A really enjoyable read covering some super relevant topics
Maya is a well respected lawyer at a small firm in Georgia. When her father, Judge Joseph, passes away and leaves her the family home with a stipulation that her stepmother must be able to remain living there, her world is turned upside down.
Maya’s mother passed away when Maya was a pre-teen. A few years later, her father, a prominent member of the community and a revered judge, ended up marrying Jeanie. Jeanie and Maya have never gotten along and this change in circumstance only threatens to crack their relationship further.
What’s more, is the women are reeling from Joseph’s unexpected death. Jeanie turns to the bottle and sets all her home and parental responsibilities to the side. Her daughter and Maya’s step sister, Ryder, starts to rebel and finds herself in trouble with the police, jeopardizing her college scholarship. Maya is distracted - by her grief, by Jeanie’s spiraling, and by Ryder’s delinquency. She’s so distracted it ends up costing her a big promotion.
The women are in mourning, angry with one another, and bitter that Joseph put them in this situation. But Joseph had a bigger plan and his girls just need to figure it out.
This was a really well written story that covered a lot of heavy and relevant topics in an open and insightful way. Joseph and Maya are Black and Jeanie and Ryder are white and racial tensions were a big theme of the book. I really liked how Jeanie went through some self-improvement and learned that though she didn’t think she was racist, she exhibited micro aggressions and failed to recognize Maya’s struggles and difference in treatment.
I also really loved the dynamic between Ryder and Maya. I thought it was really beautiful that they called each other sisters (not stepsisters) and truly considers the other family. The girls were two peas in a pod and I loved how that storyline was developed and played out.
The novel was told by all three women in alternating chapters and I felt that helped develop each character and allowed us to empathize with their situations. Each woman faced a different challenge in connection with Joseph’s death and I think it was easy to see some of myself in each of them.
Racism, abuse, teenage rebellion, alcoholism, grief, family, and forgiveness were just some of the themes this novel covered. Overall, I found this to be a really enjoyable read and one I would definitely recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley, BookishFirst, and Kensington Books for an advanced copy of this novel.
Maya’s mother passed away when Maya was a pre-teen. A few years later, her father, a prominent member of the community and a revered judge, ended up marrying Jeanie. Jeanie and Maya have never gotten along and this change in circumstance only threatens to crack their relationship further.
What’s more, is the women are reeling from Joseph’s unexpected death. Jeanie turns to the bottle and sets all her home and parental responsibilities to the side. Her daughter and Maya’s step sister, Ryder, starts to rebel and finds herself in trouble with the police, jeopardizing her college scholarship. Maya is distracted - by her grief, by Jeanie’s spiraling, and by Ryder’s delinquency. She’s so distracted it ends up costing her a big promotion.
The women are in mourning, angry with one another, and bitter that Joseph put them in this situation. But Joseph had a bigger plan and his girls just need to figure it out.
This was a really well written story that covered a lot of heavy and relevant topics in an open and insightful way. Joseph and Maya are Black and Jeanie and Ryder are white and racial tensions were a big theme of the book. I really liked how Jeanie went through some self-improvement and learned that though she didn’t think she was racist, she exhibited micro aggressions and failed to recognize Maya’s struggles and difference in treatment.
I also really loved the dynamic between Ryder and Maya. I thought it was really beautiful that they called each other sisters (not stepsisters) and truly considers the other family. The girls were two peas in a pod and I loved how that storyline was developed and played out.
The novel was told by all three women in alternating chapters and I felt that helped develop each character and allowed us to empathize with their situations. Each woman faced a different challenge in connection with Joseph’s death and I think it was easy to see some of myself in each of them.
Racism, abuse, teenage rebellion, alcoholism, grief, family, and forgiveness were just some of the themes this novel covered. Overall, I found this to be a really enjoyable read and one I would definitely recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley, BookishFirst, and Kensington Books for an advanced copy of this novel.