Voyage de Gourmet

by Paul Tobin, Jem Milton (Illustrations)

Teenagers compete in a reality TV cooking show that puts their friendship to the test.

Layne Green is a social media sensation of a cook. He's selected to compete on a reality TV show called Voyage de Gourmet - a globe-trotting foodie adventure. However, his partner is his former best friend, Jiang-Mi Pipper, someone that he really wronged with some of his posts. Can the two find forgiveness, flavor, and themselves on this journey?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Comics, Fiction, Middle Grade, Food, Cooking

248 pages, Paperback

Published December 12, 2023

About the author

Paul Tobin is the Eisner-award winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Bandette, Colder, and many other comic books and graphic series.

Bandette, drawn by Colleen Coover, was awarded the Eisner Award for Best Digital Series in 2013, 2016, and 2017; and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award for Graphic Literature in 2016. His original graphic novel I Was the Cat was nominated for an Eisner in 2015.

The Genius Factor: How to Capture an Invisible Cat , first in his five-book series of middle-grade books, came out in 2016 from Bloomsbury Kids. It was followed in 2017 by How To Outsmart A billion Robot Bees , and How To Tame A Human Tornado in March 2018.

Reviews

[Samuel Edme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted here:https://samsstudios.substack.com/p/we...

Social media sensations and erstwhile childhood friends Layne Green and Jang-Mi Pipper are forced to band together again to win the titular cooking reality show in Paul Tobin’s newest comic which isn’t anything less than a scrumptious YA delight. The two 16-year-old protagonists cook up a rich dynamic that’s interesting to see evolve, especially on Layne’s part. From beginning to end, he's the same person in essence who’s passionate about cooking different dishes, but he matures throughout learning to take accountibility after an incident at middle school when he posts The Warthog Confessions, a series of videos where he confesses his love for Jang using footage from moments with her during her most personal moments which were recorded without her consent.

While from Layne’s perspective at the time, it seemed harmless, his obliviousness didn’t exempt him from the consequences of a strained friendship that lasted a few years. Even when Layne and Jang do team up together for the show, it takes time for him to earn her trust again, and it all occurs pretty organically. Jang is initially hostile only choosing Layne as a cooking partner because there are no other options before gradually warming up to him.

You would that since they’re on a reality program, there would be a lot more backstabbing and drama (and don’t get me wrong, those are present), but for the most part, the contestants are likable and friendly people who hang out and even offer to lend a helping hand to each other when needed. I think everyone received enough equal focus that by the end, it felt like I personally knew all of them. If I had to pick my favorite contestant pair, it would be a tie between the adventurous Karla Keeple & Tuck Friar and Andre Okafor & Citra Susanto who “are all about that sassy sauce.”

The only contestant duo I dislike is Flip Macklin and Flop House, both of whom are easily among the most entitled brats I’ve seen in a book. Every time they were on page complaining about petty matters or flagrantly skirting rules to their advantage, I wished for them to be eliminated from the competition. I guess this was intentional, so props to Paul Tobin for creating such genuinely annoying individuals to juxtapose the mostly likable characters.

Overall, Voyage de Gourmet is my type of gourmet meal I’d recommend to YA readers and foodies looking for a light story with fun characters and settings.

Thank you Netgalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Esme · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun!!

I adore cooking shows it's one of my favorite things to watch when I'm scrolling through TV so I knew I had to jump on the chance at reading this!

I loved the conversation about forgiveness and friendship that was at the root of this story. Frog was really the MVP and I adored him. The characters were fun and diverse, I loved all the food, the challenges and the art style was just so cute.

Thank you Netgalley, Paul Tobin as well as Mad caves studio for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Maverick, for the advance reading copy.

This graphic novel gives more of comic book style rather than the conventional graphic novel format. However, I do love the art sequence and the way the dialogues are being delivered.

This is the story of a group of youngsters who are passionate about food and going to participate in a tv cooking show. Things do get a bit chaotic in the middle but it’s worth it. The characters are distinct and they do stand out. Test of friendship and test of self doubt, this graphic novel provides a lot of insight into what goes on in a person when it comes to competing and losing.

I really appreciate the multicultural rep when it comes to the multiple characters.

Such a fun read!

[nush ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you to the author and publisher for an e-arc of this graphic novel. all thoughts and opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

— 4 ⚝

it took me a while to fully get into this. the art style is gorgeous but it is completely different from what i usually like and read. the story was really fun and the idea of a reality cooking show in graphic novel format was extremely interesting. i also enjoyed that the main character layne was extremely flawed and had some work to do. i loved seeing him recognise his mistakes, acknowledge that he hurt someone, take responsibility for it and apologise. chloe and andre were my favourite characters and i loved the way they were illustrated. each stage of the competition was also very well thought out so I really enjoyed reading those. the dialogues are witty and easy to follow along with. i also enjoyed seeing the representation of various different ethnicities and disability representation was badass. overall a solid read for young adults. id highly recommend especially if you like food wars and masterchef.

[el (celestialbronz) · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE THISSSS. It's mainly about fixing an estranged friendship, and self discovery but set in a culinary competition with a lot of interesting characters

- featuring my country, Indonesia!! with a pretty accurate situation too. and it doesn't just pick popular destination like Bali so it's a plus point for me
- there's an Indonesian character (or at least diaspora) based on her name but sadly there's no scene about her "connection" with the country...
- it's so dramatic and fun to read
- the illustrations are gorgeous!
- the competition itself not really made sense for me but that's fine it's fiction after all

not gonna add it to my favorite graphic novel list but it's still memorable for sure

[Kayla Zabcia]

DNF; 1/3 of the way through

Sorry, but what Layne did was unacceptable and doesn't deserve forgiveness by any stretch of the imagination. I can't in good conscience read a book where they try to excuse such an abuse of trust.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever catch yourself daydreaming about the whirlwind lives of contestants on cooking shows, or perhaps secretly harbored dreams of donning the apron yourself back in the day? Voyage de Gourmet allows you to experience the cooking show ‘Voyage de Gourmet’ through the eyes of Layne Green and the other contestants.

This graphic novel had me hooked with its delightful artwork and a premise that's as thrilling as a flaming soufflé. Picture an outrageously over-the-top cooking show serving as the backdrop for Layne Green's chance encounter with his ex-BFF, the spirited Jang-Mi Pipper. Within the pages, you'll find a feast of challenges, camaraderie, and the occasional kitchen clash among the contestants.

The overall narrative serves up a heartwarming tale, though at times, it left me wishing for a little more complexity. Despite this longing, the deep bond between Jang-Mi and Layne remained palpable. However, I felt that their friendship might be too far down to get up again. Sometimes that made the story a little thrilling, but also a little bit unbelievable.

But, fear not – amidst the culinary chaos, the real star of the character-building show is Jang-Mi's furry companion, Frog. As a dog lover, I found myself effortlessly falling for Frog as a character, and his presence added a delightful layer to the story, infusing moments of levity and warmth.

While the spotlight shines on the friendship duo, the narrative also gives you a backstage pass to the entire show, offering glimpses into the lives of the diverse contestants. The constant switch in perspectives keeps things lively, but, the fast-paced shifts left me yearning for a deeper connection with some characters. Despite this, some moments had me in stitches or gleefully clenching my fists at the sheer cuteness.

Diversity takes the stage in this culinary adventure, even if it occasionally flirts with stereotypes. The characters, though, won me over with their charm and the unique ways in which they were introduced. So, if you're craving a flavorful blend of friendship, laughter, and a dash of competitive spice, Voyage de Gourmet is your ticket to a rollicking good time!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for letting me read this book. It was a pleasure to have this opportunity.

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Mad Cave Studios and Maverick for a copy of Voyage de Gourmet!

"Layne Green is a social media sensation of a cook. He's selected to compete on a reality TV show called Voyage de Gourmet - a globe-trotting foodie adventure. However, his partner is his former best friend, Jiang-Mi Pipper, someone that he really wronged with some of his posts. Can the two find forgiveness, flavor, and themselves on this journey?"

Voyage de Gourmet has teens/young adults competing in a cooking-travel show. It gets chaotic and tense, then sweet. I also like that this graphic novel touches on posting social media content without your peers' consent -- even if that content is deemed "harmless".

Overall, I can always rely on Maverick to deliver a heartfelt graphic novel with diverse characters!

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Mad Cave Studios, Maverick, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this fun book. I liked the concept of the competitive cooking show around which the story is built. Great writing, wonderful, realistic, diverse set of characters, beautiful artwork, and lots of action and drama (just like on TV) made for a very enjoyable, fast-paced read. I definitely recommend this book and would’ve loved to see some recipes of the foods the contestants made in the competition in an appendix or a section at the back of the book.

[Leslie Zemeckis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! About teenagers competing in a cooking show on TV - friends and former friends and cooking - super fun

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun comic book about a young cook and his friend that he influenced on cooking, but then wronged. When both were selected in a team of cook, how would they clear up the misunderstanding? Just love the tour around the world, though a bit impossible, but it does give flavor to the story. And friendships along the way.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute and fun adventure with a solid message. The ending was a bit convoluted, but it was overall an enjoyable read.

[Audrey S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5

This is going to be everywhere as Amazing Race meets Masterchef but in graphic novel form - and it is 100% that - but also, there is so much more heart in this story than I had expected going into it.

The story starts off several years before the main event of the race, when Layne and Jiang-Mi are kids together. When they get stuck up a tree (for the second time), Jiang-Mi shares a part of herself with Layne. Layne, unfortunately, makes a very rash decision, and thinking it will do no harm, posts Jiang-Mi’s story on social media without her consent, breaking her trust and their friendship.

Layne and Jiang-Mi don’t interact again until they are both much older and cast in the titular reality TV show “Voyage de Gourmet” - they are paired together against other teams and travel the world, making dishes and performing challenges that would give Survivor a run for its money. But as they work together, Layne makes an effort to address and right the wrongs he had done as a kid because he learns that intent does not equal outcome.

The story is quick and the art is a little rapid fire and sketchy-style for my taste, but as I read, I found it really matching the tone of the book. So while the art wasn’t my preferred style, I appreciated what it brought to Layne and Jiang-Mi’s adventures.

Also, I really enjoyed the addition of the walkthrough of how to apologize to a friend that is located in the back of the graphic novel. It’s very thoughtful and well placed, especially with the main theme of the story. I think it will be a great discussion point for young readers.

*I received an eARC from Mad Cave Studios/Maverick & NetGalley. All opinions are my own*

[Mierfie Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow i enjoy every adventure cooking in this book! The drama between Layne and Jiangmi so sweet, what a childhiod sweetheart. I curious about the cooking and want to try make it.

Thank you to NetGalley for provide this book, it is pleasure to review this book.

#VoyagedeGourmet #PaulTobin #MadCaveStudio #Manga #NetGalley #ARC

[Nikolai B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun book with well developed characters. Some females on the beach are wearing bikinis, but its not too visual.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings. 2.5 rounding up cause I know this will have appeal?

I love that our male MC get's called out on being a tool, and I love that we see him grow and confront those less than great parts of himself. I don't love that his final act of SEE I'M NOT A BAD GUY is kind of... still a bad move. He didn't ask his partner/friend for consent before acting; he made a grand gesture of friendship that lost them money and sponsorships. Proving that he didn't really get the point in the first place.

I also found the "villains" to just be too cartoonish and outlandish.

I did like the resource guide at the end.

[Juniper Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the story of a 13 year old kid posting a video of a private conversation on the internet without the consent of his conversation partner. He doesn’t understand why she’s mad at him.
Three years later, he has never apologized and doesn’t get why his friend is still mad at him because she got internet famous because of him.
By some cruel twist in fate, these two are thrown together for a cooking contest. The boy never apologizes, and instead complains that his partner- yes the one he posted videos of online- is mad at him and wants nothing to do with him. After several challenges, the closest the boy gets to apologizing is saying “would I have the advantage over (these other contestants) in a “not a jerk” contest?” So he doesn’t apologize and expects his partner to do all the heavy lifting and just forgive and let live, because he swears he’s a ChAnGeD mAn.

And then he makes a big big big decision to drop the ball on the competition by doing an elaborate display that WILL DISQUALIFY THEM FROM WINNING without talking to his partner. He disqualifies them from the show without consulting her. She could have won prize money that could change her whole life but he took it from her in an elaborate display of trying to get her to stop being mad at him.

the lesson was CONSENT and COURTESY and not being a total DICK and BOY DID HE JUST NOT GET IT.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

For more bookish opinions, visit my blog: Craft-Cycle

Layne Green wants nothing more than to secure a spot on the extreme cooking competition, Voyage de Gourmet. But when he's finally invited on the show... his former best friend will be his partner, leaving him a little confused. Can they get past their falling out to make it to the end of the competition?

Cool concept. Loved the idea of young chefs competing in an extreme cooking competition. There are a lot of interesting dynamics. Deals with issues of forgiveness, selfishness, and friendship.

The artwork is great. Loved getting to know all the different competitors.

I just couldn't fully get into the story. The initial back-and-forth time jumps made it difficult to connect with the characters from the start so I wasn't really invested in Jang-Mi and Layne's friendship. The ending was a bit odd and not all that satisfying.

Overall, an alright read. At the back is a guide on apologizing and information on food banks, which were great inclusions.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one started a little slow for me, but once it got going it was a lot of fun. I can think of other YA graphic novels about cooking competitions and this one is far, far superior. Everything is exaggerated in a way that feels larger than life and a lot of fun, just like a graphic novel can do. w

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two former friends team up to compete in a reality show that's sort of a cross between Top Chef and Amazing Race. To be clear, nothing about this reality show is at all believable. The season is too short, with too few contestants and challenges. Jang-Mi getting accepted for a show where people compete exclusively in pairs without having a partner just wouldn't ever happen, nor would she be allowed to take along a dog who isn't even described as an ESA. The challenges are silly, over the top, and way too random and dangerous for an actual show. I genuinely don't care. Would I have liked this book better if the show at the center of it had been at all believable? Maybe a little, but I was really enjoying myself until the end.

And the end is kind of a big problem. One team gets away with with trying to do something truly awful. It's filmed by a hidden crew, but that footage is apparently never used at all, nor even acknowledged. I kept waiting for anyone beside the one character who stopped them from doing the awful thing to learn about it, but it just never happens. He never even tells anyone else about it! And then one of the main characters makes an entirely baffling decision at the end, which is supposed to be ok because... I don't know, it was a good friendship gesture? It was also a friendship gesture that cost them a huge amount of money, without consulting the other person who would be affected. It just wasn't even remotely satisfying to read.

But. The actual friendship conflict that this entire book is built around is a good and timely one: Layne has posted a lot of very personal content about Jang-Mi online, without her permission, and has literally profited from it. Views and subscribers, yes, but also fame, real life opportunities (though why a cooking influencer with that many subscribers would work in an actual restaurant is baffling), and of course, real money. That it takes literal years for him to realize what he's done wrong is both frustrating and realistic, and that Jang-Mi takes even longer to forgive him is also extremely realistic. Versions of this story happen all the time, on TikTok and reddit and YouTube and every social media platform there is. I really appreciate that Layne is portrayed as selfish and callous, but not malicious or intentionally cruel, and that Jang-Mi doesn't leap to forgiveness. A very topical story, evenly told.

[visceralreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voyage de Gourmet is a journey of forgiveness and learning to be a better person. It follows Layne Green, a teen cook selected for a reality cooking competition 'Voyage de Gourmet', as he fixes his relationship with his ex-best friend Jang-Mi Pipper, and finds some flavor in his life.

The story is simple and it flows well as a graphic novel. The main character Layne is very flawed and it took me until about 60% of the book to start to warm up to him as he realizes the extent of his jerk-ness towards Jang-Mi and admits it to her. I love his character development throughout the book, and there's a really cool section at the back on how to apologize properly to a friend.

Voyage de Gourmet (the competition) is wild, and the last challenge is definitely unethical to some extent (on human and marine life) but anyway, I like that the contestants get to travel to different countries like Indonesia and Belgium to experience the atmosphere there and make use of what's available to them in those countries. The foods are also diverse (shoutout to (filipino) Adobo!!) and I like that they included ingredients for the dishes in the first part of the book.

In addition to food diversity, the cast themself is also quite diverse. I love the biracial, fat, muslim, queer, and disability representation in this book. However there was one team with two (divorced?) men who were astronomical jerks to everyone (and Frog, Jang-Mi's dog) and I might be reading too much into this but they were just horrible gay rep. Jang-Mi lives with her lesbian aunts and their many adopted kids, and Karla and Tuck are married, so I like that casual sapphic rep, but I was just really annoyed with Flip and Flop, the gay assholes. In another book with a different tone, I would've liked them, but this graphic novel is geared towards young adults (maybe even 11+ based on the story tone) and I don't think I want them to have this idea about gay men.

Final rating: 3.5/5

Thank you NetGalley, Mad Cave Studios, and Maverick for this ARC! My opinion is my own

[Chris Giabibble · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC of this graphic novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This colorfully illustrated and chaotic graphic novel by Paul Tobin tells the story of Layne and Jiang-Mi's entry on a cooking contest show. Layne and Jiang-Mi are 16 year old social media cooking sensations and former best friends, that are invited on an international reality cooking show. There will be ups, there will be downs, bribery, backstabbing, and rides on elephants.

There are some inconsistencies in the story that I don't love. In the beginning, Jiang-Mi says she had a choice of three people to partner with and the other two partnered with other people and so she had to choose Layne but then you find out that some of those people she mentioned are partnered with their actual partner in real life, and all the teams are comprised of people that come from the same city, so it just doesn't make sense. Then the age differences are a bit weird, Layne is heralded as this boy cooking genius but Jiang-Mi is there and there is one other team that is 16, the rest of the contestants ages 21 and above. At one point a character called Jack is upset that Layne was flirting with his sister, Chloe (weird, dude) but Chloe is 21 and Layne is 16 - soooo no thank you. In addition the pacing is inconsistent, some parts are action packed and some parts, like the airplane traveling feels like it takes forever. The novel gets points for diversity and inclusion, love to see it.

All in all, it's a quick read and I think this graphic novel would make an excellent show.

[Vail Chester · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise made this book seem like a mash-up of The Amazing Race and Masterchef, and while the wacky food-related challenges ARE a part of the story, that's not the focus.
It's really about past sins, resentment, learning to not be a jerk, and choosing friendship over your own personal gains. Coupled with the cartoony art style, this obvious moral of the story makes it seem like it was supposed to be for a younger audience, but I picked this out of the Teen section of the library so I'm sure they thought it was more relevant for the older kiddos.
Despite that, it really does shine with the different kinds of characters that participate in the competition; not just for representation & diversity's sake, but they read as having their own distinct personalities from each other. Some of the challenges ARE pretty fun tho and I would've liked to see that on a real show if this was really airing on CBS or some other broadcast network.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Layne Green is invited to a reality TV cooking show where there are intense challenges like rock climbing into a volcano to get ingredients. He is placed as the team member of his former best friend, Jiang-Mi Pipper. Why is she a "former" friend? Because he posted some emotional confessions from her on his social media to boost his follower count years ago--and still doesn't get why Jiang-Mi hates him.

They team up against several other competitors for wild adventure across the globe. They make friends (and enemies) along the way and Layne learns a few lessons about himself and his relationship with Jiang-Mi.

I enjoyed the plot of an extreme cooking show and there were amusing scenes, but everything seemed so fast paced. Which, that may have been a little bit of the vibe that the book was going for--quick segments with some "commercial breaks" of character development. I liked some of the different characters, but again, you didn't get to know them very well. They seemed to just be there to help Layne speak outloud without having a monologue.

[Wiggles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute concept that gave me the feeling of childlike wonder when watching cartoons or Disney as a kid. However, this is for all ages. This story is about Layne and Jiang-Mi who were best friends who grew apart after Layne betrayed her by posting a private conversation on his YouTube channel. They both have culinary focused channels, later they end up being paired together to do a world tour cooking challenge reality TV show. It was amazing watching the dynamics between them and the other competitors, but also seeing a diverse background of characters and learning more about the different food careers.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one fell flat for me and I was eagerly anticipating it because it had been hyped and it's the kind of story and format I dig-- however I didn't connect Layne or even Jang-Mi so I wasn't invested in their friendship or falling apart regardless of the cooking adventure they were about to embark on.

If I had to pinpoint what went wrong I think it was the story more than the graphic style. It didn't ground me in a time or place or situation to get my acclimated before launching into the past and present and it felt like frequent popups interrupting the overall flow of the story.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was such a fun, visually engaging read! I first heard about this graphic novel via NetGalley. While I was fortunate to receive an advance digital copy, I actually ended up reading the physical book from my local library. In this reality cooking competition show, former besties Layne and Jiang-Mi are paired up against several other colorful duos. There is so much variety in this book that reading it felt like a trip to a buffet… a little something for everyone.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny coming of age when you're already famous but still have a lot to learn about being a friend and person. The over-the-topness is really over the top, the sweetness is very sweet. It is not WOW but there is a lot going on, totally crazy and potential for multiple types of readers. The food aspect does play a large part, but it is the personal relationships that work. Diverse cast and funny illustrations.

[Jordan Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful graphic tale that centers the power of forgiveness and food! This food competition tale reads just like a young adult top chef mixed with survivor!

Art is beautiful, focus on relationship and social awareness and aptitude.

[Audrey Zarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute! I love relationshipy stuff, I love dogs and I love cooking and cooking competitions and this GN had it all. Brings a smile.