Welcome to Litsy!

This book had me pondering a million questions throughout. So much mystery , so many family secrets. Well worth the wait till the end . It‘s hearty breaking and uplifting at the same time. #23 a book of your choice

I was not prepared to cry, and I cried. So many of us have moved through those painful agonizing days of losing a loved one to cancer, and this one bubbles those emotions up. Some of us also have sisters with whom we‘ve shared many life experiences but the story we tell ourselves of those memories vastly differ - sisters, I love ‘em!

This one has been on my TBR list for awhile. I found it to be a frustrating read. Jess was so unlikeable. I kept thinking she was so selfish and immature. I mean, I get all parents screw up no matter how hard we try but ugg. This book was frustrating. Everyone in this book lacked communication skills, Audrey, Lily, and Jess. And for their family tradition of non-communication both Mia and Phoebe made up for it with some of the most unnatural

Jess is the most unlikable character. Ugh.

I love my baby sister and I can't imagine not speaking to her for 30 years.

I keep finding myself thinking "Just spit it out. What is your f$&#ing problem?"

Halfway done.

First book of 2021! 📚💕

This quote pretty much encapsulates what this book is about. A family that doesn‘t communicate because of mysterious occurrences years ago that stem from them not communicating. You see what I‘m getting at here? I kept reading because I wanted to find out what happened but by the reveal I had figured it out. I wasn‘t a fan of any of the characters so this one isn‘t a win for me. But I knocked out my November #bookspin, so that‘s a win! ⬇️

#guilty #botm #bookspin

Got my #bookspinbingo board ready with fall colors. Guess I‘ll keep using stickers to Mark when I‘m done. I‘m hopefull this month!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really wanted to like this more than I did. It‘s an easy read, and I usually like books about complex relationships but to me, this was missing any complexity. There is a mystery central to the story, which hooked me at the beginning but then started to drag on. Parts with descriptions of inner thoughts went on too long for me and I found myself skimming. In the end, this was just ok.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 didn‘t love this one. Was a mystery but it felt like it was trying too hard. Not for me.

1988, 10 y/o Jess finds her big sister, Lily, coming out of the spare bedroom, a room they‘ve been told repeatedly not to enter. This action sets off a chain of events that splits the family apart. 30 years later, Jess & Lily are estranged & their mom is dying. Her last wish is to reconcile her daughters. 133 pages in, & there‘s no inkling of what happened in that spare bedroom. I‘ve lost interest and am done! 😕
#bookspinbonanza #bookspin

I had a difficult time following this story. There was a lot of interwoven pieces that didn't really translate well to audiobook. About 2/3s through the book is when I was finally able to start putting pieces in place.

What I liked: If I had to pinpoint what kind of story I most enjoy, I‘d probably have to say that I most enjoy stories about families. More to the point, I like reading stories about families in which the family dynamic has somehow gone astray. Leo Tolstoy said it the best, “Happy families are alike, unhappy families are unhappy in its own way.”.

https://amicryingorlaughing.home.blog/2020/04/16/if-only-i-could-tell-you-by-han...

Heartbreaking ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#flowersonthecover #magnificentmarch

Lazy day reading in bed.

I‘m DNFing this. One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to book plots is when every problem could be solved by communicating, and that‘s what this book is. 🤷‍♀️

This story of a secret that broke a family apart was good. Not great. It seemed slow to me in the beginning and was wordy in places I felt were unnecessary. But it did hold my attention and it was interesting. I just think it could have been even better with some editing.

Pros: The story is well paced, and doesn't drag. We learn little by little what happened in the past.
Probs: The premise itself. The way the “misunderstanding“ occurred between the sisters, one of whom was only 10 years old, and lasts 30 years, is completely unbelievable. Also, since the beef of the story happened in the past, the “present“ is contains thin “drama“ filler that doesn't seem to have any bearing on the plot.

This book was okay. It was a little too sappy for me--especially at the end. Everything was tied up with nice, neat bows. The characters were pretty flat, too. ⭐⭐⭐/5

This was between a so-so and a pick. I‘m going with “pick” because I got interrupted a lot while reading it and that made it hard to really get invested and that‘s not the book‘s fault, lol. But, basically, you will finish this book and want to call your loved ones and tell them how much you love them. If I had siblings that‘s probably what I would have done! Not a cheery book, that‘s for sure, but certainly not a bad read.

If only this book were as amazing as this morning‘s sunrise. I feel the relationships were handled in a cheesy and melodramatic way. I thought the cheese level would abate some as there were more plot reveals, but things just became more hackneyed and overwrought as the book wound down.

Just wasn‘t feeling this one #BOTM. 2.5⭐️

I‘m having a good morning! I got over 5 hours sleep for the first time in weeks. (I actually got 6.5 hours!! 👏🏻👏🏻)

I‘ve listened to a lot of Evicted while doing chores this morning. I recommend it to everyone. And Dion Graham is an amazing narrator.

The tagged book is this month‘s #botm choice. So far it‘s a little drama-drama, but I‘m sure I‘ll end up crying by the end! 😢🤪 I am who I am.

Much love to Littens this Saturday! 💜💜

Getting ready to dig in. New book and California Spaghetti Salad. Yum!

I‘m taking a break between morning errands to feed my body and spirit. I‘m nervous about this book. I have a strained relationship with my own sister and I wonder what demons it will unearth. #currentlyreading

It was a crazy day, but I came home to my #BOTM box!

It's #botm day!!!

My BOTM box came today... I love my bag and BFF status😍
Also starting this book today!!

USPS land speed record! #BOTM

So this month‘s #BOTM selections are pretty crap, IMO. Literally have not heard of a single one, and most of them are completely uninteresting to me. The tagged book is the only one that holds any appeal, but again, I‘ve not heard a single person say anything about it or seen it on any upcoming releases list or anything. Has anyone heard reviews or read an advanced copy? Is it worth it or should I just skip this month? ☹️

Deep breaths. Restraint.
Luckily I can purchase the William Kent Krueger for my HS library and read it then. 🙃

September BOTM choice and BFF status!! So excited😍

The end of the month kind of crept up on me! But, it‘s the first #botm day. 🥳🥳 I wasn‘t overly excited about any of the choices, but this one sounds similar to other books I‘ve liked, so there you go! 🤷🏻‍♀️

I found this book difficult to read in some places as sometimes it felt like it was about myself - I could see myself in all the characters, the good and the bad. I sometimes found myself thinking about my own relationship with my mum and this, although uncomfortable for me in places, is what made this book special

This book is brilliant really made me think about conversations I had not had with my family. One family impacted by events in one year which upended the whole family. Each person dealing with things in their own way but nobody talking. So much guilt and blame. Three decades later these unsaid conversations are impacting new and old relationships and are keeping a family at odds. Have the tissues ready for this one but definitely read it