Families! Who'd have them, eh? But when the chips are down . . .

The town of Alma, New York is looked upon as the perfect place to live; the inhabitants are referred to as Almanacs and there is a huge community spirit. The Dewars are regarded - especially by themselves - as Alma's golden first family and have a hand in running everything. With the public accusation that Bobby Dewar has cheated on his wife Gina, she is faced with very public speculation about whether she should stand by her man or show him the door. With Bobby's strong denial, Gina needs to show her mettle and it turns out she is stronger than she looks. But then, Bobby isn't the only one in the family who has been harbouring secrets.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive! To begin with I regarded Alma and it's inhabitants as a bit 'Stepford Wife-ish'. I cringed at the thought of living in the same street as my family - after all, we all need a bit of space! Oh, but there is so much more to this one! When I got really into the story I was convinced that I understood exactly what was going on and where it was heading but, at that point I only had the barest bones of events and there was so much more to come. This is a novel choc-a-bloc with information, but organised info - if you know what I mean. The story is twisted and complicated but the writing is concise and clearly understandable. The shocks and surprises just kept on coming all the way through and this skilfully crafted tale is a riveting read which kept my attention from the very first to the very last. I can honestly say this is a unique book - I've never come across another with similar content, and I really enjoyed it. Perfectly timed in light of the #MeToo movement, and completely eye-opening as well as entertaining. Well worth 4.5* and a hearty recommendation.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Family drama in a small company town. The Dewar clan has dominated both the social and business lives of the residents of Alma, NY, called Almanacs, for generations. The family business, Alma Boots, is the town jewel.

All that is threatened when company CEO Bobby Dewar is threatened with a sexual harassment suit by employee Eva Stone. She says that although their affair was consensual, she was swayed by his power and importance. And she’s now pregnant with twins. It seems that every generation of Dewars produces a set of twins so that adds much credence to her story.

While #metoo posts flood social media, Bobby’s wife Gina is confused. Her sister-in-law Alice, married to Bobby’s twin Nick, is herself a victim of harassment. She talks to Gina about inequity in the workplace but Gina remains loyal. Meanwhile her son Calan is being threatened in school and Alice’s daughter is being raised by the gorgeous nanny Malaika.

While The Faithfuls is a very entertaining novel with many twists and surprises, it also has surprising depth. It examines workplace statistics (not just in Alma) about women’s leadership and salaries relative to men. Through Malaika, author Cecilia Lyra shoes how women sometimes have to make very hard choices to advance their careers. And who could not love Calan, the small teenage boy, moved a year ahead in school, who wants to be a graphic novelist and is unmercifully bullied. This is a thought provoking, entertaining read worth every one of 5 stars.

Thank yo to NetGalley, Bookouture and Cecilia Lyra for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book and the characters.
The main premise revolves around Gina’s husband Bobby being accused of having an affair. They live in the small home town of Alma and Bobby is CEO of the towns biggest employer Alma boots. Alma boots is a family business based on the American dream. Suddenly Gina has everyone telling her what she should do with her marriage. It seems everyone in the family is unsatisfied in some way and all have an interest in what happens in Gina’s marriage.
The book is written from the POV of several different characters. The way this book is unique is that there is not a character you can dislike. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded and ended. A very enjoyable read.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheFaithfuls #NetGalley

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This book, is a tangled, complicated and a books with layers.

The Dewar family, who rule Alma, NY. Where, everyone in that family lives up to expectations.

Only, the family, is about to come apart, due to long held secrets. Secrets such as adultery, lies, exposure, cover ups, changes that will hit this family hard.

The ending was well written which I liked.. I think out of all the characters, my favourite characters were Malaika and Calan.

Gina to me felt like she had double standards for refusing to come clean about her secret, especially after learning Bobby's secret.

Recommend it.

Beautiful. Empowering. Stunning. Topical. I absolutely adored this amazing book. It had me hooked from the first word to the last. And what an ending! I was utterly transported, I will read anything this author writes. This book is an absolute must read.

Thank You Netgalley and Bookouture for this book. This review is completely based on my honest opinion.

This is the second book, I have read from this author, Cecelia Lyra, the first book, The Sunset Sisters. This is also the second book of the Sisterhood Series, though this book has no connection with the first book whatsoever.

Gina Dewar is happily married for fifteen years to Bobby Dewar, who is the CEO of the family run business, Alma Boots. But then soon a scandal, involving a woman named Eva Stone who accuses Bobby Dewar of sexual advances soon tests their marriage and threatens their marriage. The story is an emotional roller coaster ride of how Gina is dealing with the situation--she trusts her husband and is ready to forgive him but at the same time has mixed feelings about it.

Just like in her previous books, the writing was flowing and was intriguing with each chapter some sort of unexpected twist you will never expect. The story itself sounds realistic as well and I like how the author has made the story as realistic as possible. The emotions and feelings that each of the characters are feeling is also realistic. The ending to me was really good. But for me, I feel this book is a bit better than her first book.

Overall, this is an emotional family drama, worth reading and worth five stars in my opinion!

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Cecilia Lyra's first book and was looking forward to reading this one, but it fell flat to me.

The theme of the book is family comes first -- and well this is an interesting family. The Dewars created Alma boots and a Stepford Wives-ish town Alma where they family is almost royalty. When a employee accuses the CEO of an affair and goes on a #metoo tyrade it shakes up the family and town.

This was too much like a bad soap opera (and I love them) to me. Everyone had secrets, they were all lying to each other, Alice the sister-in-law was the worst and I just didn't like a single character.

This was my first Cecilia Lyra book and I am looking forward to reading more in this series. The Dewars are prominent family in their small town of Alma, NY, When Bobby, CEO of the family company, is accused of infidelity, loyalties are tested and relationships within the Dewar family may never be the same. As the story unfolds, we discover that Bobby is not the only one keeping secrets.
The story is told from many viewpoints., so you really get to know the characters. The characters are all interesting and well developed. I like that the female characters were strong and confident while also being understanding, compassionate and loyal. The story is full of twist that kept me turning the pages,
Thank you Cecilia Lyra, Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

The Faithfuls (The Sisterhood Series) by Cecilia Lyra is filled with family emotions, drama, and tradition for the Dewar family. Every family has secrets no matter how rich and in the course of this story, hidden events will come to light as the drama unfolds.
The Faithfuls is mainly told from the perspective of Gina and her sister-in-law, Alice. They are married to twin brothers Bobby and Nick Dewar. There are interviews included from members of the Alma Social Club.
The Dewars of Alma have kept the successful family business of boot making and recently more trendy shoes for women for three generations. Gina receives a call from her husband which will begin a change in everything she has believed about her family and town. Her husband, Bobby, the CEO of the company is coming home early and the news he has to share will shock the family and disrupt the business. The words, " I'm being accused of sexual misconduct". Gina believes Bobby when he tells her he is not guilty. How does a man prove he is innocent when there is no tangible proof?
I won't post spoilers, but the theme of this book is mainly about the way the #meetoo movement has had an effect in every workplace. More women are being heard and taken seriously in most companies. Alice had a traumatic experience just before her graduation at Wharton and she lives as if she wants revenge instead of justice. Her constant attitude and manipulation of this situation are a bit much, and It tended to overshadow the story. The cover graphics are beautiful!
Publication Date: September 21, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Faithfuls is family drama at its best.

Secrets we keep from each other and ourselves.

Scandal always makes for a good story.

A mother trying to protect her family the only way she knows how but does Gina have her own secrets?

The Faithfuls is told from multi view points and it works very well.

Throw in some not so nice characters, some I quite liked and could relate to.

The Faithfuls is a good read that will have you turning the pages to see what will happen . I did not see the twist coming .

Don't miss out on this family drama !

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a great story to get lost in.

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC of this book in exchange for my review and honest opinion.

The Faithfuls is the story of the Dewar family and their American business, Alma Boots. When current CEO and oldest son in the Dewar family, Bobby is accused of sexually harassing an employee, secrets of the entire family come to surface and the family struggles to stay afloat. Will these accusations ruin the Dewar family and their empire they have spent decades building?

I know that I will be in the minority on my review, but boy, this was a rough one for me. After devouring the authors previous book in the Sisterhood Series, Sunset Sisters, I had high expectations and hopes for this one, only to be severely disappointed. There were just too many characters with too many secrets and issues for me to be able to enjoy this one. By the time I got halfway through, it felt like I was reading an episode of the Jerry Springer show. I hate the Jerry Springer show. Everytime a character had a chapter in the book, there was more dirt that had to be dug up and more sercrets revealed until I found myself wondering "how terrible are these people?Surely there can't be more coming?" But yes, there was always more.

If you enjoy family drama, secrets and more and more drama, this book is for you, but it was not something I enjoyed.

This is the first book I have read by Cecilia Lyra and I really enjoyed it. I will definitely go back and read others in the Sisterhood Series. Overall, an enjoyable and insightful read with a great setting and fascinating characters. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This was an excellent family drama dealing with the repercussions of infidelity that is suddenly revealed. The life the protagonists shared is suddenly over, replaced with a tense co-existence. An excellent and insightful novel.

This book was unputdownable (as so many Bookouture books seem to be)!

I'm not one to spend much time empathizing with the troubles of the rich, but I must confess that The Faithfuls hooked me right away and kept me turning pages until I was finished. I was in the mood for something to keep me up late, and this did not disappoint!

The Faithfuls is women's fiction and not horror (unless the idea of the Alma Social Club planning endless coffee hours and town decoration campaigns is horrifying to you, as it is to me) but I kept thinking of it as a fun spin on The Stepford Wives. I love that the book focused on the lives of the women but deepened the characters inhabiting traditional female roles. There were multiple points of view but this quickened the pacing rather than bogging the story down. The author pits the women against each other of course, but instead of wrapping up with the usual trite reconciliations, earns extra super bonus points (with me, anyway) for letting them find unique solutions to all the interpersonal drama.

The Faithfuls is not trying to be high art, but it is highly entertaining. I'll definitely seek out the first book of this pairing.

A good well written book with interesting characters, plenty of twists and turns that kept me involved in the story line.

In my opinion it wasn't an 'edge of seater' but I did enjoy and I can recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

There are enough twists and turns in this book to leave your head spinning! Was there ever a more dysfunctional family than the Dewar family of Alma? They own the main industry in town, and pretty much run everything else. But the #metoo movement is about to turn everything upside down. This clever book is a very enjoyable read!

This book is emotionally captivating due to the complexities of the family dynamics and relationships that each member of the Dewar family have with each other. Although scandal involving Bobby and Eva ignited numerous investigations, all members were scarred by the lies they held from each other whether it be Alice and her emotional disconnect from her family due to addiction or Gina and her relations with Nick and Bobby. What I truly enjoyed is this book celebrated the strength of women and how we can perservere. A great read!

Thank you so much to the author Cecilia Lyra, NetGalley and the publisher, Bookouture, for an early read of this book, for my honest review. All opinions in this review are mine.

Such an emotional, fantastic read, and I read this in one day. The story resonated with me, and was full of emotion; however the betrayal in this book rates high.

After hearing that her husband's mistress is pregnant, Gina goes to uncertain lengths to protect her family and the ones that she loves, even at the cost of her heart. Gina's husband tells one story, while Gina's other family has a different side of this same story, and we get to witness Gina determine her best outcome for life.

I cannot wait to read more from Cecilia Lyra.

"The Faithfuls" is a tale of family, love and loyalty mixed evenly and effortlessly with infidelity and feminism. This is the smart, current story of the Dewar family in the small town of Alma, New York. However this could be the story of any family set in anywhere, USA-it is that true-to-life. The "curse" that inflicts the Dewar family, and the relationships within the family unit, are as real as they are believable. Midway through the book, I was drawn in and could barely come up for air. The story is easy to follow with snippets of humor and interesting characters mixed in. You truly will find yourself wondering what will happen next. "The Faithfuls" will be a great beach read in August or fireside-under-a-blanket read in November.

A really enjoyable read that highlights family dynamics and the secrets that we keep from others and sometimes ourselves. A great twist at the end that you don’t see coming!