Three generations. Two chicken shacks. One recipe for disaster.

In tiny Merinac, Kansas, Chicken Mimi’s and Chicken Frannie’s have spent a century vying to serve up the best fried chicken in the state–and the legendary feud between their respective owners, the Moores and the Pogociellos, has lasted just as long. No one feels the impact more than thirty-five-year-old widow Amanda Moore, who grew up working for her mom at Mimi’s before scandalously marrying Frank Pogociello and changing sides to work at Frannie’s. Tired of being caught in the middle, Amanda sends an SOS to Food Wars, the reality TV restaurant competition that promises $100,000 to the winner. But in doing so, she launches both families out of the frying pan and directly into the fire. . .

The last thing Brooklyn-based organizational guru Mae Moore, Amanda’s sister, wants is to go home to Kansas. But when her career implodes, Food Wars becomes her chance to step back into the limelight. Mae is certain she can make the fading Mimi’s look good–even if that pits her against Amanda and Frannie’s. With a greedy producer stoking the flames, their friendly rivalry quickly turns into a game of chicken. Yet when family secrets become public knowledge, the sisters must choose: Will they fight with each other, or for their heritage?

I picked up this book because of the title–who wouldn’t want to read a book called The Chicken Sisters?

Throughout most of the book I wanted to slap the sisters. Amanda and Mae were annoying, frustrating, and relatable. I actually liked that because that means they were well written–I believed everything about them and desperately wanted them to work things out.

I loved all the flawed, relatable characters and how they tried to work through their issues. Not everyone behaved the way I would have (or would have wanted them to) and I wasn’t always sure where the story was going, and I liked that. Sometimes it’s nice to read a classic romance where you know the formula and you know how it will end, but sometimes it’s nice to read a book like this–with different types of tension and conflict and not a complete happily-ever-after ending but a thoroughly satisfying one.

If you like Katherine Center and Jill Mansel, you might enjoy this book.

Rated PG-13/R for language. Get your copy here!

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