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Food Person
A delectable comedy of manners about cooking, ambition, and friendship set in the food world as a young and socially awkward writer takes a job ghostwriting the cookbook for a famous (and famously chaotic) Hollywood starlet.
Isabella Pasternack is a food person. She revels in the beauty of a perfectly cooked egg, she daydreams about her first meal at Chez Panisse, and every inch of her tiny apartment teems with cookbooks, from Prune to Cooking by Hand to Roast Chicken and Other Stories. What Isabella is not, unfortunately, is a gainfully employed person. In the wake of a disastrous live-streamed soufflé demonstration, Isabella is summarily fired from her job at a digital food magazine and must quickly find a way to keep herself in buckwheat and anchovy paste. When offered the opportunity to ghostwrite a cookbook for Molly Babcock, the once-beloved television actress now mired in scandal, Isabella warily accepts. Unfortunately, Molly quickly proves herself to be a nightmare hungover, flakey, shallow, and—worst of all—indifferent to food. But between Molly’s bizarre late-night texts, goofy confessions, and impromptu road trips, Isabella reluctantly begins to see Molly’s charms. Can Isabella corral Molly out of the gossip rags and into the kitchen? Can she find the key to Molly’s heart and stomach? Or will Isabella’s devotion to her culinary idols and Molly’s monstrous ego send the entire cookbook—and both of their careers—up in flames?
A mouth-watering, hilarious debut peppered with insider food world detail—the real writers behind celebrity chef cookbooks, the hot restaurants that run on the backs of their sous-chefs, the secret to perfect blinis á la Russe—Adam Roberts' Food Person is a literary soufflé—a deceptively light, deliciously rich, showstopping confection.
Isabella Pasternack is a food person. She revels in the beauty of a perfectly cooked egg, she daydreams about her first meal at Chez Panisse, and every inch of her tiny apartment teems with cookbooks, from Prune to Cooking by Hand to Roast Chicken and Other Stories. What Isabella is not, unfortunately, is a gainfully employed person. In the wake of a disastrous live-streamed soufflé demonstration, Isabella is summarily fired from her job at a digital food magazine and must quickly find a way to keep herself in buckwheat and anchovy paste. When offered the opportunity to ghostwrite a cookbook for Molly Babcock, the once-beloved television actress now mired in scandal, Isabella warily accepts. Unfortunately, Molly quickly proves herself to be a nightmare hungover, flakey, shallow, and—worst of all—indifferent to food. But between Molly’s bizarre late-night texts, goofy confessions, and impromptu road trips, Isabella reluctantly begins to see Molly’s charms. Can Isabella corral Molly out of the gossip rags and into the kitchen? Can she find the key to Molly’s heart and stomach? Or will Isabella’s devotion to her culinary idols and Molly’s monstrous ego send the entire cookbook—and both of their careers—up in flames?
A mouth-watering, hilarious debut peppered with insider food world detail—the real writers behind celebrity chef cookbooks, the hot restaurants that run on the backs of their sous-chefs, the secret to perfect blinis á la Russe—Adam Roberts' Food Person is a literary soufflé—a deceptively light, deliciously rich, showstopping confection.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2025
220 people are currently reading
20861 people want to read
About the author
Adam D. Roberts
4 books180 followersAdam Roberts is the creator of the food blog The Amateur Gourmet (launched in 2004). Since then, he's written several books -- including The Amateur Gourmet and Secrets of the Best Chefs -- as well for film and television. His latest book is a novel, FOOD PERSON, which is being published by Knopf in May 2025. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with his husband Craig and their dog, Winston.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 350 reviews
July 23, 2025
3.5 stars
The ingredients are all here, Food Person makes my mouth waters with its detailed description of dishes, the New York food scene, the encyclopedic knowledge of cook books, as well as sprinkles of publishing musing—overall a very pleasant, charming reading experience.
It is in the plotting and characterization where traces of a debut's rough edges are evident: the balance between earnest drama and breezy comedy doesn't always feel dialed-in, intense mental health issues seem to be resolved in the blink of an eye, and while the moments of levity are effective on their own, they sometimes clash tonally with what's surrounding them (the romance is so, so cute, but feels like it belongs to a totally different book). The protagonist is intentionally set up as a flawed individual, but the writing decision in certain scenes makes her character more frustrating and irrational than perhaps what the author has originally intended.
Food Person's highbrow cover art (which I love!) had me anticipating a biting, attitude-filled narrative in the flavor of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, but the story turns out to be more of a conventional dramedy similar to The Devil Wears Prada. Still, I had a good time reading it, and would be curious to see what fictional culinary adventure Adam Roberts will cook up next!
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
The ingredients are all here, Food Person makes my mouth waters with its detailed description of dishes, the New York food scene, the encyclopedic knowledge of cook books, as well as sprinkles of publishing musing—overall a very pleasant, charming reading experience.
It is in the plotting and characterization where traces of a debut's rough edges are evident: the balance between earnest drama and breezy comedy doesn't always feel dialed-in, intense mental health issues seem to be resolved in the blink of an eye, and while the moments of levity are effective on their own, they sometimes clash tonally with what's surrounding them (the romance is so, so cute, but feels like it belongs to a totally different book). The protagonist is intentionally set up as a flawed individual, but the writing decision in certain scenes makes her character more frustrating and irrational than perhaps what the author has originally intended.
Food Person's highbrow cover art (which I love!) had me anticipating a biting, attitude-filled narrative in the flavor of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, but the story turns out to be more of a conventional dramedy similar to The Devil Wears Prada. Still, I had a good time reading it, and would be curious to see what fictional culinary adventure Adam Roberts will cook up next!
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
Want to read
January 6, 2025Can we take a moment to appreciate this cover? Amazing!
April 24, 2025
I am someone who daydreams of what I'm going to make for dinner while I eat my lunch. I am someone who checks out 6 cookbooks at once from my local library so I can find the best of the best. I am someone who will ask if we can both order things that the other wants to try so that we can split them and try multiple things from the menu. I am someone who taught myself to cook complex meals because I couldn't go another day eating the tuna casserole my grandma made for the 3rd time that week. Basically, this book was a match made in heaven for me.
Food Person follows Isabella, a recently fired food writer who finds herself being asked to ghostwrite a cookbook for Molly Babcock, a mildly disgraced Hollywood starlet trying to resurrect her acting career. Isabella is a true food person, and Molly...doesn't eat. I'm sure you can imagine all the shenanigans that ensues between the two as their visions for the cookbook clash.
Roberts experience as a food writer absolutely shines here. Any scene involving food had my mouth watering. I felt nostalgic about meals I've never had. I daydreamed of cooking in a beautiful kitchen in New York.
I'm seeing a lot of people say that every character was too unlikeable, but all I saw was a cast of characters that felt complicated and real. There were parts that were silly and made me laugh, and also themes I don't see explored very often. Touching moments involving complicated family relationships, dealing with grief, and growing apart from friends that you built your life around. Yeah, sometimes Isabella sucked. Sometimes I suck too. We're all out here doing our best.
I can't agree that this should be reworked as a cute romcom, because what I loved the most about this is that it isn't ABOUT the relationship (although it's very cute). It's about a girl who goes out and discovers how she wants to live her life, really questions who she is and wants to be, and just happens to fall in love along the way. And isn't that the way it should be done?
Look out for Food Person when it comes out on May 20th, 2025.
Big thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for giving me access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Food Person follows Isabella, a recently fired food writer who finds herself being asked to ghostwrite a cookbook for Molly Babcock, a mildly disgraced Hollywood starlet trying to resurrect her acting career. Isabella is a true food person, and Molly...doesn't eat. I'm sure you can imagine all the shenanigans that ensues between the two as their visions for the cookbook clash.
Roberts experience as a food writer absolutely shines here. Any scene involving food had my mouth watering. I felt nostalgic about meals I've never had. I daydreamed of cooking in a beautiful kitchen in New York.
I'm seeing a lot of people say that every character was too unlikeable, but all I saw was a cast of characters that felt complicated and real. There were parts that were silly and made me laugh, and also themes I don't see explored very often. Touching moments involving complicated family relationships, dealing with grief, and growing apart from friends that you built your life around. Yeah, sometimes Isabella sucked. Sometimes I suck too. We're all out here doing our best.
I can't agree that this should be reworked as a cute romcom, because what I loved the most about this is that it isn't ABOUT the relationship (although it's very cute). It's about a girl who goes out and discovers how she wants to live her life, really questions who she is and wants to be, and just happens to fall in love along the way. And isn't that the way it should be done?
Look out for Food Person when it comes out on May 20th, 2025.
Big thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for giving me access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
January 30, 2025
I was very kindly given an e-arc of this book via Netgalley and Random House UK.
2.5/5 stars. I finished it, but I'm irritated about it. I feel my thoughts are best summed up in this sentence: "This book is a debut. It shows."
'Food Person' is a piece of contemporary fiction (I couldn't even begin to put a genre on it) about a food writer called Isabella who gets hired to ghostwrite a cookbook for a vapid celebrity called Molly Babcock who wants to turn her trashed career around. Isabella is a devotee of the cult of food and therefore, has strong morals and standards about how a cookbook should be written. Molly hasn't eaten carbs in years. I think you can see how things will progress from here.
I kept waiting for something interesting to happen. Packaged with a different cover, this could easily have been a contemporary romance between a ghostwriter and a hot chef who work on this cookbook for an annoying celebrity. I kept waiting for something new to be offered - an idea, a concept, a plot - and it never came. I don't think the book is particularly well written from a structural standpoint. We go round and round in circles with these characters, never quite progressing either way. There's one moment that's really strong and interesting - and we get the most saccharine response from it ever devised.
Isabella is awful as a protaganist. Her 'I can't write this cookbook because I want to be a proper food writer' schtick got real tired, real fast. And she is, ultimately, an incredibly passive character. Things happen to her, she doesn't drive the plot she just reacts to it. Someone else's mistake gets her a contact, someone's else's tragedy sets her free, someone tells her (Multiple people tell her actually) to loosen her morals and just get on with the crappy job which she was always going to do anyway. Is it any wonder I spent half the book silently yelling to myself 'GROW A SPINE WOMAN' to a character who just comes off as naïve, stupid and, ultimately, just a shitty person.
All the characters in this book suck. They're just awful people. Gabe is the one exception and he has about 5 minutes of page time. Suck doesn't necessarily mean they're badly written - I think Jeannie is the exception here - but the others are clunkily handled, particularly Mollie and Fiona. There's a conflict between Fiona and Isabella that's very underdeveloped - so much so that I didn't work out WHY the conflict was there until one of the characters spelled it out on the page. Isabella was the worst for me, I imagine because we spent the most time with her and therefore, her lack of development or growth as a character in any capacity was the most obvious. She's an unpleasant person, both unable to stick up for herself while simultaneously carrying around this air of superiority to other people that she uses to justify shitty actions. There's this whole plotline about a binder of recipes Molly's mother had and it takes Isabella until THE END OF THE BOOK to work out that those recipes could be incredibly triggering for Molly and her abusive childhood. THE END OF THE BOOK. I cannot believe for a second this girl grew up in New York City.
The ending is rushed. There is a natural ending point where everything falls apart, but the book just continues on to deliver a weird happy ending that feels much less satisfying than the big moment did. The author felt the need to tie everything up in a bow and make the main characters happy and friends and ??? You had a great ending already, you didn't need the last fifty pages.
The foodie aspects are good and god, justice for Gabe, because he's the one good person in 300+ pages, but otherwise, skip this one. It's nothing you haven't seen before.
'Food Person' will be available from 3rd July.
2.5/5 stars. I finished it, but I'm irritated about it. I feel my thoughts are best summed up in this sentence: "This book is a debut. It shows."
'Food Person' is a piece of contemporary fiction (I couldn't even begin to put a genre on it) about a food writer called Isabella who gets hired to ghostwrite a cookbook for a vapid celebrity called Molly Babcock who wants to turn her trashed career around. Isabella is a devotee of the cult of food and therefore, has strong morals and standards about how a cookbook should be written. Molly hasn't eaten carbs in years. I think you can see how things will progress from here.
I kept waiting for something interesting to happen. Packaged with a different cover, this could easily have been a contemporary romance between a ghostwriter and a hot chef who work on this cookbook for an annoying celebrity. I kept waiting for something new to be offered - an idea, a concept, a plot - and it never came. I don't think the book is particularly well written from a structural standpoint. We go round and round in circles with these characters, never quite progressing either way. There's one moment that's really strong and interesting - and we get the most saccharine response from it ever devised.
Isabella is awful as a protaganist. Her 'I can't write this cookbook because I want to be a proper food writer' schtick got real tired, real fast. And she is, ultimately, an incredibly passive character. Things happen to her, she doesn't drive the plot she just reacts to it. Someone else's mistake gets her a contact, someone's else's tragedy sets her free, someone tells her (Multiple people tell her actually) to loosen her morals and just get on with the crappy job which she was always going to do anyway. Is it any wonder I spent half the book silently yelling to myself 'GROW A SPINE WOMAN' to a character who just comes off as naïve, stupid and, ultimately, just a shitty person.
All the characters in this book suck. They're just awful people. Gabe is the one exception and he has about 5 minutes of page time. Suck doesn't necessarily mean they're badly written - I think Jeannie is the exception here - but the others are clunkily handled, particularly Mollie and Fiona. There's a conflict between Fiona and Isabella that's very underdeveloped - so much so that I didn't work out WHY the conflict was there until one of the characters spelled it out on the page. Isabella was the worst for me, I imagine because we spent the most time with her and therefore, her lack of development or growth as a character in any capacity was the most obvious. She's an unpleasant person, both unable to stick up for herself while simultaneously carrying around this air of superiority to other people that she uses to justify shitty actions. There's this whole plotline about a binder of recipes Molly's mother had and it takes Isabella until THE END OF THE BOOK to work out that those recipes could be incredibly triggering for Molly and her abusive childhood. THE END OF THE BOOK. I cannot believe for a second this girl grew up in New York City.
The ending is rushed. There is a natural ending point where everything falls apart, but the book just continues on to deliver a weird happy ending that feels much less satisfying than the big moment did. The author felt the need to tie everything up in a bow and make the main characters happy and friends and ??? You had a great ending already, you didn't need the last fifty pages.
The foodie aspects are good and god, justice for Gabe, because he's the one good person in 300+ pages, but otherwise, skip this one. It's nothing you haven't seen before.
'Food Person' will be available from 3rd July.
May 24, 2025
Food Person is a book which I can truly only describe as darling: think late 90s / early aughts romcom set in NY.
A woman accepts a job working as a ghost writer on a cookbook with a nearly has-been celebrity. Each has something to gain from the opportunity: Molly, the actress in question, is hoping a cookbook might make people take her more seriously. Isabella, her ghost writer, wants desperately to write a cookbook of her own, and believes that this could be her way into the industry.
There’s only one problem—Molly doesn’t cook, and she certainly doesn’t celebrate food the way that Isabella does. The two couldn’t be more different.
I laughed, cringed and clutched pages to my chest the whole way through. It is equal parts silly and earnest, with a giant dollop of tenderness thrown right on top.
I’m a big fan of smart, breezy books this time of year and absolutely think this is one that should be on everyone’s list!
A woman accepts a job working as a ghost writer on a cookbook with a nearly has-been celebrity. Each has something to gain from the opportunity: Molly, the actress in question, is hoping a cookbook might make people take her more seriously. Isabella, her ghost writer, wants desperately to write a cookbook of her own, and believes that this could be her way into the industry.
There’s only one problem—Molly doesn’t cook, and she certainly doesn’t celebrate food the way that Isabella does. The two couldn’t be more different.
I laughed, cringed and clutched pages to my chest the whole way through. It is equal parts silly and earnest, with a giant dollop of tenderness thrown right on top.
I’m a big fan of smart, breezy books this time of year and absolutely think this is one that should be on everyone’s list!
July 8, 2025
I kind of hated this book. The tone was wrong - I think it was supposed to be light, funny, and breezy but the big plot point was pretty damn dark. Plus, every character was pretty unlikeable. Definitely a miss
June 4, 2025
FOOD PERSON
by Adam Roberts
thanks to @aaknopf and @prhaudio for copies of this book!
🥘 Food Person’s a funny, breezy book that is very, very much about food.
Isabella is a food writer with a strange mix of confidence and lack of just that. Shes got mom issues. She’s broke. Molly Babcock is a TV star who needs a ghost writer for her new cookbook—why is she writing a cookbook?
I laughed aloud several times listening to this on @prhaudio and appreciated the focused push forward throughout this novel. It is about one thing and rarely takes any side quests! There is a very cyclical element to this novel with the same conversational and personality-driven frustrations surfacing on repeat as everyone tries to get what they want. While the characters have a bit of mess to them, I like to have a little more mess for them to feel exceptionally full.
Isabella is surprisingly very, very capable, persistent, self-focused, even manipulative while being perfectly great at her niche job to be in such a bind—she’s got all the time in the world and her family messes are easily pushed aside to make time for what’s at hand. Similarly, Molly’s mix of brat and soul didn’t always seem match up in a fluid way. Yet, after being smushed together and forced to co-create something, they do make a bit of book magic happen—while the vast majority of the book is dialogue between the two about food or the cookbook—I guess it’s good because it’s rarely about a man?
A breezy zip of a book perfect for foodies looking for their long afternoon beach read with a few extra pages for padding and lots of shenanigans.
by Adam Roberts
thanks to @aaknopf and @prhaudio for copies of this book!
🥘 Food Person’s a funny, breezy book that is very, very much about food.
Isabella is a food writer with a strange mix of confidence and lack of just that. Shes got mom issues. She’s broke. Molly Babcock is a TV star who needs a ghost writer for her new cookbook—why is she writing a cookbook?
I laughed aloud several times listening to this on @prhaudio and appreciated the focused push forward throughout this novel. It is about one thing and rarely takes any side quests! There is a very cyclical element to this novel with the same conversational and personality-driven frustrations surfacing on repeat as everyone tries to get what they want. While the characters have a bit of mess to them, I like to have a little more mess for them to feel exceptionally full.
Isabella is surprisingly very, very capable, persistent, self-focused, even manipulative while being perfectly great at her niche job to be in such a bind—she’s got all the time in the world and her family messes are easily pushed aside to make time for what’s at hand. Similarly, Molly’s mix of brat and soul didn’t always seem match up in a fluid way. Yet, after being smushed together and forced to co-create something, they do make a bit of book magic happen—while the vast majority of the book is dialogue between the two about food or the cookbook—I guess it’s good because it’s rarely about a man?
A breezy zip of a book perfect for foodies looking for their long afternoon beach read with a few extra pages for padding and lots of shenanigans.
June 7, 2025
Adam Roberts delivers a food-focused novel following Isabella, an aspiring professional navigating New York's competitive food journalism scene. While the vivid food descriptions and authentic NYC dining details showcase Roberts' clear expertise and research, the character development proves frustratingly inconsistent. Isabella oscillates between spinelessness and unexpected moral rigidity, and supporting characters never fully escape feeling like one-dimensional caricatures. The plot rushes through major developments that deserved more attention. Despite these flaws, food lovers seeking a light New York-set story may find enough atmospheric detail to enjoy.
July 5, 2025
Thank you @aaknopf and @amateurgourmet for the gifted copy
I read FOOD PERSON by Adam Roberts and I’m OBSESSED.
Imagine if The Bear and Emily in Paris had a book baby, and it was ghostwriting a cookbook for a scandal-prone ex-starlet who thinks burrata is a type of yoga. It's sharp, hilarious, unexpectedly tender, and full of the kind of food writing that makes you want to immediately pan-roast something in butter.
Adam Roberts has written a novel that feels like it was made for people like me—people who maybe own too many cookbooks, definitely have strong feelings about olive oil brands, and understand the sacred nature of a well-cooked egg. But beyond the food (which is gloriously described and genuinely mouthwatering), FOOD PERSON is a laugh-out-loud comedy of manners, a love letter to ambition, and a quietly moving exploration of friendship in unexpected places.
Isabella is the kind of narrator I’m always hoping to find—neurotic, observant, slightly prickly, and full of heart. Watching her navigate the chaos of ghostwriting a cookbook for the gloriously unhinged Molly Babcock is like watching a souffle rise: a little tense, a little ridiculous, but utterly thrilling when it all comes together. Roberts skewers foodie culture with real affection and drops insider details like the perfect pinch of flaky salt—never too much, always satisfying.
This book made me laugh, crave anchovy paste, and (honestly) tear up once or twice. If you loved The Wedding People or Good Material, or if you just want a novel that’s smart, hilarious, and full of flavor, do yourself a favor and pick this up. It’s a total treat.
I read FOOD PERSON by Adam Roberts and I’m OBSESSED.
Imagine if The Bear and Emily in Paris had a book baby, and it was ghostwriting a cookbook for a scandal-prone ex-starlet who thinks burrata is a type of yoga. It's sharp, hilarious, unexpectedly tender, and full of the kind of food writing that makes you want to immediately pan-roast something in butter.
Adam Roberts has written a novel that feels like it was made for people like me—people who maybe own too many cookbooks, definitely have strong feelings about olive oil brands, and understand the sacred nature of a well-cooked egg. But beyond the food (which is gloriously described and genuinely mouthwatering), FOOD PERSON is a laugh-out-loud comedy of manners, a love letter to ambition, and a quietly moving exploration of friendship in unexpected places.
Isabella is the kind of narrator I’m always hoping to find—neurotic, observant, slightly prickly, and full of heart. Watching her navigate the chaos of ghostwriting a cookbook for the gloriously unhinged Molly Babcock is like watching a souffle rise: a little tense, a little ridiculous, but utterly thrilling when it all comes together. Roberts skewers foodie culture with real affection and drops insider details like the perfect pinch of flaky salt—never too much, always satisfying.
This book made me laugh, crave anchovy paste, and (honestly) tear up once or twice. If you loved The Wedding People or Good Material, or if you just want a novel that’s smart, hilarious, and full of flavor, do yourself a favor and pick this up. It’s a total treat.
May 25, 2025
Food Person had the potential to be a compelling story about passion, food, and ambition—but it fell flat. Isabella, the protagonist, is meant to be a relatable figure for food lovers and aspiring writers, and while I recognized aspects of myself in her ideals, the emotional connection just wasn’t there. The characters—Isabella, Molly, Gabe, Fiona, Jeanie—all felt underdeveloped, existing more as concepts than real people. I kept waiting to feel something for them, to care about their journeys, but the writing never delivered that depth.
Even Gabe, who could’ve added complexity as a moral compass, felt forced and one-dimensional. The only genuinely satisfying part was the ending, which came too late to redeem the rest. They say the journey matters more than the destination—unfortunately, in this case, only the destination offered any real payoff.
I did appreciate the descriptive food writing and the fictional and non-fictional cafes and restaurants scattered throughout the book, but those charming details couldn’t mask the story’s lack of emotional resonance. Food Person is a forgettable read dressed up in pretty adjectives.
Even Gabe, who could’ve added complexity as a moral compass, felt forced and one-dimensional. The only genuinely satisfying part was the ending, which came too late to redeem the rest. They say the journey matters more than the destination—unfortunately, in this case, only the destination offered any real payoff.
I did appreciate the descriptive food writing and the fictional and non-fictional cafes and restaurants scattered throughout the book, but those charming details couldn’t mask the story’s lack of emotional resonance. Food Person is a forgettable read dressed up in pretty adjectives.
May 11, 2025
I was sent an ARC of this book from the publisher, and the cover immediately caught my eye. My mind went straight to cookbook. Which is funny because this is the story of a woman who is hired to ghostwrite a cookbook for an actress.
The meat and potatoes of this story is about Isabella, an introvert, who ghostwrites a cookbook for Molly, an actress who has a bit of a bad reputation. We soon learn that Molly isn't the nicest of people, and Isabella is on a roller-coaster of a ride trying to get the writing job done.
Isabella was a relatable character. Her relationships with her mom, Owen, and Annie were well developed and added layers to the story. Molly was ok, though hard to like at times, and I felt like we readers got a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how some celebrities are.
The story moves along at a good pace and is interesting from beginning to end. The writing was enjoyable, and I had no idea this was a debut novel. The author includes the names of many cookbooks and chefs in what, at times, seemed a love letter to food.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and the writing. I will be on the lookout for more books by this author. I can't wait to read more by him!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.
The meat and potatoes of this story is about Isabella, an introvert, who ghostwrites a cookbook for Molly, an actress who has a bit of a bad reputation. We soon learn that Molly isn't the nicest of people, and Isabella is on a roller-coaster of a ride trying to get the writing job done.
Isabella was a relatable character. Her relationships with her mom, Owen, and Annie were well developed and added layers to the story. Molly was ok, though hard to like at times, and I felt like we readers got a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how some celebrities are.
The story moves along at a good pace and is interesting from beginning to end. The writing was enjoyable, and I had no idea this was a debut novel. The author includes the names of many cookbooks and chefs in what, at times, seemed a love letter to food.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and the writing. I will be on the lookout for more books by this author. I can't wait to read more by him!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.
August 9, 2025
love books about restaurants, chefs, cooking, food, and all the other related topics. This compelling story had everything and more: Isabella, our main character, and Molly, our once popular soap opera actress who’s somewhat down on her luck due to scandal. When Isabella is hired to ghostwrite a cookbook for Molly, she has no idea what she’s in for—-because Molly is a mess. There are many reasons why this can’t work: Molly doesn’t cook, she knows nothing about the kitchen, she has no plan about how to start, and worst of all, she doesn’t like food and doesn’t eat! Isabella can and does do all these things, but she’s just the ghostwriter and she’s just trying to make some money and get her writing career going.
Molly is hot and cold, mostly cold. She gives Isabella occasional hope that she has an emotional connection to food and recipes, but in the next breath it’s as if she didn’t even have the conversation about it and she’s much more interested in drinking and drugs and her wild pseudo-friends. It’s never predictable whether she’ll be awake and texting at 3 am or whether she’ll remember anything the next day. She has flashes of vulnerability and Isabella is constantly trying to figure out where the real Molly is. And in all of this there are deadlines for Isabella and Molly really couldn’t care less!
Honestly, I really liked this book! I’m giving it 4.5 stars rounded up!
I received a copy of the digital ARC via the publisher and NetGalley. My review is voluntary.
Molly is hot and cold, mostly cold. She gives Isabella occasional hope that she has an emotional connection to food and recipes, but in the next breath it’s as if she didn’t even have the conversation about it and she’s much more interested in drinking and drugs and her wild pseudo-friends. It’s never predictable whether she’ll be awake and texting at 3 am or whether she’ll remember anything the next day. She has flashes of vulnerability and Isabella is constantly trying to figure out where the real Molly is. And in all of this there are deadlines for Isabella and Molly really couldn’t care less!
Honestly, I really liked this book! I’m giving it 4.5 stars rounded up!
I received a copy of the digital ARC via the publisher and NetGalley. My review is voluntary.
August 10, 2025
5 | I picked this up at Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston and ended up buddy reading with my mom (and also Katie and Kim, too! <3). I hadn’t heard of it, but even before reading the summary saw blurbs from Steven Rowley and J. Ryan Stradal and knew the book would be right up my alley. It’s such a fun read - great characters and relationships, an unpredictable plot and delectable food descriptions from a different point of view (the main character aspires to be a cook book writer).
May 30, 2025
Once upon a time I was obsessed with Bon Appetit and the staff… this book made me feel like I was one of the old editors. This is definitely a great summer read, full of drama, growth, and fun characters. I couldn’t put this one down.
Thank you Knopf and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book!
Thank you Knopf and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book!
August 27, 2025
truly awful read. commendably bad, honestly. will give it credit for keeping me distracted during prolonged turbulence during a horrific travel day, though!
seriously i don’t want to be a bitch and RARELY feel this critical about a book but adam seriously. i am baffled how you have made it this far in this career.
seriously i don’t want to be a bitch and RARELY feel this critical about a book but adam seriously. i am baffled how you have made it this far in this career.
February 18, 2025
A solid debut; this book made me very hungry, and it is clear the author knows their stuff when it comes to food and restaurants. I'm not sure that really translated into a romantic comedy novel. So many of the characters were unlikeable, it felt difficult to root for any of them.
The book did avoid a lot of the usual tropes, and there were interesting plot points involving family ties, but the author didn't go deep enough to make them feel of value. Lots of the relationships had quick easy resolutions that unfortunately didn't feel believable. Overall this love letter to cookbooks and their writers gets a 3 out of 5 from me.
The book did avoid a lot of the usual tropes, and there were interesting plot points involving family ties, but the author didn't go deep enough to make them feel of value. Lots of the relationships had quick easy resolutions that unfortunately didn't feel believable. Overall this love letter to cookbooks and their writers gets a 3 out of 5 from me.
June 11, 2025
I absolutely LOVED this book about the complicated/toxic relationship between an aspiring cookbook writer turned ghostwriter for a spoiled influencer/actress who lands a cookbook deal and hires her to write it. I loved the Jewish rep, the mental health and character growth and the female friendship.
Foodies will not want to miss this one and I'm shocked I haven't seen more glowing reviews. I devoured it and thought there was a perfect balance of emotional depth, humor, family drama and romance to make it a thoroughly entertaining read! Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.
Foodies will not want to miss this one and I'm shocked I haven't seen more glowing reviews. I devoured it and thought there was a perfect balance of emotional depth, humor, family drama and romance to make it a thoroughly entertaining read! Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.
June 13, 2025
Isabella Pasternak is a fo0d writer who wants to just write a cookbook. She lives with her roommate Owen, who connects her with a famous down on her luck actress who wants to get back into the limelight by creating her own cookbook. Isabella is set to ghost write the cookbook but her dealing with the actress, Molly, prove to be quite difficult. This book was a blast to read and had a lot of fun characters. It was quirky without being disturbingly so and had a good plot that kept me interested.
May 22, 2025
I do need to read the summaries of books better than I have been because I was very much under the impression this was a non fiction about food influencers. It was a very happy mistake on my end.
Food Person is a fun and witty book about the FMC who is tasked with ghost writing the cookbook of a washed up celebrity. The relationship between the FMC and celebrity gets muddled between what is happening here to not quite sure is professional or not. What makes it even more complicated, is the FMC is best friend and roommates with the celebrity’s newest publicist. Nothing could go wrong with relationship dynamics there… let’s add in both the FMC and celebrity have very different views on food. The FMC loves food, and is quite the food person. She loves cooking, reading cook books, exploring flavors and using the finest ingredients. The celebrity on the other hand, is a mess when it comes to food and her relationship with food. The story and relationship unfold and unravels between the two to a fire storm and an explosion (literally).
Food is such a simple and complicated thing. It brings people together and it can drive people apart. Food Person touches upon that. It also comically speaks about how the food personalities and celebrities are not all what they are chalked up to be. Food Person also explores the various emotions food brings out of people and how it can be used to hurt others around them too. Both characters also explore their relationships with their respective mothers and families, and which does involve food. Go figure.
Food Person was a fun and quick contemporary fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to others.
Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.
Food Person is a fun and witty book about the FMC who is tasked with ghost writing the cookbook of a washed up celebrity. The relationship between the FMC and celebrity gets muddled between what is happening here to not quite sure is professional or not. What makes it even more complicated, is the FMC is best friend and roommates with the celebrity’s newest publicist. Nothing could go wrong with relationship dynamics there… let’s add in both the FMC and celebrity have very different views on food. The FMC loves food, and is quite the food person. She loves cooking, reading cook books, exploring flavors and using the finest ingredients. The celebrity on the other hand, is a mess when it comes to food and her relationship with food. The story and relationship unfold and unravels between the two to a fire storm and an explosion (literally).
Food is such a simple and complicated thing. It brings people together and it can drive people apart. Food Person touches upon that. It also comically speaks about how the food personalities and celebrities are not all what they are chalked up to be. Food Person also explores the various emotions food brings out of people and how it can be used to hurt others around them too. Both characters also explore their relationships with their respective mothers and families, and which does involve food. Go figure.
Food Person was a fun and quick contemporary fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to others.
Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.
July 22, 2025
I was charmed by food writer Adam Roberts's Grub Street Diet, and I have done my share of ghostwriting, so I picked up Roberts's debut novel. It's about a just-fired writer for a site very much like Eater who is hired to ghost a cookbook for a partying, bratty starlet very much like Shannen Doherty. (You can insert the name of your preferred Gossip Girl/Seventh Heaven/Charmed/generally Lohan-ish actress here, if you're into making hushed reimagining-history let's-do-a-feminism!!!!! noises about Shannen Doherty.)
I enjoyed it! I liked the media-gossip-y and hipster-restaurant-y bits, and the store that's sorta like Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks in the East Village (I once sorted Bonnie's vintage restaurant matchbook collection for her!), and how quick and breezy and fun to read it was. It's better than either The Devil Wears Prada or Julie and Julia. (The books. Not the movies. Also, this would make a good movie.) There are plenty of flaws — it's total wish fulfillment, it's schematic, Isabella's boyfriend is too perfect, her truly horrid mother is awkwardly played for laughs and too easily redeemed in the end — but it's a sweet, fun ride. And don't we need those in stressful times?
I enjoyed it! I liked the media-gossip-y and hipster-restaurant-y bits, and the store that's sorta like Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks in the East Village (I once sorted Bonnie's vintage restaurant matchbook collection for her!), and how quick and breezy and fun to read it was. It's better than either The Devil Wears Prada or Julie and Julia. (The books. Not the movies. Also, this would make a good movie.) There are plenty of flaws — it's total wish fulfillment, it's schematic, Isabella's boyfriend is too perfect, her truly horrid mother is awkwardly played for laughs and too easily redeemed in the end — but it's a sweet, fun ride. And don't we need those in stressful times?
June 3, 2025
Lookit that cover! Incredible!
The book itself was reasonably fun. There were bits that were slower and I think, on consideration, that it might be because the main character, our ONLY point of view character, doesn't really have a writer's voice, which makes her perfect for ghostwriting for celebrities but not the most engaging character to follow along in her own life story. The events that transpire make this more fun to read and it's surprisingly wholesome by the end.
The book itself was reasonably fun. There were bits that were slower and I think, on consideration, that it might be because the main character, our ONLY point of view character, doesn't really have a writer's voice, which makes her perfect for ghostwriting for celebrities but not the most engaging character to follow along in her own life story. The events that transpire make this more fun to read and it's surprisingly wholesome by the end.
August 18, 2025
This was a perfect beach read for this “food person”. It was equally fun and embarrassing to realize I got all the cookbook, chefs, and food literature references. I also could visualize my favorite Seattle cook book store as Alice’s shop. A fast-paced fun book populated with relatable characters. So much fun❣️
May 15, 2025
This was such a fun, foodie lover book! Isabella and Molly are complete opposites which makes the best duo of characters. They were like Andy Sachs and Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada but instead of fashion, it was all about food! Isabella is invisible and doesn't like to "people". She gets the opportunity to ghostwrite a cookbook for a celebrity she loved growing up, Molly. They are the definition of those who eat to live and those who live to eat. Isabella learns to find her voice and her real dream. Molly faces her past and relationship to food. Loved loved loved it!
June 10, 2025
I love reading about food and recipe development - what better way than with the addition of a washed up celebrity looking to get back on the scene with a ghost-written cookbook? Do not relate to the main character at all but I got over that.
July 4, 2025
This is for people who like bravo and also bon apetit circa 2019 and I loved it
September 8, 2025
3.75 I unexpectedly really liked this one
March 31, 2025
I received an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley to review. They say "write what you know" and it's obvious Adam Roberts knows food and the delicate art of ghostwriting a cookbook. This book was very funny. It reminded me of The Devil Wears Prada of the food world. In the story, we follow Isabella as she navigates moving up in her career path of food writing. Isabella's story is supported by some zany characters including her zany mom, nepo-baby roommate Owen, former-starlet Molly Babcock, evil boss Dana, and includes a romantic interlude with a sous chef. I would classify this book as New Adult as there are some adult themes especially regarding relationships. This is not just a comedy book however. Food Person has heart. Isabella does her best to navigate some mental health issues while trying to find where she fits in the culinary writing world. Four stars.
July 13, 2025
A super compelling plot with a rushed and unconvincing ending, and an extremely frustrating protagonist.
August 5, 2025
The Devil wears Prada, but food!
May 6, 2025
Isabella just got fired but she stumbles upon an opportunity to ghostwrite a cookbook for a celebrity. Unfortunately, her client seems to hate cooking and food in general. Still, Isabella is determined to make the best of the situation and create a cookbook that she can be proud of (and if it gets her a James Beard win, even better!).
This was so much fun to read. The characters are an intriguing combination of delusional, likable, and annoying yet charming! Recommended for anyone interested in food writing, delicious meals, and a delightful story of finding your voice.
Thank you very much to Knopf and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.
This was so much fun to read. The characters are an intriguing combination of delusional, likable, and annoying yet charming! Recommended for anyone interested in food writing, delicious meals, and a delightful story of finding your voice.
Thank you very much to Knopf and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.
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