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The Underdog
The debut novel from the multi-award winning food writer
Sometimes life doesn't follow a recipe…
Katy is thirty-six, has recently been dumped by her dull-yet-deceitful fiancé and in a (not-unrelated) moment of madness, abandoned a Solid, Decently Paid Career to pursue her dream of becoming a chef. But, after a year of expensive cookery school and months in Michelin-star kitchens blow-drying edible ferns for free, she finds herself making sandwiches (heritage duck egg and black garlic mayonnaise on sourdough, admittedly, but sandwiches all the same) in a north London café and stuck in an ill-advised situationship with a twentysomething who thinks he’s his generation's answer to Marco Pierre White.
Then, a gorgeous doctor strolls in and orders an espresso. Katy is briefly charmed… until she sees the scruffy mutt at his feet. Katy hates dogs — and Dr Dipesh never goes anywhere without Alan. Can she overlook this major red flag? Will she ever convince her mother she’s not having a midlife crisis? And, when a drunken mishap involving a restaurant critic turns Katy’s life upside down, will she ever see Dip, Alan or the inside of a kitchen again?
Sometimes life doesn't follow a recipe…
Katy is thirty-six, has recently been dumped by her dull-yet-deceitful fiancé and in a (not-unrelated) moment of madness, abandoned a Solid, Decently Paid Career to pursue her dream of becoming a chef. But, after a year of expensive cookery school and months in Michelin-star kitchens blow-drying edible ferns for free, she finds herself making sandwiches (heritage duck egg and black garlic mayonnaise on sourdough, admittedly, but sandwiches all the same) in a north London café and stuck in an ill-advised situationship with a twentysomething who thinks he’s his generation's answer to Marco Pierre White.
Then, a gorgeous doctor strolls in and orders an espresso. Katy is briefly charmed… until she sees the scruffy mutt at his feet. Katy hates dogs — and Dr Dipesh never goes anywhere without Alan. Can she overlook this major red flag? Will she ever convince her mother she’s not having a midlife crisis? And, when a drunken mishap involving a restaurant critic turns Katy’s life upside down, will she ever see Dip, Alan or the inside of a kitchen again?
277 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Huge thanks to 4th Estate and William Collins for the gifted ARC.
“I hate dogs.”
This is the opening line of “The Underdog”, and honestly, one of the funniest I’ve read in a long time. The first few pages are pure joy: sharp, refreshing and deliciously honest. There’s something oddly satisfying about hearing a character say something so socially unacceptable out loud, especially in our dog-obsessed world. The rant about trying to “carve out a dog-free life in twenty-first-century London” is hilarious and feels genuinely bold.
But… be warned. That boldness doesn’t last long. Within just a few pages, our protagonist goes from dog-hater to dog-lover, almost as if even fiction can’t sustain a truly unpopular opinion. And just like that, the story shifts from something edgy and different into something much more familiar.
What started as a witty, cynical and refreshingly original premise quickly turns into a well-trodden narrative path. (Skip the rest of the paragraph if you want to avoid spoilers): girl quits law to pursue cooking, disaster strikes, she loses everything, starts over, opportunities conveniently appear, relocates somewhere picturesque and remote and of course, gets the boy (and yes, the dog).
Don’t get me wrong: the writing is solid and the story is enjoyable enough. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that by choosing the safe, familiar route, the book doesn’t fully live up to its brilliant premise. There’s a slight drag in the middle and by the end, while it’s pleasant, it’s also forgettable. Likely to blend in with countless similar stories. And that’s such a shame.
Still, I’m genuinely glad I read it, if only for those opening chapters, which felt fresh, funny and full of promise.
“I hate dogs.”
This is the opening line of “The Underdog”, and honestly, one of the funniest I’ve read in a long time. The first few pages are pure joy: sharp, refreshing and deliciously honest. There’s something oddly satisfying about hearing a character say something so socially unacceptable out loud, especially in our dog-obsessed world. The rant about trying to “carve out a dog-free life in twenty-first-century London” is hilarious and feels genuinely bold.
But… be warned. That boldness doesn’t last long. Within just a few pages, our protagonist goes from dog-hater to dog-lover, almost as if even fiction can’t sustain a truly unpopular opinion. And just like that, the story shifts from something edgy and different into something much more familiar.
What started as a witty, cynical and refreshingly original premise quickly turns into a well-trodden narrative path. (Skip the rest of the paragraph if you want to avoid spoilers): girl quits law to pursue cooking, disaster strikes, she loses everything, starts over, opportunities conveniently appear, relocates somewhere picturesque and remote and of course, gets the boy (and yes, the dog).
Don’t get me wrong: the writing is solid and the story is enjoyable enough. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that by choosing the safe, familiar route, the book doesn’t fully live up to its brilliant premise. There’s a slight drag in the middle and by the end, while it’s pleasant, it’s also forgettable. Likely to blend in with countless similar stories. And that’s such a shame.
Still, I’m genuinely glad I read it, if only for those opening chapters, which felt fresh, funny and full of promise.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*
The Underdog follows Katie who is dumped at thirty-six years old so decides to change her career from law to pursuing her dream job as a chef. Katie has been to cookery school and has worked in Michelin-star kitchens for free but ends up making sandwiches in a north London café. One day a doctor walks into the café with his dog. Dogs aren’t allowed in the café and Katie hates them. The trouble is Dr Dipesh adores his dog, Alan and Katie has to admit that the doctor is very handsome. Katie still dreams of working as a professional chef but her life is turned upside down when she makes a mistake with a professional restaurant critic. Katie wonders if her career is over and if anything can happen with Dr Dipesh when he loves his dog.
To be completely honest this book simply wasn’t for me at all. It’s just not to my taste and this isn’t something I would have read if I didn’t read an arc. The writing of this book is competent and I was intrigued to read this because I don’t like dogs either. But, this book is much more like the chick lit books that used to be popular so if you enjoyed those, you’ll enjoy this. As I said, this wasn’t for me so I can’t say I enjoyed this which is a shame because I’ve loved previous fourth estate titles. It took me a long time to get through this because I wasn’t compelled to keep reading and I can’t say I enjoyed the message of the book at the end involving dogs.
The Underdog follows Katie who is dumped at thirty-six years old so decides to change her career from law to pursuing her dream job as a chef. Katie has been to cookery school and has worked in Michelin-star kitchens for free but ends up making sandwiches in a north London café. One day a doctor walks into the café with his dog. Dogs aren’t allowed in the café and Katie hates them. The trouble is Dr Dipesh adores his dog, Alan and Katie has to admit that the doctor is very handsome. Katie still dreams of working as a professional chef but her life is turned upside down when she makes a mistake with a professional restaurant critic. Katie wonders if her career is over and if anything can happen with Dr Dipesh when he loves his dog.
To be completely honest this book simply wasn’t for me at all. It’s just not to my taste and this isn’t something I would have read if I didn’t read an arc. The writing of this book is competent and I was intrigued to read this because I don’t like dogs either. But, this book is much more like the chick lit books that used to be popular so if you enjoyed those, you’ll enjoy this. As I said, this wasn’t for me so I can’t say I enjoyed this which is a shame because I’ve loved previous fourth estate titles. It took me a long time to get through this because I wasn’t compelled to keep reading and I can’t say I enjoyed the message of the book at the end involving dogs.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5* The Underdog - Felicity Cloake. A small book with a big warm heart and stuffed with charm (and puddings).
To the horror of her mother, Katy jacked in life as a lawyer to retrain at cookery school. Finding herself working in a coffee shop attached to a high-end restaurant, she’s unimpressed when a customer comes in for a coffee with his dog in tow. Dogs aren’t allowed in the coffee shop and Katy does not understand why any one would tie themselves down with a furry, unclean, high-maintenance friend.
From a disastrous encounter with a critic, to a pop-up pushing the boundaries of what you can pull-off in a local community centre, we join Katy and her band of flatmates and she navigates dating, house shares, the tricky world of food and portfolio careers.
From page 1, The Underdog sparkles. Felicity Cloake is a renowned food and non-fiction writer but this foray into fiction allows a different outlet and for her humour to shine through.
The characters are all superb, most spectacularly Alan (a love letter to Felicity’s own terrier Wilf). The many wider cast members each add an extra layer to the tension and fun. The first third of the book built the plot but thereafter it took off like a rocket. I read it in two sittings and thoroughly enjoyed every single page. This is a triumph of a fiction debut with a huge warm furry heart!
Thanks to Fourth Estate and Netgalley for an ARC.
To the horror of her mother, Katy jacked in life as a lawyer to retrain at cookery school. Finding herself working in a coffee shop attached to a high-end restaurant, she’s unimpressed when a customer comes in for a coffee with his dog in tow. Dogs aren’t allowed in the coffee shop and Katy does not understand why any one would tie themselves down with a furry, unclean, high-maintenance friend.
From a disastrous encounter with a critic, to a pop-up pushing the boundaries of what you can pull-off in a local community centre, we join Katy and her band of flatmates and she navigates dating, house shares, the tricky world of food and portfolio careers.
From page 1, The Underdog sparkles. Felicity Cloake is a renowned food and non-fiction writer but this foray into fiction allows a different outlet and for her humour to shine through.
The characters are all superb, most spectacularly Alan (a love letter to Felicity’s own terrier Wilf). The many wider cast members each add an extra layer to the tension and fun. The first third of the book built the plot but thereafter it took off like a rocket. I read it in two sittings and thoroughly enjoyed every single page. This is a triumph of a fiction debut with a huge warm furry heart!
Thanks to Fourth Estate and Netgalley for an ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
After being dumped by her fiancé, Katy decides to revolutionise her life and leave her career in law to follow her dream to become a chef. Problem is, even after the expensive schooling and the months spent in Michelin-star kitchens, she finds herself making sandwiches in a north-London café. Her luck seems to turn when Dr Dipesh walks in, or at least until she sees his dog.
There was something so captivating about this book from the get-go; the first few chapters had a way of sucking me in deeper and deeper without me even noticing and, while it did lose me a little after that, that powerful start was enough to keep me going the whole way through. To me, it felt like something that starts off as a really original and interesting concept, quickly turns into something safer and more familiar, and that let me down a little. However, I still found it to be an incredibly solid read: witty, fun, and easily bingeable, with good writing that carries you to the end.
Many thanks to 4th Estate and William Collins & NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
There was something so captivating about this book from the get-go; the first few chapters had a way of sucking me in deeper and deeper without me even noticing and, while it did lose me a little after that, that powerful start was enough to keep me going the whole way through. To me, it felt like something that starts off as a really original and interesting concept, quickly turns into something safer and more familiar, and that let me down a little. However, I still found it to be an incredibly solid read: witty, fun, and easily bingeable, with good writing that carries you to the end.
Many thanks to 4th Estate and William Collins & NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Katy has left law behind, immersing herself in the high dining scene in London..or at the very least is trying to do so. She thinks dogs are overrated, but isn't really that sure about anything else in life.
This book is about so many things and nothing really at all. It's a wonderful example of letting life just happen and being open minded enough to allow for nuance. I'm sure I'll look back in a week and realise another layer of it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book is about so many things and nothing really at all. It's a wonderful example of letting life just happen and being open minded enough to allow for nuance. I'm sure I'll look back in a week and realise another layer of it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 11, 2026
3.75✨
This would have been a strong 4 star if the ending hadn’t fallen a bit flat (that’s just my personal opinion).
But I thought this was going to be a stereotypical ‘chick lit’ style book where you kind of knew what was going to happen next but it absolutely wasn’t. This was my perfect rom com style book. It has substance, character building and a cute dog. I genuinely really enjoyed reading this one.
This would have been a strong 4 star if the ending hadn’t fallen a bit flat (that’s just my personal opinion).
But I thought this was going to be a stereotypical ‘chick lit’ style book where you kind of knew what was going to happen next but it absolutely wasn’t. This was my perfect rom com style book. It has substance, character building and a cute dog. I genuinely really enjoyed reading this one.
May 16, 2026
Loved it
May 17, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews