I’ve never gotten so much joy out of a book whose title is insulting me.
Matteo Lane, known more as a comedian, is fantastic at blending stories of family and travel through Italy with the recipes that will make you wish you’re reading this with a gigantic bowl of pasta. You will keep yourself laughing!

I don't review a lot of cookbooks, I use a lot of cookbooks though, and let me tell you right now this isn't your average cookbook. I enjoy Matteo Lane's comedy, I don't know much more about him other than he is funny and I laugh when I see his performances. Of course, he would make a cookbook that would be filled with his sense of humor. I enjoyed his descriptions of cheeses...which is a weird thing to say and how he ties in all of his family's recipes to a story or memory. I love how even the recipes aren't your typical recipes, my favorite bit was when he described how his sister hangs her cheesecloth on the faucet like a hobo bag for making ricotta. Which is directly in the recipe. Then we have the addition of his "found family" and some of their recipes including simple mac and cheese using a box of mac and cheese. I think this is the perfect amount of sentiment, humor, stories, and recipes to make a cookbook enjoyable and entertaining beyond the kitchen.

My initial reaction upon opening the book and looking at the index was that there were not enough recipes to justify purchasing this if I were looking at it in a store, but I liked it so much by the end that I didn't even care.

I appreciated the humor and the characterizations of the author’s family and friends laid throughout the book. The line of family tied to each story in the first section was great, and provides some authenticity - it feels like I would trust the recipes because of that.

After the first section, I was expecting the next to be highly personal as well - and it felt less so for the first few recipes. More generic about Rome rather than tied to any personal stories. Though that improved as the section went on, and felt personal again when talking about Southern Italy and friends.

There were points where I literally laughed out loud - like at the start of the lasagna recipe where he characterized Barefoot Contessa as unrelatable.

Also, the pictures are amazing. I wanted to eat absolutely everything in this book.

Your Pasta Sucks is a fun cookbook by comedian Matteo Lane founded on his love of pasta. It is a collection of classic Italian recipes prominent in his life and upbringing, interspersed with jokes and fun anecdotes.

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.


This was a really fun read, and I love a good cookbook that doesn't take itself too seriously. The snarky humor had me chuckling the whole time.The photos are great too!

The instructions were very easy to follow, and the ingredients needed are simple and easy to find for most of the recipes. I like that the recipes only need a handful of ingredients to make.

I think this would be a great beginner friendly book to get for a new cook!

I love watching the YouTube videos of Matteo Lane and his "friend" Nick Smith, cook. This cookbook has delicious-looking pictures, funny family stories, and great recipes.

Pasta always has my heart, and there are some delicious looking recipes included in this cook book. I'm so excited to hit the stores and buy all the ingredients!

I expected nothing less from Matteo’s book. I just recently visited Italy for the first time and so I was very excited to get Matteo’s take on Italian food and cooking. It did not disappoint! There were hilarious family stories sprinkled thoughout the book that were so fun along with traditional Italian recipes I already know I’m going to love. This was an advance copy provided by NetGalley and Chronicle books (but I’m still buying my own once this hits the shelves because I loved it so much).

The file won’t open for me on the NetGalley app and I keep getting errors. Sad it wasn’t a file I could read!

Thanks NetGalley for an ARC. Can’t wait to make some of these recipes. I love the food in Italy and the dishes remind me of my visits.

I picked up this book because the cover and title immediately piqued my curiosity, and it turned out to be the perfect blend of cooking, humor, and memoir. As someone who loves browsing through cookbook pictures, I was thrilled to find this one didn’t disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have already tried several recipes, all of which have been a hit with my family. I loved it so much that I’ve pre-ordered a copy for both my sister and myself!

This was such a fun read and a great collection of recipes. On the cooking side there was a great range of really approachable dishes as well as some that might be a stretch for an average home cook but still well within reach. I very much look forward to trying some in my own home soon.

On the autobiography side, the shared stories and anecdotes drew you into a vibrant and interesting life and made me laugh. I would absolutely read a memoir that covered some of the same points and expounded on others and shared new stories. I thought this was well done and well laid out, the images were gorgeous and I look forward to checking out his stand-up as well.

Thank you netgalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

LOVE this book. The imagery and aesthetic is beautiful. The recipes sound delicious. And the personality and antidotes from the author are authentic and fun. Need to get my hands on a physical copy of this book. Yes please.

I love the quintessential italian american stories that were implemented but also how he implemented his stories from living abroad and how italians order coffee and different lifestyle choices. as a partial italian american myself, it was funny to laugh at the stories with my mom and reminisce about some recipes. i also liked it because i don’t have every recipe my grandma used to make and now that she’s gone i want to make some dishes and now i can!

This is a fun cookbook! I have to admit, while I love to read, I do not typically sit down and "read" a cookbook. I did with this one, though! I learned something one the very first page (how to store basil!). I learned right away that I was doing 4 of the 5 things to ruin pasta (I do NOT use a knife on pasta! Seriously! Who does that?!). Anyway, a fun read, with 2 recipes that we already love! And that's impressive with 4 picky kids! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I am in love with all things Matteo Lane!

Matteo is witty and charming but also blunt and honest.
This book all of that and then some.
I can totally hear him in my head speaking every word.

When I found out he was writing a cookbook, I immediately checked to see if an ARC was available and I’m so glad it was!
I can’t wait to buy this cookbook when it is released so I can have a copy for myself.

I may never cook anything from this but I will definitely think about it (I probably won’t because that’s my anxiety throwing itself in front of everything).

5/5 stars. It did not disappoint!

This #ARC was provided by #NetGalley and #ChronicleBooks. The opinions and views expressed are my own.
#YourPastaSucks

I love this cookbook! It's entertaining, hilarious, gives great general cooking tips that have already been a game-changer in the kitchen, and has wonderful recipes. So far, we've tried the penne alla vodka and the salad, and both recipes were a big hit with my family. I'm looking forward to cooking my way through the whole book! I don't usually spend much time reading the non-recipe parts of cookbooks, but they were some of my favorite parts! Highly recommend!

Oh my gosh I cannot wait to buy this book in paperback. It is so delightful! The recipes look amazing. The photos are gorgeous. But the heart of this book, the stories, the humor, just makes it so unbelievable special. This book was so fun to read - a cookbook! I just adored every moment of it. Highly recommend.

This book was so much fun! It was funny, the recipes were good and I want to try a bunch of them, and it’s just all around a good time. I didn’t know much about Matteo Lane before this, but I have definitely looked up more of his work on YouTube and love his comedy style. I think I would read a shopping list by him, and a cookbook is amazing!

Honestly I had no idea who this guy was? I very much enjoy Italian food and humor and this surely delivered on both. The pictures are very inviting and the recipes seem like a novice cook like myself can make them. I can’t wait to try out some of these delicious recipes especially the Family Meat Sauce.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy of Your Pasta Sucks.