This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed it. They have a real talent for telling stories and I intent to read more books from them, old and new, and the future.

I went through a series of emotions through this story. Mae had good intentions and really wanted to get to know her dad's side of the family and wanted to know what their issue was. After traveling to her dad's hometown for her grandmothers funeral, she decides to stay for an extended period. She definitely doesnt feel welcomed and wants to understand why.

This book has family drama, secrets, discussion of race. Mae feels ostrasized because she always felt that she wasnt accepted because her dad's family didnt support his relationship with her mother as interracial relationships weren't the norm, but there was a lot to the story. I always love stories that bring families together through food. They had a rocky start, but they grew closer. This was a found family story with actual family.

This book has everything: family, friendship and food along with secrets, long-held grudges and microagressions. Mae is getting ready for her wedding to the man of her dreams (who happens to be as white as mayonnaise) while wishing she could connect with her Black family that’s been estranged from her for so long. When Mae discovers her grandmother passed away, she makes a bold decision to attend the funeral and bring her two worlds together. Filled with macaroni and cheese, alternating feelings of isolation and connection and a hope for a better tomorrow together, Mae is giving it everything she has. I adored this book.

I honestly feel like this is the experience that mixed race people have. It’s really sad. However I did enjoy this book! I believe the father was definitely a coward, he literally left his child and his wife wasn’t no better she too was cowardly. I don’t understand looking pass bs when a child is involved.

3.5 stars rounded up
Mae Townsend has always felt like an outsider with her mother's white relatives but has been estranged from her late father's Black family and has no idea why. Now as Mae is about to be married and contemplating a future with her white in-laws, she finds herself wondering more about her Black family in the South. When Mae discovers that her paternal grandmother has died, she decides to travel from Baltimore to North Carolina for the funeral.

Once she meets her Townsend relatives, Mae realizes that they are holding a grudge of some sort but she is determined to get to know the family better and make them like her. Mae puts work and planning for her fast-approaching wedding on hold when she convinces the Townsends to let her stay at her grandmother's house to help get it ready for sale, organize the family's Fourth of July picnic and figure out her grandmother's beloved mac n cheese recipe (hopefully with help from her cousin Sierra).

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster is a heartfelt, easy to read story of family with a wonderful cast of characters. Mae is an endearing and very relatable character. She's determined to connect with her dad's family but also struggling to stand up for herself with members of her mother's family and her fiancé's family who have made overtly racist or hurtful comments. Mae is flawed and she messes up but with the best of intentions and it's impossible not to feel for her.

The book addresses some serious issues including racism/microaggressions, race and how it feels to be biracial but in the context of a lighthearted story. An emphasis on the importance of food and family traditions, long-held family secrets and some unexpected twists - overall a feel-good family story that's perfect for summer reading - all it's missing is the mac n' cheese recipe!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book was an incredible story of family secrets, complicated dynamics and glorious food descriptions and I had a wonderful time reading it. Mae was such a beautifully written character and I really loved seeing her try so hard to not only understand this family, but to understand herself better. The many Townsend family members that she meets were such a blast to get to know. I loved the dinner scenes where they told stories of their childhoods and little moments throughout their lives. I really loved the look at the micro (and not so micro) aggressions Mae faces from her white family and how she struggled to feel a sense of belonging in either family. I also loved Connor and Mae’s relationship and how they communicated with each other at the end. There was a fantastic twist that I did not see coming and it added another layer of urgency to Mae’s need to connect with the Townsends. I highly recommend this one. It was such a great read full of complexity and wonderful characters.
Warning: If you read this book (and you absolutely should), do not, I repeat, DO NOT read on any empty stomach. The food descriptions were next level, especially the Mac and cheese!
CW: racism, death of a parent, death of a grandparent

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don't believe my review would benefit the author at this time as I am not in a place to review it.

Another five star read from @shauna.robs! I was so excited to get an ARC of The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster because of how insightful Shauna is in her writing. As a white woman I try to be intentional in seeking out BIPOC authors because I want to expose myself to how they experience the world (just call me the anti-Madison).
After the matriarch of the family she’s never met passes away, Mae decides it’s time to connect with the side of her family she’s never known, yet has always strived to be close to. Recreating her grandmother’s famous Mac and Cheese recipe leads her to more than just one mystery and helps her stand up for herself against the micro aggressions she’s experienced throughout her life.

I had read Robinson's "Must Love Books" and enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to this. Mae Townsend has felt like the odd one out all her life. Her dad's Black family in NC was estranged from her family. Her mom's white family in California was loving, but...Mae and her dad frequently caught the microaggressions that her mom's family would toss out. Not wanting to cause trouble, Mae always let the remarks about her hair and skin go by. The whole time growing up, Mae yearned to go to the Townsend family barbecue in NC on the 4th of July with her dad. But every year, he made the trip solo, and Mae grew up without knowing her dad's family.

When Mae and her fiance Conner, are planning their wedding, Mae decides it's time she knows her Townsend family. She heads to her grandmother's funeral and receives a chilly reception. She's determined to belong, and she feels there are family issues that nobody has told her about. Three weeks before her wedding, she decides to hang out in NC and host the annual family barbecue. In the midst of her planning, she uncovers truths that change everything.

I like Robinson's books because they give me a perspective other than my own, namely, how seemingly harmless remarks can come across as ignorant at best or hurtful at worst. It's said that some people are too sensitive, but when you've heard the same ignorant comments all your life and from people who supposedly love you, I'm sure it builds up like it did in Mae. This novel is all about identity and communication. Bottling up hurts and confusion may seem easier right now, but that behavior destroys relationships in the long term. I love Robinson's message that you don't have to put up with hurtful behavior, but you do need to express to someone when their behavior is hurtful if you ever want things to change.

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster by Shauna Robinson was an incredible find. The story introduces Mae, a mixed-race woman, who decides to attend her grandmother's funeral on her dad's side, which opens up a profound journey of discovery. Mae's father passed away when she was young, and she hadn't been in contact with his side of the family. This decision to reconnect reveals the complexities of her identity as she navigates her relationships with her black-and-white heritage.

Mae's efforts to bridge the gap between her two worlds, as well as her experiences dealing with microaggressions from her mother's side and planning her wedding to a white man, resonated deeply with me as a mixed-race individual. The story is charming and painful, offering insight into the complexities of family dynamics and finding one's voice. Plus I enjoyed the fact it was surrounded by food.

I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a compelling and thought-provoking read. I'm grateful to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for providing an advance copy of this engaging and powerful story.

Great story. It took Mae a while to really process and verbalize her feelings, but I enjoyed getting to know her and all of her family members.

As Mae prepares for the wedding of her future in=laws' dreams, she wishes her Black father's side of the family was a part of her life. When the grandmother she didn't know passes away, she decides to meet the rest of his family = and the secrets behind their disapproval of her white mother's family = head on. As she gets to know them, and tries to replicate a lost family recipe, she learns more than she ever bargained for about them and herself. Will she be able to heal old wounds before she wears out her welcome? Robinson has again created relatable characters who struggle with insecurity but persevere to recognize their strengths and build connections with others. This book is funny, sweet, surprising, and overall a heartwarming celebration of perfectly imperfect family.

This book took me on a rollercoaster ride of drama, secrets, love and mouth-watering dishes. I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down.

I loved Mae, she was so desperately trying to navigate the complex dynamics of her family while juggling her own need for boundaries or lack thereof. I think her struggle to assert herself amidst her family's chaos and secrets is what made her all too relatable.

I did not see the plot coming, but when it hit, it was like a delicious plot bombshell that added layers to an already captivating story.

I love this story. It left me with all the feels. I laughed, l cried, and l found myself wishing it didn't have to end. Truly, a testament to the power of storytelling when it's done right, and trust me, Shauna Robinson’s “Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster” does it right.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the ARC!

Ah! Thank you so much as always to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for entrusting me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!
I’ve read both of Shauna Robinson’s other books and I really enjoy her writing style and wit, and this novel was no exception! This novel touches on many important topics such as growing up mixed, long-lost family, racism, sisterhood, and great food! This book was definitely more mature than her others because of said topics, but it still made me laugh and cray happy tears all the same. It is a great read for anyone who loves the found-family trope. This book will also leave you CRAVINGGGGG mac & cheese! A solid 4/5!

A complex recipe of betrayals, grudges and family secrets. The author did a great job of capturing the reader's attention early on, with the relatable life-changing event that many people dread to bring their families together at- a wedding! The main character was overall likable, at times a little too persistent, but throughout the novel you begin to understand why. Two families from different backgrounds with a history that evolves over time gives the perfect dose of betrayal mixed with a cup of long-lasting emotional and psychological trauma. The most important recipe throughout was an overfilled cup of love, even when it was hard to see. This is a great read for someone interested in family histories, family mysteries or finding your own inner power. Great read!

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this advanced reader's copy. This book was so sweet. Mae has never met her family from the South, the big family that looks like her, but her father had a falling out. She's never met any of them, only heard the amazing stories of how her father grew up going to the big family dinners, everyone crowded around the table and of course, the famous Townsend family BBQ. When Mae gets engaged, she invites all her Southern relatives, hoping to meet all these people she's heard so much about. She doesn't get any responses for her wedding, but she does get a funeral notice for the matriarch of the family. This is Mae's chance to meet everyone from the South and find out why they have been estranged for her entire life. Mae flies down and finds out about her roots and her family and what happened that pushed her father away from this part of his family. This book is so beautiful as it brings out the different parts of family and the ability to heal old wounds. I have already added this author's books for reading soon and will look for more family, love and book stories from her in the future.

I love a family drama and this scratched the itch, and was a perfect read to get me into summer reads! I really enjoyed all the characters, especially the Townsends as they opened up and warmed up to Mae. The pacing was a bit slow between the funeral and the big plot reveal, but it picks up nicely. I liked the ending of the book but it was a bit predictable—predictable is nice, though. I’d love another novel focused on Sierra. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review!

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster was the first book I’ve read written by Shauna Robinson, and I really enjoyed it. You really become drawn in to Mae’s struggles as the story progresses, so the point that I couldn’t wait to find out what happens. At time heavy and emotional, Robinson dealt with difficult topics in a way that makes the issues relatable and understandable. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a great read. It kept me engaged and I finished it easily. The characters were developed and the story line was great.

This book was just a delight. I adored Mae and her optimism and drive. This book made me hungry too, I only wish it included recipes for each of Althea's lost dishes.

Mae learns what happens when things go south. She always wanted to connect with her estranged Black family in the South, growing up picturing relatives that looked like her, crowded dinner tables, bustling kitchens and traditional family barbecues. The same barbecues that kept her late father returning every year but mysteriously leaving her behind.

As Mae's wedding draws closer and no one from the Townsend family responding to the invitations, she decides to head South. What she finds is a family in disaster and grief, a long-standing grudge, secrets and a lost food recipe.

Being the newbie in the family, Mae steps up and volunteers to host a barbecue four days before her wedding. Most importantly, she hopes to win favor and figure out the recipe of her deceased grandmother's famous mac n' cheese for the prized dish. What a task!

Author Shauna Robinson says her goal was to write the book she wanted to read. Job well done! This novel satisfied the goal from a reader's perspective too. It might have been a slow burn but it was a complete story that left no plot stone unturned. I wish the pace was a bit quicker but came to realize this is the best way for family drama to be told and fully fleshed out to a satisfying ending.

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster is the first book I've read by Shauna Robinson but certainly will not be the last. I recommend for local book clubs to read and for audiobook listeners as they cook mac n' cheese for barbecues this summer.

Happy Early Pub Day, Shauna Robinson! The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster will be available Tuesday, July 2.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie