Food Whore - Jessica Tom
Food whore (n.) A person who will do anything for food.
Fresh out of college, Tia Monroe has every intention of taking the New York City restaurant scene by storm. But after a coveted internship goes up in smoke, Tia’s suddenly just another food lover in the big city.
Yet everything changes when Michael Saltz, a legendary New York Times restaurant critic, lets Tia in on a career-ending secret: he’s lost his sense of taste. Now he wants Tia to serve as his palate, ghostwriting his reviews. In return he promises her lavish meals, a boundless cache of designer clothing, and the opportunity of a lifetime. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, Tia agrees.
Within weeks, Tia’s world transforms into one of glamour and luxury: four-star dinners, sexy celebrity chefs, and an unlimited expense account at Bergdorf Goodman. Tia loves every minute of it…until she sees her words in print and Michael Saltz taking all the credit. As the veneer of extravagance wears thin and her secret identity begins to crumble, Tia is faced with what it means to truly succeed. In a city where “making it” is the ultimate goal, Tia will have to decide: how far is she willing to go for the life she craves?
Honestly, this book should have been called "Foodie". I consider myself a food whore, but I certianly wouldn't eat at swanky restaurants mentioned in the book because I'm far too picky to even try. I would likely get thrown out. Right out the gate, if you are a fan of the Food Network, consider yourself a rookie foodie, or enjoy going to restaurants with wait lists and highly coveted tables, you are going to love this book. I'm more a fan of a good greasy spoon restaurant so admittedly, I don't get the entire concept around this book. I can't imagine my life being so focused on food, to be honest. But, I've got enough friends to tell me that good food is kind of amazing and that there are people who will play dirty just to get a chance to go to certain restaurants.
Crazy balls, if you as me.
But the book is about Tia, who is in love with food and her dream would be a restaurant critic and be wined and dined by the best of the best all for her opinion. A seemingly too good to be true deal lands her in her lap (only after having her internship basically squashed) where she can shop, eat, drink, and be merry and give her opinion on all of it. The only problem is that it isn't her getting the credit for these reviews, it's Michael. While initially she didn't think this would be an issue, as time goes on it does get to be a problem for her and she has to figure out what the next step is going to be for her career.
Overall? Entertaining book. I will say that by the end of the book I didn't like any of the characters anymore. Like, not at all. Maybe it was meant to be like that, an example of what New York City can do to people or something? I'm not sure. I do highly recommend this if you enjoy reading restaurant reviews or you consider yourself a bit of a foodie, you might know more about the things talked about in the book than I did or what it's such a big deal. Since getting rid of cable and not having Food Network anymore, I've gotten food terminology dumb!
You can find Food Whore on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Also, stay in touch with author Jessica Tom on her website, Facebook and Twitter!
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