The Recipe For Yellow

by Stephanie Ann Bruno

In The Recipe for Yellow, Pia Price, a mid-30s artist, explores the depths of family, grief, and self-discovery as she navigates the idea of growing up, on her own timeline. This realistic fiction novel delves into the resilience and intricate family ties that shape her identity. Pia's journey, set against the backdrop of a house filled with four generations of women, reveals the profound impact of human connections and the quest for meaning. Her introspective and emotionally charged tale offers a poignant exploration of life's complexities, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of readers from all walks of life.

Paperback

Reviews

[Michael Lukens · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Recipe for Yellow is a fun, joyful, heartbreaking and healing novel. Bruno creates a protagonist with a clear, strong voice that sweeps you up from the first page. Pia’s story is one that I believe many will be able to relate to in one way or another. The novel reads as realistic fiction sprinkled with many little gems of insight on life and what we are all doing here on this planet. Many lines from the story I had to highlight to come back to as I felt I could take some wise wisdom from the truths being told. The Recipe for Yellow will have you laughing out loud and possibly even shedding a tear or two as you step into Pia’s narrative. I will be looking forward to reading whatever else Bruno has in store next!

[Emilee LaMaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t highlighted so many sentences in one book in a long time. The Recipe for Yellow broke my heart and warmed it at the same time, it was so so good! I loved reading about the love between the four generations of women and the words of wisdom they shared. Bruno took thoughts and feelings that I’ve had and eloquently wrote them down in a way that made perfect sense. Having gone through a lot of grief from losing many loved ones this book resonated with me a lot. Excited for this author to write more books 😊

[Karen Eisenbrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gentle, meditative story of family, friendship, grief, and figuring out ones own life. It isn’t my usual genre to read, but I met the author at an event and the story sounded intriguing. I’m glad I took the time for this short, sweet read.

Main character Pia is in the unusual situation of sharing a home with her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. While she treasures her time with her family, she worries that at 35, she may have missed her chance to live on her own. While she works through things, her family and two brother-like friends inject gentle humor and quirky details, including several late-night stoned conversations. A lot of the dialogue sounded too much the same as the first-person narration—carefully planned and written rather than blurted out in the moment. But the speeches themselves are quite lovely and thoughtful. I also wish the book included some of the family recipes mentioned in the story! That lemon pound cake sounded amazing.

[Stina Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t know how much I needed this book until I picked it up. Having lost my aunt and grandma both in the past few months, this brought up a lot of grief I didn’t realize I had been ignoring. I saw so much of the women in my own family in these characters and it gave me so much more appreciation of the memories I have of the ones no longer with us. This was such a heartfelt read and reminded me that we all need to slow down and enjoy those beautiful moments, no matter how small, with the ones we cherish. I think we can all relate to Pia in some way, no matter what stage of life you’re in now. We’ve all been in Pia’s shoes whether it was life not going as expected, being a caregiver for a loved one, finding your purpose, or just admitting to yourself that maybe therapy is an option for you too. Such a wonderful read and I can’t wait to see what else Stephanie’s talent brings ❤️

[Maria C · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren’t enough words to describe how well written this book is. The metaphors jumping off the page, causing me to read them again, exclaim YES OMG and reaching for my pen to annotate. I’ve never annotated a book more. But overall, I could really relate to so many aspects of this book as a single female who has just turned 30, and recently had made a big move in her life, while also going through the waves of grief. It made reading this much more emotional and impactful than anticipated but in the best ways possible.

Well freaking done. I look forward to reading more work by Bruno.

[Madison Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to support a sorority sister and read her book, I was not prepared for all the intense emotions I would feel packed in to so few pages. I won’t reveal anything but Spring wrecked me, sobs and sniffles all the way through. Stephanie writes in a way where not only can you imagine Pia and her four generations but find yourself slipping into her shoes through the seasons. A great start for Stephanie, excited to see how her literary journey continues, and maybe even Pia’s…

[Aidan Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every minute spent reading this book was a minute well spent. The strong familial and platonic relationships are not perfect, and the author takes time to examine the nuances of those relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the main character's thoughts on individual growth and the pains that come with that. Excellent book and I hope the author continues her art and shares it with us. Might even have to get a book holder thing.

[Kaitlin Pryor · Rating 5 out of 5]

No spoilers here but if you get a lil emotional…have the tissues ready 😉 I’m a lil sappy sensitive galllly though. ANYWAYS, I loved the dynamic between these 4 wonderful women, each all at different stages of their lives and supportive in their own ways 🤍 Stephanie wrote so picturesque and I was CONSTANTLY in my feels. Cannot say enough good things about her debut novel. 11/10 would recommend to a friend 💛💛💛

[Jess E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie has such a GORGEOUS writing style- I felt so immersed in her world. This is a beautiful story, one that centers non-romantic love in a way that so few write about. I felt these characters emotions so deeply, like I knew them. Her metaphors and stream-of-consciousness style of writing are beautiful and thought-provoking. 10/10 LOVED THIS BOOK!

[Brittany Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. I barely have the words to express just how impactful and beautiful this book is. I’m not one to generally annotate a book I read for joy but I found myself tagging and highlighting dozens and dozens of phrases to commit to memory. You can tell this book was written with such heart and that Stephanie’s soul (and that of her family’s) was woven into the pages.

[Kelley Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut novel was a beautiful and heartbreaking story of a woman who I feel is easy to put yourself in her shoes. I laughed and cried my way through this book and enjoyed every moment of it. I am looking forward to Bruno’s future works already!

[Lisa Crudele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a story that capture’s the love between generations of women.

Heartwarming story of the love between these generations of women. May we know them, be them, and carry the love for many generations to come.

[Avery Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a read !! This book was perfectly written , produces so much emotion and very relatable. And the author is awesome !

[Page Tofil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminds me of my own family with the warmth and multiple generations of women together. A great debut novel

[Kaitlin Alusik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend! This book had you really reflect on your life’s moments, big and small. As a woman, I was able to connect to this story on so many levels and it had me feeling every emotion.