Review: Off Menu

I don’t often compare one book to another but in the case of Off Menu, I just can’t help myself. Amy Rosen’s novel is Bridget Jones meets Nora Ephron meets Julie and Julia meets Ruth Reichl. Yes, that’s a lot. But it worked for me at the time I was reading it. I had a lot of fun with this book and think it’s a great summer read - especially for foodies!

Here’s the book’s description:

Twenty-something Ruthie Cohen, a data entry minion for a second-tier movie app, spends her days thinking about the kickass meals she’s going to make for her besties, Trish and Lilly, while pining for Dean (sigh, Dean), her vacation fling from six months earlier. Could they have made it work in real life?

On top of that, Bubbe Bobby Grace, Ruthie’s beloved and inspiring grandmother, passed away and left Ruthie an inheritance of $62,873, along with instructions on how to use it: “Follow your passion, Dollface.” During a prosecco-fueled night with her gal pals, Ruthie decides to turn her passion into a career and learn the art of French cooking, enrolling in culinary school, paying tuition, and buying her chef’s whites with a few quick clicks online. It’s not long before Ruthie marches into the kitchen and feels the heat from her cooking partner, Jeff, the super hunky (totally taken!) musician that weasels his way into her brain — right next to Dean.

How can anyone be expected to focus on school, cooking, career planning, baking, friends, and deciding between two hot guys, especially when one of them also thinks that John Cusack is woefully underrated? And what if neither feels quite like Ruthie’s perfect pairing?

Let’s first talk about something that I can’t actually talk about because it’s a big ol’ spoiler: the ending! It was perfect. Or as perfect as a book’s ending can be. Everything hit right and I applaud Rosen for giving me such a satisfactory ending.

Ruthie is 27 but kind of acts like she’s 22. There's a huge amount of life learning to be done in those five years and I don’t think Ruthie has quite gotten to where she maybe needs to be. Not that there’s a set way you should be living your life by a certain age. You do you. But there was just a little something that was too immature for my liking and I know it might annoy a lot of people. Ultimately, though, I embraced it and I loved watching her grow over the course of the year as she focused on herself.

Because, really, that’s what the book is all about. Ruthie following her true passions and discovering what makes Ruthie, well, Ruthie. There’s a lot to be said about trying something even if it seems like a far-fetched idea - and having a great support system in your corner. I love that Ruthie tried something scary after digging deep to figure out what that something should be. Once she realized she was where she needed to be, her confidence skyrocketed and she really started to come into herself. I loved reading that.

I hated both love interests. It was painful to read as Ruthie went through some serious shit with the stupid boys. They were not good for her. (No need to stress. It’s run of the mill serious shit for the most part - no abuse, nothing dark or harmful.) I didn’t love it for Ruthie. Maybe I was being too big sister protector-y and couldn’t enjoy those parts of the book. *shrugs* When everything goes down with Jeff, I could not believe her parents were willing to let it slide and encouraged her to give him another chance. The man was a walking red flag. Ignore your parents and step away from the hot chef.

I’m not a huge foodie but I was definitely hungry while reading this one! So many delicious meals were mentioned as Ruthie learned to be a chef. I’m not the cook in my household and I’m not one for super fancy meals. But I know there’s massive skills there and it was really fun to read as Ruthie sharpened her cooking skills and pushed herself to cook ridiculously complicated things. Her love of food was so obvious and she wasn’t stuck-up about it. She mentions a dish she loves making that is full of clever hacks that makes it so easy and yet it’s delicious. She appreciates the skills and nuances to some dishes but, at the end of the day, she just wants to put good food in front of the people she cares about.

I listened to part of this book and I really appreciated that the narrator knew how to pronounce toque/tuque/touque and Z. It had Canadian spellings and was set in Toronto. Yay!

Off Menu is a great book for your next weekend read. Amy Rosen’s created a character who will entertain you and might just worm her way into your heart. At the very least, you’ll be inspired to eat a lot of good food and book your next vacation!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, ECW Press, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*