When Caroline receives an email from Sela claiming to be her sister, she is sure that this must be a mistake. The only child of longtime happily married Hannah and Fred, her world is about to be turned upside down. A Christmas gift of DNA kits bought by Caroline's husband Walt for everyone in the family is all it takes for secrets and lies to come pouring out of various closets. Caroline will be forced to reevaluate everything she believes to be true as the ripples from the bombshell spread far and wide.
Sela was brought up by her single mother Rebecca who never revealed the identity of her father. Rebbeca's death, her failing marriage, and the grim reality of her condition, kidney disease, push her to take a DNA test, hoping a family member might be a match. The thought of leaving her young son alone, tears at Sela's heart, but can she ask a virtual stranger to potentially donate a kidney and save her life.
It is almost impossible to go into greater detail without giving major plot points away. What I loved was that all the feelings exhibited by the characters felt real, and honestly, I don't know what I would do in this situation. A very thought-provoking read and one I expect to see next year in numerous book clubs. 4.5 stars.

I loved this book! Coming off a thriller read I needed this gem. It was a beautiful but realistic story of long lost sisters. It made me think so much about what sacrifices I’d make in my life for those I love. Two sisters, Caroline & Sela, found each other through an online DNA test but so much more ensued. I wonder how often that happens! This book had some great twists which kept my interest! It was heartwarming, intriguing, soul-searching and much more. It made my cry and made me think so much about my past, my family, my health, and my life. I’d love to read another book by this author.

Interesting book. Makes one think what you would do in the situation of finding out you have a half sister and that sister is in need of a kidney. This book was easy to read as the chapters went back and forth between the 2 sisters and how this situation effected their lives. A few twists and turns kept making you want to keep reading to see how things would turn out. My only complaint was that it got a little “wordy” in parts and seemed to repeating it self over and over, hence the 4* instead of 5. An interesting book for book clubs as I think this book is open to quite a few discussions.

Wonderful story about the meaning of family, the depth of mother love and abundant forgiveness. Caroline is happily married, has a great career, three terrific children and great friends. Then she learns she has a DNA match through a testing site. She has a half sister she never knew about. Sela, her half sister, is sick, needing a kidney transplant. Thus far there are no matches for her, so is this why she is pursuing a relationship with Caroline?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a really bittersweet story of Caroline and Sela who discover they are half-sisters after a DNA test confirms it. Caroline had no idea her father had parented another child and she and her husband are caught unaware and mystified about what to do. On the other hand, Sela is living with chronic kidney disease, is separated from her husband and worries about her 2-year-old son if she dies prematurely. What could possibly save her? A kidney transplant from a relative who matches. Therein lies the problem as she doesn't want to ask a "stranger" for a kidney and of course, Caroline is reluctant to offer one when she sees what this news has done to her parents as well as her own family. Secrets from the past surface and surprising revelations slap you in the face just when you think you have it figured it out! This is why I love Strawser's books!

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: A Million Reasons Why is a modern fiction novel written by Jessica Strawser, editor-at-large for Writer’s Digest magazine and author of three previous fiction novels. The book is scheduled to be released in March 2021 by St. Martin’s Press. The tagline for A Million Reasons Why reads, “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.”

PLOT RUNDOWN/BASICS: Caroline is living a seemingly charmed life in Ohio as an event director and a happily married wife. She has three young children with her husband, Walt, who - while pulling his evenly-distributed share of the family weight - decides to give the entire family DNA ancestry kits for Christmas. This well-meaning gift has sudden and irreparable consequences when Caroline receives an email from a woman named Sela, who claims to be her half-sister.

Sela lives in NC and is the same age as Caroline; her mother has recently died, and she's seeking relatives she may have through her unknown father. Hoping the connection is just a clerical error, Caroline and Walt sign on to view her parents’ DNA accounts...and unwittingly trigger an alert that goes directly to her father, saying he has a daughter. This email sparks an avalanche of conflict and confrontations; what does this development mean, both for Caroline’s family moving forward, and for her (possibly erroneous) lifelong impressions of the parents she thought she knew so well?

Caroline wrestles with all of the new revelations that have upended her life and her relationships with her mom and dad. Even as she ponders over all of the newly revealed “might-have-beens,” she realizes that she has an opportunity to forge a new relationship with a sister she never knew she had. She decides to respond to Sela’s email, and they strike up a tentative and delicate friendship.

But Sela has a secret, and one that will further change and threaten her fragile new family connections: she’s sick, in dire need of a transplant to survive, and she has no matches. And, despite the pleas of her desperate friends and nurses (and ex-husband), she’s not sure she can put the burden of her own health on her newly found sister. Can Sela overcome her fears and ask for the one thing she desperately needs to survive? And would Caroline be willing to make a sacrifice for someone she barely knows, who has changed almost every aspect of her life - even if they are related by blood?

MY THOUGHTS: This was my first read by Strawser, but I would be happy to read any of her future fiction novels. The story is told by both Caroline and Sela’s viewpoints; the chapters switch off from one narrator to the next. In one very specific way regarding her writing style, I can say she’s a writer that I would liken to Stephen King (or, on a much more unprofessional level, myself) in this: she (at least in this ARC) is content to use about 30-50 words where probably 10 would do. But within this story and this specific type of fiction, I found it endearing to the story and enjoyable. (8/10 stars)

A Million Reasons Why is, at heart, a thoughtful and timely story with an ultimately uplifting message about the importance of family, friendship, and - above all else - forgiveness. Strawser weaves a complex plot that touches on so many topics popular in women's fiction: family relationships, betrayal, regrets, curiosity about paths not taken, and new relationships. (There’s a reason why the blurb on the cover was written by the master of women’s fiction herself, Jodi Picoult.)

Strawser places this story within the framework of a very trendy topic right now, DNA research and ancestry; in real life, thanks to mail-order DNA tests provided by companies like Ancestry.com and 23andMe, a number of people have discovered previously unknown siblings and shocking truths about their parentage, in addition to their requested DNA breakdown. And while finding a half-sibling isn't a complete surprise for Sela, who has never known her father's side of the family or whether she had any siblings at all, it comes as a total shock to Caroline because it means her father betrayed her mother in ways she finds incomprehensible. Now, she must reconcile the family she thought she had - one where "rare disagreements that escalated peaked at a cold shoulder, never a confrontation" - with one where her parents concealed an illicit affair and a secret child for decades without hesitation.

Both Sela and Caroline undergo intensely private and public transformations in this story. Sela must contend with the guilt she feels over having to ask for help just to survive; she stubbornly refuses to ask Caroline to be tested to see if she’s a match, even as her perfectly controlled life spirals out. Sela thinks, not without bitterness, "How could anything seem so intimate and so impersonal at the same time, that humans could be reduced to a spare part?" And Caroline must come to terms with the fact that her mother and father have betrayed her in ways she never imagined. This causes her to ruminate on all the ways her life might have panned out differently: “What had signified hope and possibility for Sela had upended Caroline’s entire belief system - in her parents’ marriage, her mother’s character, even her own partner and whether her first choice might’ve been a better one.”

Sela’s situation is a tough one to read about, especially when you consider the stark reality of organ failure and the process to procure a transplant or donor. Strawser doesn’t shy away from the details of what living with a potentially terminal disease that gets progressively worse is like. At one point, Sela bemoans the days when she could carry around a refillable water bottle; now she has to very strictly limit her liquid intake. When she described what that unquenchable thirst is like, I realized all of the ways this struggle affects even the tiniest moments of a person’s daily life...and how complicated this could become in light of their relationships, both previous and newly forged.

Ultimately, both sisters have - for better or for worse - started a priceless relationship that they could never have imagined would exist a year earlier, and learned the REAL importance of family. Each woman receives some form of resolution to their story and their questions - whether it’s the future they’d planned for themselves, or not by a long shot. But as Caroline says, “Some gifts were better for the flaws” - and in this story, it seems like that’s Strawser’s goal. She’s saying our family (whether blood or chosen) won’t always behave in our best interests, or tell us the truth, or even be likeable - but they’re still our family. And forgiveness is as much for ourselves as it could ever be for the person being forgiven, when it comes to our own happiness and contentment.

A Million Reasons Why is a novel that delves into a medical issue that is unfortunately quite common.
The characters especially Caroline and Sela are on opposite sides of the issue. It becomes a very complex story that reaches in the past of these characters. The novel ends with a twist that I did not see coming.
I learned a lot, I felt a lot. It is an encompassing topic, done very well

I found A Million Reasons Why by Jessica Strawser to be a fascinating novel which poses some very interesting questions about DNA testing and what to do with the results. When Caroline has a DNA test done, she never expects to find out that a stranger is her half sister, the product of an affair her father had about the same time that Caroline had been conceived, and even stranger...Sela's mother is Caroline's mother's former best friend. What makes it even more interesting is that Sela has kidney disease and is in desperate need of a kidney. This in itself is a huge moral dilemma...can you have a DNA test done to find out if there are family members who might be a match if you need an organ transplant?

Strawser explores this from both Caroline's and Sela's point of view as they both wrestle with the difficult decisions to be made. I found A Million Reasons Why to be a real page turner! Thank you to the auther, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

*Thanks to St. Martin's Press + NetGalley for the ARC!*

Wow. Jessica Strawser took a premise we've all seen (surprise family member gained by doing one of those mail-in DNA services) and makes it something new, showing these two women and their journeys before and after finding out they're sisters. Of course, there's always more to the story and that takes both Caroline and Sela (and those who love them!) on a whole new journey.

What I loved about this book was that at nearly every turn, it's easy to put yourself in the character's position. You find yourself wondering how you would handle a situation or conversation or moment in time, and it bonds you with the character as you watch them work through it. I really felt that both Caroline and Sela were real humans - they were authentic, had missteps, and then had to find a way to sort their shit out (we've all been there!).

Hiding the remainder of my comments, so caution! <spoiler>The big reveal that Sela's son Brody actually didn't survive and wasn't living, as we're led to believe throughout the story, felt really hard. As Sela's friend and ex-husband are explaining, certain things pop up where you're like oh huh, I guess that could be a red flag... it's interesting. Exploring mental health issues can be difficult, but I felt it was well done in the context of this story.</spoiler>

Intriguing and thought provoking story of a family thrown together by secrets. This book will make you question what you would do if you were in the same shoes. Jessica Strawser delivered a fantastic story. I look forward to reading her next novel.

Such a sweet story! Sela needs to get to know her half-sister because her life just might depend on their relationship. Caroline needs to address past issues with her parents, her ex-boyfriend, and her husband. The two women come together in this book to ultimately find what they need. Jessica Strawser takes her readers through a beautiful story with emotional twists and turns and surprises. I would have have given the book five stars, but it got a little long and heavy, and maybe needed a little editing to shorten it some.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

A Million Reasons Why is the fourth book in four years for Jessica Strawser (after Almost Missed You, Not That I Could Tell, and Forget You Know Me), and although I couldn’t off the top of my head tell you the plot of any one of the previous ones, I recalled liking them, so I was pleased to receive a copy of A Million Reasons Why in return for my honest review.

Her prior books were great “beach reads”- pure escapist fiction, and I expected something similar. I thought “PERFECT pandemic reading”! Then I started reading. I admit I hadn’t read anything about this book — no publisher’s blurb, no email promo, nothing. I had no idea one of the two main characters would have a CKD diagnosis and would be looking for a kidney donor. Because I lost a kidney about a year ago, this isn’t a topic I’m really excited about, but I plowed on.

Caroline receives a Christmas present: a mail-in DNA test. To anyone looking at her life, it’s pretty good: she’s the only child of a happy couple, with a great husband and some perfect children. Then she gets a message from a woman claiming to be her half sister, and she starts to question everything about that pretty good life. Turns out she does have a half sister named Sela. Her life’s not so perfect. In addition to a failed marriage and the recent death of her mother, she has irreversible kidney failure.

At that point, I was not very far into the book, and I thought “I know where this is going: one of Caroline’s kidneys is going to Sela, and they will be part of a big happy family by the end of this book that has Lifetime movie written all over it.” I was not inclined to finish it, thinking it would be totally predictable and a bit sappy. But I continued, and I’m glad I did. There are a few surprises and it’s thought-provoking. Probably good for book groups, with lots of topics related to family, responsibility, love, and obligation. After the recent acquisition of Ancestry by an investment group, many people are wondering who exactly owns their DNA data. So the many questions raised by this book are timely. It wasn’t for me, and even though I have always been a notoriously easy grader, this one gets three stars from me. To be kind, I think it is me more than Jessica, and I will happily read her next book, and recommend this one to many people. Just not for me.

When Caroline's husband Walt surprises the family with a DNA test for Christmas, they get more than anyone bargained for. Turns out Caroline's dad has a love child he did not know existed, and she would have stayed hidden if Caroline's half sister had not used the same site looking for the proverbial "needle in a haystack." A Million Reasons Why has all kinds of family dysfunction-that Caroline's dad cheated on her mother mere months after their wedding is the least of Caroline's problems. The early part of A Million Reasons Why has a dreamlike quality-Caroline has a devoted husband, three wonderful children, a great job and beautiful home-but things quickly turn into a nightmare. In contrast to Caroline's charmed life before the DNA debacle her sister Sela has endured one painful loss after another. But when their paths collide Sela and Caroline bond over their shared experiences as wives and mothers. It's everyone around them-especially Walt along with Caroline's mother who object to their reunion, and the girls father is so spineless it's hard to understand what their mothers ever saw in him. While A Million Reasons Why is a mostly a domestic drama, there's several genius twists-especially the "I see dead people" revelation. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read despite the grim plot-and the medical dilemma is resolved in a way that is both humbling and endearing. It will also make you really appreciate every ugly sweater or light up tie you've gotten for Christmas.

A Millions Reasons Why be Jessica Strawer, published by St. Martin's Press, is a heart-wrenching novel, well written and gave me all the feels.
This is in essence, Caroline and Sela's story. Both women are close in age and a dna test brings surprising results.
I liked the storyline and was intrigued from the start. What I really did not like was the reasons why one of the heroine reached out, sorry not sorry, no spoilers here.
AMRW is a story about love, sacrifice, love, letting go and holding onto. A great read, 4,5 stars.

Caroline seems to have the picture perfect marriage, family with three sweet children, and relationship with her parents and in-laws. When a DNA test company alerts her of a half-sister she's never heard of, Caroline travels down a path of long-hidden secrets that will turn her "perfect" life upside down.

This book was beautiful. It was generally well-written, the plot was fast enough that it kept you engaged but allowed adequate detail and imagery so you didn't feel like you were being rushed through the story. I thought the way that emotions were portrayed was so genuine, and the author had a fantastic grip on how people in the shoes of these characters might actually react in these circumstances. That was one of my most favorite parts of this book. I also loved the twists. I thought I had pegged the ending from about a 1/3 of the way through, but I couldn't have been more wrong and I am SO happy about it. This book took a number of unexpected turns that really added to the depth of the characters and just helped fleshed out how real and complex they all were (even secondary characters beyond the 2 sisters). I'm docking off half a star because while overall the writing was very good, sometimes I found myself skimming paragraphs because there was just extraneous information that my brain filtered out. For the most part I loved all the details provided, but I just felt disengaged at times and that I was being given more detail than needed. Very minor complaint, but it did ultimately affect my emotional connection with the book a little bit.

This book was 4.5 stars but I'm going to round down to 4 because something about the writing just didn't always connect with me and I can't justify putting it in the same star-category as true 5-stars in my opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Special Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Life has so many twists and unexpected turns and this story portrays that reality in such an honest way that it’s painful to read at moments. You are reminded of how complicated and imperfect families can be. The author deals with the sensitive topics of mental health, infidelity, betrayal and the long reaching consequences of all. Ultimately I felt as if I knew these characters. I felt heartbreak, anguish and anger with them and found myself rooting for forgiveness and love. The author captured the bonds of friendship, marriage, sisterhood, family and even strangers that become family in an extremely meaningful story. Wonderful read.

This will make you "good cry." This is a unique family drama that exposes long held secrets, explores complicated relationships, and delves headfirst into "truths" we create for ourselves. I enjoyed this emotional read. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

Oh wow! There was a twist I never saw coming (and usually I do) that changed the whole tone of the last part of the book. It was so interesting the author even thought to go in that direction.

I really enjoyed this story and kept thinking about it every time I had to put it down. I would recommend it to others!

A Million Reasons Why, by Jessica Strawser is a beautiful story that makes your heart both ache and explode with love at the same time. The story is mainly about sisters who never met, but really delves into other familial relationships in such a real way that is not often addressed. I really found myself drawn to these characters and couldn’t wait to discover the outcome, one I did not see coming!

I love this author’s writing and will continue to read her words. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this electronic ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love when you are reading a book and you have that moment when you say "wow, I didn't see that coming". This book has a few of those and incorporates them seamlessly into the story. The main characters, Caroline and Sela, are wonderful. They are easy to identify with and to understand. I enjoyed this book.