My Thoughts: You Sexy Thing… A fun space opera has issues with pacing, but keeps it together long enough to get across a good story.

Rambo adds a lot of things to love to the mash-up: high-end foodie love, ex-military toughs, well-drawn alien beings, an ever-expanding plot. This is what got my interest… I’m a foodie. I have an ever-expanding waistline… I’m an alien?

The verdict: Chapter transitions were rough in places, and it seemed almost episodic, but it shouldn’t have… Yet, there’s so many things I loved along the way. It took me awhile to get through, but I kept going back.

3 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Books, and the author for an advanced copy for review.

The first course of a new space opera series, You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo sets the stage perfectly for an untold number of follow-on stories set in this sandbox. Stories I very much want to read. This review is based on an advance copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for that purpose. The book is available now.

The author does a great job of seamlessly laying out the landscape for the series, identifying and describing various alien races and power players in the universe without making it seem like a series of flash cards. Led by Niko, briefly an Admiral of the Holy Hive Mind, and her faithful four-armed sergeant (and self-taught chef) Dabry, the cast of characters are an interesting and diverse lineup of humanoids and aliens including a pair of were-lions, an avian pastry chef, and a sentient ship similar to Moya from “Farscape.”

I love “Farscape” so when the ship, the titular You Sexy Thing, made its first appearance I found myself smiling and nodding along as the Thing studied and learned from it’s passengers. There is also a through-line of cooking, and food, in the story as Niko and her crew use the opening of a restaurant on a space station to escape military service in the Holy Hive Mind. Without taking over the plot, cooking gives the characters depth as well as highlighting a necessity of life that is rarely remarked upon in space-based stories.

As well as serving as an introduction to the cast and sandbox, You Sexy Thing features themes of revenge and regret throughout an adventure that turns surprisingly dark before wrapping up with numerous plot threads dangling and waiting to be explored. There are so many more stories (I want) to be told, and meals to prepare and serve, in this series. Bring on the next book!

Thoroughly enjoyable but it felt a little surface level. That's the particular downside to having a large cast of characters: two of them were brilliantly handled, showing all their sides and growing and adapting. One of them who was supposed to really grow and change... Didn't. She was such an outside observer presence, even in her POV sections, that I couldn't buy into the way she latched onto the rest of the crew and grew attached. I think this will shape up to be an awesome series, but things felt a little too convenient here, and we didn't dig deep enough into the really impactful moments.

There are a lot of interesting things left hanging, though, which makes me think that book two will really bring us much more of interest.

Published by Tor Books on November 16, 2021

You Sexy Thing might be imagined as a salad made from leftover plot elements that were tossed together in the hope that the combination would be pleasing. We have space pirates and a clone and a hive mind and a sentient ship and a mix of humans and aliens who have remained loyal to their former military leader. The novel purports to be a science fiction space opera, but it crosses over into fantasy with the addition of alien shape shifters who use magic to change themselves into lions and a mystic who is traveling on the Spiral of Destiny. Interstellar travel is powered in part by portals that were designed with magic. I guess that’s one way to get around physics. Fortunately, magic plays a relatively nonintrusive role in what is essentially an action novel with a bit of human interest, or alien interest, as characters bond while overcoming adversity.

Niko Larsen operates a restaurant on a remote space station. She has managed the difficult task of retiring from a military organization called the Holy Hive Mind, taking some of the company that she once commanded with her. As the name implies, Niko shared consciousness with her company before she pulled it from the Hive Mind. Notable members of the former company include Dabry, the restaurant’s extraordinary head chef; Skidoo, who resembles a squid; Thorn and Talon, twins who use magic to shift their shapes to those of lions; Gio, a former quartermaster assigned to food prep; and Lassite, a mystic who keeps a bag full of ghosts. Milly, the pastry chef, is a newcomer.

Fortunately, the novel doesn’t take itself too seriously, although the story isn’t played for laughs. Niko is trying to make enough money to buy a ship, the first step in her long-delayed and ill-defined plan to rescue a Florian named Petalia from space pirates who are holding her in captivity. Florians might be described as sentient, mobile plants who have some of the qualities of mystics.

Before joining the Holy Hive Mind, Niko escaped from the space pirates, making an enemy of the pirate leader named Tubal Last in the process. She also seems to have made an enemy of Petalia, given her stint with the Holy Hive Mind and the restaurant gig, neither of which involved any obvious effort to make good on her promise to rescue the Florian.

The plot shifts into gear when a food critic visits the restaurant just as a wealthy patron arrives. The patron owns a rare bioship called You Sexy Thing. One thing leads to another and Niko’s company, along with the critic, end up on the bioship as their space station is being destroyed in a reality-based version of a video game. Nico’s people are joined by a princess named Atlanta who was packed into a box and delivered to Nico by the future version of FedEx for reasons that never make much sense. A couple of adventures later, the ship (oh happy coincidence!) travels to the pirate habitat, where Nico will reunite with the unhappy Petalia. Action ensues, occasionally interrupted by hard feelings and gourmet meals.

The story makes a surprising amount of sense, given the odd mishmash of B-movie sf themes, including hive minds and plant people and sentient ships and space pirates, not to mention the fantasy themes of magic, mystics, and ghosts. Cat Rambo asks the reader to accept a number of underdeveloped plot elements, perhaps to avoid bogging down the story with contrived explanations. This isn’t the kind of story a reader will want to overthink. The best science fiction encourages readers to think, but there is room for slightly silly stories that are meant only to entertain. You Sexy Thing falls into the latter category. I assume a sequel will follow. I’m on the fence about reading another of these, but this one had sufficient entertainment value to mert a recommendation.

RECOMMENDED

Cosy space opera about a group of former mercenaries who left the military to run a restaurant. After an attack, they take refuge in the bioship, You Sexy Thing. Shenaniggins ensue.

It doesn't quite reach its target in terms of comedy (Hitchhiker's Guide and Space Opera do set a very high bar). There were times when i know i was supposed to laugh...and didn't. But it did have lots of un-humanlike aliense. Enjoyable; i'll probably read the sequel.

You Sexy Thing is an exciting sci-fi romp that mixes the humour of The Hitchhiker’s Guide with the found family of the Wayfarers series. Niko Larson and her crew managed to escape from the Grand Military of the Hive Mind. How, you might ask? Through a calling for art. Specifically, cooking. Now the group spend their days working in their restaurant, The Last Chance. An award of culinary excellence is at their fingertips, and their new life is barrelling towards success. Then the space station is destroyed. They manage to escape on a sentient spaceship named You Sexy Thing, belonging to an eccentric billionaire. Unfortunately, the spaceship believes it’s being stolen. Even more unfortunately, it then is stolen. By pirates.

This quirky, character-focused book was a charming read. It was brilliant at creating detailed, varied aliens with different cultures, dialects, and appearances. You Sexy Thing has casual queer representation that’s always brilliant to see in sci-fi. The difference in tone between the main plot and the finale was a bit difficult to reconcile – swapping out light-hearted humour for torture scenes is jolting. The truly omniscient narrator was an interesting stylistic choice that worked well with the large cast by giving them all time to shine. At the same time, it did create a distance that rendered the emotional scenes a little less hard-hitting than I’d prefer. Small criticisms aside, this book was an enjoyable read that I’d recommend to fans of eccentric stories and characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for a review copy of this book.

Alright, first I need to say that my new niche is restaurants in space. This is only the second restaurant based sci-fi I've read, but I am hooked. Though this book doesn't take place in a restaurant the whole time, the fact that the main characters, while they are ex-military, are now restaurant staff and just love food.

I really adored the relationships in this book. They were complicated and very tight-knit, which was really fascinating. I enjoyed how the dynamics were represented and how there was this mix of family and military unit between the characters.

The worldbuilding, alien races, planets, and social/political dynamics are explained and how they all work together. It's so interesting to learn about Niko's past before the military and during the military. I think that she is such an interesting and complicated character. The discussion of humanity, AI's, war and empires, and revenge/grudges is just fascinating. There is so much interesting commentary in this book that I can't even talk about without spoiling it.

So, I will say this. If you like space, space travel, discussion of sentient life, war, revenge, queer characters, and some sci-fi action this is the book for you.

Literally anytime I read a book description that has the words “fun” and “space”, I am in. This one even has a little baking added in for extra flavor, plus the cover was a huge draw too. I think this will be a series, and it worked pretty well as an opener — I didn’t feel a strong attachment to the characters just yet, but I could see that coming in time. I always love an AI with questionable motives, and it was fun to watch this one grow and change. Cheers to a fun space romp!

The nitty-gritty: A delightful combination of space opera, mystery and loveable characters, You Sexy Thing is a hopeful adventure and an excellent start to a new series.

What a wonderful surprise this was! You Sexy Thing was a delight from start to finish, and before I start this review, I want to mention that yes, this is going to be a series, even though it doesn’t say so on Goodreads. You Sexy Thing is being compared to Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series and for good reason. This is a (mostly) feel good story about friendship, found families, emotional exploration and hope, with a diverse cast of alien characters who will burrow into your heart and stay there. 

Captain Nicolette “Niko” Larsen owns a small restaurant called the Last Chance, tucked away on TwiceFar station, a waypoint that caters to several nearby planets. Niko was able to escape the Holy Hive Mind, the military faction she served in for many years, by claiming she was a “thwarted culinary artist.” This allowed her to start her restaurant, safe from the Hive Mind’s clutches. Niko’s fellow coworkers are a diverse group of alien life forms, including head chef Dabry, who served with her in the Hive Mind and is her closest friend and advisor; Skidoo, a Tlellan who organizes the restaurant’s reservations; Milly, a pastry chef; Talon and Thorn, twin were-lions who serve as busboys; Lassite, a Sessile prophet who acts as maitre d’; and Gio, an ape-like creature who communicates through sign language. When the story opens, it’s a big day for the Last Chance, because a well known restaurant critic named Lolola Montaigne d’Arey deBurgh is coming to evaluate their food, and Niko and Dabry think they could earn a sought-after Nikkelin Orb if everything goes as planned.

But an unexpected appearance by Arpat Takraven, a rich playboy who owns a rare and expensive bioship called You Sexy Thing, upends their plans, and things go from bad to worse when an explosion sends them running for their lives. Takraven dies in the explosion, but before he does, Niko convinces him to give them the password to his ship so they can escape. They manage to make it to the ship—along with Lolola and a young girl named Atlanta—but later discover the password Takraven gave them was actually a signal to the ship to set course for the prison planet Scourse, where they will be arrested as thieves. But there are worse things than a prison planet, as Niko and the rest are about to find out.

Space pirates, aliens, and living ships aren’t new elements, but I thought Rambo did a great job of putting their own spin on these familiar sci-fi tropes. The world building is vivid and intricate. Rambo has set up a political enemy—the Hive Mind—and given Niko a past history with them, which is explained through flashbacks. I hated the pirates, who are feared throughout the universe, and for good reason. Tubal Last is a dreadful man, and he’s fond of torture, so do be aware that there are tough-to-read torture scenes late in the story. There's also plenty of exciting action, and I loved the balance the author struck between the fast paced action scenes and the quieter, more introspective moments between the characters.

And speaking of the characters, they are without a doubt the heart and soul of this story. Niko is a tough but empathetic older woman. Her terrible experiences in the Holy Hive Mind have left her emotionally scarred, yet she’s determined to live a purposeful life outside the confines of the Hive Mind. Niko cares deeply for her fellow Last Chance coworkers, most of whom served with her during her Hive Mind years, and she’s determined to keep their little restaurant up and running no matter what. Niko has a secret plan, though, that involves rescuing her former lover Petalia, a Florian who was captured by a pirate named Tubal Last decades ago, although her plan is risky and probably impossible to pull off.

Each of the other characters brings something special and unique to the table. My favorite side character by far was Skidoo Skiddleskat, I mean just saying her name makes me smile! Skidoo is a squid-like creature who loves to cuddle. She explores the world through touch, and there are some very funny scenes where she’s trying to get to know Atlanta with her tentacles. Skidoo is a beam of sunshine, always happy and trying to make others happy, and I loved the way she talks: “I am being securing an important reservation!” I also loved the “lion” twins, Thorn and Talon, teenager-like were-lions who never leave each other’s side, and Milly, a bird-like alien who is the restaurant’s pastry chef. Even Lassite, who I did not like at first because he appears to be plotting against Niko, really grew on me later in the story. There is a wonderful subplot about Lassite and the restaurant ghosts he brings with him on You Sexy Thing, and I know those ghosts are going to pop up in future books!

Atlanta was another favorite character of mine, a naive young heir to the Paxian Empire. The longer she spends with the crew and Thing, the more she longs for a different life outside of the palace. Atlanta has an implant that allows her to access a private virtual space, where she can speak to her “advisors” whenever she needs advice. I loved this idea, especially because her advisors are different versions of herself.

And then there is Thing, the sentient bioship who really steals the show, in my opinion. Thing starts out as a ship who isn’t used to having strangers on board, strangers who have completely different needs and desires from Arpat Takraven, and it was a joy to see Thing slowly change and adapt over the course of the story. One of my favorite parts is when Dabry teaches Thing how to cook—considering Thing normally uses a food replicator, this is a big deal—and discovers a whole new world. Thing also discovers emotions and ideas as it gets to know its fellow travelers, like camaraderie and sadness and humor, to name a few, and each time it made a new discovery, I fell in love just a little more. All of the core group of characters come to care for each other, and it was their interactions during the quieter moments on the ship that really stand out for me.

Rambo uses third person omniscient POV to tell their story, which is a style that I haven’t run across that often. At first I struggled a little with the way the author would drop you into one character’s head and then abruptly switch to someone else with no warning whatsoever, but eventually it grew on me, and it has the benefit of giving the reader insight into all the characters’ thoughts. This style might be a negative for some readers, although there is so much to love about this book that it’s a very minor sticking point.

In an interview, Rambo says that they've already sold the next two books in the series to Tor, and overall they are planning on a ten book series. That is music to my ears, since the episodic nature of the plot and the vast size of the Known Universe and its many fascinating inhabitants promises many exciting adventures to come. You Sexy Thing wraps up the main conflict at the end, but there are several unsolved mysteries to be explored in future books, like Lassite’s ultimate goal with his Spiral of Destiny, and a mysterious race called the Arranti who may have been responsible for the explosion at TwiceFar. I’m dying to know more about the ghosts, who appear to be more important than they seem, as well as several twists at the end that I can’t talk about here.

The ending is slightly rushed, but it didn’t really take away from my overall love of this book. You Sexy Thing was thrilling and emotional, a joyful reading experience that I will remember for a long time.

Big thanks to the publisher and Wunderkind PR for providing a review copy.

This book was a little overwhelming at first - there are lots of characters to get to know, the perspective jumps around (third person omniscient) - but I quickly settled into it and was along for the ride.

I feel like the promo tagline - Farscape meets GBBO - paints this story as much lighter than it is. Yes, there's cooking. Yes, there's a bioship. But there's also life and death stakes, torture, murder, revenge, and intrigue, with multiple external forces complicating life. It's no carefree romp.

That said, it is hopeful. Niko is the Captain, and she and her crew managed to leave military service to the Holy Hive Mind, an exceedingly difficult feat, and start a restaurant. Which is promptly blown up. But I digress. They're a family with very strong bonds, and they're welcoming to newcomers with mysterious origins and murky back stories.

This book ties together well enough, while leaving space for the next books in the series to advance the adventure. I look forward to seeing what Niko's crew and the You Sexy Thing get up to next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is an absolute joy! First of all, I love a good space opera and this one delivers. Second of all, how could I ever get tired of a group of found family from all corners of the galaxy that fights for each other? Third of all, there’s cooking and space pirates!

On top of that, Rambo has this beautiful flow to her writing that makes the story easy to read.

I love the characters, I love the incredible imagination used to create this world and I think that if indeed it becomes a series, it is going to be fantastic. If you love the Becky Chambers Wayfarer series like I do, you’ll enjoy this book!

I’ve read that his books is ‘Farscape meets The Great British Bake-Off’. I don’t watch Bake-Off, but before I even read the official book blurb, Farscape often came to mind while I was reading this book.

There is a live ship, and a diverse crew that includes a plant-based sentient being. While there are no peacekeepers, there is despicable pirate gang. The element of prophecy steers the plot away from Farscape and onto its own path.

There is some humor, but the gang seems to be in such trouble all the time that it is hard to laugh. First, going to a prison planet. Then, prisoners of a pirate that hates Niko. The pirates were more violent that I wanted them to be considering that the rest of the story was less intense and flowed a little better.

The beginning of the book felt a little jumpy to me. Humor, prophecy, danger, and dining all seemed to be in conflict. It was as if the author was trying to figure out what kind of story this will be. In it, we meet the members of a former military unit who are now trying to establish themselves as restaurateurs. I’m sure there is much more to the story, and while you do learn a little of it, the backstory is thin.

The best part of this book is the very diverse cast of characters. Various non-human species, each with their own charms, bond as members of the crew that just want to create great food and make a name for themselves. And I always appreciate a sentient ship with an attitude. You Sexy Thing, is the name of the ship that a) likes having people travelling on it and b) is on its way to becoming one of the restaurant crew.

While there is a complete story, the ending indicates that the story may continue. More prophecy, bad guys and great meals are indicated.

Thanks to the publisher who provided a copy through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

You Sexy Thing is sci-fi set in a distant universe in far future. You Sexy Thing is also a biomechanical, sentient spaceship with a sense of self-worth and infinite curiosity and desire to learn new things. When a group of ex-soldiers turned restauranteurs led by Captain Niko Larson accidentally end up on it, it seizes the opportunity to improve its existence. After some twists and turns, everyone ends up happy.

Except the reader.

I picked up this book expecting a space adventure, comical or action packed—or both. What I got was very little of either.

The book begins with seven chapters of setting a stage, which is then abandoned and never returned to again. After a brief burst of action, most of the book is spent on the spaceship waiting for something to happen. At around 60% mark something finally does, and the book takes a turn into fairly graphic cruelty, only to return to inaction. A few loose ends are tied, the stage is set for the follow up, and then the book ends.

What the reader gets is a token of a plot, a hint at a backstory and an attempt to tie the two. The action scenes are over in a paragraph or two of rather emotionless telling instead of taking the reader on an adventure. The rest of the book is spent in the heads of a cast that isn’t very interesting, done in a distant third person narrative that hops from head to head every two or three paragraphs, with a few if any cues as to whose head we’re in. At no point are the characters driving the plot. They’re merely on a ride like the reader.

What saves the book from being a total disappointment is the attention the author has put into creating her aliens. I was tolerably amused by them until I realised that it was all I was going to get. Niko and the spaceship were able to carry the book on their own. The rest were just fillers, and didn’t merit the time we spent in their heads, even if I liked most of them.

I was especially disappointed with Atlanta. She was the most introspective of the lot, yet the reader isn’t given even a hint of suspicion about her identity. And the reason for her being with the crew turned out to be stupid and completely unconnected with the plot. She, like the rest of the characters, didn’t have a single reason for being there.

If there’s a follow-up, I hope it’s about more than the promised travelling around the universe cooking, and I hope the author will concentrate on a couple of characters to make most of their stories. But I probably won’t read it either way.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

This book was the perfect mood read at the perfect time.  I loved it!  The basic premise is that a bunch of ex-military have "escaped" their cult to open a restaurant called The Last Chance at the edge of the universe on a station called TwiceFar.  A culinary critic is coming to judge their restaurant and the crew is hoping this meal leads to better things.  Of course doom ensues and adventure (however unwanted) awaits.

This book was an excellent blend of character-driven moments and action.  It is funny and thoughtful and just plain wonderful.  I can't really get into the plot because I think it be better to go in blind.  However here be a hint of things ye can find.  A diverse crew, eggplant, ghosts, potential prophecy, banter, evil space pirates (Arrr!), awesome sounding meals, magic (science?), politics, found family, and other shenanigans.

While I loved the plot, the characters were the hit for me.  The highlight of course is the bio ship, You Sexy Thing (Arrrrrr!).  How can ye not love the sentient ship?  Niko Larson, former Admiral and leader of the gang is the main point of view for most of the novel but other crew members get some time too.  I love the many types of people and how they live and interact.

Do be aware that this book is not all light fluff.  Murder, torture, and other things exist too.  Evil pirates indeed.  But this book worked for me on all levels and I highly recommend it.  It can be a standalone but I hope there will be more.  Arrr!

So lastly . . .

Thank ye Macmillian-Tor/Forge!

You Sexy Thing is a brilliant new novel by Cat Rambo. The Nebula Award-winning author brings us a delightful space opera for food lovers, featuring a spaceship with a mind of its own and a crew of retired soldiers. As the book’s cover says, there is “no peace for old soldiers,” though they certainly search for it.

Nicolette Larsen retired from the Holy Hive Mind with the remnants of her multi-species military unit to a station at the far edge of the universe and invested their retirement funds into a restaurant named The Last Chance. While the restaurant had not been Nico’s idea, it had been a brilliant plan to escape the Holy Hive Mind while they could, and they had a talent for it. A food critic was coming to consider The Last Chance for a coveted Nikkelin Orb, which could only increase their profits.

Disaster during the critic’s dinner, however, meant fleeing the station with their restaurant guests. Nico and her crew take refuge in a sentient ship named You Sexy Thing, along with the mysterious food critic and another, more troublesome guest. The ship welcomes them warmly, but later informs them it is taking them to a prison planet and turning them over for attempting to steal it. Chaos ensues… with food.

Billed as Farscape meets The Great British Bakeoff, You Sexy Thing is a wild ride filled with twists and turns.

I’m rounding up maybe just a bit to be giving it 4 stars, it really is a set up for a series, but it stands alone well enough and I had a fun time reading it so it deserves rounding up.
There’s quite the cast of characters to meet and the world is well set up. I found the blurb comparing it to Farscape more apt than the Great British Bake-off. There’s all manner of species, a group that’s a bit too militaristic for anyone’s good including their own and a living ship. The characters are earning their living as a restaurant cooperative so…. I think it really kind of puts me in the mind of a Farscape rpg party saying well how are we making an income? I know! Cooking!
I’m presuming there’s going to be a second book so I’m marking this author to follow on Goodreads.
I recommend this one if you’re looking for light escapism sci-fi.

4.5 stars

I loved this book! I am definitely a sucker for sci-fi books that take place in space, on space stations or ships, and feature multiple alien species. And this book has all of that! It starts out very cute in their restaurant, with the artistry of trying to make machine grown protein tasty for a variety of species — doesn’t matter what year it is or where you are, everybody still needs to eat something 😊 Then we’re off for adventure time and danger and hijinks on the bioship You Sexy Thing. I’ll admit that I could’ve done without some of the descriptions of the interior of the ship (bioship meaning it is part flesh, so they are touching fleshy bits inside the ship), but I loved watching how the ship learned from its “captives“. I haven’t been able to find anything on whether this is a standalone book or will become a series, but I really hope it will be a series because it’s set up perfectly for continuing adventures with the whole gang through the universe.

Thank you to NetGalley & Tor Books for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

You Sexy Thing was such a fun space opera full of excitement and tension but also wholesomeness and subtle comedy. If you like food, pirates, found family, and sentient spaceships, this is definitely the book for you!

It's been a long time since I last read anything in third person omniscient so that was an interesting decision, but one that I think worked quite well for this story. It definitely benefitted from being able to jump into the head of whichever character was most suitable for any given moment.

The characters were definitely the highlight of this story. Found family is one of my absolute favourite tropes, so it was delightful to read about such a diverse and interesting group. Niko is such a good leader for her crew. I also loved that the bioship (called You Sexy Thing, hence the title of the book) was an actual character as well; it added such a fun dynamic to all of the scenes aboard the ship.

My understanding is that this is a stand alone, but I hope there are more books set in this universe even if they're not direct sequels, because it would have been nice to get more information about the Holy Hive Mind and the Spiral of Destiny that Niko is on (according to Lassite).

Otherwse though I quite enjoyed this book and I recommend it if you want a space opera that's not hard sci-fi!

You Sexy Thing follows the adventures of Captain Niko Larsen and her crew of soldiers turned chefs as she tries to escape The Holy Hive mind, earn a Nikkelin Orb, evade space pirates and befriend a living space ship.
This is certainly space opera, but I think it could also be classified as space fantasy, as far future science fiction and magic meld together for a delicious whole.
When I read the tagline for this book - Farscape meets the Great British Bake Off - I knew I had to read it, as I am a fan of both. While cooking is an important part of the plot, I wouldn’t really liken it to GBBO as there is no baking of a competitive nature. Farscape and Firefly spring easily to mind as comparisons because of the living ship (You Sexy Thing of the title), the wide universe full of exciting alien species, and the desire of a group of friends to be free from a controlling alliance.
The highlight for me was the many different alien species. I loved how ape beings, bird beings, squid beings, lion shifters and reptile beings were depicted with their individual non human characteristics. Brava to Rambo for making each species so charming and distinct. I really love non human characters in fiction, and Rambo has excelled with her aliens.
My favorite character is the ship, Thing (although it is really difficult to choose from so many lovable characters). I’ve encountered many living ships in fiction, but never one that emphasizes the biological so much in a bio mechanical structure. Thing’s ability to produce warm, fleshy blankets and chairs was fascinating, slightly disturbing, and satisfying.
I also enjoyed reading a well written third person omniscient narrative. Rambo handled this expertly and it never intruded or interrupted my reading experience.
The only slight downside is the plot. It read like a series pilot, introducing the characters and world, and setting up the different character arcs that must be explored over the next twenty four episodes. This would be fine if Rambo gets to write the rest of the series - and I really hope she does - but does leave a certain dissatisfaction with the storyline and lots of lingering questions.
I received an ARC from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Former Admiral Niko Larssen and her old military crew have escaped the Hive Mind to start a restaurant and the novel opens with their preparations while expecting a food critic that may or may not award their restaurant the highly coveted Nikkelin Orb. When the dangerously unpredictable Arranti destroy the entire space station, Niko and her crew are forced to flee the station together with the very attractive female food critic and a very horny male celebrity racer. Luckily for them, the old horndog has his spaceship at the ready. Unluckily, he dies before they reach the ship and the password he'd given them makes the ship believe it's being hijacked so it sets course to a prison planet.

Which brings me to the title of the book. You Sexy Thing is the name of the ship. And honestly, the ship is the best part of this novel, the cosmic cherry on top of this space opera. Thing is actually an organic bioship which has been grown rather than built. It had siblings, and went through puberty, and it's still trying to understand what exactly it's feeling when having conversations with humans by filing its emotions under confusion, pride, friendship and similar categories. If you've read the Murderbot series, this is like a gross skin-coloured ART on steroids.

The novel is so much more than the ship though. There's an eggplant, a mystery box, an imperial heir, pirates, nonbinary plant people, tiny tickly ghosts, a Spiral of Destiny, squid+bird intercourse, impending doom and explosions. And Cat Rambo combined all of this into a story that makes sense. I felt like the imperial heir storyline was slightly weaker than the rest and every time the POV jumped to her, my reaction was "nooo, I wanted more of this other stuff" but that's really the only negative thing I have to say about the novel.

The characters are fun and distinguishable from each other, the ship is genius and its relationship with the humans is fascinating, and the way the main story intertwines with the "sidequests" keeps you interested throughout. It's also unexpected enough to keep you guessing until the very end. While it isn't exactly lighthearted (there is torture and murder), it's still a hopeful story about doing what's right and finding a family you can call your own when you least expect to.

You Sexy Thing comes out on November 16. Huge thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Cat Rambo for the advanced reader copy.

P.S. Contrary to the description of the book, this is nothing like The Great British Bake Off.