An affirming and utterly original debut about a young chef chasing her dreamsand the pro wrestler she idolizes who derails everything

Appetiteholds a mirror to the puzzling ways humans sometimes find themselves connecting with one another, on and offline. Prepare to be captivated.Jinwoo Chong, author ofI Leave It Up to You

I flew throughAppetitein one hungry sittingchest racing, mouth watering, and seriously questioning if I should make womens wrestling my new personality.Haley Jakobson, author ofOld Enough

How far will you go to feed your ambitions?

Zarina, a prep cook at a fancy New Haven restaurant, is underpaid, overworked, and might as well be invisible. The only upside? She gets to take home leftover ingredients and whip up modern spins on the Bangladeshi dishes she grew up eatingall while enjoying her second greatest passion, professional wrestling: namely, her hero Sierra Myst, the massively successful, high-flying heel whos built like a superhero and is every bit as daring.

One night, Zarina posts about Sierra Myst, and the impossible happens: Sierra responds. Zarina is elated at the chance to become closer with her idol. At first, their friendship is everything shes ever dreamed of. But as the weeks fly by, Zarina starts to feel more like Sierras unpaid personal assistant and relationship counselorand her desire to make Sierra happy soon threatens everything shes worked for.

P. Paramitais a Bangladesh-born, New Haven-based writer,professor, and pop culture enthusiast. Paramitas work has appeared inTeen Vogue, them, Color Bloq, Autostraddle,Southampton Review,andDogwood Journal, where she was a finalist for the Dogwood Literary Award in Nonfiction.

• Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback
• Publish Date: August 04, 2026
• Pages: 272
• Language: English
• Type: Paperback
• EAN/UPC: 9780593978580
• Dimensions: 8.0 X 5.2 X 0.6 inches | 0.4 pounds
• BISAC Categories: Popular Fiction, Literary Fiction