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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
This was the first book I read in 2022 and it was just the thing to bring in the new year - engaging, not too serious but also not too light, characters I was rooting for but also didn't mind when they were brought down a notch. I did feel a little like I was being lectured to a couple of times in regards to the #MeToo movement. Also I could hardly feel sorry for any of the kids since they had one safety net after another.
This reminded me a bit of The Most Fun We Ever Had.
This reminded me a bit of The Most Fun We Ever Had.
I didn't love the writing of this book and the story was alright. BUT I did love the one storyline about the mom whose husband was cheating on her and all the women's rage and righteousness wrapped up in her identity of serving people in her family and losing herself in that. I loved that part.
I wanted to love this more than I did. For half of it, I did love the characters, the Chicago references and the restaurant setting, but eventually I just stopped loving it. I don’t know what was missing and what happened to cause me to lose interest, but by the end, I just didn’t care that much about it anymore.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I want to be a Sullivan. I absolutely adore this family. It was a lovely story and I think this would be wonderful to see adapted into television. So much heart.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
It was a good book that was entertaining. Nothing super exciting or engrossing, but an interesting look at the interworking of one particular family.
3.75 stars liked it but didn’t love it. Great family dynamic but wanted some more
Set in the not so distant past, Marrying the Ketchups is a story of a Chicago family, unofficially reunited after their beloved patriarch, Bud, dies unexpectedly.
Bud was not only the glue that held the family together, he also was at the helm of their family restaurant, JP Sullivan’s, for years. But Sullivan’s, a long time staple of the community, has begun to show its age as well. Now the next generation is forced to take over and keep things afloat, all while trying to juggle their own issues.
This story centers around three main characters in the Sullivan family. There’s Gretchen, the family “wild child” who had dreams of making it big in music. But when her band, Donna Martin Graduates (love this, btw), ends playing more weddings then stadiums and her man child of a boyfriend strays, Gretchen realizes it’s time to move on. To where, however, is another question entirely.
Then there’s Jane, Gretchen’s always put together, successful older sister. Jane is married and living the dream in the posh suburbs with her husband and two kids. So everyone, including, Jane is shocked realize the perfect life she’s been living was actually anything but. Floundering, Jane is also at a crossroads where the path isn’t easy to find. Rounding out the three is Teddy, Gretchen and Jane’s people pleasing cousin who wants to help everyone, but doesn’t even know how to help himself.
All in varying stages of disarray, they end up starting over at the place where it all began, Sullivan’s. Sometimes you just wanna go where everybody knows your name, even if your name is attached to burgers and broken dreams.
Marrying the Ketchups was a sometimes hysterical, often poignant snapshot of the American family, and in many ways, the American dream. With frustration and fear embedded into the story, author @jenniferaclose also doesn’t shy away from politically related strife that scared many Americans, just a few short years ago. It’s also chock full of relatable memories of my own youth. I’ve always been drawn to family stories, perhaps because I don’t come from a big family myself. It’s all of this, coupled with the restaurant backdrop, that pulled me in and gave me comfort- just like only a good meal, and a good story, can.
Bud was not only the glue that held the family together, he also was at the helm of their family restaurant, JP Sullivan’s, for years. But Sullivan’s, a long time staple of the community, has begun to show its age as well. Now the next generation is forced to take over and keep things afloat, all while trying to juggle their own issues.
This story centers around three main characters in the Sullivan family. There’s Gretchen, the family “wild child” who had dreams of making it big in music. But when her band, Donna Martin Graduates (love this, btw), ends playing more weddings then stadiums and her man child of a boyfriend strays, Gretchen realizes it’s time to move on. To where, however, is another question entirely.
Then there’s Jane, Gretchen’s always put together, successful older sister. Jane is married and living the dream in the posh suburbs with her husband and two kids. So everyone, including, Jane is shocked realize the perfect life she’s been living was actually anything but. Floundering, Jane is also at a crossroads where the path isn’t easy to find. Rounding out the three is Teddy, Gretchen and Jane’s people pleasing cousin who wants to help everyone, but doesn’t even know how to help himself.
All in varying stages of disarray, they end up starting over at the place where it all began, Sullivan’s. Sometimes you just wanna go where everybody knows your name, even if your name is attached to burgers and broken dreams.
Marrying the Ketchups was a sometimes hysterical, often poignant snapshot of the American family, and in many ways, the American dream. With frustration and fear embedded into the story, author @jenniferaclose also doesn’t shy away from politically related strife that scared many Americans, just a few short years ago. It’s also chock full of relatable memories of my own youth. I’ve always been drawn to family stories, perhaps because I don’t come from a big family myself. It’s all of this, coupled with the restaurant backdrop, that pulled me in and gave me comfort- just like only a good meal, and a good story, can.