Please Note:  I received an advance audio copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

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 sends an SOS to Food Wars, the reality TV restaurant competition that promises $100,000 to the winner. But in doing so, she launches both families out of the frying pan and directly into the fire. . .

The last thing Brooklyn-based organizational guru Mae Moore, Amanda's sister, wants is to go home to Kansas. But when her career implodes, Food Wars becomes her chance to step back into the limelight. Mae is certain she can make the fading Mimi's look good--even if that pits her against Amanda and Frannie's. With a greedy producer stoking the flames, their friendly rivalry quickly turns into a game of chicken. Yet when family secrets become public knowledge, the sisters must choose: Will they fight with each other, or for their heritage?

Review:

I first heard about this book from my book club.  Several people loved it.  So when I was offered an advance audiobook copy from Penguin Random House Audio, I was eager to listen to it.  The book had been described to me as hilarious, full of family shenanigans, and a cutthroat food competition.  However, I found nothing funny about this book.  This was a serious family saga, with the added element of how manipulative reality television can be.  I think I would have enjoyed this book more if the book had been marketed differently.  While the narration was excellent, I had a hard time empathizing with the main characters.  I do feel this is a well-written book, but it was hardly amusing.

What I Liked:

Narration:

The narrators, Xe Sands and Cassandra Campbell, did a wonderful job of portraying the two sisters, Mae, and Amanda.  Xe Sands has just the right voice for Mae, a  career-driven New York transplant.  Cassandra Campbell, shows just how naive Amanda was.  I particularly enjoyed how Campbell voiced the presenter of Food Wars, the cynical, two-faced Sabrina.  That character could go from sweet and concerned to conniving in a heartbeat.   This illusion for television, and the breaking of it, is central to the plot of the book.

Behind The Scenes of Reality Television:

Mae's highest ambition is to become a reality show host like super organizer, Marie Kondo.  The book gives us a behind the scenes look at these type of shows.  One could tell that the author used shows such as Restaurant Impossible, Cake Wars, and Hoarders, as inspiration.  But while it seems like everything is unscripted, the book shows how the producers of these shows set up conflict, and then use video footage to create a narrative with villains and heroes.  While I would like to think that the tactics used by the producers in the book are an exaggeration, I have a feeling they're not.

Hoarding:

I did like how the book approached the topic of hoarding. Mae and Amanda's mother, Barbara, is a hoarder, an open secret in their small town, but not something they want advertised to the world on television.   I could really identify with some of the guilt and embarrassment as a child of a hoarder.  I appreciate that the book explores the psychology of why people hoard things.  Hoarding is a sign of deep problems.  Blaming the family of the hoarder isn't helpful.  And just cleaning up the mess will not solve what's wrong.  People who hoard need empathy, love, support, and counseling to get to the root of the issue.

What I Was Mixed About:

Characters:

I really had a problem with Mae and Amanda.  Yes, they both had childhood trauma that shaped their choices as adults.  But they were incredibly mean to each other.  Mae is constantly judging Amanda for staying in their small hometown.  She was all too eager to underestimate her sister's talents.  Amanda never misses up a chance to point out Amanda's shortcomings to others.  Considering how secretive they each were about their mother's issues, it was surprising that Amanda was so eager to wave around all the dirty laundry.  The author explained it away as Amanda not understanding how the producers of Food Wars would use Amanda's comments.  But I didn't find that plausible.  

Mae was also generally awful to everyone.  She constantly makes important decisions about her family without consulting her husband.  When Mae makes the decision to take her kids hundreds of miles away to hustle her way to be featured on Food Wars, she shouldn't have been surprised that her husband, Jay was upset.  She continually looked for ways to market herself (and her family) on social media in order to further her career.  I found her sudden interest in the welfare of her mother to be a giant leap.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  December 1st, 2020

Author:  K.J. Dell'Antonia

Genre:  Literary Fiction

Audio Publisher:  Penguin Random House Audio

Narrators: Xe Sands, Cassandra Campbell

Audio Length:  12 hours, 22 minutes

Print Publisher: G.P. Putman's Sons

Print Length:  352 Pages

Source:  Penguin Random House Audio

Format: Audiobook

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