I’ve read older Liza Palmer books like Conversations with the Fat Girl and the F Word and A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents and enjoyed all of them. 

This one sort of fell flat for me though. It’s about a family built around its matriarch Maren and her restaurant and cooking empire. Three daughters, each with their part to play in the family business, each desperate to win some approval from the mother with impossible and exacting standards. Each desperate for an escape from the only life they’ve known. 

This book moved swiftly but in a way where it felt like everything blended together and I had to reread to make sure I understood who said what and what that meant for the progress of the story. It was a bit messy and convoluted and while I know people like Maren exist - she felt a bit like a caricature vs a real person. 

I still like Liza Palmer and will continue to read her books but this one was not one that resonated with me or knocked my socks off.