Our Secrets and Lies

by Sinéad Moriarty

Can a mother be true to her children if she cannot be true to herself?

Lucy dreamed of having a successful career after college. But when she found herself alone and pregnant with twins, she knew she had to abandon her studies to raise her children. Even if it meant losing someone she loves …

Now as a mother to 17 year olds, Lucy is determined they will have all the opportunities she missed out on, and that they won’t make the same mistakes she made.

But what if her dreams for her children aren’t what they really want? Is she forcing her children to live her life for her? Might Lucy actually be pushing the children for whom she gave up everything, to their breaking points?

As her beautiful and sensitive daughter Kelly contemplates the unthinkable, Lucy’s secrets are finally revealed and she is forced to face up to some difficult home truths.

Can Lucy give up her dreams to let her children find their own? And will her secrets bring her family closer together or push them further apart?

If you love Jodi Picoult, Jojo Moyes and Nicholas Sparks, you’ll love this heart-breaking novel from Sinéad Moriarty. Our Secrets and Lies is a gripping story of motherhood and love and will have you hooked until the very last page.

What readers are saying about Sinéad Moriarty:
‘One of the best books I have ever read! This is a must read! A wonderful book of family, love and relationships… I read the whole book in one sitting, forgetting everything I had to do!’ Goodreads Reviewer

‘Heart-wrenching … I loved everything about this book. Sinéad Moriarty is fast becoming a favorite author of mine … a fabulous read.’ Write-Escape

‘A real page turner. This emotionally charged book had me reaching for the tissues.’ Just Book Talk

‘Heart-warming and heartbreaking, Sinead Moriarty has written a winner.’ Women’s Way magazine

‘I love this author – she never disappoints!’ Renita D’Silva

‘OMG! I’m an emotional wreck after reading this novel, probably not helped by the fact that I pulled an all-nighter to finish it ... I just could not put it down.’ RTE review

‘Heartfelt and deeply moving … I couldn't put it down.’ Susan Lewis

'Intriguing and thought-provoking ... a great read.' Katie Fforde

‘Moriarty has written an extremely emotional novel which only increases in intensity as the novel progresses.’ Goodreads Reviewer

‘There are so many words that can be used to describe this book, but the best one would have to be BRILLIANT!!! I could not put this book down until the very end.’ Goodreads Reviewer

‘A powerful read that will leave you hooked.’ Goodreads Reviewer

‘First book I've read by this author. I loved her story telling.’ Goodreads Reviewer

‘Sensational. It completely blew me away and was everything I thought it would be and more.’ Han’s Book Reviews

Genres: Fiction, Womens Fiction, Contemporary

457 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2018

About the author

Sinéad was born and raised in Dublin where she grew up surrounded by books. Her mother is an author of children’s books. Growing up, Sinead says she was inspired by watching her mother writing at the kitchen table and then being published. From that moment on, her childhood dream was to write a novel.

After university, she went to live in Paris and then London. It was at the age of thirty, while working as a journalist in London that she began to write creatively in her spare time – after work, at lunch times … and, truth be told, during work hours.

After a couple of years toying with ideas, she joined a creative writing group and began to write The Baby Trail. The bitter-sweet comedy of a couple struggling to conceive hit a nerve in publishing circles. It was snapped up by Penguin Publishing in the UK and Ireland and has, to date, been translated into twenty languages.

Since writing The Baby Trail, Sinead has moved back to Dublin where she lives with her husband, two sons and baby girl.

Her second book A Perfect Match has been published worldwide. The US version of A Perfect Match is called The Right Fit. Her third novel – From Here to Maternity – is the third installment of the Emma Hamilton series. Her fourth book – In My Sister’s Shoes – is about two sisters who help save each other. Her fifth book has been published under two different titles: Whose Life Is It Anyway? in Ireland and Keeping it in the Family in the UK.

Her sixth book, Pieces of my Heart, about a family dealing with a terrible crisis, went straight in at number 1 in the Irish charts and was nominated for an Irish Book Award.

Her seventh book – Me and My Sisters – went straight in at number 1 in the Irish charts and was nominated for an Irish Book Award.

Her most recent novel Mad About You is the fourth novel in the Emma Hamilton Series.

Reviews

[Elaine and Tess the Springer. I won’t be on GR for a bit. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

I loved every page of this book and I didn't want it to end. It brought out every emotion possible in me. An absolutely wonderful story that I would recommend to anyone that reads this genre.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Lucy at the age of 21 gets pregnant she gives up her desired career in law and brings up Kelly and Dylan up with the help of her family, as boyfriend Tom is nowhere in sight. Fortunately she has a very supportive and loving family.

Lucy wants her children to have the best and wants them to learn from her mistakes. Yes she is hard on them but she has their best interests at heart. What she doesn’t realise is maybe what she wants from them and what they want are not always the same and she is driving them further away from her.

This is a beautifully written emotional book that gripped me from the beginning to the end. It has strong characters that you cannot help but like and deals with real life issues such as peer group pressure and bullying.

Definitely be reading more of Sinead Moriarty’s books.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

[Lisa Aiello · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4 because I can! Lucy is a quintessential example of a helicopter mom. She finds herself pregnant at an early age (not a teenager, mind you, but it certainly wasn't planned!!) She is the perfect daughter and student, and she has the perfect supportive and loving parents. So already, she's ahead of the game. But lo and behold, her boyfriend ends up taking off (although it's not quite like it sounds - there's a twist), and she ends up raising the babies (yep, it was twins) all by herself. And she goes to extremes, because she's going to prove to everyone what an amazing Mom she is. Unfortunately, she pushes her children way too hard. The writing is well done. The story is heartfelt and honest. Lucy as a mother drove me nuts. She was always trying to do the right thing, but in the wrong way, and she never got over being "left". I so wanted her to get off the pity party, woe is me train long enough to realize she was doing to her kids exactly what had been done to her. All in all, a very good read.

[Elaine Mullane || Elaine and the Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

With authors like Sinéad Moriarty, you either love them or you...don't. I fall into the latter category. While Moriarty is a beautiful and emotional writer, her subject matter doesn't always appeal to me.

Our Secrets and Lies is the story of Lucy Murphy and her twin son and daughter. Having been abandoned by her own father at a young age, Lucy is determined to give her children a better life than she had. We sense some regret in her choice to walk away from a prosperous future years ago, but Lucy is still determined to look to the future and not revisit the past. Her thwarted ambitions are questioned when her children are accepted into a prestigious school, and Lucy must examine whether her wishes for her children are what is best of them or for her.

This is the story of a mother's fierce love for her children, difficult choices and truth. It is written with a sensitivity that is unique to Moriarty, and a warmth that does draw you in. A nice read for fans of Jodi Picoult, perhaps, but just not for me.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, heartbreaking and thought provoking. Another wonderful story by this author, one which takes the reader on an emotional journey alongside the characters. I loved this stunning, wonderful tale of love and motherhood, friendship and family and highly recommend it to everyone.

[Trish at Between My Lines · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve consistently loved Sinead’s books. But I feel like she has toned down the ott humour, and notched up the feels. And it’s a winning combination for me.

I loved all the colourful characters, and my heart agonised over the various obstacles that they had to crawl through.

“Page turner” is an over used phrase, but very apt here! As I grabbed the book, and turned pages as quick as I could every chance I got.

[April · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry to say I did not enjoy this book. I really did not like Lucy, not even at the end when she wised up. The book dragged for me. After already reading one of Moriarty's books, I was aware of her liberal side. I was taken aback by her attack on Melania Trump, and our President of the United States. It was disgusting! Why can't foreign authors leave American politics out of their books. I read Irish novels because I have some Irish roots. And after visiting the country I fell in love with it. I will not read another book by Moriarty!

[Margaret Madden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow...

[Christine Cummins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing

I am a huge fan of Sinead Moriarty but this book was a bit of a let down. It seemed to be the same thing being said over and over in each chapter for hundreds of pages. There was a lot of unnecessary babbling in it as well, just conversations that didn’t end and I found myself just skimming through pages waiting to get to a part that I hadn’t already read.
A good storyline but a disappointing read.

[Tina Bailey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Will never read this writer again!

She is clearly not educated in publishing fiction because you need a broad audience of you go broke! She is writing about abortions like they're a return policy on clothes, bashing our great POTUS, as well as his beautiful educated wife. The story was boring. If you are PRO-AMERICA then you will not enjoy this book!

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently had to have a minor surgery and was looking for something light to read while in hospital, and while this fit the bill and kept me entertained, I'm not sure that I'll go running off to find more of Moriarty's novels.

William Shakespeare often used a convention of having characters name each other and their key relationship aspects at the start of scenes, in case the audience had wandered off and forgotten who was on stage. Moriarty seems to have adopted this technique in that it felt like every single chapter contained reference to how much Lucy wanted to be the perfect mother and how many sacrifices she'd made and how much she'd suffered and how badly she wanted everything to be perfect for her children and how much they needed a father. It feels both like a soap opera and like Moriarty doesn't trust her readers to hold on to an idea. I honestly haven't read anything that felt quite so repetitive since Dr. Seuss. Additionally, the book is centered around Lucy, whose immense blinders and single-track mind make her hard to sympathize with. The characters surrounding her are lovey and charming and keep the novel going, and there are excellent points made in terms of class, social status and equality, but they're lost in Lucy's annoyingly endless self-pity and everyone else's aggrandizement of her.

As a teacher in a small private school, and in spite of the social media aspect of much of it, I found it difficult to believe that no adult would have stepped in to check on Kelly's welfare or that no other kid would have put a hand up to her abuse. Obviously, this drives the plot, and obviously, many teens do find themselves in horrible, lonely situations with bullying and abuse, but it felt over the top to me that she would have no allies whatsoever in a new school. Teachers see a lot, and the majority of contemporary teens are much more socially aware and really lovely (in my experience, anyhow). I've known a lot of scholarship students and have never seen anything like that. The representation of the St. Jude's students and the almost complete absence of adult presence rang false to me.

As an English teacher working on creative writing and the concept of "show, don't tell" with my high school students, I felt that Moriarty's style of tell-tell-show-tell is rather heavy-handed, especially as
she does have some lovely turns of phrase and clearly can write. Maybe it was more about word count than story-telling?

Finally, as an American living abroad, I laughed out loud at the reviews here which objected to her mockery of Donald Trump, firstly because that was literally a paragraph, and secondly because of their own blinders about how most of the world spent four years mocking the United States over that "presidency." Snowflakes, indeed. Hilarious.

[Megan Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy Murphy is a driven mother with the main intention of ensuring her twins have a better start than she did. Abandoned by their father early on in her pregnancy, and forced to leave behind her future career of a lawyer, she vows nothing will stand in the way of her children’s dreams. When the twins are given the opportunity to move to a prestigious school all Lucy sees is the glittering future lying in wait for them. But Lucy is confusing her thwarted ambitions with what her children really want. Lucy is blind to the risks of forcing her children into a future they may not want. Until it is too late.
I found this a book of multiple sections. I loved the first part where we learn about the situation Lucy found herself in when pregnant, this was very enjoyable, highly emotional and really grabbed my interest. Then we skip forward to when the twins are moving to their new school, we see them fight to fit in and grapple with the future their mother has set out for them. Here my interest waned a little, not massively but a little bit, the drama drops off to begin with which was a shame and I did struggle to maintain interest. However Moriarty does pick the plot pace back up and towards the end my interest and enjoyment picked up again.
Before I say anything else, I have to say this reads a bit funny, I cannot quite put my finger on why but at times this reads like a true story article from a magazine, unfortunately for this book it does not work and it made the reading quite stunted which was a shame. Negative aside, I thoroughly enjoyed, if this is the right word, Kelly’s plot thread. I will not detail it for fear of giving it away, but it is with Kelly that the majority of my interest and enthusiasm for this book went. Her plot is incredibly emotional, raw and I have to say Moriarty writes it extremely well and sensitively. The other plot threads are good as well but they do not have the power that Kelly’s plot thread held for me. As well as this I thoroughly enjoyed the characters that Moriarty has created, they are incredibly likeable, realistic characters and it was a pleasure to immerse myself in their world for a short time.
‘Our Secrets and Lies’ is an enjoyable, emotional, realistic read from Moriarty but not her best for me. There are moments where not a lot is going on and my interest died down, having said I loved the characters and I finished this feeling like I had a new group of friends.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpectedly pregnant and abandoned by her boyfriend, law student Lucy has to abandon her dreams of a glittering career to raise her twins, Kelly and Dylan, with the support of her family and friends. Seventeen years later, the twins have won scholarships to the private school previously attended by both Lucy’s former boyfriend and his horrible father Gabriel, who brutally rejected and verbally attacked Lucy when she was pregnant and vulnerable. Determined both to give her children what she perceives to be the best possible life and to prove Gabriel wrong, could Lucy be missing what’s really important?

I wasn’t sure about this book to begin with. It opens with Lucy finding out she’s pregnant, and seemed to be written in a very prosaic style (“She did this, then she thought that, then she felt this.”). The story initially seemed not that original and didn’t grab me. However as the plot moved on to seventeen years later I found myself enjoying it a lot more and caring about the characters, particularly Kelly whose experiences at her supposedly wonderful school are both horrific and terrifying. I liked football star Dylan too but didn’t find his story quite as engaging, and aside from the obvious it was difficult to see why he was quite so keen on his girlfriend.

It’s an emotional story but there’s also humour, mainly in the dialogue (some of Kelly and her friend Shannon’s conversations are brilliant). Ollie is also a real character.

The ending is satisfying although it would have been nice to actually witness a bit more comeuppance for certain characters.

An enjoyable holiday read which was quite emotional at times.

[Monica Metzger · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved the book. I started reading @sineadmoriartywriter after seven letters and now I am on a mission to read all of her books. The reason for a 4 and not a 5, is that I found some parts to be repetitive at times. Otherwise was a great read done in 2 days, and would still recommend.
Lucy is 21, first class at law school and in love with Tom. Than she finds out she is pregnant. Initially convinced to abort, when Tom’s controlling and nasty father comes to know of it and gets involved, she changes her mind. But Tom disappears cowardly to NYC to finish his studies. Luckily Lucy has her mom, dad and best friend Sarah on her side, and Lucy decides to have the baby and return to school after a year. Fast forward 17 years, Lucy had twins, her mom passed away due to cancer, she never got her law degree and Tom never reached out. But on the plus side, her kids are her world and make her very proud. Dylan got a scholarship for football, and Kelly gets to tag along being an A-student. Lucy lets her past grievances get into the way, suffocating her kids, expecting them to make up for the life she didn’t get to live, bitter due to all she had to give up, intended to prove to Tom’s father and the world that she is good enough. Blinded by this, she is oblivious to Kelly’s situation at school. Bullied to the edge, she will take an extreme decision that will force Lucy to refocus on life, just as Tom is bursting back into their lives.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though a good student, Lucy Murphy walks away from the hope of a promising career as a lawyer when she finds herself pregnant with twins. The father of the children, pushed by his own father, deserts Lucy in this time of need. Thus, Lucy raises the twins, Dylan and Kelly, alone. What Lucy does not realize is that her pent-up anger at her lifelong situation has become a major part of her life. She loves her children but has become too intense and over bearing. Can Lucy figure out what she is doing to her children in time to not lose them?

This is a good book about relationships. Lucy, though a bit too much, was obviously a solid, loving mother, who only had her children’s best interests in mind, whenever and whatever she did for them. However, she became so obsessed that she almost lost them. I did not like the father of the twins, who abandoned Lucy during the time she needed him the most, or his father, who refused to accept the fate of his son and Lucy’s pregnancy, banishing his son because of it. The story is not an unusual one, and I did like the fact that Lucy had a strong support system. As the story unraveled, I could feel the emotional grip it began to have on me, as I read along. This is the first book I have read by this author, but will now pursue more by her, after reading this one. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

[Nan Christine Borton-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly written: Genuine, Moving & Relevant!

I feel I might’ve lived much of this book & with such multifaceted characters, I am sure many readers will feel the same. I feel this story is both a personal journey for Lucy, a single parent raising her twins Dylan & Kelly (without any contribution by their Father) and a Family saga because for 17 years she’s had the benefit of a positive male surrogate role model in their grandfather Billie, a doting Aunt and devoted friend and Godmother in Sarah, Lucy’s best friend.
Lucy only wants her children to be happy and successful & when her son Dylan & Jenny are given scholarships to a prestigious private school, so Dylan can play football ⚽️ for them she feels she has them set on course for life. Both are smart and talented and Lucy doesn’t want them repeating her mistakes. Lucy is so hyper focused on being better, doing better she loses sight of what is going on under her nose.
I identified with Lucy- I was the biggest helicopter in the sky thinking that would keep it all on track. But there are always more tracks to jump on that can take you or your family’s the opposite direction -if they can’t breathe in the same train as you.
Beautifully written, intelligent and relevant!

[Laura Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy Murphy is 21 years old when the life she has fantasized about for years is snatched away from her when she finds out she is pregnant. The promising career of being a lawyer and her relationship with her boyfriend Tom quickly disintegrate and she is quite literally left holding the baby(s).

Traumatised by past events Lucy is determined to prove everyone wrong and show that she is not the 'scum' that Tom's father claimed her to be and vows to show everyone that she will be a great mother who can help her twins, Dylan and Kelly, to achieve anything. This is a dream realized when Dylan wins a scholarship for himself and Kelly to the prestigious St Jude's school. Kelly feels that given as Tom's father is a governor at the school that she will finally show him just how far she's come. However, this desire to prove everyone wrong means that cries for help from her family are not recognized and her children only end up suffering.

I loved this book as it took on the view points of several characters which made it all the more endearing. The characters were so likeable and I found Ollie absolutely hilarious.

I would 100% recommend.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. For about half of the book it the focus on Lucy and the events that led up to her deciding to have the baby and keep it and then the book fast forwards and we get to see snippets of the major past events but mostly focuses on the the present and how her kids are doing in school. Lucy changed and not for the better though from all accounts she did well with raising her kids without a father figure in their lives (grandpa apparently doesn't count). There's some bullying involved and some drama but it's not over-the-top-suspends-belief-and-wrecks-the-book type of drama. Its used to build things up for a main event in one of the character's lives and without it being there the event wouldn't have had as much impact as it did. For fan's of the author I'd recommend the book, while its not as good as some of her other books it's still a good read.

[Kim Tong Lim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keeping secrets and lies were plentiful in this novel. Close friends did that. Family members did that. The consequences on the 17-year-old twins of Lucy Murphy were great. This story by the author, Sinead Moriarty, touches on single motherhood and her struggle to come to terms with the hurts she endured by abandonment of her boyfriend, the father of the children. The story line is about modern society in the age of social media and its impact on millennials. Set in 2016 mainly, the family drama was current and readers can learn many lessons from it.

The author wrote well and it was easy to read. The start and the end of the book moved fast for me and I liked the speed of delivery for these two parts. When I was in the middle, it was a bit long and I was wishing it can be tighter. Less can be better. Overall, it was a good read.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read all Sinead’s books over the years and was really looking forward to reading ‘Secrets and Lies’. Her books are always thought-provoking, and so much more than just ‘chick lit’.

Lucy’s career plans came to a halt when she fell pregnant with twins, so she now lives her lives vicariously through theirs. She is thrilled when the twins win scholarships to a smart school and has all sorts of plans for their futures. Despite loving them totally, she doesn’t always see what’s really happening because her plans mask reality.

Sinead always deals with real-life issues, and in a well-researched and sympathetic way. I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

[Robyn Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing....just eye opening!

As a mom of 3 daughters, this really hit home. I’ve never cried so much while reading ANY book EVER. It’s an amazing, eye opening, book for any parent. Clarity, self reflection, selflessness, judging, protection, forgiveness, loyalty, are only a few words that come to mind.
This author believed in herself enough to become who she is today. I’m grateful she never gave up because reading this book has made me a better parent. A stronger person. You can only write with the depth this story holds if you are the kind of person who believes in and values the traits these characters display so easily.
Thank you for writing Secrets and Lies, giving me the popular to read it.

[Erika Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first by this author and I rather enjoyed it.

Lucy is 21 and pregnant with twins... the father has done a runner... she's a year left at College to finish... her dreams of becoming a lawyer are in the wind.

17yrs later and her children are attending St Jude's due to Dylan winning a football scholarship.
Dylan settles in well initially but Kelly is less than happy and the move for her is disastrous.

Lucy pushes the twins to be the best, she doesn’t see the cracks that begin to appear in their lives until it is too late and by that time the damage is done.

A real page turner! It made me both laugh and cry!

Thank-You Netgalley for my ARC.

[M T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

Lucy has her hopes and dreams for a glittering career shattered when she has an unplanned pregnancy. She becomes a single mother with the support of her family.She pins all her hopes on her twins for them to live out her unfulfilled career. She is ultra strict and very controlling.

I had such a dilemma with this book. Whilst I liked the family dynamics and enjoyed some characters I really could not engage with the character of Lucy at all. I just didn't understand the reasoning for her decision making and reasoning.

[Helen Tamblyn-Saville · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a long time fan of Sinead Moriarty and she deals with heavy subject matters just as well as she writes chick lit.

Although I do find her writing almost child like at times, she has a knack for bringing humour and warmth into even the most difficult subject matters. Our Secrets and Lies didn't disappoint and I found myself cheering on the leading lady Lucy, sympathising with Tom and sobbing my heart out on the train.

Sinead is a great story teller and this is one that I will be dipping back into. Her writing may seem basic, but she is skilled at drawing emotion from readers.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy is a top student with plans to complete legal studies and possibly be first in her class. Lucy becomes pregnant and faces difficult decisions which impact her future. Feeling the pressure to be perfect, Lucy has unrealistic expectations for her own children, without realizing what is truly going on in their lives. The female characters in the story are all strong and supportive. Family relationships are complicated and are at the heart of this book. I recommend for fans of women’s fiction

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of a mother's love. The knowledge of best friend that help us through our life. The love of family. It's all in this book

Lucy is so in love and forsaken by the love of her life. It takes a village to raise a family. Kelly and Dylan are twins who love one another. A mother who pushes and pushes to make her feel like she is the best single mother ever. Her best friend Sarah and her sister Jenny end up using tough love to teach Lucy she needs to let go of the past . A great read showing the love and bond of family and friends

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done drama about a woman who basically lives through her children. Talk about a tiger mom! Dylan and Kelly bear the weight of Lucy's disappointment at having to give up her own dreams. Simplistic but true. It's not until the twins are 17 that things come to a head. I felt for everyone in this tale, except Tom who is a dope. It's a nicely written quick read that will make you shake your head more than once. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily & Charlie have separated after 26 years of marriage. Charlie is now with much younger Chloé and Lily is engaged to solid, dependable Joe. Following the death of her Mother, Lily gathers the family, her daughter Poll, son Thomas together at her family home, Lands End to break some news to them.
The weekend is filled with drama and amidst it all, they’ve forgotten that it’s also the weekend of Charlie & Lily’s anniversary.

As a long time fan of Róisín Meaney, I thoroughly enjoyed this.

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy is abandoned, pregnant with twins with a year to go in college and her whole life changes. 17 years later and she’s striving to be the best mother she can be and have her children succeed in all avenues of life. This is an easy read that absorbs you into the lives of Lucy and her children Dylan and Kelly and those around her, a very real and insightful look into life with teenagers.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books (UK) for this ARC

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story and the way it unfolded. The characters were well developed and relatable. There was an authenticity to the lives and love of the families involved in the story. I am hoping that this story will continue into another book as there is so much to discover with this family. I would recommend the book! I look forward to reading more books by this author!