I loved the setting, and the way C Pam Zhang wrote about food truly made me hungry. However, the relationship with Aida dragged and didn’t feel real. The pacing felt off, and since I didn’t see the chef as actually being in love, the end of the book seemed wrong. I loved the flashbacks and reflections, and as someone who was separated from loved ones because of border closures, the longing and pain that caused in the story was very real. However, I wish less time was spend with Aida and the Boss, or on the mountain in general, and more was spent exploring how normal people managed to survive.