Because we need drama involving cheese steaks please.
Song Vibe Check:
"Out of the woods (Taylor's Version)" By: Taylor Swift
"Yours" By: Bea Miller & Sueco
"Nothing matters but you" By: Madison Beer
NOTE: Thanks to Eric Smith for the physical ARC!
Okay, so this year in terms of the YA genre, we have seen the emergence of new sub-genres and surprisingly, more books on reality shows where people fall in love (or pretend to!). If anyone remembers my joy from Kaitlyn Hill's Not here to stay friends which was a fun read, here goes another one that involves Cheesesteaks and a couple who pretends to hate each other on reality TV.
But, it gets cheesier from here.
Short Summary: Two rivals (who are actually in love with each other!) who run cheesesteak food trucks get dragged onto a reality TV show to see who makes the best cheesesteak: the reward? Lots of money to save their financial troubles. The stakes: perhaps their love story might fall apart as a result of this show.
That is all I'll reveal because from here, I definitely like a good cheesesteak. I recently had one from Charley's and so, while there may arguably be better philly cheesesteaks out there, this one makes me pretty happy. So, reading this book definitely allowed me to understand the passion for food. I personally LOVED Jordan's perspective a bit more than Cindy because while both families were facing financial struggles and were trying to recover, it always seemed to me that Jordan cared more about the outcome and was the most passionate about his dreams.
Also, he's such a huge romantic and I LOVE him for it. Cindy on the other hand, seemed more passionate about the podcast gig rather than the actual cooking, but it seemed more tied to duty which I definitely understand. I liked that this book highlights the financial struggles as a pivotal point in the book since it's not everyday you see these types of stories. Usually, we just assume that YA characters in this genre all have money or that their struggles are more about growing up and the woes of the heart but the spin of the reality show was one that I enjoyed.
I still hate reality shows in real life, but reading about them is another story. One that I can definitely enjoy more if it appears more in the literary world. My only objection to this book, really, is the name-dropping of different authors scattered throughout the book. I understand the need to mention popular authors out there (the Chloe Gong reference made me chuckle) but it felt at times, a bit out of place and it could disorient readers who don't read in the romance genre.
Overall: 4/5 stars
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