Chef's Kiss

A Novel

By: TJ Alexander

Narrated by: Em Grosland

“Like a dish of comfort food you’ll want to devour.” —The Washington Post
“It’s hard to say which aspect of TJ Alexander’s novel is sweeter: the slow-burn romance or the drool-worthy desserts.” —Time

A high-strung pastry chef’s professional goals are interrupted by an unexpected career transition and the introduction of her wildly attractive nonbinary kitchen manager in this deliciously fresh and witty queer rom-com.

Simone Larkspur is a perfectionist pastry expert with a dream job at The Discerning Chef, a venerable cookbook publisher in New York City. All she wants to do is create the perfect loaf of sourdough and develop recipes, but when The Discerning Chef decides to bring their brand into the 21st century by pivoting to video, Simone is thrust into the spotlight and finds herself failing at something for the first time in her life.

To make matters worse, Simone has to deal with Ray Lyton, the new test kitchen manager, whose obnoxious cheer and outgoing personality are like oil to Simone’s water. When Ray accidentally becomes a viral YouTube sensation with a series of homebrewing videos, their eccentric editor in chief forces Simone to work alongside the chipper upstart or else risk her beloved job. But the more they work together, the more Simone realizes her heart may be softening like butter for Ray.

Things get even more complicated when Ray comes out at work as nonbinary to mixed reactions—and Simone must choose between the career she fought so hard for and the person who just might take the cake (and her heart).

Critic reviews

"Grosland has an equally sure narrative touch for humorous moments and serious ones, balancing the story as it veers between rom-com and workplace drama."

Cheesy and classic but definitively queer!

So much great bi panic and yearning, even though the protagonist is a bit of an anal retentive jerk 😅

Loved it!

This was a fantastic romcom with a story that really matters. Great writing, nice slowburn, not overly spicy, amazing rep. Really enjoyed this!

Chef's Kiss is literally a 👩‍🍳💋

I just finished reading (well listening to the audiobook version) of Chef's Kiss and it's fucking awesome ♡

It's sweet and fun and romantical, but also a sharp view into the world of bs that the LGBTQ community have to deal with every day.
All the characters feel like real, solid people and while some I want to punch in the face, others I want to take out for a beer & a chat.

Go get a copy and see if you can put it down long enough to sleep or eat or do boring shit like work. Or get the audiobook & have the best of both worlds, like I did ♡

Interesting insight into gender fluidity

I’m very straight but thought I could use some insight into alternative genders. Love is love is love etc. it was very interesting and not very lurid. I enjoyed it and would recommend. A bit like Nora Roberts for the LGBTQ set.

Amazing!!

The whole book was beautiful, all the characters were so lovely and relatable. This has been one of the best romance novels I've read!!