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Prosecco and trouble: Lisa Joy’s debut is a fun, foodie take on a young woman’s search for love and sense of purpose that will leave you salivating.

 

About the Book

Becca Stone is in debt and working hard as a restaurant hostess and telephone operator for hot celebrity chef, Damien Malone. When his PA takes an impromptu break, Becca is drafted into the role with little notice and no idea what she’s getting into. This isn’t a job she wanted, but the pay’s good and the travel opportunities are great. Unfortunately, Damien is a bullying, temperamental nightmare, and his wife is little better. Struggling to handle the impossible demands of her new role, maintain her friendships and find Mr Right, Becca is forced to question how much she will sacrifice to keep a job she needs but never wanted.

My Thoughts

Yes, Chef! Is a tantalizing glimpse into foodie London with some nice diversions to Istanbul and Italy. With Becca Stone, Joy has created a likeable and relatable heroine. The foodie setting is a refreshing take on a true-to-genre chick-lit novel. Peppered with lively secondary characters, readers will not be disappointed to find the usual characters of Mr-Right-under-her-nose and possie of girlfriends who eventually question Becca’s choices. Becca’s voice is brilliant! She leaps off the page from the very first line. At times this confiding and witty voice gets lost in the more dramatic, dialogue-heavy scenes with her girlfriends, but this doesn’t happen often. Though it touches on some darker material, Yes Chef! is a light and fun novel about friendship, life and the choices we make along the road to self-discovery.

Treat yourself to a chilled glass of Prosecco, and maybe some gourmet canapés, and settle in for a good escapist read.

*Review based on first edition eBook (purchased). Now available in Paperback

About the Author

Lisa Joy began writing stories in her teenage years but decided she needed to get her heart broken and live in another country before pursuing a career as a novelist. Born in Sydney, she spent most of her childhood wearing pink tights and leotards at ballet class. At age 21, deciding she wasn’t cut out for the famished life of a ballerina, she left her safe and somewhat predictable existence behind and travelled to London, where she worked as a television producer’s PA, in fashion retail and the restaurant business. Having fallen head over heels in love with London, travelling Europe, eating amazing food and the occasional stint on stage and screen, Lisa stayed put for about 7 years, until finally, family called and she returned to Australia. Her writing took a dramatic turn for the better after she attended a commercial fiction masterclass with author Fiona McIntosh. She now lives in the picturesque Dandenong ranges outside Melbourne on an organic vegetable farm with her fiancé and four chooks. And yes, she is PA to a celebrated chef. Thankfully for Lisa, he is nothing like chef Damien Malone from her debut novel Yes, Chef!

Read my interview with Lisa Joy about Yes, Chef! and how it came to be

 

Buy the Book

 

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