Mae has always wanted to connect with her Black family in the South; but since her grandmother didn't approve of her father's marriage to her white mother that family line was almost non existent. Save for the famous family July 4th BBQ her father went back for every year.

With news of her grandmother's passing, Mae realizes she doesn't have forever to get to know the other half of her family. As she takes off to North Carolina to attend the funeral, she gets a less than chilly welcome. In hopes of turning things around, she offers to throw the final BBQ and recreate her grandma's famous Mac and cheese. But as she learns more about her family, secrets are revealed that changes the way she's everyone she loves.

I was super excited about this one, being in a similar position. Hearing her talk about microagressions, especially from those you love and the way it complicates the way you see them was such a great take to read... The first few chapters. It was repeated several times in the same manner throughout the book unnecessarily. 

There are a lot of feelings at play here, from Mae's, her cousin Sierra's and the rest of the Townsend clan. So there's a lot of hot and cold communication throughout the book that feels like it's jerking you around. This gives way to a bit of an uneven pacing, but the story really picks up around the 55-60% mark.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. There were bits that could be a bit tighter but ultimately it's the miscommunication that turned me off. It's not my fave.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.