I thought that this story told in the first person from Lainey's point of view was very well done. I have been this girl in high school having a crush on someone who was in Lainey's mother's own words 'not worth her at all' and would feel frustrated to the point that I was incapable of much else besides sitting and thinking about them all of the time.

Ms. Davis writes Lainey very well and to me this character sounds like a 17 year old African American teen to me. And she sounds like one that is obsessed with cooking. Ms. Davis obviously did research into the recipes and restaurant industry because everything she wrote and showed at what goes behind the scenes at a restaurant sounds real.

I also liked that she touched upon Lainey's weight troubles and how she was eating healthier throughout the book. Most African American teenagers do tend to be heavier and as Lainey shows in our families, food is love. That was the way it was in our household too. You could run to friends' and relatives homes and there was always a meal waiting for you. I can't count the number of times that I would forage door to door until I saw a meal I actually wanted to eat and then stay put there for dinner. Lucky for me and my brothers we played sports constantly and all were rail thin. It wasn't until I moved to DC and got a desk job I started to gain any weight. Yeah I know you are all coming me a bitch right now lol.

A couple of times I shook my head because as typical with kids that age you listen to Lainey's inner rationalizations about why her used to be best friend Sim has drifted away from her. And I felt badly for her for not realizing that Sim was only around when he did need something from her. I also had male friends like that. Either they are hanging out with you to get some attention from you or they need a 'favor' that they are always promising to return to you soon. However, soon never happens.


It was enjoyable to see Lainey's eye open to the fact that she had opportunities and a dream that she could make into a reality if she would just let go of all of the other things that were holding her back.

I also really liked Lainey's mother and her grandmother in this story. I thought they were drawn very well and I cracked up a few times since I thought for a second Ms. Davis was channeling my mother in a couple of scenes. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The only reason why I gave this book 4.5 stars was that the recipes at the end of the chapter were hard to read on my Kindle. I tried reading this book on my PC at one point to see if the recipes would become more legible and they didn't. I did blow up the text on my Kindle and it made the recipes bigger but blurrier sometimes. I think it was a cute idea to have a recipe at the end of each chapter and have them written on school notebook paper. However, it would be nice to actually be able to read what was written. I am very much interested in vegetarian recipes. ( )

I just love Ms. Davis's books! Another great one here. ( )

Lainey is a seventeen-year-old chef determined to be the first African American vegetarian female celebrity chef. She works in her mother's restaurant and invents new recipes constantly. It's hard for me to remember the compelling plot -- a young adult drama of friendship, romance, and trust -- because my takeaway from this book is all the amazing food porn. Every chapter ends with a recipe, and I want to try most of them.

The fat politics are kinda-kinda. On the one hand, the characters all worry too much about Lainey's weight. On the other hand, their answer is making sure the decadent recipes use healthier ingredients, without sacrificing any of their food porn goodness. And she doesn't have any magical weight loss I can recall.

I loved this book. A stock YA relationship plot is livened up so wonderfully by the unusual conceit. We have too few books about black girls that aren't about race or poverty. And did I mention the food? ( )

The book started off seeming like an overly-descriptive food-themed soap opera. As the central conflict became clearer, however, the characters became more interesting, complex, and sympathetic. I ended up reflecting on my own life and choices as I read about Laine's. ( )