[REVIEW] Why did "FUNNY STORY" by Emily Henry win the Goodreads' Choice Awards' Romance Category?

Hello readers! 

I discovered I've never posted yet my Emily Henry's annual review😱, so what better time to do it after her double win at the Goodreads Choice Awards?

As always, I have to thank @prhinternational for the arc and the chance to read this beauty in advance, and to Julia Whelan because I've already re-read it in audiobook format (my first one!!) and it was an amazing experience. So, why is this story so good to win again in the romance category? After the usual information you'll find my opinion about it.

Title: Funny Story
Author: Emily Henry
Publishing Date: April 23, 2024
Publisher:  Berkley
Pages: 384 (paperback)
Price: $19.85 (paperback - large print)

Plot:

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

Review: 

Rate: 5 stars!⭐

Emily Henry never disappoints me. I've said that. I'm usually very superstitious about saying things like that because disappointment could always hit, but this author (as Mariana Zapata and very other few ones) owns my heart. It's like she knows exactly what story narrate to me and when. But, let's be honest, it's always the right time for an Emily Henry's romance, because I always find some connections with myself or my life. This book is no exception.

Funny Story is one of those novels that catch your attention from the very beginning. I adore every one of her incipit because they're crafted with a meticulous attention worthy of an artist, and that helps entering in the story like you just got inside a parallel world where those people really exist. I think that's why, for me, reading one of her works has the same feeling as coming home again. You can feel her characters breath, and you live their ups and downs beside them.

Here we meet Miles and Daphne in a very low moment: Peter and Petra, their partners respectively, left them few months before Daphne and Peter's wedding, discovering just now, after an entire life as best friends, they love each other.
So, since Peter expected that, after their romantic escape, Daphne would find another place to live, she decided to ask Miles to be his roommate, since she had no other place to go and her mother lived away.
At first they might seem too different to be even friends, but it was simply amazing to discover how easily they started to get along and really know each other, with a so natural chemistry I was swooning for them even before the 20% of the book. I liked the spontaneousness of their relationship and how they fit together as they were just meant to be. I've seen very few romance couples express this exact feeling with such a strong intensity without great acts or dramas to overcome, but Miles and Daphne are just two puzzle pieces that match together, it can't be otherwise. You can't stop smiling reading their scenes.

Another interesting point was how an almost immediate attraction became a slow burn one, held back by their both attempts to not ruin their new friendship (besides others matters). And, in addition, there's the fake relationship trope. It was fun to read how this started and how Emily used it to push them together, but at the same time turned it into an obstacle to really understand that their feeling for the other one were real and reciprocated.

I didn't expect to be so connected with Daphne. Well, we both love books, and that's always a good starting point, but I totally understood her struggle to make friends. She's a quite type of person, who opens herself only with someone she really trusts, always feeling a little bit clumsy and not very interesting for people to stick around. I totally relate with her fears to "not be enough" for others, and being easily replaceable when someone more cool appears around (same for Georgia in The Ex Vows). Plus, I also deeply understood Ashleigh's speech about Daphne being a we girl. I think it's good to be someone who does things with people we love or care about, but it's essential to still be independent of our other half, because when this "we" becomes too much, we risk to loose our identity, or personal group of friends, and it's not right. That's not how an healthy relationship works.

That's why I loved even more when Daphne took a chance to open up with Ashleigh, and her relationship with Julia. It was adorable to see her creating her place in the community, and how people included her without a second thought. She gained back herself, and the sweetest thing about that is that Miles helped her without taking control of it. 

Moreover, it was (painful but) interesting to see Daphne's relationship with her father. Their versions related to past events didn't always coincide, sometimes at large measure, others with slight but significant differences, and Emily has been a master to make us notice that her father was hurt by that too. That means that sometimes people don't want to see when we failed others, and without expressing that, they wouldn't understand that what they are and were doing is wrong. Communication still remains the foundation of every relationship, and not only romantic ones. One of my favorite phrases (from Miles) is: 

"Do you want to know why your dad doesn't stick around? [..] Because you see him. And he can't stand it."

Because it's also true that sometimes is easier not to think about other people and their feelings, and just following our desires, but that will mean that someone will suffer for this. I appreciate how Emily always makes us face with those overlooked realities that, actually, creates more problems, issues and hurts that others.

Let's move on to Miles. There will ever be a Emily Henry's male character I won't like? No, probably not. I super appreciated this caring, sensible man, that has empathy but at the same time is absolutely honest, without being mean. He was my hero for always being polite with Peter, even if he didn't deserve it. And he really, really didn't deserve it. Miles was steady and supportive when Daphne needed it, respecting her space, and I loved how Emily balanced it showing his own uncertainties, that made my heart ache. His complicated relationship with his parents hasn't been developed too much, but it was enough to understand his (and Julia's) emotional background.

At last, the side characters. I found them a little bit deepened than the previous books. After all, Funny Story isn't just the story of Daphne and Miles, but also Ashleigh's, that found a new friend and maybe will start to have more faith in people, and Julia's, who at the end I'm sure had strengthened her relationship with her brother. I also adored Daphne's mother, not too present on pages, but their dialogues always warmed my heart because their connection was clear and strong.
Then, we have the "main antagonists" of this story: Peter and Petra. It was easy to not like them, considering their behaviors towards the protagonists, but at the same time it was clear they weren't completely bad people, so I couldn't despise them with all my heart. Well, at least when love was not concerned, because in that matter they clearly needed help and should start not being so selfish.

Anyway, each one of those characters has their own complexity and it was a pleasure to read about them. This is the case I would have loved the book had no end, because I didn't want to leave them. I still don't want to leave them! 😂 I hope we will see them in the future, in some mini novellas as Layover or in other books. 

P.s. Is it only me, or we had a Beach Read's Easter Egg?

So, that's why I totally voted for it at the Goodreads' Choice Awards and I was so happy about Emily winning again - but there were multiple books that I equally adored, I have to say that. A pity you can pick just one.

Again, thank you, Emily, with all my heart for this beautiful book (I know she won't ever read it, but in case) 💗, and to @prhinternational for this free copy. 

And what about you, readers? Have you already read it? What did you think?

Let me know!

To the next review💖

Chiara

 

 

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ARC Review: "THE EX VOWS" by Jessica Joyce

Hello readers!
Today we're talking about an upcoming release for this summer which, thanks to Random House UK, I've read in advance: The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce. Please, be aware there will be spoilers because I can't talk about the themes discussed in the story without revealing some aspects of the book.

Title: The Ex Vows
Author: Jessica Joyce
Publishing Date: July 16, 2024
Publisher:  Berkley/Penguin Random House UK
Pages: 484
Price: $19.00 (paperback)

Plot: Estranged exes must stick close together to save their best friend’s wedding after a string of disasters in this swoony and steamy second-chance romance from the USA Today bestselling author of You, with a View .
Georgia Woodward lives by her lists, none more so than the one about her ex, Eli Mora. It’s full of the ironclad dos and don’ts they’ve been following since she returned to the Bay Area after their cataclysmic breakup five years ago.
With the wedding of their mutual best friend, Adam, looming, and them about to step into their roles as best woman and man, Georgia’s never needed it more. She refuses to threaten their tight-knit friend group with her messy—and still very present—feelings. The rules on that list will keep her cool, calm, and compartmentalized. 
What’s not on her list? Eli arriving from New York with a new rule-breaking attitude or the all-inclusive venue burning to the ground, leaving the bride and groom in dire straits. Nor does she anticipate Adam asking her and Eli to help him make a miracle happen. Together.
As Georgia and Eli rush up to Napa Valley to pull off the perfect wedding, their old chemistry comes back in technicolor. Somewhere between cake tastings gone wrong, disastrous DJ auditions, and Eli’s heated attention, Georgia starts recognizing the man she fell in love with before. And if she lets herself break her rules, she might find what they’re building isn’t the something old that ruined them—it’s a chance at something new.

Review:

Rate: 5 stars!⭐

**ATTENTION** SPOILERS

First of all, again, I huge thank you to the publisher for the free book. 

Secondary, together with Funny Story and From Lukov with Love, THIS goes absolutely at the first place of my book of the year chart.

I've discovered Jessica Joyce last year, when I spotted You, with a view between the summer new releases, and I fell in love with it. It wasn't just an enemies to lovers summer trip novel, but a story of multiple love relationships, some lost, others ready to bloom, in a perfect picture of life: not always happy, with painful moments, but real. I really enjoyed the depth Jessica put in her book, that's why I asked for The Ex Vows arc, and she didn't disappoint me at all.

Even if I appreciated YWAV and this author's writing style, I wasn't prepared to love this book SO much. Because it's so GOOD, readers, believe me. So good I can't stop myself being emotional thinking about it.

I honestly thought I would have read a more light-hearted story; instead, I found something that I'll cherish in my heart forever. I was already in love at the end of the prologue, really. As I've already told Jessica, maybe it was just the right time to read it, but this romance resonated so much with myself I couldn't not be affected by Eli and Georgia's journey.

We start at a point we readers know so well: the upcoming wedding of their best friend - and the phantomatic curse that seems determined to ruin everything - forces the exes Eli and Georgia to work together to save the event from an easy disaster. The main reason of their breakup is explained in the early chapters of the book, but it hides so much more, and we unravel it during the whole story.

From an external point of view, it's clear as day they love each other, and while it was so frustrating seeing Georgia pull Eli toward her and then push him away, Jessica was a master to make us taking time to understand why the path that will lead them back to each other isn't so easy as it seems. Because some inner wounds don’t totally heal, even after years, and the fear to be left heartbroken again isn't easy to ignore. And again, that’s not all. While Eli has already started a journey to be better for himself and the people he loves, Georgia has yet to face her faults in the ending of their relationship and her inner fears, before making another try.

I really appreciated that, after her comprehensible anger and hurt toward Eli, Georgia gradually acknowledges she could have reacted differently and that could have made a difference, both for her boyfriend and herself. But they were both spiraling in different kinds of anxiety and uncertainty and didn’t know how to get out those conditions, stop being miserable and see the person they love the most suffering. Their walls came up and, nonetheless they were a couple, they became lonely even before their breakup. That until Georgia decided to choose herself over a life of unhappiness. And my heart broke, not only because she felt she wasn’t worth Eli’s time and attention and not enough to push his resolution to stop an unhealthy working situation that was ruining his life, but also (and above all) for Eli's understanding her decision to escape that "dark whole" that their relationship became, at the point he didn't stop her precisely because he was choosing her happiness too, and it was with him.

How couldn’t I not love this guy?

Finally a male character who isn’t afraid of his feeling and is so good to communicate them (underlining the importance of therapy, of course), but at the same time always respects Georgia, waiting for her to be ready for a real confrontation. And that’s not all, because we’re talking about Eli Mora. He always gives Georgia space and time to express what she wants and, most of all, he searches her consent in every physical approach. He’s so patient with her and kind, as much as sexy in closed-doors situation I can’t complain AT ALL – thanks, Jessica.

The surprise for me was the more I read, the more I appreciated Georgia too. Her fierce love for her friends, her tenaciousness to do everything she can to save Adam and Grace’s wedding, the way she wanted to protect her group of people because she doesn’t want to make them suffer for her (or Eli’s) choices. Someone could have just been selfish and jump into this second chance without looking back, but it’s clear that a part of her puts the happiness of her loved ones even before hers. And if this isn’t already enough, her people pleaser attitude and the constant idea of not being enough for the people she loves wrecked me, reminding to much about myself. I could see and feel her fears to be left alone and put aside clear as mine, and I adored how, thanks to Eli, she arrives to show this part of herself to her friends, plus their reactions. This book has clearly one of the best healthy friendship relationships I’ve ever read about – not to mention Adam and Eli. Their little gestures toward the other were so sweet and true they made my heart clench. 

And then, there’s Georgia’s terror toward her feelings for Eli. I think that what terrifies her the most was to feel hope about her and Eli together again, just to face a reality where he would still put work before her, back to spiraling in its anxiety, shutting her out, and she would feel small and too emotionally dependent on him. I totally understand it and I loved the fact that Jessica underlined the fact that someone have to be happy with themselves first to be ok, because if there’s something wrong (work related or not), if not faced and resolved, it could affect other aspects of their life, relationships included. Plus, several times during the story Jessica draw the attention to the importance of communication between partners. Georgia wasn’t able to express her unhappiness with Eli, because she felt she would become another burden on him so he’ll eventually leave her for someone better as her mother did in the past. At the same time, Eli didn’t face their problems with Georgia, focusing on keeping his job with the idea that the situation would become more bearable in the future. They didn’t talk, really, and so the only choice left was to break up.

Fortunately, Eli’s love for Georgia was stronger than what they both thought.

So, it’s obvious that to overcome all those elements, these two needed time (and tons of Eli’s patience). I won’t tell you how the novel ends, but I can say that for once an author gave her main characters the proper time and pages to arrive to an appropriate closure without rush.

At last, I also appreciated the idea of work presented: having a job is essential to live, we’re aware of that, but it couldn’t and mustn't become our entire life. Doing something we love is also a great bonus, and we should try new opportunities if they feel right to us, even if they imply some changes. Who knows what they could bring us.

Aaand that’s it. Thanks again to the publisher for this free book and Jessica Joyce for this heartwarming story. I needed it. And then thanks to you, dear readers, if you gave me some of your time to read this long review.

 

To the next one!

Chiara

 

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ARC Review: "BRIDE" by Ali Hazelwood

 Hello readers!

I've promised you this review would arrive, and so here I am talking about one of my favorite books of 2023; I'm sorry for being late but these months have been awful. Anyway, despite time passed, I'm still shocked I received this arc from @prhinternational and I had the chance to read this book before the release😭

So, I'm sure, you already know this author for her StemNist novels, Ali Hazelwood, who changes genre without losing her "magical touch".

Here below the usual basic informations:

Title: Bride
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Publishing Date: 6 February 2024
Publisher:  Berkley
Pages: 416 (paperback)
Price: 14,90€ (*according to Amazon.it)

Plot: A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

Review: 

Rate: 5 stars⭐

Clearly, this book is very different from The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain and Love, Theoretically, and I'm aware it could be a huge leap of faith for Ali. So, I was ready to face a possible disappointment - no, that's a lie, I'm so in love with my favorite authors I always start with the idea that I would read and appreciate everything from them, even their grocery's list 😂 - but fortunately I immediately fell for this story, that kept me hooked until the end.

Readers, this book was SO good, I couldn't stop thinking about it!

First of all, the plot. When we talk about paranormal fantasy romance, I often see a lack on this side, to favor the romance element. And it's ok, but usually it means that the book could be good but easily forgettable. Bride is not like that. Ali Hazelwood has been a master to weave together these two aspects (a concrete story-line AND romance) making me root at the love story and, at the same time, keeping my interest on the main mystery always high. And even if I had my suspicions - and some of them were right -, I didn't manage to guess all until the very end. 

This novel has its center in the race discrimination and power plays, magnificently portraited with a sarcastic and ironic writing style I personally adored. Misery spent all her life being a pawn in the hands of her father, used to maintain peace between humans and vampires and hated because of it by both those races. That's why she doesn't trust anyone and is emotionally detached from the others. When you spend all your life being mistreated and insulted, you create your own armor; it's the only way to let your heart survive so many blows. So, Bride is also Misery's journey through the discovering to the real meaning of  "home" that happens among people belonging to a total different race from hers.
At the same time, I also appreciated Misery's hacker skills (that was freaking interesting!) and her strong personality, even with some insecurities that make her easy to empathize with. Anyway, she's clearly not a damsel in distress, but her own personal weapon, and she's always ready to fight for the people she really cares about. Finally, a smart heroine who's not stuck-up! 

Then, Lowe. I loved Ali's idea to add, in a very peculiar way, glimpses of his point of view. Veery small (sigh!), but they're enough to fall in love with this selfless werewolf, who always puts the others before himself at the point where he doesn't feel worthy of someone's attentions and feelings. I adored how clever he is understanding people and how he treated Misery since the very beginning. Their closeness is gradual (the tension!!🔥) and will keep you hooked until the end of the book, because Ali loves to make us suffer 💙
That said, I would have loved to see even more of him, his story, his dreams - outside the Alpha's duty - and I hope there will be a book two where we can see more of him and of the secondary characters as well. In fact, comprehensibly, they don't have very much space, with a fast-paced narration full of events that constantly turn the tables, but that's still sufficient to understand the different personalities and tempers, and I'm quite sure some of them will be more prominent in the future. 

Special mention to Ana, because this little girl is ALL. I loved her since her very first scene, and I was enamored of her relationship with Misery and the small acts of affections they share to each other. 

So, if you like a steamy, entertaining and very captivating story, I warmly suggest you Bride. 

I hope you liked this review 💖
I'll have so more in the following days/weeks, stay tuned!
Chiara

 

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INTERNATIONAL BLOGTOUR: Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot

Hello readers!💛

How are you? 

Welcome to another review! As always, I have to thank Penguin Random House and Berkley Publishing Group for the free copy and the invitation to be part of the International Blog Tour, but most of all, happy release day to Amanda Elliot!

 

So, let's start with the usual informations:

Title: Best Served Hot
Author: Amanda Elliot
Publishing Date: February, 21st
Publisher:  Berkley Trade Paperback
Pages: 352
Price: 18,67€ (*according to Amazon.it)

Plot: Two restaurant critics learn their opposing tastes might make for a five-star relationship in the next foodie romantic comedy from the author of Sadie on a Plate.

By day, Julie Zimmerman works as an executive assistant. After hours, she’s @JulieZeeEatsNYC, a social media restaurant reviewer with over fifty thousand followers. As much as she loves her self-employed side gig, what Julie really wants is to be a critic at a major newspaper, like the New York Scroll. The only thing worse than the Scroll’s rejection of her application is the fact that smarmy, social-media-averse society boy Bennett Richard Macalester Wright snagged her dream job.

While at the Central Park Food Festival, Julie confronts the annoyingly handsome Bennett about his outdated opinions on social media and posts the resulting video footage. Julie's follower count soars—and so does the Scroll’s. Julie and Bennett grudgingly agree to partner up for a few reviews to further their buzz. Online buzz, obviously.

Over tapas, burgers, and more, Julie and Bennett connect over their shared love of food. But when the competitive fire between them turns extra spicy, they'll have to decide how much heat their relationship can take.

 

 

 

The Author:

Amanda Elliot is the author of several young adult and middle grade books as Amanda Panitch. She lives in New York City, where she owns way too many cookbooks for her tiny kitchen.

 

 

 

 

Review:                                                                                                  Rate:  3.7 !⭐

 

First of all: welcome back Amanda! 

I really missed her fast paced writing style, since it's almost been a year from the release of Sadie on a Plate. 

Same "setting" but a very different story: in this case we have left the "cooking sphere" and the Cooking Competitions we all love to see on tv, but we remain again in the food world. This time, in fact, we talk about restaurant critics with two different approaches.

Julie expresses herlsef through her Instagram page, comunicating with her followers by fresh videos and pictures, Bennet prefers a more classical approach and he's the new voice of the famous The Scroll newspaper (Julie's dream work). As in any typical romcom, it seems that these two methods are incompatible and the two main characters apparently immediately declare "war" to each other, forced then to work together in a joined partnership proposed by The Scroll itself to gain new followers.

 

This is basically the premise, an evergreen but always loved one, that has been really hilarious, especially in some particular moments. Julie is a main character full of life, always presented, in good and in bad, at her 100%, so all her reactions and (multiple) misunderstanding seem absolutely real on the scene. That makes some episodes even more entertaining for sure, but also creates a relatable character easy to empathize with, especially when it comes to the struggle to be successfull and have a career related to what we love the most without external helps, or to the feeling to be constantly undervalued. Who cannot?

 

And then there's Bennet. I love his steadyness, his being caring and a good listener, always ready to undestand Julie, even when here actions and behaviour are harsh and unkind. He's a beautiful example that being born in a rich family is not synonimous of being also snob with other people. On the contrary, the thing I find fascinating about Bennet is the fact that he silently gives always Julie the space and the way to show him how she works, how she lives tasting food. He really evaluates her opinion, he's never blinded by a prejudice, and even at the beginning it's clear he just replies to a provocation. Also, he's a very respectful gentleman, so how could I not love him?

The spark between those two is absolutely amazing. I rooted for them from the first page Bennet appears on the scene, and their chemistry has a vibrant energy that makes more sparkles than Sadie and Luke (and for whom has already read Sadie on a Plate, you'll have a brief Sadie's comeback - too fast, unluckily 😢)'s ones. I really love how their relationship grows and how Julie overcomes her prejudices related to Bennet.

 

That said, I think that there are some off balance aspects I haven't super enjoyed. 

I understand Julie's fragilities and her being suspicious to not being taken seriusly. Her work environment (plus the usual prejudices related to social media users) explains it perfectly, but Bennet has been kind during the whole story and there isn't a moment he stressed their different status.Yet, in more than one occasion she throws against him an undeserved rage. She apologizes, yes, and she has the merit to recognize when she misinterprets something or is biased, but in fact she seems to have the same attitude during the entire narration. Not to mention the various mistakes she makes that will disappoint anyone, and he excuses her in two seconds. That's absolutely sweet, but I'd appreciate deeper discussions between those two, and more efforts from Julie's side to undestand what she has done (or said) wrong and make ammend.

It was like... just too easy for her? 

Related to that, it's also true that some people are born with privilege that others don't have, and plenty of times seem to forget it, considering the rest of the population "lower people" that can serve them, and that is absolutely wrong. They easily leave out the fact that to achieve something you have to make efforts and make sacrifices, and it's right to underline it - in this case through Julie - but I would have loved the author to stress also that not all those "lucky people" share the same mind. Instead I've found an excessive bitterness that I understand until a certain point. After that, it began a little bit "too much".

Talking about the secondary characters, led by female figures, I have quite enjoyed them. They could have been deepened a little bit more (I'd really love to know more about Bennet and his twin sister), anyway, I grow fond of Emerson Leigh and Alice. At the same time, since in this book social status and money are one of the main theme, it would have been lovely to have a longer conversation between Emerson Leigh and Julie.

 

Last but not least at all, even in this book one of the main protagonists is food. I warn you, Amanda Elliot has the secret power to get you hungry and make you feel the curiosity to try new plates and different kind of cuisine. I really admire her ability to describe food and talk about it without boring anyone or feel too academic. I usually take notes of the most interesting plates I discover during my reading! 😂

Nevertheless, it would be really cool to see more Julie interacting with her followers or Bennet write the reviews or being in his workplace.

So, with pros and cons, I have to say that Amanda Elliot confirms herself with a lovely book for every fan of romcoms and food. If you want a light, hearwarming reading, this novel is perfect for you.

Now can I have my personal Bennet? Thanks.

 

 

 

Are you curious to read a little excerpt?

Here you are, kindly granted by Berkley Publishing 

😏💛 Happy reading!

Excerpted from Best Served Hot by Amanda Elliot Copyright © 2023 by Amanda Elliot. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

 

New York Scroll names new restaurant critic, Bennett Richard Macalester Wright.

            Suddenly none of the food looked all that appetizing anymore.

            "What is it?" asked Alice.

            I sat back down with a thump. "I didn't get it," I said dully. And it wasn't like I'd expected them to read my passionate cover letter and resume and social media stats and immediately roll out the heirloom-tomato-red carpet. But they hadn't even bothered sending me a rejection email. Or any kind of acknowledgment at all. Maybe my application had been one of a million, even though the job hadn't been listed online for the general peasantry to apply for (I'd been tipped off about the opening through an email my boss had gotten and I'd read).

            Or maybe they hadn't taken my resume seriously. Laughed about it in the office. Who does this girl think she is? She thinks some followers and some videos make her suited for us? The New York Scroll had never hired a critic who wasn't a white dude over fifty. They had social media, of course, but they still published trend pieces where they gaped at it and how it worked like it was a zoo exhibit. And over here we have people—wait for it—actually getting their news on social media. Thank goodness the protective bars are here, or they might attack us.

            Not unlike my boss, come to think of it. I still didn't think he knew about my second "job," but I'd heard the way he snorted as he watched his daughters take selfies or the older one herd her kids into the perfect light for a family snap.

            Alice made a sympathetic mmm in response. "Who'd they name? Is it at least someone good?"

            The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I was already frantically googling to learn more, leaving the food to cool before us. "He went to Dartmouth," I reported. Which, if I judged by the alumni I knew—my boss and his daughters—was stereotypically rich and fratty. "And he played on the squash team." Which was basically code for "has an enormous trust fund." I scowled down at my screen. "Hobbies include boating and collecting ancient coins."

            Bennett Richard Macalester Wright had almost certainly never misbudgeted and run out of food money his freshman year of college and had to subsist on ramen and scrounged-up free pizza from various club meetings to get by.

            "And then it looks like he was a food reporter at the Times for the last five years," I said. I scrolled through a few of his past headlines. A profile on a chef semi-famous for his cooking and very famous for his string of ever-younger actress wives. A report on why high-end restaurants were trending toward smaller but more expensive wine lists. A few reviews of pricey restaurants—it looked like he'd filled in for their regular critic while she was out on maternity leave.

            "At least he seems like he's qualified," Alice said. I scowled at her. I didn't want to hear that he was qualified. I wanted to hear that he sucked and that they should've hired me. But I didn't say that. I continued my googling, but turned up nothing except dead ends. Like most major food reviewers, he'd clearly done his best to take down as much as he possibly could about himself, especially photographs. No serious food reviewer wanted to tip off a restaurant that they were there, since that might lead the owner or the kitchen to offer them special treatment that would bias their review. It was why I never made a reservation under my own name, though I couldn't do much about my face. Sometimes, if I got recognized on one visit, I'd go back with a wig or glasses the next time.

            "Excuse me, ladies?" Our waiter smiled down on us. "How are we doing?"

            "Not great, but the food is delicious," I told him.

            His smile wavered, not quite sure what to do with that. "Would you like anything more to drink? We have some lovely wines on offer tonight."

            "No thanks," Alice said. "She doesn't like wine."

            "Alice!" I hissed. Which was always fun. Alice had a particularly hissable name.

            The waiter nodded and went off to bring our check. Alice turned to me, blinking. "What?"

            "We've had this discussion before," I said. "Don't tell anyone I don't like wine."

            "But you don't like wine," Alice said.

            It was true. Wine tasted like literal sour grapes to me, whether it was the cheap boxed stuff our roommates used to bring home in college or the ultra-fancy kind my boss gave me last year for the holidays. It literally made my lips pucker and my cheeks suck in. I'd never been able to understand why people actually enjoyed drinking it.

            But my followers wouldn't agree. Again, they were mostly young women around my age or a bit older. There was a whole meme industry around wine. The wine moms. Giant wine glasses. Social media love turned on a dime. Not like I was hiding it hardcore. It was just that I'd rather the truth not be known, because I didn't want to do anything that might alienate me from my followers. Sometimes being loved on social media meant being loved as someone who isn't really you.

            "You know who I bet loooves wine?" I said, rather than continuing my lecture. "Bennett…" I couldn't remember his two middle names, so I made some up. "Bennett Rigatoni Mushroom Wright." Alice giggled, which made me go on. "The Scroll always includes a wine list in their reviews, and the wines they choose always cost a fortune."

 

 

 

 

Chiara

 

CREDITS: Amanda’s author photo by Cassie Gonzales 2021

 

 

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