I am an okay cook but devoted fan of the Food Network shows – what did I think of this book about a teen chef competition in Paris? Check out my review of Love a la Mode below!
Love a la Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm
To be published on November 27, 2018 by Scholastic
Synopsis adapted from Goodreads: Rosie Radeke never expected that she, a random nobody from East Liberty, Ohio, would be accepted to celebrity chef Denis Laurent’s school in Paris, the most prestigious cooking program for teens in the entire world.
Life in Paris, however, isn’t all cream puffs and crepes. Faced with a challenging curriculum and a nightmare professor, Rosie begins to doubt her dishes.
Henry Yi grew up in his dad’s restaurant in Chicago, and his lifelong love affair with food landed him a coveted spot in Chef Laurent’s school. He quickly connects with Rosie, but academic pressure from home and his jealousy over Rosie’s growing friendship with gorgeous bad-boy baker Bodie Tal makes Henry lash out and push his dream girl away.
Desperate to prove themselves, Rosie and Henry cook like never before while sparks fly between them. But as they reach their breaking points, they wonder whether they have what it takes to become real chefs.
My review of Love a la Mode:
It’s Thanksgiving weekend and I’m feeling a little stuffed. Still, I really enjoyed this cute book about a group of teens who meet at an elite Parisian cooking school.
To me, this felt quite reminiscent (in a good way) of Anna and the French Kiss. Both feature a diverse group of friends who meet at a boarding school in Paris. Plus romance.
Thought AaTFK did have to do with food, there’s definitely more of a foodie element to Love a la Mode. The characters are teen chefs, and they both explore (and eat their way through) Paris and also have to measure up (ha!) in the kitchen.
There’s a bit of a love triangle going on between Rosie, Henry and Bodie (who’s the son of a famous chef and a semi-celebrity himself). Overall the romance is more sweet than steamy.
Most of the plot centers around the romance and also the struggles of Henry and Rosie in the kitchen – each doubts their talent and has some ups and downs as they try to (in the words of Chopped or Top Chef) “figure out who they are as a chef” and cook from their heart.
If you are looking for a cute book with a fun setting and a sweet romance, definitely check this one out!
This sounds BEYOND cute and normally I’m not always big on foodie-ish (that’s not a word but roll with it!) books but there’s something about this one calling my name. Plus, that cover is to die for. Great review! Thanks for sharing.
Well, I can say that this book often made me hungry even during Thanksgiving weekend! Hope you try it!
I am a huge fan of the Food Network too! This is on my list to read and definitely excited because I LOVED Anna and the French Kiss. Great review!
If you love Food Network you will love all the inside jokes, etc!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this one! I’m going to be on a blog tour for this book in the next week or two, and I’m really looking forward to reading it. I loved Anna and the French Kiss, so you’ve raised my expectations! 😉
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?
Like you said, a sweet romance, and that’s what I have become accustomed to from Strohm. I thought the cast was fabulous, and I loved all the food stuff.
It was definitely skewed toward the younger side of YA, but those books are needed. And I enjoyed it!
This just came in the mail for me — it sounds really cute. I really requested it for my daughter who loves to watch Food Network, especially Chopped.
I’m sure she will love it!