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A review by teereadsbooks
Chef's Kiss by TJ Alexander
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Overall, I really enjoyed this read. Ray's experiences as a non-binary person felt so real and relatable. The conversations on biphobia and transphobia are real and need to be had. My only issue, and it's kind of a big one, is that I didn't really like how the author used the only two lesbians in the story for this, and as a result, put them down in the process. Unfortunately, there is some bigotry within the queer community, but we need to work to not keep perpetuating these ideals. That said, I did have a lot of fun reading this. It's a VERY slow-burn romance, but it is done very well. I loved seeing the friendship blossom between Simone and Ray. I really appreciated how the author presented Simone in a realistic light in their learning process of experiencing something new and respecting Ray. It's not a perfect process and mistakes are often made, but it's how those people handle it that's important. Simone never made it seem like Ray was an inconvenience or it was just too hard. She acknowledged the challenge, but was determined to do right by Ray as they deserve. All in all, this is a good read. Some things could have been handled a little better, but many of the other aspects were handled very well.