This story takes place over a weekend that is celebrating the graduation from college for the twins Dawn and Cody. The twins are part of two families, their parents having divorced when they were about twelve.

There is quite a bit of tension surrounding the weekend. Their mother Meredith and step father Joel want to negotiate the days in a way that they will remain calm and sane. Meredith is dealing with the fact that her children are grown up and she is fearing that this is where it all stops for her. They'll be adults who no longer need her.  Joel has helped raise these two and all he wants to do is see this weekend through with all its potential for chaos.

Roger - the twins' hot shot lawyer Dad is aiming to give the twins a great time. His young wife Lily is totally wanting to be included in the family, to be accepted and liked. However there is quite some bad vibes coming her way from Dawn and Meredith.  As well Lily is beginning to question her life and needs.

We are given the viewpoints from Meredith, Joel, Cody, Dawn and Lily. As a reader that helps you to understand the fears and anxieties of each of these loveable but flawed characters. I especially liked this aspect of the writing, being able to walk a little while alongside each one.

During the few days things go radically awry, although not in the way I might have first predicted. As the story came to crisis point I was turning the pages to see what would happen.

A great, quick read- I read the entire book in one sitting. Believable characters and a wonderful storyline.

Meredith Parker is mking her way to her twins’ college as Dawn and Cody are going to graduate and move away. Meredith is a proud mother but she's not ready to face all the emotions that threaten to overwhelm her.

Wendy Francis paints a fascinating picture of a complex family dynamic and the expectation around the graduation. We also see what is expected of her as a mother and she has her own demons to fight in the form of her ex husband.

Best Behavior is the first novel by Wendy Francis I have reviewed and I found the title very apt for the plot. It's doubly fitting as it is what many a mother says before a special event: "I want you on your best behaviour." This makes the title powerful on it's own.

Thanks to Wendy Francis and Graydon House for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4 stars.

A deliciously readable and immensely entertaining family drama written with plenty of candor, insight and humor, Wendy Francis’s Best Behavior is an immersive page-turner readers are going to thoroughly enjoy.

Meredith Parker cannot help but feel emotional. Dawn and Cody, her beloved twins, are about to graduate from college and she is heading over to watch them take their first steps into adulthood and she couldn’t be prouder of the two of them. Raising them and getting them through college was no picnic, but Meredith can hold her head high and be equally proud of herself from for having equipped her children with the necessary skills required for the big wide world. Meredith, however, cannot help but feel apprehensive that now that her twins are college graduates they will no longer need her. With Dawn and Cody moving to separate sides of the country, she cannot help but feel a tad overwhelmed – and her ex Roger is certainly not helping matters.
Roger was as far removed from Mr Right as it was possible to get. The word faithful was not in the vocabulary of her cheating ex who never had any qualms about sharing his bed with anybody who struck his fancy – regardless of his family commitments! With a younger wife in tow, Meredith is determined to remain graceful and dignified, even if the sight of her ex makes her blood boil. Still, luckily for her, her husband Joel is by her side and she has never had any reason whatsoever to think badly of him or not to trust him. Joel cannot help but worry about how Meredith is going to cope now that she seems in the midst of empty-nest syndrome, but when he finds himself distracted by a familiar face, will his secrets get in the way of his current marital
situation?

Joel is not the only one with secrets. Dawn and Cody are also sitting on some explosive news they daren’t risk reveal to anybody and then there is Roger’s new wife Lily, who cannot help but wonder just what she has let herself in for by coming into this mixed-up family.

As tempers fray and scandalous revelations come to light, it’s going to take more than everyone being on their best behavior to sort this family out! Can this new blended family learn to embrace their quirkiness and imperfections and come together? Or will they end up realizing that they are better off as far apart from one another as they possible can?

Wendy Francis brilliantly explores modern family life in all of its messy, frustrating and joyful glory in this delightfully witty, refreshingly honest and wonderfully entertaining tale. Best Behavior is a well-written tale of secrets, fresh starts, loyalty and family strife that is immensely difficult to put down and one which will have readers nodding their heads in recognition on many an occasion as this is a book that at times hits rather too close to home.

Astute and enjoyable, Wendy Francis’s Best Behavior is a fabulous book for readers to lose themselves in this summer!

Even if I am not a mother I appreciated this story of complex family relationships and coming to term with new situations.
The story is told by the POV of the different characters and I loved how the author made them evolve and come to term with the tensions and their own issues.
The plot is well crafted and flows keeping you hooked, the characters are fleshed out and I appreciated the character development.
My favorite character was Joe because he is the one who is able to see things as they are and to support the characters in different moment.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last because I found it engrossing and entertaining.
I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to Graydon House and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Netgalley, and Graydon House Books for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Oh my gosh. The feelings that I got reading this book just really stirred up some long forgotten emotions in me that I didn’t think I would even remember thinking about. Sure, none of the things in my life really happened exactly as it happened in this novel but I could see some of the similarities in my life and it’s just so cringy to remember it. I could only imagine how my own mom felt being the main character of Meredith, having to deal with the cheating ex, the current husband, the idiosyncrasies of such a complicated family dynamic and everything that goes along with it. I don’t think I could handle it. So feeling like I was witnessing parts of my own family while reading this made me relate to this novel even more.

I couldn’t help but feel for Meredith and her family, most especially her children. I definitely was not team Roger (the cheating Ex), and even though he was the twins’ father, I wouldn’t have minded if he wasn’t at the graduation ceremony. But then again, that’s not my place. Then we had Meredith’s current husband Joel in the mix, and for some reason, there’s something going on with him as well – or at least someone he is familiar with at this ceremony – that may be taking away his attention from trying to help Meredith come to terms with her empty-nest syndrome since Dawn and Cody are going to be leaving to start their adult lives on opposite sides of the country away from home. It happens, but hopefully Joel is able to come to terms with what’s going on with this familiar face and it doesn’t get in the way of him trying to help Meredith with her own emotions.

I personally don’t know if I liked Lily (Roger’s new wife), and maybe that’s solely because she’s Roger’s wife, and I don’t like Roger. But that wouldn’t be fair to her, and she’s just a character in a book so why should I make her feel that way, right? Oh well. I guess you would have to read this for your self to find out whether or not you would either have some sympathy for Lily or just not like her to begin with.

All in all, this turned out to be an emotional ride.

I wish I liked this one more than I did. I could sympathize with Meredith for her situation. Empty nest syndrome is closer for me than I want to admit. Despite that I found her a little depressing. In fact, I think the only character I really liked was Joel. I found the book a bit repetitive and found my self skimming in places. I think it just wasn't for me.

This complicated and charming family drama follows a unique family through a long-anticipated graduation weekend. When ex-husband and wife bring their new families together to celebrate the end of college for their twin son and daughter, they expected some tense moments and complications.

The unknown of the weekend went far beyond what they could have imagined. The characters are well developed and uniquely intertwined. This was a wonderful reminder of the complexity and connectedness of family. I highly recommend this read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House for an advanced copy.

Best Behavior by Wendy Francis opens with Meredith Parker, her husband Joel and her mother Carol heading to Boston, Massachusetts for the graduation of her twins, Dawn and Cody. None of them are looking forward to seeing her ex-husband Roger and his young bride Lily or Roger’s parents, but have vowed to be on their Best Behavior for the sake of the twins. Meredith is full of emotions, from pride to sadness as the twins will be moving away for work. She is also somewhat jealous of Lily and Roger's success. She wants to be gracious toward Roger and his family, but it is not always that easy. There is tension from the first moment at the college and it continues throughout the weekend. Can Meredith be on her Best Behavior?

I really enjoyed this book. Having already gone through the empty nest period, I can relate to what Meredith was feeling. We want our children to grow up and become strong individuals, but we also want things to remain the same. Cody and Dawn have had their problems along the way and there is some baggage there that adds some drama to this story. I loved Joel and what a great stabilizing influence he was in this story. Of course it is college graduation, so throw in some booze, some partying and some drugs and you know someone is going to say or do something that will throw good intentions out the window and it isn't all going to be the younger generation. The story is told from various points of view, Meredith, Joel, Dawn, Cody, and Lily, which allows the reader to see each situation from different perspectives, although until the end, you don't truly know what the other person is thinking or feeling. Best Behavior is well-written and plotted with complex characters. The story is quite realistic and thought provoking with some humor mixed in with the more serious moments. The back of the book has discussion questions for a book club as well as a short interview with the author. I liked that I was able to reflect more on what I had read.

I don't read a lot of chick-lit/women's fiction, but I could certainly identify with Meredith being an empty nester, which is what I think drew me to this one. There were things I liked about Meredith and things that kind of rubbed me the wrong way, but that's merely the sign of a well-rounded character. After all, how many people do we meet in real life and actually like every single thing about them? Anyway, this story is told from a handful of perspectives and everyone has a secret as this blended family gets ready for a graduation weekend. Did I like every character? Definitely not, but like them or not, this group of characters certainly made for interesting drama. And let's be honest, we all kind of enjoy the bird's eye view of family drama as long as it's not our own. So, there you have it - An entertaining bit of family drama in a story that has a steady enough pace to make for a good bit of beach reading or a pretty good way to while away a weekend.

I read this story in what can only be called a highly anticipatory state. Based on the blurb, it felt like I was waiting to come upon the train wreck that the impending weekend promised. Admittedly I was looking for a drama-filled read and being in the heads of family members at odds with themselves, I had great expectations. With a blended family situation, this domestic drama is told from a few different points of view, and I quickly saw that my needs would be well met.

Centered around the college graduation weekend of twins Dawn and Cody, their mother Meredith grapples with her long time ex Roger, and his new wife Lily, hosting the big celebration party. But before that, they must get through pre-party events including a mixer, the actual graduation, and the post-graduation dinner.

The story is mostly given to us from Merediths’ POV, she spends a lot of time reminiscing and through the weekend activities and we learn a lot about the history of this family. She’s long been remarried to Joel who has been a great partner and stepfather. But as each of the main character’s insights are shared, as they navigate their interactions with each other, we quickly come to understand the current dynamics.

There were many moments where expected major fireworks, but everyone seems to be treading water, coping in their own way. As the events of the weekend unfold, they all realize things aren’t exactly as they seem, people aren’t what you make them out to be, and in a pivotal moment in life, assumptions must be reexamined.

Wendy Francis delivered on the promise of an engrossing read, with complex characters in potentially tumultuous life moments, who are working through conflicting emotions. 5 Stars and recommendation!!

Best Behavior by Wendy Francis has Meredith Parker along with her husband, Joel and her mother, Carol are heading to Bolton College in Boston, Massachusetts for the graduation of her twins, Dawn and Cody. Meredith is not looking forward to seeing her ex-husband, Roger and his bride of six months, Lily along with Roger’s extended family. Meredith has a variety of emotions swirling through her. She is proud of the twins graduating from college, but also upset because they moving to different states. Of course, Meredith is not the only one worried about the upcoming weekend. The tension is palpable from the beginning. Best behavior can only so last so long and then watch out. Best Behavior is a story about a blended family trying to get through seventy-two hours. There is a banquet to attend, graduation, Roger’s elaborate graduation party as well as get the twins moved out of their dorm rooms. They all want the weekend to go well, but there is always tension when families get together. Meredith is especially touchy because she is going to miss her children who will soon be living in different states. She resents her ex-husband, Roger who is now wealthy and flaunts it (I believe Meredith needed a better divorce attorney). Meredith loved raising her kids and now is not sure who she is without them. Best Behavior has secrets, lies, anger, drugs, bitterness, jealousy, love, and vast quantities of alcohol (they will need it to get through the weekend). I do want to mention there is foul language in the book (I know people use it, but I still find it offensive). The point-of-view alternates between Meredith, Joel, Dawn, Cody, and Lily. It can be a little confusing at first until you adjust. It does allow you to see each situation from different perspectives. You never truly know what another person is thinking, feeling, or going through as we discover. The book is well-written with complex characters. I liked that there was humor sprinkled throughout to help lighten the tale. Best Behavior shows the complex dynamics of a blended family. Escape reality for a time by diving into Best Behavior.

Best Behavior is definitely in that "beach read" lane. It focuses on a family who is coming to terms with the end of some chapters and the start of new ones. The center of this season of change is Dawn and Charlie's high school graduation. Their divorced (and now re-partnered) parents are coming into town for the celebration, and everyone is going through some "stuff" during this time.

Much of the story's focus is on Meredith, the twin's mother. She is thrilled her twins are graduating from her alma mater, but also bummed that they've taken jobs that will take them far away, and she's feeling those empty nest feels. She's happy in her new marriage to Joel, but again figuring out her new normal. She's also navigating the feels of seeing her ex-husband and his much younger new partner. Meredith struggles with comparing herself to her in all the ways. Basically, Meredith is dealing with all the things.

The other subplot focuses on the twins. They've always had their lanes and roles as twins, and now things have shifted. I don't want to share too much on this subplot because part of the driver is figuring out what's going on with this one.

For me, this was a nice, light read. It had some drama throughout that kept me engaged throughout. It was interesting to see all the feels that this transition brought, as well as the relationship dynamics. I say this is a complimentary way, but this is just a good story about people. It's how they feel, what they do, and how they react to situations.

One final thing I do want to note: This is about a graduation. Obviously, the author could never have guessed that we'd be where we are with regard to graduations. However, if this is a topic that hits you particularly hard, you may want to hold on reading this one. I don't know that the mention of this time would be overwhelming, but I also am not personally impacted, and I want to be mindful that everyone is feeling a variety of feels right now.

A Graduation Weekend

Meredith is proud, anxious, and sad all at the same time. She’s loved raising the twins, Cody and Dawn, but now they’re graduating and going to live in other states. Her husband, Joel, is strong and supportive. She loves him and knows he’s right about letting the twins start their own lives, but still she feels loss. It’s worse because this weekend she’ll be subjected to her wealthy ex-husband, Roger, and his gorgeous new wife, Lily.

Cody and Dawn have their own worries about graduation and how their behavior may affect their parents and even their graduation and future. Lily, too, is not as secure as she seems. Everyone worries, and everyone plans to be on their best behavior.

This is a good depiction of a college graduation from the parents both proud and worried about having an empty nest to the children getting ready to face the world with tension and excitement. The story is told from several viewpoints: Meredith, Joel, Cody, Dawn, and Lily. This allows us to see how each person is reacting to the events in contrast to how the other characters see them. This is particularly true for Meredith and Lily.

The plot lines intersect to keep the story moving, but the focus is on the characters and their emotions at this important juncture in their lives.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A beautiful book about the empty nest syndrome, the author could capture the beautiful sentiments in ways which touched my heart.
Different POV showed me the characters' perspective filled with complexities. This was a fab story which was thought-provoking and sensitive with a dash of humor and loads of emotion.
A wonderful read in these tough times.

Can this glorious mess of people become a blended family? You're about to find out in this well written story of a group of people gathering together for what should be a wonderful celebration. The perfect read for these tumultuous times. Happy reading!

Meredith and her second husband Joel are headed to Bolton College for her twins' graduation. Her ex, Roger, the twins' father, is also their with his second wife, Lily. She really feels empty nest syndrome because even though the twins were in college, they were only a few hours drive away. Now that the twins, Cody and Dawn are graduating, they are moving far away to start their new lives.

Also attending the graduation is both sets of grandparents. So this huge blended family are about to see Cody and Dawn receive their diplomas. All Meredith wants is for things to go without a hitch. One character I especially enjoyed in this book was Meredith's mom. I think her character gave a lot of flavor to this book.

There was also something seriously wrong with one of the characters - and I won't spoil the name in this review. The situation was very serious and the author did an excellent job by writing this into the story. That part of the story really broke my heart.

The only reason that this book gets three stars is that Meredith had such jealousy towards Roger's wife. I couldn't understand how since she had being happily married for years to Joel, she could be so jealous of Lily. That was the only downside of the book. Otherwise, as a mother facing empty nest syndrome I truly related to Meredith. Despite the one annoyance, I really did enjoy Best Behavior and I do look forward to reading more from Wendy Francis in the future.

Many thanks to Graydon House and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The author gives us the story of a mom about to have her twins graduate from College, and the internal dilemma of dealing with her feelings of really becoming an empty nester. She is also going with the husband she loves, and her Mom to the Boston, the place where the college is, but also the place where her ex-husband lives with his very young wife.
There are tons of emotions here, and I even felt sorry for the young wife, Lilly, and how hard she wanted to fit in, the longing to belong.
Also the theme of drugs is here, whether in innocent babies in the NICU, at parties, or on campus, and the results can be devastating.
You will be quickly page turning here to see how this hard weekend for Meredith turns out, and how she will move on with her life.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin, and was not required to give a positive review.

Best Behavior takes place over the long weekend of college graduation for a not so perfectly blended family. It is told by the voices of the graduates, Dawn and Cody, their mother Meredith and her husband Joel, and their father Peter and his new young wife Lily. All must come together for a series of events at Bolton College, culminating with a congratulatory party at Roger and Lily’s oceanfront mansion.

With seamless movement through past and present, author Wendy Francis shows us the workings of three marriages. First Meredith and Peter, who divorced when the twins were 12. Meredith, a nurse, sees herself as a mother, good at what she does, forged by the daily work of dealing with twins. Interestingly, Peter, a successful sports attorney, tells Lily that he “lost” Meredith when the twins were born and she put motherhood first. Meredith is now happily married to Joel, a counselor of troubled teenagers. You see how much more relaxed Meredith is with him but also how he lacks Peter’s drive. Peter has now been married to Lily for six months. Lily is awed by her new lifestyle, trying to please Peter but lonely and bored.

As the novel progresses through small skirmishes, college pranks, insecurities and anger, family problems bubble to the surface. Best Behavior is a beautiful, sensitive, emotional guide to making a family and finding love and forgiveness. 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin and Wendy Francis for this ARC.

Huge thanks to the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for impartial review – and for the chance to share en excerpt today as well! I am extremely pleased to share my thoughts about this book because it was one of those smooth easy reads that just flowed nicely without too much frustration and the odd family drama to keep things ticking over. Summer and the warmer temperatures makes me want to read about family drama! And there’s no shortage of family drama throughout this book. Blended families can be a challenge for many and Wendy Francis navigates this one with great style and talent. All the joy (and pain) of almost having an empty nest is captured nicely in this book and you will not be sorry to lose yourself for a few days in the pages.