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jess_mango's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to the author! I won a copy of the book from a giveaway she hosted.
mtzbookworm64's review against another edition
3.0
Food Network - Hoarders - Jerry Springer - all rolled into one !!! A long standing family feud, a fried chicken recipe, 2 restaurants, a big fight on national tv - can it bring the family together?
I really wanted to like this book but I found it slow and the story line of the family confusing and hard to follow at times. I ended up finishing it because I wanted to know who won Food Wars.
I really wanted to like this book but I found it slow and the story line of the family confusing and hard to follow at times. I ended up finishing it because I wanted to know who won Food Wars.
mysterymom40's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, and Toxic relationship
cindy_f's review against another edition
3.0
This was a somewhat humorous story of sisters caught up in an aged long feud between their families. The sisters enter a Food Wars competition to see once and for all which Chicken restaurant is the best, with a prize of a hundred thousand dollars to the winner. There are deeper issues going on within the families, which get aired out on National television but seems there was a rather rushed conclusion. This was just okay for me.
cherese's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was such a fun ride! The family drama had me hooked from start to finish. The characters felt so real, with flaws and strengths that made it easy to root for different sides. Nobody was perfect, but that's what made them relatable. Not deep literary fiction, but who cares when it's this enjoyable? I raced through it and you probably will too.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Digital audiobook narrated by Xe Sands and Cassandra Campbell
3.5***
Adapted from the book jacket: In tiny Merinac, Kansas, Chicken Mimi’s and Chicken Frannie’s have spent a century vying to serve up the best fried chicken in the state – and the legendary feud between their respective owners, the Moores and the Pogociellos, has lasted just as long. No one feels the impact more than thirty-five-year-old widow Amanda Moore, who grew up working for her mom at Mimi’s before scandalously marrying Frank Pogociello and changing sides to work at Frannie’s. Tired of being caught in the middle, Amanda contacts Food Wars, the reality-TV restaurant competition. But in doing so, she launches both families out of the frying pan and directly into the fire.
My reactions
This came to my attention as a result of looking at the “readers also enjoyed” prompt on the main book page for The Sweetness of Water. I didn’t even notice that it had been a Reese’s Book Club pick until I had the book in my hands.
In addition to the long-running family feud, which no one currently knows the origin of, but which all parties in the families nevertheless adhere to, there is a more current “feud” of sorts between sisters Amanda and Mae. While Amanda has stayed in Kansas, helping her Mom (at home, not in the restaurant where she’s not allowed to enter since her marriage to the enemy), Mae has escaped to Brooklyn where she is a nationally famous “organizing guru” (think Marie Kondo). But Mae’s carefully orchestrated life is imploding – she’s just blown her shot at TV stardom, and her marriage is on shaky ground. But she figures if she can transform her Mom’s somewhat dilapidated chicken shack into a more hip and with-it restaurant … on TV no less … that will help re-launch her career. Let the fireworks begin.
I was quickly engaged in the family’s issues, though I thought the sisters behaved like much younger people – more like teenagers than thirty-something moms. There are some family secrets that come out, a new hunky chef, a manipulative TV producer who wants more conflict, and more than one effort to sabotage the competition which all serve to keep the plot moving forward with surprises, twists and insights into the family dynamic.
There can only be ONE winner of “Food Wars” and in this case, it’s the reader.
The chapters alternate between Amanda’s and Mae’s points of view, and the audiobook uses two talented voice artists – Xe Sands and Cassandra Campbell - to bring the sisters to life.
3.5***
Adapted from the book jacket: In tiny Merinac, Kansas, Chicken Mimi’s and Chicken Frannie’s have spent a century vying to serve up the best fried chicken in the state – and the legendary feud between their respective owners, the Moores and the Pogociellos, has lasted just as long. No one feels the impact more than thirty-five-year-old widow Amanda Moore, who grew up working for her mom at Mimi’s before scandalously marrying Frank Pogociello and changing sides to work at Frannie’s. Tired of being caught in the middle, Amanda contacts Food Wars, the reality-TV restaurant competition. But in doing so, she launches both families out of the frying pan and directly into the fire.
My reactions
This came to my attention as a result of looking at the “readers also enjoyed” prompt on the main book page for The Sweetness of Water. I didn’t even notice that it had been a Reese’s Book Club pick until I had the book in my hands.
In addition to the long-running family feud, which no one currently knows the origin of, but which all parties in the families nevertheless adhere to, there is a more current “feud” of sorts between sisters Amanda and Mae. While Amanda has stayed in Kansas, helping her Mom (at home, not in the restaurant where she’s not allowed to enter since her marriage to the enemy), Mae has escaped to Brooklyn where she is a nationally famous “organizing guru” (think Marie Kondo). But Mae’s carefully orchestrated life is imploding – she’s just blown her shot at TV stardom, and her marriage is on shaky ground. But she figures if she can transform her Mom’s somewhat dilapidated chicken shack into a more hip and with-it restaurant … on TV no less … that will help re-launch her career. Let the fireworks begin.
I was quickly engaged in the family’s issues, though I thought the sisters behaved like much younger people – more like teenagers than thirty-something moms. There are some family secrets that come out, a new hunky chef, a manipulative TV producer who wants more conflict, and more than one effort to sabotage the competition which all serve to keep the plot moving forward with surprises, twists and insights into the family dynamic.
There can only be ONE winner of “Food Wars” and in this case, it’s the reader.
The chapters alternate between Amanda’s and Mae’s points of view, and the audiobook uses two talented voice artists – Xe Sands and Cassandra Campbell - to bring the sisters to life.
melwestemeier's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
This book grabbed me from the get go. As someone who watches shows where restaurants get makeovers, shows where the hosts visit local joints, and competition shows where people vie to be considered the king/queen of a particular cuisine; the plot of this novel was right up my alley.
From page 1, I was captivated by the characters voices and became invested in both their struggle and in the pride they felt about their particular restaurant. The characters all had their baggage, and some were a bit unlikeable, but the author always revealed a softer side so that each of the main players was also endearing.
The resolution was a rosy as one expect from the genre and the revelation that preceded it was not surprising, but it is still a great, feel-good, chick-lit book.
From page 1, I was captivated by the characters voices and became invested in both their struggle and in the pride they felt about their particular restaurant. The characters all had their baggage, and some were a bit unlikeable, but the author always revealed a softer side so that each of the main players was also endearing.
The resolution was a rosy as one expect from the genre and the revelation that preceded it was not surprising, but it is still a great, feel-good, chick-lit book.
kkmatheny97's review against another edition
4.0
This was an endearing, full circle type of book. You’ll hate each individual character at some point by the end but you’ll come to love the whole family. Giving it 4 stars because it was a bit slow for me, but a good and easy read overall!