This was a sweet story about family and figuring out where you belong, but it didn’t totally do it for me. It had its moments, but the pacing felt off, and I didn’t connect with it as much as I wanted to. Not bad, just not something that stuck with me.

🍽️ The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster - Shauna Robinson

4 ⭐️ - I love having a book to read in November that centers around food. The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster was the perfect mix of family, food, and drama to get me prepared for Thanksgiving. With plenty of storyline wrapped around family, finding yourself, and staying true to your roots, this book has something for everyone. I loved the growth and development of our main character throughout the whole book and was pleasantly pleased with the ending. Definitely recommend for November reads.

One estranged family. One lost recipe. One last barbecue on the line. Mae is about to learn what happens when things go south…

Mae Townsend has always dreamed of connecting with her estranged Black family in the South. She grew up picturing relatives who looked like her, crowded dinner tables, bustling kitchens. And, of course, the Townsend family barbecue, the tradition that kept her late father flying to North Carolina year after year, despite the mysterious rift that always required her to stay behind.

But as Mae's wedding draws closer, promising a future of always standing out among her white in-laws, suddenly not knowing the Townsends hits her like a blow. So when news arrives that her paternal grandmother has passed, she decides it's time to head South.

What she finds is a family in turmoil, a long-standing grudge intact, a lost mac & cheese recipe causing grief, and a family barbecue on the brink of disaster. Not willing to let her dreams of family slip away, Mae steps up to throw a barbecue everyone will remember.

This book hit home for me. I loved it from start to finish. Cannot wait to read more from the author.

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster contains complex characters whose journey in the book the reader can't help but follow with eagerness. As a main character, Mae stands out as her determination to connect with her estranged family pulls her into situations that challenge what she already knows about her history. While the family truths tug at the heartstrings, this is more than just a feel-good book. Characters deal with personal struggles as they try to come together and understand each other. Mae goes through a significant transformation as she connects with her own feelings and needs. This is the perfect book for anyone who enjoys books about how family relationships change and grow, as well as how family members set foundries and foster understanding between each other.

Mae is getting married and now wants to meet the family she never knew. She shows up at her grandmothers funeral and baby it wasn’t nothing nice after that.

This book does highlight the challenges of Mix raced couples especially ones with Children. I wish the author would’ve went a little deeper on the topic.

This was slow for me & too many unnecessary characters and the big plot twist wasn’t really twisting. Overall solid book but it fell short for me.

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster by Shauna Robinson is a charming and humorous tale about family dynamics, secrets, and the chaos that ensues when things don’t go as planned. Set against the backdrop of a family-run restaurant, the story is filled with heartwarming moments, quirky characters, and plenty of mishaps. Robinson’s witty dialogue and relatable portrayal of family make this a fun, feel-good read, perfect for fans of lighthearted family dramas with a touch of romance and humor.

Family secrets are at the heart of The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster. With the death of the family matriarch, Mae Townsend heads to South Carolina to connect with her extended family she didn't grow up with. Every year her father would head down South for a July 4th potluck, but Mae and her mother would be left behind. Mae knows there are rifts in her family between her parents and the other Townsends but she isn't sure what it is. She's hoping that coming to the funeral will help to solve some of these questions, but it leads to more questions than answers.

I really enjoyed Robinson's storytelling. This is my first novel by her and I loved that way she writes flawed, but relatable and endearing characters. I couldn't find any character I disliked, well except Madison. As someone who didn't grow up close with her extended family, I related to some aspects of Mae's story. This book did make me extremely hungry, so beware of reading on an empty stomach. I really need to make some homemade Mac & Cheese now thanks to this book. I half listened and half read this book and would recommend either format for your reading experience. I will definitely be reaching into Robinson's backlist and her future titles for more stories by her.

Thank you to Sourebooks and Netgalley for an e-copy in exchange for review consideration.

I absolutely LOVED this book. heartwarming and realistic thoughts on family, belonging, sisterhood, and they way we view our parents.

This book pulled at my heartstrings! To say that main character Mae was my favorite character is an understatement. She was witty yet vulnerable, She was kind and willing to go above and beyond to get to know her family. She reminded me a lot of myself.

I also loved the concept of food being at the core of this novel. It shows the importance of food and recipes passed down through generations and how impactful it is to the Black family.

#TownsendFamilyRecipeForDisaster #netgalley

Loved this story of a woman’s journey trying to connect to her fathers side of the family that had been withheld from her by her father for reasons unknown . Her attempts are sincere, with a yearning for family and answers, and self discovery. This is a great book.

Shauna Robinson’s “The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster” is a heartwarming and insightful novel that delves into family dynamics and personal identity. The story follows Mae, a bi-racial woman who has spent much of her life feeling disconnected from her father’s Black family while being more integrated with her maternal white relatives. As her wedding day looms, she is concerned because her father’s side of the family has not replied to her wedding invite. When she receives word that her paternal grandmother passed, she decided to attend the funeral and reconnect with that side of her family. As Mae seeks to reconnect with her estranged Black family in the South, she faces the chaos of a family barbecue that stirs both laughter and deep emotional reflections.

Robinson masterfully blends humor with emotional depth, presenting Mae’s journey with a mix of introspection and comedic inner monologues. The novel addresses complex themes of familial and racial histories, offering readers a thought-provoking and resonant experience. Mae’s quest to rebuild family ties and understand her place within her heritage is both inspiring and relatable. Robinson’s portrayal of family interactions and personal struggles brings the story to life, making “The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster” a compelling read for anyone interested in stories of family, identity, and growth.

3.5 stars

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster by Shauna Robinson was one of those books that I had all the feels and didn't want it to end. Mae discovers all sorts of family secrets and I swear, I just wanted to jump in and give her a big hug! High recommended!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I was not able to finish it so I won't be leaving a full review.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I loved it so much that I read Shauna Robinson’s backlist (two other books) directly after finishing it. The description of this book was spot on. You will get some yummy food, some juicy family drama, and a whole lot of love.

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster follows Mae as she plans her wedding. In the midst of planning her wedding, she finds out that her paternal grandmother has passed away. Now, Mae is estranged from her paternal side of the family, but she wants to reconnect. To do so, she uses a family BBQ and a lost mac & cheese recipe to try to reconnect with a family she has never really known.
The story has bumps and turns, but Mae’s feelings made me want to keep reading it. I fell in love with the characters and wanted to know more about them throughout the story.

Please check content warnings for racism, death, toxic friendships, etc.

I read an eBook version and listened to the audiobook. I loved both of these options!
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark for the opportunity to read the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was a wonderful book!

This is a review for the ebook but I was aable to finish this through the audiobook. This audiobook narrator truly brought the story to life. It was a bit hard for me to get into the story but once I was able to the narrator immersed me extremely well. The production of this flowed nicely and I would gladly pick up another that is narrated by the same person.

The book itself wasa okay but it was a little difficult for me to get through

This novel was a tasty treat! It had all the necessary ingredients for a great novel.
1 cup of drama
1 cup of love
1 cup of amazing recipes

The main character is Mae and is thrown into the middle of her family's crazy kitchen. As she tries to navigate through the family drama and secrets.
As Mae prepares for her wedding she learns for the reasons behind her families drama and she tries to come to grips with it all.
As she works through all the secrets and drama, she learns the true meaning of family. A sweet fun loving story.

I found The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster a very enjoyable novel to read. It has heart, a little humor and a very realistic dose of current day family drama. Mae Townsend is a endearing character who truly is trying to make up for lost time with an estranged side of her family. Biting off a little more than she can chew by agreeing to host her family's traditional 4th of July BBQ, right before her wedding may have been a mistake. However, Mae is determined to make up for lost time. This is my first Shauna Robinson book and I will absolutely be checking out her backlog of novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark for the opportunity to read this novel.

Mae Townsend was raised far from her father's side of her family. When she finds out online that her grandmother has passed away, Mae decides to attend her funeral. Her surprise arrival kicks off a series of events that lead to a better understanding of herself and her family.

Mae has always known that there's a rift between her parents' families. She also knows that she wasn't particularly welcome as a mixed race child in her mother's family. While she has only met her father's family a handful of times, Mae has kept tabs on the family and is devastated when her paternal grandmother passes away. Though it's only a few months before her wedding, she goes to her father's family home in order to pay respects and see a family that she never really knew. Her determination to get to know the family without knowing all the issues that forced her family apart in the first place causes all sorts of drama, growth, and mending.

The husband to be was a total W, Mae's awakening was much needed. I was rooting for her by the rehearsal dinner. It was such a satisfying book to read and the characters had that true family quality that makes me want to keep checking in on them though the story's over.

#arc
#netgalley
#thetownsendfamilyrecipefordisaster