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The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets
What drove their family apart just might bring them back together...
It's been seventeen years since the tragic summer the McAvoy sisters fell apart. Lindy, the wild one, left home, carved out a new life in the city and never looked back. Delia, the sister who stayed, became a mother herself, raising her daughters and running the family shop in their small Pennsylvania hometown on the shores of Lake Erie.
But now, with their mother's ailing health and a rebellious teenager to rein in, Delia has no choice but to welcome Lindy home. As the two sisters try to put their family back in order, they finally have the chance to reclaim what's been lost over the years: for Delia, professional dreams and a happy marriage, and for Lindy, a sense of home and an old flame--and best of all, each other.
But when one turbulent night leads to a shocking revelation, the women must face the past they've avoided for a decade. And there's nothing like an old secret to bring the McAvoy women back together and stronger than ever.
With warm affection and wry wit, Molly Fader's The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is about the ties that bind family and the power of secrets to hold us back or set us free.
It's been seventeen years since the tragic summer the McAvoy sisters fell apart. Lindy, the wild one, left home, carved out a new life in the city and never looked back. Delia, the sister who stayed, became a mother herself, raising her daughters and running the family shop in their small Pennsylvania hometown on the shores of Lake Erie.
But now, with their mother's ailing health and a rebellious teenager to rein in, Delia has no choice but to welcome Lindy home. As the two sisters try to put their family back in order, they finally have the chance to reclaim what's been lost over the years: for Delia, professional dreams and a happy marriage, and for Lindy, a sense of home and an old flame--and best of all, each other.
But when one turbulent night leads to a shocking revelation, the women must face the past they've avoided for a decade. And there's nothing like an old secret to bring the McAvoy women back together and stronger than ever.
With warm affection and wry wit, Molly Fader's The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is about the ties that bind family and the power of secrets to hold us back or set us free.
368 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2019
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6743 people want to read
About the author
Molly Fader
5 books605 followersMolly Fader is the author of The McAvoy Sister’s Book Of Secrets. As Molly O’Keefe she is the USA Today Bestselling author of over 50 contemporary romances. She lives in Toronto Ontario with her husband, two kids and rescue dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 283 reviews
August 1, 2019
Something happened 17 years ago to splinter the McAvoy sisters. Lindy, the “wild” one left their Port Lorraine, Ohio home and carved out a life for herself in Cleveland. Younger sister, Delia, stayed in town, married her sweetheart but abandoned her college plans to raise her baby and take over the family business. Now Delia is juggling a new baby, a difficult teenager and their mother who is struggling following a “brain event.” Lindy hasn’t been home in five years but shows up when she accidentally receives a call and learns about her mother.
I’ve been a big fan of the author’s work under her pseudonym, inhaling just about everything she’s written in the last 7 years. When I saw this show up in NetGalley, I grabbed it immediately, knowing that her stories have bordered on contemporary fiction for a long time. My instincts did not fail me as I loved every minute spent reading this story.
We’re given a gift of not only Lindy’s and Delia’s points of view but mother Meredith’s and 15-year old daughter Brin’s as well. Meredith’s stroke has left her transitioning at will between past and present with unpredictability and I found her passages extraordinary, providing insight about how terrifying it must be to know, or not know, what’s going on when all your life you’ve been completely in control of your faculties. It was artful in how the same events were taken in by each character, giving us a unique perspective about how each of them perceived each other and its impacts. What drove the sisters apart was slowly revealed, which can sometimes be maddening but in the right hands, create an extraordinary reading experience.
I loved everything about this story, how these two sisters found their way, how their mother factored into their reunion and the strong sense of place created in the story. I could smell Lake Erie and the fish in the shop, see the quaint stores in the heart of the town, feel the thunder and turmoil of the storms. I felt everything these women felt, even Brin’s frustrations with the adults around her harboring all these secrets. It’s a lovely story, often heartbreaking but more heartwarming as this family triumphs. But, that unexpected twist at the very end left me stunned. I know Fader wanted me and other readers to be conflicted about it, and I am. That’s a perfect conclusion to a lovely, lovely story.
(Thanks to NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
I’ve been a big fan of the author’s work under her pseudonym, inhaling just about everything she’s written in the last 7 years. When I saw this show up in NetGalley, I grabbed it immediately, knowing that her stories have bordered on contemporary fiction for a long time. My instincts did not fail me as I loved every minute spent reading this story.
We’re given a gift of not only Lindy’s and Delia’s points of view but mother Meredith’s and 15-year old daughter Brin’s as well. Meredith’s stroke has left her transitioning at will between past and present with unpredictability and I found her passages extraordinary, providing insight about how terrifying it must be to know, or not know, what’s going on when all your life you’ve been completely in control of your faculties. It was artful in how the same events were taken in by each character, giving us a unique perspective about how each of them perceived each other and its impacts. What drove the sisters apart was slowly revealed, which can sometimes be maddening but in the right hands, create an extraordinary reading experience.
I loved everything about this story, how these two sisters found their way, how their mother factored into their reunion and the strong sense of place created in the story. I could smell Lake Erie and the fish in the shop, see the quaint stores in the heart of the town, feel the thunder and turmoil of the storms. I felt everything these women felt, even Brin’s frustrations with the adults around her harboring all these secrets. It’s a lovely story, often heartbreaking but more heartwarming as this family triumphs. But, that unexpected twist at the very end left me stunned. I know Fader wanted me and other readers to be conflicted about it, and I am. That’s a perfect conclusion to a lovely, lovely story.
(Thanks to NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
January 14, 2019
It took me a bit to warm up to this women’s fiction novel, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. Lindy left home abruptly seventeen years ago and has been estranged from her sister Delia, ever since. Which also means she hasn’t gotten to know her niece, Brin. When Lindy gets the call that her mother has had “a brain incident,” she returns to her small Pennsylvania hometown.
She’s quick to bond with Brin, a sixteen-year-old who has been acting out since her brand-new baby sister arrived on the scene. Other relationships are much harder to mend because of the secrets they’ve been keeping for all these years. As the secrets are revealed, healing becomes possible.
Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House for the opportunity to review this book, which RELEASES JULY 16, 2019.
For more reviews, please visit http://www.theresaalan.net/blog
She’s quick to bond with Brin, a sixteen-year-old who has been acting out since her brand-new baby sister arrived on the scene. Other relationships are much harder to mend because of the secrets they’ve been keeping for all these years. As the secrets are revealed, healing becomes possible.
Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House for the opportunity to review this book, which RELEASES JULY 16, 2019.
For more reviews, please visit http://www.theresaalan.net/blog
August 23, 2019
Thanks to Netgalley and HARLEQUIN -Graydon House Books for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.
A great mother and daughter contemporary family drama that will delight fans of Kristin Hannah and Diane Chamberlain.
Set in a small lake town in Ohio, Delia and Lindy McAvoy are forced to face their long held silence as their ailing mother needs more and more care. Once the women were more like friends than just sisters, but wild child Lindy's abrupt departure to the big city left Delia holding down the family business. Delia, now the mother of two is struggling with a teenage daughter who resembles her Aunt Lindy in both physical features and spirit and a young baby who takes all of her time, while also trying to ignore the increasing separation between her and her husband, Dan. Lindy finds herself the talk of the town and the object of the police chief's interest. But when a family with connections to both McAvoy sisters resurfaces in town, Delia and Lindy are forced to confront the demons of their past.
To say that I liked this book is a bit of an understatement, I LOVED it! Meredith, Delia, Lindy, and Brin( Delia's daughter) were all intriguing characters and I loved their individual storylines. Also, I commend Molly Fader on the way she wrote Dan( Delia's husband) because oftentimes with women being the focus in this type of story, the male characters tend to be more background characters. But Dan was as memorable as the women he shared the pages with! As I reached the climax of the novel, I couldn't help but hold my breath and I was satisified with how it all panned out. Definitely a book that you want in your beach bag this summer!
Goodreads Review /16/06/19
Publication Date 16/07/19
A great mother and daughter contemporary family drama that will delight fans of Kristin Hannah and Diane Chamberlain.
Set in a small lake town in Ohio, Delia and Lindy McAvoy are forced to face their long held silence as their ailing mother needs more and more care. Once the women were more like friends than just sisters, but wild child Lindy's abrupt departure to the big city left Delia holding down the family business. Delia, now the mother of two is struggling with a teenage daughter who resembles her Aunt Lindy in both physical features and spirit and a young baby who takes all of her time, while also trying to ignore the increasing separation between her and her husband, Dan. Lindy finds herself the talk of the town and the object of the police chief's interest. But when a family with connections to both McAvoy sisters resurfaces in town, Delia and Lindy are forced to confront the demons of their past.
To say that I liked this book is a bit of an understatement, I LOVED it! Meredith, Delia, Lindy, and Brin( Delia's daughter) were all intriguing characters and I loved their individual storylines. Also, I commend Molly Fader on the way she wrote Dan( Delia's husband) because oftentimes with women being the focus in this type of story, the male characters tend to be more background characters. But Dan was as memorable as the women he shared the pages with! As I reached the climax of the novel, I couldn't help but hold my breath and I was satisified with how it all panned out. Definitely a book that you want in your beach bag this summer!
Goodreads Review /16/06/19
Publication Date 16/07/19
September 23, 2018
I had the privilege of getting my hands on an advance reader copy of this fabulous book, which perfectly blends family drama, mystery, and romance into a page-turning read.
The story is told through four points of view (Meredith, the matriarch; Lindy and Delia, Meredith’s thirty-something-year-old daughters; and Brin, Delia’s teenage daughter). If you’ve followed my reviews for a while, you know I don’t like to spell out the plot or give away any spoilers, but let me quickly share what made this a memorable story.
In addition to really well-crafted prose throughout the book, the sister relationship is realistic and organically developed. Anyone with a sibling will relate to the conflict between them--the love and hurt, regret and frustration. Lindy's and Delia's desire to reclaim what used to be while knowing deep down that they can never really go back to what was is bittersweet. Your heart will ache but then rejoice as these two sisters move past the pain into a new era and healthier, more honest relationship.
Of course, the family drama is set against a backdrop of a past trauma that is largely a mystery to the reader at the outset. Bit by bit we learn about what happened at “the Fulbright” house. The author does a great job of feeding you enough information that you think you’ve pieced it together, then you learn something new and worse, so you are dying for the whole story. Just when I was sure I had it all, a very unexpected twist caught me by surprise! Oh, so delicious.
Finally, a sweet, light romantic thread for Lindy (and a marriage-in-repair for Delia) gives those of us who still love an HEA what we need to close the cover with a happy sigh.
Books like this are my favorite because they remind us that families are imperfect, living, breathing things, and that love—familial and romantic—takes effort, patience, forgiveness, and communication to thrive.
Do yourself a favor and pick this one up, then make a pot of tea, find a cozy corner on a Sunday morning, and plan to make a day of it!
The story is told through four points of view (Meredith, the matriarch; Lindy and Delia, Meredith’s thirty-something-year-old daughters; and Brin, Delia’s teenage daughter). If you’ve followed my reviews for a while, you know I don’t like to spell out the plot or give away any spoilers, but let me quickly share what made this a memorable story.
In addition to really well-crafted prose throughout the book, the sister relationship is realistic and organically developed. Anyone with a sibling will relate to the conflict between them--the love and hurt, regret and frustration. Lindy's and Delia's desire to reclaim what used to be while knowing deep down that they can never really go back to what was is bittersweet. Your heart will ache but then rejoice as these two sisters move past the pain into a new era and healthier, more honest relationship.
Of course, the family drama is set against a backdrop of a past trauma that is largely a mystery to the reader at the outset. Bit by bit we learn about what happened at “the Fulbright” house. The author does a great job of feeding you enough information that you think you’ve pieced it together, then you learn something new and worse, so you are dying for the whole story. Just when I was sure I had it all, a very unexpected twist caught me by surprise! Oh, so delicious.
Finally, a sweet, light romantic thread for Lindy (and a marriage-in-repair for Delia) gives those of us who still love an HEA what we need to close the cover with a happy sigh.
Books like this are my favorite because they remind us that families are imperfect, living, breathing things, and that love—familial and romantic—takes effort, patience, forgiveness, and communication to thrive.
Do yourself a favor and pick this one up, then make a pot of tea, find a cozy corner on a Sunday morning, and plan to make a day of it!
October 19, 2018
It was hard to put down this novel about family, missed opportunities, truth and lies. Lindy left town abruptly, as Delia went on creating a life with her husband, teenage daughter, new baby and her Mom. Brin wants to understand why her aunt left so suddenly, but her Mom seems to have secrets that run deep. Lindy returns after her Mom has a stroke and the old hurts, lives and secrets reappear for the McAvoy family, as Lindy and Delia try to repair their relationship. Some surprises await in this well written novel. Thanks to Netgalley for the galley.
February 12, 2020
The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is a beautifully written novel about family, unconditional love, loss, grief, growth, and strength.
Molly Fader so elegantly weaves her words beautifully across the pages of this book. What a journey we take between these two sisters. Lindy and Delia both have challenges to overcome, but this foundation is built on such a strong family bond that will get them through anything. The sisters learn about long lost secrets that have been buried and covered up over the years that will only strengthen this family unit more.
The storyline was so easy to become connected to this family and keeps you turning those pages. All the characters in this book are so well developed and you're rooting so much for the McAvoy family. The talent behind the authors humor, charming atmosphere, and engaging characters is all beautifully woven into this book.
Molly's writing is absolutely devine and really makes this book such a joy to read.
"The sky was black and so was the lake, far as the eye could see. An endless darkness."
I absolutely loved this novel and am so happy I came across this author. I was touched and even had goosebumps/tears at one point towards the end.
5 shining stars!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harlequin/Graydon House Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: 7/16/19
Published to GR: 7/7/19
Molly Fader so elegantly weaves her words beautifully across the pages of this book. What a journey we take between these two sisters. Lindy and Delia both have challenges to overcome, but this foundation is built on such a strong family bond that will get them through anything. The sisters learn about long lost secrets that have been buried and covered up over the years that will only strengthen this family unit more.
The storyline was so easy to become connected to this family and keeps you turning those pages. All the characters in this book are so well developed and you're rooting so much for the McAvoy family. The talent behind the authors humor, charming atmosphere, and engaging characters is all beautifully woven into this book.
Molly's writing is absolutely devine and really makes this book such a joy to read.
"The sky was black and so was the lake, far as the eye could see. An endless darkness."
I absolutely loved this novel and am so happy I came across this author. I was touched and even had goosebumps/tears at one point towards the end.
5 shining stars!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harlequin/Graydon House Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: 7/16/19
Published to GR: 7/7/19
July 13, 2019
The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets by Molly Fader is a women’s fiction contemporary novel that delves down into the secrets that tore apart the McAvoy family. Lindy and Delia McAvoy grew up extremely close sisters even sharing a small bedroom but when Lendy left town she hadn’t looked back while Delia had stayed, gotten married and started a family of her own all while running the family business.
Now, seventeen years later Lindy gets a call that frightens her into returning to their small town. Lindy and Delia’s mother had been found wandering and asked for her daughter to be contacted and Lindy finds that she has been recovering from a “brain event”. Back home after all these years Lindy finds she has a teenage niece she doesn’t know and her sister has just had another baby and could really use the help with their mother.
Being someone who watched my grandmother go through her battle with Alzheimer’s books like this one with the matron of the family fading in and out of reality are truly heartbreaking to me. I could so empathize with the rest of the family with their worry and stress and that alone was enough to intrigue me into wanting to know more about the McAvoy family. There were many more layers to the family to come that definitely kept the pages turning too.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Now, seventeen years later Lindy gets a call that frightens her into returning to their small town. Lindy and Delia’s mother had been found wandering and asked for her daughter to be contacted and Lindy finds that she has been recovering from a “brain event”. Back home after all these years Lindy finds she has a teenage niece she doesn’t know and her sister has just had another baby and could really use the help with their mother.
Being someone who watched my grandmother go through her battle with Alzheimer’s books like this one with the matron of the family fading in and out of reality are truly heartbreaking to me. I could so empathize with the rest of the family with their worry and stress and that alone was enough to intrigue me into wanting to know more about the McAvoy family. There were many more layers to the family to come that definitely kept the pages turning too.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
August 31, 2019
EXCERPT: Delia Collins was not proud of her glee. It was unbecoming, she got that. And truthfully, she couldn’t even say where it came from. What awful spring of motherhood created this kind of joy in catching her teenage daughter sneaking back into the house past curfew?
If she was a different kind of mother she’d be worried. Or angry. Even guilty.
And she was angry, worried and guilty (this had to be partly her fault—hers and Dan’s—they were too lenient, too forgiving, let her sleep too long in their bed when she was a baby—something). But somewhere between her gut and her head the anger, worry and guilt morphed into this…giddiness. Delia and Dan had told her they were trusting her. That this was—for real this time—her last chance. Brin had promised she wouldn’t be late.
And Brin had blown it.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: It's been seventeen years since the tragic summer the McAvoy sisters fell apart. Lindy, the wild one, left home, carved out a new life in the city and never looked back. Delia, the sister who stayed, became a mother herself, raising her daughters and running the family shop in their small Pennsylvania hometown on the shores of Lake Erie.
But now, with their mother's ailing health and a rebellious teenager to rein in, Delia has no choice but to welcome Lindy home. As the two sisters try to put their family back in order, they finally have the chance to reclaim what's been lost over the years: for Delia, professional dreams and a happy marriage, and for Lindy, a sense of home and an old flame--and best of all, each other.
But when one turbulent night leads to a shocking revelation, the women must face the past they've avoided for a decade. And there's nothing like an old secret to bring the McAvoy women back together and stronger than ever.
MY THOUGHTS: I love a good family drama, and this one is something most of us can relate to in one way or another. Guilt, an angry insecure teenager, a couple who loved one another but who are drifting apart, an estranged sister, and a mother succumbing to dementia all combine to provide a multi-faceted story that kept me listening avidly.
This story is written with warmth and understanding.
***.5
THE AUTHOR: Molly Fader is the author of The McAvoy Sister’s Book Of Secrets. As Molly O’Keefe she is the USA Today Bestselling author of over 50 contemporary romances. She lives in Toronto Ontario with her husband, two kids and rescue dog.
DISCLOSURE: I listened to the audiobook of The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets written by Molly Fader, narrated by Nancy Peterson, and published by Harlequin Audion, via Overdrive. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page, or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage.
If she was a different kind of mother she’d be worried. Or angry. Even guilty.
And she was angry, worried and guilty (this had to be partly her fault—hers and Dan’s—they were too lenient, too forgiving, let her sleep too long in their bed when she was a baby—something). But somewhere between her gut and her head the anger, worry and guilt morphed into this…giddiness. Delia and Dan had told her they were trusting her. That this was—for real this time—her last chance. Brin had promised she wouldn’t be late.
And Brin had blown it.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: It's been seventeen years since the tragic summer the McAvoy sisters fell apart. Lindy, the wild one, left home, carved out a new life in the city and never looked back. Delia, the sister who stayed, became a mother herself, raising her daughters and running the family shop in their small Pennsylvania hometown on the shores of Lake Erie.
But now, with their mother's ailing health and a rebellious teenager to rein in, Delia has no choice but to welcome Lindy home. As the two sisters try to put their family back in order, they finally have the chance to reclaim what's been lost over the years: for Delia, professional dreams and a happy marriage, and for Lindy, a sense of home and an old flame--and best of all, each other.
But when one turbulent night leads to a shocking revelation, the women must face the past they've avoided for a decade. And there's nothing like an old secret to bring the McAvoy women back together and stronger than ever.
MY THOUGHTS: I love a good family drama, and this one is something most of us can relate to in one way or another. Guilt, an angry insecure teenager, a couple who loved one another but who are drifting apart, an estranged sister, and a mother succumbing to dementia all combine to provide a multi-faceted story that kept me listening avidly.
This story is written with warmth and understanding.
***.5
THE AUTHOR: Molly Fader is the author of The McAvoy Sister’s Book Of Secrets. As Molly O’Keefe she is the USA Today Bestselling author of over 50 contemporary romances. She lives in Toronto Ontario with her husband, two kids and rescue dog.
DISCLOSURE: I listened to the audiobook of The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets written by Molly Fader, narrated by Nancy Peterson, and published by Harlequin Audion, via Overdrive. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page, or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage.
August 29, 2019
With a book like this you pretty much know what you are getting after reading just a few chapters. And there is nothing wrong with that in my opinion. I like the sense of calm these type of books bring when I'm feeling stressed out. I've read many of these comfy and predictable books over the course of the past few months, and this one was the most satisfying and enjoyable of the bunch.
The book starts off in a fairly typical fashion. Lindy, is out of a job and her boyfriend dumped her. She's been estranged from her sister, Delia, for years. Delia, is busy raising a teenage daughter, Brin, and an infant, all while working at the family business with her husband. Lindy fled town years ago but now that her mother, Meredith, has health problems, she is back and wants to help out. Long held secrets are bound to resurface and it might be time for some family members to confront their past in order to finally move on.
I enjoyed how the story alternated between the two sisters, their mother, and Delia's teenage daughter. The book explores some heavy issues and does so in a thoughtful way. Delia was the most complex character although I don't think I fully appreciated that fact until the story was almost over. This is one of those books in which every element of the story just seemed to fit in quite well. Just a positive reading experience and I look forward to checking out other books by the author.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
The book starts off in a fairly typical fashion. Lindy, is out of a job and her boyfriend dumped her. She's been estranged from her sister, Delia, for years. Delia, is busy raising a teenage daughter, Brin, and an infant, all while working at the family business with her husband. Lindy fled town years ago but now that her mother, Meredith, has health problems, she is back and wants to help out. Long held secrets are bound to resurface and it might be time for some family members to confront their past in order to finally move on.
I enjoyed how the story alternated between the two sisters, their mother, and Delia's teenage daughter. The book explores some heavy issues and does so in a thoughtful way. Delia was the most complex character although I don't think I fully appreciated that fact until the story was almost over. This is one of those books in which every element of the story just seemed to fit in quite well. Just a positive reading experience and I look forward to checking out other books by the author.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
March 21, 2022
Four and a half stars.
Lindy, who has a reputation as the wild one of the McAvoy family, has not been home for 17 years. That was the summer when the close relationship sisters Lindy and Delia was irretrievably broken. Lindy embarked on a new life in the city while Delia put her dreams aside, stayed home, married Dan, became a mother and ran the family shop. But when their mother Meredith has a ’brain event ‘ Lindy is called home. As the sisters try and restore some sort of relationship, secrets from the past and one traumatic night emerge.
The story is told from four points of view, that of Meredith, Lindy, Delia and teenage Brin who resents her baby sister Ephie. This story captured my interest from the beginning. I liked the way secrets seeped out. Sometimes they are not quite what the reader expects. Other times they are, but no less interesting for being anticipated. The characters and their issues are so well developed they draw the reader in. The longer it went on the less inclined I was to have to put the story down. Police Chief Garrett Singh and Delia’s husband Dan are lovely characters.
A story that will play on the emotions and involve the reader, I found it engrossing. The ending in some ways, may not please everyone though. This is the second book I have read by this author and I loved both of them with this one being slightly favoured over the other. A recommended read that will have you thinking about family relationships and what effects lack of communication and secrets can have on relationships. They can either break a family or make it stronger. Read it and find out how the McAvoys respond. It might even make you think about what you would do in the circumstances.
Lindy, who has a reputation as the wild one of the McAvoy family, has not been home for 17 years. That was the summer when the close relationship sisters Lindy and Delia was irretrievably broken. Lindy embarked on a new life in the city while Delia put her dreams aside, stayed home, married Dan, became a mother and ran the family shop. But when their mother Meredith has a ’brain event ‘ Lindy is called home. As the sisters try and restore some sort of relationship, secrets from the past and one traumatic night emerge.
The story is told from four points of view, that of Meredith, Lindy, Delia and teenage Brin who resents her baby sister Ephie. This story captured my interest from the beginning. I liked the way secrets seeped out. Sometimes they are not quite what the reader expects. Other times they are, but no less interesting for being anticipated. The characters and their issues are so well developed they draw the reader in. The longer it went on the less inclined I was to have to put the story down. Police Chief Garrett Singh and Delia’s husband Dan are lovely characters.
A story that will play on the emotions and involve the reader, I found it engrossing. The ending in some ways, may not please everyone though. This is the second book I have read by this author and I loved both of them with this one being slightly favoured over the other. A recommended read that will have you thinking about family relationships and what effects lack of communication and secrets can have on relationships. They can either break a family or make it stronger. Read it and find out how the McAvoys respond. It might even make you think about what you would do in the circumstances.
July 10, 2019
I was supposed to be working today, but I snuck off and hid in a cosy corner to read this book. I couldn't help it, I just couldn't let go of my kindle. Believe me, I tried. I got multiple calls, but I shut off my phone. JUST TO READ THIS STORY.
This book about sisters and the secrets that could keep them away for 17 years by Molly Fader was everything I hoped for and more. It had an element of mystery and suspense along with the tentative steps that we take against our egos.
Mom Meredith was not well post a stroke and estranged daughter Lindy was called back. The other daughter Delia was barely coping with a newborn daughter and a teenage one, along with shop and husband and the secrets of the past. The whole book revolved around finding their way back to each other. Each of them had lost something precious somewhere in this journey called life. And the author helped them to find their way back. How could I not love this book?!
The subtle foray into the emotions pulled me gently into the lives of the sisters. They were both so different, yet so similar. Their love withstood the tests of time, shouldn't that the way it should to be? I loved how they pushed and pulled each other to become more than they were. It was obvious that the sisters were close to the author's hearts, they were etched with love.
The continuous ebb and flow of suspense kept me hooked to this book. Just when I thought the author would reveal it all, I was pulled into a different direction. I was really on tenderhooks the whole time while reading this. And the epilogue was the biggest secret ever revealed. What a book!!
A perfect read on a cozy rainy day. I loved it. I was happy shutting out the world to get into the world of the McAvoy Sisters.
This book about sisters and the secrets that could keep them away for 17 years by Molly Fader was everything I hoped for and more. It had an element of mystery and suspense along with the tentative steps that we take against our egos.
Mom Meredith was not well post a stroke and estranged daughter Lindy was called back. The other daughter Delia was barely coping with a newborn daughter and a teenage one, along with shop and husband and the secrets of the past. The whole book revolved around finding their way back to each other. Each of them had lost something precious somewhere in this journey called life. And the author helped them to find their way back. How could I not love this book?!
The subtle foray into the emotions pulled me gently into the lives of the sisters. They were both so different, yet so similar. Their love withstood the tests of time, shouldn't that the way it should to be? I loved how they pushed and pulled each other to become more than they were. It was obvious that the sisters were close to the author's hearts, they were etched with love.
The continuous ebb and flow of suspense kept me hooked to this book. Just when I thought the author would reveal it all, I was pulled into a different direction. I was really on tenderhooks the whole time while reading this. And the epilogue was the biggest secret ever revealed. What a book!!
A perfect read on a cozy rainy day. I loved it. I was happy shutting out the world to get into the world of the McAvoy Sisters.
July 7, 2019
The preorder contest for The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets will be open until the 15th! If you've ordered a copy of the paperback, digital or audio book - be sure to enter! Signed books! Delicious treats!
Fill out the form to be entered: bit.ly/2XnS0i4
Giant Goodreads Giveaway for McAvoy Sisters!! Ends soon!
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
Hey for you Molly O'Keefe fans - this is my new women's fiction venture. The McAvoy Sister's Book of Secrets is part romance, part family mystery, all heart. I absolutely love this book and am so thrilled to share it with you!
amazon: https://amzn.to/2PuNN8Y
BN: http://bit.ly/2qMAq5B
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/the-...
indie bound: http://bit.ly/2RVbZhx
Fill out the form to be entered: bit.ly/2XnS0i4
Giant Goodreads Giveaway for McAvoy Sisters!! Ends soon!
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
Hey for you Molly O'Keefe fans - this is my new women's fiction venture. The McAvoy Sister's Book of Secrets is part romance, part family mystery, all heart. I absolutely love this book and am so thrilled to share it with you!
amazon: https://amzn.to/2PuNN8Y
BN: http://bit.ly/2qMAq5B
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/the-...
indie bound: http://bit.ly/2RVbZhx
November 14, 2018
This was a wonderful story about family secrets, growing apart and coming back together. The story is told through four different family members; the mother, Meredith, the two adult daughters, Delia and Lindy, and Brin, Delia’s daughter. I could relate to all of the characters and their beautiful, yet imperfect bonds with each other. It definitely made me wish I had a sister or daughter to share this story with.
After seventeen years of staying away, Lindy comes home after finding out her mother needs some extra care. This stirs up old memories, good and bad and ultimately helps the family to heal from the past. The events of the past aren’t completely clear from the beginning and are pieced together as you read along.
I received this advanced copy from NetGalley and Graydon House Books in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will be published July 16, 2019
After seventeen years of staying away, Lindy comes home after finding out her mother needs some extra care. This stirs up old memories, good and bad and ultimately helps the family to heal from the past. The events of the past aren’t completely clear from the beginning and are pieced together as you read along.
I received this advanced copy from NetGalley and Graydon House Books in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will be published July 16, 2019
August 29, 2020
3.5 Stars
I enjoyed the writing, the characters, and the slowly revealed secrets around three generations of women in the McAvoy family. There was some predictability with some elements and I was confused by a turn of events in Delia's life between the end of the main story and the epilogue, but it didn't ruin the overall story. In the end, I enjoyed it and finished the well-narrated audio in quick order.
November 5, 2025
When this story landed on my kindle I dove right in, not only because I love this author, but also because the whole Womens Fiction fascinates me these days! Honestly, I didn’t realize how satisfying these stories were on all fronts, even a light romance here and there.
This was a fantastic multi-generational family journey with just the right amount of suspense that kept me glued to my kindle for hours at a time. The drama and past circumstances that led these sisters to today unfolded perfectly! It is not until the very end that you really have all the pieces so don’t think you know everything before then because jokes on you LOL I had several moments throughout my reading where I thought ah ha, so that’s what happened (or other such similar thoughts) but I was always wrong LOL It made for quite the anticipatory read! There was always one more layer the author would add. Fantastic reading experience!
If you have siblings, you are going to relate to this story tenfold LOL It is very realistic and relatable which is what pushed the story to greatness for me. I have two sisters myself and I felt their conflict. The struggle was real as they say! And the building back of their relationship was very realistic and natural. Everything about this story could be read as non-fiction. It is a fabulous story of family : the good, the bad and everything in between!
This was a fantastic multi-generational family journey with just the right amount of suspense that kept me glued to my kindle for hours at a time. The drama and past circumstances that led these sisters to today unfolded perfectly! It is not until the very end that you really have all the pieces so don’t think you know everything before then because jokes on you LOL I had several moments throughout my reading where I thought ah ha, so that’s what happened (or other such similar thoughts) but I was always wrong LOL It made for quite the anticipatory read! There was always one more layer the author would add. Fantastic reading experience!
If you have siblings, you are going to relate to this story tenfold LOL It is very realistic and relatable which is what pushed the story to greatness for me. I have two sisters myself and I felt their conflict. The struggle was real as they say! And the building back of their relationship was very realistic and natural. Everything about this story could be read as non-fiction. It is a fabulous story of family : the good, the bad and everything in between!
July 16, 2019
It's been seventeen years since the tragic summer the McAvoy sisters had a falling out. Now with their mothers ailing health the sisters are reunited again. Old family secrets come out and new possibilities grow. A beautiful story of family, love, loss and moving forward. I loved it. I recommend this for book clubs there are so many things to discuss. Add it to your beach bag.
Dawnny-BookGypsy
Novels N Latte Review
Hudson Valley NY
Dawnny-BookGypsy
Novels N Latte Review
Hudson Valley NY
December 17, 2019
My blog review, my confession of leeriness regarding WF, and my love for any and all incarnations of Molly O'Keefe/Fader:
It’s been another super-busy work month, but I have three books going and Molly Fader’s McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is the first I finished. Thanks to a compelling last third, I left the others idling on the nightstand. In the course of reading Fader’s novel, I decided I will no longer scoff at women’s fiction. No, I haven’t been converted to its smarmy, inward-looking, self-absorbed protagonists, or its not-without-my-daughter obsession with mother-child relationships, of no interest to me whatsoever — merely that, in the hands of a beloved writer, even a genre pandering to privileged women, can be redeemed and — gasp, enjoyed and celebrated. Molly Fader is, as you may know, one of my most beloved romance writers, Molly O’Keefe, whom I’ve been reading since she wrote categories! One of my favourite and I think most masterful contemporary romance series, Crooked Creek Ranch, was penned by O’Keefe (if you haven’t read it, address this stat). There was enough of the O’Keefe edge and intensity of emotion that I found in the romances to make me happy-reader-sigh through The McAvoy Sisters. And enough love interest to make me yearn for more … but I’ll take it. 😉
Set in an Ohio fishing town along the shores of Lake Erie, The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets tells the story of three generations of women, the eponymous sisters, Delia and Lindy; their mother, Meredith; and Delia’s teen-age daughter, Brin. The male protagonists, with diminished roles when compared with Fader’s romances, are partly what make the novel attractive to romance readers: they’re stalwart, handsome, capable, sexy, and possessed of that mysterious je-ne-sais-quoi of the masculine other. The conflict, however, was firmly set among the four women and the dudes’ roles were supportive at best, their “screen-time” set at minimum.
The long-simmering McAvoy conflict comes to the surface when love interest #1, police Chief Garrett Singh, contacts the wild McAvoy sister, Lindy, living in Cleveland, at the request of her mother, Meredith. Chief Singh found Meredith, suffering from stroke-induced dementia, wandering the lake shores. Lindy arrives in Port Lorraine and sisters and mothers are reunited. McAvoy sister #2, Delia, with a new-born baby, Ephie, rebellious teen Brin, caregiver to her mother, is a woman on the edge. Moreover, something is very wrong between Delia and husband Dan. Brin is in trouble at school and eventually doing community service with Chief Singh. Meredith has good and very bad days and Delia struggles to keep the family business, the McAvoy fish and bait store, going. Looming over the women’s conflicts is a gothic wreck of a house, the Fulbright House, the local “gentry’s” mansion and sight of something frightening and shameful to the McAvoy women. The course of the novel is the slow unveiling of the McAvoy sisters secret (long-guessed by this reader, but that’s not the point of Fader’s novel) till a crescendo of confrontation occurs among the four women and reckoning with the past.
There are several reasons why I enjoyed The McAvoy Sisters. First, the characters are beautifully drawn, believable, intense, and distinctly NOT middle-class. Delia runs the family shop; Lindy is a mixologist, successful, but a glorified bartender; Dan takes out fishing parties and fishes for the shop. Port Lorraine is a small town eaten up by the shadow of Fulbright privilege. What I liked about these women’s fic trappings is they weren’t lugubrious. There was pain and revealed secrets and strained relationships to ease, but there was no taking-myself-too-seriously-navel-gazing ho-humdom. I attribute this to Fader bringing the O’Keefe romance edge to women’s fic, to her sure hand steering us to an HEA (not HFN for this girl, thank goodness) and Fader’s zippy, snappy, moving and funny turns of phrase. A few examples will compel you to read her book, if my lauding doesn’t:
“Time folded like a fan and Delia was struck — anew — by how much Brin looked like Lindy.”
“Lindy made really bad decisions about men. She liked them talented, jealous and borderline unstable. It was a flaw. One of many.”
“That was the rule for a woman with too much experience putting her chin up and getting on with things.” [LOOK, FOLKS, ROMANCE CHIN IN WF!!]
“That was their marriage these days: silences and sighs.”
“That has always been Lindy’s effect. She was gasoline on fire.”
“The McAvoy sisters also had Mom’s grief like a long dark shadow in the house, keeping the corners cold and silent.”
The closest I’ve come to enjoying a women’s fiction novel as much as I did Fader’s McAvoy Sisters was last year, when I read (and named as one of my year’s faves) Barbara O’Neal’s The Art of Inheriting Secrets. The books have the secrets theme in common and the generational revelations come thick and fast in both and both are wonderful, love-infused, and sheer delight to read, devoid of the genre’s heavy-handedness, without sacrificing emotion and connection and the ever-elusive to all genres but one, HEA. I loved what Fader did with her women’s fic and I’ll follow her to the next. For now, with Miss Austen, we say The McAvoy Sisters possess “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.
Molly Fader’s The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is published by Graydon House, an arm of Harlequin Books. It was released on July 16 and may be found at your preferred vendor. Please note I received an e-galley from Graydon House, via Netgalley.
It’s been another super-busy work month, but I have three books going and Molly Fader’s McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is the first I finished. Thanks to a compelling last third, I left the others idling on the nightstand. In the course of reading Fader’s novel, I decided I will no longer scoff at women’s fiction. No, I haven’t been converted to its smarmy, inward-looking, self-absorbed protagonists, or its not-without-my-daughter obsession with mother-child relationships, of no interest to me whatsoever — merely that, in the hands of a beloved writer, even a genre pandering to privileged women, can be redeemed and — gasp, enjoyed and celebrated. Molly Fader is, as you may know, one of my most beloved romance writers, Molly O’Keefe, whom I’ve been reading since she wrote categories! One of my favourite and I think most masterful contemporary romance series, Crooked Creek Ranch, was penned by O’Keefe (if you haven’t read it, address this stat). There was enough of the O’Keefe edge and intensity of emotion that I found in the romances to make me happy-reader-sigh through The McAvoy Sisters. And enough love interest to make me yearn for more … but I’ll take it. 😉
Set in an Ohio fishing town along the shores of Lake Erie, The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets tells the story of three generations of women, the eponymous sisters, Delia and Lindy; their mother, Meredith; and Delia’s teen-age daughter, Brin. The male protagonists, with diminished roles when compared with Fader’s romances, are partly what make the novel attractive to romance readers: they’re stalwart, handsome, capable, sexy, and possessed of that mysterious je-ne-sais-quoi of the masculine other. The conflict, however, was firmly set among the four women and the dudes’ roles were supportive at best, their “screen-time” set at minimum.
The long-simmering McAvoy conflict comes to the surface when love interest #1, police Chief Garrett Singh, contacts the wild McAvoy sister, Lindy, living in Cleveland, at the request of her mother, Meredith. Chief Singh found Meredith, suffering from stroke-induced dementia, wandering the lake shores. Lindy arrives in Port Lorraine and sisters and mothers are reunited. McAvoy sister #2, Delia, with a new-born baby, Ephie, rebellious teen Brin, caregiver to her mother, is a woman on the edge. Moreover, something is very wrong between Delia and husband Dan. Brin is in trouble at school and eventually doing community service with Chief Singh. Meredith has good and very bad days and Delia struggles to keep the family business, the McAvoy fish and bait store, going. Looming over the women’s conflicts is a gothic wreck of a house, the Fulbright House, the local “gentry’s” mansion and sight of something frightening and shameful to the McAvoy women. The course of the novel is the slow unveiling of the McAvoy sisters secret (long-guessed by this reader, but that’s not the point of Fader’s novel) till a crescendo of confrontation occurs among the four women and reckoning with the past.
There are several reasons why I enjoyed The McAvoy Sisters. First, the characters are beautifully drawn, believable, intense, and distinctly NOT middle-class. Delia runs the family shop; Lindy is a mixologist, successful, but a glorified bartender; Dan takes out fishing parties and fishes for the shop. Port Lorraine is a small town eaten up by the shadow of Fulbright privilege. What I liked about these women’s fic trappings is they weren’t lugubrious. There was pain and revealed secrets and strained relationships to ease, but there was no taking-myself-too-seriously-navel-gazing ho-humdom. I attribute this to Fader bringing the O’Keefe romance edge to women’s fic, to her sure hand steering us to an HEA (not HFN for this girl, thank goodness) and Fader’s zippy, snappy, moving and funny turns of phrase. A few examples will compel you to read her book, if my lauding doesn’t:
“Time folded like a fan and Delia was struck — anew — by how much Brin looked like Lindy.”
“Lindy made really bad decisions about men. She liked them talented, jealous and borderline unstable. It was a flaw. One of many.”
“That was the rule for a woman with too much experience putting her chin up and getting on with things.” [LOOK, FOLKS, ROMANCE CHIN IN WF!!]
“That was their marriage these days: silences and sighs.”
“That has always been Lindy’s effect. She was gasoline on fire.”
“The McAvoy sisters also had Mom’s grief like a long dark shadow in the house, keeping the corners cold and silent.”
The closest I’ve come to enjoying a women’s fiction novel as much as I did Fader’s McAvoy Sisters was last year, when I read (and named as one of my year’s faves) Barbara O’Neal’s The Art of Inheriting Secrets. The books have the secrets theme in common and the generational revelations come thick and fast in both and both are wonderful, love-infused, and sheer delight to read, devoid of the genre’s heavy-handedness, without sacrificing emotion and connection and the ever-elusive to all genres but one, HEA. I loved what Fader did with her women’s fic and I’ll follow her to the next. For now, with Miss Austen, we say The McAvoy Sisters possess “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.
Molly Fader’s The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is published by Graydon House, an arm of Harlequin Books. It was released on July 16 and may be found at your preferred vendor. Please note I received an e-galley from Graydon House, via Netgalley.
May 1, 2019
Good twists, easy to read, good amount of detail! great themes like sisterhood, grief, family, love etc. Plus I had the opportunity to meet this author in person - she's hilarious, approachable, and I'm glad I got to read this book!
November 8, 2018
Hey!!! The McAvoy Sisters is up on Netgalley - go get your review copy!
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...
September 5, 2019
Secrets and grief. Potent things to ignore!!
September 2, 2019
This is romance author Molly O’Keefe’s women’s fiction debut as Molly Fader. I love her romance novels so I was curious how her women’s fiction might compare. The connections are there: she’s one of the best in the business when it comes to rich character development and the exploration of relationships. Only in this case, the focus is more on the relationship between two sisters and their mother than the love interests. (Side note: it’s interesting to see quite a few romance authors taking a stab at women’s fiction in the past few years.)
The story is told through four female POVs: sisters Lindy and Delia, their mother Meredith, and Delia’s teen daughter Brin. The characters are strong and well-developed. I was especially drawn to Lindy’s arc, as someone who went away and now is being drawn back in and whose life has not turned out the way she imagined. I really enjoyed her burgeoning relationship with Chief Singh, who is a total dreamboat.
Multiple POVs give us great insight into the family dynamics. Digging in to see who knows what was fascinating. There are secrets in this family: again and again, Lindy and Delia mention how the McAvoy way is to essentially bury things under the rug. But you can only bury things for so long before they start to rise to the surface. I wanted to know the secrets and to better understand the pervasive dread that made me burrow even deeper into the story.
The way the Fulbright House featured in the story—or perhaps loomed—gave it definite gothic vibes. The house is a specter. We know something went down at that house but we don’t know what, only that it changed the course of the McAvoy women’s lives in two distinct ways. First, it figured into the death of Lindy and Delia’s dad when they were kids. Second, something that is not revealed until the end of the book and warrants a content warning. (See the spoiler tag in the CWs at the end of this review for details.) Once the truth is revealed, it was handled well but please exercise caution as needed.
This story was enthralling and Fader’s gift for prose was on full display. If Fader decides to write more women’s fiction, I will certainly keep reading.
CW: past death of a parent, drowning, grief, stroke, hospitalization, postpartum depression, shoplifting,
Disclosure: I received an advanced copy from Graydon House in exchange for an honest review.
The story is told through four female POVs: sisters Lindy and Delia, their mother Meredith, and Delia’s teen daughter Brin. The characters are strong and well-developed. I was especially drawn to Lindy’s arc, as someone who went away and now is being drawn back in and whose life has not turned out the way she imagined. I really enjoyed her burgeoning relationship with Chief Singh, who is a total dreamboat.
Multiple POVs give us great insight into the family dynamics. Digging in to see who knows what was fascinating. There are secrets in this family: again and again, Lindy and Delia mention how the McAvoy way is to essentially bury things under the rug. But you can only bury things for so long before they start to rise to the surface. I wanted to know the secrets and to better understand the pervasive dread that made me burrow even deeper into the story.
The way the Fulbright House featured in the story—or perhaps loomed—gave it definite gothic vibes. The house is a specter. We know something went down at that house but we don’t know what, only that it changed the course of the McAvoy women’s lives in two distinct ways. First, it figured into the death of Lindy and Delia’s dad when they were kids. Second, something that is not revealed until the end of the book and warrants a content warning. (See the spoiler tag in the CWs at the end of this review for details.) Once the truth is revealed, it was handled well but please exercise caution as needed.
This story was enthralling and Fader’s gift for prose was on full display. If Fader decides to write more women’s fiction, I will certainly keep reading.
CW: past death of a parent, drowning, grief, stroke, hospitalization, postpartum depression, shoplifting,
Disclosure: I received an advanced copy from Graydon House in exchange for an honest review.
August 12, 2019
I'm tempted to give this book 1 star but that's not fair. I enjoyed 90% of it, a lot! but it was the very end the last few chapters when the secret was revealed that I started to hate it. I hated the secret, I wouldn't have hated it if it was anything else. I just didn't like how things turned out.
I don't know how to rate it.
I don't know how to rate it.
June 22, 2019
I loved every single word of this book.
As a mother to five girls, it should be no surprise that I was drawn to a book that is ultimately about the ties that bind mothers and daughters.
Secrets, lies, fear, regrets, pride, and at the root of all of these things...LOVE. Pure, unadulterated love unmarred by time and mistakes and separations. I'm no stranger to the art of sweeping things under the rug and the fierce determination to do better for your own children. I connected with these women and felt their struggles and triumphs.
I don't want to spoil this lovely book but let's just say it's destined to be one of my favorites of 2019. The characters are written beautifully. They are imperfect and messy and they've made mistakes. And you will fall in love with each and every one of them .
Well done, Molly Fader.
As a mother to five girls, it should be no surprise that I was drawn to a book that is ultimately about the ties that bind mothers and daughters.
Secrets, lies, fear, regrets, pride, and at the root of all of these things...LOVE. Pure, unadulterated love unmarred by time and mistakes and separations. I'm no stranger to the art of sweeping things under the rug and the fierce determination to do better for your own children. I connected with these women and felt their struggles and triumphs.
I don't want to spoil this lovely book but let's just say it's destined to be one of my favorites of 2019. The characters are written beautifully. They are imperfect and messy and they've made mistakes. And you will fall in love with each and every one of them .
Well done, Molly Fader.
December 1, 2019
It’s been another super-busy work month, but I have three books going and Molly Fader’s McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is the first I finished. Thanks to a compelling last third, I left the others idling on the nightstand. In the course of reading Fader’s novel, I decided I will no longer scoff at women’s fiction. No, I haven’t been converted to its smarmy, inward-looking, self-absorbed protagonists, or its not-without-my-daughter obsession with mother-child relationships, of no interest to me whatsoever — merely that, in the hands of a beloved writer, even a genre pandering to privileged women, can be redeemed and — gasp, enjoyed and celebrated. Molly Fader is, as you may know, one of my most beloved romance writers, Molly O’Keefe, whom I’ve been reading since she wrote categories! One of my favourite and I think most masterful contemporary romance series, Crooked Creek Ranch, was penned by O’Keefe (if you haven’t read it, address this stat). There was enough of the O’Keefe edge and intensity of emotion that I found in the romances to make me happy-reader-sigh through The McAvoy Sisters. And enough love interest to make me yearn for more … but I’ll take it. 😉
Set in an Ohio fishing town along the shores of Lake Erie, The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets tells the story of three generations of women, the eponymous sisters, Delia and Lindy; their mother, Meredith; and Delia’s teen-age daughter, Brin. The male protagonists, with diminished roles when compared with Fader’s romances, are partly what make the novel attractive to romance readers: they’re stalwart, handsome, capable, sexy, and possessed of that mysterious je-ne-sais-quoi of the masculine other. The conflict, however, was firmly set among the four women and the dudes’ roles were supportive at best, their “screen-time” set at minimum.
The long-simmering McAvoy conflict comes to the surface when love interest #1, police Chief Garrett Singh, contacts the wild McAvoy sister, Lindy, living in Cleveland, at the request of her mother, Meredith. Chief Singh found Meredith, suffering from stroke-induced dementia, wandering the lake shores. Lindy arrives in Port Lorraine and sisters and mothers are reunited. McAvoy sister #2, Delia, with a new-born baby, Ephie, rebellious teen Brin, caregiver to her mother, is a woman on the edge. Moreover, something is very wrong between Delia and husband Dan. Brin is in trouble at school and eventually doing community service with Chief Singh. Meredith has good and very bad days and Delia struggles to keep the family business, the McAvoy fish and bait store, going. Looming over the women’s conflicts is a gothic wreck of a house, the Fulbright House, the local “gentry’s” mansion and sight of something frightening and shameful to the McAvoy women. The course of the novel is the slow unveiling of the McAvoy sisters secret (long-guessed by this reader, but that’s not the point of Fader’s novel) till a crescendo of confrontation occurs among the four women and reckoning with the past.
There are several reasons why I enjoyed The McAvoy Sisters. First, the characters are beautifully drawn, believable, intense, and distinctly NOT middle-class. Delia runs the family shop; Lindy is a mixologist, successful, but a glorified bartender; Dan takes out fishing parties and fishes for the shop. Port Lorraine is a small town eaten up by the shadow of Fulbright privilege. What I liked about these women’s fic trappings is they weren’t lugubrious. There was pain and revealed secrets and strained relationships to ease, but there was no taking-myself-too-seriously-navel-gazing ho-humdom. I attribute this to Fader bringing the O’Keefe romance edge to women’s fic, to her sure hand steering us to an HEA (not HFN for this girl, thank goodness) and Fader’s zippy, snappy, moving and funny turns of phrase. A few examples will compel you to read her book, if my lauding doesn’t:
“Time folded like a fan and Delia was struck — anew — by how much Brin looked like Lindy.”
“Lindy made really bad decisions about men. She liked them talented, jealous and borderline unstable. It was a flaw. One of many.”
“That was the rule for a woman with too much experience putting her chin up and getting on with things.” [LOOK, FOLKS, ROMANCE CHIN IN WF!!]
“That was their marriage these days: silences and sighs.”
“That has always been Lindy’s effect. She was gasoline on fire.”
“The McAvoy sisters also had Mom’s grief like a long dark shadow in the house, keeping the corners cold and silent.”
The closest I’ve come to enjoying a women’s fiction novel as much as I did Fader’s McAvoy Sisters was last year, when I read (and named as one of my year’s faves) Barbara O’Neal’s The Art of Inheriting Secrets. The books have the secrets theme in common and the generational revelations come thick and fast in both and both are wonderful, love-infused, and sheer delight to read, devoid of the genre’s heavy-handedness, without sacrificing emotion and connection and the ever-elusive to all genres but one, HEA. I loved what Fader did with her women’s fic and I’ll follow her to the next. For now, with Miss Austen, we say The McAvoy Sisters possess “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.
Molly Fader’s The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is published by Graydon House, an arm of Harlequin Books. It was released on July 16 and may be found at your preferred vendor. Please note I received an e-galley from Graydon House, via Netgalley.
Set in an Ohio fishing town along the shores of Lake Erie, The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets tells the story of three generations of women, the eponymous sisters, Delia and Lindy; their mother, Meredith; and Delia’s teen-age daughter, Brin. The male protagonists, with diminished roles when compared with Fader’s romances, are partly what make the novel attractive to romance readers: they’re stalwart, handsome, capable, sexy, and possessed of that mysterious je-ne-sais-quoi of the masculine other. The conflict, however, was firmly set among the four women and the dudes’ roles were supportive at best, their “screen-time” set at minimum.
The long-simmering McAvoy conflict comes to the surface when love interest #1, police Chief Garrett Singh, contacts the wild McAvoy sister, Lindy, living in Cleveland, at the request of her mother, Meredith. Chief Singh found Meredith, suffering from stroke-induced dementia, wandering the lake shores. Lindy arrives in Port Lorraine and sisters and mothers are reunited. McAvoy sister #2, Delia, with a new-born baby, Ephie, rebellious teen Brin, caregiver to her mother, is a woman on the edge. Moreover, something is very wrong between Delia and husband Dan. Brin is in trouble at school and eventually doing community service with Chief Singh. Meredith has good and very bad days and Delia struggles to keep the family business, the McAvoy fish and bait store, going. Looming over the women’s conflicts is a gothic wreck of a house, the Fulbright House, the local “gentry’s” mansion and sight of something frightening and shameful to the McAvoy women. The course of the novel is the slow unveiling of the McAvoy sisters secret (long-guessed by this reader, but that’s not the point of Fader’s novel) till a crescendo of confrontation occurs among the four women and reckoning with the past.
There are several reasons why I enjoyed The McAvoy Sisters. First, the characters are beautifully drawn, believable, intense, and distinctly NOT middle-class. Delia runs the family shop; Lindy is a mixologist, successful, but a glorified bartender; Dan takes out fishing parties and fishes for the shop. Port Lorraine is a small town eaten up by the shadow of Fulbright privilege. What I liked about these women’s fic trappings is they weren’t lugubrious. There was pain and revealed secrets and strained relationships to ease, but there was no taking-myself-too-seriously-navel-gazing ho-humdom. I attribute this to Fader bringing the O’Keefe romance edge to women’s fic, to her sure hand steering us to an HEA (not HFN for this girl, thank goodness) and Fader’s zippy, snappy, moving and funny turns of phrase. A few examples will compel you to read her book, if my lauding doesn’t:
“Time folded like a fan and Delia was struck — anew — by how much Brin looked like Lindy.”
“Lindy made really bad decisions about men. She liked them talented, jealous and borderline unstable. It was a flaw. One of many.”
“That was the rule for a woman with too much experience putting her chin up and getting on with things.” [LOOK, FOLKS, ROMANCE CHIN IN WF!!]
“That was their marriage these days: silences and sighs.”
“That has always been Lindy’s effect. She was gasoline on fire.”
“The McAvoy sisters also had Mom’s grief like a long dark shadow in the house, keeping the corners cold and silent.”
The closest I’ve come to enjoying a women’s fiction novel as much as I did Fader’s McAvoy Sisters was last year, when I read (and named as one of my year’s faves) Barbara O’Neal’s The Art of Inheriting Secrets. The books have the secrets theme in common and the generational revelations come thick and fast in both and both are wonderful, love-infused, and sheer delight to read, devoid of the genre’s heavy-handedness, without sacrificing emotion and connection and the ever-elusive to all genres but one, HEA. I loved what Fader did with her women’s fic and I’ll follow her to the next. For now, with Miss Austen, we say The McAvoy Sisters possess “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.
Molly Fader’s The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is published by Graydon House, an arm of Harlequin Books. It was released on July 16 and may be found at your preferred vendor. Please note I received an e-galley from Graydon House, via Netgalley.
March 18, 2019
Heartwarming and filled with mysteries plus and ending I didn’t see coming made for a delicious weekend read. A winning combination!
July 13, 2019
4 1/2 stars
Have you ever finished a really good, satisfying novel and then thought, well, it’s going to be very hard for the next book to live up to that one? When I picked up The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets by Molly Fader, I had just that thought. While it took about a chapter or so for me to get into the groove of the novel, I soon swishing pages, wanting to know what was going to happen next.
The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is not only about the McAvoy sisters, Lindy and Delia, but also their mother, Meredith, who’s recently had a stroke, and Delia’s teenage daughter, Brin, who is setting out to prove that she’s a real teenager with all of its connotations and tribulations. Each of these characters is so different and so intriguing.
My heart broke for Meredith in the passages where she was dealing her cognitive impairment. Yet, her illness also brought a different aspect of her character to light. She could now be blunt and demonstrative and express her observations. I found that I really liked her.
My favorite character was Lindy although, based on the opening scene of the novel, I was afraid she was going to be a train wreck. She’s supposed to be the wild one, but I’m sure that’s just in comparison to her blander sister, Delia, although one does get the impression that she was confused as a teenager. That probably went hand-in-hand with the trauma of losing her father.
I also adored Dan, Delia’s very solid, very understanding husband, and Garrett Singh, the police chief who when he was a teenager had an interesting relationship with teenage Lindy. Obviously it progresses into an interesting relationship with adult Lindy.
The main secret at heart of the novel revolves around what happened 17 years ago? Why is Meredith intent upon going to the Fulbright house with her flare gun? Why was Lindy, the one who wanted to revamp the family business and not wander, forced to leave the town she loved? While I had a hunch early on as to what happened, I wasn’t disappointed with the novel’s progression. The book was very much a page-turner.
This is definitely one to add to your summer reading if you like women’s fiction with a hint of mystery.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Have you ever finished a really good, satisfying novel and then thought, well, it’s going to be very hard for the next book to live up to that one? When I picked up The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets by Molly Fader, I had just that thought. While it took about a chapter or so for me to get into the groove of the novel, I soon swishing pages, wanting to know what was going to happen next.
The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is not only about the McAvoy sisters, Lindy and Delia, but also their mother, Meredith, who’s recently had a stroke, and Delia’s teenage daughter, Brin, who is setting out to prove that she’s a real teenager with all of its connotations and tribulations. Each of these characters is so different and so intriguing.
My heart broke for Meredith in the passages where she was dealing her cognitive impairment. Yet, her illness also brought a different aspect of her character to light. She could now be blunt and demonstrative and express her observations. I found that I really liked her.
My favorite character was Lindy although, based on the opening scene of the novel, I was afraid she was going to be a train wreck. She’s supposed to be the wild one, but I’m sure that’s just in comparison to her blander sister, Delia, although one does get the impression that she was confused as a teenager. That probably went hand-in-hand with the trauma of losing her father.
I also adored Dan, Delia’s very solid, very understanding husband, and Garrett Singh, the police chief who when he was a teenager had an interesting relationship with teenage Lindy. Obviously it progresses into an interesting relationship with adult Lindy.
The main secret at heart of the novel revolves around what happened 17 years ago? Why is Meredith intent upon going to the Fulbright house with her flare gun? Why was Lindy, the one who wanted to revamp the family business and not wander, forced to leave the town she loved? While I had a hunch early on as to what happened, I wasn’t disappointed with the novel’s progression. The book was very much a page-turner.
This is definitely one to add to your summer reading if you like women’s fiction with a hint of mystery.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 11, 2019
I have reviewed this book for New York Journal of Books and it will be posted on their site the evening before the release date.
The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets by Molly Fader
Gradon House
July 16, 2019
10-152583424X
Contemporary Women's Fiction
Sixteen-year-old Brin Collins believes her life is falling apart. It all began when Delia, her mother got pregnant. The two had once been close, but in the four months since her sister Ephie's birth, Delia has no time for Brin, and she also is dealing with post-partum depression and strain. Longing for attention, though it's negative, Brin rebels and gets in trouble when she allegedly tries to steal an expensive watch from a jewelry shop.
Brin, Delia, and her dad Dan live in Port Lorraine, a small Ohio town on Lake Erie. Her folks single-handedly run Delia's parents' store, McAvoy Bait, Fish, and Lunch Counter leaving them exhausted. Additionally, Delia's world is shifting around her due to her tremendous responsibilities and her mom's recent stroke, resulting in symptoms of dementia.
Meredith raised Delia and her sister Lindy by herself after her husband was lost at sea. The girls, once inseparable, shared hopes and dreams and everything in between. They kept a "book of secrets" in the night table between their beds where they'd write things to each other rather than talking, so they wouldn't wake their mom.
As a teen, Lindy, known as the wild sister did not care what people thought of her. She only wanted a good time, and she made sure she did. Meanwhile, the conservative Delia worried about Lindy and her disturbing ways. Things came to a head between them with a terrible argument causing Lindy to leave. Now 17 years later, the sisters, in their mid-thirties, are still estranged.
Garret Singh, the Port Lorraine police chief, who, as a boy had a huge crush on Lindy, phones her after he finds Meredith walking aimlessly:
". . . Your mom asked me to call you."
"'My mom?' She bent over picking up her scattered jewelry. 'How . . . ?'
"'Kind of a long story and I'm not sure how much you know about your mother's condition—'
"'Condition? '
"Garret's silence was pronounced. 'The stroke?' he finally asked.' . . .
"'. . . I found your mom walking down the spit to the Fulbright House with a flare gun. She was clearly confused. Disoriented."
"Lindy started kicking her clothes into a pile, searching for her purse. Keys. Dammit. 'And what about a stroke?'
"'It . . . it was three weeks ago. I think. They called it a brain event.'
"And Delia didn't even call her? Not even a message on Facebook or a text? It was easy not to be surprised. Impossible not to be crushed."
Lindy's current circumstance proves fate is intervening and calling her home. She will help Meredith, and when her mom is stable, she will leave again. There is nothing in her old town for her.
Meredith is overjoyed when Lindy arrives, and Brin is eager to learn about the aunt she never met; the one that is never mentioned. Imagine her shock when she meets Lindy and glimpses an older image of herself. This makes her wonder —why does no one ever talk about Lindy? Why did she leave? Speculation runs through Brin's mind, mostly of terrible thoughts.
Lindy is shocked when she first goes to the store—the very business she was supposed to take over and for which she had big plans. Most items on the shelves are out of date and dusty, the paint outside is chipping, and everything is in disrepair. How could Delia let this happen? But Lindy's not allowed to criticize for Delia and Dan have single-handedly run the business along with raising a family.
Meredith often mistakes Brin for Lindy, especially when she becomes "brain fogged" or under stress, which happens a lot. One night in particular, when she can't sleep, she drags out old picture albums. Brin, wanting to know what happened between her mother and Lindy, hangs around at Gran's house. Fascinated by the photos, she asks for answers she doesn't get, but Lindy does mention how Delia dreamed of going to Europe with Dan then going to college to become a teacher—both of which never transpired. She also wonders why her grandmother seems to be obsessed with the old Fulbright house—the now abandoned mansion located on a spit of land where the local kids go to drink and party, a place Delia avoids at all costs.
Tension still weighs heavily on the siblings and Brin becomes more frustrated as time passes. Why is everyone in her family so secretive? She's almost an adult, why won't they tell her things?
Each of the four female characters offers their own voices in separate chapters confirming their pain and the confidences withheld as they come to grips with the past and how it will impact their future. With mystery and suspense, ambiguity abounds resulting in more questions than answers up until the unexpected conclusion.
The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets by Molly Fader
Gradon House
July 16, 2019
10-152583424X
Contemporary Women's Fiction
Sixteen-year-old Brin Collins believes her life is falling apart. It all began when Delia, her mother got pregnant. The two had once been close, but in the four months since her sister Ephie's birth, Delia has no time for Brin, and she also is dealing with post-partum depression and strain. Longing for attention, though it's negative, Brin rebels and gets in trouble when she allegedly tries to steal an expensive watch from a jewelry shop.
Brin, Delia, and her dad Dan live in Port Lorraine, a small Ohio town on Lake Erie. Her folks single-handedly run Delia's parents' store, McAvoy Bait, Fish, and Lunch Counter leaving them exhausted. Additionally, Delia's world is shifting around her due to her tremendous responsibilities and her mom's recent stroke, resulting in symptoms of dementia.
Meredith raised Delia and her sister Lindy by herself after her husband was lost at sea. The girls, once inseparable, shared hopes and dreams and everything in between. They kept a "book of secrets" in the night table between their beds where they'd write things to each other rather than talking, so they wouldn't wake their mom.
As a teen, Lindy, known as the wild sister did not care what people thought of her. She only wanted a good time, and she made sure she did. Meanwhile, the conservative Delia worried about Lindy and her disturbing ways. Things came to a head between them with a terrible argument causing Lindy to leave. Now 17 years later, the sisters, in their mid-thirties, are still estranged.
Garret Singh, the Port Lorraine police chief, who, as a boy had a huge crush on Lindy, phones her after he finds Meredith walking aimlessly:
". . . Your mom asked me to call you."
"'My mom?' She bent over picking up her scattered jewelry. 'How . . . ?'
"'Kind of a long story and I'm not sure how much you know about your mother's condition—'
"'Condition? '
"Garret's silence was pronounced. 'The stroke?' he finally asked.' . . .
"'. . . I found your mom walking down the spit to the Fulbright House with a flare gun. She was clearly confused. Disoriented."
"Lindy started kicking her clothes into a pile, searching for her purse. Keys. Dammit. 'And what about a stroke?'
"'It . . . it was three weeks ago. I think. They called it a brain event.'
"And Delia didn't even call her? Not even a message on Facebook or a text? It was easy not to be surprised. Impossible not to be crushed."
Lindy's current circumstance proves fate is intervening and calling her home. She will help Meredith, and when her mom is stable, she will leave again. There is nothing in her old town for her.
Meredith is overjoyed when Lindy arrives, and Brin is eager to learn about the aunt she never met; the one that is never mentioned. Imagine her shock when she meets Lindy and glimpses an older image of herself. This makes her wonder —why does no one ever talk about Lindy? Why did she leave? Speculation runs through Brin's mind, mostly of terrible thoughts.
Lindy is shocked when she first goes to the store—the very business she was supposed to take over and for which she had big plans. Most items on the shelves are out of date and dusty, the paint outside is chipping, and everything is in disrepair. How could Delia let this happen? But Lindy's not allowed to criticize for Delia and Dan have single-handedly run the business along with raising a family.
Meredith often mistakes Brin for Lindy, especially when she becomes "brain fogged" or under stress, which happens a lot. One night in particular, when she can't sleep, she drags out old picture albums. Brin, wanting to know what happened between her mother and Lindy, hangs around at Gran's house. Fascinated by the photos, she asks for answers she doesn't get, but Lindy does mention how Delia dreamed of going to Europe with Dan then going to college to become a teacher—both of which never transpired. She also wonders why her grandmother seems to be obsessed with the old Fulbright house—the now abandoned mansion located on a spit of land where the local kids go to drink and party, a place Delia avoids at all costs.
Tension still weighs heavily on the siblings and Brin becomes more frustrated as time passes. Why is everyone in her family so secretive? She's almost an adult, why won't they tell her things?
Each of the four female characters offers their own voices in separate chapters confirming their pain and the confidences withheld as they come to grips with the past and how it will impact their future. With mystery and suspense, ambiguity abounds resulting in more questions than answers up until the unexpected conclusion.
July 26, 2019
Even though it’s obvious from the book’s title there are secrets, secrets I assumed had an impact on the main characters, the Lindy and Delia McAvoy we meet at the beginning of the book were not characters that drew me in. In fact, I didn’t really like either of them, but I leaned more favorably toward Lindy, the wild McAvoy sister. Delia was so devoid of humor and understanding, I found it very hard to be sympathetic towards her. I had a hard time getting into the book because I just didn’t care about either of them. The more I read, the more I saw the regrets Lindy carried and the sisters’ previous close relationship and my feelings did a complete 180. It took me a while to warm up to Delia, but I did, and once I did, I began to wish for a resolution to all the pain she was experiencing. I felt she really deserved a happy ending. The use of flashbacks was very effective in revealing the circumstances that lead both Delia and Lindy to the women they are. As pieces of the past are revealed, I was more and more intrigued. There were a couple of plot devices I felt were unnecessary, out of character, and only served to throw the reader (and a rebellious teenager) off the track of what had caused the rift between the McAvoy sisters. In the end, I loved being a part of the journey the McAvoy sisters took back to their community, their family, their dreams, and to each other.
Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
July 15, 2019
Thank you to Harlequin Books (Graydon House) for gifting me an advanced copy of The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets.
I’m being completely honest when I say this (and don’t laugh at me) but when I first saw this book, the name is what drew me to it and it gave me some serious Divine Secrets of the YA-YA Sisterhood vibes. I absolutely adored that movie and could watch it on repeat every day and because of that, I had high expectations for this book. I am NOT disappointed in the McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets. I loved every single minute of this book.
This storyline had everything that I was looking for in a summer read; it was full of family drama, unresolved conflicts, family secrets, a small-town community, and a love story. I knew I would enjoy reading this story just by reading the synopsis but I didn’t realize how much I would love it.
Author, Molly Fader, did a fantastic job telling the story of what happened the summer that the McAvoy sisters fell apart and did an even better job of depicting the emotions that each character experiences throughout the storyline. The book flips back and forth between the perspectives of Delia, Lindy, Meredith, and Brin as they each grapple with the history of their family and the secrets that they are trying to keep hidden.
And that ending.. I did not see it coming. It knocked my socks off.
Thank you to Harlequin Books and to Molly Fader for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book prior to it’s July 16th publishing date.
I’m being completely honest when I say this (and don’t laugh at me) but when I first saw this book, the name is what drew me to it and it gave me some serious Divine Secrets of the YA-YA Sisterhood vibes. I absolutely adored that movie and could watch it on repeat every day and because of that, I had high expectations for this book. I am NOT disappointed in the McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets. I loved every single minute of this book.
This storyline had everything that I was looking for in a summer read; it was full of family drama, unresolved conflicts, family secrets, a small-town community, and a love story. I knew I would enjoy reading this story just by reading the synopsis but I didn’t realize how much I would love it.
Author, Molly Fader, did a fantastic job telling the story of what happened the summer that the McAvoy sisters fell apart and did an even better job of depicting the emotions that each character experiences throughout the storyline. The book flips back and forth between the perspectives of Delia, Lindy, Meredith, and Brin as they each grapple with the history of their family and the secrets that they are trying to keep hidden.
And that ending.. I did not see it coming. It knocked my socks off.
Thank you to Harlequin Books and to Molly Fader for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book prior to it’s July 16th publishing date.
April 30, 2019
The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets will always hold a special place in my bookish heart because it is the first novel set where I live. It felt like home from the get-go (ironically the name of the gas stations run by Giant Eagle, the grocery store where I and the McAvoy sisters shop) and it stayed that way throughout. As a sister, the struggles between Lindy and Delia felt so real and it was somehow comforting to someone else go through the ups and downs. And it was so good!
*a more complete review of this book will be posted on my blog closer to the publication date*
I received a copy of The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own.
*a more complete review of this book will be posted on my blog closer to the publication date*
I received a copy of The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own.
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