Everything We Thought Was True

by Lisa Montanaro

2025 American Writing Awards Best New Fiction
First Place Winner for LGBTQ+ Fiction in the 2024 International Firebird Book Awards
Honorable Mention for General Fiction in the 2025 Los Angeles Book Festival
Finalist for LGBTQ+ Fiction in the 2025 National Indie Excellence Awards

Los Angeles lawyer Lena Antinori has dedicated her career to fighting discrimination, including for the LGBTQ community, but her own family's secret haunts her. At thirteen years old, she made the startling discovery that her father, Frank, was gay and her mother, Teresa, knew. Fearing social stigma, Teresa instituted a code of silence meant to protect their Italian Catholic family—a code Lena adhered to for decades.

Now, Frank plans to marry his partner, and he wants Lena to help plan the wedding. Lena is torn between maintaining loyalty to her mother and supporting her father's newfound happiness. As her father’s wedding approaches, Lena learns her childhood wounds run deeper than she thought, and failing to heal them might sentence her to a life of hypocrisy and the inability to discover the true meaning of coming out.

Told by Lena in the present, and her parents in the past, Everything We Thought Was True examines how the truth doesn't set you free until you embrace it.

Genres: Historical Fiction, LGBT, Fiction, Womens Fiction

346 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 27, 2025

About the author

Lisa Montanaro is part no-nonsense Italian American New Yorker and part sunny Californian. She has a unique background as a performer, teacher of the Deaf, lawyer, coach, speaker, and author. Lisa writes emotionally layered fiction featuring complex characters breaking barriers and fighting to truly be themselves despite obstacles in their way—including the time they live in and societal stigmas.

Her debut novel, Everything We Thought Was True, released January 2025 by Red Adept Publishing. It won first place for Best New Fiction/Debut in the 2025 American Writing Awards, first place for LGBTQ Fiction in the 2024 International Firebird Book Awards, honorable mention for General Fiction in the 2025 Los Angeles Book Festival, and finalist for LGBTQ Fiction in the National Indie Excellence Awards. Her chapter, “The Brand Called You! Personal & Professional Branding for Authors,” was featured in Launch Pad: The Countdown to Marketing Your Book, published by Red Penguin Books in 2023. She is also the author of the book, Ultimate Life Organizer: An Interactive Guide to a Simpler, Less Stressful & More Organized Life, published by Peter Pauper Press in 2011.

Lisa serves as webinar host for the Women's Fiction Writers Association and is a member of its diversity and inclusion committee. She is also the facilitator of the Retro COLAGE group for adult children of LGBTQ parents.

Her blog and newsletter, Prosecco & Prose, are where she shares writerly musings, book recommendations, and virtual bubbly—both the liquid kind that goes in a champagne glass and the infectious enthusiasm kind of an eternal optimist! Subscribe at www.ProseccoandProse.com.

When not writing, Lisa enjoys cycling and hiking with her veterinarian husband, tending to her garden, and chasing after her rescue dogs. Lisa has enjoyed living snow-free since 2012 in Northern California, where she’s made it her mission to sample the wines of the region.

Reviews

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic, thought provoking family drama. I thought it was so well written and the plot pulled me in and kept me engaged the whole way through. I loved it. For a debut book, Montanaro handle's some tough topics really well. She brought heart and emotion into a story about a family with secrets. Lena is a lawyer that has dedicated her life standing up for civil rights and the LGBTQ community. Growing up, she found out that her own father was gay, and that her mom did know about it. Lena accepted this, and helped keep it hidden. Now, as an adult, Lena's father is getting married to his partner and asks her to help plan the wedding. As the wedding approaches, she realizes how she may not have truly healed from her childhood wounds of keeping secrets, and what the true meaning of coming out is. 


I loved getting both past and present. The past, in the 80s, through Lena's parents' perspectives, and then Lena's POV as she talks about growing up. I just found the whole story so interesting. I really connected to the part of Lena's loss of her mom. Having lost my father I just really could feel for her and her wanting to respect her mother. I just found this to be such a moving book. I can't wait to read more from Lisa in the future. 

Thank you to the publisher and Suzy approved book tours for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own!

[Debbie Rozier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This family drama is told in two timelines and through the points of view of a husband and wife and their grown daughter.

The book deals with family secrets of the past and how loyalty, time, and society can change.

It deals with faith, strong Italian American traditions, and has LGBTQ representation.

It is a complex story, but isn’t that what life really is.

Beautifully written from a debut fiction author.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am completely impressed by Lisa Montanaro's debut novel! I had been wanting to read it ever since hearing about it and I am so glad I did! It has a This is Us feel in some ways. It's mainly the story of a family impacted by one character's secret and the choices they all make because of this secret. Intrigued yet?

The story starts off with Lena's mom throwing a plate of pasta at Lena's dad. This is after she finds out about him stepping out on her...with a man. When Lena was a kid, LGBTQ was definitely more taboo. (I can attest to this from when I was growing up, as well.) So it weighed on Lena much more heavily as a result. Years later, her father is proudly out and wants to get married, and Lena finds that the past is holding her back from being truly supportive.

I found myself getting frustrated with Lena over her lack of support for her dad in the present. I know I wasn't in her shoes and didn't feel the impact of her parents' divorce personally, but in the present, people are much more open and accepting (although I worry things will go backwards with everything happening these days). I could understand her hesitancy in some ways but also wanted her to find a way to get over her past. I applauded her baby steps in this regard.

There was a scene in the middle of the book where she could have spoken out against how someone who is LGBTQ was being treated, but she froze up instead. At the time, I also found this to be frustrating. However, I had talked with someone who has a family member who is gay and they mentioned a time when they froze up during a conversation where someone else was making homophobic comments. So I guess it's not always easy to speak up, even when you truly want to.

I liked going between the past and present in this story and seeing Frank and Teresa's perspectives, as well. It added to the depth of the story and allowed us to see different sides of the story. It made me appreciate what Frank was going through, even though he wasn't honest with his wife and kids. The settings and characters were easy to visualize and I could see the story playing out in front of me. (However, I couldn't find the right fit for casting these characters. Not for a lack of trying!)

Overall, this story was really thoughtful and well told and I still think about it often. I hope Lisa continues on her writing path and produces more great novels. I know this one was personal for her, which added to the amount of sensitivity she put into it.

Side note: Roberta Flack passed away a few months ago, and shortly after hearing about her death, I came across a mention of her in this novel. What are the odds?

(Trigger warnings below.)
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TW: Death of parent, cancer, homophobia

[Evalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as a bisexual woman who was raised Catholic, and I have a lot of complicated thoughts and feelings about this book, which may be trickling out of me for a long time. The prevailing one being: It is starkly clear to me that we were raised in different eras of not only the Church, but also the United States. As I write this review and as the author subtly recognize with the timeline at the end of her book, being perceived as gay or any letter of the LGBTQIA+ community is different than it was before, but not exactly becoming easier. It still feels dangerous to be open and honest, and riskier by the day.

I pre-ordered this book. I was excited to read this book, as it sounded like it may be relevant to my own upbringing as a "gay" Catholic. (Again, reader, I am bi... But was often perceived as gay. And that felt very scary, not so long ago.) I also thought that the work this author once did in the legal field, advocating for LGBTQIA+ people in the work place, sounded neat. I picked this book up on its release day, read 100 pages or so, and went to an event to hear the author talk about this book. I now have a signed debut book which I will keep forever, huzzah!

This book is semi-autobiographical, and must have been quite difficult to write, for I am certain Montanaro had to delve into emotional depths that were not always pleasant in order to produce this art. She cites being inspired by the author Ann Patchett, who I also enjoy. (Is Teresa Antinori named for Teresa Cousins from Ann Patchett's Commonwealth, I wonder now?) She also divulged that she broke her book into an overture, four acts, and a finale to mimic an opera, because a) Frank is an opera fan and b) this family is so dramatic.

Dramatic is one way of putting it, for sure. My favorite character was Teresa, especially when she finds the fire in herself to also be true to her own needs. I also appreciated her questioning of the teachings of the Church, and her thoughts on the afterlife, the very most. 

"But even the thought that there might be nothing ahead didn't diminish life itself. It almost raised the present to divine status. Like life was heaven. If that were true, it didn't matter where she was going or what would happen to her soul after she died."

See also: Her support of Lena when she asserts to her Catholic educators that animals must certainly have souls and also go to heaven. Same, girl, same. You mean to tell me, that my beautiful, loyal, kindest of all beings dog, is not going to heaven (if I make it, and am not automatically damned by my gay womanness) right by my side?! I had many similar moments like this in class, questioning everything as I absorbed it and listening very, very carefully to what I was being taught. 

Montanaro stated that none or her characters are perfect; they are often misguided in their thoughts and actions, and are simply doing the best they can. Their struggles are all conveyed well throughout the book, in each of their perspectives. There are some portions of this book that felt incongruent with the growth and development of the main character, at specific points in the progress of the novel. For example, this quote: 

"The voice sounded like a woman's, but I was pretty sure it was a man with a feminine voice." 

I grant that I may be a particularly sensitive reader, but this sentence felt confusing. Is Lena using "it" as a way of referring to their voice? Because it read as if "it" is referring to the person, when "they" would have been a more dignified, humanizing word choice. Or perhaps the sentence could have been restructured. It is also assumed that they are gay, initially by the homophobic nail technician, even though appearance is not a defintive marker of a person's sexual identity. The chapter closes remarking that this gay man being discriminated against could have been Lena's dad. The point is made, but feels slightly disingenuous. I also remain questioning the use of the term "come out" in this book as it applies to the children of LGBTQIA+ parents, but ultimately cannot speak to that experience personally. 

There is a moment near the end of this book where Lena comments on how her niece finds the experience of having a gay grandparent to be so cool, even going as far as saying how cute him and his husband are. Lena notes how times have changed, essentially. That it is no longer as taboo. The author spoke of this feeling as well, of it being such a taboo or heavy secret to carry as a child. I cannot speak to this experience either, though as Montanaro said, every family has its secrets. I am grateful that having gay family members is less of one today, and pray this continues to be the case. 

[David Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best, most heartfelt and emotional debut novels I've read in a long time! The writing and structure of this semi-autobiographical story is perfect in its use of multiple voices and timelines. The dialogue and situations the characters find themselves in, rings so true. There are no "bad guys" but there are untenable situations this family finds themselves in. It's easy in life to find blame in these situations but the author does a wonderful job of creating empathy for every single character. As a gay man with friends who were married with children before coming out, the struggle of being true to oneself is so often unimaginable that many people can't find their way out. That's as true today as ever. I'm so happy for the author to have found the courage to share some of her personal story thru the voices of the Antinori family. It's enlightening, educational and so important in today's climate for these stories to be told. Bravo!

Thank you to the author, Red Adept Publishing and Suzy Approved Book Tours for the gifted copy, including me on this tour and taking me on this emotional journey.

[C. Jerez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and raw truths!

I loved this book! What a raw and unflinching story about the impacts on a family when a parent finally comes to accept the truth about who they really are.

Montanaro did a beautiful job depicting each characters perspective and the complexities of love and marriage. There’s no villain in this story, only a cast of complex, authentic, and humanistic characters that you understand from the first page.

A must read, especially in todays day and age!

[Leah DeCesare · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching story of a family struggling with a secret. When Lena's father comes out as gay in an era with profound social repercussions, her mother teaches her to keep their family's secret, a lesson that affects Lena into adulthood. After years of anticipation, I was thrilled to at last read this story that is inspired by the author's own life. EVERYTHING WE THOUGHT WAS TRUE is poignant, heartrending and ultimately hopeful, not just for the characters, but for our society.

[Beth Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book engages the reader in a unique story about family, self expression and reconciliation. I highly recommend Everything We Though Was True.

[Letty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything We Thought Was True was quite an emotional and very thought-provoking read. Superbly told in the perspective of the protagonist, Lena Antinori in 2015, and both of her parents, Frank and Teresa beginning in 1968 through 1997. I liked reading the perspective of the parents and what they each were going through before and after Frank coming out as gay. Lena struggled with that discovery at the age of thirteen and even as an adult and as an attorney who fought against all types of discrimination including for the LBGTQ community. In reading this book, I felt the emotional turmoil of not only Lena but her parents as well. That could be because the author herself is the daughter of a gay parent. I could feel the betrayal, the heartbreak, and the love and forgiveness coming through the pages. I have never read a book like this before. It is a timely, brave, and important story that I felt educated me in what families in the LBGTQ community must go through. It is a very touching story. I am glad that most are now recognizing and valuing people for who they are regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Sadly, though, we still have a long way to go. I appreciated the LGBTQ History Timeline that the author included at the end of the book.

I am extremely impressed and in awe with Lisa Montanaro’s debut novel and look forward to reading more books by her in the future.

[Barb Ristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family secrets are painful—especially to those who keep them. Lena is a bright, ambitious deputy U.S. attorney who prosecutes civil rights cases involving gender discrimination. But when it comes to her personal life, she’s reluctant to let anyone know her family’s secret. Lena’s dad came out as gay when Lena was only 13, destroying her parents’ marriage. Her mother demanded the family hide that secret from the rest of the world, and Lena went along with her mother’s wishes all through the turbulent 1970s and 1980s, a period of discrimination and historic events in the LGBTQ community. They feared the social repercussions for Lena’s father, and for the family, if the truth came out. For Lena, keeping her father’s secret became a part of her identity.

But now it’s 2015 and gay marriage is legal, and Lena’s father has asked her to plan his wedding to his long-time partner. She’s torn between fierce loyalty to her mother and the father she loves.

EVERYTHING WE THOUGHT WAS TRUE is an emotional story of a family struggling under the weight of long-kept secrets and divided loyalties. Told in dual timelines from the perspectives of Lena’s parents and Lena, the novel explores the family’s journey from shame to forgiveness and love. It’s a beautiful story about what holds a family together, and the things that truly matter.

[Sher (in H-Town) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent debut novel.

Read in print version. No audio version as of time of review.

The physical book itself is lovely. Soft back with velvety cover and cute, pertinent cover art. Inside I really appreciated the clean organized layout. Font and chapter headings made an impact as to the readability.

Told in three points of view, the storytelling really emphasized the feelings of the main characters. Had it been limited to one point of view I wouldn’t have felt the overwhelming empathy for each character individually.

A family is torn apart yet rebuilds in a new way after the married father with two children comes out as homosexual. The outing happens near the start of the AIDS epidemic though the struggle the father has to fully discover and understand his needs to be who he really is happens over more than a decade.

I love that we know and are presented with the gist of the story early on in the book and do lt have to wait until halfway through to try and uncover some sort of mystery. That said, knowing the gist early on still lends to anticipation for the reader as the story unfolds.

In addition to three points of view the story takes place in two timelines and on two sides of the country. Both NYC and California deliver a good sense of place.

Although fiction, the autobiographical plot comes heavily from the authors experience lending heartfelt truth to the writing. I will look forward to more by this author.

[Julie Snider · Rating 5 out of 5]

In EVERYTHING WE THOUGHT WAS TRUE, Lisa Montanaro masterfully tackles the complicated story of a family caught in a cycle of shame. A gay father, a resentful mother, a daughter struggling to fully accept her role as the child of a gay dad ... it's a lot to manage. Writing with warmth and empathy, Montanaro uses a dual timeline to showcase the complexity of this family's life. The novel spans a period from the late 1960s through 2015. Earlier segments come through the voices of parents Frank and Teresa, both East Coast Italian Catholics. Recent parts of the story are told from daughter Lena's point of view. The result gives readers a deep and well-choreographed understanding of how each character moved through the painful realities of their lives and came to love and accept one another just the way they are.

Several especially poignant moments stood out for me as I read the book. In the middle of the story, Frank, trapped in a traditional marriage while knowing his true longings were for men, has a conversation with Henry, his boyfriend. Henry has an easier time envisioning living an open life."Why do people care?" he asks. "We just want to live our lives. It's none of their business. We're not hurting anyone."
Frank’s response: “We are hurting people. Lots of people. Our wives. Our children … "
It’s very clear that he knows of the pain he’s causing, and the thought hurts him, too.
Then there’s Teresa’s brewing resentment once she fully understands the situation she and her children are facing. She talks with her cousin, Ronnie, who says: " . . . You should leave him. There’s no way he’d get the kids. He’s hardly home, and you’ve always been the hands-on parent. Besides, it’s almost the 1980s. No judge is going to take kids from their mother unless she’s completely unfit … "
Teresa’s response: “I can’t afford to leave him. I don’t want to leave him. I want him to quit being out so much and come home and be with his family.”
She clearly feels trapped.
In the present, Lena is faced with planning her father’s wedding to the man of his dreams. She’s never told coworkers at her law firm that she’s the daughter of a gay dad, and that, too, is a source of stress and shame since she specializes in discrimination law. Giving a speech toward the end of the book, her words beautifully encapsulate what she’s endured for many years:
“So many of us go through life with our stories hidden, feeling ashamed or afraid when our whole truth doesn’t live up to some established ideal. We grow up with messages that tell us there’s only one way to be a family, a couple, a daughter, a member of society. That if we don’t experience love in a certain way, or our parents don’t, we don’t belong. Until someone dares to tell that story differently … "
Lisa Montanaro has dared to tell a story differently. I deeply appreciate her courage and dedication to bringing this story to light. I highly recommend EVERYTHING WE THOUGHT WAS TRUE!

[Bridget Sheppard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely beautiful, heartbreaking, and heart-renewing story. It is based on the real-life experience of the author, Lisa Montanaro, which I know helped the novel come to life while I was reading it. I will forever be recommending this book.
The story focuses on three main characters: Lena Antinori, whose story is told in the first-person in present day, which in this case is 2015; her mother, Teresa Antinori, whose story is told third-person through past events; and Lena’s father, Frank Antinori, whose story is also told third-person through past events (although he is also a supporting character in Lena’s present-day). When Lena is a thirteen-year-old living in a New York suburb, her parents separate and her father comes out as gay. But the story starts long before that with Frank trying to hide who he really is, hoping his marriage to Teresa will bury his attraction for men. Realizing it hasn’t, he enters into two affairs over the course of his marriage. He loves both men deeply, but his Catholic upbringing and fear of the repercussions his true self will bring to his future, stop him from telling his family the truth. What follows is the painful, heartbreaking, reflective, and then uplifting journey of the Antinori family.
When Frank and Teresa do separate, Lena has to come to terms with her father’s truth of being gay. When her father and his partner, Oliver, decide to get married in 2015 (when Lena is in her forties), Lena is still working through the shame and stigma that were instilled in her as a child. Lena goes through so much personal growth in this story, and the last part of the book made me tear up several times. (Especially that speech at the end and Teresa’s journal entry! Wow, Lisa!!) It was so easy to cheer for Lena, Frank, and Teresa. While I was mad at Frank for the lies and the affairs, he loved his family so much, and as I read through his journey and understood the pain he suffered, it was much easier to empathize with him. Teresa was so strong, and while it wasn’t the best decision for her to try to keep Frank’s true self a secret from the world, she was just trying to protect her family, because she loved her children endlessly.
The Author’s Note and LGBTQ History Timeline the author added at the end of the book provided even more perspective and education about the uphill battle (that continues even now) that LGBTQ community members have experienced in the United States. We’ve made great strides, but there is still more to do.
Thank you, Lisa, for this beautiful novel. I know this was a labor of love for you, and you did a fantastic job! I highly recommend Everything We Thought Was True!

[Lucille Guarino · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was so much I liked about Everything We Thought Was True. First, it was the nostalgia of my Italian Catholic upbringing in the sixties and seventies—the music, homemade pasta dishes, the smell of gravy simmering in a big pot on the stove. Instead of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches like my non-Italian friends, I ate fried peppers and eggs on crusty Italian bread. Like my family, Lena Antinori's mother cooked well and was the emotional center, and her father earned the living; although mine was an off-the-boat dad, which presented its own hurdles. I loved the line where Lena’s mother, Teresa, was waiting for her husband, Frank, to come home after another late night. “… waiting for the rumble of Frank’s Cadillac to end the silence.” In my mind, I saw my mother peering out the small window in our living room as she often did, waiting for my father to pull into the driveway after working two jobs. I think this is where I most felt the shift in our families’ stories. Immediately, my sympathies went to Teresa, whose husband was lying to her about where he’d been all those late nights. But because author Montanaro told the story from three people’s points of view—Teresa’s loneliness living with betrayal, Frank’s tortured life, and their adult daughter Lena, still grappling with hiding her family’s secret in the present day, I felt for all of them.

The other thing I liked about this book was that it read like a fictional memoir, Lena telling the story of her parents’ relationship and growing up with a gay father. When Frank could no longer resist his innate urges, he resorted to lying to Teresa. Hadn’t he been lying to himself all his life? To his true self? The way these three characters grew from acceptance to forgiveness was heartbreakingly honest. I thought about the people I knew who struggled with authenticity, worrying about the repercussions for their families, such as my daughter's classmate whose family fell apart, and a cousin who only came out after his father died. I hope they ultimately found peace, like the characters in this novel. Written with emotional depth and sensitivity, Everything We Thought Was True is a perfect title for this book’s thought-provoking theme. More than a family saga…it’s a love story.

[Janet Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything We Thought Was True is a moving, emotional journey through the upheaval and struggles of the fictional Antinori family when the father and patriarch, Frank, is outed by his wife, Teresa, in front of his children as a gay man. It’s a secret Frank had been hidden for many years. The story is told through the eyes of Frank, Teresa, and their daughter, Lena.

The novel moves from past to present and back again. Frank and Teresa take us through their lives as young newlyweds building a life as, secretly, Frank suppresses his natural attraction to men, and Teresa is becomes increasingly suspicious. Interspersed is the present story, told by Lena, which couples her memories of her parents marriage with her present day struggles to embrace her father’s upcoming second marriage to Oliver, and her reluctance to admit publicly that she’s the child of a gay parent. The novel is made all the more powerful by the author’s note that it’s loosely based on her own family’s experience when her father came out as a gay man and her parents marriage dissolved.

Although I’ve had many gay friends through my life, I’ve never known someone with a gay parent. This book opened up a new understanding of the emotional trauma, the work to heal as a person and family, and the joy that can come from acceptance of others for who they are. Montanaro does a super job of making this an important learning experience and relatable story for all readers. The writing of this book was brave, took courage, and is profoundly meaningful.

Lena’s loss of her mother, who she was so close to, was especially moving to me, taking me to the loss of my father as if it had happened yesterday. Lena puts into words feelings I still have when she says ““It struck me how unfair and strange it was that the earth would keep on turning without my mother in it. It seemed inappropriate for the light to be so bright and the sky to be so blue. I found myself relieved when a cloud drifted over the sun and the sky turned from blue to silver to gray in the falling light. All I could think was I’m never really saying goodbye.”

[Lainey Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read - an important book at a critical moment.

Everything We Thought Was True is a dual timeline story, set in the 1970s (and ten years ago). The 70s were a moment when AIDS was spreading, being gay was still illegal, and discrimination against the LGBTQ community was accepted (for example, firing someone for being gay).

This novel made me angry at points. After I thought about why, I realized that’s exactly why it’s such an important and timely novel.

The main character, Lena Antinori’s father is gay, and over the course of the novel, he comes out and leaves his family.

Lena struggles with the shame in her family around her dad’s coming out. Her mother insists she keep it a secret and keep up appearances as a “regular family”.

Even into her adult years, when Lena becomes a lawyer focused on gay rights, she struggles to talk about her father's background and his sexuality. This leads to some conflict when he asks her to organize his wedding. Lena still has not shared his story with her friends and colleagues. Why is that? And why does she still not feel comfortable talking about her dad?

Lena’s journey is one of grace and reconciliation — resolving her past hurt from childhood with her broad and tolerant view of the world.

The author does a fabulous job of plunging us back to the 1970s. This novel gave me new insights into the shame and negativity at that moment around being gay. My anger came from that I didn't like living with that shame and intolerance. More importantly, I realized it's an accurate portrayal of how things were.

Everything We Thought Was True is a such a valuable book, a delve into what life was like before we put in place protections for the LGBTQ community. And a reminder of the consequences if we let ourselves go back there.

Add in a happy ending (I’m a sucker for those!) and I couldn’t recommend more!

[David Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a recommendation from some book club friends, and I'm glad I heard about it. At its core, this is a forgiveness story, for others and for ourselves, as we tread our paths and try in earnest each sunrise to be better than we were the day before. I realized at about the three-quarter mark that this is also a book about grief, not the grief of death, but of those times when life turns out significantly different than we had imagined it would. The protagonist, Lena, a brilliant and upwardly mobile civil rights attorney is ensnared in a vortex of confusion. She learned as a teenager that her father was gay, and she has harbored resentment for him having cheated on her mother, as well as humiliation that her dad is not like other daddies. This is in direct opposition to her life's work, which often involves fighting for LGBTQ rights. She's fiercely devoted to such rights on an intellectual level, but she has suffering emotionally in trying to square those beliefs with what she thought her father should be. This all comes barging back into her life when her father announces he will marry a man and asks her to help plan the wedding. I think a lot of us who grew up in the sixties and seventies have had to come to terms with that sense of disconnect, believing ideologically that people should be free to live their lives as they see fit, while also experiencing feelings of discomfort when that love doesn't look like what we grew up seeing as "normal." It's a worthy struggle, one any fair-minded, freedom loving individual should wrestle until the disconnect is resolved and peace is restored within each of our souls. No spoilers here, but Lena has some thinking to do, and the story of how she comes to resolve her own struggle is both compelling and entertaining. Well done, Lisa Montanaro. You have a new fan.

[Susan Ballard (subakkabookstuff) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic family drama! I had to do a double take when I saw that this is Lisa Montanaro’s debut novel.

Lena Antinori is a deputy US attorney for civil rights who handles cases for marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ community. However, she has a secret that she has only told a handful of people.

At age thirteen, Lena discovered that her father, Frank, was gay. He was having an affair with a man. While this would become what would eventually tear her parent’s marriage apart, it was also, at the time, something she was told must be kept a “family secret.”

The story is told through multiple POVs: Lena’s, Frank's, and Lena’s mother, Teresa. It also jumps back and forth in time, from the 1960s, when Frank and Teresa were just married, to the 1980s, when Frank’s secret was out, and to 2015, when Lena is asked to plan her dad’s upcoming wedding to his partner.

What made this such a captivating and emotional read was that I sympathized with all parties involved. My heart went out to Teresa, as cheating is still cheating, and she was so supportive. Yet the author handled the topic with such authenticity and compassion that it was difficult to take sides. (When I read the Author’s Note, it became clear that she was writing from a place of understanding and experience.)

I was completely drawn into this story. I can’t wait to read more from this author.



Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours and @lisa.montanaro for a spot on tour and a gifted ebook.

[Jonathan Finch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mawkish, Cloying, Maudlin, Everybody Really “Bravi” In The End Say It Loud We’re Gushy Proud
I thought I would like this novel especially after savouring its fabulous title but in the end it left me cold. It broaches a myriad of problems and its panacea is to get over everything and be highly successful, living the American dream, progressively, sexually, proudly. I had to wade through sentimentality, bathos, charged scenes all resembling one another and all ending in stupendous resolution. There was just too much lesbian, gay, bi-sex, trans, queer stuff, all being expertly explained by a moneyed lawyer coming from the moneyed class. Indeed, after wading a fair way through endless pity, secrets, division, lovey-dovey embracing, mawkish make-ups, handsome, gleaming, gay-male love-eyes eyeing the marriage-isle, I had had enough and wished to be back in Marcel Proust’s world where monster-problems are artistically portrayed through the eyes of not the law but the artist. If the law isn’t an ass, then it should show itself not to be. A sliver of American society is held up for analysis, oodling back-slapping praise but I don’t buy it.
Two stars because of how differently the LGBTQ community can be analysed without everyone coming out, falling over each other, rose-tinted spectacles galore, to say how proud and rational they are.

[MP Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

EVERYTHING WE THOUGHT WAS TRUE

Life is complicated—especially when you love your family so much!

Attorney Lena Antinori is torn. How can she support both parents when their secrets and deceptions have ripped their family apart? She lives a balancing act between honoring her mother, with a nod to their faith and Italian American culture, and accepting who her father is, despite societal restrictions. Lena realizes that fighting for her clients’ rights has spilled over into her personal life, but can she release her family’s secrets to the world? Wasn’t it sacrosanct to never tell what was really going on?

This is a story of love and support of family across the generations. Everything We Thought Was True has a clever dual timeline—Lena shares the modern-day times, thoughts, and concerns, while her parents tell their sides of the story. Lena walks the tightrope between keeping secrets and the blessed freedom of letting them go. It is love that leads the way and brings understanding and acceptance at the end.

The title of this novel is perfect! What a wonderful book—heartwarming, honest, maddening, and loving—just like most families. In a time and culture that could have squashed their spirits, this book triumphs! You’ll be smiling at the end as you feel the love that binds this remarkable family.

[Lilliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything We Thought Was True is a stunning debut novel! This book is a family drama that was hard to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed this heart-felt story told with compassion for all involved. Everything We Thought Was True is a thoughtful exploration of the fear and stigma of what it meant to have a father with two kids in a Catholic household come out as gay in the 70s and 80s for all the family members.

The story is told from the point of view of the daughter Lena in the present (2015) and her parents, Frank and Teresa in the past. The alternating points of view and interwoven time line work well to develop the characters, and make for a great paced read. This type of narration also helps one have empathy for all the family members throughout the story. Well done!
The secret Lena was taught to keep impacted her into adulthood, but she is able to ultimately accept that her parents chose to each live authentically, and she can too, secrets be damned.

I highly recommend this thought provoking book that reminds us of how far we have come with respect to LGBTQ+ rights, visibility and acceptance. We can’t take for granted the rights that have been achieved, and this story is part of the canon that documents both the before times just after Stonewall, through the AIDS epidemic, and through present day in 2015 after marriage equality became law in the United States.

[Susan Eisenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisa Montanaro’s debut novel is a galvanizing story of painful growth and rebirth spanning four decades and set in various cities in New York State and California. Narrated in the first person by the protagonist Lena, who becomes a lawyer, and the third person by Lena’s parents Teresa and Frank, the book’s triple perspective brings urgency to the story of a husband’s sexual secret that deeply wounds his wife, daughter, and son. Realizing in her youth that her father is attracted to a male friend, Lena is unhappy but not surprised when her dad eventually reveals his homosexuality and destroys her parents’ marriage, undermining her own stability and sense of self. Montanaro’s skillful plot follows Lena’s journey from confusion to forgiveness as she comes of age in the shadow of sorrow and disappointment. In stark, elegant prose, the author brings a sharp eye to the issue of having a gay parent, and her novel’s resolution is moving without being maudlin. I highly recommend this stirring exploration of what happens when a family member's behavior doesn’t fit the traditional mold and each character must decide whether he/she can ultimately accept the choices of someone they dearly love. Kudos to the author for her compassion and sensitivity.

[Suzanne Uttaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisa Montanaro’s poignant and engaging novel seamlessly weaves together the stories of Lena, her mother Teresa, and her father Frank in a beautiful tale about secrecy, heartbreak, and redemption. Beginning with the explosive breakup of Teresa and Frank’s marriage in 1983, Montanaro’s brilliant debut explores the lies we keep from ourselves and each other and how we try, fail, and sometimes still succeed in finding our way back to each other. Written as four acts, Montanaro tells the story through the three protagonists and moves back and forth between the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 2010s. In the background is the growing social acceptance of LGBTQ rights, and we see, through her characters’ experiences, what this means for people of all genders and sexual orientations and the people who love them.

“We were a family of liars and hypocrites. When would it end?” one character asks. Every family has its deceits and unkindnesses. Montanaro’s lovely novel suggests that the kinks and knots in these relationships can be untangled if we have enough time, patience, and honesty with each other and ourselves. And love, of course. Always, love.

[Goodlittlewitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Lisa Montanaro's debut novel tackles some tough emotional issues. The story primarily follows Lena Antinori, the main character, and her father, Frank Antinori as they each struggle with understanding and accepting Frank's homosexuality. Lisa deftly navigates Frank's conflicted feelings, writing with empathy and understanding, while also digging into the dichotomy that is Lena's emotional landscape of both shame and protectiveness. With chapters from Lena's mother, Teresa, we also get to see the perspective of not just the matriarch that initially lives a "don't ask, don't tell" life with Frank and her children, but also the pain of disillusionment and humiliation. While the emotional landscape has changed somewhat since the 1970's and 1980's, there is still plenty of room to grow and heal. Lisa has taken a brave and necessary step toward letting the light shine on what being the child of a closeted homosexual parent might have been like.

Thank you, Lisa, for a deeply moving and also informative, novel, based in your own experience. I'm looking forward to seeing what you tackle next!

[Chandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heartbreaking and heartwarming story exploring a family caught in the grip of shame, secrecy, and ultimately, healing.

Inspired by aspects of her own life, Lisa Montanaro has written a novel that compassionately delves into what happens when a father comes out as gay in a time and place where being true to oneself carried a heavy cost. When 13-year-old Lena learns this life-altering truth, her world is turned upside down. What follows is a family unraveling—and slowly, over decades, the long road toward understanding.

Spanning from the late 1960s to 2015 and told through the eyes of Lena, her mother, and her father, the story examines the ripple effects of silence, shame, and social pressure.

Lisa handles sensitive topics with compassion and courage and crafts characters who are endearing, flawed, and believable. She nails Lena’s tension between her love for her father and her fear of betraying her mother.

Perhaps what stood out most to me is the novel’s thought-provoking message of what happens when society pressures you to deny who you are.

Brava Lisa! And thank you for sharing an advance copy of this special novel with me.

[Nancy Fagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisa Montanaro nails her debut novel Everything We Thought was True, using a three person point of view/dual timeline story of self-realization and forgiveness. Italian food flies through a homecooked meal, marking the moment the Antinori family is forever changed. Suspicions are proven and passions come to a head, leaving the family’s fabric torn apart. Montanaro transports the reader to the 1970’s and 80’s, a time when members of the LGBTQ+ community risked peril on a daily basis from a new disease and widespread discrimination and flashes to 2015 when the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. The prose is crisp and vibrant as 13 year-old Lena, heartbroken to learn her father is gay, struggles to accept the new shape of her family, one that she protects from outside judgment. Even as an adult working in 2015 as a civil rights attorney, Lena safeguards the old family secret from friends and colleagues until she can make peace with her actions. Inspired by a true family story, Montanaro takes the reader through an emotional wave of anger, betrayal, denial, identity, and acceptance.

[Julie Coder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a thought-provoking story! This is a complex family story, told from the perspectives of three characters: Lena (the daughter) and both of her parents. Like many families, this one is complicated, but there is also plenty of love. While love may not conquer all, it certainly helps band-aid the pieces, and I never doubted any of the character's love for each other, even when the family unit as a whole seemed torn apart.

The primary complication in this story is the father's homosexuality during the 1980s, and how it impacted each of the characters. I appreciated reading the story from different viewpoints, and felt empathetic with each one. Several times, I had to pause to reflect on some of the issues presented, which were further complicated during this time period. I think this is a timely story, and it also addresses universal truths concerning family, loyalty, and secrets. A heartfelt story that kept me engaged and rooting for all of the characters, from beginning to end.

[Cassie’s Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lena is a district attorney who prosecutes civil cases about gender discrimination. Lena holds her personal life close and doesn’t discuss it. You see she has her own secret Lena’s dad came out as gay when Lena was only 13, this secret destroyed her parents marriage. Her mother told them that they are never to reveal her father’s secret to the rest of the world. Lena respects her mothers wish, especially during the 1970s and 1980s, which was a period of discrimination and historic events in the LGBTQ community. Their worry was the social repercussions for Lena’s father, and for the family, if the truth came out. Fast forward and it’s now 2015, Lena’s father has asked her to plan his wedding to his long-time partner. She’s worried about her mothers feelings and how this could affect their relationship. As her father’s wedding approaches, Lena learns her childhood wounds run deeper than she thought, and failing to heal them might sentence her to a life of hypocrisy and the inability to discover the true meaning of coming out.

[C H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything We Thought Was True is a beautifully written book that tells a difficult story with compassion, clarity and candor. The characters are well-drawn and remain believable and true to themselves throughout—something that is particularly meaningful as their experiences are told in dual timelines and span decades. 
 
This is certainly not every family’s story but Montanaro skillfully peels the layers back in a way that you believe that it could be. These are people that we know, with relatable personalities, quirks, secrets, shame, hurt, defiance and—ultimately—the ability to experience deep love in various forms despite great challenges along the way. 
 
Kudos to Lisa Montanaro for taking inspiration from her personal life and successfully folding that into a story full of warmth and humor while also showcasing an often exasperating, intractable family trying to navigate life-changing moments behind the façade of a traditional and predictable family setting they all once believed would define them. 
 

[Linda Zagon · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Everything We Thought Was True” by Author Lisa Montanaro is a unique, powerful, thought-provoking and memorable novel. In this well-written novel, the author vividly describes her colorful and dramatic characters as complex and complicated. The protagonist, Lena Antinori, a married attorney specializing in fighting discrimination in the LGBTQ community, has secrets that cause her anxiety. In Lena’s family, her mother, Teresa has wanted her Catholic family protected from social stigma, by keeping quiet.

Lena had discovered that her father Frank loved his boat, as well as other men, when she was 13. In the present, Frank wants to marry his partner, and would like Lena to make plans for the wedding. Lena wants to see her father happy, and yet feels like she is betraying her mother.

I appreciate how Lisa Montanaro discusses this situation from the point of view from the children of parents who have come out. The children have to accept the truth, and embrace it, in order to feel free. I highly recommend this important and thought-provoking novel to others.