Type A Bisexual Chef and Writer, Simone, is no-nonsense when it comes to her work. Her preference would be to show up, bake some bread, write some recipes, get paid, and then go hang out with her best friend and roommate, Luna. Things aren't going Simone's way from page one of TJ Alexander's debut novel, Chef's Kiss, though. The magazine/cookbook company she works for is in the red and the CEO has decided to let the marketing department go and force her staff to double their workload by acting as chefs and social media stars. There is a new film team--one videographer who is being saddled with too much work and one arrogant "creative director" who doesn't seem to be doing anything other than pedaling poor ideas and mistreating the staff. As a further complication, the test kitchen manager has just been replaced with Ray: endlessly charming, friendly and kind, and gay.

After Ray flirts with Simone a bit during their first interactions, Simone sends her new coworker an email insisting upon a strictly professional relationship. Simone starts to regret her request as soon as she hits send, though, and she can't really help but get a massive crush on her new coworker. When Ray comes out as nonbinary, Simone wants to be their fiercest ally and finds herself facing the horrific realization that the company they both work for may pay lip-service to diversity, but it won't provide actual support. Rather, it will make living authentically a challenge at every turn.

Having once worked for an organization "committed to diversity" that chose to appease bigots rather than support LGBTQ+ and BIPOC staff when the time came: this narrative REALLY resonated with me. That was just the beginning of what resonated with me, though! Like the protagonist: I am a clinically anxious cis woman with an adorable, awe-inspiring nonbinary partner who I think is basically the best person on the planet. So in terms of windows and mirrors, this book definitely was definitely a mirror for me.

Like a good contemporary romance, parts of this book felt fantastical with (spoiler alert) things working out just in the best possible way, but other parts felt very real. The romance was super cute and I was mad-crushing right alongside Simone throughout the book. Because the relationship grew from coworkers to flirty friends to eventual lovers, it was a slow burn with a steady pace that never felt like it was keeping me waiting. Sprinkled throughout the text were some truly delicious descriptions of food so by the end of the book you were equal parts hungry and thirsty (insert exaggerated wink here so the innuendo is clear: this romance builds to some serious steam)

The absolute cherry on the top of this cute, cute romance, for me anyway, was the amazing cast of friends we were introduced to. People who listened to one another, who called each other out on their mistakes, who were understanding, and best of all: who showed up to support each other even when it's hard.

So if you're looking for your next romance, look no further than TJ Alexander's Chef's Kiss.