Thank you so much to @harperteen @kccpr @letstalkbookspromo for the complimentary digital review copy of My Fine Fellow so that I could participate in this tour. My Fine Fellow came out on January 11, 2022.

My Fine Fellow follows two culinarian students Helena Higgins and Penelope Picketing as they begin the last year of their studies in the field. They meet Elijah Little, a street vendor and endeavor to turn him into a proper gentleman chef after tasting his dishes. Helena and Penelope don't know is Elijah's background - he is Jewish - and the local merchants will not allow him to open a shop.

I really enjoyed this YA novel. It is set in the 1830s which is a time period that I do not know much about, but I didn't feel like I had difficulty following along. The classic roles are gender flipped (and its also a retelling of My Fair Lady I'm told), which gave an interesting platform to highlight what could have been possible if rules were different in the time.

One this I wasn't expecting, but really appreciated, is the focus and details about what it was like for Jews in London at this time. I've never read a book that tackles this issue in this time period and feel like I learned a lot.

There was also a romantic storyline woven into the story that tied everything together nicely.

3.5 stars rounded to 3.

My first historical romance of the year! 💗

My Fine Fellow started out slow, but picked up after the first few chapters! It's a retelling of the beloved musical "My Fair Lady" ~ have you guys watched it? I haven't, but after reading My Fine Fellow, I am definitely intriguied!

Set in 1830s England, My Fine Fellow follows Elijah's culinary journey as he prepares himself to become a chef for the Queen. The disparities in class, race and religion were expressed through the storyline as well ~ Elijah was Jewish, so he didn't get the opportunity to enjoy certain rights like the Cristians. We also got to see how Penelope was belittled because of how she represented her Filipino heritage through the food she cooked. I really appreciated how intricately the author wove those issues in the plotline. The humor aspect of the story was perfectly done as well - I really enjoyed it! Helena really got on my nerves sometimes (I think that was intentional), but that and the slow start are my only complains tbh. At the end, Elijah and Penelope's sweet romance stole my heart. 😭❤️ I swoooned!!

So, do I recommend reading My Fine Fellow? A hundred times, yes! Since this is a YA novel, the writing style is quite easy to read. If you're looking for a book to start your Historical Fiction reading journey with, I recommend picking this one up! 💗

A slow start but a perfect gender swapped retelling of My Fair Lady. Given my love of the musical I enjoyed this book! I think those who aren’t as familiar with the musical will like this book but find it slow and confusing at times

My Fair Lady has been one of my favorite movies since I first saw the Audrey Hepburn version when I was a kid. The music, the gowns, the story of becoming more than you thought you could be. What’s not to like? So when I saw that Jennieke Cohen was writing a retelling, I knew I had to read My Fine Fellow. And I was not disappointed.

Main Characters
Let’s start with the main characters. First is Helena Higgins. She is top of her class at the Royal Academy for Culinarians AKA she is an amazing chef. And she knows it. She is rarely ever wrong. At least…in her opinion.

Next up is her friend, Penelope Pickering. She’s almost at the top of her class at the Royal Academy for Culinarians. She’s just behind Helena. She is part Filipina and very interested in foods from the Americas and the cuisine her mother taught her. She is Helena’s only friend.

My Fine Fellow brings a fresh spin to an old story
Finally, there is Elijah Little. He’s a street vendor who sells the food he makes to anyone passing by with a shilling. He wants better for himself and his dreams of owning his shop one day., But he knows the limitations society puts on him. He’s Jewish and not allowed to own his shop in London.

Read more at Culturess

First, I want to thank Jennieke Cohen, Let's Talk About Books Promotion Team, Netgalley, and Harper Teen for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book.

4 stars to My Fine Fellow by Jennieke Cohen.

Penelope is about to enter her last semester of culinary school in the time of Queen Charlotte England. She moves into her best friend's townhouse with her for the semester. Her friend, Helena, sends her almost on a scavenger hunt to find Helena, when Penelope runs into a baker about her age. Elijiah makes some of the best empanadas that Penelope has ever tasted, on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Helena notices too and tells Elijiah if he ever wants to become something, to look her up. The next day, Elijiah does just that. Helena decides that he will be her last big project for school & sets out to make this young man into a gentleman cook that will wow the entire world. Helena does not realize that Elijiah is hiding part of who is, he is a Jewish young man just trying to live in this age of England. Penelope and Elijiah form a friendship over the preconceived notions that follow them around. Penelope's father is an Englishman who married a Filipino woman back in a time when races and cultures did not marry. Helena is forced to look at herself to see how she carries those same preconceived notions that plague both Elijiah and Penelope. And Helena is forced to reckon with that.

This YA romance is Chopped meets fictionalized Charlottian England. I loved the concept and was very hungry throughout the reading of the story. All the talk about the delicious foods made me want to go out and find some of it! I loved the representation in the story. Not every story about that time shows other cultures, races and religions as represented as well as this book did. Helena could be looked as a mean girl, but she was a flawed character who just needed to look past her own privilege. Penelope was faced with what most humans are faced with, do I go out on the limb for a person I barely know or do I stick by my friend? She started at first by letting Helena take the reins, but slowly realized that maybe Helena only had one person in mind. This was a great story about friendship and how sometimes our friendships can get frayed, but can be sewn back together.

My Fine Fellow by Jennieke Cohen is a historical fiction retelling of My Fair Lady/Pygmilion.

In this young adult novel, Helena and Penelope are studying to be culinary and are at the top of their class. One day they meet Elijah, a poor Jewish boy, at the market and are intrigued by his empanadas. The next day he shows up and asks them to teach him everything they know. Helena takes him on as part of her final project with the goal of not only making him into a great chef, but also a gentleman. And Penelope is there to assist while she works on her own final project. While Helena becomes obsessed with making Elijah into a gentleman, Penelope forms a true friendship with him that could turn into something more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. It had a slow start, but really picked up in the middle. Penelope was my favorite character as she was the mediator and always saw the good in others. My favorite part of the book is when Elijah finally stands up for himself. It was good everything I could have ever hoped for and more. I also really liked the ending and thought the author did a good job of tying everything together.

I actually read a young adult novel that I loved and couldn’t put down! Now, I have no problems with YA, I just feel like I’m too old to read them but much like the musical this book is loosely based on, this one is timeless and ageless!!

This is My Fair Lady meets Chopped with a wonderful bit of feminism sprinkled in where women monarchs rule the day and young ladies can have big goals.

It does touch on the prejudice of people with mixed races and anti-Semitism during 1830s England which also causes pause into feelings that sometimes rear its ugly head in the present day.

It’s got romance and humor and a wonderful story of working hard to achieve your goals.

It’s got sweet characters and stubborn characters and they are all fantastically written.

If you are a fan of My Fair Lady, the play on names from those characters to the characters in this novel is the best!

Read this book, go watch My Fair Lady, and enjoy your weekend!!

About the Book

Helena Higgins has a final project to complete graduation and become a Culinarian from the Royal Academy. She finds a street hawker named Elijah Little who makes a decent empanada. Helena makes Elijah her final project by turning him into a gentleman baker.

Along with Helena’s best friend, Penelope Pickering, the trio work to make Elijah worthy of a Princess.

Actual rating 3.5

My Fine Fellow is a YA historical fiction that is a fun My Fair Lady retelling that's mashed up with the Great British Bake Off with some sweet romance on the side.

Helen and Penelope are students of Culinaria, in their last semester of training before coming professional Culinarians. Before they graduate they have to do one last final project. Helen is inspired to do something new and unexpected, take a street urchin who sells baked goods for a living and teach him to be a Gentleman Culinarian.

My Fine Fellow tackles issues such as systemic racism, classism, and prejudice against Judaism in the early 1800's. There is Filipino representation in Penelope's character and of course SO many descriptions of delicious foods. If you like to watch cooking shows you will love this story.

Don't forget to read the recipe and historical note a the end!

These books are so gorgeous! My copy of Dangerous Alliance with sprayed edges by @bookish_signs . I just love covers with intricate designs with lettering or borders.

This is a standalone and runs along the storyline of My Fair Lady but with Mr. Elijah Little the street food seller that Helena Higgins and Penelope Pickering Culinarian students wish to use as a school project. He far surpasses their expectations, well at least Penelope's. Helena is a bit high in the instep and only thinking of her own self interest, where his success is concerned.

Penelope is half Filipino and half English but presents white. Helena can not understand what her life is like considering she ignores Penelope's heritage and discounts it. Considering the times and her class it seems accurate but as her friend what a b.

Elijah, who is Jewish gets entered into a gentleman's contest for the culinary arts and Helena finds nothing wrong in deceiving everyone. Let's just say Helena has lots of groveling to do later.

I loved the premise of their project that they wanted to prove that anyone could be taught to be a gentleman/woman and be from anywhere in society. They did prove their theory. And watching Elijah go from a dirty street kid to a handsome young man, which I don't think they realized, was there was fun.

The longing between the two characters when there was someone standing in the way was frustrating. I don't mind the miscommunication trope, you know why? How many people actually confront others or say things as they are when they want to? I am not talking about in the shower or 3 hours later. It makes it that much sweeter when they realize they wanted to be with each other.

Also, this book and the food! 🤤

For me, this novel was full of charm and intrigue (and food…so much food). I’m going to say right away that if you’re a big fan of period pieces and historical fiction, definitely check this one out!

My Fine Fellow is about Penelope and Helena who are about to graduate culinary school. They meet Elijah, a young Jewish man hawking his baked goods on the street, and Helena suddenly has a brilliant idea for her school’s final project. She decides to turn Elijah into the finest culinary gentleman!

In my opinion, the depth from this novel comes from its characters. Helena is top of her class and truly believes she always knows best. Penelope is sweet and loving with a lineage that she refuses to apologize for. Elijah has grown up being rough around the edges and is tired of feeling ashamed of his heritage.

It’s an instant connection between Penelope and Elijah and I was (not so patiently) waiting for them to proclaim their love for each other! Helena was such a frustrating character for me but I warmed up to her more after she had a few redeeming moments. But yeah, for most of the book I was just like Helena, when will you learn.

Also, have some snacks nearby while reading this one. The book mentions a ton of different kinds of food and I don’t know what half of them are, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to devour every single one of them. Ugh, I’m so hungry now!

A delightful little gender bent tale.

If you enjoy watching cooking competitions, this will leave a good taste in your mouth. Although you shouldn't read it if you are hungry. The story is safe for young adults and may make them want to further investigate the original tale in which it was based on.

Once you are invested in the story it reads very quickly. I flew through the last half the book. It also investigates self-awakening to both social class and religious based biased.

****Thanks to NetGalley for early access in exchange for an honest review!*************

I admit that when I started reading this book, I struggled a bit getting into the story. But as soon as I learned that one of the main characters, Penelope, was half Filipino, my interest was immediately piqued! I am always happy to read about my own culture and heritage in books. And since I usually encounter them in contemporary fiction, reading about it in the context of historical romance made it all the more special! Thank you, Jennieke, for the representation! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 This novel made me hungry and crave for the exotic dishes mentioned in the book! Fun fact: I had just cooked pinakbet for dinner, a simple but delectable Filipino dish full of veggies (eggplant, okra, squash, string beans, bitter gourd…) with shrimp paste when it was mentioned in the book! My heart couldn’t have been happier!😍😍😍 Aside from giving me gastronomic orgasm, this book also tackled racism, prejudices against interracial marriage and Judaism, and social inequity. I loved how it used food and culinary experiences to talk about these complex issues and educate others. And apparently, it is also a retelling of My Fair Lady. I only know some of the songs from the play but I am not really familiar with the whole story. My Fine Fellow sure is a good story! Still very relevant to us even if set in 1830s. You have to read until the end — there’s a chocolate coconut empanada recipe included plus some historical notes which would make you appreciate the story better.

This YA historical fiction novel is a wonderfully clever and charming gender reversed My Fair Lady/Pygmalion retelling full of culinary delights! I really enjoyed the reimagined 1830s England setting and the role reversal as up-and-coming female Culinarians Helena Higgins and Penelope Pickering set out to transform Elijah Little from a street vendor to a gentleman chef. The story largely focused on Elijah’s culinary training and the mouthwatering dishes, but the author also highlighted the disparities in class, race, and religion during that time period. As a Jewish boy, Elijah was not permitted to own a shop or enjoy certain other rights afforded to white Christian Englishmen. Penelope, a biracial character, was disparaged for her Filipina heritage and cuisine. They both felt they had something to prove, and I couldn’t help rooting for them the whole time! I loved how they incorporated their cultures in their cooking and realized that their backgrounds, while important, didn’t completely define them.

*I received a gifted eARC from the author, publisher, and Let’s Talk Books Promo in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Where are my My Fair Lady fans, because I’ve got a book for you!

Today’s my stop on the @letstalkbookspromo tour for My Fine Fellow by Jennieke Cohen, a YA gender bent retelling of My Fair Lady. It’s 1830s England, and Culinarians are the crème de la crème of high society. When culinarian classmates Helena (Higgins of course) and Penelope (yes, yes, Pickering), meet Elijah Litte (sounds a lot like Eliza doo-esn’t it?)—a poor vendor selling Empanadas with hints of flavor from the Americas—Helena thinks turning him into a real culinary gentleman would be a perfect final year project.

The food descriptions in this book are off the charts crazy. I rarely wish I could cook. Usually I just wish there were better take out options, but reading this had me yearning for a little of Elijah’s natural skill. As you might expect, there’s also a lovely romance of the incredibly and appropriate chaste variety. Personally, I would have loved a tad more¬¬, but I understand in the 1800s how hard it must have been for teens to steal moments away together.

What I didn’t expect at all were a couple interesting and upsetting threads about antisemitism and prejudice that were important backbones of the book, and, as always, it made me wish so much that we had come further than we have this being almost 200 years later. But. I’m sure that’s the point. We need to do better now and maybe reading about how bad it was then will help.

I don’t read a lot historical fiction, so this started a little slowly for me, but it definitely picked up as I became invested in the characters. I found myself rooting for Elijah to succeed and was so nervous for him even though I’m pretty familiar with the source material. I also enjoyed the little nods throughout to the musical like a line about how a character could have “danced all night.”

Thank you so much to @jennieke_cohen, @harperteen, @kccpr and @letstalkbookspromo for my copy. It comes out tomorrow and it’s perfect for any combination of the following: lovers of retellings (or My Fair Lady in particular), foodies, historical fiction fans, lovers of food competitions (there are some fun ones!) and fans of sweet YA romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperTeen for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a very sweet retelling of My Fair Lady - with a few fun twists.
Best friends and students at the prestigious Culinarian school in 1830s England, Penelope and Helena enjoy tasting food from the Americas. A seller of empanadas creates a debate over his authenticity. Helena even dares to state the seller could own his own shop if he were of gentlemanly social standing.
Elijah Little decides to take Helena up on her offer much to her shock. After some quick thinking, Helena decides Elijah will be her Senior Project - not only teaching cooking and its basics but also manners and good social breeding.
Humor. Romance. Friendship. This book has a lot to offer, though at times the plot can be very slow.

4.5 Stars

My Fine Fellow is a light romance that not imagines respected careers for young women in the 1830s but places them in a position above men. It’s a lovely twist that feels natural. The romantic elements remain enjoyable even if they are not surprising.

The real star of My Fine Fellow is the food. It’s clear that author Jennieke Cohen is a fan of the culinary world. Her detailed descriptions cover everything from the correct way to hull and slice a strawberry to the intricate details of how different spices should taste and enhance certain dishes. I found myself caring just as much about the food as the characters.

Much like the ingredients in Cohen’s dishes, her characters each provide necessary elements needed to balance one another. A trio can be a tricky combination, but the author handles them with a skilled hand.

My Fine Fellow starts a little slowly but Cohen quickly finds her pacing. It’s a refreshing book that offers readers a nice escape from current worries. I can see this book doing well as a crossover into adult fiction.

My Fine Fellow is billed as a retelling of My Fair Lady - which I have never seen! Have you seen this movie?

This story follows two women who are enrolled to be culinarians at the Royal Academy in London. They happen to cross paths with Elijah, an urchin, hawking his pasties on the streets to earn a living. Together, these women set out to make him a gentlemen chef for their final school project.

The novel is incredibly descriptive of Elijah’s time in the kitchen learning the skills necessary to be a worthy cook for the Queen. The author has expertly weaved in cultural disparities of living in the 1800's England. The author's shouldn’t be skipped, as they point to the "why" she brought forth the representation of diversity/race into the story.

Bonus Feature in the novel -
Recipe for Chocolate Coconut Empanadas

Great novel for lovers of romance, cooking and the Victorian era. Thank you @jennieke_cohen @harperteen @kccpr @letstalkbookspromo for the advance reader copy. #MyFineFellow #NetGalley

I received this as both an EARC and an audio ARC—read by an AI voice.

I have discovered that I’m hopeless at audio books. They just take too darned long. It took me four hours of ironing to get through the first six chapters. Fortunately, I was able to also snag the text version—it took fewer than four hours to read the entire book.

This book was charming. The inspiration from My Fair Lady was very clear. Fortunately, the ending was not as contrived as the movie. Nor was it exactly like the ending of the source material, George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion.

Helena Higgins is very much like Henry Higgins. Convinced (perhaps rightly so) of her own brilliance, bossy, self-centered. Unlike Henry, she does learn some valuable lessons about herself and actually shows growth.

Penelope Pickering is a delight. Of a mixed-race background in this alternate-universe Britain of the 1800s, she has her own challenges to deal with. And those challenges have made her kind and patient as she helps Helena to instruct Elijah.

And of course, Elijah. Here is a young man who truly wants to raise his station in life. Like Penelope, the situation of his birth has left him with obstacles. Like Eliza Dolittle, he wants more from his life than just to be a street vendor. Like Eliza Dolittle, he is put into a situation where he can’t go back to his old life, and he’s not sure he wants the life that Helena has planned for him.

In addition to well-constructed characters and good dialogue, this book talks a lot about food. A lot. And if you’re a food lover, plan to feel hungry as you read. I wish culinarians were a real thing, because I would want to be one.

The author does include a recipe at the end of the book, so we can all be Helena, Penelope, and Elijah for a while.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the EARC and AARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2022/01/january-11-releases.html

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Teen for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My Fine Fellow is an adorable gender swapped version of My Fair Lady set in an alternate 1830s England. The story follows Elijah Little (a poor Jewish street vendor), as well as, Helena and Penelope (two up-and-coming culinarians at the height of society). Like the original story, Helena decides, as her final project in culinary school, to try and elevate Elijah in the eyes of society by teaching him the latest culinary skills in order to become a gentleman chef.

Overall I really enjoyed this clean romantic comedy! The story was engaging, it was easy to pick out the elements of the original story, the culinary school aspect was fun, and I really loved both Elijah and Penelope. At times the use of very modern culinary techniques drew me out of the story and had me second guessing the setting of the story but I think for most people it wouldn't bother them that much.

I would love to see who they would choose to narrate an audiobook.

Jennieke Cohen fabulously takes My Fair Lady and subsequently, Pygmalion, and gives it a 21st-century touch in My Fine Fellow. Set in early-19th-century Britain during the fictional Charlottian age, the story follows Helena Higgins, the top soon-to-be Culinarian at her academy, and her best friend Penelope Pickering, the girl with an interest in non-European cuisine, as they aim to turn a certain Elijah Little into a gentlemen chef. What ensues is a delightful insight into the world of culinary pursuits. In fact, I felt my mouth watering at just the thought of all of the creations.

The encounters between the three main characters were a joy to read and each of their growth throughout the story was fascinating. It was very interesting to read of Helena as this deeply flawed character but one could almost empathize with her and her abilities to pursue things greater than herself without the thought of others in the first place. However, the relationship I deeply admired was that of Elijah and Penelope. Elijah’s care for Penelope was obvious and I was swooning every time he spoke highly of her - which was at all times. Even more, Penelope truly believed that Elijah deserved everything the world had to offer, which I think is the root of all love.

Although the novel, like its predecessor My Fair Lady, does a good job at commenting on the differences in classes, especially in early 19th century Britain, it also serves as a commentary on the universally deep roots of antisemitism and racism.

The overall decisive and clear writing from Cohen and her commentary on society from a 21st-century perspective was what made this novel pleasant to read, and I can confidently say it is already one of my favorites this year.