“Chef’s Kiss” is the Cutest Graphic Novel I’ve Ever Read

In March I felt overwhelmingly tired. I had midterms for school and felt like I was constantly trying to balance every aspect of my life. When I had free time (which was rare) I was wanting to read something lighthearted, cute, and captivating. Chef’s Kiss is exactly that.

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About the Graphic Novel

Creators: written by Jarrett Melendez, illustrated by Danica Brine, colored by Hank Jones, and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

Genre: New Adult Contemporary/Romance

Release Date: 04.12.2022

Publisher: Oni Press

Source: Advanced Electronic Copy from Publisher

My Rating: 5/5 stars

SYNOPSIS: “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. “

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After picking up Chef’s Kiss I quickly fell in love with the story. The writing is incredible and the pace of the story never falters. It’s an addicting story that could easily be consumed in one quick feel-good reading session. Additionally, the graphic novel is beyond stunning. The illustrations on every page are expressive with beautiful color choices. The novel was atmospheric and perfectly executed. This novel features a heavy amount of cooking… and oh my gosh. The illustrations of the food and cooking processes were enough to make me drool!

So, if you think the cover is stunning (which it is) just wait until you start reading and are greeted with pastel colors, images of pear tarts, and the most beautiful chapter pages I have ever seen.

The characters in this novel were *chef’s kiss* (pun intended). Very early into the novel there are character descriptions and names provided, which made it easy to jump into the story. Ben is main protagonist who the reader follows through a search for jobs and many cooking adventures. He has a strong sense of character, is funny, and an adorably awkward flirt. I loved his perspective and seeing him interact with his found family of friends, whom he lives with. The found family vibes in this book are strong and the banter was perfect.

And don’t get me started on the romance! It’s the cutest. Liam and Ben have such a sweet companionship and relationship of shy touches and mutual crushes that is simply adorable. The romance is built well throughout the book and made me giddy and smiley on more than one occasion.

A few other things worth noting… the graphic novel features TWO found families, a grumpy chef boss, a pig named Watson who has great taste in food, and at the end there are recipes for everything Ben cooked!

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While I was reading Chef’s Kiss here are some of the notes I wrote to reflect my thoughts:

• Beautiful introduction pages
• Taste Testing Pig!! Named Watson!
• Instant Chemistry with Ben & Liam
• The food looks delicious oh my gosh
• Cute found family chef squad!
• The ending made me smile soooo much
• Bonus content!! ah!!

If that doesn’t explain how much I adored this, then I don’t know what could.

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To put it simply: Chef’s Kiss is the cutest graphic novel I’ve ever read. It’s full of heart, humor, and romance. It’s the perfect anytime read that is guaranteed to make you smile!

Thank you so much to Oni Press for providing me with an e-ARC of Chef’s Kiss! Opinions are all my own.