Food Person

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

What if Andy Sachs found a job in a test kitchen ...

When twenty-something Isabella Pasternack is fired from her job at a digital food magazine, she accepts a thankless job for the paycheck: ghostwrite the very past-due cookbook for a once-beloved thirty-something actress, Molly Babcock.

Molly, trying to repair her reputation after a serious downward spiral, meets Isabella’s earnest attempts to connect with inconsistency, indifference, and cruelty. But, for the first time in her life, Isabella is determined to dig in her heels, and figure out if there’s anything Molly actually knows how to cook (or even likes to eat).

Isabella’s slice of contemporary New York is filled out by a cast including: Isabella’s acerbic roommate and best friend Owen, her widowed mother whose cooking isn’t only bad, it’s dangerous, and of course a handsome chef love interest. Hilarious and hopeful, at its core, Food Person is about commitment to self-discovery, the beauty of community, and how unapologetically forging your own future can lead to everyone getting the ending they deserve. And of course, very delicious food.

'Think Bridget Jones if she were in The Bear' SUNDAY TIMES STYLE
'Slyly satirical and richly comedic' EVENING STANDARD
'Literally the most delicious beach read ... The Devil Wears Prada for devoted foodies'
PLUM SYKES
'Utterly delicious and satisfying to the end' MARY ROACH
'A savoury meal of a debut. Charming, witty ... You'll want seconds!' STEVEN ROWLEY

© Adam Roberts 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

Think Bridget Jones if she were in The Bear
Sunday Times Style
Slyly satirical and richly comedic, the protagonist in Adam Roberts' debut novel is quite the pastiche of a modern gastronomist
Evening Standard
Roberts' writing is sharp, witty and funny, with the ploy moving at a whiplash pace ... the perfect easy-breezy beach read to devour on a sun lounger this summer
Independent
A love letter to all things food ... A fun read, I devoured it in a day
The Bookish Drop, substack from The Express and Mirror
Literally the most delicious beach read - sharp, funny and bang on trend, this novel is The Devil Wears Prada for devoted foodies. I had to stop every other chapter to cook a chocolate souffle or brownies!
Plum Sykes
I scarfed this book in a single seating. Utterly delicious and satisfying to the end
Mary Roach
Adam Roberts made me, someone who formerly thought Chef Boyardee was the ultimate celebrity chef, an honest to goodness FOOD PERSON in this savoury meal of a debut. Charming, witty and served with all the food industry insight the author's decades of experience brings to the table. You'll want seconds! I can't wait to see what Adam dishes up next
Steven Rowley
At turns hilarious, harrowing, and heartwarming, this wonderful debut will be beloved by food people everywhere - and if you are not a food person already, it may make one out of you
J. Ryan Stradal
Food Person is a debut that's about as perfect as they come. Roberts takes everything you think you know about the food world and turns it on its head, whipping up a hilarious and slyly moving novel about ambition, friendship, and soufflés gone awry. Get ready for a riotous romp
Grant Ginder
Such good fun! Witty and refreshing
Prima

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