A great read and impressive debut! Natalie hasn’t seen her family in 15 years. A decision she made when she was 17 resulted in her brother and sister going to prison. She thinks her life in Boston is fine but the combination of losing a promotion she thought was a sure thing (and that was given to her boyfriend instead) and a letter she receives informing her her mother has died, leave Natalie unmoored. She stands to inherit one third of her mother’s home in Santa Cruz, with the another third going to her sister, and a third going to her brother. But only if they all show up at the property together…

A Very Typical Family was engrossing - it was easy to sympathize and root for Natalie as she longs to make amends and reconnect with her siblings. There are funny moments and plenty of harrowing ones, including grief and abuse. It is a lovely tribute to siblings and the bonds they share.

Recommended to anyone and especially readers interested in family dramas / sibling stories with a hint of mystery.

Thank you very much to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the opportunity to read this ARC via NetGalley.

This book is so different from what I expected. The book has sadness, humor, love, forgiveness and hope. I absolutely loved it. It is about the Walker siblings reunion, but there is so much more. It is an absolute must read. You will enjoy this one, I promise.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to receive an arc from the publisher for an exchange for my review!


Loved this one. Loved it. Dysfunctional families growing together in the end should just be a genre if it’s own and I’d be there for it. Trigger warning- domestic violence.

I can’t wait to recommend this to more people. Loved the ending.

Natalie returns to her hometown following her estranged mother's death and a series of unfortunate events in her professional and personal life. She's also estranged from her two siblings, but needs to meet with them to ensure their family home stays in the family.

What I liked:
- Though flawed, Natalie is compelling. I found myself thinking about this story between reading sessions and really wanting it to have a happy ending for her.
- The setting for this story is very dreamy - I've never been to Santa Cruz, but it sounded idyllic.

What I didn't like:
- The drama felt contrived. Natalie's role at her job did not seem to be the caliber that would get a promotion to Director. I'm still not entirely sure why her siblings hated her for calling 911 when her sister was high and had hit her head.

Wow! What an amazing debut!

Although, NOT a very typical family I found these siblings and their relationships to feel so genuine and relatable which is an absolute MUST in a story that is this character driven! Their stories were so beautifully woven together and I loved how even through Nat’s single POV we got to know Lynn, Jake and Kit through their honest interactions and shared memories.

I was rooting so hard for these siblings and their second chance at finding happiness and a family in one and other and their journey getting there absolutely did not disappoint!

If you like a good family drama featuring some badass women finding their way, with a hint of romance and mystery, I highly recommend you pick this one up on September 13th, 2022!

Thanks to the author, netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the chance to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A very good, very fast read. I felt so many things for Natalie; she really pulled at my heart strings. I’m an only child and have always craved the camaraderie that a lot of siblings have.

A Very Typical Family
A Novel
by Sierra Godfrey
All families are messy. Some are disasters.

Well, this book is a lesson for me. It was a wonderfully written book . Not one I expected to grab me so deeply. I felt, I suppose in some ways I did relate to my own family, but this shows enduring and forgiveness. Brilliant and so NOT typical.

Natalie Walker's mother has recently died and now she must return to Santa Cruz, California to deal with her inheritance. The problem? Natalie hasn't been back to Santa Cruz in years since she is the reason her brother and sister went to prison. Her mother's will stated that all three siblings had to come together in order to inherit the family's historic home. Natalie leaves her home, job, and boyfriend in Boston and returns to Santa Cruz. Her sister Lynn also returns, but their brother, Jake, is missing. Natalie carries a great deal of guilt over her actions and she wants to try to make things right with her siblings. She also discovers that perhaps the life she really wants can only be created in Santa Cruz. There is a lot of dark humor in this powerful tale of love, forgiveness, loss, hope, and the opportunities for second chances in our lives. A delightful debut by Sierra Godfrey.

There’s something about A Very Typical Family that feels utterly relatable, even though most of us probably have never sent their siblings to prison. I love a great family conflict and Sierra Godfrey really grasped the feelings of hurt, regret, and shame that tend to come along with the people you grow up with, no matter how much you love each other.

Even more amazing is how this book could easily be a downer, but totally wasn’t. If anything, A Very Typical Family’s a first class mood lifter with a stunning message of hope and forgiveness. The story was remarkably light and funny at times, although I did have a should-we-be-laughing-at-this-moment when her sister’s abusive ex-partner showed up and *SPOILER ALERT* Natalie couldn’t decide whether calling the police was appropriate or not. (Of course I laughed, because I’m no good).

All in all, an amazing debut I highly recommend.

Hard to believe this is a debut! Wonderful read about the complexities & mistakes that reside in families. Heartfelt & uplifting.

Really enjoyed this book! Characters felt real and mostly likable. There was plenty going on in Natalie and her siblings lives to keep it interesting. I am going to miss reading about these characters.

Ending was great. Did not leave us hanging but gave insight into what happened on their lives.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. Thumbs up!

A fantastic read that dives into some thorny subjects like family alienation, the unexpected death of an estranged parent, traumatic childhood events, and domestic abuse. It also dives into subjects like family reunification, healing old wounds, and coming home to oneself. I love how this book explored the way that childhood trauma can impact all the choices a person makes in life; seeing main character Natalie reckon with the fact that she'd chosen her college studies, her career, and even her relationships (platonic and romantic) as a form of punishment for a choice she made as a teenager was enlightening and helped me look at some of my own life choices in a different way. The characters were well developed and so easy to empathize with, and I loved seeing their relationships with each other change throughout the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read this book!

I love family dramarama. In this one, Natalie, who hasn't spoken to her mother or siblings in fifteen years, has to go "home" to Santa Cruz to inherit part of the family home. (Her mom died two months ago and she didn't know!) All we know about the reason she has been ostracized from her family is that it has to do with her actions in sending her brother and sister to prison.

I loved this very entertaining and enlightening read. The themes of family, staying true to yourself, and especially forgiveness gave me all the feels. I liked how the sisters came together to figure out a way to find their missing brother and how Natalie grew as a person along the way. She didn't take the easy way out and I admired her for that. The story itself was very intriguing and the plot is character-driven, I liked that about it. I loved being taken away to California and the author's descriptions of Santa Cruz put me there. This is a wonderful love letter to family and the ties that bind, such an impressive debut.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Wonderful read, spectacular story, well-written, lovely characters. A beautiful portrayal of family, disappointment and life.

Such a good read. Natalie loses an expected promotion, but gains back everything she had lost in the past. Despite being alienated from her family, Natalie responds to a letter demanding she return to her California hometown to claim the inheritance of her childhood home.

There she finds her bitter sister following the same mandate. After years of anger and resentment, they work together to find their missing brother. During that quest, Natalie questions her own relationship with her boyfriend and her adopted Boston hometown.

She finds romance during this sojourn. There are so many interesting stories about rediscovery, forgiveness and family bonds.

This is a highly readable and engaging book. I really enjoyed it, thanks Netgalley!

“A Very Typical Family” by Sierra Godfrey is not a story about a typical family. This is a very character driven novel, which I rather enjoyed. I had a few issues with the book - a number of them dealing with Natalie’s boyfriend but also with the reason for the family’s falling out (although in the interview with the Author Ms. Godfrey explains why she chose that example). Having been to Santa Cruz a number of times, I greatly enjoyed Ms. Godfrey’s descriptions of that quirky town - from the Blue Whale skeleton (Ms. Blue!) to the Santa Cruz Bookstore and the glorious Boardwalk. I did like how the siblings all took tentative steps to rebuilding a relationship of some sort. Rebuilding family relationships is not easy - whether it be siblings or parental - thus why you might find yourself cheering on this family. Because this story focuses on Natalie, I have to say that it took me a while to warm up to her and some of her life choices. However, in the end, I wish her well. What I really liked was the engaging writing. With that in mind, I hope that Ms. Godfrey writes another book and I’ll be interested in reading that one too. Do read the interview with the author at the end of the book!

Spectacular debut! I loved this story so much! It is full of hope, regret, forgiveness and, ultimately, lots of love!
Natalie lives in Boston, has what she considers is a good job and a great boyfriend . She has been estranged from her older brother and sister for ten years. She was responsible for them going to prison. She had arrived home as a teenager and found they were having a party and drugs were involved. Her sister fell and seriously hurt her head and a friend of the brother apparently took an overdose of heroin. After that night Natalie fled to California and had no contact with her mother or siblings. After those ten years, Natalie receives a letter from a lawyer that her mother had died and left them all her house but they had to appear there all together to inherit. What follows is the best story ever! Do they get together? Can Natalie let go of her regret and guilt? Will her siblings forgive her? Will they be a family again?