I love family dramas so I was instantly drawn to this one. I enjoyed digging into the characters' lives that make up this restaurant family. I did feel that the author inserted her liberal/democrat viewpoint in a way that felt very forced and over-the-top at times.

Overall I enjoyed this book. The family drama with shifting viewpoints kept me interested and invested in the storyline. It was just enough relatable that pretty sure it reminds a reader of a family member or two. The author is a good storyteller who is able to weave generations of relatives and relationships into one story through the view points of the cousins and their relationships and the restaurant. .

One negative of the book is the overwhelming political distaste of the 2016 election. We get it, the author is dissatisfied as are so many, but we don’t need to hear it over and over again at random points throughout the book:…. Made it feel disjointed.

Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy..

“In the span of two weeks, Gretchen’s grandfather died, the Cubs won the World Series, and Trump won the election. Three impossible events, one right after the other. Nothing made sense anymore.”

Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close is a contemporary novel about the Sullivans and their efforts to keep the family restaurant running after the death of Bud, their beloved patriarch. The story’s setting - Chicago, starting in November 2016 - drives the narrative and sets up the themes.

The Sullivans are a family known to ignore uncomfortable topics and difficult choices in favor of business as usual. But after Donald Trump is elected president, the world shifts and “business as usual” is no longer manageable for Gretchen, her sister Jane, and their cousin Teddy. Gretchen abruptly abandons her musical ambitions in New York City and moves back to Chicago. Jane, feeling increasingly alienated in her conservative neighborhood with her conservative husband, escapes to the comfort of her sister’s apartment and the family restaurant. And Teddy upends his own life by taking in his teenage sister.

As they struggle to make sense of their strange new world, the three main characters find their own voices and stop being polite for the sake of harmony. The disruptions in their personal lives, combined with a national feeling of dread, push them to take risks, to stop worrying about making mistakes. As Jane observes, “The world could change on a sliver of a second…Mistakes were made all over the place, all around her, all the time, and she couldn’t live her whole life with the sole purpose of not messing up.” In this way, they are each able to gain some control in the increasingly uncertain world.

I love novels that focus on family dynamics, and Close does a great job bringing the entire extended Sullivan clan to life. But what makes this book stand out is how it examines the impacts of global, local, and personal events. We see the 2016 election, the Cubs World Series win, and the death of Bud Sullivan through the eyes of each family member and learn how each event shifts their personal perspectives.

Marrying the Ketchups also effectively captures the national atmosphere of late 2016 and 2017 - facing a reality we had believed impossible and feeling that each new day is worse than the last. The Sullivans’ story ends on a hopeful note, but the reader - knowing that a global pandemic is on the horizon - can’t help but wonder how the characters will navigate the events to come.

A fun and witty read. A little long and some of the characters felt a tad underdeveloped, but overall I enjoyed it. Thanks to #netgalley for the copy!

A major family drama novel about Teddy Gretchen and Jane whose lives are ultimately turned upside down when their matriarch JP dies. You immediately fall in love with this Chicago family and learn the inner workings of their heads. They’re all going through something seemingly on their own, but they come together in a heartfelt but funny drama about navigating life and coming together as a family. All characters were well developed, the story line was strong, and the book was easy to stay engaged and get through. I would highly recommend.

I hadn't read other books by Jennifer Close, but certainly will now. This story of a Oak Park restaurant family is full of great characters, good food, and intriguing subplots. Hope it's made into a series!

A Chicago-based family story, with food? I’m in! This was my first novel by Jennifer Close and I adored it. I loved the siblings/cousins navigating the new generation of a family’s restaurant. I also loved how Close navigated the fractures in communities and friendships after the 2016 election. This would be a good book club read, in my opinion.

I have been a fan of Jennifer Close since reading Girls in White Dresses. Her characters are part of your family by the time you finish the book. Marrying the Ketchups delivers the family feeling big time. The extended Sullivan family, that includes the long time staff at their restaurant, are reeling from the death of their patriarch from a heart attack. Three generations are struggling with the changes his death brings. His wife is moved to a retirement village against her will, the next generation is also at retirement age and the kids are taking on new and bigger roles in running Sullivan’s.

Of course their are growing pains the old guard and regular customers don’t want to see things change but to stay relevant and stay in business Sullivan’s needs updating. Teddy the grandson, who has years of restaurant experience comes back to give the restaurant a much needed makeover but everyone treats him like a kid. Gretchen moves back from New York after her relationship falls apart, feeling like a failure. Can she move on from her heartbreak and find where she belongs. Will her older sister Jane get the courage to confront her husband about cheating on her? Can the Sullivan family rise up like their beloved Cubs and reach for the happiness they deserve!

Family fiction at its finest!!

Perfect summer read for the people who don't love rom-coms - felt serious at times but also made me laugh and felt 'lighter.'

I really wanted to love this book based on the description. I love a messy family drama, but this one fell flat for me. The story centers around the Sullivans and their family restaurant in Oak Park, Illinois. The patriarch of the family dies at the onset of the novel, and individual family members have to confront their own issues amid dealing with his loss and what to do with the restaurant. I didn't find the characters very likable, and the story was a little predictable. I'm still a little baffled about it being described as "outrageously funny." I didn't find much humor throughout the story. I did enjoy reading about the inner workings of a restaurant. I would have given it 3 1/2 stars if it was possible. Thank you netgalley for this ARC.

Ok…I'm so happy I decided to read this after so many of my friends enjoyed it. This is political, leaning towards the liberal side, during the 2016 election. I found it relatable and I also thought it was funny in parts too. This book is character driven, focusing on three generations of the Sullivan family, and their Chicago restaurant. There's also Chicago Cubs baseball talk. I'm not a baseball fan, but wanted to mention that because I think baseball fans will enjoy that part.

Thought this was a good one, and I'll be interested in reading more by this author!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy.. All opinions are my own.

NetGalley ARC | For a fabulous book about restaurants set in Chicago, we just loved Close's Marrying the Ketchups.

Although different in many ways, readers and fans of Empire Falls might enjoy this one too.

Riley is by far one of our favorite characters of 2022, and we appreciate the political commentary. Like Jane, we felt pretty angry and helpless during T&$@p's term.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for a free advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Find one of our reviews for Marrying the Ketchups on The Uncorked Librarian here: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/novels-about-food/

I was really looking forward to this novel, and I think it has one of the best covers of the year, but it definitely fell flat for me. I knew it was going to be political, so that didn't bother me, but it is very character driven, and while this sometimes works really well for me, it didn't here. I was bored and never invested in any of the characters or the family as a whole. The overall tone of the book was negative and depressing, and I felt like it just dragged. This one just wasn't for me.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for the advanced copy to review!

I've been a fan of Jennifer Close since Girls in White Dresses, and she's been a cult favorite at my library since it was released. Any new Close is a cause for celebration, and this one did not disappoint! I expect this one will be extra popular with readers because of its location and the inclusion of the Cubs World Series win with the 2016 election. Plus, it will appeal to readers of family sagas too.

I really loved this book. It was at times funny, at times poignant. The Sullivans are three generations into the restaurant business in Chicago. Gretchen, the youngest of the middle generation, has returned from a failed band career, her sister is in a failed marriage and her cousin is getting over a failed relationship (although he is seeing his ex on the side). Put this in the restaurant and there will be quite a mix. Definitely a fun read and reminiscent of Ann Tyler. I will definitely read another book by Close.

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy of Marrying the Ketchups.

I love complicated family dramas so I was looking forward to reading Marrying the Ketchups. I thought the family restaurant premise was fun but that's about the only thing I liked in this book.

All of the characters were miserable and just complained. There were so many characters it took forever to remember how they were all related to each other. I liked the Chicago setting.

Unfortunately this was just too much of a character driven book with absolutely no plot.

A laugh out loud slice of life story set during the 2016 election, follows several generations of a Chicago family. Overall it was an interesting and solid read, there was some content related to being '"lucky to be white in this racist country" that I struggled to reconcile with. Also, depending on your political views this may not be the book for you as the politics are pretty heavy handed.

I read the excerpt for this book and thought it was going to be a great , fun, book about a large family and all the drama that comes with it (as I too, come from a large family). The book was problematic from the beginning, but I continued on to read it. At page 267 I came to a FULL STOP and had to just put the book down. A main character (a white woman) in the book calls herself "lucky". "lucky to be born white in a country so racist". Direct quote. Does this white author actually think Black people feel "unlucky" to be born Black?? Does this white author think Black people actually wish they were White?? I, a Black woman, assure you...WE DON'T! In the words of one of the main characters "WTAF"! Clearly this author has zero interaction with Black people. It is apparent all throughout the book. The slight "feeling bad" moments about the racism going on in the world of Trump. The slight moments of wanting their kids to be raised in a more "diverse" community. These moments of "white guilt" popping in and out of the story line seem disingenuous to say the least.
As a black woman owned bookstore, this book will not be on my shelves.

This ways a great way to spend a day or two. This family dramady, set in a family owned restaurant in Oak Park.
The characters we’re witty and I liked them all in different ways. This will be a great summer read!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

This story is a multigenerational family centered around a restaurant. We get points of view from 3 of the family members. The writing from each point of view flows nicely but each characters chapter didn’t mesh with the others. When I picked up the story to read, I enjoyed it but it was also easy to put it down too.