Publishing Date: August 21, 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Pages: 240
Format: ARC
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Summary: Can a spot on a teen reality show really lead to a scholarship at an elite cooking school AND a summer romance?
Sixteen-year-old Sophie Nicolaides was practically raised in the kitchen of her family’s Italian-Greek restaurant, Taverna Ristorante. When her best friend, Alex, tries to convince her to audition for a new reality show, Teen Test Kitchen, Sophie is reluctant. But the prize includes a full scholarship to one of America's finest culinary schools and a summer in Napa, California, not to mention fame.
Once on-set, Sophie immediately finds herself in the thick of the drama—including a secret burn book, cutthroat celebrity judges, and a very cute French chef. Sophie must figure out a way to survive all the heat and still stay true to herself. A terrific YA offering--fresh, fun, and sprinkled with romance.
We’re just going
to throw out the normal form for this review because I can’t really think of a
line I really remembered loving. That might give you
an idea to where this review is going. This
was one of the books that I didn’t love, but I didn’t hate either. I just liked it.
There were some
really cute things going for it though.
I mean I love food and books so when the books are about someone who’s
making food, I’m normally pretty happy.
I liked the food combination with reality television. Including a French boy is always a good move
for me. Accents are always a plus. The problem was I didn’t know which boy crush
to root for: Alex or Luc? Luc was
adorable, but I can relate with that boy with who you are most comfortable with
yet still gives you butterflies. I feel
like the book would have been better if she had just had one boy and not
both. Either boy would have been ok with
me.
The book was a
good time filler but I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.
