I think this is going to be my number one book of 2024.

I’m partial to memoirs, so the genre is automatically my favorite, but not all memoirs live up to this one. It’s so descriptive, hilariously told, and honest. The author is a master of show, don’t tell, and there’s so much brightness in her tone that you can’t help wondering if she’s really on to something about communal living.

This is a book about living in communal settings, the food that accompanies this environment, and growing up in the Pacific Northwest. My husband grew up in Portland at the same time as this author (it was actually weird back then), so her stories about the city were familiar to me. She grew up in an unconventional family and opted for group living as an adult. Many times she questions whether she should be like everyone else and get married/have kids, but as we see in the book (and in our own lives, let’s be honest), she makes a compelling case for group living. This book shows how far we have strayed from community as a society, and I wonder if we might all be happier if we didn’t try to fit the patriarchal mold of marriage, kids, and a house.

She doesn’t view group living through rose-colored lenses. She details the challenges of navigating many different personalities and conflicts. But living with a partner can be isolating too. I am not sure I could live in a group setting - I very much need alone time - still, I was so intrigued by this story.

There’s a lot of comedy in these pages. There are recipes too, written with flair the way the late Anthony Bourdain (who is mentioned in a chilling passage in this book) did in his own cookbooks. The point is that meals should always be made with love and care.

I love so much about this book. I really hope it takes the memoir market by storm because there’s nothing like this in the literary world.

I enjoyed reading Lola’s memoir and found her writing detailed and informative. I was unfamiliar with many of the practices her parents demonstrated, so I felt like I was truly stepping into a new world. I liked how the book unraveled and was pleased to ha e so many recipes included! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.