Chef's Kiss

by Jarrett Melendez, Danica Brine (Illustrator), Hank Jones (Colorist)

Watch things start to really heat up in the kitchen in this sweet, queer, new adult graphic novel! 

Now that college is over, English graduate Ben Cook is on the job hunt looking for something…anything…related to his passion for reading and writing. But interview after interview, hiring committee after hiring committee, Ben soon learns getting the dream job won’t be as easy as he thought. Proofreading? Journalism? Copywriting? Not enough experience. It turns out he doesn’t even have enough experience to be a garbage collector! But when Ben stumbles upon a “Now Hiring—No Experience Necessary” sign outside a restaurant, he jumps at the chance to land his first job. Plus, he can keep looking for a writing job in the meantime. He’s actually not so bad in the kitchen, but he will have to pass a series of cooking tests to prove he’s got the culinary skills to stay on full-time. But it’s only temporary…right? 

When Ben begins developing a crush on Liam, one of the other super dreamy chefs at the restaurant, and when he starts ditching his old college friends and his old writing job plans, his career path starts to become much less clear. 

Genres: Graphic Novels, Romance, LGBT, Queer, Contemporary, Comics, Fiction

160 pages, ebook

First published April 12, 2022

Reviews

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my heart, this was SO FREAKING CUTE and I was so invested in these characters! Ben is absolutely the softest, most precious little bean, and I loved his friends, too. The entire cast of characters at the restaurant were delightful, whether it's Emi's weirdness or Liam's general perfection or Chef Davis' hilarious banter, yelling, and stories about Watson. And can we talk for a moment about how cute Watson the Taste-Testing Pig is?!

Seriously, this was one of the cutest, most wholesome graphic novels I've read in a while, and the characters and story sucked me in so fully that I was genuinely on the edge of my seat during the big "tense moment" near the end (will he/won't he? if you've read this, you know!). I'm going to need a finished copy of this cutie for my shelves because this strikes me as the kind of funny, feel-good queer rom-com I'm gonna reach for time and time again.

✨ Representation: Ben and Liam are both gay, there are multiple BIPOC side characters

✨ Content warnings for: vague homophobia from parents, pressure & guilt trips from overbearing parents, stress about unemployment

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!

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[aarya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel conflicted. I liked Ben a lot, but the head chef’s workplace dynamics felt downright abusive/toxic. Then suddenly he’s nice and supportive toward the end, after Ben has proven his cooking chops to him (but not in the beginning, when he was a nobody). I don’t know. Is working at this restaurant a happy outcome that I’m supposed to root for? I know professional kitchens can have toxic dynamics, but wow. Some sections that were supposed to be “cute” came off as mean/unforgivable.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can we please get a round of applause for the damn pig?!?

I remember starting Chef's Kiss a while ago, but I never got the opportunity to finish it so it was nice to come full circle. This book has everything that I want: queer characters, a cute romance, and food. It also has these great discussions surrounding familial expectations versus following your hearts desires. The friendships were great and realistic, the cooking was fantastic, and the artwork was stellar. This was a cute and fun read that I plan to recommend to fans of graphic novels.

[Shannara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! It took me a minute to get into it because of the compact style. There was a lot of info thrown out there in quick succession and I needed a bit to get used to that. But once I got into the rhythm, it was so cute!!!

I especially loved Watson the pig. He was soooo adorable and I just want to smoosh his cutesy little face!!! Ben was a sweet character and I’m glad he grew a lot in the book. While Watson is my favorite, I have a soft spot in my heart for Ben too. He’s easy to relate to. And I love how he gets so nervous around Liam!! He’s such a cinnamon roll!!! Basically all the characters are fun and add to the story. Even Chef with his abrasiveness.

The plot was super adorbs and I thought it was unique too. I see a lot of graphic novels with the same romance plot over and over, which is honestly a comfort sometimes, but it’s nice to have a new storyline to read. I recommend this to those who like funny graphic novels and a little lgbtqia+ romance.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Oni Press, and Jarret Melendez for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ben Cook is an English major who can't find a job in his field after college -- go figure -- so he takes a trial-basis gig as an apprentice chef at a restaurant just to have an income . . . and because the guy doing the interview is so darn hot!

Gentle and mild are the words of the day in this little coming of age romance. This is a borderline 2-star book for me because:
• Ben turns out to be a Mary Sue when it comes to cooking, able to tweak any recipe to make it better despite having no training.
• The restaurant has a live pig for exceedingly cutesy comic relief.
• A big showdown with some villains near the end feels more contrived than organic.
• The balance between coming of age and romance is off, leaving the object of Ben's crush a fragment of a person.
Still, I liked the tone of the story and most of the other characters, and the art was nice. So I closed the book happier than when I opened it.

If you like this, I recommend trying Bloom by Kevin Panetta.

[Anniek · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm used to graphic novels being mostly middlegrade and YA, so it was nice to read a new adult one with the same feel to it. Ultimately it didn't entirely work for me, though. I just found the story to move quite slowly, and I wasn't the biggest fan of the art work, although some of the panels did stand out to me. The best parts were definitely the close-ups.

One thing that felt off to me was that the restaurant owner's anger and grumpiness felt really forced. It kept coming out of nowhere and seemed really random. It felt like he was putting on an act rather than actual being that awful for no reason. Especially the scenes with the pig were... really strange to me, I guess the humour didn't really land for me.. Because this was a fairly large part of the book, I kept waiting for something more to happen and it just didn't really. The conflict with Ben's parents also really felt like it came out of nowhere, and escalated so quickly. On top of that, the romance felt really underdeveloped.

[alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.5] first and foremost, THE ART STYLE AND COLORS Y’ALL 👩🏻‍🍳👌 as someone who can barely draw a stick figure with equal proportions, i was in a constant state of slack-jawed awe while reading this. everyone’s character design was on point, Ben’s blushes were adorable, and Liz was a literal goddess 😳 and yes, there’s plenty of food p0rn, so don’t be like me and start this in the dead of night or you will fall victim to the midnight munchies 😈

what i really liked about this graphic novel was how it captured the struggles of new grads trapped in the cursed entry-level catch-22 (because we all know expectations in the job market are always perfectly reasonable 😔), while simultaneously being bombarded with money concerns, pressures from family, etc. the stress is paralyzing and demoralizing, and i absolutely felt for Ben here.

the rest of the story includes plot points that will require you to suspend your disbelief—and i mean a taste-testing pig whose word is final and a head chef bordering on Gordon Ramsay levels of “idiot sandwich” harassment when the help wanted sign clearly said “no experience needed” 🤣—and whether you’re able to successfully do so will either enhance or mar your reading experience. expecting a more OTT rom-com style should help!

i will say what mainly had me hesitating between 3 and 4 stars was the fact that the romance left me wanting. Ben’s love interest Liam was incredibly supportive and understanding throughout, but apart from that and the sweet meaning behind his tattoo sleeve, i really didn’t know much about him as a person. i wish we got more of the two of them and less of the cooking trials, but alas, that is my romantic side speaking. Ben’s friend group was also a hoot, though i won’t say i expected the inclusion of the token anime-lover friend using “senpai” in conversation 😂

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

[Madhurima ❀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have my finals next week. But what did I do all day long? I READ THIS BOOK.

Shouldn't I have studied? YES.
But did I study? NO.
Do I regret it? HELL NO!

I feel so so so HAPPY after finishing this. I don't even know why. Is it the story or the characters or the illustrations idfk!

Everything about this book is SO PERFECT! Watson is a cute little fluff-ball🥺

Oink!

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun and flirty read, with lots if quirk and character.
It's definitely one of those where you'll be able to enjoy it more if you check your expectations and skepticism at the door.
The art style was cool and memorable, and I'm interested to see where it goes.

[Amber J (Thereadingwitch) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food and romance, this book made me swoon.

Fresh out of school, Ben is ready to start his writing career. The only problem is that nobody will hire him without some experience. When he finds a sign outside of a restaurant that is hiring he heads inside. Hot supervisor, weird boss, and pig with great food taste ahead. Only it turns out to be more than a filler job. He loves what he's doing there. Now he has to figure out who he is and what he wants to do with his life.

OMG! I am so in love with so much in this book. It has so many of my favorite things. Books, cooking, gay romance. The MC is super adorable and the love interest is seriously yummy. Making the couple easy to ship. There are references to books that pretty much any reader knows at least a few. And there is FOOD. My secondary passion, outside of reading, is cooking. I love food and I love to cook. This book made me hungry and made me want to waste time recipe browsing. I already waste far too much time doing this. Whether from the food or the romance, this is a seriously swoon-worthy book.

Now for what I didn't like about this book..........That's right, I got nothing. The story and the art were utterly enchanting.

I highly recommend this to all romance lovers. Especially if you like MM romance. I would say ages 16+ due to some vague references to a particular drug paraphernalia.

I received an ARC copy of this book through Netgalley. This does not in any way influence my honest opinion or review.

Find this review and others on my blog:
https://darklittomes.wordpress.com/
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[Caitlin (CMAReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this.

[Laynie Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chef's Kiss is, quite literally, the chef's kiss. It was easily relatable to me as a queer twenty-something who was directionless post college, and then fell into a job that brought me more joy than I knew was possible. It was deeply refreshing to see someone my age dealing with silly roommates, sweet crushes, fights with best friends, drowning in parental expectations, figuring out where you want to go in life, and still getting that happily ever after. This silly, sweet, and sincere new adult comic is exactly everything I've been waiting for. I couldn't have loved it more.

[nitya · Rating 3 out of 5]

SO!!!! ADORABLE!!!!! I wanted more honestly, this felt too short.

And I stan Watson 🥺💖🐷

Content warning: gaslighting, toxic relationship with parents, vomiting (brief)

[Val · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just out of college where he studied English, Ben finds himself looking for a related job. He gets rejected from many places and so he starts looking for any kind of job instead, landing on a restaurant where a Ken-looking cook welcomes him to possibly join the team. But, the main chef of this restaurant is not so sure about hiring Ben, and so he proposes a challenge: he'll have to cook different dishes from the restaurant, plus a personal recipe, and all of those have to be tested and approved by a pig... Aha, ok, yes, that's the plot.

I wouldn't mind an unrealistic plot if it were well written, if it would make me laugh, if the characters had depth and I could get attached to them. Nothing of that happened during my read, I found all the elements of this comic to be nonsensical and quite insipid. Even the drawings, not being particularly bad, lack expression and didn't captivate me at all. I'm really not a fan of characters looking like fashion models (muscular guys, skinny girls, and so many white people...). Plus, there are some wonky proportions: pies being big in one picture and small in the next, Liam being more than a head taller than Ben, and then less. Hmmm.

The story is very simple in the bad way, the interactions between the characters are not very realistic and the world they live in is two-dimensional. Ben showed to be incapable of elemental culinary skills at moments, but of course he was full of ideas that would blow away the professional chefs' minds, despite those ideas sounding quite basic to me, without having a particularly big cooking knowledge. All in all, I felt kind of underestimated as a reader, and not amused at all. Probably, the only thing I liked from this comic is that the restaurant is a vegetarian one.

[Louis Muñoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4. I enjoyed this. Not a huge graphic novel person, typically, but I found this to be just want I needed for today.

[jagodasbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omggggg it was so beautiful and the pig omgggg so cute

[Maja - BibliophiliaDK ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

SWEET, CUTE AND FUNNY

I got pretty much everything I was expecting with this comic - I got some good laughs, a lighthearted story with some deeper issues and a sweet LGBTQ romance. Definitely recommend this to anyone looking to spend a few hours in good company.

👍 What I Liked 👍

Characters: There was not a single character that I disliked (except for Ben's parents, but they play a minor part and are supposed to be unlikable). Each character had their own well-developed characteristic, which made them well-rounded and relatable in each their own way. I liked that they all had a particular idiosyncrasy, often something quirky such as talking as if they were a Shakespearean character. They were adorable and funny, the lot of them!

Fun: The humour of this comic is definitely derived from the amazing, quirky characters! They each had their own thing, which just worked so well for me.

Relatable: Finding your way in life after school is something many new adults can relate to - and that is the central theme of this comic. The main cast of characters each struggle with this in one way or another, especially Ben who grabbles with reconciling his own passion as with the expectations of his parents. I found it very relatable and moving.

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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[Lindsay (pawsomereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute! I liked the art style a lot. The vibes were really cozy and the characters were fun! I really enjoyed the friend group and Watson the pig was hilarious. The romance was super sweet and it was just a really nice story!

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the cutest fucking thing!

The artwork! The friendship dynamics! The humor! WATSON! That slow-burn romance!

Ah! I need 100 more pages.

It's just the perfect sweet new adult graphic novel.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this!
The illustrations, the found family, the self discover, recipes and the romancey bits.
This is fabulous and I encourage everyone to swoon along with me.

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooo cute!!

(I also want a hot cook with tattoos, who’s nice and sweet 🔥)

[Angelina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one didn’t quite work for me. I was excited about this queer romcom that’s centered around cooking and that features a (mostly) post-grad cast of characters. I enjoyed the initial panels that introduced the roommates setting up their apartment, as well as the sequence depicting Ben’s struggle to find a job as an English Literature grad (relatable!). I love the idea of stumbling into something you’d never imagined could make you happy––like a fulfilling career that you’ve never considered, but that ends up feeling right. I was excited for Ben to figure that out through his cooking, but instead of presenting a nuanced ~emotional~ journey, the writer brings in a strange and derivative series of “cooking trials” that could been replaced with panels that depicted a growing bond between Ben and his love interest, Liam. The reader learns very little about Liam––practically nothing beyond his name and his job––and while I did enjoy the few existing romantic panels, the “romcom” aspect of the book was severely underdeveloped.

The overarching stakes also disappoint. Ben hides his new job from his parents, who have specific expectations for him, and when they find out where he’s working, they’re so horrified that they use their connections to get him an internship at “one of the biggest literary magazines in the country.” Not only is their classist attitude never addressed, but the main conflict becomes Ben having to decide between this fancy literary position (which he’s excited about) and the restaurant job (which he also enjoys). It’s difficult to sympathize or root for a character whose main conflict feels so trivial (he’ll be happy either way!), and who ultimately makes zero sacrifices and figures out how to “have it all.” Ultimately, though I was impressed with the quality of the art in this book, the poor writing, confusing plot, and underdeveloped characters overshadowed my reading experience.

*This ARC was provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

[Chantaal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute read, with some standout art. Something about it was so clean and lovely to look at. Every character was fully realized and different from others, and the color work was neat and clean. Also, this totally made me swoon over Liam.

The story itself was pretty standard post-college coming-of-age fare, with our main character Ben trying his best to find a job in his industry. He stumbles into a chef job instead, turning his hobby into something that might be a career. Ben struggles with family pressure to get a job in his degree field, juggling his old friends with new, and figuring out if hot chef Liam is into him or not.

I think the main issue for me here was some of the writing and scenes that felt like they dragged on too long. The yoga scene, for instance; it was cute and showed Ben supporting his best friend Liz, but did we need 4 pages of just a yoga session? Every word bubble except for a few panels was of Liz taking the class through yoga poses.

Another thing I think that could have been balanced better was the overuse of text; sometimes it felt like word bubbles overwhelmed the pages because there were so many. It worked well when the four best friends were interacting and showing how chaotic, comfortable, and happy they were together, but it was too much when it was just Ben and Liam talking about making food.

Oh my god, I haven't even mentioned the pig - THE PIG?? There's just a weirdly supernatural pig hanging out as a regular motif throughout this entire book, LMAO. It was cute.

Overall, I really did enjoy this graphic novel! The art style was SO nice to look at, and it was just cute. I totally recommend it for anyone looking for a breezy good time.

[Renata · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it! I found it absolutely adorable, a little bittersweet because it explains soo well how hard is to find a job after you graduate because I’ve been there, still there. But at the same time I had other jobs that had nothing to do with my studies that I loved, so this hits home. I loved all the characters, the friends group is soo funny and adorable, and the restaurant crew are amazing. The story was just so funny, adorable, sweet and relatable.

Also, I absolutely loved the art, everything was so aesthetically pleasing and the romance moments…oh mama, I just adored it. Special mention to Watson, the best and smartest pig, definitely. It’s my first time reading from this author but I’m sure won’t be the last.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

[— nova · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so stinking cute !! I need everyone to stop what they're doing and read it now.

[Scott Garrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. Because of all the hype, I expected a little more from it, but I cannot contest its cuteness, especially Watson the Pig, who was probably the best part of the whole story.

[Ashton Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was absolutely ADORABLE 🥰

[jude · Rating 2 out of 5]

genuinely confused as to why this has so many good reviews.

-i couldn't quite grasp the tone. it seems very realistic but then has ridiculous story elements like the head chef not actually tasting any of ben's food, just relying on a pig (an actual pig) as a taster???

-it also annoyed me that ben--a guy who "cooks at home a lot" but has no professional experience--somehow managed to improve on every one of the restaurant's recipes. i'd have been fine if he just cooked the existing recipes very well. it seemed unlikely that he would be able to improve on every recipe developed by a professional chef at a seemingly-successful restaurant. especially when they were such basic improvements. how would the chef not have considered using tempura batter instead of breadcrumbs, or adding truffle oil to a mushroom dish??

-the roommate speaking in shakespearean english for an entire chapter was extremely annoying to read. also annoying that she kept calling liam ben's "sempai" and it was implied that she was interested in their relationship because she likes anime. .......???

-the roommate who had no personality beyond "a stoner who likes free food"....what was the point of him even being there??

-the whole part with the parents showing up was so bad. like, maybe they're just shitty parents, but it did seem like just bad writing when they demanded their son leave his job in the middle of a shift and threaten to "report" the chef (to who???) when he was mildly rude to them. and also going on about how his job was completely meaningless and restaurant work is worthless...in the middle of a restaurant, surrounded by restaurant employees. if ben had talked about how toxic or otherwise abusive his parents were, this would have made sense. but i was assuming they had a normal relationship and they were normal people and then they show up and act entirely unhinged.

-i read this because i wanted a gay love story but liam had literally no personality so i couldn't get invested in that. i had no idea why they liked each other beyond "he's cute." also, starting off a new job by dating your supervisor seems like a real bad idea.

-the fight with liz was sort of realistic because i understand getting upset over feeling like your friend is drifting away from you. but also, they're supposed to be in their 20s. i feel like "we used to hang out all the time when we were kids but now you're making NEW friends, you're just not the same anymore!!" drama is more for teenagers. and she was also belittling his job the whole time, which was kinda rude.

-not a huge fan of the art, if we're honest

i did appreciate the recipes in the back, though.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute, the artwork was great, and there were times I felt completely immersed in the story to the extent that I would forget I was reading a graphic novel -- and then the silly bits would happen. And they were just a little too silly for my personal preference.

Those scenes weren't extensive, but they were frequent, and more importantly you have to take them at least a little seriously for there to be any narrative tension for a good portion of the story.

But if you're not someone who needs their graphic novels to feel realistic or contain narrative tension -- and I know plenty of people who don't! -- then I recommend this one.

**This book was provided for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley**

[Drakoulis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out now!

A cute, wholesome grpahic novel !

Ben is a soft and adorable character, worried about his life after university, conflicted about what he wants versus what his parents want for him, navigating his personal relationships with his friends and his new working environment.

The author and the illustrator gave a lot of attention to the food scenes, and the whole coloring and drawing is amazing !

Comedic elements are also spot-on, with the chef and the food-critic pig being hilarious !

And of course, Liam and Ben are adorable!

Thank you Netgalley and OniPress for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!