Book Nook Girl: Book Review: Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous by Kathryn Willams

Title: Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous [ excerpt ]
Author: Kathryn Williams
Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication Date: August 21st 2012
Format: Arc
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Buy it: Barnes & Noble | Amazon
Summary from Goodreads:

Can a spot on a teen reality show really lead to a scholarship at an elite cooking school AND a summer romance?

Sixteen-year-old Sophie Nicolaides was practically raised in the kitchen of her family’s Italian-Greek restaurant, Taverna Ristorante. When her best friend, Alex, tries to convince her to audition for a new reality show, Teen Test Kitchen, Sophie is reluctant. But the prize includes a full scholarship to one of America's finest culinary schools and a summer in Napa, California, not to mention fame.

Once on-set, Sophie immediately finds herself in the thick of the drama—including a secret burn book, cutthroat celebrity judges, and a very cute French chef. Sophie must figure out a way to survive all the heat and still stay true to herself.

Rating:
3.0/5.0

Thoughts: Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I was expecting tons of food, drama, and some romance and in a way, I guess it delivered but not in the way I'd hoped for. Don't get me wrong, it was still a rather enjoyable read; it just didn't quite meet my expectations. The cover was one of the things that first caught my attention; the colors and fonts of the title. Which, was the second reason I was expecting an amazing read. I mean, it's quite a mouthful and a bit of a pain to write over and over again because of how long it is but come on! I mean, just look at the title and tell me it doesn't spark any interest in you. Although this novel didn't quite reach my expectations, I did enjoy it.
Characters:
I can't say I can fully relate to Sophie, the main character because my family doesn't own a restaurant and my life doesn't revolve around food and recipes. However, I am quite curious towards recipes and making food but to be able to read and fully enjoy Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous you don't need much, if any, knowledge of this because the way Kathryn writes makes you feel like you do know all this information. The book even included some recipes which I will be trying out in the future. ;) I really liked all the other characters incorporated into the story but I wish I'd gotten to know them a tad more. The one character I wish I'd seen more of was Alex, her best friend but I did enjoy Luc's appearance. Her family were also some of my favorite characters in the book because they supported her and her dream of being a chef.
Romance:
Ah, the romance.. I guess this was my real and honest reason of my high expectations. Maybe it was the synopsis or perhaps the cover, but I expected a tad more cutesy or romantic romance in this novel and there was, just not as much as I'd hoped for. The romance that was present was really cute and makes you wish you had someone like that in your life and it was just really enjoyable to read about.
Ending:
I really enjoyed the ending. It was really heart warming and cute. I adore Sophia's family. They're really supportive of her interest and love in cooking and I really enjoyed how they were included in the ending.
Recommendation:
I would definitely recommend this to any food lover or any person who enjoys novels with romance in them but with a much deeper feel to them.
First Sentence: *quoted from ARC, may change