THE FAMILY RECIPE by Carolyn Huynh follows the Tran family as the patriarch, Duc Tran of Duc’s Sandwiches, calls his five estranged children together to discuss their inheritance.

I love books about family—especially messy, dysfunctional ones, because many are, including mine. Huynh has a way of writing about complicated family dynamics in such a fun and entertaining way, and if anything, THE FAMILY RECIPE was that, entertaining.

HOWEVER, I really struggled to really connect with the book or care about the characters. After the many many years as a reader, I know that I’m someone who loves character-driven stories. And my nosy self wants to know everything about them and see them from every angle. While Huynh delivers on the fun and chaos, she falls short on depth— both in plot and character development.

There were too many characters and POVs to really get to know anyone beyond the surface. The alternating perspectives also made the pacing feel a bit choppy, with some plot points skipped over. Every character had some kind of romantic relationship, but all the “falling in love” happened off-page, which made those arcs feel underdeveloped.

The flashback chapters from Evelyn, Huey, and Duc were the most compelling. I wish those storylines had been fleshed out more. I simply CANNOT understand how such a big family secret stayed hidden for so long. While the book touches on important themes like racism and generational trauma, it barely scratches the surface. I kept wanting more! More nuance, more emotional weight, more unpacking.

Overall, while THE FAMILY RECIPE was an entertaining and chaotic look into the Tran family, it ultimately lacked the emotional depth that makes a family story memorable. We hear from too many characters (did we really need Connie’s POV?), and even the central mystery felt one-dimensional. While I did enjoy reading this messy chaotic book about the Tran family, none were memorable and I’ve unfortunately, already forgotten about most of them. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me.

Full of angst, anger and jealousy, "The Family Recipe" refers not to a secret or coveted set of ingredients to produce a dish at an American Vietnamese sandwich chain. Rather, it refers to the manipulations and forced relocations orchestrated by the family patriarch so that his five adult children address long ignored issues at the family restaurants, and in their lives.

When Duc Trần makes his inheritance contingent on the successful turnaround of one of the sandwich restaurants, he sends his four daughters Jane, Bingo, Paulina and Georgia, and eldest child and son Jude on journeys, physical, and mostly mental, as each attempts to find the secret ingredient/action, that will change everything in their designated restaurant or please their father enough to sway his decision in their favour.

At the same time, Duc's current wife Connie is incensed by his forgetting of her in his will, and is determined to get what she deserves.

Each sibling and their stepmother receive a PoV, and it was amusing to watch them struggle, set upon a course, and though not always successful, find a purpose and a sense of confidence that had been lacking in them.

While it could have been easy to get lost amongst the several perspectives, I found author Carolyn Huynh maintained good control over her plot and the gradual transformations occurring in each sibling, making this an entertaining story. Huynh also gives us history for Duc and his best friend, who arrived in the US as refugees, and who experienced intense racism, threats of violence, support and love, and also tremendous opportunity.

I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more by Huynh.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This was a wonderful read. A family discovering long-held secrets as they work through their issues is always a hit for me. I loved the settings—spread throughout the United States and eventually overseas—and loved how very real the sibling dialogues seemed.

My book club read this one so even though it was outside of my typical realm of genres, I was excited to give it a shot! Overall it was enjoyable, though not my favorite ever. I really enjoyed the premise and found it intriguing from the jump. I love multiple povs, but did find this had too many to easily follow. I would definitely read this author again and might need to go back and read her debut soon!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i usually enjoy generational family stories, and had enjoyed huynh's previous book but this one did not hit with me for some reason. it may have been the multiple pov's? i may have gotten people and their details confused but that's on me.

I enjoyed this book. On the surface it could be considered a light humorous family drama novel. Digging deeper this book spoke to the challenges facing immigrants in the U.S. struggling to fit in socially and economically. We choose this book for bookclub. It was interesting to observe those members who evaluated the book for it literal story and those few who felt the deeper meanings behind the story. Thank you providing me the opportunity to read and share my thoughts for this book.

I DNFed at 15%. The premise, while promising, felt juvenile in execution, and the dialogue between these adult siblings was childish that it was bizarre

As a Vietnamese person who grew up in the Houston area, it was pretty wild to see the references in this book. The beginning was very much House of Ho. Jane reminded me of Judy, both also lawyers as the eldest daughter. I thought it was a pretty interesting story with some history sprinkled in, a little mystery (which ended up a little flat for me) and family dynamics that was a bit much at times. One issue I have was the romantic parts. Why did almost all the kids have love connections in their respective towns? I feel like a better route would’ve been to find love within themselves or in a found family, whichever that specific child lacked most.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria for the ARC!

I loved Huynh's last novel, but I just couldn't get into this one. The setup, the unbelievable dialogue, and the caricaturish characters really grated on me, so I DNFed at 25%.

This book is a loving story and an eye-opening experience. I enjoyed it very much, and the characters were interesting, especially when each sibling had different personalities. I did cry on some pages.

Carolyn Huynh’s The Family Recipe is a deliciously tender and sharply funny exploration of family, identity, and the complicated bonds that both tie us together and pull us apart. With her signature wit and deep emotional insight, Huynh crafts a vibrant, multigenerational tale full of heart, flavor, and healing.

At its center is a fractured family forced back into each other's lives by a father’s peculiar inheritance challenge. Each sibling’s journey—from the banh mi-scented corners of Little Saigon to the deeply buried secrets of their mother’s past—is both personal and universal. Huynh beautifully captures the ache of displacement, the tension between tradition and reinvention, and the quiet, persistent hope that reconciliation is still possible.

What makes this novel truly unforgettable is its celebration of Vietnamese-American identity through food, place, and memory. The Family Recipe isn’t just about sandwiches—it’s about legacy, love, and the messy, painful, sometimes absurd ways we find our way home.

This is a story that lingers long after the last page—warm, wise, and full of flavor.

A multigenerational saga of a Vietnamese American family. Duc Tran calls his five children home for a Successionesque competition to win his estate. Each child, his wives, and his best friend all have alternating points of view on the dynamics of the family and this wild request. Lots of history woven into this family drama.

dnf

unfortunately i just found this to be boring and was not motivated to read on further. i'm starting to think it's a pet peeve of mine when grown adults are fighting over things like children in books.

i received a copy of this book from the publisher and netgalley.

The Family Recipe is Carolyn Huynh’s sophomore novel and similar to Huynh’s debut work, The Fortunes of Jaded Women, the themes explored include family and the accompanying imperfections synonymous with family.

The Family Recipe is heartfelt, humorous and the story of one family, found or otherwise. It is an exploration of community within family, within race, specifically Vietnamese and the bonds of immigrant communities too.

The story follows the Tran siblings as they compete in their father, Duc Tran’s dramatic inheritance game in a high stakes challenge to win it all. This game features 4 sandwich shops that need to be revamped with the first sibling to make their store successful the winner or a wedding for the fifth and only male heir.

Along the way, the siblings must confront truths they’ve been avoiding and discover the essence of what family means to each of them while also working through generational trauma and trying to understand their parents.

Huynh writes families so well! The Family Recipe is both entertaining and poignant.

The story also weaves chapters of Vietnamese immigrant history and their abhorrent treatment.

I did enjoy Huynh’s debut more but The Family Recipe is a great read!

Thank you @atriabooks for providing me with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! This title is available now.

I am giving this book 5 stars. I was unable to read it during the time I was granted access due to NG disabling options for Kobo users. I will come back to it, as I loved "The Fortunes of Jaded Women" by Carolyn Huynh and I love her writing. I know I will love this one too.

3/5 stars

Short Synopsis: Duc Tran, the founder of the national Vietnamese chain Duc’s Sandwiches, is retiring. In order for his five estranged children to get their inheritance, they must revive failing shops in Little Saigon locations. As for his firstborn son, he needs to get married within a year.

This family drama book kept me intrigued as we followed the 5 siblings, their mom and stepmom as they figure out who they are, who get the fathers inheritance, and what they will do to get the money.

I enjoyed this book but had a hard time getting really invested in the characters because there were so many for about 300 pages. I loved the beginning of each person's section so I could learn about what they would do in the city they were placed and how far they would go to try to earn the inheritance. I struggled with the ending feeling a bit rushed.

Read this book if you like:
-family drama books
-a bit of mystery
-full cast of characters
-multi-generational stories

The Family Recipe by Carolyn Huynh is a warm, witty, and heartfelt exploration of family, culture, and identity within a Vietnamese-American diaspora. The story follows the Tran siblings—four sisters and their brother—each tasked with reviving a Duc’s Sandwiches franchise in different cities to earn their inheritance. It serves up a generous helping of heart—anchored in Vietnamese-American culture—with enough humor, familial tension, and emotional insight to satisfy readers who appreciate smart, layered storytelling. Highly recommended for fans of multigenerational family dramas with a flavorful cultural twist.

A touching exploration of family, food, and identity. The novel does a beautiful job weaving Vietnamese heritage into the narrative. The writing shines most when it explores intergenerational dynamics and the emotional weight of tradition.

The pacing felt uneven at times, with certain plot points feeling rushed while others dragged. The rivaling points of view were a bit confusing at times and made it hard to connect with some of the characters. Some characters could have used more development, and a few emotional moments didn’t land as powerfully as they could have.

Overall, it’s a warm read and definitely worth trying.

This was OK. Just felt like a lot of unnecessary trauma on this whole family. I struggled with the Vietnamese names, but I realize thats a personal problem. I was able to get the audiobook but it sounded like they just added in all the names after the fact and they felt very disjointed from the sentences. Story was ok, I was was glad they all got their acts together at the end.

The Family Recipe by Caroline Huynh
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was super excited to read Caroline Huynh’s recent novel since I enjoyed her debut novel, The Fortunes of Jaded Women.
The Family Recipe is story of family drama, generational trauma, historical fiction (Vietnamese fishermen in Texas) and a bit of mystery. It touches on so many topics - dysfunctional family relationships, the struggles and hardships of immigrants (Vietnamese), depression, sacrifice, identity and love. Wow when I put it that way, it sounds like a heavy novel. But Huynh does a pretty good job of making it more lighthearted with some laugh out loud moments.
Duc the owner of the famous bánh mi chains announces his retirement plans to his 5 children (who are in their 20s-30s and so different from one another). His “retirement plan”is more of an inheritance competition. Duc assigns each of his 4 daughters a sandwich shop in different states to revitalize for one year. However if his first born- Jude gets married first then he will win all the inheritance. As each child accepts his challenge, they each learn a little more about who they are and reflect on their childhood (their mom who left and their unsupportive father). If you enjoy family drama, generational trauma this book is for you! And if you like bánh mi, as much as I do, you will find yourself craving bánh mi for days! Thank you to @atriabooks @netgalley and @carolynkhuynh for the advanced ebook of The Family Recipe.