In Which I Review... Taste Test by Kelly Fiore

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: August 27th 2013 by Walker Childrens
Received via NetGalley for review
ISBN13: 9780802728388



SYNOPSIS:

If you can grill it, smoke it, or fry it, Nora Henderson knows all about it. She’s been basting baby back ribs and pulling pork at her father’s barbeque joint since she was tall enough to reach the counter. When she’s accepted to Taste Test, a reality-television teen cooking competition, Nora can’t wait to leave her humble hometown behind, even if it means saying good-bye to her dad and her best friend, Billy. Once she’s on set, run-ins with her high-society roommate and the maddeningly handsome—not to mention talented—son of a famous chef, Christian Van Lorten, mean Nora must work even harder to prove herself. But as mysterious accidents plague the kitchen arena, protecting her heart from one annoyingly charming fellow contestant in particular becomes the least of her concerns. Someone is conducting real-life eliminations, and if Nora doesn’t figure out who, she could be next to get chopped for good.

With romance and intrigue as delectable as the winning recipes included in the story, this debut novel will be devoured by all.
REVIEW:

I absolutely adored this book. I'm sure that had something to do with the fact that I haven't read a cute, fun read in a while (lots of angst-y NA). This was in fact the ultimate cute, fun read. Just the concept of the story, shown via the blurb, was enough to make me want to grab this book up and gobble it down, much like with the recipes outlined during the cooking scenes in the book.
Fiore managed to make the story whole, which could have been difficult for many, considering all of the aspects that go into creating a complete reality show that's inventive, especially since it's only real in words.
I laughed at the areas that remind me of my favorite tv shows, and how in tune the author was with the stereotypes that go into reality television, cooking shows in particular.
What really worked was the fact that it was a spin on reality tv, a mix between the behind the scenes drama you get on reality drama and the formality of cooking shows.
I absolutely loved it all.
Character wise, I really liked the protagonist, Nora. She had a voice, a personality, and she was not afraid to use it. She was flawed and wrong at times, and she made the stupid mistakes we all see in our favorite novels and admonish and it was all spectacular.
While I liked Christian Van Lorton in all of his flawed wonderfulness, if any of you guys are like me, you'd have a small book crush not on him, but on Billy, Nora's best friend who doesn't even get much time. However, everything you know of him you like. I may be a bit biased on his character actually, because a lot of his dialogue reminded me of something one of my friends would say (and yes, I'm crushing on him a bit, sue me, lol). Not embarrassed to say so and he already knows, but back to the point...
His character is relatable and fun. Plus, he does something very valiant towards the end of the book that makes me like him more.
There's this big mystery that goes throughout the entire novel and I must admit, I was just as fooled as Nora and most of the other characters. Christian is one smart cookie, though. One of his many good traits.
My one problem with this novel is more of a personal grudge but I KNOW that the story could have ended on a stronger note. The situation was perfect, I just feel as if a few important lines, the ones that make you feel all jittery and bubbly at the end of a really good YA romance were omitted. It's not enough of a deal to lower any rating because this book really is a great, lightweight read that left me with a small smile and a yawn since I stayed up all night reading Taste Test.

Now to find something else to read that gives me a similar good feeling.
I'd recommend this to anyone who loves YA romance!
5 stars.