I love everything about this book. I was giggling the whole way through, and it made me want pasta so badly. My only issue with it is the vast differences in serving sizes. Some are 1-3 servings, whereas others feed a giant family.

I love eating pasta but haven't perfected my own pasta dishes so reading this cookbook is my attempt to perfect my pasta and I cannot wait to test it out,

Gleeful Goblin Review: I was so delighted to have a chance to advance read this book because I've seen some teasers around Matteo's cooking on social media and absolutely drooled. My personal favorite recipes are in Chapter 2: Rome and especially Cacio e Pepe and Pasta alla Carbonara. Though with egg prices right now it's going to be a minute before I can afford to try out this recipe for it sadly. I will however confess, I can't resist a good Fettuccine Alfredo and I will perish on that hill. I agree with Matteo wholeheartedly on his opinion of linguine and angel hair pasta but you can't take my farfalle from me. It's the perfect pasta for my favorite garlic chicken recipe but I can see Matteo's point. All that being said, Pasta della Mamma aka "pasta alla pantry" sounds INCREDIBLE and I need to make it as soon as possible.

I've loved Matteo's comedy for a hot minute and it is present on every page of this book. The style is relatable, the humor is on point, and the recipes are drool worthy. Reading this book will make you laugh/snort and make you ravenously hungry at the same time. I'm not someone who loves cooking but I fully am on board with what Matteo says is his "repertoire is limited by knowledge and preference". I don't want or need to be able to cook everything but I do want to cook a few things that I love WELL and I feel like Matteo made this book for me as an approachable way to do just that. 5/5 Stars

What can you expect from a cookbook written by a gay Italian, Irish and Mexican American stand up comedienne from Chicago? Plenty!

Matteo Lane writes about his love for pasta in a personal and humorous manner in his cookbook, "Your Pasta Sucks". As far as the recipes go, he admits that he is limited by his knowledge and preferences. Unfortunately, I love seafood, which he hates, so I was disappointed not to see any fish in the book. Not even my favorite: anchovies!

There is so much to love though, so I’ll let it slide. It’s not all about recipes (even dessert) that have been passed from generations, but he relates other cultural tidbits in a humorous way. How do you know if your grandma is Italian? How do you conduct yourself at an Italian dinner? What are the rules for ordering coffee in Italy? By the way, he’s been there numerous times.

I enjoyed the peeks into his life, and I look forward to trying some of the recipes. That’s especially true if my finished dish looks anything like the colorful, mouth-watering photos.

Get ready to laugh and cook as you indulge in "Your Pasta Sucks".

(This review will be posted on UnderratedReads on April 4, 2025

Such a fun cookbook. I love watching his tik toks and YouTube videos and this cookbook is no different. Love his sense of humor but mixed with yummy recipes.

I've been following Matteo for awhile on social media and was excited to read his cookbook. The recipes are delicious and easy to follow. I enjoy reading his family stories and the history of the recipes. Bravo!

A great cookbook! Have tried several recipes and so far they are all fantastic. Simple and easy to find ingredients and clear instructions. Would recommend to friends.

I had a great time reading "Your Pasta Sucks: A 'Cookbook'" by Matteo Lane and J.J. Goode. I've always enjoyed Matteo's work, and the stories interspersed throughout this cookbook were a delightful addition that made it even more enjoyable. This was a fun and unique take on a cookbook, and I really hope it does well. Matteo's humor and creativity really shine through, making this not just informative but also entertaining.

First of all, can I just hang out with Matteo? Maybe have dinner and drinks? Even better if he cooks! But I love the commentary and family stories, and the recipes are easy to follow. Can’t wait to hand sell this in the store!

YouTube sensation and comedian Matteo Lane's first cookbook comes out in April 2025 from Chronicle Books!

This quirky stand up comedian teaches us "How to make pasta like an Italian, Irish, Mexican Homosexual." Lol!

Chapters include:

Family - Three great grandmas and twenty six cousins (Pasta della Mamma, Gram Gram's Eggplant Parmigiana, etc)
Rome - City of Guanciale (Pasta alla Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe, Pasta alla Gricia, etc.)
Sicily and the South - Caffe Granita con Brioche e Pana (Pasta alla Norma, Pasta al Limone, Aglio y Olio, etc.)
Found Family - Gays (Two Mac and Cheese, Pasta al Pomodoro, Risotto al Zefferano, etc).

The author says his romance with pasta has been his longest and best relationship. Through the book, we learn about his upbringing in a ranch style house near Chicago;

There's a page on How to Ruin Pasta, where Matteo implores us to never put oil in our pasta water, and teaches us that in Italy, the sauce is a condiment, not something you drown the pasta in. We should all read his notes on "How to Conduct Yourself at an Italian Dinner." There's an amusing page on "Things in a Nonna's House," a love letter to pig jowls, and notes on how to order coffee in Italy.

There are travel photos from Italy to enjoy as well.

Matteo begins one recipe by noting "I think Italian women and witches shop at the same stores" and then shares how his aunt Cindy cooked her pasta in a cauldron. I love the reminiscenes and childhood stories he shares along the way.

Given that the author is a comedian, one might think he is cracking jokes all throughout the text of the cookbook. No - so much better than that - he tells endearing stories of family members, traditions, and Italians. This is a cookbook you'll want to read cover to cover, savoring it, whether or not you make any of the recipes. And yes, I intend to make many of these! You can easily adapt them yourself to your vegetarian or vegan diet, or substitute gluten-free pasta as needed.

Like most contemporary cookbooks, the measurements are listed in both metric and Imperial, cups and milliliters, grams and ounces. As far as I can tell, each recipe has a photograph to accompany it. Helpfully, there's a notation at the top of each dish stating how many people it might serve.

Next time you host a Sunday supper, have this fantastic cookbook on hand to help you craft delicious family meals to share!

I’ll be honest—at first, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a cookbook written by a comedian, but Your Pasta Sucks ended up being a surprisingly solid guide to making great pasta. Matteo Lane’s humor is all over this book, which makes it an entertaining read, but underneath the jokes, there’s real cooking knowledge. The recipes are straightforward, easy to follow, and actually teach you how to improve your pasta game without overcomplicating things.

The little tips on what not to do when cooking pasta were actually helpful—I’ve definitely been guilty of some of those mistakes.

That said, the humor is a big part of this book, so if you’re looking for a super traditional, no-nonsense Italian cookbook, this might not be the one. But if you enjoy a casual, fun approach to cooking and want to learn how to make better pasta along the way,

I was all about the snark and sarcasm in this book! Seriously it's more of a stand up routine, woth some recipes thrown in! Hysterical. This would be a great gift!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

It was fine. Humorous? Yes. I've seen Matteo on a couple of stand-up shows here and there so I recognized him and why I chose it from NetGalley. Repetitive? Heck yes. It's just so repetitive. I don't think there needs to be a pasta-only cookbook. Because they're all slight variations of the same thing. So aside from the braciole, meatballs, and ricotta recipes it's same same SAME. So I was pretty bored. The photos are nice and Matteo's anecdotes were delightful but he did not need to make a cookbook. It should've just been a memoir and hey, throw a couple recipes in that.

Cohesive, fun, informative, and approachable. I cannot wait to try more of these recipes and share them with friends and family. Matteo did a great job of having his voice shine through and have a wonderful product.

This book is full of humor and stories from Matteo, which go along perfectly with his family recipes. I found most of the ingredients easy to acquire and the recipes easy to follow. If you are looking for some tasty recipes from an Italian, Irish, Mexican Homosexual, then this is the recipe book for you. You’ll be whipping up tasty dishes in no time and you’ll be entertained by none other than Matteo Lane along the way.

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to review this book prior to publication.

You will like this book if you like: having opinions on pasta water, straightforward family recipes, voyaging to Rome, and saucy commentary 🍝🇮🇹

BOOK: Your Pasta Sucks, by Matteo Lane

Matteo is hilarious, I love his comedy! I was so excited to see that he created a cookbook and the fact the it's pasta was amazing. I've never had a cookbook that I actually wanted to read, as I was going through recipes I would was laughing which made my family think I was going crazy until they tried their dinner. Definitely recommend this one !

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the amazing Matteo for the ARC !

This cookbook is hilarious and a wonderful read. I normally don't find myself reading the extra parts of a cookbook, I am mainly there for the recipes. However, this cookbook was different. Matteo Lane really grabbed my attention and it felt like he was breaking the 4th wall in his writing. For example when he wrote, "we use cream, because this is the future honey and we're not living on a farm." It's gay, it's hilarious, and it's so honest.

This cookbook felt personal and inviting. I loved the quips and jabs at his friends and family but what else would you expect from a standup comedian. The olive oil finishing joke! The photos were great and they brought the stories to life! I really enjoyed the moment where I read the quip about his sister's claws, flipped the page, and there they were. I love Bob and Monet and I had no idea who Matteo was, but now I do!

This cookbook has great recipes and even better stories.

Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for this ARC! ♥

I'm not super familiar with Matteo Lane, but I've seen him on a couple talk/interview -type shows and thought he was delightful and hilarious. I'm happy to say I have the same opinion about his cookbook. I haven't had a chance to test any of the recipes yet, but there are several I'm excited to get to. But even if I make zero of them I'll still be very content just having read this like any other book, because it was that entertaining.

Go get this cookbook. As someone raised in an Italian home, it is spot on. The recipes are authentic and range from simple to more advanced. The photos are wonderful and Matteo's stories about his family and friends had me laughing throughout. It truly brought me back to Sundays with my family sitting around the table eating and telling stories and teasing everyone. For me, food and family are intertwined. This book is just that. I was sent an e-advanced copy and am going to buy the physical paper copy because I loved it so much. You will too.