I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was quite touching learning about the ins and outs of family life for Nell. I enjoyed following her journey to find out about her past. I would highly recommend this book.

Really good book. The plot was well-written and engrossing. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Wow, this book was a raw one for me due to some of the triggering conten, be warned. That said, the author masterfully addresses a number of life experiences, some more common than others, cancer, dementia, child loss to name just a few.
It explores Nell's family following on from her father declaring his love for her and alluding to the fact she was not in fact his daughter.

This novel will stay with me for a long time.

I’m especially affected by compelling, character-driven narratives, and this was exactly that. The nature of love in all forms is sensitively and intricately considered throughout, and Beckerman’s prose kept me intrigued right until the very end. A delight.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the pleasure!

This is a novel that I’m finding hard to describe; the story drew me in deeply and remains in my thoughts long after I’ve finished it, but it’s hard to describe neatly. However, if you like thoughtful, character based stories that are compelling reading, you’ll definitely appreciate this.

Hours before Nell’s beloved father Bill dies, he makes a strange remark which confuses her. Her mother is unlikely to be much help; dementia is claiming her quickly. But Nell tries anyway, and her mother’s odd remarks and occasional visits to the past only raise greater concerns for Nell.

Nell’s never entirely fitted into her family. She knows her parents love her deeply, but she is intellectual in a way her family isn’t. She’s much younger than her two older sisters, and apart from that gap, there’s some underlying resentment about the way she’s been treated differently. She thinks her parents were more protective and restrictive of her; her sisters think she was the favorite and given special privileges.

It won’t surprise you if I tell you that as Nell pokes at her mother’s failing memories, a great big secret begins to emerge. A secret that is central to how Nell sees herself.

Structurally, the novel alternates between Nell in the present, and Annie and Bill around the time of Nell’s birth. Beckerman keeps her secrets for quite some time, but the alternating timelines helps build a strong understanding of Annie and Bill. They’re truly loving parents, truly well meaning, and have overcome a lot. This makes it more curious as it begins to seem that yes, they’ve been keeping a very big secret from Nell for her entire life.

The question of what the secret is looms large over the novel; we don’t discover it for some time (although there are hints). We very much share Nell’s journey of uncertainty and fear.

This is a delicately written novel. There’s the potential for blame here, but I think most readers will focus more on the dreadful situations and dilemmas that Annie and Bill face, and how that shapes their relationship with Nell, and to a lesser extent, her older sisters.

The novel is very explicitly focused on the nature of love, how it’s expressed, and how it grows and lives. I found a number of parts inexpressibly sad, although it ultimately looks to the positives.

This is not a flashy novel, but it’s deeply felt and deeply moving. I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for something thoughtful that will linger in their memory for some time.

The Impossible Truths of Love is a beautifully written story, with a focus on character development and an intricate plot. It moves slow, building a mystery. And relies heavily on the emotion of the story to draw in readers. I enjoyed the novel, but I had to be in the right headspace to read it.

This story is a beautiful and emotionally charged story of family, trauma and grief. It took me a while to get in to but once I had I couldn't stop and had to read to the end. It’s very well written and all comes together well. Thank you.

I had the absolute privilege of being able to read this thanks to @netgalley for their gifted e-copy in exchange for an honest review. And privilege it was!
Imagine losing your parents.. twice! Essentially this is Nell’s reality. Because she is not only losing them physically but also theoretically 🙈
As Nell sits on her fathers deathbed.. he whispers these chilling final words of declaration ..’You need to know that I’ve always loved you even though you were never really mine to love..’ hinting at a lifelong held secret needing to be out in the open before he goes. These words haunt Nell and off begins her search for their true meaning. Problem is.. who does she trust enough to ask about this can of worms that will be opened with her questions? Between packing up her parents home and within her mothers dementia spoken fragments of conversation, Nell is able to slowly piece together the truth and has the answers she is looking for. The final piece coming from her mothers confession fuelled memory that she is oblivious of its power punch delivery. However this leaves Nell feeling broken for not only herself, but for her mum and what she must have gone through. This is truly a moving story about memory and losing it, secrets vs the truth and what it means to truly belong within a family unit. The title suggests impossible truths of love and it sums up the book perfectly. It is clearly evident throughout that despite multiple challenges that a parents love trumps all and runs forever deep. And ocean lengths are taken here to protect it at all costs. It is written in a then / now format which I loved and was super powerful reflecting Nell’s view in present time and Annie’s view from the past. This allows the story not only to flow but for the reader to have context as to why certain paths in life were taken. If I had to pick a favourite character it would be Annie and I think this is due to being able to see both sides of her unsensored. Not only is she lost within her memory at current.. she was lost within her post natal depression in past and in both times felt alone. All I wanted to do was give her a big hug! If I could change one thing.. it would be to add one final chapter as the ending left me wanting to know more of how that awkward conversation went down. This was such an emotionally power packed story of the unravelling of two womens stories that were yet so intertwined at the same time.. mother and daughter.. or not. Thoroughly enjoyed this masterpiece!! It will have you questioning morals, the meaning of feeling alone and wondering what the term family actually resembles. Thank you!

"You need to now that I have always loved you even though you were never really mine to love." Nell's dad leaves her with this statement on his deathbed. Her mom, Annie, is suffering from dementia so Nell can't rely on her to figure out what he meant.

As Nell tries to figure it out she is also working alongside her sisters to take care of their parents home & belonging, and finds some pieces that might help her find out the truth. Many family secrets and feelings come to light as the story is told in past/Annie and present/Nell.

I enjoyed the book, and the writing was excellent. 3 1/2 stars.

Secrets. The need to belong. Feelings of inadequacy. There are so many emotions that flow through the pages of this book. The story moves back and forth in the past and present. The family drama is heartwrenching to experience. And you will feel every emotion as you delve into the lives of the characters. This is not a light and easy read. But it is worth every tear you shed as you travel through the family dynamics and the choices that are made.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Firstly thank you to Net galley and Hannah Beckerman for this amazing book.

stop everything you are doing and just sit and read till the end . Don't miss a word!
This author needs to be on everyone's top 10 lists of most reads .

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Her father's deathbed declaration sets the stage for Nell's search for long-hidden family secrets. To what lengths do we go to protect those we love? This is an emotional family saga that began before Nell was born.

I loved this, i loved and connected with the characters. This was a slow moving book which i stuggled with at first but glad i kept going. A realistic story of daughters, parents, sisters, heartbreak, changes and broken lives. A beautiful and emtional book

This was a haunting, emotional story that captivated me from the beginning. It was very well written and will draw the reader in from the beginning.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book once I got into it. All the ups and downs of family drama--the secrets we keep in order to protect the ones we love. Really makes me wonder how I would react in similar circumstances. I enjoyed the ending, though I still had questions about certain choices and dynamics within the family. Still really appreciated my time with these characters, though.

The Impossible Truths of Love is a beautiful and emotionally charged story of family, trauma and grief. It’s so beautifully written you really feel the grief with them, and it’s almost too much at some points. However, once you get into that it will just sweep you off your feet.

This is a book about family dimensions and love and trust, which from the beginning of this story is under the microscope. I didn’t particularly like most of the characters but I don’t think that’s relevant. The story is from the pov of Annie’s daughter, Nell whose father on his death bed says something that rocks her world. Annie, Nell’s mother has dementia and is unreliable in her responses. We also get chapters interspersed with Annie as a young mother. These chapters tease us as to what has happened to trigger Nell’s Dad’s last words. A good study of family dynamics.

The Impossible Truths of Love is another fantastic novel from Hannah Beckerman who produces the most emotional and heartbreaking books that stay with the reader long after the final page. Nell’s father makes a cryptic comment to her just before he dies and as her mother is suffering from dementia, she is unable to discover what he meant. While clearing out the family home in preparation for her mother’s move to a care home, Nell discovers some clues to a long held family secret.
This novel slowly unfolds by revisiting the past before Nell was born, and during her childhood. I felt so invested in the characters and their story and the final twist was a surprise to me. The book shows the lengths we will go to in order to keep members of a family happy and safe, even if that means personal distress to individuals.

The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman

To what lengths would you go to protect the ones you love?
In The Impossible Truths of Love, we are in dual timelines. We meet Annie, who has lost a child and struggles so much with this devastating loss. We also meet Nell who, along with her two sisters, must take care of their aging mother who has Alzheimer's. Like all families, Nell's family has secrets that were once buried so far down but now have come back up. I really don't want to say too much as to not give anything away. But if you are looking for an emotional read, The Impossible Truths of Love is for you. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my review.

A novel that explores the secrets that families keep. Nell's parents both hint at a major secret - her father on his deathbed and her mother as she progresses into dementia. Nell must determine the secret and then deal with the aftermath. This book really kept me turning the page and made me think that all families have secrets. Not always as dramatic as in the book, but secrets none the less.