Taste Test

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Author(s)

Kelly Fiore

Publisher

Walker Books for Young Readers

Genre(s)

Contemporary

Age Range

13+

Release Date

August 27, 2013

ISBN

978-0802728388

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If you can grill it, smoke it, or fry it, Nora Henderson knows all about it. Her father owns one of North Carolina’s most successful barbeque joints and she’s been shredding pork and basting baby back ribs since she could reach the counter. When Taste Test, a reality cooking show for teens, accepts her for their fifth season, it’s a chance for Nora to get out of her humble hometown and break into the big leagues of the culinary world.

When she shows up on set at the North American Culinary Academy, however, it’s not just the New England weather that’s ice cold. Fights with her high-society roommate and run-ins with the son of a famous chef force Nora to work even harder to prove she’s a force to be reckoned with. But, despite winning challenges and falling for a fellow contestant, Nora can’t ignore the mysterious accidents that are plaguing the kitchen arena. It seems like someone is conducting eliminations of their own and Nora’s determined to get to the bottom of the mystery before she, or anyone else, is “chopped” for good.

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Taste Test by Kelly Fiore

August 20, 2013

Overall rating

3.0

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Originally posted at my blog (Take Me Away...) so the format has been lost.

I'm one of those people that will search for something on television and settle on one of three things: Re-runs of Criminal Minds, re-runs of Bones, and anything on The Food Network. Those things I will ALWAYS watch. That's exactly how I feel about this book. Not trying to say that its my last resort, but just saying that it made me feel comfortable.
With that being said, I fell right into the storyline. I was swept away by the competition and the characters. From the very beginning I knew who was going to be the love interest and who was going to be the "mean girl" and who was going to be the friend. What I wasn't expecting, was the mystery that popped up. But when it did, I began to see what was going on and who it dealt with. But, it was far more than I was expecting. Way more than I expected. I had let myself get too comfortable and missed it entirely. That's the kind of mystery I like.
One thing I did not like about this book was the characters. Nora definitely jumped on my last nerve a couple of times. Like when she went back and forth between liking him and not. This frustrated me because normal girls go through that, but at the same time, not to that caliber. It doesn't turn off and on everyday. I don't know, maybe it was just the competition, but it annoyed me. Then there was the fact that all she thought about was him. Like in the arena, outside the arena, just everywhere. I would much rather have heard more about Prescott and Joy vs hearing more of her thoughts about him.
I also loved that they put the recipes in the back of the book. That spicy casserole will definitely be one that I introduce to the boyfriend. I just wish that they had added them all. I would have loved to have that Lobster Roll one too. I'm from the South but would love to have a taste of the East Coast!
This book really surprised me. I honestly wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. There were some minor hiccups, but overall it was a good, humorous debut. I look forward to reading more books by Fiore!