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Getting it Right: A Psychological Thriller
A dying father’s final request.
Two sisters who never knew each other existed.
And a family secret that refuses to stay buried.
Two sisters, shaped by different lives and the same wounds, must confront a truth that will test who they are—and who they choose to become.
When Alex Lawrence’s father collapses, his final request sends her searching for the half-sister he abandoned decades ago. Kara Lawrence has spent her life surviving that abandonment, building a fragile peace that is quickly threatened when Alex appears.
As the sisters attempt to build trust, buried secrets surface. Kara is pulled into a dangerous scheme, federal agents demand answers, and what begins as a search for family becomes a fight for truth—and justice.
As danger closes in, both sisters must also confront something unfamiliar: the fragile possibility of trust—and connection—in the present.
Two sisters who never knew each other existed.
And a family secret that refuses to stay buried.
Two sisters, shaped by different lives and the same wounds, must confront a truth that will test who they are—and who they choose to become.
When Alex Lawrence’s father collapses, his final request sends her searching for the half-sister he abandoned decades ago. Kara Lawrence has spent her life surviving that abandonment, building a fragile peace that is quickly threatened when Alex appears.
As the sisters attempt to build trust, buried secrets surface. Kara is pulled into a dangerous scheme, federal agents demand answers, and what begins as a search for family becomes a fight for truth—and justice.
As danger closes in, both sisters must also confront something unfamiliar: the fragile possibility of trust—and connection—in the present.
- GenresFiction
303 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2026
About the author
Karen E. Osborne
29 books95 followersI can't remember a time when I didn't want to write or wasn't writing.
As a little girl growing up in the Bronx, I told my friends stories I made up, but pretended were true (imagined reality was better received by the audience). I wrote my first short story when I was twelve. In middle school, I'd submit book reports about my own stories with fake author names. Never caught and always received an A. Under my graduation picture in the Evander Childs High School yearbook next to "ambition," it said writer. Marriage, children, and career sidelined my true passion, but didn't squelch it.
Getting It Right: A Psychological Thriller is my newest book. A re-written, re-imagined, updated version of my debut novel. Highly acclaimed by BestThriller.com and Midwest Book Review, it just received a Silver Literary Titan award. It drops on October 15.
Justice for Emerson, a Murder Mystery, received Best Mystery of the Year 2026 by BestThriller.com. A dual timeline story about two murders decades apart, and secrets that won't remain buried.
True Grace, inspired by Karen's grandmother, set in 1924 Harlem, NY, is a family suspense drama and winner of Maxy Award.
Reckonings, family drama, suspense, is uncovers secrets and lies and has a lot to say about justice and families. A Maxy award finalist.
Tangled Lies, an award-winning murder mystery, has a lot to say about forgiveness.
More About Karen
Karen believes in the power of generosity, gratitude, and storytelling. She’s an award-winning author of suspense centered on strong, flawed women navigating family, power, and moral choice.
Karen hosts award-winning, author interview podcast What Are You Reading? What Are You Writing?
She is an Elder in her church, volunteers for organizations supporting nonprofits and serves those in her community facing food insecurity and housing instability.
A native New Yorker now living in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, Karen shares her life with her husband, Robert. They have two grown children and three grandsons.
As a little girl growing up in the Bronx, I told my friends stories I made up, but pretended were true (imagined reality was better received by the audience). I wrote my first short story when I was twelve. In middle school, I'd submit book reports about my own stories with fake author names. Never caught and always received an A. Under my graduation picture in the Evander Childs High School yearbook next to "ambition," it said writer. Marriage, children, and career sidelined my true passion, but didn't squelch it.
Getting It Right: A Psychological Thriller is my newest book. A re-written, re-imagined, updated version of my debut novel. Highly acclaimed by BestThriller.com and Midwest Book Review, it just received a Silver Literary Titan award. It drops on October 15.
Justice for Emerson, a Murder Mystery, received Best Mystery of the Year 2026 by BestThriller.com. A dual timeline story about two murders decades apart, and secrets that won't remain buried.
True Grace, inspired by Karen's grandmother, set in 1924 Harlem, NY, is a family suspense drama and winner of Maxy Award.
Reckonings, family drama, suspense, is uncovers secrets and lies and has a lot to say about justice and families. A Maxy award finalist.
Tangled Lies, an award-winning murder mystery, has a lot to say about forgiveness.
More About Karen
Karen believes in the power of generosity, gratitude, and storytelling. She’s an award-winning author of suspense centered on strong, flawed women navigating family, power, and moral choice.
Karen hosts award-winning, author interview podcast What Are You Reading? What Are You Writing?
She is an Elder in her church, volunteers for organizations supporting nonprofits and serves those in her community facing food insecurity and housing instability.
A native New Yorker now living in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, Karen shares her life with her husband, Robert. They have two grown children and three grandsons.
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October 16, 2026
Getting It Right: A Psychological Thriller is a tale of two sisters. Alex was born into wealth, and Kara to a mother of moderate means. This book speaks to the socioeconomic divide within our society. Opportunity knocks for those with resources and connections—fact. Hard work and dreams are nice, but all too often they are not enough without a financial helping hand.
Kara’s mother dies when she is young, and her father, a wealthy philandering man, does not take her in. Appearances are paramount within a culture of affluence. What other people think of you means a lot; sometimes it matters more than what you think of yourself. These and other hard truths are addressed as the lives of these two sisters unfold.
Follow Kara as she navigates emotionally charged situations while carving out her own place in the world. In this high-stakes tale filled with secrets and betrayal, Kara wrestles with staying true to herself as the FBI closes in on her. This novel will keep you turning the pages!
Kara’s mother dies when she is young, and her father, a wealthy philandering man, does not take her in. Appearances are paramount within a culture of affluence. What other people think of you means a lot; sometimes it matters more than what you think of yourself. These and other hard truths are addressed as the lives of these two sisters unfold.
Follow Kara as she navigates emotionally charged situations while carving out her own place in the world. In this high-stakes tale filled with secrets and betrayal, Kara wrestles with staying true to herself as the FBI closes in on her. This novel will keep you turning the pages!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Karen E. Osborne’s Getting It Right: A Psychological Thriller is a psychological thriller about buried family secrets, childhood trauma, and the difficult work of building a life that isn’t controlled by the past. The novel follows Kara, a Bronx teacher who survived horrific abuse in foster care, and Alex, the privileged daughter of a prominent attorney. When Alex’s father suffers a heart attack, he asks her to find Kara, the daughter he abandoned decades earlier. Their connection gradually pulls both women into a tense story involving betrayal, financial crime, stalking, and violence. The opening line, “Jim Smyth died young, but not soon enough,” immediately establishes the novel’s blunt emotional honesty.
Kara is the heart of the book. She’s caring, intelligent, and deeply committed to her students, but she’s also vulnerable to people who make her feel valued. Osborne captures that weakness in the simple observation, “Being needed was magic dust.” That sentence explains much of Kara’s relationship with Zach, a married financier who uses affection and promises to draw her into his secret dealings. Her choices can be frustrating, but they remain believable because the book shows how closely her desire to help others is tied to her fear of being unwanted. Kara’s foster siblings, Tuesday and Flyer, add even more emotional weight, since their bond carries love, guilt, anger, and a shared history none of them can easily put into words.
Alex’s storyline gives the novel a different kind of pressure. She’s spent her life managing her volatile parents, protecting her sisters, and accepting every new crisis as her responsibility. Searching for Kara forces her to reconsider the father she adores and the family story she’s been taught to believe. The contrast between Alex’s wealthy Westchester upbringing and Kara’s childhood in the foster-care system sharpens the novel’s questions about race, class, privilege, and accountability. Their growing relationship doesn’t develop too neatly. Curiosity, resentment, shame, and genuine affection all compete for space, which makes their scenes together feel emotionally credible.
The suspense comes from several connected threats, and Osborne keeps the story moving through short chapters and alternating viewpoints. Kara’s involvement in Zach’s financial scheme places her under federal scrutiny, while a series of frightening encounters creates the sense that she’s being watched from several directions at once. At the same time, the crisis surrounding the group home brings the book’s concern for neglected children into the main action. Some plot developments arrive quickly, but the most effective tension comes from character. Kara repeatedly has to decide whom to trust, while Alex has to determine whether repairing her father’s damage is an act of love, obedience, or something she’s doing for herself.
Getting It Right: A Psychological Thriller is a story about people trying to face harm without allowing it to define every relationship that follows. Forgiveness matters here, but Osborne treats it as a slow and uneven process. The ending respects that idea. Kara’s life hasn’t suddenly become simple, and her relationships still require patience, honesty, and repair, yet she’s beginning to act from confidence instead of fear. The final reflection, “The past hadn’t loosened its grip. Not completely. But she had,” gives the novel a fitting sense of earned hope.
Kara is the heart of the book. She’s caring, intelligent, and deeply committed to her students, but she’s also vulnerable to people who make her feel valued. Osborne captures that weakness in the simple observation, “Being needed was magic dust.” That sentence explains much of Kara’s relationship with Zach, a married financier who uses affection and promises to draw her into his secret dealings. Her choices can be frustrating, but they remain believable because the book shows how closely her desire to help others is tied to her fear of being unwanted. Kara’s foster siblings, Tuesday and Flyer, add even more emotional weight, since their bond carries love, guilt, anger, and a shared history none of them can easily put into words.
Alex’s storyline gives the novel a different kind of pressure. She’s spent her life managing her volatile parents, protecting her sisters, and accepting every new crisis as her responsibility. Searching for Kara forces her to reconsider the father she adores and the family story she’s been taught to believe. The contrast between Alex’s wealthy Westchester upbringing and Kara’s childhood in the foster-care system sharpens the novel’s questions about race, class, privilege, and accountability. Their growing relationship doesn’t develop too neatly. Curiosity, resentment, shame, and genuine affection all compete for space, which makes their scenes together feel emotionally credible.
The suspense comes from several connected threats, and Osborne keeps the story moving through short chapters and alternating viewpoints. Kara’s involvement in Zach’s financial scheme places her under federal scrutiny, while a series of frightening encounters creates the sense that she’s being watched from several directions at once. At the same time, the crisis surrounding the group home brings the book’s concern for neglected children into the main action. Some plot developments arrive quickly, but the most effective tension comes from character. Kara repeatedly has to decide whom to trust, while Alex has to determine whether repairing her father’s damage is an act of love, obedience, or something she’s doing for herself.
Getting It Right: A Psychological Thriller is a story about people trying to face harm without allowing it to define every relationship that follows. Forgiveness matters here, but Osborne treats it as a slow and uneven process. The ending respects that idea. Kara’s life hasn’t suddenly become simple, and her relationships still require patience, honesty, and repair, yet she’s beginning to act from confidence instead of fear. The final reflection, “The past hadn’t loosened its grip. Not completely. But she had,” gives the novel a fitting sense of earned hope.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The novel opens at a funeral, where thirty-year-old Kara Lawrence watches the burial of Jim Smyth, the foster father who sexually abused her as a child. She has come with Tuesday and Flyer, the foster siblings who survived the same household, hoping Smyth’s death will finally put the past to rest. Instead, Kara remains haunted by memories and increasingly convinced that someone is following her.
Meanwhile, in affluent Westchester County, Alex Lawrence rushes to the hospital after her powerful attorney father, Worth, suffers a serious heart attack. His urgent request is a shock: find Kara, the half-sister he abandoned as a child.
Alex and Kara share a father and briefly crossed paths as children, but they have grown up in completely different worlds. Naturally, Alex soon discovers that finding Kara is no simple reunion mission. The family’s version of what happened contains troubling gaps, and every answer raises new questions about Worth, his marriage, and the decisions that left one daughter protected by wealth while the other entered foster care.
Author Karen E. Osborne deftly turns a family mystery into a broader psychological thriller in which Kara has good reason to question nearly everyone around her. Fans of Osborne’s stellar back catalog will recognize one of her hallmarks immediately: making past trauma an active force without allowing it to overwhelm the plot or degrade the suspense. Osborne’s earlier novels have repeatedly paired present-day danger with wounds that refuse to remain in the past. Tangled Lies used a brutal murder to expose family secrets and questions of racial identity. Justice for Emerson joined crime with issues of loyalty, morality and race. Reckonings made long-buried sexual trauma inseparable from the heroine’s present life. In Getting It Right, Osborne creates an especially intimate story of abandonment, sisterhood and trust. What feels distinctive is the dual focus on Kara and Alex, whose very different lives allow Osborne to examine not only how trauma endures but also how the same family history can wound people in entirely different ways.
The supporting cast gives the novel both warmth and additional tension. Tuesday and Flyer are family in every meaningful sense, yet each has survived their shared childhood differently. Mrs. E., Kara’s formidable landlady, presides over a Harlem brownstone that provides the safety Kara never had growing up, while police officer Danny Waters offers a very different kind of attention from Zach, the married businessman Kara is dating.
Osborne delivers a particularly effective reversal when the stranger shadowing Kara turns out to represent a very different kind of danger than she imagined, transforming the earlier stalking scenes and widening the novel into crime-thriller territory. Meanwhile, Alex’s investigation produces a quieter but equally consequential turn as Worth’s reassuring version of Kara’s childhood begins to unravel, forcing his daughter to reconsider both the family story and the father who told it.
As the sisters’ stories move closer together, Osborne keeps widening the stakes. Alex’s search exposes increasingly uncomfortable truths about the Lawrence family, while Kara’s involvement with Zach grows more dangerous and attracts federal scrutiny. It’s a recipe for a satisfying blend of psychological suspense with substantial family drama, and the novel has something to say about how hard it is to reclaim a life shaped by someone else’s choices.
New and old Osborne fans will agree that she, indeed, got this one right.
Meanwhile, in affluent Westchester County, Alex Lawrence rushes to the hospital after her powerful attorney father, Worth, suffers a serious heart attack. His urgent request is a shock: find Kara, the half-sister he abandoned as a child.
Alex and Kara share a father and briefly crossed paths as children, but they have grown up in completely different worlds. Naturally, Alex soon discovers that finding Kara is no simple reunion mission. The family’s version of what happened contains troubling gaps, and every answer raises new questions about Worth, his marriage, and the decisions that left one daughter protected by wealth while the other entered foster care.
Author Karen E. Osborne deftly turns a family mystery into a broader psychological thriller in which Kara has good reason to question nearly everyone around her. Fans of Osborne’s stellar back catalog will recognize one of her hallmarks immediately: making past trauma an active force without allowing it to overwhelm the plot or degrade the suspense. Osborne’s earlier novels have repeatedly paired present-day danger with wounds that refuse to remain in the past. Tangled Lies used a brutal murder to expose family secrets and questions of racial identity. Justice for Emerson joined crime with issues of loyalty, morality and race. Reckonings made long-buried sexual trauma inseparable from the heroine’s present life. In Getting It Right, Osborne creates an especially intimate story of abandonment, sisterhood and trust. What feels distinctive is the dual focus on Kara and Alex, whose very different lives allow Osborne to examine not only how trauma endures but also how the same family history can wound people in entirely different ways.
The supporting cast gives the novel both warmth and additional tension. Tuesday and Flyer are family in every meaningful sense, yet each has survived their shared childhood differently. Mrs. E., Kara’s formidable landlady, presides over a Harlem brownstone that provides the safety Kara never had growing up, while police officer Danny Waters offers a very different kind of attention from Zach, the married businessman Kara is dating.
Osborne delivers a particularly effective reversal when the stranger shadowing Kara turns out to represent a very different kind of danger than she imagined, transforming the earlier stalking scenes and widening the novel into crime-thriller territory. Meanwhile, Alex’s investigation produces a quieter but equally consequential turn as Worth’s reassuring version of Kara’s childhood begins to unravel, forcing his daughter to reconsider both the family story and the father who told it.
As the sisters’ stories move closer together, Osborne keeps widening the stakes. Alex’s search exposes increasingly uncomfortable truths about the Lawrence family, while Kara’s involvement with Zach grows more dangerous and attracts federal scrutiny. It’s a recipe for a satisfying blend of psychological suspense with substantial family drama, and the novel has something to say about how hard it is to reclaim a life shaped by someone else’s choices.
New and old Osborne fans will agree that she, indeed, got this one right.
September 28, 2026
Getting It Right finds the prolific Karen E. Osborne once again leaving her favorite murder mystery genre behind, but readers need not fear: The family drama doles out just as much suspense, intrigue, and urgency as Karen has always delivered. True Grace has already shown that her ability to embed these features across genres is among the best of her strengths as a writer. Kara and Alex – half-sisters unknown to each other – have led separate lives in two different worlds, though both have always lived in New York. A single photograph, separately discovered by each one, represents the one link between the two worlds of their father, who on his deathbed, commissions Alex to find Kara, the child he fathered with his Black lover and later abandoned – their only link to him being the lawyer commissioned to look after their financial needs.
Angry and disappointed but determined to carry out her father’s wishes before it’s too late, Alex sets out on a frantic search that takes her to the “other New York,” where Kara grapples with remnants of a life gone horribly wrong while trying to make a better future for herself and her foster siblings.
As their different worlds collide, issues of race, family values, petty vanities of the rich, and survival challenges of the poor, rise to the surface. They force Alex and her “real” family to question the lives they thought they valued, while Kara questions whether “her kind” can ever truly escape abandonment, betrayal, and exploitation.
Brought low by illness and assaulted with regret about his neglect of Kara, Worth Lawrence struggles to accept his loss of position and power, but his desire to do right by his abandoned daughter becomes his driving force. Why hadn’t he done the right thing in the first place? Karen leaves it to the reader to contemplate his motives and the internal conflicts of a powerful man torn between responsibility and desire.
Angry and disappointed but determined to carry out her father’s wishes before it’s too late, Alex sets out on a frantic search that takes her to the “other New York,” where Kara grapples with remnants of a life gone horribly wrong while trying to make a better future for herself and her foster siblings.
As their different worlds collide, issues of race, family values, petty vanities of the rich, and survival challenges of the poor, rise to the surface. They force Alex and her “real” family to question the lives they thought they valued, while Kara questions whether “her kind” can ever truly escape abandonment, betrayal, and exploitation.
Brought low by illness and assaulted with regret about his neglect of Kara, Worth Lawrence struggles to accept his loss of position and power, but his desire to do right by his abandoned daughter becomes his driving force. Why hadn’t he done the right thing in the first place? Karen leaves it to the reader to contemplate his motives and the internal conflicts of a powerful man torn between responsibility and desire.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I’ve enjoyed several novels by Karen E. Osborne for her ability to present real and relatable characters. Getting It Right continues as another example of how well Karen understands the complications which define her characters. She shows how family relationships, those created by blood and those developed from circumstances, can flutter between sources of strength and pain, and that the experiences we carry with us forever etch who we become. Her characters feel human in the truest sense, with all the imperfections, vulnerabilities, and contradictions that make them recognizable.
Beyond exploring the shadows of complex family dynamics, Karen also exposes the ways childhood experiences shape sibling bonds long into adulthood, even when that bond appears years later. I especially appreciated Alex, a 100% firstborn. Her instinct to watch over her younger sisters, worry about them, and feel responsible for their well-being rang absolutely true. That sense of responsibility can make it difficult to distinguish where caring for others ends and carrying their burdens begins.
But what stays with me most is the thought expressed at the close of the book: “The past hadn’t loosened its grip. Not completely. But she had.” Those lines capture the heart of Getting It Right. Healing doesn’t mean forgetting, erasing painful memories, or pretending that what happened didn’t. Sometimes, it means reaching a place where the past loses its claim on us. We acknowledge what shaped us without allowing it to dictate who we become. That, to me, is the beauty of this story. Getting It Right doesn’t mean rewriting the past. It means moving forward despite it.
Beyond exploring the shadows of complex family dynamics, Karen also exposes the ways childhood experiences shape sibling bonds long into adulthood, even when that bond appears years later. I especially appreciated Alex, a 100% firstborn. Her instinct to watch over her younger sisters, worry about them, and feel responsible for their well-being rang absolutely true. That sense of responsibility can make it difficult to distinguish where caring for others ends and carrying their burdens begins.
But what stays with me most is the thought expressed at the close of the book: “The past hadn’t loosened its grip. Not completely. But she had.” Those lines capture the heart of Getting It Right. Healing doesn’t mean forgetting, erasing painful memories, or pretending that what happened didn’t. Sometimes, it means reaching a place where the past loses its claim on us. We acknowledge what shaped us without allowing it to dictate who we become. That, to me, is the beauty of this story. Getting It Right doesn’t mean rewriting the past. It means moving forward despite it.
October 20, 2026
Death and hospital bed confessions always make for an interesting read! Alex's father has just had a heart attack and is in the hospital. She needs to be the centered one and get her mother calmed down, call their aunt Peggy for reinforcement and then let her two sisters know. As if that isn't enough, when she gets in to finally see her father he asks a huge favor of her. Find the daughter he left behind. Her sister? How could he have done that to their mother, and let alone a child who did nothing wrong to just be left as if they didn't mean anything and now he wants redemption for his past deeds? Alex can't say no to her father and so she knows she will do whatever it takes to find this missing sister. Kara has had a hard life growing up in foster care as well as being abused repeatedly by someone who was supposed to care for her. Now she is entangled with a married man and the FBI have come knocking. Does he really know who Zach is? What he is doing? What his boss is doing? And now they believe she is part of whatever is going on and have given her an ultimatum. How in the world did she get here, and why are things always so hard. When a long lost sister comes knocking, it brings back fuzzy memory of a happy time with another child. But is she ready for the past to come into her life and possibly all the secrets, betrayal and lies it may bring right along with it? Is it worth it for family and the truth? I really enjoyed this novel, although at times I wanted to scream at the one sister. Thank you to the author and publisher for the complementary novel and to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the invite. This review is of my own opinion and accord.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Wow! Karen E. Osborne, the Author of “Getting it Right” has written a powerful, intense, suspenseful, psychological thriller. In this well written novel, the author compares two sisters, brought up in different ways. Alexa is wealthy and has two sisters with their own set of problems. On his deathbed, her father asks her to find a sister that she never knew about, and help make things right. Alex’s half sister, Kara was brought up by her black mother, and then Grandmother, and wound up in the foster system. I appreciate that the author describes the foster system, where some children are brought up by abusive foster parents, and there are no observations or controls.
Alexa’s mother is neurotic and angry. She was aware of this other family and her husband’s indiscretions. Alexa’s middle sister copes through life with drugs, and her younger sister is confused in what direction she wants to go.
Kara, the half-sister has come from a complicated life. Her true friends were also in the foster home, where they have tragic memories. Kara is now with a married man, and has gotten involved with the FBI, and the law.
There are betrayals, secrets, and danger. I appreciate that the author mentions the importance of family, friends, mental health, love and hope. There are twists and turns, racial discrimination, and danger. There is a hope for forgiveness and second chances. I highly recommend this captivating novel.
Alexa’s mother is neurotic and angry. She was aware of this other family and her husband’s indiscretions. Alexa’s middle sister copes through life with drugs, and her younger sister is confused in what direction she wants to go.
Kara, the half-sister has come from a complicated life. Her true friends were also in the foster home, where they have tragic memories. Kara is now with a married man, and has gotten involved with the FBI, and the law.
There are betrayals, secrets, and danger. I appreciate that the author mentions the importance of family, friends, mental health, love and hope. There are twists and turns, racial discrimination, and danger. There is a hope for forgiveness and second chances. I highly recommend this captivating novel.
October 23, 2017
An apt name for a novel rooted in family ... stepsisters Alex, struggling with her place within her birth family; and Kara, struggling with her place within the family she has created around herself. Getting It Right is a noble, seldom reached goal whatever form your family takes.
Karen Osborne’s first novel is compelling and well paced, with characters who feel real and relevant. I was as frustrated with Kara’s choice of a lover and Alex’s allegiance to her father as I might have been with my own sisters. I found myself wanting to move into Mrs. E’s house with the gang and share a nosh. Each character is genuinely flawed but likeable despite it.
I find myself hoping for a sequel to learn whether Pigeon matures as promised, whether Vanessa comes to terms with her unhappy childhood and possible addiction, whether Kara realizes Danny is her future, whether Flyer recovers his mental well being. So many unanswered questions.
That being said, I found the insider trading/FBI storyline detracted from, rather than added to, the novel. Would a woman as streetwise as Kara be so insecure as to allow herself to be used as a mule? Ms. Osborne has a talent for characterizations and human interrelationships and didn’t need that scheme to drive the plot, in my opinion.
Overall, an admirably freshman effort. I look forward to Ms, Osborne’s next novel.
Karen Osborne’s first novel is compelling and well paced, with characters who feel real and relevant. I was as frustrated with Kara’s choice of a lover and Alex’s allegiance to her father as I might have been with my own sisters. I found myself wanting to move into Mrs. E’s house with the gang and share a nosh. Each character is genuinely flawed but likeable despite it.
I find myself hoping for a sequel to learn whether Pigeon matures as promised, whether Vanessa comes to terms with her unhappy childhood and possible addiction, whether Kara realizes Danny is her future, whether Flyer recovers his mental well being. So many unanswered questions.
That being said, I found the insider trading/FBI storyline detracted from, rather than added to, the novel. Would a woman as streetwise as Kara be so insecure as to allow herself to be used as a mule? Ms. Osborne has a talent for characterizations and human interrelationships and didn’t need that scheme to drive the plot, in my opinion.
Overall, an admirably freshman effort. I look forward to Ms, Osborne’s next novel.
August 20, 2021
On its simplest level, “Getting it Right” by Karen E. Osborne is a story of two half-sisters, Kara and Alex, who circumstances bring together for the first time as adults and who, in the wake of unsettling revelations, must navigate what it means to be family. But there is nothing simple in the story of Kara and Alex. While they share the same father and an uncanny resemblance to one another, each has grown up in very different worlds – Alex in privilege and affluence; Kara in poverty and suffering unfathomable abuse. Alex with a difficult mother and often absent father; Kara, when her mother dies tragically at a young age, in foster care, completely abandoned by the same father. Kara’s mother is African American; Alex’s white and married to their successful father.
Within this juxtaposition, Osborne takes each of the sisters on a journey of self-discovery, richly developed and transformational.
Osborne’s writing is simply perfect, clean, and drawing the reader into the minds of Kara and Alex, with a well-drawn assemblage of supporting characters, each integral in the exploration of the complex psychologies of the main protagonists.
I loved this book. It was lyrical, sad, tragic, and affirming, and it kept me invested in Kara and Alex through every page. I’m looking forward to more from Karen E. Osborne.
Within this juxtaposition, Osborne takes each of the sisters on a journey of self-discovery, richly developed and transformational.
Osborne’s writing is simply perfect, clean, and drawing the reader into the minds of Kara and Alex, with a well-drawn assemblage of supporting characters, each integral in the exploration of the complex psychologies of the main protagonists.
I loved this book. It was lyrical, sad, tragic, and affirming, and it kept me invested in Kara and Alex through every page. I’m looking forward to more from Karen E. Osborne.
September 11, 2026
I’ll start off by saying I’m a fan of Ms. Osborne’s past novels, such as True Grace and Justice for Emerson, and her rewrite of Getting It Right (originally published in 2017) is yet another gem. This is a story of two half-sisters, Alex and Kara, who share a father and a striking family resemblance, but little else. Alex and two sisters were raised in a privileged if rather dysfunctional family, while Kara grew up in an horrifically abusive foster home with a couple of foster siblings. The themes of family and loyalty among people with family ties runs through this haunting book. The plot is peppered with issues of racial injustice, an indictment of the NY foster care system, the grim legacy of severe physical and emotional abuse and neglect, a touch of romance, and a fast-paced subplot involving white collar crime, complete with car chases and FBI entanglement. Ms. Osborne writes in a clear, compelling way, taking us through the trials of Alex and Kara with a deft hand, and keeping her readers of the edge of their seats the whole way through.
If you’re looking for an entertaining, thought-provoking, and satisfying read, you can count of Karen E. Osborne to deliver every time. I can’t recommend Getting It Right more highly!
If you’re looking for an entertaining, thought-provoking, and satisfying read, you can count of Karen E. Osborne to deliver every time. I can’t recommend Getting It Right more highly!
July 11, 2017
This book is a page-turner. It's a fantastic debut novel & mystery. The characters, two half-sisters, initially unknown to each other, find a way to connect. Kara and Alex, are the main characters. The author writes in a compelling way about the struggles the two sisters have had, and eventually overcome. One sister, Kara, was raised in a horrible, abusive (not graphic) foster family. On the opposite side of the coin, there's Alex, whose job is now to find her half-sister. As I read the book, it made me think about how we define family, and how they can help us overcome some wretched circumstances. Along the way, it's a fun mystery as well. You've got the FBI, and some insider trading to liven up the plot and kept me returning to the story. I was touched by the stories of Kara and Alex, and their families. The story reminds me that we can have some interesting family configurations --and those people can help save us, and see us through troubled times. I think the author did a wonderful job of taking this journey and mystery. I would love to read more from this author, and perhaps follow Kara and Alex in further journeys.
Review of advance copy received from Author
In "Get It Right," acclaimed author Karen E. Osborne masterfully weaves a tale of poignant family drama within a gripping page-turner. When a medical crisis forces Alex , a woman burdened by privilege and family dysfunction, to confront her father’s history of infidelity, she sets out to find, Kara, the half-sister she never knew she had.
Kara, a woman struggling to escape her traumatic past, believes someone is following her and begins to suspect her shady lover is involved. When he draws the attention of the FBI, tensions rise and the stakes escalate as they threaten to sweep her up with the rest of his criminal conspiracy unless she agrees to betray him.
"Getting It Right" is not just a story of connection; it’s a suspenseful exploration of betrayal, loyalty and family ties. Join Kara and Alex as they strive to redefine their identities and discover what it truly means to get it right in a world laden with challenges.
Kara, a woman struggling to escape her traumatic past, believes someone is following her and begins to suspect her shady lover is involved. When he draws the attention of the FBI, tensions rise and the stakes escalate as they threaten to sweep her up with the rest of his criminal conspiracy unless she agrees to betray him.
"Getting It Right" is not just a story of connection; it’s a suspenseful exploration of betrayal, loyalty and family ties. Join Kara and Alex as they strive to redefine their identities and discover what it truly means to get it right in a world laden with challenges.
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September 29, 2026Getting It Right: A Psychological Thriller by: Karen E. Osborne
This intensely riveting thriller kept me reading. Every single word and action has a purpose. The well-intended aspect of Karen E. Osborne’s excellent writing is her strong character development. The diverse characters are clearly detailed, and their actions are highly convincing in this action-packed story.
The two protagonists are fiercely strong, and each one strives to get it right on their own terms. They must navigate distinct challenges to solve twin central mysteries in this highly recommended piece.
Lastly, Kara, one of the main characters, shines as the epitome of true grit, determination, and commitment to the truth-qualities that evolve her into a profoundly well-defined person. In life, we need inspiring figures like her to show us how to become truly free and empowered.
In the end, the question remains; Why stumble through life and never get it right?
Submitted by: Philip Robinson
July 21, 2020
What a great read such a page-turner had to keep reading to see how the characters developed. I wasn't prepared for this novel to be such an emotional read. Issues of abuse, the Foster Care System, and abandonment. It was good to see Kara(bi-racial) have support as she got older and continued with her therapy and not to be scared and speak up for herself and take charge of her life.
Karen E. Osborn did and excellent job writing this novel that dealt with many issues in the story. The way the book ended, and I am sensing a second installment to this story that would suit me just beautiful to see how the rest to the characters developed. And will Kara have a relationship with her half-siblings.
Karen E. Osborn did and excellent job writing this novel that dealt with many issues in the story. The way the book ended, and I am sensing a second installment to this story that would suit me just beautiful to see how the rest to the characters developed. And will Kara have a relationship with her half-siblings.
October 17, 2026
Getting it Right by Karen E. Osborne is an incredible thriller I really enjoyed.
I do love stories about sisters!!!! Two sisters, Alexa and Kara who have lived very different lives.
Alexa is rich and has two sisters. When her father is dying, he confesses about her half-sister that she didn't know existed. He wanted her to find her and make things right as his dying wish.
Kara is brought up in the foster care system. The story puts a focus on the dark side of the foster care system and the abuse that takes place.
I really enjoyed this story. The characters are complex, flawed and well fleshed out.
The story is rich and the story is well written. The trauma, the twists and surprises that will keep you guessing.
Highly recommend!
I do love stories about sisters!!!! Two sisters, Alexa and Kara who have lived very different lives.
Alexa is rich and has two sisters. When her father is dying, he confesses about her half-sister that she didn't know existed. He wanted her to find her and make things right as his dying wish.
Kara is brought up in the foster care system. The story puts a focus on the dark side of the foster care system and the abuse that takes place.
I really enjoyed this story. The characters are complex, flawed and well fleshed out.
The story is rich and the story is well written. The trauma, the twists and surprises that will keep you guessing.
Highly recommend!
October 23, 2026
While the cover says this is a psychological thriller, it also has strong elements of family drama and family trauma.
The book has two narrators Alex and Kara. They share the same father. Kara knows about Alex, but Alex didn’t know about Kara until their dad is in the hospital.
Alex is asked to find Kara and bring her to the hospital to assuage some of the dad’s guilt.
Kara has had some really bad breaks and now is having a relationship with a man who is setting her up for illegal activities.
This was a fast read. Without giving any spoilers away, I feel like the ending very much lines up with the atmosphere of the entire book.
There are trigger warnings to be aware of including childhood abuse and neglect.
The book has two narrators Alex and Kara. They share the same father. Kara knows about Alex, but Alex didn’t know about Kara until their dad is in the hospital.
Alex is asked to find Kara and bring her to the hospital to assuage some of the dad’s guilt.
Kara has had some really bad breaks and now is having a relationship with a man who is setting her up for illegal activities.
This was a fast read. Without giving any spoilers away, I feel like the ending very much lines up with the atmosphere of the entire book.
There are trigger warnings to be aware of including childhood abuse and neglect.
May 9, 2017
A well written emotional story about two half sisters, their other family members and the families that raised them. Kara was a product of an affair of her African American mother and a well to do white lawyer, Worth Lawrence. Her half sister Alex and her sisters grew up in a wealthy childhood lifestyle, while Kara grew up in a physical and emotional abusive foster family. Their lives come together when Worth is on his death bed and request Alex to find his other daughter. This brings you down a very interesting and emotional journey into their past memories that Kara wants too forget forever.
June 17, 2017
This novel is a great read about two half-sisters, Alex and Kara, kept apart by an imperfect father who creates a very different life for both of them – foster care for one and a privileged but dysfunctional family for the other. A death eventually brings the two half-sisters together and reveals the family drama Alex dealt with, along with Kara’s complicated relationship with a married man Kara has developed. The novel is well written from the points of view of the two half-sisters. The characters are well developed, and become real for the reader.
I would recommend the novel to anyone looking for a great read, full of drama, mystery, growth, and overcoming obstacles.
I would recommend the novel to anyone looking for a great read, full of drama, mystery, growth, and overcoming obstacles.
July 5, 2017
This is the story of two half-sisters who grow up separately despite having a living father in common. Alex is the chosen one who finds herself struggling to keep her family and business intact. Her father suffers a major heart attack, and fearing death, asks Alex to find his other daughter, Kara. Kara was raised in an abusive foster care environment and has a history of poor choices, including men. Her latest is wanted by the FBI for insider trading. Kara is not sure that she wants a "family" despite a lifetime of yearning for one. This is a story about family and obligations with lots of drams making it an entertaining read.
Review of advance copy received from Author
In this character-driven suspenseful novel, Osborne deftly alternates between Kara and Alex, two half-sisters with the same father, an egotistical businessman. While bi-racial Kara was abandoned years earlier to the foster care system, Alex grew up with wealth and privilege. As the two women navigate their newfound relationship in the wake of their father's death, they struggle to seek explanations for their father's actions. Kara, who suffers PTSD from a traumatic childhood experience, discovers that in order to forgive her father, she must first forgive herself. A beautiful look at sisterhood, family, and forgiveness.
October 27, 2026
When Alex's father had a heart attack and finally let's her know she has a half sister that he wants her to find, Alex is taken back but promises her father to find Kara.
I was in utter pain for Kara and how she grew up. It was nice to see her take care of her foster siblings, but they all went through traumatic events. This might be why Kara clung to a guy who wasn't good for her because I felt that she thought she didn't deserve love. The big thing she gets caught up in, it's a very good thing Alex finds her when she does. There are social injustices and prejudices in this book that hurt my heart, but I absolutely was blown away by this and flew through it in a matter of hours.
I was in utter pain for Kara and how she grew up. It was nice to see her take care of her foster siblings, but they all went through traumatic events. This might be why Kara clung to a guy who wasn't good for her because I felt that she thought she didn't deserve love. The big thing she gets caught up in, it's a very good thing Alex finds her when she does. There are social injustices and prejudices in this book that hurt my heart, but I absolutely was blown away by this and flew through it in a matter of hours.
October 7, 2017
I LOVED this book!!!! I literally could not put it down. Osborne weaves a great tale. The characters were well-developed, the story well-crafted. The writing, though not literary, is fabulous. Drama all the way through, which makes it a great page-turner. I loved the fact that women were the central characters, and I loved the fact that this was a novel that naturally and quite easily involved both black and white families, with a realistic perspective...
I can’t wait for the sequel, and/or the movie!!!!
I can’t wait for the sequel, and/or the movie!!!!
July 7, 2017
I won my advanced reading copy of this book from Goodreads Giveaways. I didn't think I was going to like this book the first chapter or so, but I quickly changed my mind about that and couldn't stop reading it. The story is about a very messed up family, and Kara the step-sister. I never knew which way this story was going but it was a great read. I understood the ending but did not like it. The characters are all very interesting.
October 19, 2026
I need to confess, I thought I was going to read an emotional family drama. In my defense, I thought it was the story of two sisters who had never met finally coming together, which it is. But let me tell you, their meeting turns into a psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Compelling, suspenseful, and impossible to put down, Getting It Right is a story about family, resilience, and forgiveness, with plenty of suspense to keep you turning the pages.
Compelling, suspenseful, and impossible to put down, Getting It Right is a story about family, resilience, and forgiveness, with plenty of suspense to keep you turning the pages.
May 13, 2017
I received this book through Librarything's giveaways. This author sure knows how to get you emotionally sucked in. I really felt for both Alex and Kara. The alternating chapters really help you see inside each of their minds, and it really s pulls all aspects of the story together. It's a good look at just how much damage secrets can do to a family. It's definitely worth a read if you enjoy family dramas.
June 22, 2017
*I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads giveaways*
This was a really interesting story about two half sisters finding each other as adults and learning that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I had a hard time getting into this book at first but by the end I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend checking this book out!
This was a really interesting story about two half sisters finding each other as adults and learning that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. I had a hard time getting into this book at first but by the end I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend checking this book out!
July 2, 2017
I received this book from a goodreads giveaway.
Initially I had a hard time getting into it, but eventually it picked up and
I enjoyed it. The plot about two half- sisters with very different lives finding each
other was interesting, but I thought character development and writing was somewhat weak.
This family drama is entertaining.
Initially I had a hard time getting into it, but eventually it picked up and
I enjoyed it. The plot about two half- sisters with very different lives finding each
other was interesting, but I thought character development and writing was somewhat weak.
This family drama is entertaining.
January 30, 2018
This fast-paced story of sisters raised in different environments touched on hard to deal with themes, racism, sexually abuse, infidelity and keeping secrets. The characters are multidimensional and their situations are from the experiences of the author and many others. My book club read this selection and enjoyed a lively discussion with the author.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Getting it Right was a terrific read, filled with emotion and a great story. When Alex learns that she has a sister she didn't know about, she begins the search for Kara. And Kara, who has longed to know her family but has grown up in the foster care system, has always struggled. Ultimately, the story is about families, both the one we're born with and the one we create. Recommended!
Review of advance copy received from Author
The slow unraveling of a family's long held secrets. The ripple effect that occurs when those foundations crumble. Above all else, an exploration of what family really means. Getting It Right picks up the pieces of an interrupted life and reassembles them into a radiant vision of found family and purposeful living. A triumphant tale about what can happen to people who break through old patterns.
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