FINE, I’M A TERRIBLE PERSON

This big-hearted, mother-daughter story is filled with all of the love and hilarity only our closest family can bring out! Leyla, a Marin County mom pressured to perfection by her wealthy community, suspects her husband is having an affair and follows him to a Los Angeles cannabis conference. Meanwhile, Leyla’s eccentric mother Aurora is hatching a scheme to cash in on an inheritance that may or may not be waiting for her in LA. Their missions converge into a road trip filled with hijinks that may just bring them closer - if they can survive each other!

I laughed so much with (and at) these two ladies that I missed them when I finished this book. Zany Aurora and neurotic Leyla were a perfect counterbalance, driving each other mad but with unconditional love just beneath the surface. Woven through their escapades was a shared heritage: their family are Sephardic Jews from Rhodes, and their language, food and traditions were some of my favorite parts of the story. Alongside the comedy was a thoughtful exploration of trust — and a gentle reminder to let go of unimportant things that keep us captive within ourselves.

This book had so much wonderful Sephardic cooking, but the highlight was the borakes, a crispy, cheesy turnover-like pastry Leyla’s kids learn to make from scratch. They are beyond addictive, with their sesame seeds outside and three kinds of cheese inside! Can’t wait to make these bebes again, and I’ll be thinking of this mother-daughter duo when I do.