I was about a quarter of the way through Barbara O'Neal's novel, Write My Name Across the Sky, before I decided I liked it. It took me a bit to figure out the different characters and get them straight in my mind, then a bit more to connect with each and care what happened. After that, I didn't put it down. Their stories took off and I wanted to see if anyone had a happy ending. That said, if you want to know...you'll have to read to find out!

Another favorite author of mine. Her stories are so engaging and always take you to a new setting and completely different story lines, yet keeping her characters fresh and always entertaining.
This story takes place in NYC and follows two sisters Willow and Sam and their aunt Gloria, who help raise them after their mother died.
Sam, is a video games developer and has her own company, but is finding herself in danger of losing her company if she doesn't create a best seller. She also has lost her best friend and business partner who she has known since childhood.
Willow is a musician like her mom was, but is having a hard time finding her place in the music world, until she finds some inspiration.
Gloria, their aunt is a retired Airline hostess/ influencer who loves plants and an art collector, who made some mistakes in her past, that are now catching up to her.
It was so fun to follow these characters and see how they related to each other and see the changes they make in their lives for each other.
Another intriguing story line, full of Family dynamics and a plot that will keep you reading. I cannot wait for another of her books. I have already read 10 of hers and have 2 more waiting to be read.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book.

This is a moving novel that relates the turmoil in the lives of three related woman. Anger, jealousness and fear drive one woman. Failure drives another. Past deeds finally catch up to the third. They all seek resolutions but some come harder than others.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gloria thinks she has made a good and peaceful life for herself until the FBI starts nosing around. Her nieces Sam and Willow seen to have charmed lives also. But the past and poor decisions are always luring in the shadows. Write My Name Across the Sky is a family drama with a little suspense thrown in. I truly enjoyed this book. Thanks to the author Barbara O'Neal, publisher Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for an honest review.

Barbara O’Neal never fails to engage me with her emotional standalones, populated with unique characters.

Sisters Sam (40) and Willow (35) have never gotten along, mostly due to Sam’s poor treatment of her younger half-sister. Maybe that’s because their mother, troubled rock star Billie, cheated on Sam’s father while on tour and Willow was the result, leading Sam’s father to abandon the family. Or perhaps it’s because Sam feels everything in life has come more easily to Willow.

Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. A talented violinist, composer and folk singer, Willow was discouraged by the poor response to her first album, and financial problems are leading her to consider less artistic work. At the same time, videogame designer Sam’s company has fallen on hard times, with her most recent release garnering little interest from the public. And their Aunt Gloria, a 70ish, well-to-do lifestyle blogger and former flight attendant, fears she may be in trouble with the law when her former lover is jailed for art theft and forgery. Willow has come to live with her to save money on rent, and Sam, who lives nearby in her own apartment, suddenly faces health issues and the unexpected reappearance of two men who had been major players in her former life.

At times, O’Neal’s prose is downright lyrical, and she excels at expressing emotions while telling a compelling story.

My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When I first began reading this book, it took several chapters to understand how all of the characters related to each other. At first I though Gloria was the mother of one of the other characters. Once I got on track, I started to enjoy the story. By the time I was about a third into the story, I started to get involved with the characters and root for all of them in different ways. Even though initially I thought the character development was a bit slow and hard to follow, I ended up really understanding all of the main characters and their different perspectives on their shared past with the Billie Thorne character. I am a reader who loves a happy ending, so I was glad that all 4 of the main characters resolved their struggles and came out on the right side of things at the end.

Do you ever read a book as far as 50% realizing it’s not for you and you don’t connect to any of the characters or the story line? And wonder if you are reading the same book as everyone else did who gave it 4-5 stars? This one is it for me. I tried SEVERAL times to start over and it just didn’t keep me interested enough to finish it. You may love it! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Write My Name Across the Sky is a riveting tale of three women, their journeys and their crises.

Gloria Rose, a popular influencer with scores of Instagram followers, feels her life taking a turn when an ex flame is arrested for art theft and forgery. Given that Gloria was involved in his misdeeds, she decides to flee!

This decision of hers is thrown in doldrums because of her nieces Willow and Sam. Willow, overshadowed by her finger-songwriter mother, needs to cope with a failed album and an unsuccessful relationship. Sam, fiercely independent, is on the verge of losing her gaming company and the man she loves as she can’t keep her anger in check.

With the FBI closing in, each of the three have to deal with their intertwined lives, traumas and the imminent consequences.

This is my first book of the author and I enjoyed the way she has sketched the relationships. Human stories are always relatable and help put our own lives in perspective. The language flows easily and is not verbose. It was interesting to find protagonists of different ages. They were made more authentic as each had shades of grey. The setting of New York City was well described.

Thank you Barbara O’ Neal, Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for making a digital e-arc available. Opinions expressed are mine.

The book releases on August 10th and I wish it much success.

A brilliant book, I loved reading about the multi generational girls who has their own problems in life brought on by their ambitions and success, insecurities and fear. Everything seemed real to me.

I was quickly pulled into their story, as their hopes and dreams called to me. I loved that the first book by this author was so captivating. A lot of emotions were seeped into the words which showed the power of the author's writing. I liked how the subplots were merged together seamlessly.

This book kept me hooked the whole afternoon in its pages with complex characters, emotional scenes, and engaging prose. Simply beautiful.

Barbara O’Neal has not disappointed with this book! From the moment you meet Gloria, Sam, and Willow, you are drawn into an epic story of a family with its share of heartbreak. From the troubles that Gloria faces from an adventurous past, Willow’s struggles with her music, and Sam’s emotional challenges, this a page turner from beginning to end. You will not be able to put this book down until you reach the last page! Even then, you will long for more about these three remarkable women.

Write my Name Across the Sky is a great story of the interconnectedness of a multi-generational family of talented, ambitious and strong women. I loved reading the hopes, aspirations, failures, regrets and successes of three very different women who were yet so similar.

I appreciate that one of the main characters is in her 70s. Her dreams, fears and desires are not diminished by age. Women everywhere, at least once they reach a certain age, know this, but rarely do we see it reflected in literature.

The story intertwined creativity, talent and genius with insecurity, addiction and abandonment. Past choices (some poor choices) and setbacks merge to simultaneously bring the three main characters to a critical point in their lives. Strength is not always easy and success is a journey.

Barbara O'Neal portrays relationships among women so well. These characters are complex and emotionally full bodied. They approach life with a brave gusto that I envy. I thoroughly enjoyed their story.

Barbara O'Neal has an incredible ability to write family sagas that you immediately get engrossed with. I have loved all of her novels thus far, but Write My Name Across the Sky has been her best yet!

You have sisters that share a famous mother but have different fathers and their aunt who raised them for most of their lives. One sister, Sam, is smart and tech savvy making video games but finds herself falling on hard times. The younger sister, Willow, is much like her folksy singing mother, has also been having and finds herself moving back to New York to start over. Their aunt, Gloria, has a past that is catching up to haunt her, finding herself being questioned by the FBI. All of these women will experience several obstacles along the way that will threaten to unravel their relationships with friends and each other.

O'Neal excellently tells each of these women's stories so that you are both cheering for them and getting angry at them! She grips your emotions and takes you on a rollercoaster ride. I highly recommend this book, as well as all her others. You will not be disappointed.

I received this complimentary book, and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Oh how I loved this book. I can’t remember the last time I was so caught up in a story and I adored being caught up in this one. I loved the characters, the suspense and the drama of all of these intriguing women. It was an absolute pleasure to spend time in the pages of this book.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of beautifully written characters and settings. I will remember and cherish my time in this book for many years to come.

//REVIEW// *ARC provided by @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.*

Write My Name Across the Sky

// ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

What can I say but I absolutely loved this book. It was a quick, fun and engaging read. It is filled with mystery and intrigue, love and relationships, and growth. It follows two generations of women, one a 70-something influencer - Gloria - and retired flight attendant and her two nieces - Willow and Sam - who she raised after her rock star sister died of an over dose.

Perfect for fans of Barbara O'Neal's When We Believed in Mermaids and Taylor Jenkins Reid's Malibu Rising and Daisy Jones and the Six.

A moving piece of women's fiction that is a quick read. Told seamlessly through 3 POV, the characters are well developed and engaging. This is a story that's easy to get drawn into and difficult to put down.

I've been a fan of Barbara O'Neal since I read When We Were Mermaids, so when I saw this come up, I knew I had to read it! I was not disappointed at all. I love the way Barbara writes and it is definitely a page turner for sure! I highly recommend this book to everyone!

What a page turner. I devoured this book!
Gloria is a 70 year old retired TWA flight attendant who was involved with what appears to be an art forger and art thief. Many years later he is arrested and she receives a call telling her “ it’s time to run”!
She has been raising her nieces, now all grown up , since her rock
star sister passed.
Willow and Samantha are complete opposites and don’t really get along, Willow is following in her mother’s footsteps but without the fame... yet ...and Samantha owns her own gaming company which is on the brink of failure.
This wonderfully written book is told from 3 perspectives, Gloria, Willow’s and Sam’s.
This book is written so beautifully, and these people became so engrained into my heart, I laughed, I cried, I screamed and loved them all through their successes and flaws.
An absolute must read!!!!
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Barbara O'Neal for an ARC in exchange for my honest review .

Another beautiful book that was easy and lovely to read. I was IN NYC up on that rooftop cheering for the family. Beautiful Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

Swinging For The Fence... But Not Quite Putting It Over. This was another of O'Neal's works over the last few years where she is very clearly swinging for the fence in attempting to write a masterpiece that will leave you breathless - which she nailed in 2019's When We Believed In Mermaids - that doesn't quite make it over. Ultimately this is a solid double/ stretch triple - powerful and great, but also very clearly not quite what she was hoping for. And honestly, most of that has to do with the ending and particularly the flash-forward epilogue. As at least one other review has mentioned, this could have been better with another hundred pages or so to flesh out that particular area, or perhaps (my own suggestion here) as a duology wherein the resolutions to the varying plot threads are set up, and then executed (with complications, of course) in the second book. Still, truly a solid and compelling read that hooks you in early and makes you want to read all the way through. Very much recommended.

I am a huge fan of the author and have read all of her books. This one is as wonderful as expected. Three women, three unique voices, three fantastic stories. Drawn in from the first page. Art heist? Sign me up.