After he makes his parents proud by graduating with an English degree, Ben searches for work in writing. When he's turned down for every job he applies for, he lies to his parents about a copywriting job and finds work to pay the bills at a local restaurant with an eccentric owner and a gorgeous chef, Liam.

My favorite thing about Chef's Kiss was the beautiful art style and the restaurant scenes! Ben is put through challenges before he can join the team and I loved this! It was so much fun to see what challenge he'd face, what dish he would make, and how the mystery judge (don't want to spoil who that is...) would rate his dish.

However, I did find a lot of the cooking scenes, especially his practice runs, to be tedious and draggy. It goes through each and every step of the entire recipe, pages and pages of cooking one dish. This makes sense for a book about a budding chef, but it did not appeal to me. The same thing happens toward the end of the book when one of Ben's friends teaches a yoga class. Again, pages and pages writing out each and every pose, going through the entire class. I felt like these things could have been edited down to a few pages to flow a bit better and offer time for other aspects that were rushed and given far too little time on the page like the romance!

Ben falls for Liam almost immediately. Sadly, aside from pining on Ben's part and a never again mentioned moment with Liam, we never really see their relationship go anywhere until an abrupt ending. Their relationship was a big factor in my choice to read the book and I was left unsatisfied with the small amount of romance in a book entitled, Chef's Kiss.

Overall, I would still recommend this book especially if you like to cook or like to see recipes laid out in books. If you're looking for a queer romance, you won't find much here.

Okay, this was super adorable, and the only thing I didn't really like is how I couldn't sample all the delicious sounding vegetarian dishes they were making. I enjoyed that this had a couple of "wtf" curve balls but the characters just went with it. This graphic novel is sweet and savory.

First of all, thanks to netgalley for the ARC of this!
I thought this was pretty cute. The art style was nice and the story went well with it. I had a good time. My only problem was the format i did read it. I think I’m meant to read graphic novels in physical form.
Overall, I would give it a 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for an e-ARC of Chef's Kiss by Jarrett Melendez in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first graphic novel and it was really adorable, realistic, detailed and beautiful! Story and scenes were funny, romantic and passionate, yet some parts, due to dialogue, felt bit cringy and rushed. I wished for Ben to have more progress towards his own dreams and needs, not so much as romance. It would be also great to have more backstory or at least insight of Ben's friends (more Liz, please) :)

Overall this was a quick read, plot was there, Ben was lovely, his friends were supportive and understanding, and every time when I read something food related, I wanted to run to my kitchen. Thank you!

Chef’s Kiss is as an adorable, somewhat magical slice of life story that follows a recent college graduate that finds himself in a completely different job than what he studied for in school. After many failed attempts to find a writing job due to no work experience (hello he was just a student?!), he stumbles across a cafe that is hiring and doesn’t require precious experience! Enter a fun cast of eccentric yet loveable chef’s that teach our MC that it’s okay to try things new and do things you love. It also helps that there’s a hunky chef too; hello love interest! I particularly enjoyed the somewhat magical pig that the head chef has be the final test for each cooking challenge. Such a delightful read!!!!

This was adorable! If you're looking for a lgbt graphic novel you don't want to miss this one.

Chef's kiss follows Ben as he is trying to figure out what he wants to do in his life. He's looking for a job, any job really as he becomes more and more desperate. However, he lies to his parents and say he has found a writing job like he's always wanted. But every interview is a failure and eventually he finally manages to get a cooking job, he'll have to do some tests because the boss is a bit picky (you'll see what I mean when you read it ahah). However, with the help of a handsome chef, Ben will become more confident in the kitchen. The romance is pretty sweet and I was rooting for them.

<i>(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

This was so cute. The art style is beautiful and the colours are perfect. This tackles some really apt problems about not just university or finishing education but about working life. How yes your all this time into university but nothing is quite like experience but if you cant get the job you can’t get experience.

How we can be influenced by our base nature but sometimes that puts us in a greater area than we thought we would be. I loved the way it tackled the problems in a really straight up form and I just think this story was so simple it was brilliantly put across. Sometimes its just the delivery that makes the difference.

Thank you NetGalley for the proof.

Thank you Onipress and Netgalley for an advanced copy.

This was such a cute and beautiful book. You will become so invested in Ben and his story, which is totally relatable in every way. His journey of trying to decide what his future will be when everyone else around him has it sorted already. The rest of the characters become so loveable as well, and who doesn't adore a cute pig. If graphic novels are something you love, this is one for you.

I really enjoyed this, it was a perfect easy read, heartwarming but also dealt with issues that a lot of young adults face. Watson was really the star of the whole story

I really really like this book. An absolute delight!

I was very invested with all characters here. Ben could represent every young people who are still confused about what they want to do for their life, such as career. Not only that, but I also love how Ben got friends who are loyal and very supportive to him when his parents are not. That little piggy Watson is also cute and funny. A great touch to this story. Watson made me want to try every food Ben cooked.

I recommend this book so much. Sweet, warm, and nice story with an outstanding art style.

Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for providing me this wonderful ARC!

I received Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez for free on NetGalley by Oni Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for my advanced copy!

In Chef’s Kiss we follow our main character Ben who is trying to find a job after leaving uni. After multiple interviews going nowhere he applies to a job he never would’ve thought to go for and finds a new passion along the way.

Chef’s Kiss was relatable from the very first page! Trying not to freak out and having to go for what felt like a million failed interviews is what I was like after leaving uni! It can be such a stressful time and it’s so funny how you can end up in a completely random job that has nothing to do with your degree but you end up loving! Plus I instantly related to the amount of books he had too!

The story was so fun, I loved all of the awkward and hilarious moments plus it was really cool to see Ben prove himself in his new role and get better even though his boss would definitely give me anxiety! I loved the romance subplot too, it was so well interwoven into the story and of course queer romances are always the best!

Additionally, the artwork was absolutely incredible! It was so detailed and clear plus I loved the use of colour all throughout! I wanted to read some more graphic novels this year and this was perfect for me!

Chef’s Kiss is a fun, relatable and absolutely lovely story!

At first glance I thought this was going to be a romance because of the title, but Chef's Kiss reads more like a coming of age story and I like that a lot more. It was nice to see a graphic novel about someone in their twenties since most graphic novels are about kids or teenagers. I think a lot of people in their twenties can enjoy this. It's a quick read about the struggles of adulthood, and figuring out what you truly want to do. The protagonist, Ben Cook finds himself caught between two passions and is unsure of what he truly wants in life. He is faced with the pressure that comes with unemployment but all that changes when he gets hired as a chef.

While this is a fun and cute story I found that there were continuity issues when it came to the characters. The conflict that occurred with one his friends felt abrupt and out of character. I feel like it was meant to move the plot forward, but I don't think it added much. And while the romance in the story was hinted at the development felt rushed towards the end of the book. Overall though I think it's a great book that many people would enjoy especially since the artwork in it is amazing. I love the style. It was really nice to read about someone in my age group dealing with the struggles of finding work, living independently and just navigating life in general. I hope it encourages publishers to create more graphic novels geared towards adults.

Thank you to the publisher, Oni Press and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review

An extremely relatable storyline about a 22-year-old named Ben who is looking to find a job after graduating from university and ends up taking a job he hadn't considered before. It was a lovely, short read that showed you should always put yourself first, no matter what anybody else thinks, and is a great, lighthearted read.

Give me a second to be corny here but... Chef's Kiss was *chefs kiss!*
What an utterly delightful graphic novel and one that I'm sure I'll return to time and again when I'm looking for an easy, comforting, and feel-good read! I absolutely ADORED it!
Thanks to Oni Press for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! 5 pig-tastic stars

The minute I saw this cover I just knew I had to read it. The artwork was fantastic and is one of my favourite styles of graphic novels/comics. It reminded me strongly of the Archie Comics that I used to read as a teenager, albeit with a lot more dialogue; still, I enjoyed the conversations and how they contributed to Ben's story, even if at times some of the frames felt a little crowded with text. The art managed to accurately capture the characters' many facial expressions and convey what they were thinking and feeling at a given time, for example, all the blushing Ben did whenever Liam was nearby! 😂

The story itself was just as wonderful as the art and I think a lot of people will be able to relate to Ben's situation, whether you're a fresh graduate or not. I, for one, have been in his shoes so I found it very easy to empathise with his post-college and parental situations. Ben's a fellow book nerd who was set on a writing career until he kept getting rejected for that catch-22 reason of being passed on for not having enough experience while being denied the opportunity to get the experience he needed. He lucks out when he comes across that restaurant gig and as the story progresses you can see just how happy it makes him and how passionate he becomes about cooking. This was such a feel-good story about finding your way in the world and learning about what makes you happy, even if it's not what you initially planned for. That's life, right?

It was such a pleasure to read about Ben, his roomies/college friends, and the chefs! I loved the friendships Ben had with his roomies; Liz was the serious childhood bestie, Rachel was the dreamy, hopeless romantic and Tom was the tech geek and stoner, and despite being so different from each other, they meshed so well together and were a great support to Ben and his dreams. I also really liked the way the restaurant chefs rallied around Ben and became his 'restaurant crew'. Is it a little wild that a taste-testing pig with immaculate taste buds makes the final decision on who does and doesn't work at the restaurant? Sure. But I absolutely adored Watson and his relationship with the head chef, even if he (the chef) was a bit of an arse at the beginning. Honestly, all of the characters in this story were fantastic and had well-defined traits that set them apart and I want *more* stories with/about them! Also, there's a dash of romance in this that was so sweet and was (again) *chefs kiss*! 😉

Overall, this was an absolute treat to read and I would highly recommend it if you're looking for a wonderfully illustrated graphic novel about new beginnings and finding your way in the world, with wonderful characters and great friendships that are sure to make you smile!

♤ rating: 4.5/5
♤ review: let me start with, if you are here for tragic, twists and turns, then leave cause this ain't for you. Chef's Kiss is graphic novel with straight up fluff and reality. It shows the actual face how hard it gets to find a job and also whag friendship means.

This manga starts with Ben and his 3 friends moving in together. While the centre of focus is Ben, I loved to see some aspects of the friends lives as well despite it being a short read. I loved Ben as an character and also Liz, but I thought there could have been more story to Tom cause he looked someone I'd hang out well with (like free food, let's goooo)

I absolutely loved all the food scenes, i am a foodie, and seeing them in books is always nice. The romance isn't that of a big part in here, its more like the reality of life. The plot won't move as its rather short (or maybe I'm used to reading long mangas) but then also it's catching in it's own way.

All the characters were fun to read about, but Watson was the best (only if you knew)... and also the dramatic story about him has me crying...

♡ Thanks netgalley for the gifted copy of this!

Thanks to NetGallery for the ARC. This was another one of my most anticipated reads for 2022, and I’m happy to said that I really liked it. The art is beautiful, I love that it's all in color and that it has a good amount of dialogue. I feel that I tend to gave higher rating comics and graphic novels more easily, but it makes sense to me, it's hard to develop a good story and characters only through drawings and dialogue, they deserve a point for that. The story is quite simple, but very easy to enjoy, it's cute, funny and relatable. Despite having its serious moments, it doesn't feel like an emotionally demanding read, which I loved.
Ben and Liam are so cute, and the friendship dynamics between the characters are great, this is the kind of short story that anyone would love to read between heavier books. Definitely recommended.

Spanish-
Gracias a NetGallery por el ARC. Esta era otra de mis lecturas anticipadas del 2022 y me gusto mucho. El arte es precioso, me encanta que sea todo a color y que tenga una buena cantidad de diálogos. Siento que suelo más fácilmente ratings más altos a los comics y novelas gráficas, pero para mí tiene sentido, es difícil desarrollar una buena historia a través de solo dibujos y diálogos, se merecen un punto por eso. La trama es bastante simple, pero muy fácil de disfrutar, es lindo, divertido y relatable. A pesar de tener sus momentos serios, no se siente como una lectura que te exige mucho emocionalmente, lo cual ame.
Ben y Liam son muy lindos, y la dinámica de amistad entre los personajes es geniales, este es el tipo de historia corta que cualquiera amaría leer entre libro más pesados de digerir. Definitivamente recomendada.

This was a perfect, lighthearted and fluffy read. Although it is a graphic novel, the story didn't feel too rushed or slow, and I thought the pacing was excellent. The story itself was heartwarming, and all the characters are to die for! Do not read this if you are hungry because the illustrations make the food look delicious, and you will instantly become hungrier.
I loved that the story focused on this idea that we don't need to know what we are doing at such a young age, or we shouldn't be permanently linked to something we choose at a young age and have to stick with it forever. I thought it handled the idea of not entirely knowing your future and taking the time to figure out what you want right now.
I will be looking forward to a sequel or anything this author creates, and I adored this book.
Rating: 4.5 stars.

Oh this warmed my frozen heart right up.

I really enjoyed watching Ben find himself in a job he wanted, something he was passionate about, and his colleagues were wonderful - and that's before we even get to his friends/roommates; they were so wonder. A little bit of drama and a whole lot of coziness, and I loved it. The romance was teeth-rottingly sweet and I lived for it, not gonna lie. The art and the colouring kind of follows along with that point of "coziness", I guess. It's kind of a little bit pastel-y? It was really nice on the eyes, is what I'm getting at.

It loses a star for the way Ben's boss treats him all the way until just before the end, though. It was too much, and it wasn't challenged, and it was.. bothersome. Other than that, though? Yes, good.

Chef's Kiss is a sweetly humorous slice-of-life NA graphic novel based around the everyday life of 20something Ben Cook written by Jarrett Melendez. Due out 1st March 2022 from Oni Press, it's 160 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook (comiXology) formats.

This is such a sweetly romantic book. Being a middle aged curmudgeon, I'm usually not such a fan of NA romance titles since I'm a few decades outside of the target audience, but this one was exceptionally good. Protagonist Ben is shy and just beginning to find his way after university and is living in a houseshare with his 3 friends. Despite applying for lots of jobs in his field, he's had a fruitless few weeks on the job front when he stumbles into a job training in a local upscale vegetarian restaurant. It doesn't hurt that there's a cute chef working in the same kitchen.

The character driven plot arc includes a seriously irascible head chef, an ensemble cast of coworkers and friends, and an adorable (actual) pig called Watson. The plotting is tight, and the dialogue is very well done and believable. The pencils, inking, and lettering are clear and precise. It's easy to read and well done all around.

This will absolutely appeal to fans of light romantic manga and NA graphic novel romance. There is no explicit content whatever.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is a really fun and fast story to read. What caught my attention the most is the cover and the art style!
As an illustrator myself i like graphic novels, because images are a whole experiencie in storytelling.

Something that took me a little to get used to was the overuse of bubble speeches, i feel like they could have been edited a little, because there was so much text on the panels and took me a little out of the visual story