This story is about family dynamics and life's effects on those dynamics.
Amanda was always an introverted pleaser. She wanted to do her best, please everyone and be the perfect everything.
Erin, her younger sister, not so much. Erin is an extrovert with a free spirit lifestyle.
Their mother was so distraught over the death of their father she was barely functioning for some time.
Amanda and Erin never really shared with each other how they felt about their places within the family, until Amanda's husband Lyle, steals from Amanda's mothers and leaves pregnant Amanda for someone else. The three women come together, sharing, helping and discovering the people they are and the people they want to be. Everyone evolves in the story, some more than others, but all in a realistic way.
I really enjoyed this story. It was interesting and at times edge of my seat intriguing. The end of the story shows how members of a family can come together in the most difficult and round about ways.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book about sisters Amanda and Erin and their relationship. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This had some great pacing about family. The storyline was done very well and I really enjoyed the relationship of these sisters and their story. The issues I had with this one was the ending. It felt like things were still unresolved for the most part and I wished that it would have had a little more romance. Overall, if you read the description and think you might enjoy this one I would totally check it out.

Really enjoyed this! read in one sitting definitely recommend! Thankyou To netgalley and the author for the arc

I devoured this book, wow just wow!
The secrets, I just ya, loved it. The story intrigued me from beginning to end.

I've read several Jamie Beck romances and always enjoyed them, but I think she's hit the mark with this women's fiction book If You Must Know. It's rare that I devour a book, and since we're in the midst of Corona virus pandemic I've been even more distracted. Yet this book about two very different sisters, who don't really seem to understand each other at all, swept me away. One sister plays by the rules and is inflexible in her plans and thinking; the other seems to have no plan at all and lives by the seat of her pants. But when a family disaster thrusts these women into protection mode, we see the beauty of family learning to give, take, ebb, flow, and in the end, the reader will find great satisfaction (and justice!)

I really loved this book! I highly recommend it!

Heard lots about this one and looked forward to reading it, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. Too many books too little time! Heard positive things from other readers so will most likely add to our collection despite not finishing it.

A smart study of family dynamics, sisterhood, grief and communication. Amanda and Erin are sisters who are as different as can be. Each bears some insecurity(and jealousy) in regards to the other. As they work through a family crisis the sisters begin to lean on each other and see a new side of each other. When all the chips are down, no one will have your back better than your sister. I enjoyed this story and finished it in one day.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A beautiful exploration of sisterhood and parental bonds. Sisters Amanda and Erin are like oil and water. Amanda's seemingly perfect and Erin is a ballbuster. But they each must come to terms with their natures, their choices, their strengths and weaknesses in If You Must Know.
I absolutely loved Erin who was so misunderstood by her sister and mother. Loved that she showed them in the end that being a life-long pantser didn't automatically mean that her choices were invalid.
Of course, I felt for Amanda whose perfect life falls apart in chapter one. But, if I have to pick between the sisters, Erin is my boo all the way.
This is the first WF novel by Jamie Beck and it hit all the best marks for me. Read it, people. NOW!

3.5 stars
I am a huge fan of Ms. Beck, and was looking forward to this new story.
It centers around two polar opposite sisters.
Amanda Foster is the quiet, happy , “goody two shoe” one who’s a teacher, a wife, and soon to be a mom.
Erin Turner is the “wild one”, a yoga teacher, and what you see is what you get.
But when lies are revealed and what each thought was true comes tumbling down, life as they knew it is forever gone and a new reality sets in.
This is not the author’s usual romance novel, but rather a story about the relationships between two sisters and their mother. Nor is it my usual choice of story and one I am still not sure how I feel about.
That said, it’s a well written story about family dynamics or lack thereof.
For me it was more of a 3.5 stars book.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Montlake Romance. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for granting me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

If You Must Know by Jamie Beck was such a delightful read. I have never read this author before, but I loved knowing, in advance, that there will be more books in this series (Potomac Point).

This story centers around two sisters, Amanda (married with a child on the way) and Erin (mostly single). Amanda and Erin could not be more different. Amanda is the hard-working, picture-perfect wife and soon-to-be mother. Erin is more of a free-spirit who takes chances and doesn't care if things are a bit "messy" in her life.

The sisters come together after a series of events which include lies and betrayal by those seemingly closest to them. It was at times both heartwarming and heartbreaking to read the dynamics between the sisters. Complete opposites who need to forge a path together to end up with the best outcome. Their relationship with their mother and brother is weaved into the story and I just did not want this book to end.

The writing and characterizations are just wonderful and I sincerely can't wait to read the next book!

This book was a pleasant surprise. I didn't know what to expect as I have never heard of the author, but I ended up really enjoying this one. The characters and plot are both well developed, and the writing style is very easy to read. I'm giving this one a 4.5 star rating.

I really like the characters in this book. The plot revolves around two sisters and their mother. One sister, Amanda, has been duped by her husband, and his treachery is impacting the whole family. As they deal with the fallout from his betrayal, they must face their own limitations and learn how to be better versions of themselves. I particularly like the two sisters. Amanda and Erin are very different, and they have struggled to have a good relationship because of it. Their current struggles bring them closer and help them to recognize that their differences are not a barrier. In fact, they are able to make each other stronger. I do not care for their mother, however. She is overly concerned with appearances and gossip, so much so that she is willing to lose all her money and act illegally just to keep from being the center of scandal. I do not understand that. She frustrated me throughout the book.

By the end of the book, I felt attached to this family and their story. The story itself moves at a nice pace with no boring or tedious sections. The chapters are a little long at times, but it wasn't really an issue. It kept my interest throughout.

It looks like this will be a part of some kind of series, so I am interested to see what comes next. I will definitely continue to read books by this author.

If You Must Know by Jamie Beck was a highly enjoyable novel centering around two sisters and their mother who are all grappling with life's difficulties in their own ways. I was interested to know that this is Beck's first mainstream fictional novel, I enjoyed her characters and the depth that she provided to make them so realistic. I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Amanda and Erin grow and change once they realized that they do need each other to move on with their respective lives. I'm looking forward to reading the upcoming novels in this series.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC.

This story is very different than any other Jamie Beck Book . It is not the feel good/romance story I expected I guess I didn’t realize that this wasn’t really a romance novel. With that being said, I still really enjoyed this, although I didn’t feel as if the book was complete so I hope there will be another in this series.

Amanda strives to be the perfect daughter, the perfect wife, and was trying to be the perfect mom until it all fell apart.. we than meetErin, who is the complete opposite of her sister. We find that both of them are jealous of each other to some extent and have a love / hate relationship. To me this book was more about leaning on your family and learning your each your own person and you need to embrace it and each other for who they are.

If You Must Know is woman fiction book that follows lives of two sisters Amanda and Erin, when they lives implode after certain things come to light. These two are very different. Amanda is married one, kindergarten teacher, the introvert, always doing the right thing. On the other hand Erin is free spirited, yoga instructor, taking life how it comes, tells it like it is. The whole family is dealing with still fresh loss of their father. But everything is worse when Amanda finds out that her husband is having an affair. Erin love life is no better after her ex boyfriend steals her valuable music records. They all have to come to terms with all the trouble they are facing individually and together as a family.

Pros;
* good writing & pace of the story
* interesting story line
* Erin and Amanda opposites makes for good points of view from both sides
* family relationships; I am glad that Amanda and Erin worked on their issues and sister bond

Cons;
* ending is more of happy for now which is subjective thing that I didn't like very much
* besides main issues with Amanda's husband nothing really resolved with certainty, which again can be my subjective thing
* I am left curious did I miss what is going on with their mother health
* I am unhappy how relationship between Erin and her mother is dealt with, through out the book she is awful to her and than everything is good in one sentence
* very little romance

Overall, this is a solid novel. It is a first in a series and I am not sure which characters will next book be about but Potomac Point is excellent small town setting.

I read this author before and her work now it reminds me of the transition that Kristan Higgins did years ago.
I'm excited for what is to come.

3,5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion

I really liked this one. Such a fun and easy read, I will definitely recommend this book to some of my friends.

If you must know is a great story about two sisters and their mother that are trying to support each other through some very difficult situations. The suspense kept me on edge at all times and I enjoyed the point of view of each character and their so different life story. The deceitful husband, the thought decisions that Amanda has to take to protect her unborn child, the mental health issues raised by their mother and the finding her way in life of Erin , all together made for a great few hours of a Sunday afternoon reads.
🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

I love reading stories by Jamie Beck. This novel, If You Must Know, ventures more into Women's Fiction than romance, but it still holds true to the heart of all her books. The elements of love, family, and friendship is felt in this new series by Beck, about finding healing in relationships. And it has lots of action for the reader!

If You Must Know by Jamie Beck is a great, heartwarming book. It shows a real, honest family dynamic from two different view points. Throughout this book you see the characters all face different large obstacles in life, which causes them to lean more on each other. I really enjoyed watching the relationships grow and always love seeing powerful women emerge from a situation.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An enjoyable read exploring the relationships of two sisters who are both very different but are brought together when circumstances change for them both. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters, the story was warm and the relationship between the sisters felt very real.