Eliza, From Scratch by Sophia Lee

Eliza, From Scratch

Sophia Lee

HarperCollins · Hardcover · May 13, 2025

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.

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Who it’s for
A light, food-adjacent teen read with the easy pull of contemporary romance.
Genres
Romantic Comedy for Teens, YA Food & Cooking, Coming of Age
Published
HarperCollins, May 13, 2025

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About this book

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.

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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.

Why This Clicks

A light, food-adjacent teen read with the easy pull of contemporary romance.

Come here for

  • culinary curiosity
  • romance-leaning YA energy

Expect

  • Asian American YA lens
  • immersion over plot machinery

Where it sits

Romantic Comedy for Teens84%
YA Food & Cooking71%
Coming of Age25%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Coming of Age
  • YA Food & Cooking
  • Diverse YA Fiction
  • Multigenerational YA Stories
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Asian American YA
  • Contemporary YA Romance
  • Multicultural & Interracial YA Romance
  • School Stories for Teens
Authors
Sophia Lee
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
May 13, 2025
Format
Hardcover
Reading lane
Coming of Age