My favorite part about this book were the food descriptions. My least favorite part was everything else. I felt the characters were not described well enough in the beginning for me to picture them throughout the book. I was mostly bored and just did not care about the characters or their plotlines.

This book does represent certain people (non-binary, trans, bisexual) that I have never or rarely seen represented in romance books, so for people who identify with those groups may like this book more than I did. At times, it did feel like the author was trying to fit in as many minorities as possible, but it is their book and their world, so they are allowed to cast whomever they want.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the cute cover, but when I saw a nonbinary love interest it zoomed right up my to-read list. Loved the protagonist's awareness of her need to learn and work on her outlook and habits, loved all of the little details and the believability of the attraction and growing relationship across the entire plot arc.

Chef’s Kiss was such a joy to read! It wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill cooking show romance.

The characters were the best part of this book, both the main characters and the side characters. Simone and Ray were so cute together, even when they were arguing. I loved the theme of found family that is so common in queer romances. The way Ray’s coworkers came together to support them coming out was especially heartwarming.

At times this isn’t an easy read–there’s transphobia, discrimination, misgendering, deadnaming, and more. These characters have to deal with a lot, and they certainly aren’t perfect. There’s a lot of character growth throughout the book, though, which makes the tougher scenes worth it.

This was an amazing debut, and I can’t wait to read more of what TJ Alexander has to offer!

I can't explain what it was, but this book didn't pull me in from the jump so I struggled to read it. But I'm still really, really happy to more non-binary representation in romance!

This was a slow start to me - Simone is kind of brusque in a way that she claims men get to be and get called "dedicated" or whatever but I think was actually just rude and elitist (which I guess doesn't necessarily disprove her point), but the whole thing unravels so sweetly that you can't help but overlook it. What a nice read, and a great addition to the growing list of NB-chef love interest romance novels.

This was CUTE! I hadn't read TJ Alexander before but I'm so glad I gave this one a try! I look forward to what they release next!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

This sweet, slow-burn, LGBTQIA+ contemporary romance features well-developed bisexual and transexual protagonists. The plot is interesting and original and will keep readers riveted.

Simone has her dream job as a pastry chef for The Discerning Chef, a cookbook publisher in New York City. Unfortunately, her dream job is turning into a bit of a nightmare when the company decides to introduce video content in an effort to up their sales. If that wasn't enough, Simone now has to deal with the new test kitchen manager Ray, whose upbeat personality clashes with Simone's more serious demeanor. As the two work together, Simone begins to like Ray more and more. When Ray comes out as nonbinary, it becomes clear that The Discerning Chef is a toxic work environment that won't support the diverse members of its staff.

TJ Alexander's Chef's Kiss was a fun read! Simone was really relatable to me at the beginning. She's a no-nonsense chef who's good at her job, puts her head down and gets things done, and isn't going to smile or pretend to be upbeat just because some people might expect that from women in the workplace. Ray is an absolute delight and I adored them! It's easy to see why Simone is drawn to them. There is some dead naming, misgendering, and transphobia aimed at Ray in this story. Some of the misgendering is accidental since Ray hasn't come out at work yet at the beginning of the story, but some of it is purposeful, so be prepared for that. There are a few things in this book that rubbed me the wrong way, but I really liked this one overall! Plus the food descriptions are SO good in this one. I love a good nonbinary love interest in a romance and this one delivered!

This book was the perfect amount of cute and realistic! I loved the characters, but didn't really feel much chemistry between the protagonists. I wouldn't call this book a romance, so much as a contemporary novel with a splash of romance.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

Overall it was a good book, I just don't think I was in the right mood to read it. Simone and Ray were interesting characters and I liked watching their relationship develop.

I would caution readers that there is situational deadnaming, transphobia, and misgendering, so just be aware of that of you choose this book.

The author did a good job of drawing me and making me care about the characters. I'm looking forward to their next book!

This was so cute!!!! I am obsessed with Bon Appetit videos on YouTube, and this book totally gave me those vibes and made me want to binge Molly Baz videos :) I looooved the queer representation and all of the important discussions about pronouns and gender - some of the prejudice these characters endured was really tough to read. I really rooted for these characters, and the romance was so so good! I liked this book even more than I thought I would, and it made me want to cook all of the fun recipes!

I'm not really sure how I feel about this book--I thought it was going to be a book about baking and the making of cooking shows with a touch of romance (and it does have that in it), but it is really a relationship book and a love story. It is not your typical romcom (although there is some of those elements), but it is a story of a woman learning about herself and others around her and how she deals with all the different gender identities around her. It is also a story about finding love--not necessarily who you might think.

This is a great romance with food mixed in. I really enjoyed this and will definitely be reading more of Alexander in the future.

This book won me over by the end. I am a sucker for queer romance with a focus on cooking (Great British Bake Off really got me), and this title fit that so well! I wasn’t sure about it at first, and it took me a while to warm up to Simone, but she and Ray were such an interesting pairing that I couldn’t stop reading. I appreciated that they talked about the difficulty of accessing healthcare when you are seeking trans healthcare and how that has the potential to tie you to a job you would otherwise leave. This book was absolutely worth the read, and I’m so glad I had a chance to pick it up!

I thoroughly enjoyed it even though it's a topic that can still be hard to write on (I would imagine)! I honestly was a little taken aback only because I hadn't read the synopsis so it took me a minute to adjust but I ended up loving the banter and friendship Rae and Simone built throughout. And the ending of them leaving TDC because of how crappy the management treated Rae was absolutely the "Chef's Kiss"! I probably wouldn't read it again but I would recommend it to a friend!

A good plot with charming characters. It was an interesting read.
Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

imone loves her job in the test kitchen at The Discerning Chef, a magazine that features recipes and articles about cooking. But on the day she is trying to create the perfect sourdough she is shocked to learn the kitchen manager has retired and her replacement is causing a stir. Ray the new kitchen manager is quirky and all over the place which drives Simone crazy. With changes in the test kitchen for everyone both Ray and Simone need to navigate the world of video creation and a difficult workplace. When Ray comes out as nonbinary at work, Simone feels protective as TDC turns against Ray and anyone on staff who wants to be different.

A super sweet workplace romance with very clear opposites falling for each other. It was little weird hearing Ray referred to with she/her pronouns for more than half the book since the actual coming out as Non-binary happens later than anticipated. But after Ray does come out you feel so much empathy for the character who's just trying to make it through their day. Their is a bit of transphobia and homophobia in the book which can be jarring at times, but it's always put in to prove a point. I will be honest I got major Bon Appetite vibes from this entire story and I wonder if the author was at one point a fan of Bon Appetite's digital library (before they were totally cancelled of course)

A great pride month read and a great addition to your LGBTQ collection!

Unfortunately, this book is is further proving that single POV romances just aren't for me. Why authors continue to try to write these, I'll never know. Simone was AGGRIVATING to be in her head the entire time. Ray is a way better character and I wanted their POV. I just couldn't get into this at all. Also, while this is a personal preference because of my career in the same field, it's not realistic at all.

The opposite's attract adage fits well for this book, Chef's Kiss stars a very type A, meticulous pastry chef and a perky, optimistic, expressive new kitchen manager. I wouldn't exactly call this grumpy/sunshine - Simone isn't so much grumpy as she is set in her ways and liking control in all things. Ray enters the scene and successfully shakes up Simone's orderly, routine life. Plus changes to her job description, like starring in cooking YouTube videos when all she wants to do is cook and bake.

Ray is a non-binary character, and there is a story line regarding their coming out at work and the affect it had on their relationships and work life. Simone is also queer, but this isn't known to Ray for much of the book. This definitely classifies as a slow burn, the two don't get together until close to the end of the book after having some intense moments over the course of the plot.

Overall I found this book to be enjoyable as well as educational on the greater conversations around gender identity discrimination in the workplace and how non-binary folx are treated when they come out and ask to be referred to by different pronouns.

Also, maybe try not to read this one an empty stomach, there are a lot of food descriptions in here as they cook and bake for their work!

**Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

It takes three words to describe this book: hungry and horny. If you're in the market for a scoop of LGBTQ+ romance (featuring trans and Enby characters), a pinch of family recipes, and a sprinkle of putting toxic work environments on blast, sit back and enjoy!

I ESPECIALLY recommend this book for folks who are perhaps less aware of or don't quite understand the importance of personal pronouns. T.J.'s done a fantastic job of incorporating conversations about pronouns and identity into the book, without ever coming across as "too preachy". This is definitely a book that we NEED in 2022.

Listen to Boobies & Noobies interview with the author, TJ Alexander on your favorite podcast app or on our website: https://boobiesandnoobies.com/episodes/f/steamy-spotlight-interview-with-tj-alexander