Food Person by Adam Roberts is a wonderful book if you're in it for the over the top food descriptions which flow like melted butter, but if you want a cohesive, humorous story about love, family and working to achieve your dream, not so much. Mr. Roberts excels as he describes the attributes of every dish presented in this novel, but hasn't been able to do as well with a fully fleshed out main character, nor with the other characters surrounding her. I wanted to know so much more about Isabella Pasternack, her mother and so many other characters in the novel, but chances were missed to delve into their characters. Then the novel rushed to completion. It was finished and so was I. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounding up. An enjoyable read combining a romance with food, along with a cute more literal romance, and more complicated female relationships, especially between protagonist Isabella and Molly, the tarnished TV star she becomes paired with to ghost write her cookbook. There is also the interesting but not quite intelligible relationship between Isabella and her mom, who has gone a bit off the deep end since losing Isabella’s dad.

I did feel hooked by the loving, evocative descriptions of well-prepared meals (even as a non-cook!). A little more credibility with some of the characters would have helped, but it was engaging and fun.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and best wishes to the author.

I absolutely devoured this book—pun intended. As someone who’s already daydreaming about dinner while sipping their morning coffee, I truly couldn't get enough. The author’s voice is razor-sharp: witty, hilarious, and deeply knowledgeable about the inner workings of the food world.

Isabella, just having been fired from her food blog job after a messy live cooking demonstration, reluctantly agrees to ghostwrite a cookbook for Molly, a Lindsay Lohan-esque celebrity with a chaotic past.. Their dynamic crackles with tension, humor, and unexpected depth.

I couldn’t get enough of it and I genuinely didn’t want it to end. This is the kind of book that makes you want to recommend it to your smartest, funniest friend the second you finish the last page.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I loved this book. It was fun and witty and I couldn't put it down.

Adam Roberts delivers a food-focused novel following Isabella, an aspiring professional navigating New York's competitive food journalism scene. While the vivid food descriptions and authentic NYC dining details showcase Roberts' clear expertise and research, the character development proves frustratingly inconsistent. Isabella oscillates between spinelessness and unexpected moral rigidity, and supporting characters never fully escape feeling like one-dimensional caricatures. The plot rushes through major developments that deserved more attention. Despite these flaws, food lovers seeking a light New York-set story may find enough atmospheric detail to enjoy, though uneven execution keeps this culinary tale from reaching its full potential.

This started out so strong. I flew through the first half—Isabella’s voice is great, the characters were fun, and I was fully in on the whole “ghostwriting a celebrity cookbook” premise. It had that perfect mix of heart, ambition, and a little bit of food world chaos.

But then the second half happened.

The plot just started spiraling in a way that didn’t work for me, and the pacing totally lost its grip. It felt like it was building toward something big… and then the resolution was way too fast and way too easy. After everything, it just sort of ended? Disappointing.

I wanted to love this more than I did. The voice and setup had so much potential, but the back half let it down.

2.5 stars, rounded down because I’m annoyed at the ending.

Thank you to Knopf for the free ebook to review.

I loved this book! So much fun! Has elements I love-celebrity and non celebrity, NYC setting, and food descriptions so dreamy I actually put the book down to cook! Wish some of the recipes were included in the back! I think this will be a big summer hit.

Isabella Pasternack, the epitome of a camera-shy introvert, is forced into making a souffle on camera at her food magazine job, leading to an absolute collapse resulting in her firing. As she flounders trying to figure out her next steps, she's offered a job by her best friend's dad as a ghostwriter of a cookbook for the notorious actress, Molly Babcock. Can Isabella find her spark and her place in the food world?

I flew through Food Person in one sitting. I struggled a little bit at the outset because I felt like Isabella and some of the other characters were written pretty flat - however, as the book continues, the characters felt more and more real and well-rounded as we get to know them better. This is a good study of Isabella as she wrestles with her ego and learns to advocate for herself in her personal and professional life. I appreciated Owen and Gabe as supporting characters as they boost along her growth. I did feel like the reconciliation of Isabella and her mom could have been somewhat more fleshed out, but the ending was really satisfying overall.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Once upon a time I was obsessed with Bon Appetit and the staff… this book made me feel like I was one of the old editors. This is definitely a great summer read, full of drama, growth, and fun characters. I couldn’t put this one down.

Isabella loves cookbooks and cooking, but is terrible at writing about it, with no voice or perspective of her own yet. She spends too much money on high end ingredients, and can't afford her half the rent. Her roommate floats her money every month, and she initially turns down a ghostwriting celebrity cookbook job offer making more than she ever did writing before, because there's no “glory” or credit in it. But then she realizes she needs the money and concedes at the insistence of her roommate. The celebrity she'll be working with, however, hardly ever eats more than a bite or two and, though she has an interesting cooking legacy, finding the direction for the cookbook is a struggle for each of its authors.

Meanwhile, Isabella's mother makes her feel shallow and selfish for wanting to pursue a career as a food writer, and their guilty relationship in some ways mirrors that of another mother and daughter Isabella will come to know.

This book is for fans of awkward, cringey drama and cookbooks, with spurts of romance, motherly guilt trips, and some comedic moments.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are solely mine and do not reflect the author, publisher, or affiliates.

I recommend this to anyone who considers themselves a foodie and is looking for a fun read. Pairs well with another new foodie release: Didn’t You Used to Be Queenie B?

3.5 stars, rounded up. The main character wasn't really likable for me, but I did enjoy this foodie fiction tale.

Isabella Pasternack loves cookbooks, cooking, and food writing. Her dream is to write her own cookbook and to be known for her food writing. When she's let go from her writing gig at a digital food magazine, she very reluctantly accepts a job to ghostwrite a cookbook for celebrity bad-girl Molly Babcock. As Isabella attempts to tease personal information from Molly to put in the cookbook, Molly skates around the topic, and Isabella gets more and more frustrated and frantic that she won't be able to pull it all together.

I enjoyed every second of the food and cookbook related talk here. The author has a big history with food writing and his experience showed. What I didn't enjoy was Isabella's tendency to waffle between glory-seeking stubbornness and wimpy doormat, both of which were very unappealing. And Molly's and her sister's blatant cruelty was cringy, even celebrities know the difference between arrogance and just plain meanness.

I appreciated the way things came together in the end, it definitely redeemed some of the more clunky parts of the story. I even got a little teary when the characters learned to grow and change. It just came a little too late, it would have been better had Isabella matured and came to realizations about herself throughout rather than all at once at the end, which felt a bit fake.

I honestly feel as if this would have been a much stronger book had the (male) author swapped the genders of the main characters. Not that males can't write female characters, but some of Isabella's actions and reactions were not realistic at all to me. For example, even after she is shown ghostwritten cookbooks by super famous chefs, Isabella STILL thinks that ghostwriting will never allow her to amount to anything. It doesn't seem like a female reaction, it seems like a male one.

I realize this makes it seem like I didn't enjoy this book, but I actually did. I thought it was fun and I'm always, always up for food-related fiction books.

The guts of this book:
Isabelle's dream is to write her own cookbook and she gets plenty of inspiration from her friend that runs a giant used cookbook store. She gets fired from her job and her mom forces her to chose a different path and then it is discovered that a very opinionated celebrity wants to put out her own cookbook. Isabelle is excited at first that she will co-author this book and that it could help her cookbook future. Molly B, the celebrity has no interest in this format. She wants to take all the credit. TO find out that Molly does not cook and rarely eats makes this even harder for Isabelle, plus she is treated terribly.

I usually really enjoy books where food is tied together as the main theme hence why I enjoy Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series. This is labeled as a 'debut' that is mouthwatering and hilarious. It does have its moments with Isabelle (who cooks) and her mom, Jeannie (far from being a cook) who disapproves of Isabelle's decision to be a chef, let alone a food chef. Jeannie believes her daughter should have a more traditional job like an accountant or bank teller. Jeannie herself is retired (?) but believes doesn't need to be fancy and basic out-dated items can just be thrown together (yuck). Isabelle's mom is actually an interesting character and we learn later that she is suffering from a lot in her past.

There is a lot wrong with Isabelle as a main character. So many dreams for herself and determination, but not backbone. She does not stand up for herself, the career she wants and to the peoople that doubt and challenge her. Thank goodness her friend that owns the cookbook store and even her roommate offere some support and guidance....

Again, I usually love books like this and root for the underdog, in this case it is Isabelle. But the actual story was all over the place and Isabelle as a main character does not work. Plus Molly Babcock is a terrible even after finding out the big reveal. Just no.

Cannot recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley, Adam Roberts and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for an ARC in exchange for an honest reveal.

Already available

As an avid fan of the Bon Appetit YouTube channel (pre-2020 downfall obviously), I was immediately taken in by the premise of this novel. I adore a novel with great food writing, and this one delivered even more than what I was looking for in the end.

Isabella Pasternak is a Food Person, first and foremost. She’s an infinitely relatable protagonist who’s making her way through life fueled by the perfect scrambled eggs and a passion for cookbook writing when she’s suddenly fired from her job at Comestibles, a multi-media food publication in the vein of Bon Appetit. Luckily, she doesn’t have much time to wallow because she’s immediately offered a job ghostwriting a cookbook for a famous and beautiful TV actress who has fallen out of favor and doesn’t seem to take anything seriously.

Food Person is chock full of foodie references, from Molly Baz to Daniel Boulud; the name dropping is playful and over the top, and it sets the tone of the novel- Isabella is serious about food, and she has taken on the task of anonymously writing a book for someone who seemingly doesn’t eat anything except Hello Fresh meals.

The results of this partnership are unsurprisingly hilarious and conflict-filled. What snuck up on me was a really complex and earnest plot full of misunderstandings, trauma, redemption, and a cast of lovable and well developed side characters- I could live in this world forever. While it’s clear this is a debut and maybe could have used a little bit more polish here and there, I’m fully subscribed to whatever Adam D. Roberts gives us next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the opportunity to be an early reader of this title, which is available now!

When Isabella is fired from her job as a writer for an online food publication, she feels her dream of becoming a cookbook author go up in smoke. Fortunately, she lands a job ghostwriting a cookbook. The only problem is that it's for an actress with a bad girl reputation who needs a project to help clean up her image. Instead, Isabella finds herself becoming a glorified babysitter for Molly, who just won't settle down and work on the project. Oh, and she can't cook and hates to eat. As you might expect, shenanigans ensue, culminating in a disastrous climax. The food descriptions were mouth-watering--this author knows his way around a recipe. This was a fun, humorous, and breezy read--perfect for the beach!

What’s been described as “The Bear” meets “The Devil Wears Prada,” Food Person is for every reader who loves food culture.

As someone who watches Top Chef religiously, reads cookbooks for fun, and enjoys diving into bad behaviors in the food scene, this book was made for me.

However, if none of this sounds like you, it may not grab you quite as much. Without those details, it’s your average story involving messy, entitled behaviors intermingling with a gal who just wants to be appreciated and get noticed in her career and life, which always makes for interesting conflict.

I do need to read the summaries of books better than I have been because I was very much under the impression this was a non fiction about food influencers. It was a very happy mistake on my end.

Food Person is a fun and witty book about the FMC who is tasked with ghost writing the cookbook of a washed up celebrity. The relationship between the FMC and celebrity gets muddled between what is happening here to not quite sure is professional or not. What makes it even more complicated, is the FMC is best friend and roommates with the celebrity’s newest publicist. Nothing could go wrong with relationship dynamics there… let’s add in both the FMC and celebrity have very different views on food. The FMC loves food, and is quite the food person. She loves cooking, reading cook books, exploring flavors and using the finest ingredients. The celebrity on the other hand, is a mess when it comes to food and her relationship with food. The story and relationship unfold and unravels between the two to a fire storm and an explosion (literally).

Food is such a simple and complicated thing. It brings people together and it can drive people apart. Food Person touches upon that. It also comically speaks about how the food personalities and celebrities are not all what they are chalked up to be. Food Person also explores the various emotions food brings out of people and how it can be used to hurt others around them too. Both characters also explore their relationships with their respective mothers and families, and which does involve food. Go figure.

Food Person was a fun and quick contemporary fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to others.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

I will be posting to Story graph, Goodreads and socials

Food Person is like merging Top Chef with Entertainment Tonight, it gives a fictionalized insight into the world of cookbook writing something the author is familiar with from his past nonfictions works. There is a gossipy element to the novel which name drops famous chefs both for their culinary feats as well as their social mistakes. It is the literary equivalent of a juicy hamburger at the new celebrity hot spot.

The story centers on Isabelle, who feels a bit adrift after being fired from her job. She has allowed a domineering mother and catty best friend make her feel unworthy. Working as a ghostwriter with a party girl former child star, Molly, seems like an ill fit at first but the story finds Isabelle finding her way towards being not only a successful author, but also more confidence in herself.

I wasn’t expecting the dramatic moment that happened towards the later half of the story, but I liked seeing how it leads to Isabelle working through her judgmental attitude towards Molly and how Molly also works through her own self-absorption. I also enjoyed the sweet romance that develops between Isabelle and a sous chef at an up and coming restaurant.

The blurb for this book reminded me of Food Whore by Jessica Tom, which I adored, so I was eager to read it. Food Person follows hapless (and spineless) 25-year-old Isabella Pasternak, an aspiring cookbook writer living in NYC. After a disastrous firing from her lowly food writer job, Isabella accepts a gig ghostwriting a cookbook for former soap star Molly Babcock (thanks to Isabella's gay bestie Owen, whose dad conveniently runs a talent agency). Of course, Molly's a bit of an unhinged diva...so soon Isabella finds herself wondering if she's bitten off more than she can chew.

What I liked:
• The food descriptions were impeccable and vivid! Adam Roberts clearly did his homework (and dining research!) on the NYC restaurant scene. The novel name checks many famous chefs and restaurants. The mise en place? Divine. Roberts really sets the table for the food cooked and meals consumed in this book.
• The novel has a strong set-up: The first 50% or so moved quickly, and it was easy to get into the story.

What I didn't like:
• Isabella was an inconsistent protagonist. She was both totally spineless but also became oddly moralistic at points.
• The novel glossed over some of its major plot points. In particular, I was disturbed by Isabella's mother, Jeannie, who was (understandably) still grieving the death of her husband four years prior. She had some serious mental health issues, but the book resolved the mother/daughter conflict too quickly.
• The overall plot was predictable! Isabella ended up much closer to the career of her dreams...but I don't think she really learned all that much about how to stand up for herself or how to succeed in a corporate world.

Loved the focus on food here, but I didn't think the characters or plot were notable.

I really like the connections Isabella and Molly build with each other although sometimes it was a bit toxic. Dripping with drama and a ticking time bomb of a book.