Hungry Heart: Volume 1

The humdrum life of an aspiring food writer changes when he meets a famous celebrity chef. Equal parts funny and heartwarming, Hungry Heart, based on the hit webcomic, is an endearing queer rom-com that grapples with self-discovery, finding your voice, and the power of acceptance.

Laurie, a plucky young food writer, gets his big break interviewing heartthrob chef, Oryan Adjei. Laurie has idolized Oryan since watching him rise to fame in the UK Kitchen Trials back when they were both teens. But Oryan’s life is lonelier than it seems from the outside and his career has taken a direction he isn’t sure he wants to continue. Laurie seems to get Oryan in a way few others do. Their clumsy first meeting turns into a series of interviews that takes them on a food tour across London, from a coffee shop in a snow flurry to a hole-in-the-wall burger shack and Oryan’s own kitchen. Despite their attempts to keep things professional, the two begin to bond over cheesesteaks, flat whites, and stolen hors d’oeuvres. As the pair find themselves in a pressure cooker of celebrity and personal struggles that threatens their chance at romance, will Oryan learn to trust himself and follow his heart?

Hungry Heart is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that reminds us that all kinds of love are possible.

Jem Milton is a nonbinary artist based in Glasgow, Scotland. Jem has been drawing since they could hold a pencil and currently works as an illustrator, comic artist, and graphic recorder. Jem is also the author of the fantasy webcomic The Flying Ship.