UnMasked

by Julie Cadman

What if your parents shared a huge family secret and told your daughter, “Don’t tell your mom!” Would you confront the elephant in the room or do nothing?

As the world battles a raging pandemic, three generations of women face a challenge that will forever change their dynamic and family legacy. Jen is overwhelmed as she’s sandwiched between the daily needs of her family and expectations of her parents. Her sixteen-year-old daughter Kylie is trapped at home, missing her friends and her lacrosse season. Her mother Patti feels irrelevant and vulnerable to how life is so quickly changing.

UnMasked chronicles the love and family drama of three remarkable women as they grapple with what really matters.

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 13, 2023

About the author

Julie Cadman is a former automotive and healthcare executive, co-founder of the nonprofit Healing Complex Kids, as well as an author of nonfiction and fiction books. Julie was born and raised in Michigan, and lived in Puerto Rico, Texas, and Wisconsin before she returned to her birthplace. For as long as she can remember, she’s loved reading, and it’s been her dream to write.

She is the publisher and contributing author to Pathway to HOPE 2021 Resource Guide. And she was one of five authors from across the US and Canada selected to compete in an author’s pitch week for When Words Count. "UnMasked" won a silver medal award in the contest. "UnMasked" has also received three 5-Star reviews from Readers Favorite and Readers Choice and was a finalist for the 2023 Readers Choice Awards. In July, "UnMasked" was selected by Publishers Weekly to be part of the July Indie Spotlight.

Julie is a consummate multi-tasker and began writing as her personal form of self-care. She gets her steps in by walking and wearing her headset as she loudly lip syncs to her favorite songs. Her family frequently has to remind her they can hear her lip syncing. She and her family live in the Midwest with their Goldendoodle Kerby. Visit her website at www.JulieCadman.com.

Reviews

[Payal · Rating 1 out of 5]

++ Content warning: this book implies vaccines cause autism. ++

I would have abandoned this after the vaccine thing, but carried on thinking it would get better. It didn’t. The writing is awful, more like a high school essay, with all the characters sounding the same. There’s too much “telling”, and zero feeling. More a collection of notes than an actual narrative.

Moreover, it’s the story of the world’s most selfish family, only concerned about whether they could go on their summer break, or this vacation, or that tradition than the fact that there was a global pandemic. Also, the main plot of the book (about the secret the grandmother kept from her daughter) was never resolved. I wouldn’t advise anyone to read it, tbh.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a good and interesting take on three women in on family. 3 generations. Grandma, Granda Patti; Jen, mom; Kylie, granddaughter. This story or really diary type entries, take you on their journey through Covid lockdown. They face some unfortunate family drama and how they over came it. It was super interesting how each chapter was written by someone else. It really gave a different in-site between the three of them and their ages.
Granda Patti is an older lady who is stuck in her ways. Jen, is a mom of three and one child being autistic and needing extra care. And Kylie being a 16 year old teen navigating who she is all while things are starting to shut down around her.

Such a fun and good book to read. Made me feel like I was reliving Covid again but through three different peoples eyes.

[Reader Views · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Unmasked” by Julie Cadman is a compelling family saga about secrets, survival, and discovering what’s important. This is the story of three generations of females whose lives could be altered in irreversible ways. Set in the time of a pandemic, we find Jen, Kylie, and Patti with their individual wants, needs, and concerns.

Kylie is sixteen and stuck at home, unable to be with her friends and the sport she loves. Patti is the grandmother who feels vulnerable in these uncertain times. And then there is Jen, swamped with responsibilities and stuck between the younger and older generations. This drama will absolutely suck you in and won’t let you go until the last page.

Cadman brings us a rich tapestry of story by way of multi-dimensional and believable characters so real, you feel like you could know them in real life. Her style of writing is easy, but packed with emotion, heart, and weight–every sentence counts. It’s easy to get lost in a story like this because it’s so relatable in today’s world.

One of the things I admire about this book, and there are many, is the frank and open way the author handles the issues that come up. It’s like giving us a peek into the private lives of a family behind closed doors. Maybe you see yourself in this story, and maybe you don’t, but it will leave a powerful impact. These women are strong, each experiencing life in her own way. Young women and girls will be moved in some way. The author is skilled at showing how occurrences in people’s lives shape them into who they will become.

Even though the subject matter is sometimes serious, touching on complex issues, there is an overall feeling of positivity about the book that will leave you feeling happy that you’ve read it. There are life lessons here that you can latch onto, thanks to the ability and sensitivity of the author. In some ways, it could be taken as a form of self-help, but just know that it could trigger some readers. I also think the multiple POVs work wonderfully well in this book.

Kudos to this author for having her pulse on the multi-generational experience during the pandemic, and her insightful way of addressing generational pain. Her book reflects real life, in that not all issues are handily resolved. If there is one pandemic-centric family drama to read this year, make it “Unmasked” by Julie Cadman.

[Mystic Forest Crafts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book I would normally pick up. Since I use reading as a break and escape from the current troubles of the world this wouldn’t have hit my radar if I hadn’t had the privilege of meeting the author, who is a wonderful person, and supporting her.

It is important to note that this book is very real and emotionally raw. It covers some very difficult subjects which may be triggering for some people. If you need to take a break while you are reading to settle yourself or think through something it brings up there is no shame in that. This book could be therapeutic for some and help them to work through past traumas at their own pace.

What to expect:

Miscommunication
Discussion of miscarriage at various stages
Discussion of politics
Discussion of the pandemic, its treatment, vaccines
Representation for parents with children on the autistic spectrum
Difficult family dynamics
Multiple Points of View

Pros:

I truly could see this book being used in schools in the future to help people understand the pandemic and what happened. Seeing it through the eyes of three different generations really allows for a full range of the reactions and troubles people experienced.

Each character has a very distinct personality and voice which leads to little difficulty in keeping the points of view separate while you bring together all the information to see the bigger picture.

Cons:

I know there is more coming, but having an unresolved conflict between the characters leaves so much to question it makes it difficult to really feel the story is complete for now.

It could just be different people having different experiences but I was surprised there wasn’t talk of needing to test before going to see the grandparents in July and in August along with other small details like shipping delays. I could just have been more aware because I was considered an essential worker and saw that first hand and maybe families who could quarantine didn’t need to test as much.

[Meenal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great women's fiction book set during the COVID pandemic.
 
It effectively captures three generations of women in a family. A narcissistic grandmother is involved in her community post-retirement. A sleep-deprived mother is fraught with handling her family of three children. She deals with body-image insecurities after an injury. I feel bad for her, as she is caught between demanding children (justified) and demanding parents (unjustified). A daughter doesn't want school to end and friendships to be broken during lockdown.
 
I dislike Patti. She's a bad mother to Jen but is great to her other children and friends. Jen is the most relatable character, and many of us will see our mothers in her. Mothers are expected to keep going despite discouragement, thanklessness, and health issues. Kylie is a typical teenager who is unable to see beyond herself but eventually grows to appreciate her mother and see how problematic her grandmother is.
 
I like that Jen is breaking generational curses. I wish to meet her good husband, Ben. My one question to the author would be: in fiction, we tend to take certain creative liberties. How did she manage to keep every aspect of the book realistic? Was it a conscious choice?
 
There are many relatable and fun subplots, like businesses closing down, lifelong female friendships, getting a driver's licence, a girl's trip, travelling during COVID, discussions on getting the vaccine or not, Trump vs. Biden, narcissistic parents never changing (this is aptly represented), men who won't cook but won't accept their wives can't cook either, and a mother resenting a daughter for giving up her career to raise an autistic child.
 
I can visualise this being adapted into an emotional movie that will draw audiences to the theatres. If you love books with strong female characters, you need to read this book!

[Julie Zilkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this first novel from Julie Cadman. I appreciated the candor in which the three main characters moved through the unknown of that first year of the Pandemic. I especially enjoyed the interaction between the mother and daughter: Jen and Kylie, as well as Jen and her mother Granda. And I love how supportive Ben was of Jen through all of her hurt with her mom. It made me grateful for my wonderful husband and the gift of marriage!

[Emlynn McDermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unmasked is a richly detailed family saga. Set during the recent pandemic, the novel explores complex family dynamics during a time of great societal change. Author Julie Cadman tells the story through the eyes of three generations of Blake women: grandmother Patti, her daughter Jen, and teenager Kylie, Jen’s daughter. I’m a big fan of this genre but sometimes find sagas challenging to read because they lean toward very large casts of characters. This was not the case with Unmasked. One of the three main characters narrates each chapter, and each woman has a very distinctive voice. We learn about the remaining Blake family members both through their interaction with these three main characters and through flashbacks, and not once did I wonder, “Who is that?” By avoiding this common problem, Cadman has written an immersive story. The novel is an excellent stand-alone, but I notice it’s labeled Book 1. I will eagerly await Book 2, and I suspect that many other readers will, too.

[Kathy Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading “UnMasked”, I found I could relate to the characters on multiple levels. Many of us experienced raw emotions during the pandemic and struggled through the process, this author put those emotions into words with her writing style.

The euphemistic terms used during the pandemic, like “Isolating at Home”, and “Safely Sheltering at Home” have faded from our vocabulary, but the effects linger. This book reminds us of those times and our attempts at coping. The Pandemic brought about multiple changes in our social and cultural behavior. "UnMasked" made me wonder, will these changes become permanent? What will life be like in America in 10 or 20 years? Readers of “UnMasked” will be able to look back at this book as a snapshot in time and get a real look at life during the pandemic. I highly recommend this book.

[TaShae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE!!! this is such a great book! I love how we get a different perspective from the 3 generations! The grandma, mom, and the daughter of the mom! I also love how this book related to our lives back in quarantine. I feel like this would be a perfect book for the later generation when COVID is in the history books. Julie, you did amazing and I can't wait to see what more you have in store for us!

[Bunny LaMere · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book UnMasked had me from the beginning, Julie Cadman's characters are very believable. & spellbinding.

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

UnMasked follows the lives of three women, Jen, Kylie, and Patti, as they navigate both the pressing pandemic and the generational trauma that has haunted their family. While UnMasked serves as a mirrored look into the day-to-day dealings many of us experienced when COVID first hit, it is ultimately a tale of uncovering past hurt and trying to break the cycle of pain many, women especially, have experienced. We get to follow the glamorous grandmother with a hidden past, the teenage girl just trying to make it through the pandemic, and the mother who has to do it all while juggling both her strained relationship with her mother and raising her spunky, outspoken daughter.

While the setting for this novel is one we’ve all grown to know quite well, the true gem is getting into each of these characters heads and seeing how differently they’ve experienced COVID. We get to watch them hurt, to love, to find something new and beautiful despite the dark times they live in. Each character has a distinct voice and individual thoughts on how best to deal with their “new normal”… as well as deal with each other. Each female lead takes turns telling their own stories and I couldn’t ask for a better way of storytelling as it allows us to really get to know them both as individuals and as a family.

Hurt people hurt people, and this was a main takeaway for me reading this book. The biggest hurdle is learning how to be the one who says “stop” and make life better for the next generation you’re raising. A novel for everyone because we’ve all had an experience that can resonate with this book, UnMasked is also about finding healing and understanding Rome wasn’t built in a day; healing takes work and time. The important part is recognizing the need to change and taking what opportunities life has given you to do better.

I highly recommend this book. It’s more than worth the read!

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely read and perfect for readers who love woman fiction.

The story starts just before the COVID pandemic hits the world, highlighting the current issues of three family members; Patti, Jen, and Kylie-all of whom are in different stages of their lives with different ongoing, sometimes trivial issues.

The story is written in the style of a journal, and there was a lot of information to take in at the start, but it was all as a basis of where the story was leading.

You follow the three women during their journey through several COVID lockdowns where secrets and truths come out, causing internal battles and awkwardness within the family.

It's a great read with generational differences, family tension, and personal growth during a difficult, unprecedented time.

This story is extremely relatable to women in different phases of their lives, and also with what I, personally, discovered during lockdown:
My favourite line was by Kylie: "I've learned how important my family is to me."

Thank you, Julie, for the ARC. It was a great read.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

UnMasked is a work of contemporary fiction that revisits the COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of three generations of women: Patti, the grandmother, Jen, the mother, and Kylie, the granddaughter.

The book presents like journal entries from these three women, expressing their thoughts and feelings around their family and their struggles with how the world has changed. Each has a unique perspective influenced by their history, as well as their current circumstances.

It is a well written piece of fiction however, the story didn't keep me engaged. Perhaps that was because I lived it. Life is different today than it was pre-pandemic. Everyone had to make changes, and it was much harder for some than others. Many introverts appreciated the reduced drains on their energy whereas extroverts felt stir-crazy and like they were losing themselves to the monotony. People who lived alone frequently felt lonely and isolated whereas those with families and partners who had to work from home wished for some quiet and space. Many had family members who fell ill, some who didn't survive. People debated the benefits of masking, and the risk of taking the vaccine. It was definitely a trying time, and people were all too keen to return to their "normal".

For this reader, the story was realistic and the characters were relatable, but it didn't provide any new introspective moments, or opportunities to think back on that time with a different appreciation for what it might have provided. It was just okay for me.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unmasked had me so engrossed in the characters’ lives that I didn’t want it to end. I’ve been reluctant to read stories with plots related to COVID because the experience is still so recent. However, I felt this story used the backdrop of the pandemic without making me relive the trauma.

As a member of the “sandwich generation” and the mother of a special needs child, I couldn’t help but strongly identify with Jen who spends the entire story searching for the love and support of her mother. However, I thought that the character development of Jen’s daughter, Kylie and her mother, Patti were equally compelling. How many of us spent time thinking about all of the things we or our kids were missing out on? Proms, graduations, weddings, etc. How many of us were so tired of the lack of socializing that we risked a trip to the grocery store at the height of the virus? This is a story we can all relate to and I know it made me think more about the “masks” we wear both physically and metophorically in our daily lives.

Congratulations on a riveting first novel, Julie Cadman. Please tell me there is going to be a sequel to this book!

[Alison McBain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderfully engrossing book that captured me from page 1. It follows the generational story of 3 women - grandmother, mother, and granddaughter - as they navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic.

But it's more than a pandemic story - there's Kylie, who's a teenager itching to get to the next stage of growing up, but is thwarted by everything shutting down - from her school to her driver's test. There's Jen, who is sandwiched between generations - having to raise her kids, worry about her job and her husband's job, and also please her impossible parents. Then there's "Granda" Patti, who feels under pressure to conform to the rigid societal norms of her generation, and who pushes a lot of that pressure onto her own kids.

This is a book about family secrets and how they can either tear a family apart or bring them closer together, the pressures that families face when the world is falling apart around them, and also about the healing power of laughter, faith, and love. A great read - highly recommended!

[Anahita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hello my beautiful friends and followers 😀. I hope you are doing great 😘.

Unmasked is the story of 3 women, grandmother Patti, Jen mother and Kylie Jen's daughter. Grandma Patti was having a hard time getting used to the new way the world was working as she was a very outgoing person and was in a miserable pandemic. Jen, mother of 3 was having hard time keeping everything in check with online school and online job, additionally she had an autistic child, and she was fighting with everything she had to find the cure for him. Kylie is having a hard time with online school because she was an extrovert and could handle staying at home constantly. The story brings up problems between mother and daughter that were very fascinating to read because I could not wait where it would lead them. Basically, the story talks about the challenges of the pandemic and the way this family fought through it.

Do not hesitate to pick up this book.

Feel free to DM me if you want to talk about the book!!!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is your Pandemic story? Mine, single and classified as an essential worker, is quite different than the one offered in Julie Cadman’s novel, UnMasked. Yet our common experiences during this time are deeper than demographic variations. These two opposing facets are what I found most engaging in this novel, which explores the cathartic potential of having ‘normal’ turned upside down. This is the first fictional work I have read with the Corona Virus years (simultaneously immediate and distant, somehow) as setting, and it is an emotional roller coaster - drawing tears and laughs alike in seemingly illogical moments - and doesn’t that just capture the sense of those years perfectly? Brava Julie Cadman for exploring the window in which we, the collective, had time (too much? just enough?) to critically assess the masks we habitually wear.

[Julie Sikorski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Our book club read this because the author is from Rochester Hills, where we all lived and raised our families. I was disappointed. This read like a journal of three whiny women. Many times it just was restating things that occurred in both Michigan and Florida during COVID. At times it became political with talk of the “stolen election” and anti vaxers…I can watch the news if I want to see that! The one real story, the secret,” was never even resolved. My question to the author would be, is this autobiographical?

[Michele Manhire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book and really hated each time I had to put it down. Engaging characters and realistic dialog kept me wanting more though, so it only took me three evenings to get to the end - and I'm already looking forward to Book Two for even more of this family's story. What an intriguing and insightful way to look at this awful time in our recent history.

[Christine Cardimen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Julie at the Heritage Days festival in Rochester Hills, MI, and I knew after talking with her that I’d love her book! It’s written so well, an easy, enjoyable read, and I relate to everyone & everything: Granda, the children, grandkids, Covid fears, and MI! I’m happy for her success & can’t wait for book #2!!! Christine

[Linda Sienkiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first fiction I’ve read that dealt directly with everyday issues concerning the pandemic such as school, work and social disruptions, isolation, fear and worry, and author Julie Cadman nails it. The story reads a little like first-person diary entries of three characters, a grandmother, mother and daughter, with all the squabbling and family dynamics out in the open. The book opens with Patti, the grandma, that is over-the-top with how fabulous she thinks she is (along with her delightful life and solid marriage) that you just *know* something is going to crack. And eventually it does. Where Cadman excels is in writing scenes when the characters directly interact. My favorite character is Kylie, the typical 15 year old who’s stressed about school going online and missing her friends along with visits with her grandmother. She’s emotive and angry, yet cares deeply for her flawed family. I had to laugh when she blamed RONA (having forgotten that particular slang for coronavirus). This is a book that many young adults would relate to.