Hill, Kaitlyn. Love From Scratch. Delacorte Press, 2022. ISBN 978-0593379165 368 pp. $17.99

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Southerner Reese is thrilled to have landed a summer internship in Seattle working with a culinary media conglomerate and hopes that a full internship will follow in the fall as she starts college at University of Washington. The other intern, who is more culinary, is competing for the same position. The network decides the two interns should participate in a popular segment and they become a hit, with lots of banter. Reese’s ineptitude in the kitchen is the perfect foil for Benny to instruct and shine. Some fun is lost when the shows become a competition. The fans are convinced the two are an OTP and while there are some sparks, long-single Reese has flashbacks to an unfortunate incident from her freshman year of high school. Benny’s support of Reese is cheer-worthy.

If this a new adult title, it’s remarkably tame for two 18-year-olds with magnetic attraction. Heck, it’s a little tame for a young adult novel. The cooking details were fun and the slut-shaming of Reese’s past add depth to the novel. The Food Network allusions and celebrity chefs and tv personalities will be appreciated by fans of cooking shows.

I read an advance reader’s copy from #NetGalley #LoveFromScratch