A Very Typical Family by Sierra Godfrey
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.ePUB, 295 pages
Expected Publication: 13 Sep 2022
By: Sourcebooks Landmark
About The Book:
Natalie Walker is the reason her older brother and sister went to prison more than fifteen years ago. She fled California shortly after that fateful night and hasn't spoken to anyone in her family since. Ten years later, Natalie receives a letter from a lawyer saying her estranged mother has died and left the family's historic Santa Cruz house to her--sort of. To inherit it, Natalie and her siblings must claim it together. Natalie drives cross-country to Santa Cruz with her willful cat in tow expecting to sign some papers, see siblings Lynn and Jake briefly, and get back to sorting out her life in Boston. But Jake, now an award-winning ornithologist, is missing, and Lynn, working as an undertaker in New York City, shows up with a teenage son. While Natalie and her nephew look for Jake--and meeting a very handsome marine biologist along the way--she unpacks the guilt she has held on to for so many years, wondering how, or if, she can salvage a relationship with her siblings after all this time.
My Review:
Disclosure:
Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Sierra Godfrey for the giving of the ARC.
#NetGalley
Expected Publication: 13 Sep 2022
By: Sourcebooks Landmark
About The Book:
Natalie Walker is the reason her older brother and sister went to prison more than fifteen years ago. She fled California shortly after that fateful night and hasn't spoken to anyone in her family since. Ten years later, Natalie receives a letter from a lawyer saying her estranged mother has died and left the family's historic Santa Cruz house to her--sort of. To inherit it, Natalie and her siblings must claim it together. Natalie drives cross-country to Santa Cruz with her willful cat in tow expecting to sign some papers, see siblings Lynn and Jake briefly, and get back to sorting out her life in Boston. But Jake, now an award-winning ornithologist, is missing, and Lynn, working as an undertaker in New York City, shows up with a teenage son. While Natalie and her nephew look for Jake--and meeting a very handsome marine biologist along the way--she unpacks the guilt she has held on to for so many years, wondering how, or if, she can salvage a relationship with her siblings after all this time.
My Review:
I love family dramarama. In this one, Natalie, who hasn't spoken to her mother or siblings in fifteen years, has to go "home" to Santa Cruz to inherit part of the family home. (Her mom died two months ago and she didn't know!) All we know about the reason she has been ostracized from her family is that it has to do with her actions in sending her brother and sister to prison.
I loved this very entertaining and enlightening read. The themes of family, staying true to yourself, and especially forgiveness gave me all the feels. I liked how the sisters came together to figure out a way to find their missing brother and how Natalie grew as a person along the way. She didn't take the easy way out and I admired her for that. The story itself was very intriguing and the plot is character-driven, I liked that about it. I loved being taken away to California and the author's descriptions of Santa Cruz put me there. This is a wonderful love letter to family and the ties that bind, such an impressive debut.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Sierra Godfrey for the giving of the ARC.
#NetGalley
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