Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

This book was okay. It was a gender-swapped Pygmalion, and I loved Penelope and Elijah. However, it was mildly predictable even for a retelling, and I didn't love some of the changes the author made. It did make me long for a cookbook companion!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

A "delicious entanglement" indeed! I thought this was a cute take on a gender-swapped My Fair Lady! I loved the character development and the way the scene was set! This alternate history is a fantastic one that I wish could be explored more.

My Fine Fellow, a Delicious Entanglement by Jennieke Cohen; Harper/Teen, 310 pages ($17.99) Ages 14 and up.

This delicious confection of a novel, a feminist retelling of "My Fair Lady," is set in an alternate history 1830s Britain, in which Princess Charlotte did not die in childbirth but lived to become queen and to spearhead advances for women.

Jennieke Cohen, the Flipina-American author of "Dangerous Alliance," offers a vividly described historical backdrop, colorful characters, mouth-watering menus and an indictment of the anti-Semitism and racism of the day in this beguiling tale of an orphaned 17-year-old Jewish street peddler transformed into a gentleman culinary artist.

Rich, insufferable, know-it-all Helena Higgins and her best friend and fellow culinary student, Penelope Pickering, are searching for an "authentic taste of the Americas" as they prepare their senior research projects at the Royal Academy of Culinaria Artisticus in London when they meet one Elijah Little hawking his "Faraway Pasties," or empanadas, in the Covent Garden Market. (His seafaring uncle collects recipes for him while traveling the globe.)

Elijah, who shares his uncle's grubby basement room on Old Fish Street, has always dreamed of a better life and takes Helena up on her offhand remark that he has the talent to someday run his own pastry shop. She decides to mold him into a gentleman culinarian as her senior project, teaching him proper speech and manners and cooking techniques and transforming his appearance with a haircut and gentleman's clothing.

Helena speaks: "This mud-trodden pasty of a person will be a croquembouche before I'm finished with him. Once we get him cleaned up, his hair cut, his grammar fixed, and some basic culinary technique embedded in his skull, he'll be beating ladies away with a walking stick."

Helena's rude behavior and an offhand anti-Semitic remark nearly end the project, but Elijah finds he is able to reveal his Jewish identity to Penelope, who, as the daughter of an English father and a mother from the Pacific Islands, has a keen awareness of London society's lack of tolerance for religious and ethnic difference.

Cohen offers a savory mix of romance, drama and fine cuisine culminating in a high-pressure culinary competition that will appeal to fans of "The Great British Baking Show." A competition entry: a citrus ceviche with yellow chilies and a hint of preserved lemon with a side of plantain chips; a pan-sauteed fillet of sea bass coated in chili de arbol and paprika potatoes sliced and arranged to resemble fish scales; a sea bass and cod fritter with fresh coriander leaves, serrano chilies and a pineapple, chili and lime foam.

I was really excited for this novel because it was a retelling of my favorite movie, My Fair Lady. However, I could not relate to the characters they seem very flat. It also lacked the humor and charm from the first movie. Still, I recommend this for fans of Meg Cabot, Mary Hooper, and Jane Eagland!

My Fine Fellow is a fine book. It's a gender swap of one of my favorite musicals My Fair Lady so I was excited to read it. The characters were a bit weak. But overall the book was a charming alternative historical fiction.

I went into this excited to read a gender-bent retelling of "My Fair Lady", which it more than delivered on. However, I did not expect it to be as deep as it got. There was a delectable amount of culinary delights, as well as discussions of anti-semitism, social acceptance, and bigotry. Yet in the end, it was a really fun retelling of My Fair Lady with some very approachable, if occasionally smackable, main characters. But then again, Henry Higgins is imminently punchable, wouldn't you say?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁
👩‍🍳Henrietta Higgins is top of her culinary class and on her way to culinarian stardom at the Royal Academy in an alternate 1830s England. Her world-traveled friend, Penelope Pickering, is determined to bring the flavors of global cuisine to the European palate.
👨‍🍳Elijah Little has a natural gift for creating delicious flavor profiles but, poor and without resources, he must sell his creations at the local street market.
🧑🏽‍🍳After a chance meeting where Henrietta and Pen sample Elijah's empanadas, Henrietta launches a scheme where she will train Elijah in culinary arts and pass him off to Society as a gentleman's chef.

𝗜 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁
If you have not yet guessed by the title, character names, or plot summary, My Fine Fellow is a retelling of the famous Broadway musical, "My Fair Lady," which, in turn, was based on the play "Pygmalion' by George Bernard Shaw. In this gender reversal of the story, Henrietta is the brilliant, know-it-all expert in her trade, and Elijah is the poor gutter snipe she thinks, under her tutelage, she can pass off as a food expert.

The book's opening moved a bit slow for me, but once the table was set and the plot set in motion, I enjoyed reading this fun nod to My Fair Lady. I especially loved the clever twists the author added, including the discrimination toward Jewish people in 1800s England, and Pen's mixed heritage and what that meant for her family also provided good food for thought (pun intended).

Finally, the food descriptions are marvelously mouth-watering and WILL make you hungry!

💫 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑/𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖💫

Helena and Penelope are two Culinarians who wish to do one last hurrah before they graduate. That comes in the form of Elijah Little.

This newly released historical fiction is one that should be read by all! I loved every second of this gender-flipped classic retelling.

Fair warning: do not read this book on an empty stomach. I lost count of how many times my stomach rumbled during Elijah’s cooking lessons.

I also liked that the author decided to include the prejudice that was present during 1830 England. It was a real eye opener to see that the English still had a horrible attitude towards Jews; though they never went to the same lengths as the Germans.

The writing style was also done really well. It flowed very easily and I never found myself questioning whether people in the 1830’s would be talking about the same subjects.

The romance was also a sweet touch. I had been rooting for them from the beginning, so I’m glad that the author let my ship sail.


Thank you @letstalkbookspromo , @jennieke_cohen , @harperteen , @kccpr for choosing me to be a part of the tour 😊

This was a very fun interpretation! Sometimes I find that when people do interpretations of other works they try too hard to fit events in to the story even when it doesn't work, but that wasn't the case for this book! The tone was great, and the changes really added in something new and interesting.

this was fun. was it amazing or original? no. I didn't enjoy it as much as the authors previous book. i think though it was an entertaining setting-- to follow chefs.

Delightful romance, with food
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2022
This light historical romance is an engaging read. Though I was eager to learn who won the cooking contests and how the romantic elements resolved, I read the book slowly on purpose, so I could really enjoy all the details and gentle humor. The ‘historical’ element confused me briefly, since the story is set in an alternate 1833 — with the alteration being that the daughter of King George IV, Princess Charlotte, became queen. Queen Charlotte’s reign introduced many changes for women, including the ability to have respected careers as Culinarians. Once I understood the world of the book, I was enchanted by the characters, plot, and imaginative detail. You don’t need to know the musical 'My Fair Lady' (or the play it was based on, G B Shaw’s ‘Pygmalion’) to enjoy this novel, but if you are acquainted with the earlier works, this book is an even bigger treat. I look forward to rereading this novel and to reading Cohen’s next work. This review is based on an uncorrected proof from netgalley.

A cutely spun retelling of My Fair Lady with a gender flip and a story couched in charming historical fiction.

As on-the-nose retellings go, this is a pretty good one. Enough newness to feel fresh, and also with enough of the original basic plot intact to feel as advertised.

The idea of flipping the genders of the Eliza/Henry characters in this spin on My Fair Lady was a good one, and lends itself well to the tenor of the story and the moment in history in which the book is set.

Because it’s so tightly anchored to the original retelling and in a way, to the original characters, this isn’t a book that is especially thought-provoking or one in which the reader becomes deeply invested. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, particularly if you’re looking for a light read that moves well and demonstrates some clever historical reference.

Food-driven novels are generally not my favorite, but if you’re into culinary content, this book is sure to please. The author’s loving and careful descriptions of food and cooking are appealing and well-rendered.

Though the book isn’t terribly engaging on either a cerebral or emotional level, it is fun and a little bit escapist, and just right for when the mood calls for lighter fiction.

I wanted so badly to like this. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with the writing, but I found Helena beyond insufferable. Which, when I think about it, is exactly what I think about Henry Higgins. So that tracks. The culinary aspect to the book really threw me off as well. I simply didn't buy the alternate universe world where these two 17 year old girls were the arbiters of all things foodie.

This book made my little foodie heart so happy. I loved reading about the girls teaching the cooking/basic kitchen techniques and also about the unique flavor combinations that can be created. The cultural differences and issues of the era that were brought up were something unexpected but they way it was written was done so well. I love how all three characters were able to grow throughout the story

A bit of a slow start, but this retelling was a lot of fun and an imaginative take on a classic story.

First sentence: In the year 1833 of the Common Era, a fair ten years since King George IV died and his much beloved daughter, Princess Charlotte, succeeded him as Queen Charlotte of England, Ireland, Hanover, and so on and so forth, one Miss Penelope Pickering stood in the shadowed portico of St. Paul's London, wondering how much longer she'd have to wait for her dear friend Helena Higgins.

My Fine Fellow is a YA adaptation--a spin--on the classic musical My Fair Lady which is an adaptation of Pygmalion. Helena Higgins and Penelope Pickering team up to teach a young street vendor, Elijah Little, how to become a gentlemen chef. The two young heroines are still in training themselves, mind you, but they feel that with their "expertise" and a little luck, they can fool everyone with their finished project. If all goes well, he'll be cooking for Queen Charlotte herself.

The novel is told primarily through Penelope Pickering's perspective--with perhaps a few moments here and there from other characters.

It is set in an alternate history one where Princess Charlotte survives childbirth and goes on to reign as Queen. Queen Charlotte is ALL about women's rights, women's equality, opening up all education and careers to women.

The novel definitely is heavier than you might expect. You might suppose that this would be a light, entertaining, silly read. And it is--in places. The heaviness comes in with race and racism. In some ways there's no recovering from that.

The book provides an opportunity for rants. If you've ever had a strong opinion on HENRY HIGGINS (from the original), then you might enjoy the ranting against Helena Higgins. But really, the characterization is minimal.

I feel this book is too 'modern' for its own good. Just my opinion. I think the dishes they were having the characters prepare scream out Food Network from the past ten years AND not like any recipe you'd find in any book from the nineteenth or even twentieth centuries. Granted, this is an alternate history, but, still.

From the start, My Fine Fellow was cute and held my interest. You'll like it if you love My Fair Lady, or gender-flipped retellings in general, or heavy descriptions of delicious food, or competition stories (especially cooking competitions), or if you are an Anglophile. It was the promise of hunger-inducing food references that hooked me, along with the portrayal of a mixed-race (British-Filipina) main character. However, I went from liking to loving this story once I read the author's Historical Note as I feel like I have found a kindred spirit. Cohen writes that she believes "that food can be the perfect gateway to learning about cultures and peoples you may know little to nothing about...food can open your eyes to all kinds of possibilities and break down barriers at the same time." I whole-heartedly agree.
One thing that may irritate some readers is that the story takes some liberties with British succession history, which is also explained in the note at the end, in order to portray a more just society. I think this helps deliver a "feel-good" ending. Cohen did open my eyes to antisemitism in Britain in the 1800's which I had not been aware of previously. I loved living the journey of introspection with Helena and seeing her confront her prejudices.

My Fair Lady fans or food aficionados will find a hit with this gender-bent retelling of the original story set in 1830s England. In this YA retelling we have Elijah who is discovered at the night market hawking his empanadas/pasties by two rising Culinarians. Penelope and Helena are set to start work on their final major projects to become Culinarians. They are each trying to decide what that project should be when they meet Elijah. Helena comes up with a grand scheme to turn this lowly street hawker into a gentleman chef via entering him into a royal cooking competition for the hand of the princess. Elijah just wants a chance at a more stable life and the ability to learn enough to open a permanent food stand.

Helena blindly forges ahead with Elijah's training not giving a care in the world to anyone else's opinions or feelings. Penelope, on the other hand, takes time to see Elijah as a person and learn about his background and the mystery of the one dish he failed at miserably (pork). She is pulling double duty helping Elijah in lessons with care while also working on her final project featuring the flavors of the Americas. Penelope and Elijah both start having feelings but will they ever be able to admit them to themselves or each other? They both have lineage that complicate their lives in their current setting but will they be able to find a way to make their dreams a reality?