Laurie, a young food blogger, interviews Oryan, a popular, hearthrob chef. Soon romance begins to bloom between the two. This is such a heartwarming story that touches on a range of topics like mental health, eating disorders, pansexuality, and more -- while also featuring POC, disabled, and other queer characters. I loved seeing Laurie and Oryan’s romance develop while also exploring their complexities (in addition to all the food + artwork!).

Thanks NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the arc!

I said that I was going to add more graphic novels this year but I didn’t expect it to literally come at the end of the year (smh). But if I had to kick off my graphic novel reading this year with a book, I’m so glad it is Hungry Heart by Jem Milton.

Let me get the important stuff out of the way. I love the artwork. The story is laid out beautifully. The foundation of who each character is shown quickly but without it being forced down our throat. It’s actually done in an adorable fashion. There are particular panels that I would love to have blown up on my wall. There’s this look when Laurie and Oryan are cooking and Laurie looks up at him (my heart melted). Then the kiss…yes, there is a kiss and damn. I was so there for it and it’s beautiful.

The story is great. I related to both characters. This is a new adult coming into their own story. I’m not going to say “growing up” because both men are adults. They are just realizing that the road that they started on, isn’t the one for them. I think everyone can relate to that. Milton does an incredible job with these two very different characters and having them blend so beautifully. Their romance is cute and awkward.

I just love everything about this book. The secondary cast is diverse in every area. Plus, they are funny, awkward, and intrusive as friends and family should be. Then of course we have our main characters. The artwork is eye-catching. Everything is just…I just adore this book. So yes, I highly recommend this book. (chuckle).

I'll definitely read volume 2 that was really cute .
It took me longer to read but it was really a good time

i’d heard about the webcomic on tapas but only recently picked it up for the physical release, and i ended up really regretting not reading this sooner! as someone who liked other queer food/cooking-related graphic novels such as Basil and Oregano and Chef's Kiss, it was probably no surprise that i enjoyed this one a lot too, but this was still so much more than i expected!

in Hungry Heart, we are introduced to Laurie, a struggling food writer, who is given the opportunity to interview the infamous celebrity chef Oryan. we follow the two—and their family and friends—as they forge a beautiful growing friendship (and more?) and address their own biggest fears and insecurities.

releasing november 19th, Hungry Heart had equally resolute heart, character, and promise, alongside the cutest and softest illustrations you're sure to love. after finishing the volume, i immediately went on to add the rest of the series on tapas, excited to read about future plotlines they’ve hinted at for a few side characters. i highly recommend this for anyone looking to read a lovely story that will not only make them feel warm inside but also critical of their own lived experiences – be it personally, in their careers, or of the online fandom space.

★ content warnings:
- eating disorder
- body dysmorphia
- anxiety
- racism
- homophobia

thanks to netgalley and andrews mcmeel publishing for the arc 🤍

I was absolutely not ready for how much I fell in love with these characters.

Laurie, my poor precious potato so full of anxiety. Being a blogger, aspiring food writer, and unfortunately a cater waiter this baby is busy, but not too busy to develop a crush on Oryan.

Oryan, gosh how can I even explain how much I loved him. He is also a very anxious baby but in a different way to Laurie. He is also a fellow pansexual disaster and while I support my bisexual babes, it’s really nice to see myself represented too. His fame is becoming so big it’s swallowing him and he clings to the relationships he feels safe in, which just melted my heart.

The friend group, Laurie’s queer friend group gave me so much joy. His roommate Pepper is the enby babe we all want to be. Her teasing and funny quips helped to break up a lot of the tough subject matter. Hugo is just eccentric and goofy, always talking about people he knows/hooked up with. Kai is so handsome and I loved seeing his top surgery scars being shown proudly. Ari was gorgeous and her own little side plot made me desperate for her to have her own book.

A few things I think were done super well:
1. The characters are not all white.
2. Ari is a wheel chair user and that isn’t shied away from and the story also shows how accessibly isn’t often thought of when she cannot attend an event due to a lack of elevator.
3. Oryan and his sister’s hair has texture!!!! This is often a huge miss with Black characters so I loved seeing it.
4. Pepper points out Oryan likely faces more criticism because he is Black and the UK is not as progressive as they act.

I am need a volume two so bad!

I enjoyed this book a lot, the characters are charismatic and I loved getting to know them, the art style is gorgeous and really funny, I want to know so much more about them instantly (I did indeed run to Tapas after so I could read more)

I love what we get to know of each of them, their struggles and their dreams, I loved the conversation about pansexuality and just not wanting to explain to people who refuse to understand. I was invested so fast and I could not put this book down, I just needed to keep reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McNeel Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The art was cute, with unique character designs so it was easy to tell the characters apart and keep track of who was doing what. The cast is fairly diverse, with a variety of ethnicities and queer identities, which I appreciated.
While I wanted to root for the characters, since I love food and queer stories, their motivations were underdeveloped. Oryan, at least, was shown as busy with lots of non-cooking activities before he decided to take a break (although the decision itself seemed abrupt). The main character was even harder to get a read on; his anxiety felt like it came out of nowhere sometimes. He clearly had a lot going on beneath the surface, but not a lot of time was spent on exploring his emotional life.
There were several potential threats to the character’s happiness: the threat of being fired from his catering job, the struggle to get food writing jobs, Oryan’s ex-girlfriend, perhaps his parents (each is introduced over a handful of pages, to very little purpose). But we only see MC doing anything to face one of these, the food writing job challenge. These are only some of the subplots introduced without much follow-through.
If the book had been a bit longer, or had fewer plot points, it would have felt more satisfying for me. Even the love story suffers – when Oryan and the MC interact, you can see they are into each other, but the plot arc feels rushed. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that the ending felt incomplete. Oryan and MC get together at the very end of the book; the last page is several panels of Oryan’s ex-girlfriend watching the two of them leave a party together.
Overall, I thought that the plot moved at a strange pace. However, the art was cute and it was an easy read. This book would appeal to teens who are fans of yaoi and rom-coms.

TW: eating disorder and vomiting; anxiety; alcohol use; discussions of racism and pressure of fame;

Laurie is a young writer who hopes to get his big break by interviewing heartthrob chef Oryan Adjei. He is a huge fan but as the interview progresses he realizes that Oryan has a lonely life and isn’t actually happy. As they meet for more interviews, they find that they are both falling for each other but will they have the confidence to take the next step.

This was a very sweet story that touched on a lot of heavy topics. Laurie is dealing with an eating disorder and anxiety. Oryan is dealing with the pressures of fame and coming to the realization that he doesn’t want to be famous, he just wants to cook. These two have a very cute friendship that builds as they slowly get to know each other through text and the interviews. I liked seeing them both overcome some of their issues and take the step to be together.

My one complaint is that Laurie’s eating disorder is not really discussed even though they are clearly still struggling with it. I was expecting more of a discussion between Laurie and Oryan about it but that never happened. The main focus of this book was mostly around Oryan and his issues and I felt like Laurie got overlooked a little. But, I still really enjoyed this story and thought it was a very cute graphic novel.

I thought the art was really well done in this book! The food looked so good I wanted to be able to reach into the page and eat it. Hungry heart is about an anxiety ridden journalist and the super famous chef that is only just getting out of a nasty breakup. The entire comic is a set up of the will they, won’t they dynamic that I can appreciate. This dynamic doesn’t go on too long or overstay it’s welcome which I deeply appreciate. A really well done story that I will come back to if I ever need a cute story.

While a bit abrupt I appreciated the ending being open ended. I also liked the diversity of the characters involved, who knew this many British people existed!

|| REVIEW || ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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Length: 256p
Source: ARC - NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Pub
Release Date: November 19, 2024
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Uhhhh, do…do we get MORE? 🥹
Absolutely darling.
Quirky.
Emotional.
Raw and realistic,
Gorgeous artistry.

Y’all!
I adored this one so much!
Laurie is a blogger and journalist when he gets tasked with interviewing famous chef, Oryan.
He’s clumsy and awkward and he’s struggling, heavily, with eating disorders.
That poor sweetie.

And Oryan just wants to cook.
He’s overworked and depressed and sad.
The multiple text exchanges between these two really show their chemistry and deep pull towards each other.
Their little romance was slow burn but SO SWEET.

I giggled.
I teared up once or twice.
I felt completely SAFE reading this inclusive graphic novel.
And I need MORE.
Yes?

{I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. All reviews are my own.}

This was such a well done graphic novel that touched on a lot of complex issues, while still being fun.

I loved Laurie and Oryan. They both are such adorable, flawed characters and they worked so well together. I really enjoyed Laurie’s friend group as well. The author did a great job at showing how even though they like him, he doesn’t feel like he fully fits in with them either.

I can’t wait to read the next volume!

THIS COMIC WAS SO FREAKING ADORABLE!!! My heart was so happy about how cute, awkward, and adorable these two are together. The best freaking part is that it’s not just the rosy cheeks and sneaking glances, but their conversations are so real and they treat each other like whole human beings in spite of their roles as journalist and famous chef extraordinaire.

I was so in my feelings throughout this whole beautiful comic. I loved the details like how it showed the way Laurie’s chest looks with the bit of sag from when he had an eating disorder, Kai’s top surgery scars, and Ari being a wheelchair user, but also her being for the girls and being confident and I loved her so damn much. Every single character felt three dimensional. They all have lives, wants, and personalities of their own and it made this comic feel like a snapshot of life itself.

Everything feels so real. The exploration of fame, burnout, and learning to live for yourself was gorgeously done. I loved that during the interviews Laurie made sure he had Oryan’s permission to write about certain things. Laurie, while an absolute fanboy, was nothing but respectful and because of that Oryan felt seen and heard and not sensationalized by him.

When they started texting organically it was this new and exciting thing for both of them. As someone who regularly has a major crush on her partner of 5 years even though we’ve been together so long I felt that cute aggression reading this. They were absolutely smitten by each other and it was soooooooooo cute.

I loved Hungry Hearts it’s beautiful, adorable, amazing, 10/10! Please everyone reading this add this to your tbr. It is a gem. Jem Milton’s writing is so so good. They’ve written something I will be gushing over the rest of my life.

What a glorious and diverse story.
It's a slow burn romance between a chef who was a teenage prodigy and an aspiring food writer with an eating disorder.
The art is great. There's a cast of diverse characters.
The two leads are both lovely but each has their issues. Laurie, the aspiring food writer, had an eating disorder as a teen which still makes an appearance occasionally, and Oryan was thrust into the limelight at a young age, and suffers with anxiety.
It was beautiful watching a friendship form between the two which gradually moved to more.
I've not read the webcomic this is based on but the volume 1 tag on this book implies there is more to come and I'm eager for it. That said it ends in a perfectly suitable place for a comic. The final panels full of joy and teasing possibilities.
I recieved this as an ARC from Netgalley. Would I buy it? Yes. I'd love a physical copy for my shelves.

A graphic novel full of queer and diverse characters centered on the love story between two boys

This story is also full of heavy topics that might trigger some people and in my opinion would have benefited from having more space with a second volume

I enjoied reading it and I'm very interested to read other works from the author

Thanks to the author and publisher for making it available on NetGalley

What an adorable, quirky graphic novel!

I loved how the story was more than just a rom-com. We really got to know the characters, like what they enjoy but also what they’re struggling with.

‘Hungry Hearts’ has lots of wonderful diversity and mental health rep. Trigger warnings for anxiety, burn out and ED!

I didn’t know there would be other volumes, so the abrupt ending caught me a bit off guard. I NEED MORE NOW!

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

A sweet queer romance with some really fun characters! Enjoyed reading about these characters and this book tackled hard issues very well
Wish it didn’t end as abruptly as it did, left me feeling like I was missing out, I think this could work well as a stand alone instead of trying to make it a series.

The cover drew me in at first, I just found it so cute! As I started reading the cuteness and warm feeling only grew and it dealt with more intense topics well.

A great big thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the e-ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinions or beliefs of NetGalley and/or the publisher.

TW: please be aware that this series discusses the sensitive subject of eating disorders.

'Hungry Heart by Jem Milton' is a slow burn queer romance graphic novel and it's absolutely precious. I would recommend this over heart stopped, not gunna lie. This graphic novel just made me so happy. The beautiful art/Illustrations really make the whole story. Everyone is so beautiful!

The plot is a simple one. Laurie is a writer and Oryan a famous chef. They meet to do an interview and start a sort of whirlwind relationship starting with a really fantastic friendship that anyone would die to have. Supportive of each other, the two of them work through the chaos that is their separate and combined lives.

I ship these two so hard! This whole book is so wholesome and you really connect with all the characters. The characters are really inclusive and diverse.

So refreshing to have such an inclusive range of characters, I really respect that.

I can't wait to read more; I am invested.

"Hungry Heart" is a YA graphic novel by Jem Milton. Laurie is a writer who gets the chance to interview celebrity chef Oryan. He thinks he flubs the interview, but Oryan likes his honesty and agrees to do a series of interviews. As they get to know each other, sparks start to fly. Both of them are trying to figure out where they want to go in life and what makes them happy. Colorful and fun illustrations add to the humor of the story. A highly recommended purchase for YA GN collections, especially where other WebToon novels are popular.

2.75


A heartwarming romantic comedy with charming art.
It has more potential than what is published here as the ending felt very fast.

Still want to read more about these characters and know their stories.