Book review: The Dish

"Love is on the menu. With a side order of lies.

When Laura Parker first crosses forks with Adam Bayley, she's only after one thing: his custard doughnut. But when she takes a closer look she sees a talented, handsome man who outshines the string of jokers she's been dating.

There's just one problem. Adam's job means Laura has to keep her job as restaurant critic for The Dish, a secret. Tricky for someone who prides herself on honesty.

Can the truth be put on ice long enough for love to flourish?

And how can you expect your boyfriend to be honest if you're not quite telling the truth yourself?"

My review: 

This book is any foodies dream. Whether you love cooking, eating out or eating in, this book covers it all. My stomach was growling from page one at the thought of custard doughnuts, fried prawns and spicy, smoky beans. 

Don't get me wrong, it's not a recipe book. It is romantic fiction at it's finest - fun, flirty and full of fantastic food. The story follows Laura, who is a brilliant main character (and not just because of her name!). Working as a PA in a publishing company, she also is the secret mastermind behind 'The Dish' food column. When she meets Adam one hungover morning, she decides not to tell him that she has just written a seething review about the snobbish, disappointing restaurant he works for. I completely get why she did this - it's not exactly a great pick-up line, and it's clear from the off-set that Adam is one of the good guys. 

Which leads me nicely on to Adam. Oh Adam. Although he can be slightly grumpy at times and has a mysterious air about him, I fell for him immediately. He's charming, kind a and a bloody good cook - what more could you want? Any man that can turn baked beans on toast into one of the nicest meals a restaurant critic has ever had is one for me. I loved watching their relationship grow and following them on their journey. 

There's a whole host of wonderful characters in The Dish. I loved Roger, Laura's boss and also pretty much a second father to her. Her friend Sophie is also brilliant, a keen baker and eager to help Laura and Adams relationship along when issues come between them. Sandra, her colleague at work is so infuriating - a kiss arse busy-body who clearly has it out for her. However, I always think a character that provokes reaction, good or bad, is a good one as it shows the author has made them real. 

The format of the story is fast-paced and sucks you into Laura's world. I particularly liked the regular sections of email exchange within the story- they added a nice break from the first person writing and were a great way to quickly explain what was happening.  The exchanges with Laura and her work colleagues Kiki and Azeem were a particular highlight for me as they were hilarious. 

I really enjoyed The Dish, it is a fun story filled with wonderful food. It remained fast-paced throughout and Laura is a great main character who I rooted for from the very start. Anyone looking for a light-hearted, entertaining read this is the one for you.