

The recipe suggestions are photographed attractively and styled professionally. The photography and serving suggestions are the highlight of the book.

Three and a half stars. It would potentially be a good choice for public or school library acquisition or "care package" moving out gift (bundled with some kitchen supplies and housewares) to newly fledged young adults living on their own for the first time.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

If you want fast easy meals utilizing prepared foods, this is for you. The photos are beautiful and the food is really good. The ease of utilizing frozen items and jazzing it up for dinner is a great idea and there are lots to choose from. This is an easy to read book and will help inspire you in the kitchen to make pretty plates.

I think my idea of girl dinner is a bit different. The recipes in this book are lovely, simple and the photographs are well done. My definition of girl dinner is tossing random things on a plate that have little to no prep requirements, just rooting through cupboards and the refrigerator to see what you have that’s calling to you. (Ending up with canned pineapple slices, fishy crackers, half a cucumber, cream cheese and a handful of pecans) Girl dinner is a concept that is hard to put into a cookbook because of the randomness of it. A lot of the things in here I would have considered just a normal dinner, and several have ingredients I would never just have on hand. That being said, the book is full of yummy looking combinations and easy meal ideas for when you don’t feeling like putting too much effort into cooking so I will be recommending it. I will also be re-evaluating my definition of girl dinner 😊

Hm ok. What to say?

There are lots of pictures in this book so I’m going with a “quick easy food mood board.”

Lots of the recipes incorporate boxed, frozen, or prepackaged food HOWEVER I think that’s really what this book is about: pairing foods and making it look good. You don’t always want to or have time to prepare a spread, but being able to put foods together is always valuable. I’m old so this book isn’t really aimed at me anyway. It would definitely be useful to someone who wants easy but stylish preparation!

I received a free ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I gave it an extra star for the prosciutto skeleton, but the whole premise book fundamentally misses the point of girl dinner. Girl dinner is deranged. Girl dinner is scrounged, perhaps foraged. Girl dinner is eaten with your elbow holding the fridge door open. Girl dinner’s theme is “I’m hungry and this is what’s in my house”. It’s not the authors’ fault, but girl dinner’s theme is always derangement and disorganization.

I finished this book as soon as I got approved for a review copy.

Girl dinner (and girl lunch) is a big part of my life especially when burnt out. I'm always looking for quick and easy meal ideas and this book delivered!!!

If you're a fan of quick meals or looking to whip something up that doesn't require too much time or effort I definitely recommend this book for you.

This is a beautiful cookbook, with pictures for every recipe! I love the concept of accessible elegance that Girl Dinner conveys. It's okay to make a yummy small plate, with diverse ingredients. Like we're getting a permission slip to dial back our work in the kitchen. And for someone with disabilities, that's a welcome note to receive.
The recipes provide varying tastes and textures, spice and foods for seasons. Cozy or carefree. There's no shame in frozen veggies, boxed macaroni, or cans of delicious soup...and these chefs encourage you to use what works for you and your time/skill levels.
You will not be told to make handmade ravioli, that's just not what Girl Dinner is. It's knowing you want something yummy and fast, because you have a full life to enjoy!
I would recommend this book to young people, people with disabilities like ADHD or fatigue symptoms, foodies who don't want to spend eons, or a fortune, in the kitchen.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc

I love the concept of Girl Dinner and this book put it all together to make it feel like easy meals could look put together and planned. There were some really good food combinations and had my mouth watering. The photos of the meals were well put together and the recipes were nice and easy to follow which is exactly what you want when a night calls for a ………Girl Dinner

There are SO many ideas in this book. I know the concept of girl dinner typically means just whatever we have on hand, but sometimes that means plain noodles. This book has so many quick and easy ideas for things you probably have at home to make girl dinner more nutritious or to just change it up. I haven't tried any of these yet so I can't speak on that element, however very excited to try the "sometimes you get the bear"! I think this can really appeal to younger generations too. My only complaint here is that some of these are so basic are defeat the purpose of girl dinner. For example, some of these take 20+ min to prepare and that defeats the point. Also, many of these ingredients aren't things you just have on hand so I think they missed the mark with these 2 points.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a bit of a letdown for me. I saw the tiktok trend a while ago and absolutely loved it, I hoped to get a bit more with this book but it's a bit too simple. Following a pack instruction to have a girl dinner is not what I was looking for.

This is a good cookbook. I love the idea of “Girl Dinners.” It’s, honestly how I eat many of my dinners. The pictures in this book are great and look very appetizing. The recipes are diverse. There is very little cooking involved, but that is helpful when you want to make a quick and easy dinner. I would love a few more in-depth recipes, but overall, it’s a good book. I think this would make a great gift especially for any fan of the Girl Dinner. I would definitely recommend this book.

I'm so sorry but this is genuinely the most ridiculous "cookbook" I've ever read. I loved this idea but it was a major let down, the recipes were easy to follow but there's simple and then there's a waste of time and unfortunately this is the latter. I mean how are you going to include "make Mac and cheese by following the directions on the box" and expect to be taken seriously?

I liked the category names and the lovely layout. I appreciated that every recipe had a picture and they were beautiful and there are some great tips at the start

Girl dinner promises to be a selection of beautifully curated tastes that will elevate your file dinners with a elevated presentation. Unfortunately, asides from a few delicious sounding recipes, I'd say these were combinations or a shopping list more than a recipe book. Most recipes require pre-bought items such as a specific can of soup, doughnuts, tortellini etc which is great for convenience but undermines the nature of a recipe book for me! One that stood out was the 'recipe' for making a box of Mac and cheese because it's served in a fancy glass?!
As a British person, much of the convenience food isn't readily available here too so many of the 'recipes' aren't
accessible, however I found some flavour combinations in the book I look forward to trying. It does have a useful metric conversion table at the end of you're a Brit who doesn't work in cups and the pictures are a useful reference point for plating.

While I loved the idea behind this book, I felt that it didn't quite meet my expectations. As someone in their early thirties who enjoys TikTok & “girl dinners” I found that the book was more suitable for teenagers or beginners in the kitchen. I know the concept of girl dinners are simple, minimal cooking snacky type meals, I was hoping for a bit more innovation. The recipes are straightforward and some are as simple as following packet instructions. The photos are visually appealing, but overall, I would recommend this book to friends with teenagers rather than people my age

★★½
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I want to thank NetGalley and Cider Mill Press for the opportunity to review this book.

Girl Dinner has 85 recipes that are inspired by the "girl dinner" trend and are quick and easy to make. I was intrigued by this cookbook because I do not always have the time to spend an hour making dinner or I just want a quick snack, but the cookbook was ultimately a letdown. The recipes are divided into the categories of Quick Comfort, Glow-Up, What’s the Vibe, and Good Company. Each recipe has a short introduction, an ingredient list, directions, and a picture. I appreciate that every recipe has a photo so you know what the dish is meant to look like. However, the downfall comes from the ingredients and directions. There are so many frozen and microwavable foods in the ingredient lists, and the author simply states "Cook according to the directions on the package". I expect cookbooks to provide recipes that I have not thought about before or a new way of making a classic dish, but the recipes are basic and I do NOT need to be told to follow the directions on the package. For other meals, the author is often vague and states to "warm it", "cook until brown", or "cook until done" without giving any time frame to follow. The cookbook would be best for students who do not have enough time to cook or have limited cooking skills, but for the everyday person, I would recommend passing.

I like the idea behind this book: girl dinners. We’ve all made them. The dinners we make when it’s just us, or just us and friends, or maybe it’s a light dinner on a movie night. But this book calls out that “the girl dinner phenomenon is about making the easy road artful”.

Dinner might be easy but it’s still eye catching and delicious, there aren’t a ton of ingredients either.

Right off the bat I love the concept and all the pictures.

I also feel like the recipes are as promised. Some are super easy and barely cooking, others are a bit more prep, but everything is pretty.

I have saved these recipes to make:
Bougie AF (a pasta dish)
California Love (avocado tuna salad)
Bonanza (rice bowl)
Even I’m impressed (Mexican)
Summertime sadness (pasta dish)
Spa night (tuna)

To be honest, I’m kind of obsessed with this cookbook! As I’m looking through it, I see so many foods and pairings that I already enjoy and my first thought was “this is too simple!”. Then I thought about how all of my other cookbooks sit gathering dust on a shelf because I rarely have time for complicated dinners. What I really need is quick, easily attainable inspiration for meals that will tickle my senses and leave me satisfied! This book absolutely nails that formula! I will definitely be buying the hardcover when it comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Girl Dinner focuses on quick easy on the go snackie dinners.

The Sections are
Quick comfort
Glow-up
What’s the Vibe
Good Company

The recipes consist of ingredients and directions. The recipes are straightforward, but wouldn’t really say its that comprehensive. The cookbook would be suited for someone trying to get into cooking and don’t know where to start or college age with no much access to foods. As one of the recipes was just cooking Mac and cheese according to the package.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.