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Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Rachel Lynn Solomon, this charming, poignant rom-com follows an academics-obsessed teen who learns big truths about love, family, and herself when a scheduling snafu lands her in a culinary arts class.
Eliza Park's senior year will be perfect: She's going to be salutatorian, give a tear-jerking graduation speech in front of her parents, and enjoy her last year with her equally ambitious best friends. But when a scheduling mishap enrolls her in Culinary Arts, Eliza is suddenly the most clueless person in the class. Her typical title of star student belongs to the aggravatingly arrogant Wesley Ruengsomboon, a charming Thai American boy whose talent in the kitchen leaves Eliza both awed and annoyed.
With her rank on the line, Eliza's only hope is to snatch the midterm cooking contest win from Wesley, however improbable that may be. Add in the flavor of her grandmother's Korean recipes, the heat of being class partners with Wesley, and the sweetness of unexpected feelings—and Eliza must now rebuild everything she knew about success, love, and what it means to be herself, from scratch.
"Tender, balanced, and nuanced; a story to savor." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Lee's delicious debut will surely satiate readers." —Booklist (starred review)
"A true delight to read, with nuanced, instantly lovable characters, mouth-watering food descriptions, and a romance that will leave you swooning. I devoured this charming, heartwarming book in one sitting." —Ann Liang, New York Times bestselling author of I Hope This Doesn't Find You
"Eliza, from Scratch is a touching tribute to food, family, and the beauty in trying new things even in the face of failure. Equal parts romantic and inspiring, Sophia Lee's debut reminds us to not give up on the people we love—or ourselves. A real treat!" —Michelle Quach, author of Not Here to be Liked and The Boy You Always Wanted
This information about Eliza, from Scratch was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Sophia Lee grew up sharing her love of books on the internet but always wanted to write her own. Her passion for stories led her to study film and medical humanities at Vanderbilt University before earning her medical degree at UT Southwestern. A Corpus Christi native and Texan at heart, she currently lives in Washington, DC, as an OB-GYN resident with dreams of being a lifelong storyteller and empathetic health care provider. Eliza, from Scratch is her debut novel.
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