Book Spotlight Posted on September 9, 2023: https://travelingwitht.com/2023/09/09/book-spotlight-womens-fiction/

Best Behavior is the story of a “modern” family - both parents are remarried - celebrating their twin’s graduation from college. This was not for me. I didn’t like the main character, Meredith, or really any of the characters - so this book was hard for me to listen to. Everyone had “secrets,” but really none of the secrets were that big of a deal. There is a BIG EVENT near the end of the book that just seemed thrown in there. I basically kept speeding it up just to finish it.

Thanks to @NetGalley and Harlequin for my ARC.

Really love a great family grama tale and I also love stories where kids are about to go off to college. This is rich with drama, secret and a great beach read!

A family splitting up is never easy. It's hard on everyone involved, but especially when there are children to take into consideration. Couple that with you now adult children getting ready to start their lives and it can turn even the most sane woman into a maniac for a little bit.

Meredith tries very hard to make sure the weekend is perfect. It's the last hoorah for her twins. The last event before they are off and starting their own lives. But when ex's and new partners are involved even the best laid plans will somehow go awry.

The author captures perfectly the family dynamic and its struggles. Having a blended family myself I know how hard it can be in certain situations. The important thing is to be there for the children no matter what and to try and put your personal differences aside. Like with Meredith it's easier said than done.

A great family story about coming together and letting go.

Dysfunctional family novel taking place on the weekend of college graduation, told from the alternating perspective of Meredith, her twins, her second husband, and the second wife of her first husband. A decent read, but felt a little light on really getting to know the characters.

So much of Best Behavior is inner dialogue talk, inner banter like bouncing a ball off a wall to yourself in a one man game of catch that I very much related to.

Anybody who has a bit of an honest, salty inner dialogue will appreciate the fun of Best Behavior.

This book is a story about the messiness of family dynamics. At a joyous occasion, in this case the twin’s college graduation weekend, celebrated by this blended family. This is one of those books where you see bits and pieces of your own family or the family of friends. Good read. Recommend to those who want a family saga.

#BestBehavior #Netgalley #Harlequin #GraydonHouse

A book based on empty nesting, and blended families, with a whole bunch of secrets? Sign me up! I love those types of books, even though it was a slow burn, and it picked up towards the end of course. I felt so bad for Meredith, reminds me of my mom, I am wondering if she felt like Meredith felt with her kids growing up. I have no kids, but I hear so many stories about some parents not letting go, and some thinking they did the best they could with their kids and they end up like Cody, always being coddled and always the angel, but not really, lol.

This book was like peeling an onion, there were so many layers to everyone, and every single person had either a secret, or something that is bothering them, off their chest. Family drama is always the best to read, especially when it not your own, lol.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book for my honest review.

Meredith and her husband Joel are going to her twins' college graduation. Her ex husband Roger, the twins' father, is there with his second wife, Lily. Meredith feels rather melancholy as she is facing empty nest syndrome because even though her kids were in college, they were only a few hours drive away. Now that the twins are graduating they’re both moving far away to start their new lives.
One plot twist that I really enjoyed and think the author did a great job of detailing for the reader is that something is wrong with one of the characters. The situation was fairly serious and that part of the story really was sad.
I think the author did a terrific job of describing and detailing the specifics and feelings between the blended families and ex spouses. I found myself relating to Meredith’s character. I truly enjoyed this book.

I do enjoy a good fictional family drama and Wendy Francis delivers that here! This is an engaging summer read and I will definitely read more by this author in the future!

This Author is really great. I really loved this book. This tale was highly engrossing and highly recommendable!!

It took me a while to get into this book but once I did I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. (Personal Note: I think it was just me and not the book that was the hold up.). This book was a nice breath of fresh air during all things COVID.

The backdrop of this book is College Graduation weekend. And how a blended family copes with everyone coming together for the twin graduates. This book I’m sure is a great example of what a college graduation is like for a blended family (but personally I have no experience with that).

For me it’s almost 15 years since my college graduation so this book took me back a little. With graduations taking a new look this year because of COVID it was nice to have this book as a reminder of what they used to look like. I say this a lot but it is true a lot, this was a book I would not normally have picked up on my own but I am so glad I read it.

From what should be the best time in a child's life comes the LONGEST WEEKEND EVER! While I loved the premise of the book, the actual story moved too slowly and only skimmed the surface of each character.. Its not a good thing when you hope a character doesn't get the diploma, overdoses, and gets a heart broken....

Not her best but still has a great ending - even if it is pretty sappy...

This is an empty nest story about to happen. Meredith and her husband are heading to her twin children's college graduation. She isn't excited about seeing her ex, Roger and his new young wife but is determined to be graceful for the weekend. Cody and Dawn have some major secrets they've been hiding and are both anxious about their parents coming for graduation. This book takes place over one weekend and is a little full of things happening. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Nice story! I found it very witty and engaging. I really like that the point of view switches to different characters to really feel like I know the different people. Easy to read and enjoyable!

A gorgeous New England college campus, family drama, strong emotions.... add this together and you get Wendy Francis's Best Behavior. This is an engrossing read perfect for summer.

Thank you to Wendy Francis, Harlequin and NetGalley for this ARC.

As both a mother and a stepmother, this book hit me in all the feels. It's a wonderful story about empty nest syndrome, and trying to fit in with a new family. Both Meredith and Lily are great characters, and I felt for both of them.

A fantastic read by Wendy Francis.

A huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title.

We invest a lot of time and resources in our children, and when we launch them into the world it can be a bittersweet experience.

Wendy Francis's newest book perfectly captures the inherent conflict in that experience. She also tackles the angst and tension that are a natural part of trying to meld blended families, the generational values that can prevent us from seeing each other clearly, and the need for brutally honest conversations about our feelings.
Meredith is a heroine whose struggles you will relate to and empathize with.

This plot includes all of the dicey situations a road trip and a retreat can evoke - and is about bringing a family closer together by making them confront what is keeping them apart. Sometimes the boulder that is weighing on your heart is really nothing more than a beach pebble when you share it with those you love.

What can happen when you have an unusual family made out of exes, parents and step parents, gathered for the graduation weekend of their kids? Add to the mix some rivarly on both sides, secrets and substances and BOOM! Unputdownable summer read ahead! This is Best Behaviour, coming up on May 5th.

I have read this book in three days, but that’s just because I have small kids and tons of chores around the house.. I couldn’t stop thinking about it during the day and I was trying to imagine myself on the beach, somewhere peaceful, with nothing to do but read about the intriguing poasibility of best behavior with the above mentioned ingredients 😅.

While the book starts off a bit slowly, the plot really picks up after a while and grabs the reader into the intricate world of motherhood, college life and secrets.

Wendy Francis is a skillful master at character development, creating complex and emphatic characters from totally cliché types of persons (this must have been quite the challenge). Take for example Roger and Lilly, the rich husband with a young great looking second wife. The author managed to make something different out of them. This is just one example.

The twins’ graduation is a huge milestone for the whole family, each person feeling it differently. Meredith’s feelings can seem exaggerated at times, yet who’s really to say how nervous a mother can become when her kids are about to start a new chapter of their lives?

The graduation party is the cherry on the top and I am not going to say much about it, not wanting to disclose anything major. I have not expected the turn of events, not to mention the change of relationship between people at that point in time. The author managed to beautifully guide and develop all characters for this crazy reveal during the party. The only minor thing that bothered me at times, were the reflections of each character about what was about to happen and why one thing had happened. Nevertheless, this writing style matched the plot and highlighted the worry looming over the events of the weekend.

This book is a must read for this genre, a great summer read, perfect for holiday on the terrace or in the garden etc. (review written while #stayathome is on). You will find more details about the book, summary, publication details and author bio below (scroll down).

I have received an advanced review copy from Harlequin Trade Publishing and it was an absolute pleasure to read this and review it. Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this copy.

I didn’t care for this book. The writing style did not pull me in. I like to feel that I am in the story but that never happened for me in this book.