Peyton Sinclair is a young up-and-coming Teen Chef in a story that had some problematic pacing issues.

3 stars

Appeal Terms:
Character: sarcastic, sympethetic,
Storyline and Pace: plot-driven and fast-paced
Tone: plot-driven
Writing Style: upbeat


I enjoyed this story, I really did. However, I think that this story had some pacing issues that sometimes seemed to leave the reader in the dust. Sometimes, challenges would go by so quickly and people would be eliminated so quickly I felt left in the dust! I also wish there would have been a little more drama and intrigue between characters, but it remained quite sweet which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

However, the premise was good and I enjoyed the characters, though I wish I would have known more about them. It was just a fun read that made me hungry and crave going to New York, New York! I will definitely read more but this author since I think her premises are interesting and while the execution might fall a little falt, she definitely writes a page-turner.

~NetGalley Arc~

As a frequent viewer of cooking competitions, I loved this book! The competition mixed with a little back story and romance made this so fun to read. There are 2 very minor things .. there's always discussion about what Peyton (the main character) makes but not as much about the other contestants. (I wanted more food. Haha.) And, the ending is a little abrupt. Other than that I thought this was such a fun read.

This book drops you into the story at the start which I didn't mind, but at the same time, I wanted some background like how did this producer find this girl etc. The ending was also abrupt. I appreciated the feeling of how real the reality show aspects were especially with the behind the scenes parts. There was also a potential love square happening and although it was strange how that aspect was solved, I could get behind the wholesomeness of it all. I also loved the persistence of all the main characters If I was in this reality show, I'd be wanting to be with that group of people. Overall, I truly enjoyed my time with this book and would recommend it if you love cooking competitions and reality tv. 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Running Kids Press for the ARC! I somehow missed that this was a YA Novel. That being said, I read it and enjoyed it! If you are a fan of Baking Competition Shows, namely Kids Baking Championship, this book hits the mark. It is definitely a light and easy read with some teenage drama thrown in alongside the challenges the cast of characters face as they try and bake/cook their way out of being eliminated. We follow the teens around New York City as the show is filmed. There aren't too many surprises along the way, but the book is well-written, entertaining, and appropriate for all ages. Where There's a Whisk was a good read!

This was a very cute and light read. I finished it in a day; the writing was very clear and straightforward and so easy to digest. The story itself was very charming and cute and it honestly felt like I was watching a real cooking show.

First off, the characters were lovely and such a blast! Some of them were a bit stereotypical, but turns out there was a big reason for that, so I can let it slide. The characters were diverse and witty and fun to read about. The banter and conversations between the characters was great, though, it did feel like the author relied a lot on dialogue to move things along or to act as a filler. I really liked Peyton, the main character, who is a down to earth southerner trying to make a better life for herself. Peyton was witty and smart, but was plagued by self-doubt and the exploitation of reality TV, which made her relatable and easy to like.

The setting was superb! The cooking show felt so real and intense, and it was neat seeing what went on behind the scenes, things that wouldn't be included in the show. This book made me REALLY hungry and now I just want to what the food channel for the rest of the day.

As far as the romance... it was okay. The romance was kind subtle and didn't really seem like a big part of the book until halfway through when Peyton and Hakulani pretended to be interested in each other to ensure they got good views and were kept on the show. The real romance was between Paulie and Peyton, but it felt kinda rushed and not really organic. The moments they had together were cute and they got a long really well, it just happened a little too fast for them. Also, one would think that Peyton and Hakulani essentially fake dating would have cause a bit of drama, but it really didn't and they stopped not long after they started, so it didn't really feel necessary for the plot.

All in all, this was a cute, fun, and fast read and it probably would have been a bit better if it had been longer, but nonetheless I still enjoyed it.

This was a cute, yet simple tale about a girl competing in a teen cooking show. I was skeptical at first how something that is traditionally rooted in visual media would be pportrayed on the page. However, I think the author did a good job on expanding the understanding of this niche world by going in to decent detail of all the behind-the-scenes work. It was an extremely quick and easy read that is definitely better suited for younger, teen audiences (13-17). I do wish that the characters had been more fleshed out, especially Peyton. We get very brief glimpses in to her life back home, and her feelings of dread and insufficient self worth. But I think there could have been much more detail in this aspect. This also goes for the other characters as well. I will say I really enjoyed the dramatic twist that the producer implemented, it made the story more exciting.

As an aside, I would recommend that an editor go through this again if possible. I ran across many grammatical and syntax errors which didn't necessarily impact my understanding, but were annoying in their excess.

"Where There's a Whisk" by Sarah J. Schmitt follows a young girl named Peyton Sinclaire as she joins a reality cooking competition, Teen Top Chef, in an attempt to escape her small town life. As the show begins though, she learns that things behind the scenes aren't always what they seem, and she struggles to prove herself to the judges while keeping her head on straight.

I really enjoyed this one! I loved the behind the scenes look at reality cooking competitions, and some of the things we don't think about when we watch them. The characters were fun to get to know, and I was really cheering for some of them at the end. Not knowing anyone's real intentions gave the story a tension that I didn't expect and it had me flying through the book to get to the ending.

"Where There's a Whisk" is a fun, lighthearted book about a teen cooking competition, with a good dose of drama and rivalries. It honestly surprised me by how much I enjoyed this story, and found myself trying to anticipate the challenged they were going to face!
I would've loved, however, to get to know the characters a bit more. Peyton was a fine main character, and I rooted for her, but I couldn't seem to care about the side characters, which was a pity.
Overall, it was a splendid book, and I definitely recommend it if you enjoy cooking, reality tv, and romance.

This book is so good one of my all time favorites. I love all the characters so much and the author did an amazing job creating them. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone!!

Overall rating - 3.5/5

I absolutely love the premise of Top Teen Chef, the culinary competition this book is based around. We follow Peyton's journey in this show, which includes several stressful cook offs and a ton of conflicts with the contestants, and with a little love triangle thrown into the mix Where There's A Whisk makes for a really fun read!!

Reading about everything that goes behind the making of a reality TV show was an interesting experience. I personally love baking shows and I adore the fact that the author made it a little more relatable and insightful. Paulie and Inaaya stand out right from the beginning and I found myself rooting for Peyton up until the very end! I am glad that there was good representation and the fact that it wasn't just thrown into the mix for woke points? Thank you!!

That being said, I don't really think that the triangle was necessary. Paulie and Peyton have some of the cutest banter but they'd still be better off as friends, and I didn't really see any point in adding a fake dating bit with Hakulani to he honest. I wished Dani and Inaaya's characters were explored more because there was so much potential there plot wise. Peyton's backstory also felt a little rushed to me, but otherwise the pacing isn't bad at all!

It's a perfect read if you're looking for something light and refreshing or if you look reading books with culinary themes!!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3995034365

I'm happy to say I really enjoyed this book. When I read the description I was really excited because I love to watch cooking shows and have always wondered what it's like to be on one.

I really liked how fleshed out all of the characters were. I felt like I got to know them all in their own time, and I liked that they all were very different from each other. I definitely wasn't mixing up any of them.

I was really invested in all of the cooking scenes and felt a little disappointed when the scene would just cut through the cooking and after the judging too. There is no indication to let the reader know that the time will skip like that and it's formatted to look just like any other paragraph. It got hard to follow at times and I would go back to read the previous paragraph to make sure I didn't miss anything which slowed down the flow of reading the book. Since the judging of the food was often skipped, I couldn't decide for myself if Peyton, the main character, deserved to win or lose a specific challenge.

I'm giving this book 4/5 stars because I really liked the concept, but I felt the author took the easy way out of getting the "villain" out of the picture, as well as some missed opportunities with Peyton's cooking. It was a quick read and I'm glad that it was about cooking, something I don't usually see in YA fiction.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Running Press, and Sarah J. Schmitt for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Perseus Books, Running Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I am not a big contemporary reader, but when I saw words 'reality culinary competition', I knew that I had to read it! I wasn't disappointed. Sarah J. Schmitt creates a cute story which shows how the competitors feel and how the 'reality' aspect can be quite fake. I really admired that the main character Peyton Sinclaire didn't want her story to be portrayed as a 'sob story' even though it would have made her life easier.

The main character was fun and sympathetic, but I wish that the other competitors also had more spotlight. Peytons backstory is developed, but we only get crumbs about why the other characters are taking part in the game and their history.

The storyline was quite fast paced and easy to follow - a good read when you want something cute!

Cute and fast paced appealing to a very foodie audience. I enjoyed the 'Chopped' like FoodTV premise. It is appropriate for YA readers and very much about building identity and making one's own way in the world.
A cute YA food competition book.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

Sarah Schmitt sets Where There's a Whisk in the competitive world of cooking shows. But,...this show is specifically for teens. The teens competing are swept away to a huge suite in New York City, treated to tours of the city and then challenged to create meals and desserts based on their sightseeing adventures.

Peyton Sinclaire sees the show as her opportunity to escape from waitressing in her small town in northern Florida. She wants to win the scholarship to culinary school.. Seven other entrants want the prize as well. How far will they go to win?
In the course of the contest, Peyton runs the gamut of emotions from embarrassment to pride, sadness to euphoria and even a small crush or two thrown in to liven things up. The behind the scenes machinations of the producers are a total shock to Peyton, as is her progress and prowess in the competition.

Teens who liked With The Fire on High will enjoy this as well, though it is more light-hearted than Acevedo's book.

In a reality TV show slash cooking programme mashup, a group of witty teens must go head to head to win a scholarship to a leading culinary school in this YA Contemporary. Each teen has their own angle and story which they have to play on to win hearts, whether that be their socioeconomic background or their family connections. To win, not only do they have to cook up a variety of baked goods and full meals in some pretty wild challenges but also boost the network’s ratings.

It’s a great concept for anybody who likes watching food programmes. As somebody who regularly watches Masterchef (the UK version) and spends too much time flicking onto the Food Network, this was right up my street and made me realise that cooking shows in the UK are definitely less cutthroat than they are in the US…

But what did I think about it?

If we were to judge this book like one of Peyton’s dishes, I’d say that the concept is brilliant. The individual components are even quite good. The overall execution may need some tweaks but it’s still enjoyable enough to read the whole book. Schmitt would be staying for the next round.

The Blurb

Peyton Sinclaire wants nothing more than to escape her life as a diner waitress in her small, North Florida town and attend culinary school. Top Teen Chef, Food TV’s new show that pairs reality TV drama with a fast-paced culinary competition, is her ticket out of her boring future. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make her dreams come true and Peyton is determined to prove to herself, and the world, that where you’re born does not determine where you can go. However, once on the show, Peyton quickly discovers that there is more to the competition than just a well-seasoned dish.

As things start to heat up on and off the set, Peyton will have to prove to the judges that she deserves to win while trying to untangle what is real and what is scripted drama, and decide what she is willing to risk to win before her dreams end up on the chopping block.

What I Liked:

Creative Ideas

This book is enjoyable to read and also quite creative, which suggests that the author should start directing food TV shows. From Landmark Challenges in New York City where you have to spend hours running around a zoo and then create a dish inspired by it, to advantages where you can turn somebody else’s kitchen into a miniature version of one, it’s fun to read about. Peyton reacts well to the challenges and I liked how Schmitt knew her characters enough to see how they would react to these obstacles.

The Characters

There were some three dimensional characters here, though given how brief the book is, they weren’t always developed enough. But I did enjoy learning about the cast from Paulie who has to play the angle of being a good, young Italian chef to Hakulani who uses his Hawaiian influences to run his successful food truck with Peyton. Every cast member had their own motivations which made the book special.

References To Musicals

I’m a big fan of musicals and I liked how Schmitt used the plot from Waitress to inform Peyton’s story and how this influenced her character arc. I must have listened to a dozen versions of She Used To Be Mine and I thought that including the moment when Peyton sees it at the theater was a clever way of diving into her emotions.

My Qualms:

Pacing

Where I felt this book lost some of its genius was how quick it was. It felt like we raced through stages of the competition and the relationships that form so that by the end, it’s like you’ve read a (very nice and totally enjoyable) summary of the plot. It would have been nice to have more description: what does the kitchen look like? Let’s see Peyton’s life beforehand so we know what she’s running from. If Dani is going to be mean, then let’s capitalise on this. I think that this book, if slowed down, really could be infinitely better.

Suspension Of Disbelief?

There was a lot of this book which was centered around the romantic relationships between the characters on the show. Whilst perhaps this is reasonable enough given their ages, I felt as if for them to be believable, they needed some more work. For me, this would largely be cleared up if Where There’s A Whisk was longer, so in some way, these qualms go hand in hand.

Overall

In summary, this was a sweet, light-hearted read that capitalises on a brilliant concept, though may slightly lack in the execution. I recommend it for anybody who loves reading about food or just clean teen fiction.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Perseus Books, Running Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.  

This book was so adorable! I love watching cooking shows, and the idea of a YA book set on the set of a cooking show was too tempting to pass up.  

This story is about Peyton Sinclaire a teen chef from a very poor area of the Florida Panhandle.  She's one of 8 contestants on the show Top Teen Chef and and she hopes winning the show & getting a culinary scholarship will be her ticket to a better life.  However, once she's on the show, she realized how much more difficult the whole process is.  She gets mixed signals from a number of other contestants and finds herself the inexplicable enemy of another contestant.  As she cooks, she learns about herself, and must decide who she wants to become, and what she will to if she doesn't win the competition.

Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a reality competition shows, food and NYC fan, I shouldn’t be surprised at how much I liked this.

I started this during exams week because it seemed to have a fun and easy to follow plot, and I wasn’t wrong. It’s super fast-paced and entertaining, I actually had to force myself to stop reading and study.

The characters were great but I still think that, being such a fast-paced book, I would have loved to see more details into their relationships and dynamics, and even some further depth for some characters.

Some scenes, like the elimination ones and the ending, did seem a bit rushed, but I guess this is also what made the book such a fast, refreshing and lighthearted read.

I really, really enjoyed this book! It's lighthearted, quickly-paced, and has some really fun characters that laces its pages. Schmitt has such a fun, engaging writing style that I truly could picture everything that was going on in the story and often found myself lost in it. I would keep telling myself, just one more chapter and then I'll go complete whatever task I needed to for the day, but that repeated itself so many times because I couldn't put the book down!

I really loved Peyton as a main character. Her backstory is really interesting and I felt for her so many times when she struggled with the scars of her past. I do wish we could've dived a bit more into that part of her character, but I also feel that it was handled appropriately considering that Peyton didn't want to rely on the "sob story" of her family throughout the show. I also really liked how strong Peyton was and how she often took the high road when other people were trying to bring her down. It brought such a great spirit to the book! I also loved so many of the side characters. They really all have their own personalities and places and very few felt like easy placeholders for the competition. I have to admit, I even felt sad when some of them were cut throughout the story.

I also had so much fun reading about the challenges and cooking descriptions. I often found myself hungry in the middle of reading! The competitions and twists kept me so engaged during the book and I really couldn't wait to see what happened next. The addition of the reality TV aspect of the book added even more intrigue and color and I found myself fascinated by the ins and outs of being behind a camera and what goes into making a show like Top Teen Chef. So much imagination went into this book and it really shows.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and the intricacies of the cooking challenges. I loved that we were given a final chapter to see where some of our favorite characters ended up. It's such a nice, lighthearted, bubbly book which I feel is a welcome addition to the contemporary genre. If you are a fan of Chopped or MasterChef Junior, you won't want to miss picking this one up!

Highly enjoyable and fast paced with a good blend of narrative and characterization. This novel would appeal to multiple audiences. I am firmly and adult but also a 'foodie', so I enjoyed the 'Chopped' like FoodTV premise. It is appropriate for YA readers and very much about building identity and making one's own way in the world.

thank u to netgalley and the publishers for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review!! where there’s a whisk follows peyton sinclaire, who joins a cooking competion show in hopes of winning a scholarship and a way out of her life back home.

okay positives first

malik was the cutest i loved him so much. he was written well enough that there werent even that many interactions with him and i still felt super connected to his character.

inaaya! so sweet i loved her.

the premise was so fun i love anything with reality shows not being as they seem.

plus this was enjoyable and quick enough i finished it in a few hours which i always like.

okay, my critiques

some of the dialogue was kind of forced? this happens in a lot of books where teens come off sounding much younger than they are.

some of the pacing was off. characters left super quickly and i wish there had been more time at least saying goodbye. this happened with the romance too, it came down to the very end of the book which made me not that interested.

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overall, i enjoyed it!