Reviews - Marrying the Ketchups

824 reviews for:

Marrying the Ketchups

Jennifer Close

3.64 AVERAGE

emaybe's review against another edition

4.75

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jordysbookclub's review against another edition

5.0

QUICK TAKE: “He chopped garlic, set a pot of water to boil on the stove, and poured a healthy amount of kosher salt into it. He threw the garlic in a pan of olive oil and let it sizzle for just a minute before taking it off the heat. The smell began to relax all of them and Gretchen and Jane settled themselves at his counter and watched him cook. He poured them both large glasses of red wine and watched as their bodies physically relaxed. He could see the tightness in Jane’s jaw go away and he smiled. It was hard to feel bad about the world when the air smelled like garlic, when pasta nd cheese were being prepared, when you had a good glass of red wine.

Sautéed garlic could save the world.”

I mean…I want to EAT that paragraph. It is so visceral, evoking smells and emotions and feelings…and stomach grumbles. If books were comfort food, MARRYING THE KETCHUPS would be my go-to meal, because I could eat it all day. A multigenerational dramedy about close-knit family set against the backdrop of their Chicago-run restaurant, #MarryingTheKetchups is funny and witty and poignant and emotional, and it surprised the hell out of me. Many of you know I’m a huge fan of family dramas, so it’s not a huge surprise that I loved this book, but in the time since I finished MTK, I’ve actually recommended it to 3 other friends who similarly devoured and loved it. It’s THIS IS US meets THE BEAR (minus all that anxietyyyyy), a love letter to anyone with a big messy family or those of you who have worked in a restaurant (as a former server, I loved that the characters dreamt about the restaurant, as I still have similar anxiety-riddled dreams 14 years later where I’m back at my former restaurant forgetting orders and moving too slowly).

MARRYING THE KETCHUPS is available now. Thank you to my friends at @aaknopf for the gifted copy, this is for sure going to be one of my favorite books of the year.

burkegc01's review against another edition

4.0

I really liked the 3 different POV. I think sometimes the political view of the author got in the way of a great story. She made it seem like the world was over with. I thought the story was supposed to focus on people losing and finding themselves despite the chaos going on, but it seemed like the girls lost themselves, in part because of who was elected president.

shmadsie's review against another edition

4.0

I liked this so much and I wish it had just gone on and on forever. All the characters were so realistically flawed and felt real in their relationships to each other and themselves.