Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous
A Novel
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3.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
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 persuade 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. A terrific YA offering—fresh, fun, and sprinkled with romance.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sixteen-year-old Sophie Nicolaides proves to be a humorous and congenial narrator as she shares the serendipitous events that transport her from behind-the-scenes kitchen support in her family's Taverna Ristorante in Washington, D.C., to a contestant on the reality show Teen Test Kitchen. Urged to compete by Alex, "my friend who happens to be a boy," Sophie finds winning the qualifying competition easier than persuading her protective father to let her pursue her dreams via reality TV. That hurdle conquered, Sophie arrives at Napa Valley's National Culinary Academy, meets her fellow contestants ("a smorgasbord of diversity"), and begins intense training from top chefs under high-pressure conditions, which are exacerbated by omnipresent cameras, microphones, and "Kitchen Confidential" interviews. Williams (The Lost Summer) creates a cast of passionate, competitive, and sympathetic characters with big aspirations and mundane problems, seeking to sharpen their skills and learn who to trust in a manufactured environment that offers both opportunities and pitfalls. A sampling of recipes offers guidance for would-be chefs, while a romantic triangle subplot adds zest to an already tasty read. Ages 12 up.
