There is so much about the description of FOOD PERSON that I should have loved it from the first page. But reading it has caused me to think carefully about what I do and don’t like about characters and protagonists. I feel as though author Adam D. Roberts thought of as many peculiar characters and situations as he could and roped them into this tale. And I realized quickly how much I dislike obsessively timid protagonists who, despite not showing any agency, believe they are in pursuit of big dreams that will come true. The protagonist, Isabelle, annoyed me for the entire book. The people who surround her are equally peculiar, but not in a funny way. I’m guessing that the author thought a crazy mother who concocts strange food from cans would be hilarious; then he makes her a hoarder, not so funny at all. I liked all the foodie references but wish there had been a razor sharp wit to accompany the mentions. I received my copy from the author through NetGalley.

Though it was interesting to read a sort-of rom com by a food writer, the characters were a little flat and could have used a little more development. I think a lot of time was spent on the chaos that is Molly, a bit at the expense of some of the other characters. That being said, I did enjoy reading it and was glad to see the story through.

For a debut novel, this is pretty solid but it could really use some thoughtful editing beyond the standard grammar and sentence structure. The characterizations need some more thoughtful work.

• Isabella’s mom clearly has severe mental health issues going on, but this is very lightly breezed over and resolved fairly quickly. Isabella’s character is someone who is very knowledgeable about cooking, food, ingredients, etc, so you’d think she’d also be knowledgeable about food safety, yet doesn’t think twice about her mom making insane food concoctions for homeless shelters with basically expired ingredients. It doesn’t make any sense that Isabella wouldn’t question this or have any genuine concerns over this.

• While Isabella’s love interest, Gabe, was a nice touch, it was totally unnecessary. She ghosts him multiple times, but then they go on one date and she moves in with him? Doesn’t make any sense.

Overall, entertaining book, could use some better editing when it comes to characterization.

Isabella Pasternak is a food writer for a trendy magazine who unceremoniously gets the axe after failing miserably at cooking on camera. Then she gets the chance of a lifetime: ghostwrite a cookbook for Molly Babcock, a washed-up actress who’s trying to reinvent herself. Molly, as it turns out, doesn’t cook, and is so hot and cold with Isabella that Isabella herself has no idea how to proceed. Can Isabella figure out how to reach Molly so that both of them can have a second chance, or will both of their careers go up in flames?

This book has all the pieces of a book that I would normally fall in love with, but something about it just didn’t totally add up.

The positive: Adam Roberts clearly loves food, and absolutely knows what he’s talking about. The food depicted in the book is mouthwatering and made me HUNRGY.

The not-so-positive: Isabella and Molly are both very surface-level characters that seem like they have distinct personalities at first, but they continually do things that are the opposite of what they should do based on what we knew about them earlier. Isabella’s constant holier-than-thou attitude towards ghostwriting because she wants to write something meaningful turns into being excited about writing a gossipy piece that is anything but. Molly’s treatment of Isabella vacillates between BFFs and worst enemies with no purpose or explanation, so I was just confused. They go around and around in circles, and the resolution is cheesy and predictable.

Molly and Isabella were also very clearly written by a man who’s either an elder millennial or young gen X and has no idea how “the young people” actually talk—reading some of the dialogue was painful. Actual quote: “‘Wow, the daylight is being so extra right now,’ said Molly.” No.

The most interesting character BY FAR is Isabella’s mother Jeannie, who has become a hoarder since losing her husband, as well as causing chaos with her foul cooking. I wanted more of her and a better arc for her story, but her very serious mental health issues were swept under the rug.

I struggled with how to rate this because when it’s good, it’s very good, but when it’s bad, it’s a massive disappointment. Not quite 2 stars, not quite 3; somewhere in between.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for an ARC. Good Person publishes on May 20, 2025.

This was a fun read. I appreciated the humor and the food. Thank you for making food a character. Well done

This book was nothing serious, but a lot of fun. However, I will say that I love to cook, watch Top Chef, and listen to food centric podcasts. Due to the outrageous amount of name dropping, mentions of of specific cookbooks, restaurants, etc, you will be very annoy If you are not tuned in the hipster food scene. The story itself is nothing new, but fine.

This book is for foodie "cool kids" and that makes it cringey at times. I recommend, but only for those that are shameless at consuming food content.

4 stars- this was great! i really enjoyed this and can't wait for others to do the same! thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Did I pick this up solely for the fantastic cover? Yes. Yes, I sure did.

But inside I found a surprisingly delightful read. I think this book is a great low-stakes comedic look at what it means to be successful and how that differs from person to person. It offered an easy-to-read writing style that kept the book flowing well. The pacing was great, I never noticed any lags or points in the story where my interest started to wane.

I thought both Molly and Isabella were great characters with their own complexities. Although the story stays fairly surface level in exploring their conflicts, relationships, and character development, I still really enjoyed the portrayal of both characters and the rest of the cast that rounded out this story.

I also really loved that even though the food industry is a popular topic in books right now (specifically in the romance genre) we are not really seeing females in the field. We most often get the male chef as a character so I really appreciated seeing a food centered books that featured two female main characters.

This is a great vacation read or a nice palate cleanser from heavier books. I enjoyed it!

**Food Person** by Adam Roberts is a witty debut novel that explores food, fame, and self-discovery through the eyes of Isabella Pasternack. Passionate about food, Isabella lives for the perfect egg and gets lost in cookbooks, yet her life takes a turn when she is forced to ghostwrite a cookbook for washed-up actress Molly Babcock, who is indifferent to food and caught up in her own drama.

Roberts skillfully balances humor and heart while providing insight into the food media world, from the labor behind celebrity cookbooks to the lives of kitchen staff. The relationship between Isabella and Molly evolves from reluctant partners to a deeper connection, showcasing Molly’s hidden vulnerabilities as Isabella remains driven and dedicated.

Isabella's sincere passion for food serves as the story's backbone, emphasizing its power to connect people. Roberts's lively prose, filled with wit and warmth, makes this book enjoyable despite a somewhat predictable plot. **Food Person** is a light yet emotionally rich read that will leave you both laughing and hungry for more.

**Verdict:** A delightful, satisfying exploration of food and self-discovery, perfect for anyone who has loved food or faced career challenges.

Being vegan I was hesitant about reading this book but I actually enjoyed the food and cooking themes throughout this book. I'd rate the first half of this book as a four but the second half was disappointing as the main characters continued to make the same mistakes, a romance happens with the speed of light and the main characters are suddenly best friends forever. All these events could have been achieved more gracefully had they started earlier with gradual changes in the character's attitudes. Overall it's a fun short read.

I tried to get into this story but it just didn't hold my attention. I'm sure it's a wonderful novel but just not for me.

I found this a very compelling read on several levels:
It was fun to see food through the eyes of some one obsessed with its quality of ingredients and meticulous preparation;
It was emotionally fulfilling to share the character’s ups and downs with her widowed mother;
I identified with the protagonist’s professional challenges; and,
I loved the building of a friendship, and the “ ah-ha moment” when our character understood what friendship was, and what it required.

I got lost in the “ food chat” a few times, but overall this was a warm,bengaging, food-centric coming of age story which I really enjoyed.

Give me a good food book any day. Food Person by Adam Roberts will leave your mouth watering. It’s coming soon.

How to dodge all the foodie metaphors when writing about this cooking driven novel? It goes off the boil, it doesn’t have much flavor. Etc. it’s a pleasant enough read, though excessively long and repetitive. Its paens to various cookery writers and their books should have been edited down hard. Ditto the repetitive characterizations - Jeannie and her rotten food, Molly and her predictably unpredictable behavior. The author doesn’t have the lightest of hands when setting up a swerve in the plot. Usually we can see these coming a mile away.
Overall, I’m surprised to see this generic offering under the Knopf imprint. It’s mild, not especially literary and lacking polish.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor/Knopf for providing me an advance copy of Adam Roberts’s #debut novel, Food Person, in exchange for an honest review.

#FoodPerson is a #contemporaryfiction novel about two women who must learn to navigate their clashing personalities in an attempt to save their careers and bolster each other's reputations, set against the fiery backdrop of the #NYC food scene.

Former food staff writer, Isabella Pasternack, is seeking re-employment in the industry after being terminated and publicly humiliated when she suffers a souffle snafu during her live-streamed demonstration. Desperate for a paycheck and a job that will help launch her dream career, she reluctantly accepts a ghostwriting project to pen a cookbook for a celebrity who has fallen from Hollywood's good graces.

Molly Babcock, tabloid queen and agent of chaos, is a washed-up, egotistical television actress whose career is floundering. Publishing a celebrity #cookbook is a last ditch attempt to rehabilitate her image. Although the rights to her cookbook sold, she has yet to write a single page for the project that was due yesterday, which is when her talent manager advises using a ghostwriter.

Upon meeting Molly, Isabella soon discovers that the starlet is a nightmare collaborator. Between her wild mood swings and her apathetic attitude towards food, the book, along with her dream career, seem destined to fail. To worsen matters, Molly is barely around to help test recipes or provide input, and on the rare occasions when she is around, she is either hungover from partying with her bad-boy, former co-star or evades Isabella's questions. Translation: Isabella has bitten off more than she can chew (no pun intended).

Much like the protagonist, the novel appears to suffer an identity crisis; often indecisive about which themes to tackle, the tone, and overall genre. At times, the characters, chapters, and even subplots feel as if they were written by different authors or were the result of combining separate versions with distinct aims. While there are glimmers of a strong plot with solid characters, the story is in dire need of editing.

The one silver lining is that it is clear the author is well-versed in the industry, which makes the passages about the history of famous food writers and their recipe books interesting. With some tightening of the passages and omissions of the heavier material, this book could make for a whimsical #romcom debut. Final verdict: 2.5 stars.

Zero interest in reading a book about someone with so little self confidence that they have pity sex. Clearly written by a man.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Food Person.

First, great cover!

Second, I love to eat and the descriptions of the mouthwatering dishes in the narrative made me salivate.

Third, the premise about an inspiring food writer named Isabella Pasternack who is tasked to ghostwrite a cookbook with a Lindsay Lohan-like celebrity sounded intriguing.

There are vibes of The Devil Wears Prada since Isabella is socially awkward, not into gossip blogs and fashion, but she loves to eat and her passion is cooking and food.

Her only ambition; to be a famous food writer a la Ruth Reichl and she'll do almost anything to achieve her goal.

I didn't like or dislike Isabella; I could relate to some of her qualities and feelings but at times I was frustrated by her meek and mildness.

Also, the tone of the narrative feels off; at times it reads as biting and dark, than it becomes campy and rom-com-ish.

That was my biggest gripe; the narrative quickly turned romantic and corny too fast.

Isabella finds the love of her life with a great guy who is also a chef!

She and her mom have resolved their differences and all is well.

Isabella and Molly are BFFs.

I won't lie and say I didn't roll my eyes. It was too corny to be believed.

Everything is resolved and tied up with a neat bow at the end.

I liked the writing and the descriptions of the food and dishes but the narrative was too sappy by the end.

Interesting read…. the characters were all kind of unlikable and the main character especially was insufferable. Made for an entertaining story though! This book was easy to get into and a light easy read. It was exactly what I needed at the time. This is a great brain candy book that’s not a romance. 3.75 stars.

Thank you net galley for the e arc! Calling all foodies!!! This one is for you. This book follows Isabela who recently got a job ghostwriting a cookbook for a famous actress Molly who is an absolute hot mess I'm talking drinking, drugs and an absolute trash boyfriend. Molly is so mean and unlikable I just couldn't even deal with it and was rooting for Isabela the whole time. This book was so fun and different from any I've read before. I loved all the famous chef and cookbooks that were named in this book and I also loved how Isabela collected cookbooks (I felt so seen as a cookbook collector) just an over fun book with a happy ending.

I very rarely give five stars for a book; it has to make a strong social statement. That said, I'm giving FOOD PERSON four stars.

I'm not a foodie, I didn't get many of the references to "famous" chefs or haute cuisine dishes, New York top restaurants. But that did not detract one bit from my enjoyment of this story. It's about a lot more than food: it's about relationships, do-overs, second chances. Even "bad guys" can have a change of heart.

Do yourself a flavor: pop up a bucket of popcorn, put your feet up and sink into this charming tale.

Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.