This just made me really, really happy. The whole cast of characters (except for Benji's parents smh) were great, and Watson is the best critic ever. I would love to see this as a sitcom. While most of the graphic novel is light and feel-good, it does touch on somd topics that I think are relevant and made me really think and connect with personally, such as post-university life and the question of what to do next. Plus, a dig on how certain job requirements can be on the illogical side sometimes. The art was lovely and the food descriptions made me hungry too. Didn't expect to enjoy it this much but I'm glad I did.

Arc received from Netgalley.

I was in the mood for something cute and wholesome, Chef's Kiss absolutely fits the bill. It gave me vibes of Giant Days, Heartstopper and the tv show Please Like Me. I love media revolving around college kids trying to figure out how to live adult lives. The friend group was nice. The work story was engaging. The best part was Watson, the pig. I'll definitely read more from this author.

Chef's Kiss is an adorable graphic novel that is bound to make you hungry. Ben cook has just graduated from college and is attempting but failing to find a job in his chosen career path. Being a cook is very much the opposite of being a writer, but he's at the point that he will take what he can get. It helps that he's actually quite good in the kitchen, and it doesn't hurt that one of the other cooks, Liam, is easy on the eyes. With the new job comes not only a crush on Liam, but Ben struggles to balance new friends with the old and has to decide if his plans of being a writer were his own or his parents.

Chef's Kiss was a super quick read with a great art style. A New Adult rom-com with a main character who is figuring out the next step in his life after college. For the most part, the story was relatable when it came to career decisions, managing friendships and the thrill of a new crush. The less relatable part was the odd taste testing pig with human like reactions and the over the top grouchy boss. Be warned, do not read this hungry lol because the dishes they cooked up sounded heavenly. Overall a very cute queer graphic novel with a sweet innocent romance that's wrapped up nicely at the end.

Good food, good friends and a really cute pig.

This was a really cute book about new beginnings. Exploring new relationships, new passions and finding your place in the world post education. I loved the romance and of course I loved the pig!

Thanks to NetGalley and Oni for providing me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm always a sucker for a romantic graphic novel and this was just too cute. I really enjoyed reading this, from the struggle Ben has in deciding what to do as a career and not finding a job (very relatable), to the kooky (I was going for a cooking joke) job at the restaurant. The ending was also super cute and perfect, even though I wish that the relationship had developed a little more. Also, I really liked how all the side characters are developed, and how you got to know each character throughout the book. My only critique is the yoga scene being too long. I mostly skimmed through all the inhale-exhale bits because it didn't add to the story.

A light slightly comic well very comic romantic story line that features as one of its heroes a pig! Yep a pig who rules the sty and beyond, plus cookery recipes that make your mouth water. That aside the story of coming of age is told in a light hearted way with illustrations that fit in well with the traditional comic layout.

Loved this in its entirety. The characters were fun and Ben, the lead, was very relatable with his problems. Discovering what you would like to do and exploring different possibilities while trying to satisfy your own needs and not dissapointing others was something I related to. If you are looking for something sweet and thoughtful with great illustrations I highly suggest this story!

This book is the perfect queer fall read. It was so cute I can hardly stand it.

First of all, the art is so freaking gorgeous. It doesn't take a lot to impress me when it comes to art in graphic novels, but the style and the coloring is just perfect in my opinion.
Secondly, I enjoyed the plot much more than I thought I would. I really don't know anything about cooking, but after reading it, you really don't need to know a lot about it to appreciate the amount visuals and descriptions in this book. I think the plot had a good balance of drama to keep me engaged, while also making sure the characters stay likeable. I've found in many other graphic novels, characters will do mean and hateful things that make them less likeable for the sake of plot, but that didn't really happen in this one, so I appreciated that.
Speaking of characters, I thought the character work was really great in this one. I feel like we did actually get to see Ben develop over the course of the story and none of the characters felt out of place. Everyone got a chance to shine and I really loved the group dynamics.

Basically, go read this book as soon as it comes out. If you like stories about cooking, finding your passions, and fluffy (queer!) romance, this is the book for you!

Thank you, NetGalley, for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet book! I found Ben to be a very relatable character for me, and amidst the soft art style, romantic bumbling, and of course lots of cooking (I wanted to try everything that Ben made!), there were strong messages about discovering the kind of person that you want to be, especially in the tumultuous time of your early 20s. This is definitely one that I'll be revisiting again and again, as a feel-good book and also to remind myself to prioritize what's important to me.

This graphic novel solidly blends old school style and modern day topics. It’s OTT at times (the pig was a bit too much for me) and particularly down to earth at others. It’s funny and heartfelt. I loved the restaurant setting. It was like Top Chef meets The Bachelor meets… Charlotte’s Web? Or something. I don’t know but I liked it.

Ben is a newly graduated English major hoping to land an entry level writing job somewhere, anywhere, but eventually decides to take whatever he can get when nothing else turns up. Being a fairly skilled amateur home cook already, he lands a job in a restaurant and finds that he really enjoys it. Which makes him question all of his decisions about his future up to that point.

This really surprised me with the level of depth and thoughtfulness. It tackles a whole slew of related topics that are especially relevant to those just graduating college and entering the workforce. At one point Ben has a conversation with his coworkers about his plans and dreams; I really appreciated the reply he gets about how we all expect teenagers to figure out who they are and what they want at an impossibly young age. I liked, too, what it had to say about job hunting (how do you get experience if no one will give it to you?) careers, happiness, having to work for free under the BS idea of “getting exposure” or for an internship, the pressure of parental expectations, the whole general purpose of college, and why some jobs are deemed good and valuable and some aren’t. Learning how to follow your heart isn’t always as straight forward as it may sound and this definitely shows how difficult it can be to change tracks.

The romance is adorable. It’s a minor part of the story and really doesn’t come together until the end but it’s very sweet. And ab-tastic. I was not prepared for the abs. Holy ripped chef, Batman.

Overall this graphic novel was lovely and delightful. It started off a little wobbly for me because I wasn’t sure of the tone - it’s a mix of real and surreal - but it had some great things to say and wonderful characters. It was an enjoyable read, for sure! *chef’s kiss*

Thanks to NetGalley And Oni Press for providing the digital ARC.

In Chef’s Kiss, we follow Ben who can’t find a job as a writer after graduating his degree in English literature. He comes across a vacancy for a sous-chef in a restaurant. He starts working there with his stunning colleague Liam.. Ben’s parents expect him to pursue a career in writing, and Ben has a hard time trying to decide which career path he should follow.

This is an amazing and wholesome graphic new adult novel about trying to figure out what you want to do in life and lots of self development. A slight hint of romance is a nice addition to the rest of the story. The story is quite short, which was a pity. I couldn’t get enough of it! Besides this, the artwork in this graphic novel is amazing! The drawing are really detailed and look great. And Watson, the pig with great taste buds, is definitely one of the best side-characters I’ve ever met. I loved him! The big bossy chef was kind of toxic to me, that’s why I cannot give it 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chef's Kiss was a perfect afternoon read. I love a good book centered around food or baking and the main character was also trying to figure out what to do after graduating with a degree and no job prospects in sight. His roommates were delightfully diverse but all seemed to fit as a little found family.

The addition of the restaurant's pig into the story had me scratching my head at some points.

I look forward to reading future additions to this series!

Chef’s Kiss is a charming graphic about Ben, a recent college graduate on an increasingly disheartening job search trying to work out his place in life. When Ben strikes out at another interview for a writing position, he stumbles upon a job opening in a restaurant instead, which leads to a series of baking and cooking challenges to determine if he is fit to add to the staff.

Fans of Check, Please! and similar stories will find a lot to like here. Ben is a queer protagonist who has a lovely cast of quirky friends/roommates, not to mention his new restaurant coworkers, and mouthwatering descriptions and depictions of food abound. “New adult” readers (and lots of others) will find they can relate to the struggles Ben and his friends have throughout this story, including job searching, considering higher education, dealing with tense family relationships, going on (maybe) dates, and trying to find a new balance in adult life, especially when it comes to communicating and maintaining friendships.

While the story often moves quickly through time, the reading experience of the graphic novel is leisurely. There are a few elements that start off as funny gimmicks that the author may take a bit too far, like Ben’s new boss consistently getting his name wrong or the adorable pig with the impeccable palate all of a sudden smoking a post-meal cigarette, but overall this title has a heap-load of innate charm and a satisfying resolution.

Chef's Kiss is just perfectly adorable!
Ben is in the well-familiar spot for many young adults: fresh out of college, living with his friends as roommates, and struggling to find a job in his field of copy-editing... but everyone requires experience! The only job he can find that doesn't is at a small restaurant. Throw in a really cute guy Ben crushes hard on and a food-loving pig, and it seems like a weirdly perfect job.
The art is fantastic, engaging, and brightly colored. All the characters are distinct with their own personalities shining through, and the pig is just the perfect amount of chaos to have in the mix. It's funny, it's sweet, it's fulfilling as Ben develops into his own personal and takes a stand to do what's best for himself.

I got the ARC off of Netgalley, these opinions are my own. I’ve only read one other graphic novel so I was little hesitant at first but I’m so glad I requested this! It was super cute and I found both Ben and Liam to be super charming! I loved all of the characters in this novel, especially Watson, he was super cute! I love the way it’s a slow burn and you get to watch Ben and Liam grow overtime! Plus Ben’s a natural with cooking! Something else I liked was the realistic portrayal of the difficulties of finding a job without experience! And I wasn’t sure how the ending was gonna play out, but it worked well! Jarrett Melendez, with the help of Danica Brine and Hank Jones, created a fantastic graphic novel that I can’t wait to read again!

This was so cute. I loved the characters and the storyline. The story was relatable as someone that graduated university and didn't really know what to do afterwards! The romance was also cute and it was nicely developed in such a short amount of time. p.s. i love watson the pig

Chef's Kiss is a sweet graphic novel about a guy named Ben who graduates college with an English degree and gets a job in a restaurant. Along the way we meet his roommates, his hunky co-worker, a brusque chef, a charming pig, and we get to see some cool food get made.

This is a delightful little story. There's humor, romance, a tiny bit of drama, and a charming pig. What is not to love? I absolutely recommend this to any human.

I got an ARC of this book.

This could have been a lot better, but the premise of the tests was a total rip off of Yakitate!! Japan. In the anime, the MC has to bake bread that even a horse will eat. In the graphic novel, the MC has to make dishes that a pig will eat. The boss in both are big, burly men. The MCs are both home cooks and not professionally trained, but have great cooking abilities. So this just felt like someone watched a few episodes and then went “what if this were gay?”.

The gay plots were minimal. There was no reason that they were into each other outside of looks. They didn’t really interact with each other much. There was no build up to their relationship. There was no satisfying longing. It was literally just they looked good without shirts on. They were both fit. There was no substance.

There was a lot of cooking and baking talk. So if you are a fan of food network or the cooking channel, then this may just be the book for you. If you are looking for gay baking, there are much better options out there. The only reason this is not one star for me, if there were some cute pig scenes. The pig is why I kept reading. I didn’t care what job the MC chose, I didn’t care if he got the boy. There was just not any reason for me to care.

A real cute feelgood story!

Ben is a soft sweetie with a talent for cooking and checking out hot guys, like his mentor, Liam. He's also stressed about life choices - trying to get a job in what he majored in without any experience, then getting a job as a chef and ending up loving it.

This book is a bit bonkers and a lot cute. I loved the friend group, both in the house and in the restaurant. It's also queer (we know of at least two men who are attracted to men) and includes BIPOC characters, which is always a major bonus for me.

Keep an eye out for this next year!

/ Denise

This was utterly perfect from beginning to end! I loved the characters immensely, especially Ben & Liam. I was rooting for their love story from the minute that Liam walked into the picture.

Chef and Watson were both ADORABLE! Well Chef was more Daddy than adorable!😂 But I loved them so much!

I really hope this becomes a series, because I could read about the restaurant for many books to come! Plus Liam without his shirt was not seen enough IMO! Idea for Book 2, Liam can not fathom the use of a shirt!! Health Inspector, Smealth Inspector! 🤣🤣🤣