51. Lasagna Means I Love You

Lasagna Means I Love You. Kate O'Shaughnessy. 2023. 352 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Dear Nan,
You died on a Tuesday.
Given how much you hated Tuesdays, it makes sense it would cement its place in history as the worst day ever.

Premise/plot: Mo Gallagher keeps a private journal in which she writes to her grandma. Mo is in for a tough time. Her Nan has died. Her Uncle Bill--who's in the military--is refusing to become her guardian. Mo is entering the foster care system. She's mourning the loss of just about everything. Everything seems to be in a constant state of change, change, and more change. But one thing Mo is holding onto with both hands is this idea of learning to cook, not only learning to cook, but learning to cook FAMILY recipes. It starts with a book she finds. She wants strangers near and far to share family recipes with her. She has a TikTok channel where she shares her cooking journey. She would love to find members of the Gallagher family to share *her* own *family* recipes. 

My thoughts: I wanted to like this one more than I liked it. It could just be my own head space. I liked it more than I disliked it. I can't really say why this was an 'almost' for me. I like how Mo uses cooking to cope with all the many challenges she's facing. I like how Mo is persistent. When a recipe proves tricky or difficult, she keeps trying and trying and trying until she's made something edible at least. It's a life skill for sure. This hobby is definitely shaping her character for the better. While Mo definitely has an easy time being successful and gaining followers and fans, Mo has a more realistic struggle with forming attachments in real life. I'm glad that not every single thing was 'easy' for her. There wasn't a case of instant-love when it comes to finding adoptive parents, foster parents, etc.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews