Hot Mess

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.