This story is ground-breaking! At a time when trans people (especially youth) are being attacked by power-hungry, inhumane politicians and church leaders playing on the fears of white, “Christian” homophobes, it’s so important to have representation in literature. This isn’t an easy book to read because it highlights the struggles, discrimination, rejection, and hatred non-binary people face in the workplace, their families of origin, and the community at large. However, it’s encouraging that Ray finds a chosen family who loves, supports and champions them.
Fear is often due to ignorance, and it’s not the job of members of marginalized groups to educate people. In order to be allies to the LGBTQ community, we must seek out information, and one of the easiest ways to do this is by reading both non-fiction books and fictional stories that discuss the use of pronouns and define terminology (e.g., dead-naming). Chef’s Kiss is an excellent vehicle for learning about this and for building empathy. It would also be a great choice for bibliotherapy for trans teens and young adults who rarely see themselves portrayed in books.
Beyond the afore-mentioned, this is also a sweetly awkward, slow-burn, workplace romance between kitchen manager Ray and pastry chef Simone. Together, they demonstrate how, even with the best intentions, mistakes can be made and feelings hurt, but that sincere apologies and forgiveness can lead to happiness. Add to this a literary feast for foodies and author Alexander has cooked up a winning romance that deserves a place in every library. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Atria/Emily Bestler through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
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