Sadie on a Plate
By: Amanda Elliot
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 352
I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this story.
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Sadie is a rising star in the trendy Seattle restaurant scene. Her dream is to create unique, modern, and mouthwatering takes on traditional Jewish recipes. But after a public breakup with her boss, a famous chef, she is sure her career is over--until she lands a coveted spot on the next season of her favorite TV show, Chef Supreme.
On the plane to New York, Sadie has sizzling chemistry with her seatmate, Luke, but tells him that she won't be able to contact him for the next six weeks. They prolong their night with a spontaneous, magical dinner before parting ways. Or so she thinks. When she turns up to set the next day, she makes a shocking discovery about who Luke is....
If Sadie wants to save her career by winning Chef Supreme, she's going to have to ignore the simmering heat between her and Luke. But how long can she do that before the pot boils over?
First Impression
It has only been recently that I’ve found some books with Jewish characters that don’t center around Judaism and it has felt really nice to read. Between that and the story about a reality show competition, I was immediately sold. The cover is very cute and I like the colors. While it’s not my favorite of the cartoon covers, I think it would’ve caught my eye in person.
What I thought
I devoured this book, no pun intended.
Sadie is a chef in Seattle who is out of a job. When she gets a call to come in for an interview for a place on the TV show Chef Supreme, things start to turn around. Until she meets a cute guy on her flight who ends up being one of the judges.
If you were a fan of Top Chef you will absolutely love this book. It was basically like reading a season of the show and I loved every minute. I really liked that it went through each challenge and elimination. The ups, the downs, the details, the drama. I was here for all of it. It definitely helped that I liked Sadie and was rooting for her to win the whole show. Elliot did a nice job balancing the other contestants as likable, forgettable, and dislikable, so you didn’t always mind when people got eliminated.
I did like the insta-love connection with her and Luke. There was an immediate spark and it was fun seeing how they were going to work through the complication. I do feel like Sadie was a bit of an idiot when it came to the Luke stuff and sometimes I just wanted to shake her, but it was kind of a minor storyline so it didn’t bother me too much.
I also really appreciated all of the cultural reference. It wasn’t just Sadie and her nods to Jewish recipes in all of her challenges, but the other chefs paying tribute to their cultures or the cultures of their mentors. It was nice to see the growth of some of their chefs as they discovered who they are and find themselves in the kitchen.
This book was one I couldn’t put down. It felt like binge watching my favorite reality show and I now want to re-watch Top Chef. The details in the cooking were so enjoyable and I loved all of the characters. I would love this book to be a series or to follow some of the chefs from this season after the show, that’s how much I enjoyed them. I can’t wait for Elliot to write another book and am super impressed that this is her debut. I highly recommend it. Especially in the summer when you’re looking for a quick beach read.