Riley McPherson is a 25-year-old school counselor who has come home to New Bern, North Carolina to settle her father's affairs after his unexpected death. She is the executor of his estate and she finds herself faced with more than she had bargained for. She has an older brother, Danny, who is a damaged soul. He was injured in Iraq and has never quite fit in again with regular society. She once had an older sister, Lisa, but the family has been dealing with the aftermath of Lisa's suicide for over 20 years. Riley feels very alone and the amount of decisions to be made and possessions to be sorted and dealt with totally overwhelms her. And then she discovers that the life that she and her brother have had is filled with falsehoods. Their sister, Lisa, may still be alive. And all the pillars in Riley's life come tumbling down.
Told from the viewpoints of both Riley and Lisa and going backwards and forwards in time, this author makes that device work pretty well. My problem was with Riley. I found her incredibly tiresome. She's only 25 and has a load of responsibilities on her shoulders, which I kept trying to remember. Sorting out an estate is indeed a lot of work. Hearing that her father was not the man she thought he was and then discovering evidence of that would be tough. However, Riley makes one bad decision after another, listens to the wrong people at the wrong times and her mood swings had me whipping my head back and forth. Sometimes the 'poor little me' angle just got to be too much. Again, tried to remember that she is young and inexperienced about many things. And easily wounded and hurt. Sorry. As I said, so very tiresome.
As the story wound down to a conclusion, I decided that I did not like how it ended. I've tried to think how I would have done it differently and come up with an answer, but I won't share that here. This didn't put me off this author completely, but I suspect it will be a while before I read another of her books. Sometimes, it's just not the right book for a reader or maybe not the right time. For me, this was a 'wanted to throw it across the room but it's on my Kindle' kind of experience.
If you've read this book, did you have a different experience? I'd love to hear. I don't often finish a book that is bugging me this much, so there must have been some redeeming factors.
I've had a few of those 'wanted to throw it across the room but it's on my Kindle' experiences, too! This book is on my wish list... not so sure I want to read it now.
ReplyDeleteSee this is the problem with sharing a less than positive review. I never want to put anyone off of a book. Just was not my favorite.
DeleteI haven't read Chamberlain yet but ordered this book when she visited my local bookstore. It sounds like I should start with a different book of hers.
ReplyDeleteStart with Necessary Lies! That is a good one.
DeleteI hate being so negative, which is why I rarely finish books that I don't like. The story was absorbing. It was just the decisionmaking. Perhaps Necessary Lies would be better since Debbie recommends it. :-)
DeleteI love those "surprise!" books. But the main character's being a "poor little me" who makes dumb choices, would put me off. Although I have seen this title before, guess I'll pass on it.
ReplyDeleteI even get tired of characters, who are wishy-washy, with out a lot of problems. Ya'know, you are privy to what's in their mind. But they don't have the guts to SAY what's in their mind. This drives me up a wall. lol
I was just frustrated with the main character. It's hard for me to write a less than positive review. :-(
DeleteBut! What great cover art!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, and that is a consistent quality of this author's books.
DeleteI enjoyed your review. I enjoyed this novel, but did find it to be unrealistic.
ReplyDeleteI was so annoyed by so many things. But it was well told.
DeleteThere are some characters who will drive us insane but if the story is interesting enough, I guess I'll keep on reading. I'll have to think about this one.
ReplyDeleteYes, I don't usually finish books that are not working for me. This one obviously worked well enough. Just frustrating.
DeleteYou hit the nail on the head. I had to go back to my own review of this one, but we said pretty much the same thing. It was predictable, and Riley gets tiresome with her poor decision-making. We both even tried to excuse that behavior because of her age but still struggled with it. I have read another of Diane's novels; I probably won't try her again.
ReplyDeleteYes! I'm so glad you get it! I kept thinking that she did have a lot on her plate and was surrounded by nutty people, but geez louise. If I read that she felt wounded or hurt one more time. And then 2 seconds later, she loved whoever had wounded her. Sigh.
DeleteI've read two of her books...one I loved, this one, not so much. It was just okay.
ReplyDeleteNecessary Lies, tho, was great. So, I am really glad I gave her a 2nd try.
I will try Necessary Lies since you recommend it. I did read another of her books, The Good Father, and I remember liking it well enough. I guess every book can't be a great one for me. LOL
DeleteI remember feeling similar to the way you did so I went back and checked. Here's what I said last year...
ReplyDelete"Yes, Riley was alone (ish) after losing a sister and both of her parents but there was a woe-is-me attitude about her that rubbed me the wrong way at times." and then later I called her entitled. I liked the secrets enough to think I might try another by Chamberlain though:)
Yes, I don't think I'd cross this author off my list completely. I've read another of her books that I liked, The Good Father. Guess you can't love them all, right?
DeleteI'm sorry this one didn't work for you, and I know what you mean about not liking to give negative reviews. But personally I like when a reviewer is honest about why they didn't like a book, and it would only put me off reading the book if it was something that was likely to annoy me too. And a main character who is always bemoaning her lot would certainly put me off! So thank you for your honesty.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I don't write many less than positive reviews because I normally don't finish a book that isn't working for me. I gave myself permission to stop reading any book quite a while ago. This one kept me going, but I was so annoyed at times.
DeleteI don't think think 25 is that young! And I can see that I'd find this book irritating. I do like to read a negative review - although I do find it very difficult to write one. I had a similar reaction when I read A Game for All the Family and nearly didn't write my post. I think you have been very fair in your review and as you say you can't love everything ...
ReplyDeleteWell, 25 didn't used to be all that young, but don't you find that 25 is a lot younger now than it was in our time? Kids are so adept at technology and things, but a lot of them are so clueless about practicalities and life. And you definitely can't love everything. I usually stop reading a book, but I did like it well enough to make it to the end.
DeleteI am sorry this one wasn't better for you, Kay. I haven't read this book or the author, and so I haven't an opinion on it. I have read books in which the characters have a "poor me" attitude and it can get old after awhile.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping it was just this book. I've read another book by this author and liked it. Or maybe it was just my mood. Sometimes I have problems with a book, put it aside, and then pick it up again much later and love it.
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