The evolution of DNA tests available to the general public has had an interesting effect and A Million Reasons Why delves into this. I thought it kind of funny when I did my own DNA testing that there was a warning that your results may not be what you expect. Since then, my family has "found" a cousin who had been given up for adoption and a cousin who was thought to be fathered by someone else. In A Million Reasons Why, a family DNA gift brings a surprising email introducing a half-sister.

For Caroline, it brings a twist in the family that she thoughts she knew, adding both positives (wanting a sibling) and negatives (questioning her entire family foundation).

For Sela, the search for relatives was a push from family to find a donor for her failing kidney. Her marriage has crumbled in the wake of finding out during her pregnancy that she has irreversible kidney failure and she's grief-stricken from the loss of her mother. Sela is walking a fine line. How do you get to know your half-sister while there's pressure to ask her to save your life?

For Caroline, Sela has made her question everything: her parents relationship, choices she made earlier in life, how her life would be if she'd known certain things at a different stage. Where would the previous paths have taken her? Caroline's husband wants to protect her and support her, but those 2 goals are not always compatible.

Such a relatable premise opens the door to a beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking story about what it means to know yourself, to belong to a family, to examine who your family is - faults and all, survival through events that bring you to your knees, and how to stay true to yourself through it all. A Million Reasons Why kept me enthralled as the story was told, as I learned more about Caroline, Sela, and the people who loved them, and as I thought about what I would do in the same situation. Beautifully written, I strongly recommend A Million Reasons Why.

A simply put “beautiful book”. It was written with compassion, gives the reader all of the characters’ perspective. Written from the heart that directs the reader to ask questions that have no simple answers. I loved every page of this book and would highly recommend a read.

DNA testing has created such a rich source of ideas for novels. Crimes have been solved using the results, families have been torn apart as true parentage comes out, others have been surprised about ethnic backgrounds they didn’t know about.

In this contemporary fiction tale, Caroline is shocked to get an email about a potential half-sibling. She’s got a wonderful marriage and three young children. Is there room for the sister she never knew she had? What other secrets will be coming out? Does her father know that he has another child?

Sela’s life is a different story, recently separated and almost divorced, she’s lost her mother recently too. There’s a bigger reason for her reaching out to Caroline though, she’s in very poor health and needs a donor kidney and family often leads to a higher chance for a match. Sela will do anything to stay in her son Brody’s life.

As Caroline and Sela navigate a path together, their family and friends struggle with the news. The path is a rocky one and I learned quite a bit about kidney donation along the way. What would you do for family? A stranger? Would you give up a part of your body if you could make a huge difference for someone else, extend their life by years? Could you make the “big ask” of your family members?

Although this is contemporary fiction, there were definitely a few surprises at the end that I did not anticipate but made for a great story! I loved reading about altruistic donors who donate a kidney just to do the right thing. It made me think about if I could ever do something like that.

This was another terrific buddy read with Jayme and we both think it would make a great book club book.

I was thrilled to receive a Publisher’s invitation to read a VERY early copy of this book as Jessica Strawser writes terrific Contemporary Fiction, and this book is no exception!

This will be perfect for your BOOK CLUB to read and discuss, next year!!

Walt surprises his wife, Caroline, and her parents with what he thinks will be a unique and fun Christmas gift-sending in their DNA samples to see what they will find!

What they find is a half sister that nobody knew about!

Oops! Guess that skeleton isn’t staying in the closet!

Caroline’s half sister is Sela...a single mother to two year old Brody.
She is also a woman in need of a kidney transplant.

But, how do you make the “BIG ASK”, to a half sister you have only just met?!

The book begins slowly, with a lot of introspection by Caroline, as one would expect when you are considering such a big decision, on top of such shocking news.

We hear from both sisters, in alternating chapters, and each woman is thoughtful as they navigate this new relationship. I felt their nerves, in the sometimes awkward conversations!

Each new revelation seemed to lead to another.

As Sela’s disease progresses, I learned a lot about the process of Kidney donation.
Sometimes through Sela’s wonderful nurse, Janie.
Sometimes through Caroline’s investigation into the process.

You may think you know exactly where this book is going but TRUST me, you DON’T!

An altruistic donor is someone who was willing to donate a kidney but isn’t a match for the person asking-but they donate anyway. It starts a kidney donor chain, creating endless recipient-donor pairings, with the person they were willing to donate to-receiving a kidney from someone else who is a match for them-because of the kidney that was donated on their behalf.

Imagine if this book inspires some Altruistic donations!
How wonderful would that be? 🥰

Available March 23, 2021!
You can pre-order now!

I remember when I received my Ancestry DNA results. I was so excited and expected to learn of unknown siblings or cousins and a family history that would positively impact me. Nothing exciting in mine but Caroline’s life definitely is changed. A Million Reasons Why is the story of Caroline’s discovery of a half sister (Sela) and the duplicity of her parents. I loved the fact that author Jessica didn’t take the obvious path. Rather each chapter lead you on a journey of discovery, challenge, growth, resolve, and dare Imsay, love.

A Million Reasons Why is a smart, well developed novel that delves into the complexities of relationships and the drama within a family. I have read a book by the author before and was not disappointed in this one. Recommended!

I really enjoyed this book and the characters. I felt the characters and their relationships, feelings and relationships were written into the book so well. In the middle I kind of wondered where the story was going and if there was going to be more to it and then BAM a twist that kept me up reading all night

Overall, I thought this was okay, but there were a few issues for me: 1) the pacing. I thought the first 25% of the story was right on, but from about 25%-75%, the story kind of dragged. LOTS of internal dialog, which wouldn't have been a problem, except... 2) one of the main characters was utterly boring. I enjoyed Sela's chapters; she was dynamic. But I almost fell asleep during Caroline's chapters. She wasn't interesting, her husband was blah, and her relationships with her parents were predictable. Based on the description of the book, I was expecting this to be much more plot-driven. I guess it just didn't meet my expectations. It was well-written though.

What would you do if the sister you never knew you had needed a kidney to save her life?
This novel raised so many thought provoking situations for me. Starting with a DNA test that reveals family secrets, to having a sister to build a relationship with amidst all her own "stuff" in her life, to some twists at the end I did not see coming.
Being adopted and an only child, so much of this book resonated with me. I have a DNA test sitting here in my bedroom that I want to do, but can't seem to bring myself to complete it when I think about all it may reveal. All of that in my head and heart really made me think deeply about some of the things in this book - all the "what ifs".
Very well done, enjoyable, thought provoking and satisfying - this book will stay with me a while.
Thankful for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the electronic ARC of A Million Reasons Why. I have not read any of Ms. Strawser’s earlier works so I can not compare this novel to those in terms of preference. Caroline and Sela are half sisters who have never met. They don’t even know about each other until Sela sends an email to Caroline introducing herself as her half sister. Caroline’s husband Walt had gifted the family DNA analysis test sets for Christmas. Caroline hadn’t given the test results so much as a passing glance nor activated any of the alerts available and her first reaction is that this is some ridiculous mistake. She and Walt dig deeper and what we get is a richly detailed book that blows up the family’s perception of who they really are.

Sela needs a kidney transplant. Her mother is dead, her ex-husband and friends are not matches. She is very ill. Ms. Strawser does an excellent job of detailing how the organ transplant system works. It is hard to find a family member who matches and the chances of finding an individual who is not a relative, but willing to donate because they can are minuscule.


The story is complex, heartbreaking, pushes belief at times, but makes you think. There are times you want to slap all of them into some action, any action, but organ donation is not just a surgical procedure. The emotional aspect must be considered.

Caroline and Sela have been emotionally yanked around for years by the people who claim to love them most. They will need to recognize and find their way past this if Sela is to get the transplant she needs.

Outstanding novel with a magnetic plot that draws you in and keeps you spellbound until the end. It is an unforgettable story with complex characters and just the perfect amount of tension.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It's going to take me a while to emotionally recover from this one. I knew the synopsis of this book before I read it and I was definitely enjoying it all the way through, but I will honestly say the last quarter of the book took several twists I did NOT see coming and changed the story so much. There is a lot in this book that will have you thinking, "What would I do in this situation? How would I handle it? What is the right thing?" The characters will absolutely draw you in as they are so real and relatable, but certainly not without flaws. The writing is beautiful and definitely deals with the subject matter in an honest and sensitive way.

This book gets 4.5 stars from me! It had me feeling all the emotions and dealt with so many real life issues that make you question what you would do in that other person’s shoes. I loved the characters and the storyline. I was surprised by the twist towards the end and I would highly recommend this book to any avid reader. Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Another great book by Jessica Strawser! I really enjoyed reading this one. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

This book sucked me in from the first chapter and wouldn't let me go. This is not the typical book I read, but I will be seeking out more books that are similar. The writing was exquisite. The story was rich and engaging. I will seek out more books by this author.

Two half-sisters, who didn't know about each other, meet when they have DNA testing. One needs a kidney transplant. Will they or won't they?
A quick enjoyable read.

A compelling family drama. Characters are well developed, and I found myself unable to stop reading.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

This book started off slow for me, and probably would have gotten a lower score from me if it hadn’t been for such a shocking twist that literally made me gasp. Not my favorite by Strawser but overall enjoyable. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. A DNA test for "fun" as Christmas gifts turns up a half-sister. But why is she reaching out and will her doing so tear the "original" family apart when she does so? What would you do if you not only found out you have a half-sister you knew nothing about but she found you because she is dying and may need you to donate a kidney to save her life? Brings up the question of secrets, organ donation, and how the past continues to influence the future time and time again.