An interesting book, there are some fun moments and some sad moments. I would have enjoyed it more if the characters were a tiny bit more likable. Now don't get me wrong, I love and dunlikeable characters or an unreliable narrator, but this book lacked a bit of depth to the characters that makes you interested in them even though you don't like them, 3 stars

This is the journal of Ruthie's year at culinary school. I liked the conceit but to be honest, Ruthie not so much. Rosen tries a bit too hard. That said it is funny in spots and sad in others. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

I was really excited to read Off Menu as it sounded like a light hearted easy read. However Ruthie might be one of my least favourite fictional characters to date which made for a frustrating read unfortunately!

This was fun -- almost like a retelling of Bridget Jones Diary set in culinary school! I love all things food and chef so I loved that part of it. Ruthie is definitely a bit over the top but the journal style in which this was told made it a fun, easy read. And lots of delicious food to read about, too! Plus it's set in Canada, which was fun. Give it a try!

Off Menu comes out next week on June 17, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.
This is the second saddest I've ever been in my entire life. The first saddest was when Bubbe Bobby Grace died (obviously). I hate that this is all happening in the same year. Not cool, universe.
When I was crying at her funeral, I thought of the advice she gave me when I was around ten years old. My first childhood pet had died and I was wearing my bravest face as I lowered the shoebox into a hole in the ground that I had dug in the backyard of our old house. Lucy had led a good life, a happy life, a long life for a hamster (a solid four years), though at the time it didn't feel like nearly enough.
At Lucy's graveside ceremony, Bubbe said, "Let the tears flow, dollface," as she dumped a shovel of earth over Lucy's Adidas box casket. "Pain needs an outlet and tears help us heal. Lucy deserves your tears, so let 'em rip."

Those are just a few of my tears. (Can still kind of see the stains.)

This is a delightfully witty book about Ruthie who inherits a large sum of money from her late grandmother. After traveling to exotic locations and tasting amazing food, she decides to use the funds to enroll in culinary school. The story is told over the span of a year through diary entries. I love books told through journal entries. We read about Ruthie’s hilarious journey through culinary school while navigating some significant bumps along the way. Two of those bumps being relationships. Ruthie has to decide between herself and her relationships. This book was fun, witty, and enjoyable. If you love embarrassing moments described in diary entries, and books about food creation-this is the perfect book. I laughed out loud during many moments and appreciated the different perspectives regarding food preparation. Plus, the recipes in the back of the book were great!

As a food and book lover I wanted to love it. I just couldn't get past the FMC and her decisions.

Spolier alert:
I was rooting for her to pursue her dreams and loved the relationship with her girlfriends, but the whole being the other woman while not thinking she was just because they hadn't been intimate rubbed me the wrong way. The way she thought even when she saw her friend just got cheated on and the effect it had on her didn't sit well with me. Plus the drugs in the food and money issue was just like OMG seriously??? This is over the top. I thought about stopping but was curious about the other guy and I try really hard not to DNF, but the way that conversation went was also quite sudden in both moving to the same place after a short few dates and the not talking to each other about big decisions. It just all felt quite immature which maybe they are in their 20s?

Overall, I liked aspects of it, and hope others love it, it just wasn't for me.

Ruthie has had enough.

Work wise, she isn't where she wanted to be; her data entry job isn't satisfactory enough. Love wise, she isn't any better either, still pining after a man she met on her holidays. But as fate would have it, she inherits a considerable sum from her favourite grandma, and so she decides to ditch her current job and pursue a career on what she does best: cooking.

The culinary school she enrolls to brings a new set of pleasures and challenges, and on top of it all, a new chance at love, in the face of her classmate Jeff. The tumultuous, whimsical adventures of Ruthie in food and in love are narrated to her friends and also jotted down in the young woman's diary. She goes through all sorts of challenges and red-flag situations, until she realises one very crucial thing: the only one responsible for her happiness is herself.

This book somehow reminds me of Bridget Jones Diaries. But make it a red flag EVERYWHERE. Ruthie is a rollercoaster of a character; at first, I smiled at her naiveté, and then, I realised she is also a glaring red flag (because no, Ruthie, you can't fix him, no one can). But the end of the story kinda redeemed Ruthie in my eyes. The descriptions of her shenanigans at culinary school was also lovely to read, to the point I did get a bit hungry. As for Jeff, I liked him when he was Ruthie's friend. (And don't get me started about Dean, UGH.) The only ones NOT a red flag (kinda?) were Lilly and Trish, Ruthie's best friends, who throughout the book maintained a beautiful friendship with her. That really was the book’s most pleasurable point, and it's worth a read just to see those three goofballs standing up for each other through heartbreaks and career changes.

All in all, it was okay. Makes for a light read, if you get past the sea of red flag characters.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the opinion expressed is my own. My thanks to Netgalley, ECW Press and Amy Rosen for providing me with my copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.I wanted to really like this book.
I have worked through so many heavy books, this light and romantic one should have been on par for me. But, it was just meh.
It’s an easy read with lots of character, but quite predictable and simple in its plot line.
At times I appreciated the menu items, other times I had enough of the food descriptions.

I have a bottomless amount of mixed feelings about this book! It goes without saying that this is by far one of the funniest romance fiction books I've ever read. Every few pages, this book has me smiling and giggling like an absolute fool. But there was such slow sections of momentum throughout and at points it almost felt like a stream of consciousness rather than a set story. But let's get into it.

I always like to start with the positives so I want to outline some of the funny moments that I simply adored:
1) When the office is described as 'the architectural equivalent of a slap in the face' - brilliant wording
2) 'I'm fairly certain that Greg over there, the one with his finger up his nose, only watches movies of the pornographic variety' - HA-LARIOUS omg
3) Ian's character description ('Ian has straight dark hair that looks exactly how you would draw a man's hair with a brown crayon if you were in grade one' ... the character descriptions were beyond excellent and still characteristically witty.
4) When Ruthie resigns by crawling past Keith's desk and slipping her resignation under the cubical wall ('probably not the most professional way to quit, but I've never been accused of being professional' - brilliant!!)
5) '...died while fighting in the Korean War...of gonorrhoea' - Rosen's deadpan humour is endlessly fun to read.
6) 'I left Julia Child's tome Mastering the Art of French Cooking at home because I'm a burgeoning chef, not a professional weightlifter' - this might be my favourite quote, I really love the one liners!

Also, my heart absolutely melted for Bubbe. Ruthie's memory of her is remarkably heartwarming and she is such a phenomenal character that graces the pages.It's also such a great snapshot of life as a 20/30 something year old, and captures modern dating almost too well - I just wish there was more of a plot driving the whole thing. There were some really slow moving moments where I'll be honest I got a little bored. And I'll never forget at the beginning when Ruthie confesses they've never even sent themselves a voice note...who sends themselves voice notes...?

Overall, absolutely full of personality, humour and sweet moments of warmth but just not fast paced enough for me personally!

I must confess that I initially requested this book thinking the author was Ali Rosen-- who I've reviewed before.

As I started reading this book, I noticed that the tone and structure were very off for her books. I looked and realized it was Amy Rosen. The premise was still up my alley, so I went with it.

This book is told through the journal of Ruthie Cohen. She's coming off a break-up, a bad job, and a sudden inheritance. We're with her as she dives into her dream of cooking school and her love life heats up.

She's pining for a vacation fling and infatuated with her taken cooking partner.

Her journey is told in a series of journal entries that illustrate her hilarious adventures in cooking school, online dating and finding true self.

It's a fun book, at times Ruthie got a little annoying and neither of the romantic interests really wowed me. But it's made for a nice afternoon of reading.

I am a food show girly! I love Gordon Ramsay for sure. This book was cute, however, I just felt like about halfway through it started to fall a bit flat and I was losing interest. A true foodie will probably eat this up but it wasn’t for me.

Charming book that will appeal to all foodies! It's almost reminiscent of a romcom you'll want to watch again and again, because it's that good! Definitely would recommend!

As a rule, I love books written in installations- a diary, emails, etc. Off Menu is for the 20-something’s in all of us, feeling a little chaotic and trying to figure it all out as best we can. Ruth is relatable and charming, the book capturing her spirit from the beginning.

I love a cooking school adventure so Off Menu seemed right up my alley. The book started off strong but along the way I lost interest in the character and the romance. Sadly, this title was not a fit for me.

Definitely pre ordered the book. I think Amy did a great job on this book. The flow was something I enjoyed. I feel like there were definitely parts that I related to and without going too much into the book to spoil it, I am so happy she did whatever she felt was best FOR HER. Often times there's fears, or just anxieties about "doing the things" that prevent us from going for it. Amy did great at taking us on this journey and I would like a part two.

This book was mixed for me. I really enjoyed the parts about food, cooking school, and working in a culinary space. I did not care for the romance: the guys did not appeal to me and I felt the MC grew annoying and whiny about the men. It felt like a bad take on Brigid Jones. The book is more of a contemporary fiction piece than a romance and marketing needs it make that clear.

This was a lighthearted, fun read. I really enjoyed the emphasis on Ruthie's friendships, and her growth during culinary school. Really enjoyed the recipes in the book too!

Thank you Netgalley and ECW Press for the ARC!

Thank you ECW Press and Netgalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. 
Twenty-something Ruthie receives an inheritance after the passing of her beloved Bubbe. She decides to use the money to quit her job and follow a lifelong dream to go back to school to become a chef studying French cuisine and pastry.
This book, written partially in a diary format, was funny, lighthearted, inspiring, infuriating, chaotic, and chock full of food, recipes, and technique. 
Ruthie has two love interests during her year of learning and self-discovery, and neither of them are great choices. They do make for some juicy and fun diary entries.
The standouts and my favorite elements in this book are the unwavering friendship and support from her "Ride or Dies" Trish and Lilly, and the wealth of information about French cuisine. (Including a multitude of amazing recipes at the end of the book). 
I did enjoy this book, but would have loved if the love interests had taken more of a back seat and it had focused on more of Ruthie's growth, the importance of friendship and the struggles of a female chef in a male dominated industry. 
Overall, this was a delicious, easy, and lighthearted read.

I enjoyed reading this book; it had so much food that it warmed your soul. Ruthie inherits some money after her grandmother passes away, and she finally decides to follow her food dream by going to a French Cooking School. She is also secretly looking to find love in the city of love itself. Nevertheless, she meets Jeff. But things aren't a cakewalk.
Alongside her friends, Trish and Lilly, will Ruthie be able to find the love she deserves and also fulfil the food dream that she's grown up with? That's what this book is all about. Thanks, Netgalley, for the book. It was a funny and light read.

Overall, Off Menu by Amy Rosen was as light and fluffy as some recipes described in the book, and since I love books about food and foodie fiction, this hit the spot. When I read Ms. Rosen’s bio at the end, it all made sense! She’s written several cookbooks and owns a place in Toronto, where the story takes place.

Written as a diary, the main character, Ruthie Cohen, leaves her dead-end data entry job and, using her inheritance from her beloved Bubbe (grandma) Bobby Grace, goes to cooking school to learn/master French cuisine and fulfill her dream of becoming a chef. Kudos to her, right? Unfortunately, for most of the book, Ruthie comes off as an immature, self-absorbed, whiny, and often insufferable 27-year-old who, while having a good palate and sense of taste, has lousy taste in men. I would have taken a hard pass on both Jeff and Dean! I kept thinking that when it came to relationships, Ruthie acted more like a teenager than someone nearing 30. Good thing her two BFFs, Lilly and Trish, are there with reality checks and to pick up the pieces.

I related more to the late Bubbe Bobby Grace (I’m old enough to be Ruthie’s Bubbe, but I wouldn’t have been nearly as patient with her as her Bubbe was). I kept hoping that at some point Ruthie would show some strength (chutzpah), grow a spine, and take control of her life.

Having said all that, I still liked this often humorous story, particularly the scenes at the cooking school, at a cooking competition, and when Ruthie and Trish go to Paris, Some characters, especially Chef Antoine at the cooking school, and Pete, Ruthie’s boss, stood out. I recommend Off Menu, especially to anyone who likes food fiction and a sprinkling of wisdom from a loving grandma. Besides delicious descriptions throughout the book, the author includes recipes at the end. And yes, there is a website for her cinnamon buns! Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for the opportunity to read the ARC. I’m happy to provide this review, and all opinions are my own.