Family Reservations by Liza Palmer starts with a simple premise. Three daughters, one culinary legacy up for grabs. Who is going to take it?

Turns out, it’s not that simple. At Maren Winter’s annual New Years Eve party, a line is crossed and one is cast out. From there, it becomes a story of family pitted against each other as each of the daughters explore who they are and what they actually want out of life. Do they actually want Maren’s legacy, or is another path more alluring.

I was very intrigued by the premise, but I felt like the execution was lacking a bit. I think it would have benefited from having some POV chapter markers as this book jumps from POV to POV quite a bit, sometimes even in the same chapter. The story itself is fleshed out, but I also felt it was lacking a bit of character development. It feels like we learn only what is needed about the characters, but I wanted a bit more than that.

Overall, I liked the story, but it just left me wanting a bit more in the execution and the character development.

Oooh, I enjoyed this juicy, dark, and tense family drama. Inspired by King Lear, FAMILY RESERVATIONS follows the Winter family, headed by matriarch Maren Winter, who heads up the prestigious Northern Trade restaurant. Maren is a giant in the industry. She's ruthless, cutthroat, and at least was an innovator. On New Year's Eve, perceiving a threat to her legacy from her youngest daughter, she fires her publicly and suddenly. And from there, we watch the Winter women implode on themselves.

I was thoroughly entertained and also pleasantly surprised when the book took a turn to some authentic discussions of mental health and efforts toward healing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free review copy of this book!

Succession meets the culinary world. The three daughters of Marin Winters must manoeuvre the antics of their egocentric mother. These women are manipulative, scared, selfish people. Nothing really to like about any of them, This is a treatise on family dynamics and the effect it has on mental health. I love hating these people.

I’ve been a big fan of Liza Palmer’s since reading Conversations with the Fat Girl in 2007 (and reading everything she’s written since), so was very excited to see that she had a new book, Family Reservations. Even before reading the first page, I thought I would love it, because it checked off some of my favorite things: Northern California setting, foodie/restaurant/culinary focus, family drama, and power struggles.

I did love this book, but for the first time I can remember, I completely disliked the four main characters—three daughters and their mother. I kept hoping for some redeeming qualities (especially in the mother, Maren Winter, a world-famous chef/cookbook writer/restauranteur/head of a culinary empire, who is also a self-absorbed narcissist and control freak, especially in manipulating her daughters, all of whom work for the family’s organization, the Winter Group). Two of the daughters, Sloane and Jules, were deceitful, egotistical, and flat-out liars who would turn on anyone, including their own mother and siblings, to push their own agendas. Alas, at the end, I still didn’t much like any of them, but for me, the one who fared the best was the youngest and the most talented, Athena. As the story begins, Athena is the head chef at the family’s flagship restaurant, Northern Trade. She is brilliant yet suffers from nearly debilitating self-doubt and anxiety. There was a lot written about this part of her life, and since I was rooting for her, I wanted to move beyond that aspect. She also showed the most growth and self-discovery of any of the siblings.

There were also a few secondary characters that I really enjoyed, including another chef and his wife, a journalist, and another culinary superstar. No spoilers here. What I will say is that there is some spot on dialogue and brutally raw interactions that kept me going and going until the end, and even saying out loud, “YES!” when a character got what I thought they deserved.
Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

From the first chapter, this book immediately reeled me in!

A story about family dynamics and learning to leave the shadow of a super successful mother, I enjoyed learning about each of the Winter sisters.

Athena’s anxiety was so relatable in the way she felt and seeing her experience anxiety attacks was very realistic to how I feel with mine. It’s nice to see some awareness on that.

Maren Winter was so hard to like but she’s so successful in a man run world that it’s hard not to also applaud her at times too.

I do wish we could have seen the relationship dynamics be worked on at the end of the book and see if the healing journey led to a more healthy relationship.

Overall, absolutely recommend this book!

Thank you Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley and Liza Palmer for the ARC!

What a great read! Probably a 4.5 ⭐️ rating if I had that option.

Family drama, a la Succession, but with a matriarch, Maren Winter, and her three daughters, Sloane, Jules, and Athena trying to take over the family restaurant dynasty.

The novel is told in all of the different characters’ perspectives and each one has a secret and a story to tell, obviously creating more family drama.

As Maren Winter is aging, she feels that she is being pushed out of the head of the family restaurant group that she created from the bones up, while being one of the few successful female head chefs in the industry.

In the meantime, each of the daughters has their own agenda for the future of the family restaurant, creating much animosity and competition.

By the conclusion, each family member has been put in a place to do some deep soul searching to make positive changes for each of their futures. Do they want to stay a part of the family restaurant? Do they want to take on new opportunities? Have the family secrets caused a permanent divide in the mother/daughter relationships and the sisters’ relationships? Only time will tell.

The story flows well between all the characters and their personal lives and drama. And I loved the full character development of Maren Winter and her daughters. Each of their stories were a delight to read. Even through heartbreak and secrets, the family bond will shine through in the end.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC of Family Reservations and for the opportunity to share my review.
#NetGalley #FamilyReservations #Goodreads

The Winter family: led by the matriarch Maren and her three daughters Athena, Sloane, and Jules (Julienne meaning the type of cut) are a world famous culinary family.
Who will succeed the Northern California restaurant company is the main focal point of this book and by chapter two, I could not stomach this family. There’s no love, and for no reason. Why is Maren such a horrible mother? Why does she fire her famous head chef daughter Athena on New Year’s Eve over a pork chop?

Loved the premise, hated the execution. Not a single likable character. Ended up skipping to the end.

Had a hard time staying in this book. The mother was absolutely awful, which made this not an enjoyable read for me. The premise sounded well, and started off alright, but then it just took a nose five and made it hard to believe and hard to read.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I adored this book! I'm so happy an ad appeared when I was scrolling Facebook. I didn't become aware of this book until it was published. Fortunately I was still able to get an ARC & read it before it gets archived.

I went into the book blind. I figured it had to do with a family and eating.

Turns out, it's another very well-written book about sibling dynamics and their relationships with their talented mother. Maren Winters built a multimillion dollar culinary empire as a single woman over a span of 45 years. In her mid 70s, her daughters believe it's time for retire and each wants to be spotlighted as their mom's legacy.

This book reminds me a lot of one of my favorite television shows Brothers & Sisters. Part of the reason is that California is the setting for both. When I really enjoy a book. I think of what actors would play them. Meryl Streep would play the matriarch. Sally Fields or Martha Stewart could also be cast in the role. Calista Flockhart or the actress who played the other sister---her name may have been Teddi--- would be Sloane. Middle child Jules was described as being blonde but I pictured the actress who played Jules in All My Children purely based on that being her name. Athena would be Antonia rom TV Foodnetwork.

"The 4 Winters Women could not be more different, yet mirror and move with one another, signaling to everyone they're family."

How can you not love a book centering around lies manipulation and backstabbing among family members.

"A great story is only as epic as your own heroic role in it." All of these flawed characters found a way into my mind and heart.

I really hope Family Reservations creates more buzz. It's too delicious a book for readers to miss.

The Winters Sisters, each with a life dedicated to preserving the legacy of Maren Winter. Maren Winter has forged her legacy at a time when women were not recognized as capable of leading a kitchen staff. Maren changed that belief, at the expense of her three daughters. Her daughters have gathered at New Years Eve. Labelled as a Friends and Family celebration , Maren commandeers the spotlight only to fire her acclaimed chef Athena , who is also her youngest daughter. A simple menu change leaves her youngest adrift, humiliated and suffering panic attacks. Jules Winter loves the image she has curated, an adoring husband, an enviable position in the family business. The middle daughter was always looking to capitalize on that moment when Maren is caught in a weak position. Sloane , the oldest, has set the tone, kept the sisters on track, and along with Jules is working to oust their institutions known as Maren Winter. Invited to the party is a reporter famous for her in-depth,on point writing. The story of these women , their examination of lives lived in the shadow of a woman forced to reconcile a glorious past with a broken future.

I really enjoyed this clever retelling of King Lear. Set in the modern day, with a culinary empire. A novel that mixes family drama and food! I enjoyed the set up and getting to know all the major players- matriarch Maren, and her three daughters. Sloane, the business manager, Jules, the influencer and Athena, the chef and main rival. I was torn between admiring Maren for all her achievements in a world traditionally dominated by men and actively disliking her as she was quite cruel to her daughters and very narcissistic.

Sisters Sloane and Jules, I did find unlikeable at times but could empathize with them both as they were both often underestimated. I related most to Athena, the talented chef whose rising star seemed to threaten her mother. I found her more real, reflective and liked that despite her talent she was keen to stay out of the spotlight. I loved the way her rivals took her in and rallied around her she was fired. The descriptions and writing was beautiful and I really found myself getting lost in all the tricky family dynamics- mother and daughter and then between the different sisters. So much to unpack! I’m keen to read more by Liza.

📖 34 / 100 in 2024
✍️ Contemporary Fiction
⭐️ 5 stars

Family Reservations by Liza Palmer

for readers who enjoy ....

dreaming of opening a restaurant, journalistic exposes, pork chops, panic attacks, awards shows, family-run business, deception, Northern California, women competing against women, narcissistic mothers, wine, power, New Year’s Eve, gossip, food influencers, and kouign-amann pastries

(Thank you to @netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advance digital ARC copy!)

Matriarch Maren (award-winning chef and egocentric restaurateur) and her cadre of dutiful daughters - Sloane, Athena, and Jules - deceive and disappoint each other somewhat discretely, until one well-written article makes what was once private very public.

Moody, dark and deeply dramatic in a way that I did not want to end. While outside of my typical genre, I was drawn to this book and entranced from the beginning to the final pages.

Maybe it’s the fact I don’t have any siblings that I was so willing to believe these three were this awful to each other, or maybe just the fact that the example that was set for them by Maren was convincingly bleak.

It’s a skill to make me care about an entire cast of unlikeable characters (except a sister-in-law and a few celebrity chef friends) and it’s made me want to read all of Liza Palmer’s back catalogue. There was not a whiff of a romantic subplot - which I loved - instead the entire focus was on the dysfunctional family drama. Highly recommend this book and pleased to be on a 5 star review streak!

A little like a restaurant version of The Godfather, this book follows a mother at the head of a restaurant empire that her daughters are determined to take over.

I really enjoyed seeing the drama from the perspective of each woman involved. I did initially worry that it would get confusing to keep up with who's who, but it surprisingly wasn't.

This is a book that is perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult and Liane Moriarty.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc of this book. This was my first time reading a book by this author so I had no expectations but I was pleasantly surprised. This book had family drama and strong female characters. This book is set in the food industry which only makes the story more interesting. The book did have a few slow moments but once you push past those it becomes a great story.

Family Reservations a story offering an illuminating view of the imperfections, flaws and complexities that make up the relationships within a family. It follows matriarch and renowned chef, Maren Winter, as she struggles to hold on to her identity as a pioneer in the food world as she ages and how that impacts the relationship with and amongst her three adult daughters - Sloane (the oldest and "mother hen" of the family), Jules (the middle child who just wants to be seen by her mother) and Athena (the up and coming chef who Maren views more as a threat than a daughter). These characters are not perfect, and at times all four of them are downright unlikeable, but that is what I enjoyed so much about this story. It felt real. My critique of this book is that the first 20% or so was a little tough to get through. The cold open introduced so many characters who were all so immediately unlikeable without any back story that I initially wasn't sure that the payoff would be worth it. I'm glad I stuck through with it, though, because the ride became a lot more fun as it went along. I think this book is worth a solid three stars and a great read for anyone who likes their families with a side of drama!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to review this book. I was caught up in the Winter family drama from the first scene. That family had members that could have been from my own! It was very easy to see this juicy drama visually played out. I'm thrilled to learn that it’s being developed at NBC. I devoured it over the weekend. It felt like the author had as much fun writing it as I did reading the novel. It’s my second favourite of Liza’s library. The first will always be Conversations with a Fat Girl.

In 'Family Reservations,' the intricate web of sisterhood and the daunting specter of meeting parental expectations weave a captivating narrative that feels incredibly real.

The Winter Women, led by the formidable culinary legend Maren, are portrayed with such depth that one can almost imagine them stepping out of the pages. The familial dynamics, reminiscent of a culinary twist on 'Succession,' add a layer of intrigue that kept me hooked from start to finish.

Maren's intimidating presence as a mother adds a palpable tension to the story, while each character's internal struggles and external conflicts are masterfully depicted. The author's unique imagery, such as describing scenes as if they were characters with their own planet, adds unique depth to the storytelling.


One of the most poignant aspects of the book is Athena's journey of self-discovery amidst the backdrop of her family's culinary empire. Her exploration of identity and passion for food is beautifully portrayed, resonating with anyone who has grappled with the complexities of family and belonging.


The prose is filled with insightful reflections on societal expectations, particularly regarding women and their choices. Lines like, 'When you have a complicated definition of family, belonging can feel like a fairy tale,' linger in the mind long after the final page is turned.


And speaking of the ending, it's raw and real, leaving a lingering sense of hope amidst the rubble of shattered expectations. 'Family Reservations' is a must-read for anyone craving a story that is as rich and satisfying as a gourmet meal.

Renowned restaurateur Maren Winter is about to open a new venture. At her annual New Year’s Eve party, her youngest daughter Athena - who is head chef for their main restaurant Northern Trade – makes a slight change to the menu. So Maren fires her on the spot in front of everyone.
Her sisters Sloane and Jules don’t intervene as they both have plans of taking over their mother’s empire. They instead scheme of ways to discredit Maren, as a newspaper journalist researches an article ahead of her receiving a lifetime achievement award.
Already optioned for a TV show, this story is an intriguing read about an egotistical culinary star and her dysfunctional relationships with her emotionally stunted daughters. It may not be to everyone's taste but it's lovely to see another title from this familiar author.

Thank you to Lake Union for the review copy! I really enjoyed this novel, family drama, sister stuff, and a restaurant setting... This is just right for me. It all felt very Shakespearean to me in places, the matriarch of the family dividing her kingdom/letting the sisters fight over the family land (the restaurant). I loved that and I loved the layered nuanced writing, the little almost sidebars of insight, the layered development of details and insights. I got very drawn into the setting, the restaurant as a character, along with all of the complications of the family and some clearly problematic behavior from the mother. And yet there was an elegance to how the family dysfunction revealed the characters, forced them to fight against assigned family roles and rules and I really liked how that was developed.

My one note, just me, is that at times I had trouble following who was the voice, that was a bit of a writing quirk as with so many main characters, esp in the early chapters, it was a bit confusing as to who was talking/whose thoughts and perspectives were being shared.

Family Reservations by Liza Palmer is a captivating story.
This book was full of authentic emotion, humor and messy realness than worked for me on a number of levels.
The characters were all relatable and entertaining. I enjoyed the family dynamics and found it to be so much fun.
I thought this story was beautifully written and kept my attention from start to finish.

Thank You NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!