Jessica Strawser’s ‘A Million Reasons Why’ is a searingly poignant examination of sisterhood, found family, and the weight of what’s left unspoken.

From the novel’s description: “When two strangers are linked by a mail-in DNA test, it’s an answered prayer—that is, for one half-sister. For the other, it will dismantle everything she knows to be true.” If that isn’t an apt description without giving too much away, I don’t know what is.

One of the most striking things about the narrative is the way that Strawser deftly begins to entwine the lives of her protagonists, Caroline and Sela. Told in alternating perspectives, the reader is able to dive into the mind of both characters, and examine each through a different lens.

Throughout the story, the reader begins to realize that things aren’t always as they seem, and that what is thought to be true isn’t always that case. Nothing in this story is simple. And isn’t that the way in real life? The examination of the interpersonal relationships that both Caroline and Sela have give insight into who they are as women, and who they are as people. There are undercurrents of resilience, perseverance, and forgiveness that permeate throughout the book. And the way that all of the threads and stories end up coalescing together is absolutely beautiful.

Be prepared to go through the gamut of emotions and cry all of the tears with this one. It may not be the easiest read, but I promise that the ending is worth it.

An ARC has generously been provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review.

I found A Million Reasons Why thoroughly engaging and insightful and would highly recommend it to readers and as a book club read. The characters were well-drawn and multi-faceted and the issues were presented in ways I hadn't seen, extremely well done!

*Outlier Alert!*

A Domestic Drama with more twists and turns than the Indy 500!

When a mail-in DNA test reveals that Caroline has a half sibling, she and the rest of her family are left reeling. While Caroline is curious about her half sister, no one else in her family wants to meet her.

For Sela, the results of the DNA test give her hope, for she is in kidney failure and desperately needs a donor. Following a separation from her husband and the premature birth of her son, Sela is scared.

When the lives of these two women become enmeshed, their lives as well as the lives of everyone around them will be altered forever. As it turns out, nothing is as it seems.

Upon finishing this novel, my first thought was that the author threw in everything but the kitchen sink: Tricks wrapped in Secrets, wrapped in Lies, leaving no one unscathed and then I thought of the title of this book: “A Million Reasons Why” and in the end, that summed it up perfectly for me. I found this book to be completely and wholly implausible because of how far-fetched it was and therefore, found A Million Reasons Why it wasn’t for me.

To date I have read all of Jessica Strawser’s novels and really liked both “Almost Missed You” and “Not That I could Tell.” While this book wasn’t my favorite I look forward to seeing what this author comes out with next.

This was a buddy read with Kaceey!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Jessica Strawser for the arc.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 11.8.20.

Oh, this was a great book! It was one of those books that you think you know what is going to happen but then are thrown in a complete different direction, not just once or twice, but MULTIPLE times! It hints at a Jodi Picoult novel and even has the emotional drama effects that Picoult’s novels do, causing you to question your own thoughts and beliefs and ask yourself what you would do. I hadn’t read any books by Strawser before but immediately went to Goodreads and added her other books to my TBR list!

Fantastic. Richly-layered and deep. Will get you thinking about those online DNA tests and how we roll the dice in terms of who we may be connected to. Strawser is a master at crafting stories that flow, and characters that often seem more realistic than some people you know. I didn't want to put this one down, so I stayed up late to do just one more chapter...just one more chapter...just one more. If you like to be fully entranced by a book, this is one for you. No fluff here, and no formula. Just a great author getting even better by the page.

Strawser is amazing!

A little DNA test.
A big Truth.
A Prayer for one.. A Curse for another.

A Million Reasons Why is centered around a DNA test. This tiny DNA test has a million BIG implications. I really enjoyed this aspect of the novel. Other parts of the book fell flat but for the most part, I liked this one. Strawser certainly has a way with words.

3.5 stars rounded down!

This was such a good book! I have read all of Jessica Strawser’s novels and I have to say this is her best book yet. I laughed, I cried, I considered the situations long after I had finished. It will definitely be one my top books for 2020.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and Jessica Stawser’s for allowing be the opportunity to read, A Million Reason’s Why, in exchange for my honest review.

This book is similar to a Jodi Picoult story with a touch of Nicholas Sparks. It is a fast beach read. I liked the pace of the writing. The writing style and characters pulled me in and kept me reading. At times it felt like a story I had read before but there were enough twists to make it different. I did struggle at times with what felt like inconsistencies in some of the characters and their reactions to different events.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Yet another brilliant book by Jessica Strawser. She excels at creating complex characters and complex plots, both of which feel wholly unique and her own. I hadn't been expecting the twist -- but oh yes, there's a twist, and turns, and so many emotions. I admire the amount of time and care that went into the storytelling. I was immediately drawn to the story for personal reasons (hello surprise half uncle, whose identity was kept under lock and key for over fifty years). While my circumstances were very different, it was interesting to have experienced and seen in my own relatives some of the emotions Strawser's characters worked through. All around, a great book!

I enjoyed this book. Parts dragged for me a bit but that's only because I don't like books with a large chunk of the storyline focused on children. Unless they are crazy, possessed or missing children but these ones were normal every day children and that's not my thing. Otherwise it was a good read; well written and edited. I would be interested in reading more from this author.

This is one of those stories that could actually happen! You get a DNA test and voila get a new sister. It was a great read and left me a little emotionally drained. The characters were easy to relate to and I found myself thinking about what I would do in this situation. It shows how easy it was to connect to the characters. Definitely an author I will check out again!

I adore Jessica Strawser and was excited for the opportunity to be an early reader of “A Million Reasons Why.”

How many of us have taken one of those DNA tests to determine our ancestry, not thinking of the Pandora's box the test could open? Caroline’s husband, Walt, gifts the family with DNA tests, but Caroline does not expect to discover that the test reveals she has a half-sister named Sela. It’s time to have a serious talk with Dad, especially since Sela is close in age to Caroline, which means he cheated on her mother who might not be aware of her husband’s infidelity.

Naturally, the story does not stop there. Sela needs a kidney and hopes Caroline would be willing to be a donor. Not a problem, right? Without revealing too much more, the decision to donate is not the only dilemma these characters face.

Jessica Strawser as a master of domestic fiction. She keeps the reader on her toes, does not hesitate to pull out a variety of unexpected twists, but stays true to her characters; their choices are never manipulated for the sake of plot. It’s the development of those characters that really weave the different parts of the novel together. Told in the alternating point of reviews of Caroline and Sela, I found both women to be sympathetic and relatable. Warning: you cannot pick sides here. The supporting characters—Walt, Sela’s ex, Doug, Caroline’s parents—all leap from the page.

If you enjoy Ms. Strawser’s writing style and her strong characterizations, this novel will not disappoint you. Just plan to put aside a few hours when you pick up this book as you’re going to want to finish it in one sitting.

Thank you to Jessica Stawser, St. Martin’s Press, and Net Galley for an opportunity to read this novel.

I am intrigued by books based around DNA tests. It is a very rich source of material A surprise half sister turns a suburban woman's life upside down. This one of those books that you can really put yourself in the character's shoes and wonder what would happen if this happened to you without being overly "ripped from the headlines".. This ratchets up the drama by intrucing the twist of one of the sisters needing an organ. Would you do this for a stranger even if you were linked by DNA?

This was my first Jessica Strawser book, I loved it and plan on looking at her other books. This one grabbed my attention right from the get go and that is a big deal for me. I know it won't be released for a while but the description caught my eye and the story between the two sisters didn't disappoint. It was very emotional and heartbreaking from a mother/woman/sister/friend point of view. I would definitely recommend this book. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an honest review.

#AMillionReasonsWhy
#NetGalley #StMartinsPress
#publicationdateMarch232021

I love sister stories- especially secret sister stories!!! Throw in life & death decisions and I am completely hooked! Jessica Strawser's A Million Reasons Why was so beautiful and well constructed, I had my heart in my throat the entire time and couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Highly recommend!!!!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

An emotional family drama, heavy on the drama. From heart attacks to secret children to surprise DNA test results to kidney transplants to past relationships to pregnancy stuff, there’s a lot going on. Well-developed characters and a lot to think about in an entertaining women’s fiction novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and St.Martin's Press for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


I am not sure what I was thinking when I went into reading this book... probably nothing as I don't always check out the synopsis of a some stories and when I was asked to review this and I liked the author's other book I didn't know what I was reading when I started. Normally I always start with the basic story before moving onto my thoughts, but I am still processing my thoughts I still feel so raw emotionally after reading this book.

Caroline doesn't know what to think when she receives the results that she has a new match on the DNA site. Especially when the person writes to her claiming to be half-sister, but her parents have been married for over 30 years and the woman is her age. Sela isn't all that comfortable with the fact that her best friend and almost ex-husband have forced her to reach out to this sister that she isn't sure she wants to know. Much less ask the BIG ASK of a complete stranger.

This relationship and friendship can mean life for Sela, but for Caroline it has uprooted her entire life and she has no idea how to process it all. Her parents fight about it and then decide to never discuss it again. One bombshell is revealed after another after another.

This book makes you mad, happy, sad, heartbroken, and then runs you through all of those emotions again. I want to spill all of my feelings about all of the things I felt while reading this but spoilers so I won't. I loved this book, it made me root for them, it broke my heart and I cried, it made me smile. It's everything you could ever ask for in a book about discovering lies, family and finding a way.

A Million Reasons Why by Jessica Strawser puts me in mind of the early Jodi Picoult books. However, this book has a more resolved ending than most of the Picoult books. Two half sisters find out about each other because of a mail-in DNA test. Caroline has a nice life with three children, a husband, and a loving family. Sela recently lost her mother, a marriage that is falling apart, and irreversible kidney failure. Sela realizes Caroline may be the person that could save her life with the donation of a kidney. The books examines what can happen when you do a mail-in DNA test and you get unexpected results and how those results have far reaching effects on many peoples lives. The story tells some about kidney donation and the process donners as well as the recipients have to go through. It is difficult to ask someone to risk their lives as well as potential future needs in order to save your life. Several very interesting moral issues to think about in this book. I don't want to give anything away but there is a pretty good twist at the end. I do believe the book could use some more editing because it did go slow through some sections. It also left stories unresolved with a couple of characters in the book.

Overall this was a good book. It would make a good book club book because there are several issues to discuss as an organ donor, a mother, the mail-in DNA tests, infidelity, friendship, marriage, and family. I would like to thank #NetGalley for an advanced readers copy and St. Martin's Press #StMartingsPress for an advanced copy of A Million Reasons Why. #JessicaStrawser

Jessica Strawser’s latest novel, A Million Reasons Why, is a gripping page turner that had me hooked from beginning to end. It’s filled with rich characters with whom I became deeply engaged and for whom I either rooted or lost respect. The book begins when two women in their thirties learn through DNA testing that they are half sisters, and one of them is in dire need of a kidney transplant from a compatible donor. The plot is filled with twists and turns as lies and deceptions are uncovered and revealed, and I truly couldn’t have predicted any of them!