"Eliza, from Scratch" makes me hungry. Indeed, I am on Instacart adding potatoes to my shopping list. It is currently twelve am. Yep, I feel like I'm starving! The writing in this book is well done; it made me take the book more seriously. I love how it shows the importance of culture and family. I also enjoyed Eliza & Wesley's banter.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

I recommend this YA book packed with enemies to lovers, academic competition, sweetness, and foods! Omg, the elite cook out and all the cooking lessons. Very much swoon worthy. It has reached my heart and made it feel like I'm a teenager all over again.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quill Tree Books for this e-ARC cute read in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a super sweet contemporary YA romance. Eliza is a first generation Korean American going through her senior year of high school - and she's going through so much and trying to just be perfect.

I don't really have much to say - but I loved the story. It's very much so a YA romance, but it was cute and such an easy fun read!

As a big fan of any book about food, I was excited to pick this one up. The concept of a high-achieving student thrown into a cooking class, where she is no longer the best, is so much fun, and I loved the commentary on elitism as Eliza is contrasted with Wesley, who doesn't share her focus on grades and academics but is equally smart. While I enjoyed this one, I did find a lot of it to be a bit forced and convenient at times, and some parts felt a little too predictable. However, this is still an entertaining read that enemies to lovers fans will love.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I adored this book! This is a young adult book but with so much emotional heart that reaches out to all ages. There is an enemies to more romance that is more than just a romance. There is so much depth to the budding relationship between Wesley and Eliza. I shipped these two so much! The cuteness overload as the two competed in the kitchen and the slow changes that felt so organic between them. Then there is the deeper level of dealing with grief and brokenness that felt so real. The raw feelings of both mother and daughter who have lost their connection as they struggled with not knowing how to reach the other. The cooking and the recipes brought them closer, showcasing nostalgia and family history that reignited their bond. And when they brought Wesley into the fold...be still my heart!

5 stars

This book is SO good that I'm mad it took until 2025 for it to exist. I would have eaten this up (pun not intended) when I was the target age demographic for it and honestly still did at my age. Eliza and Wesley are so cute! Loved all the cooking lessons so much! And I totally teared up at the ending even though I was reading in public.

4.25 ⭐️ but I’ll happily round up! I was hopeful that I would love this book and I very much did. I ended up relating to Eliza more than I expected, since I know what it’s like to lose a family member but not being able to grief them like you should. I loved watching Eliza tackle her emotions about and her disconnection with her culture. I already knew what was taught about Korean culture (though I actually learned new things about american high school/college culture), so it was comforting to see it integrated in the plot. The additional romance was adorable and lovely with not too much drama and I would’ve probably read 300 more pages about Eliza and Wesley if I could.

thank you to netgalley for providing me the e-arc to this book!

4.25 stars When I saw the description for this book listed as "Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Rachel Lynn Solomon," I thought, well, that's a perfect sales pitch if I've ever heard it. Lo and behold, that is a very accurate description for this book.

This book is centered around Eliza who believes she must be perfect at every turn. Perfect grades so she can give the perfect speech before she heads to her perfect college. But one small hitch. She miscalculated her scheduling prowess and must take a cooking elective. This class teaches her that she's not only not perfect, she's actually not good at cooking. This class is where we meet Wesley who is quite literally her opposite - strong and passionate about cooking but struggling in his other coursework. From here, something delicious is created.

This book is not only a YA romcom, it is also a book about understanding our parents and their lives and their grief. This book is about expectations and who they really matter to. This book is about the challenges that arise in friendship and in loving people that are different than ourselves. I really was charmed and highly recommend this book.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books, and NetGalley for this digital arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

"Eliza, from Scratch" follows a high-achieving main character who is assigned to a culinary elective class in her senior year of highschool-- much to her dismay as she is knowledgeable in all things but cooking. However, what Eliza expects to be a horrible experience turns out to be an insightful and enjoyable chapter as Eliza finds herself connecting with her culture and her mother, as well as a cute boy in her class. Overall, this was just truly adorable YA read. A lot of the themes in this are sooo relatable, even for me as someone in her early 20s now and reflecting on my teenage years. So I can imagine this would be just a complete delight for someone reading it while they are a teenager themselves. I highly recommend this delightful YA contemporary book.

At first I wasn’t sure what to make of this story but as I kept reading I found myself immediately pulled in. I liked that this book discusses the division between teens in regular and those in AP courses. It’s a pretty big deal and usually means many people never speak until well after they graduate. I also liked how they discuss the way teens are regarded in terms of higher education. Seeing Eliza as a fully fleshed out character along with her friends and family made the story flow and made it feel more authentic. Definitely gonna get this book because I thought it was such a unique perspective that is gonna stay with me for a while.

“It was only in the kitchen, where I felt the most lost, that I began to find out the parts of myself I didn’t yet know. The story of my family begins in the kitchen, so I should have known that the story of me would start there, too.”

Eliza Park’s plan for a perfect senior year and MIT acceptance is derailed by a sudden schedule change that places her in culinary arts: the one class that isn’t a guaranteed success for her. Suddenly, her salutatorian title is threatened, and Eliza finds herself, for the first time, floundering in a class. To make matters worse, Eliza is paired with her cocky and incredibly skilled classmate, Wesley, whose talents in the kitchen are rivaled only by his talents for getting under Eliza’s skin. As the semester progresses, Eliza begins to learn from (and even, perhaps, like?) Wesley, and her culinary knowledge is enhanced when she reaches out to her grief-ridden mother for help learning more about the Korean recipes that played an integral role in her mother’s life. Once despised by Eliza, cooking soon becomes a tool of connection for her, both with the important people in her life and her cultural heritage. Over the course of one fateful semester, Eliza learns lessons that go far beyond the kitchen, discovering things about her relationships, her culture, and herself.

In her debut YA novel, Sophia Lee crafts a tender tale of grief, loss, culture, and navigating change. The relationship between food, language, and culture we see play out through Eliza’s experiences in her class and in her home kitchen tell an important and nuanced story about the way in which we communicate about grief and other seemingly impossible subjects. I loved every scene where we, and Eliza, got to see her mother or Wesley come alive in the kitchen, expressing feelings they couldn’t outside of that environment. Lee seemed to balance so many complex subjects throughout the novel that sometimes I felt as overwhelmed as Eliza just by reading about them. From trying to reach across cultural and generational distances to navigating college decisions and academic elitism, it was hard to keep track of all that the characters had on their plates (pun slightly intended). However, I think Lee did an excellent job crafting nuanced and realistic characters that handled these situations with (at times) grace and (at other times) a sense of frustration and difficulty that made them feel all the more authentic. At different times heartwarming, overwhelming, and moving, Eliza, From Scratch is a beautiful debut work that demonstrates the power of the YA genre as a tool for examining important themes and delivering crucial lessons.

First off, thank you to Quill Tree Books and NetGalley for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I adored this book! I think that I would’ve especially loved this when I was in high school. While I never stressed myself out to the same degree when it came to school, I was fairly close, feeling the need to make my parents proud and needing to get good grades. So, I could understand where she was coming from and think other readers would be able to relate.

What I really loved was the development of the mother-daughter relationship in this book. While this is definitely a romance and it focuses a lot on Eliza’s blossoming relationship with Wesley, we also get to see how the cooking class she takes leads to her spending more time with her mother as she teaches her some of her grandmother’s recipes. I think it’s so common to see our mothers as the role they have in our lives, but they are also someone’s daughter. They are people who had their own dreams and had journeys we might not even be aware of before becoming mothers. Seeing her bond with her mother over food and learning more about her was wonderful to read about. I could feel the grief that had overcome her mother, and I could feel Eliza’s hurt over what their relationship had become before starting their cooking lessons.

Eliza definitely had her moments where I was frustrated with her, but I understand why she had that kind of mindset. We’re often taught that college is the only route to success and happiness. However, college is not the path for everyone, and that’s okay. It took me a while to unlearn that as well, and having also gone to an academically competitive school while having immigrant parents who made it clear that college was what you needed to do after high school, I get why her and her friends think that way. That’s why I was so glad to see the development she had regarding this kind of mindset. While I do think she could’ve gone more in-depth about it with her friends, I think it’s a great start for them. They also had problems that they were resolving, with Eliza feeling left out and being unaware of something major going on in one of her best friends’ life.

Eliza and Wesley’s relationship development was also great! They start off disliking each other to then slowly understanding each other as they’re paired off for an long-term assignment. It was sweet seeing them eventually bond over cooking and the way they opened up to each other.

Overall, I really enjoyed Sophia Lee’s debut novel and am looking forward to her future work!

This is such a cute story! I thoroughly enjoyed diving into Eliza's world and watching her journey of branching out of her honor kid bubble to become more open-minded. The premise felt fresh and unique: the projected salutatorian being forced to take Culinary Arts when she has absolutely no cooking experience. While the rivalry-turned-romance between Eliza and Wesley is the main story in the book, the story wasn't entirely consumed by them. All the other storylines were intertwined and got almost as much attention: Eliza struggling to learn how to cook, reconnecting with her grieving mother, and learning to better communicate with her best friends. I loved Eliza and Wesley's romance because it was clear that they were friends first, and they truly helped each other grow and become better people by the end. Not only did they both learn not to be so driven by judgment and insecurities, but Eliza also learned to expand her definition of success and that true passions matter too. The lessons Eliza and Wesley learn are so important, and I was very glad to see them represented in this book so well. My only gripe was that the writing in moments of tension and upset felt quite stilted, which would take me out of the story and cause the scenes to lose much of their emotional impact. But overall, this book was incredibly enjoyable and a strong debut! Thank you to Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins Children's and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

Thanks, NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | Quill Tree Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review

This was a cute and easy read with some fun moments, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The setup had a lot of potential—high-achieving Eliza getting thrown into a Culinary Arts class and clashing with the effortlessly talented Wesley—but the execution felt a bit predictable.

Eliza’s journey of learning to loosen up and reconnect with her Korean heritage through cooking was sweet, and the food descriptions were definitely a highlight. Wesley was charming, and their dynamic had its moments, though the romance felt a little rushed at times. Some of the emotional beats—especially around pressure and expectations—could’ve gone deeper.

Overall, it’s a light, feel-good story with a sprinkle of cultural flavor and teen drama, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression.

An academics obsessed teen finds herself questioning everything when she lands in a culinary arts class and finds herself not only falling for her lab partner but also discovering her own family's connection to cooking, dealing with her future, and what it means to start from scratch. Eliza is in her senior year and plans for it to be perfect with her two best friends and her goal to achieve salutatorian.... but when a scheduling mishaps lands her in the Culinary Arts class things only go downhill for her. Eliza has not a single culinary bone in her body, and her spot as salutatorian is at risk if she fails the class. Then theres the matter of Wesley Ruengsomboon, a charming Thai American boy who is beyond talented in the kitchen and he gets under her skin like nobody else. Yet as the year goes on Eliza's best friends grow distant, she is also dealing with her mother's grief of losing her own mom, and of falling for Wesley.... as they not only cook together but learn about each other and what their future holds. It's such a charming coming of age story, it's the right amount of self discovery, of family bonding and grief, and of love and friendship. It's definitely a sweet read and one I'd recommend for fans of Jenny Han!

Release Date: May 13, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | Quill Tree Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I personally did not finish this one as it was pretty predictable for me. However, I did gather that it is one my students might enjoy and I will be purchasing it for my school library. Thank you for the chance to read this one.

I had a great time reading Eliza, from Scratch. I love books that have food as a central theme, especially contemporary romances. It was a mistake to read the majority of this book late at night though, it made me so hungry. There were so many dishes I’d never heard of before but I’m definitely going to try them. Everything sounded incredible. Putting the recipes at the end of the book would have been a nice touch, I love it when books about food do that.

I don’t have many negatives so I’ll get those out of the way first.

Eliza is very unlikeable to begin with. She can’t believe it when Wesley only gets a C- on a test and instantly assumes something must be going on at home because why would anyone put such little effort into school? Clearly their life must be a mess because school is so easy, right? Never mind the fact that some people just don’t understand everything as well as others. To make this even worse, she takes the test out of his bag to get a better look at it.

She also has no backbone to speak of. There’s a classic ‘third act break up’ and this happens all because Eliza doesn’t speak out against her snobby friends. She doesn’t believe that the other students in the non AP classes are idiots, Wesley helps her see that, but when her friends are talking about it, she agrees. Although not explicitly but she does laugh along and anyone hearing this is going to believe she’s making fun of them. Thankfully part of her character development includes her not referring to those who aren’t in AP classes as ‘the other kids’ anymore, but she really did need to learn to speak out. She’s too agreeable because she doesn’t want to lose her friends. That part really sucked.

Don’t get me wrong, she isn’t perfect by the end of the book, but the arcs she goes through with her friends and family, and also academically and romantically, make this into a lovely coming of age story. Teenagers make stupid and selfish mistakes and that’s portrayed pretty well in Eliza, from Scratch.

Eliza’s struggles with her cultural identity was really interesting. She was born in America and has lived there her entire life so she feels a disconnect with her Korean heritage. She builds a new understanding of that side of herself through cooking with her mom, who is a first generation immigrant. Sadly, when she begins these sessions with her mom, it’s for purely selfish reasons, to do better in her culinary arts class, but Eliza soon learns that they are helping her mom deal with her grief.

These were some of my favourite sections of the entire book. Even though the relationship between Eliza and her mom was strained, there was something beautiful about watching them start to understand who they are today, despite the grief hanging over them. Eliza’s grief was more for who her mother was before, so watching this slowly get easier was wonderful.

I’m finding it a little difficult to explain why I enjoyed Eliza, From Scratch so much. There’s just something about books with a focus on food that feels so comforting.

Rating: 3.75/5

This is a big-hearted, poignant young adult story about love, family, and growing up for an "academic-obsessed teen". It's a great contemporary read for fans of Jenny Han!

I loved this book! It was such a cute romance, but also had depth and substance. The way that Eliza and Wesley help each other grow and develop is poignant and beautiful. I also loved learning more about the Korean culture and appreciated the way that the author explored the difficulty of growing up between two cultures.

--I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.--

3.5 stars

Eliza Park is ready to take on her senior year. Her choice of AP classes is going to help her lock in a high GPA and become salutatorian of her prestigious Texas high school, which will in turn satisfy her parents’ high expectations.
A scheduling conflict derails those plans in an instant. Eliza will have to take, and endure, a culinary arts class. It’s not AP, it’s not academic, and it’s sure to be a nightmare for overachiever Eliza. When she has to pair up with arrogant Wesley for a project, she braces herself for unmitigated disaster and humiliation. And surely her parents will be disappointed; Eliza’s mom has seen her make many cooking mistakes when they’ve attempted to make Korean recipes passed down from the maternal grandmother.
She’s never been so wrong about anything…
Great coming-of-age novel! Themes of the importance of familial support, of learning acceptance of differences in others, and dealing with life’s unexpected “curveballs” are woven together to create an intriguing plot. As well, the twists and turns of Eliza’s and Wesley’s relationship will arouse both laughter and “lumps in the throat” moments.
I wish the author had included a glossary for the Korean terms used throughout.

* I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*