THE FAMILY RECIPE is the quintessential family dramedy with witty dialogue and relatable moments filled to the brim with characters that you can't help but cheer on.

I finished this book over the weekend and I loved it. This story is complex, in that it weaves together multiple POVs and timelines, but Carolyn does it seamlessly. There are five siblings that the story tracks, along with other characters, and usually, with a larger cast, someone gets lost along the way, their story not as captivating as the others. I expected that with so many narrations. But I didn't feel that way with this book!

Every single person had their own journey, their own relatable struggles and triumphs that I felt connected and invested in each person. I have never felt that way reading a story with so many different perspectives before, and it was a joy to read.

Duc is the founder of a chain of sandwich shops around the country. He has 5 estranged adult children and a wife he has not seen in years. When he decides to retire, he gives conditions to his children. His four daughters must revitalize failing shops within a year, but his only son will inherit everything if he gets married. The catch? Whoever does it first wins the whole inheritance

But the store each sibling is given unlocks bigger mysteries, and soon, everyone will learn the real reasons for this bazaar scheme and the secrets their mother and father kept hidden.

Trigger Warnings
Racism, Hate Crimes

Why Kirsten loves it
I love a sibling drama, but I was not expecting to fall in love with this story so deeply. I didn’t want it to end. I loved each sibling’s journey. I loved learning the back story between Duc and Evelyn…and I craved a Bánh Mì the entire time!

Carolyn Huynh's sophomore novel The Family Recipe focuses on the Vietnamese American Tran family, whose patriarch Duc founded a sandwich chain and sets up a race to inheritance for his five children. Family dramas following money and inheritance often focus on the traditional rich white families, and it was interesting to see how Huynh took that story and saw it through an Asian American lens. I really enjoyed how she traced the Tran family's story of immigration and success, showing how the American dream and their Vietnamese roots influenced each daughter, the only son, their father, and the family as a whole. Huynh also brings in topics like gentrification and ethnic communities, as well as family dynamics, estrangement, and legacy. The story is a little crowded with the five kids to balance, but otherwise, The Family Recipe is both smart and compelling, painting a strong, complicated picture of a family figuring out their way back together.

Carolyn Huynh’s sophomore novel, The Family Recipe, is not about the best recipe for a Bahn Mi sandwich or even the “recipe” for a successful sandwich shop. Instead, the book is about family secrets, legacy, and identity with a little history thrown in the mix.

The story is told in dual time lines by multiple narrators. In the past we learn of the hardships and discrimination that Duc, Evelyn and Huey faced as newly immigrated Vietnamese toward the end of their civil war. In present day, all five of the Tran children narrate their journey to win their inheritance. Additionally, their long-absent mother, Evelyn, and their marginally tolerated stepmother, Connie, narrate a few chapters. While Evelyn and Connie don’t get center stage for very long, I found it easy to quickly get a feel for both characters.

Through the tale of hardships and hard work, readers get a small look into the Vietnamese culture. Ms. Huynh has built in poignant messages about mental health, racism during mass immigration from one country and the importance of non-material inheritances.

I found the premise interesting, the plot pace perfect, the characters interesting, and the end intriguing. While it was missing the level of humor I anticipated, overall, I wholly enjoyed the book.

A interesting take on a very dysfunctional family. Though I have to say the characters were a bit unlikeable. And…….there are so many characters in the story, I started to feel overwhelmed.
This was a ok read for me.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Carolyn Huynh does it again with a story about a Vietnamese family - with its history, its complications, its trauma, and the long arduous journey of healing. It was complicated, messy, and heartwarming.

I'M THE ELDEST BOY.

LOL.

First, this is a book review of the upcoming The Family Recipe by @carolynkhuynh, pub date April 1.

Actually, first, thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Second, I haven't finished Succession, so I technically haven't seen that viral scene, but I'll tell you, if Succession managed to pull me in as much as The Family Recipe did, I would have finished it a long time ago, instead of its fate being relegated to the middle of my tbc watchlist.

This book was amazing. I'll be honest, it started off witty, but a little slow, and I was still in romcom mood-head-vibe, so that could have affected my initial interest. However, it didn't take too long to pull me into this family saga of secrets, lies, and a game of inheritance. It's like Succession with immigrant, generational, and diasporic trauma, which made it more interesting and relatable in my eyes.

And I found myself staying fifteen minutes after work, on a slow day, finishing this book. Let me tell you something- I love my job, but I'm not willing going to stay there past 5pm unless I absolutely must.

This book has EVERYTHING.

It's got:

*Succession/inheritance vibes
*Wit and funny sibling barbs and banter
*Eldest son and (more importantly) Eldest daughter rep
*Immigrant history/story rep
*Diasporic history/story/in-between-two-worlds rep
*Generational trauma and struggles
*Food
*Romance
*Some Maury-show vibes
*Lessons learned

It truly was a wonderful read, and so, so inspiring to this aspiring writer.

I implore you to read this book.

Pick up a copy April 1, 2025, at your local library, or wherever books are sold.

#book #books #booksbooksbooks #bookrecommendations #booksrecs #bookreviewer #bookreviews #bookreview #thefamilyrecipe #carolynhuynh #arc #succession #successionmemes #successionhbo #supportlocallibraries

I was fortunate enough to read an early copy of *The Fortunes of Jaded Women* and absolutely loved it. Therefore, I was thrilled to get an invitation to read Carolyn Huynh’s second novel.

*The Family Recipe* pulled me in immediately and each story kept my attention - I read this over a few days (which was a few days too many, I was so invested in this family’s story that I wished for this on audiobook so I could have listened to it while cleaning, free moments, and then getting ready for bed). A family’s life in this story, that you will read with all the emotions - this had me laughing, tearing up, laughing again, hunger (jfc the food descriptions 😍) and it kept my thoughts on it even during non-reading times.

This is only the author’s second novel; I, for one, am really looking forward to reading Huynh’s future works 📚🙂

Full recommendation from me.


”*Which came first - the karaoke machine of Vietnamese fathers?*
*Duc had never known peace; he just accepted life for what it was - that it was difficult ad long, and in order to survive, one needed bad karaoke and snails.”*



Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the DRC

Book 13 of 2025 - ☑️! Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books & Carolyn Huynh for an ARC of The Family Recipe by Carolyn Huynh, in exchange for my honest review.

Inheritance games, as it turns out, is a genre (micro-trope?) I’ve liked since middle school. Pretty sure Mai and I had to read a book about an inheritance game at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton one year, and The Goodwin Games on Fox back in 2013 is a show I think about occasionally, where I remember really enjoying the pilot (and thinking it was cancelled too soon), but I digress.

The Family Recipe centers around the Tran family: 5 siblings - Jude, Jane, Paulina Bingo & Georgina - competing for their father’s inheritance. While the sisters are all given a Duc’s Sandwich Shop to revitalize in a city with a larger Vietnamese & Vietnamese-American population; Jude (the brother) must get married within a year.

This layered family dramedy, with a touch of mystery (family secrets abound), quickly became a 5-star read as I was reading the book. Huynh’s writing so brilliantly balances humor and heart, in the way that so many of my favorite works of literature, TV shows and movies do. I’m also a fan of anything that centers on family dynamics in a wonderfully nuanced way, the way The Family Recipe does. Throw in the portrayal of a Vietnamese & Vietnamese-American characters in a way that only an own-voices author can, and my very own hometown of Houston as central part of the book…we have a winner.

5/5 ⭐️ - would read again, would recommend to anyone. Can’t wait to read more of Huynh’s work - don’t miss this book when it comes out on 4/1/25! #NetGalley #TheFamilyRecipe 💰 ✈️ 🤫

Take this with a grain of salt, as I am a tough critic of family dramas. This one was fine, no major complaints, but I also didn't feel like this was one of those "i can't put it down and count down until I can pick it back up again" kind of books. I loved the historical part - the experiences and history of Vietnamese immigrants to the United States. How they adapted to life in America and how they raised their children, embraced their community, oftentimes with no family. This story follows 5 siblings after they learn that their wealthy father will only give the winner of a ridiculous competition their inheritance. The story follows each of these siblings, in their POVs, in the cities assigned to them. The different perspectives were clear and the stories transitioned smoothly, I just felt that because there were so many POV that I felt like we knew the characters on the surface. If you are looking for an interesting book about an immigrant family over multiple generations, give this a try.
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

”Someway, somehow, we always make our way back home.”

In The Family Recipe, the five adult children in the Tran family are roped into an inheritance game when their father, a “living legend” of a business owner, decides to initiate a yearlong challenge that will ultimately decide who inherits his fortune. But long-buried secrets and lies will be revealed along the way, threatening to unravel everything…

”Here I was, still lying to her. A brutal, endless cycle. Perhaps that is the ouroboros of life, the secrets mothers carry to protect their own, and the questions that children have.”

This was such a heartwarming story of restoring family bonds, replacing old secrets with the truth, and repairing generational trauma. Carolyn Huynh’s characters are vibrant, charming, and relatable, and though they are imperfect, you can’t help but love them and root for each of them in turn.

”Why would an immigrant woman, who came to America with nothing to her name, walk away from a life their own mothers would have traded their souls for?”

The book is a very character-driven family drama, and there is much more weight given to how the “big reveals” affect each person in the family emotionally, instead of using these moments to advance the plot forward. A reader who is more focused on plot might struggle to stay engaged, but I loved it—it reminded me of Hello Beautiful or Tom Lake.

“I may not have a lot but I’m a rich man.”

I’m sad about the book cover. It is cutesy and kitsch, reminiscent of a cheesy cozy mystery. It definitely didn’t make me expect the deeper themes or literary qualities that I found within. It doesn’t match the book’s vibe at all, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see readers pass on this one simply because the cover doesn’t set the right expectations. But don’t let the cover fool you—it’s worth the read!

”They were overwhelmed with gratitude for being alive and present to witness the rare beauty of generational healing…”

——

A huge thank you to Carolyn Huynh, Atria, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me The Family Recipe by Carolyn Huynh, in exchange for a review.
As a loud and proud The Fortunes of Jaded Women (FORTUNES) fan, I was so excited to receive an invitation to read and review Carolyn’s sophomore novel. The Family Recipe brings the chaos, drama, and hilarity of large-family antics, but with an added historical fiction subplot that is emotional and heart-wrenching.

The Family Recipe is a character-driven novel and is told from eight different POVs – the five Tran siblings, plus a few others that I will leave you to discover. For the uninitiated, I imagine this sounds like a lot, but if you’ve read FORTUNES, you know that this is Carolyn’s bread and butter. She is so skilled at taking a large group of characters and making each of them vibrant, realistic, and interesting. There is no “perfect” character – each struggle with the trauma of their personal experiences and the weight of familial and societal expectations, which shape their personality and decision-making. Sometimes they are immature, misguided, naïve, or cruel, but that’s what makes them real and relatable. Over time we see them reflect and grow, both individually and within the dynamics of the family.

Though I found The Family Recipe a little slower to start than FORTUNES, overall, I really enjoyed it. I think each piece of the story weaved together well and I think the flashback chapters were fantastic at showcasing the motivations behind Duc, Huey, and Evelyn’s decisions. I would absolutely recommend this one if you enjoy family dramas and character-driven stories.

Thank you Netgalley & Atria Books for an eARC ♥️

I loved previous book, "The Fortunes of Jaded Woman", and I was a bit nervous that this one wouldn't live up to my expectations. But, oh man, it totally did.
This story is like... have you ever had one of those moments where you're laughing and crying at the same time, and you're not even sure why? That's what this book did to me. It's about the Tran family, and their journey is just so beautifully complicated. They're all trying to figure out who they are, both as individuals and as a family, and it's just... ugh, it's so relatable.
I think what really got me was the way Carolyn writes about food. I mean, I love food, who doesn't? But the way she describes the Tran family's Vietnamese dishes... it's like you can smell the aromas and taste the flavors. And it's not just about the food itself, but about the memories and emotions that come with it.♥️
What I love most about Carolyn's writing is that it feels so honest. Her characters are flawed and messy, just like real people. They make mistakes, they hurt each other, but they also love and forgive each other. It's just... it feels so real.😭
Anyway, I'm rambling now. Just go read the book, okay? It's worth it.♥️

Family secrets and lies. The five Tran siblings- four sisters and one brother- all named in honor of the Beatles, find themselves in competition with each other for the whole of their father Duc's estate. But he's not dead, just off in Vietnam. And the four sisters, who are meant to revive his dying sandwich shop empire, are unhappy that all their brother Jude must do is marry to get the whole lot. The family lawyer Huey hovers over all of them as does the ghost of sorts of their mother Evelyn, who walked out years ago. Each sister confronts a different issue, a different love in a different city, even as Jude signs up to marry Phoebe. And then there's their stepmother Connie. This moves between perspectives and back and forth in time from the arrival of Duc and Huey to the US to the present. It's not an easy story, especially in the early years. It's all about family, though and it's wonderfully atmospheric with characters you'll root for. Oddly, though, there's never a good description of the Banh mi sandwiches even as there's a celebration of the seafood boil and other dishes. No matter- there's a mystery so no spoilers. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A great read.

I normally enjoy family sagas with a bit of mystery, but this unfortunately fell flat for me. Carolyn Huynh’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘦 has an intriguing premise—five Vietnamese-American siblings are called to their Houston childhood home and are told that they must compete in a sort of game to inherit the entire estate of their father, Duc Trần, founder and owner of the Duc’s Sandwiches chain. Oldest child, only son, and directionless Jude must marry while the daughters—ambitious Jane, ill-tempered Bingo, shallow Paulina, and sentimental Georgia—are each assigned a store and need to bring up revenue. The first to accomplish their task within a year wins. With their father Duc currently AWOL, their mother Evelyn absent for the last 20 years, and almost nonexistent sibling relationships, the Trần children are determined to outdo one another and earn the family fortune.

The novel has multiple points of view—the five siblings and even their stepmother Connie. These are also flashback chapters told from the perspectives of their estranged mother and family friend and lawyer Huey. It was interesting to see the story unfold from so many viewpoints, but I feel that the constant switching of character POVs did not really give the opportunity for any of the people to come to life on the page. And it was hard for me to become excited about any of their journeys or curious about their family mystery when I did not feel emotionally invested in them.

The novel is decently written and touches on important topics like racism, depression, and generational trauma, but I struggled to connect with it. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

There's a chain of "fast-food" restaurants called Lee's Sandwiches. It's found in the Asian districts of several large cities, specifically in the "Little Saigon" sections. Their bánh mì is fresh, and they're insanely successful. It's one of the Vietnamese success stories that is referenced by parents (or at least mine).

The Family Recipe by Carolyn Huynh is the story of Duc's Sandwiches, a once-successful chain of bánh mì shops. Duc, the founder, is retiring and has called all his children (Jude, Jane, Paulina, Bingo, and Georgia) home in Houston to find out the details of their inheritance. Each daughter is given a shop and must revitalize it to its former glory. The eldest and only son must marry within a year.

The Tran siblings are all fighting their battles, and relocating to a new city isn't in anyone's plan. From Philadelphia to San Jose, the women must reconcile who they are and where they came from. Jude, the son, must grow up and try to find the perfect Vietnamese wife.

This is a deeply dysfunctional and damaged family. The generational trauma is HEAVY. There are snippets of the past - of how Duc's started. Following Evelyn, Duc, and Huey during their early days in America, living in dangerous cities full of hate and prejudice, we see that their life of luxury was not without pain and heartbreak.

Huynh captures the delicate balance between Vietnamese parents and children. It's not the super affectionate and loving household seen on TV—it's almost robotic. The strained relationships in this book are so familiar. I'm surrounded by sisters, and we all have our own roles—just like the Tran children.

I do wish we knew more about how Duc, Huey, and Evelyn came to America. There were slight references - helicopters, refugee camps, religious sponsorships - but more on that experience might have developed the older characters’ actions even further. I would also have wanted more from Georgia and her time in New Orleans.

These are messy people, sometimes even leaning to severely unlikable. In this battle for money, it's a journey to find a home, to find family, and to find themselves.

Carolyn Huynh’s writing is like reading about my own family. It's emotional, funny, and healing. Her exploration of messy Vietnamese families is something that very few people are able to capture, and she does it masterfully.

Thanks to NetGalley, Carolyn Huynh, and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book has A LOT going on with multiple timelines and POVs and, honestly, I was a little lost for most of it. I enjoyed all the Vietnamese culture and the post-war times in Houston with the clash between Vietnamese refugees and locals.
The historical aspects were probably my favorite part as the modern day family parts were very frustrating. What a dysfunctional group of people! I didn’t really connect with any of these selfish siblings. Yes, they had cause to feel abandoned and unloved, but they all reacted so outrageously and took on their “inheritance game” so carelessly I had a hard time rooting for any of them.
Overall I enjoyed the character development but there was only one character whose arc truly made sense in my mind, while the others didn’t always have a leg to stand. I wanted to scream: “Go to therapy, for goodness sake.”
The abandonment from their mother probably bothered me the most. I don’t want to give anything away, but that never came around for me. I understand there was so much trauma - during the war and post-migration alike - but the justification just didn’t land for me. Maybe it’s a cultural thing I’m not relating to, but I mostly felt frustrated by this entire family. It’s an interesting, quick read. I just didn’t connect.

Gods I loved this so much. What a rich family saga! There are a total of 9 character perspectives, multiple geographic locations, and past/present timelines. Taking all of those aspects into account, with a less deft hand this story could have been all over the place. But Carolyn Huynh weaves everything together with so much care, insight, humor and attention to detail. The plot drew me in and the pacing kept me fully engaged. I absolutely had to know how the storyline was going to play out. So many secrets! So much character growth!

The story begins with what, at first glance, seems like a ridiculous inheritance game among the five Trấn children. All four daughters are tasked with turning around a Duc's Sandwiches shop in a different city, while the lone son must marry. And they have a year to do it in order to lay claim to the family inheritence. What ensues is an emotional journey for all of Duc Trấn's children. Each grapples with their unmet emotional needs, parental abandonment trauma, and the varying shades of Vietnamese diasporic identity. Interspersed between the present timeline of Jude, Jane, Georgina, Paulina, and Bingo is the historical background and experience of Duc and Mr. Ngô in 1980s Texas. They face poverty, racism, alienation, and xenophobia, all while coping with PTSD in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. The chapters set in the past build to a darker and more dark crescendo, adding weight to balance out some of the lightness and snarky humor woven in the present day chapters.

This book asks, what makes a family? What brings us together? What drives us apart? How do you repair a relationship after harm has been caused? This story shines a light on all the beautiful and messy parts of being a family.

Carolyn Huynh's "The Family Recipe" is a heartwarming and delightful novel that explores the complexities of family dynamics, cultural identity, and the love of food.

Set against the colorful backdrop of Little Saigon, the story follows the five estranged Tran siblings as they navigate the chaotic process of inheriting their late father’s successful sandwich empire. Huynh crafts a fast-paced narrative, skillfully weaving together multiple storylines that are both engaging and relatable.

The siblings are vividly drawn, each with a distinct personality that adds depth to the story. The heart of the novel lies in the exploration of familial bonds—rivalries, shared memories, and the challenge of reconnecting. These relationships feel authentic, capturing the warmth and tension that come with family. Huynh's humor shines throughout, adding a lighthearted touch to the siblings' misadventures and their father’s quirky inheritance plan. The witty dialogue and absurd situations offer plenty of laughs, while the deeper themes of cultural legacy and identity provide emotional depth.

"The Family Recipe" is an entertaining and thoughtful read, blending humor, drama, and cultural insight in a way that will resonate with anyone who loves stories about the dynamics, traditions, and cultural expectations of family.

I picked this book up because it sounded interesting. Duc Tran, the eccentric founder of the national Vietnamese sandwich chain Duc’s Sandwiches, has decided to retire and has set his five estranged adult children (one son and four daughters) against each other in order to get his money. The four girls have one year to turn run-down sandwich shops into successful business' again while the oldest, neer-do-well son has the year to get married and make something of himself.

It sounds simple in theory, but as this story unfolds we as the readers realize it is anything but that. As we follow the five siblings over the course of the year, we also get flashbacks to when Duc first came to America following the war, and met their mother, who disappeared over twenty years ago and none of the kids have heard from since.

I think this author shines in the characters. This book has multiple POV's (probably around 8) but never once do any of the voices feel repetitive or a carbon copy of each other. They are all unique and themselves and honestly I wished we had more time to spend with each of the siblings because the chapters with each of them felt too short. I loved the emphasis on family, and what makes a family, and how messy and chaotic it can be. Everyone in here is flawed, and human and I really loved that it ended ***SPOILER********with Evelyn making a real effort connect with her kids while telling Heuy she can't go back and be a wife to him now. Too many years have changed her. And Duc isn't there because this story was never about Duc. It was about a mother and her children. (hide spoiler)]

If you liked messy families, this is the book for you.