Hot Mess

January 22, 2018
Belden’s breezy but shallow behind-the-scenes debut novel set in Chicago’s high-end restaurant biz revolves around the escapades of 25-year-old Allie Simon. She’s hooked up with charismatic Benji Zane, a chef renowned for his pop-up dinner parties and a former drug addict who’s hyped up about the opportunity to run his own restaurant. Allie, blinded by wild sex with her lover, is oblivious to the myriad signs that he is still using and sinks her life savings into the project, believing in him, his sobriety, and their future. When Benji goes AWOL, Allie leaves her job as social media manager for an organic cotton swab company and plunges into the fast-paced restaurant world to save her investment while keeping it a secret that Benji has disappeared. Angela Blackstone, the restaurant’s veteran general manager, does great work whipping Allie into shape for the launch upon which their lives depend. All too predictably, romance, phenomenal success, financial independence and self-revelation provide a tidy ending. The territory the author plumbs in this book is familiar from her memoir, Eightysixed: the vagaries of dating, social media, and how one’s security can turn on a dime.

February 1, 2018
Allie Simon is aware that renowned Chicago chef Benji Zane comes with some baggagebut who doesn't? Benji's baggage is of the hard-partying variety, but he has been clean for a few months, and Allie loves the way he makes her feel. When Benji comes to her with an opportunity to open his own restaurant, she is torn. She would love to see him fulfill his dreams but wishes those dreams didn't involve her $30,000 nest egg. Still, she jumps in with both feet and receives an initiation into the hospitality industry that will change her life forever. Combining the wit and insight of Stephanie Danler's Sweetbitter (2016) with the drama of Jessica Tom's Food Whore (2015), Belden's first novel is a glimpse into the fast-paced fine-dining industry. She highlights the late nights, early mornings, and (literal) highs and lows so common in the restaurant world. While the overall premise is a bit shaky, the core of Belden's story is entirely enjoyable. Full of heart, heat, and passion, this restaurant rom-com in novel form is an exhilarating debut.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from November 15, 2017

DEBUT Allie Simon is enjoying living in Chicago and working in the social media department of a cotton swab company when Benji Zane, up-and-coming celebrity (and cocaine-addicted) chef, tweets his way into her world. With his man-bun, tattoos, and luscious sex appeal, Benji immediately sinks his teeth into Allie. His addiction takes a back burner as the heat between them rises. But Benji has an ulterior motive: he sweet-talks Allie into dropping her life savings into the opening of a new hot spot where he'll be chef de cuisine. Then, before the ink is dry on the check, Benji disappears, leaving Allie to pick up the pieces. Belden's fiction debut is full of fire and fury--the kitchen is hot, the attitudes are hotter, and the addiction is debilitating. With expert pacing and a story line that flows like beurre blanc, Belden, whose memoir Eightysixed covers some of the same terrain, explores the business side of opening a restaurant. She rounds out the story with side dishes of love, regret, and glamour, creating characters who are as relatable as they are flawed. VERDICT Belden's excellent tell-it-like-it-is read is perfect for foodies and entrepreneurs alike.--Erin Holt, Williamson Cty. P.L., Franklin, TN

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