3.5/5!
Sisters Kate and Lauren have a strained relationship. Kate, a journalist for a gossip magazine lives a fast-paced life chasing down stories and interviewing celebrities. Happily married and child free, Lauren is envious of Kate's seemingly glamorous life. Lauren is a nurse on maternity leave and is staying at home with three young children. Her husband is frequently out of work, often drinks away their extra cash, and they struggle to make ends meet. But on the surface, Lauren has everything Kate wants and can't seem to have - a household full of happy, healthy children.
After the death of their father, the sisters drift further apart. Kate was always more connected with their father while Lauren was more connected with their mother. With the lines drawn in the sand and their father now deceased, Kate feels even more isolated. Trying to keep her family connected, the girls' mother, Rose, has weekly family dinners. One night, an unexpected visitor arrives, claiming to be their father's daughter and the girls' half sister. Shock rips through the household and the tension and mistrust grows as the family tries to comprehend this upsetting news.
It soon becomes evident that Lauren previously made contact with their alleged half sister, Jess. Finding each other on a DNA Ancestry website, the women connected to discuss the unexpected relation. But Kate refuses to believe her father was a philanderer, let alone had a child he abandoned with another woman, and decides to put her journalism skills to use to dig into her own family history. Digging into her father's and family's past brings up secrets and suppressed memories, creating deeper rifts within the family and causing further mistrust. Who is telling the truth? What kind of man was their father truly? Will the truth bring more harm than good?
This was a fast paced read that I could not put down. There were a few red herrings thrown in to keep the mystery alive, but it wasn't overly unpredictable. I definitely recommend and I always enjoy work by this talented author!
Thank you BookishFirst and Minotaur Books for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
Sisters Kate and Lauren have a strained relationship. Kate, a journalist for a gossip magazine lives a fast-paced life chasing down stories and interviewing celebrities. Happily married and child free, Lauren is envious of Kate's seemingly glamorous life. Lauren is a nurse on maternity leave and is staying at home with three young children. Her husband is frequently out of work, often drinks away their extra cash, and they struggle to make ends meet. But on the surface, Lauren has everything Kate wants and can't seem to have - a household full of happy, healthy children.
After the death of their father, the sisters drift further apart. Kate was always more connected with their father while Lauren was more connected with their mother. With the lines drawn in the sand and their father now deceased, Kate feels even more isolated. Trying to keep her family connected, the girls' mother, Rose, has weekly family dinners. One night, an unexpected visitor arrives, claiming to be their father's daughter and the girls' half sister. Shock rips through the household and the tension and mistrust grows as the family tries to comprehend this upsetting news.
It soon becomes evident that Lauren previously made contact with their alleged half sister, Jess. Finding each other on a DNA Ancestry website, the women connected to discuss the unexpected relation. But Kate refuses to believe her father was a philanderer, let alone had a child he abandoned with another woman, and decides to put her journalism skills to use to dig into her own family history. Digging into her father's and family's past brings up secrets and suppressed memories, creating deeper rifts within the family and causing further mistrust. Who is telling the truth? What kind of man was their father truly? Will the truth bring more harm than good?
This was a fast paced read that I could not put down. There were a few red herrings thrown in to keep the mystery alive, but it wasn't overly unpredictable. I definitely recommend and I always enjoy work by this talented author!
Thank you BookishFirst and Minotaur Books for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.