1.75 stars. the first half or so of this was pretty so-so to me, but then i became a little more invested in the sisters lives. i think it helped that one of the audio readers is one of my favorite narrators (xe sands). this wasn't great and i felt like there were a couple of missing pieces, but it was okay in the end. ( )

Solid cute ( )

Comfort read. You will join a family and a small community and set the world of chicken in perfect balance. ( )

Comfort read. You will join a family and a small community and set the world of chicken in perfect balance. ( )

Digital audiobook narrated by Xe Sands and Cassandra Campbell
3.5***

Adapted from the book jacket: In tiny Merinac, Kansas, Chicken Mimi’s and Chicken Frannie’s have spent a century vying to serve up the best fried chicken in the state – and the legendary feud between their respective owners, the Moores and the Pogociellos, has lasted just as long. No one feels the impact more than thirty-five-year-old widow Amanda Moore, who grew up working for her mom at Mimi’s before scandalously marrying Frank Pogociello and changing sides to work at Frannie’s. Tired of being caught in the middle, Amanda contacts Food Wars, the reality-TV restaurant competition. But in doing so, she launches both families out of the frying pan and directly into the fire.

My reactions
This came to my attention as a result of looking at the “readers also enjoyed” prompt on the main book page for The Sweetness of Water. I didn’t even notice that it had been a Reese’s Book Club pick until I had the book in my hands.

In addition to the long-running family feud, which no one currently knows the origin of, but which all parties in the families nevertheless adhere to, there is a more current “feud” of sorts between sisters Amanda and Mae. While Amanda has stayed in Kansas, helping her Mom (at home, not in the restaurant where she’s not allowed to enter since her marriage to the enemy), Mae has escaped to Brooklyn where she is a nationally famous “organizing guru” (think Marie Kondo). But Mae’s carefully orchestrated life is imploding – she’s just blown her shot at TV stardom, and her marriage is on shaky ground. But she figures if she can transform her Mom’s somewhat dilapidated chicken shack into a more hip and with-it restaurant … on TV no less … that will help re-launch her career. Let the fireworks begin.

I was quickly engaged in the family’s issues, though I thought the sisters behaved like much younger people – more like teenagers than thirty-something moms. There are some family secrets that come out, a new hunky chef, a manipulative TV producer who wants more conflict, and more than one effort to sabotage the competition which all serve to keep the plot moving forward with surprises, twists and insights into the family dynamic.

There can only be ONE winner of “Food Wars” and in this case, it’s the reader.

The chapters alternate between Amanda’s and Mae’s points of view, and the audiobook uses two talented voice artists – Xe Sands and Cassandra Campbell - to bring the sisters to life. ( )