I really wanted to love this book, but found it to be rather uninspiring. Maybe it is because my daughter is an event planner or my friends put on great parties...but there was not much in here that just made me jump up and down with excitement.

The photos were just okay and there weren't any particularly intriguing recipes, so I am forced to give this 3 stars.

If you really struggle with party planning, this might be the book for you. If you already throw a great party, save your money.

I found many good ideas for party themes that I hadn't thought of before. The easy to make recipes looked delicious in the pictures. I have made the candied walnuts and have had a pretzel party bar so far. Pictures make the book, otherwise I wouldn't of had a clue how to put that pretzel party together.

As we are reckoning with our new COVID normal, I thought this book might be a fun source of ideas for a mid-March dinner party, especially since I’ve never entertained for Saint Patrick’s Day. According to the introduction, the purpose of the book was to give the reader the tools and insight needed to be confident in hosting their own party.

The book was basically divided into two parts: twenty or so pages discussing the basic anatomy of an event, followed by twenty different event templates. The anatomy of an event section focused on organizing and decorating the space for the event, as well as tips for a basic pantry. It started with some basics about tables, chairs, and linens, including how many people fit at certain sized tables, what sized linens are appropriate for certain sized tables, as well as suggestions for how to purchase or rent these items. Things went a little sideways for me in the section about the “basic” set of serving ware. The recommendations seemed excessive (why would the average home entertainer need four to six serving platters in addition to three to four large serving bowls? I mean, how often am I going to serve seven to ten different dishes? Never mind need fourteen to sixteen sets of small serving tongs at the same time…). It is only after these considerations and a few pages of tips for floral and nonfloral centerpieces that we arrive at how to plan the menu for the event. The general advice on menus turned out to be pretty straightforward and practical: consider who you are entertaining, plan a menu within your budget, and never let people leave hungry. The more specific advice was much fussier; choosing a variety of colors and textures for the menu is something I never think about, as I’ll sacrifice those considerations to maintain cohesion, harmony, and balance across the menu. I also found the list of necessary knives and kitchen equipment to be slightly excessive. The section concluded with basic spices and condiments, but did better and advised to stock according to your tastes. There were some very interesting ethnic choices on both lists, such as za’atar, sumac, harissa, sambas oelek, and sriracha. The enthusiasm with which the author extolled cardamom also made me smile.

The ten-page event templates were arranged in roughly chronological order, starting with Oktoberfest and ending with a summer beach party. Each template provided suggestions for decor, recipes, and other tips. Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan recipes are clearly at the beginning of each template. Unfortunately, the template of how to decorate and otherwise prepare for the event was usually only a column on the first page of the template. The remainder of the pages were recipes. The recipes marked vegetarian often contained eggs and dairy. Each template had some aspect where the guests made their own food, be it a pretzel and sausage bar for Oktoberfest or foil packets for a tailgate or even sliders and ice cream sandwiches at a graduation party.

The full-color photography throughout the book definitely livened up the book, especially when the photography was of what the party could look like. The food photography was good, even though the photos didn’t always match the recipes. For example, there was a fruit skewer recipe that called for one piece of melon and one strawberry on the skewer, and the photo showed skewers with closer to six pieces of fruit. In another instance, a pasta salad recipe called for orecchiette and the photograph showed the recipe made with fusilli. Just minor things that might make a difference if the reader relied on the photos to cook from.

Overall, the book was an interesting resource of fairly quick and easy dinner party recipes. However, despite trying to have a universal appeal, this was a very local Michigan book. From the suggestions of local furniture stores and spice vendors to the frequent references of how things are done in “the mitten state,” as well as the requirements for local Michigan ingredients (such as apples, cherries, and maple syrup), it seemed to be written to appeal to Michiganders more than the rest of the United States.

I received this book as a digital advance reader copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion. I have yet to attempt any recipes from this book, but I will update this review when I do.